New on DVD: Narnia, Tron, and a Mess

Are you looking for something to enjoy on DVD? What’s new, you ask? Well, SixSeeds is here to break down the options.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Kids Adventure Movie (releases Friday, April 8)

The Gist: In Walden Media’s adaptation of the beloved C.S. Lewis book, Prince Caspian is joined by the Lucy and Edmund Pevensie and their snotty cousin Eustace as he sails uncharted waters in search of missing Narnian lords. This is a seafaring story and we meet everything from a dragon to a daughter of a star to sea serpents. Read our full review.

The Ups: Will Poulter as Eustace captures the essence of a boy so snide, know-it-all, selfish, and cowardly that nothing less than the power of the great lion Aslan will make him change. Reepicheep the mouse is his greatest rival and turns out to be his fondest friend. As in all the Narnia books, character is paramount and redemption available.

The Downs: Variations on the plot, designed to make an episodic book more cohesive, aren’t as rich as Lewis’s original story and trade insight for flash. One seminal scene in the book, where Eustace encounters Aslan, feels anticlimactic.

The Verdict: Watch it. Buy it. Even with its flaws, it’s still better than 90% of what Hollywood produces for kids.

Be Aware: Rated PG, the film has no objectionable content, but some battle scenes, especially one involving a sea serpent, may be too intense for younger children.

*SixSeeds own Micheal Flaherty is co-president of Walden Media and intimately involved in the production of VDT, but did not influence this review. *

Tron: Legacy

Action Sci-Fi

The Gist: In an update thirty years in the making, the son of computer programmer Kevin Flynn bodily enters the virtual world his father created. He’s looking for his long lost dad, but apparently that requires lots of video game style battles with flashy-blinky lights and thumpa thumpa music. Read our full review. 

The Ups: Visually spectacular, this movie is an example of technology finally catching up with a concept. The alternate universe is intense, gripping, and stunning. A soundtrack by Daft Punk fits keeps the feeling going. This film is all about the effects.

The Downs: Don’t expect to understand the story or the characters. While at times, characters have trippy, Zen, intellectual sounding conversations about “the Creator” and new, spontaneous digital life forms, it all fizzles and comes to nothing. With a better writer, the script might have had something profound to say. This one just goes boom-boom-boom.

The Verdict: Watch it. Enjoy it. It was better on the big screen, but is still a fun ride.

Be Aware: Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language. This is an example of a popular and exciting film that was made for the entire family.

Little Fockers

Alleged Comedy

The Gist: This third installment of the Focker saga follows Greg and Pam as they deal with their hellion offspring, their overbearing in-laws, and middle-aged life in general.

The Ups: Nope. Not a one. Nada. Zilch.

The Downs: My fingers are freezing up at the thought of all the downs in this crude, tasteless and appalling movie. There just aren’t enough words. You may be tempted to watch, thinking it’s good for a laugh. You’d be wrong. Charlie Sheen is funnier than this train wreck. Heck, cleaning the bathroom is funnier. It's so bad. So very, very bad. It’s the kind of bad that’s embarrassing to talk about, the kind from which decent people turn away. Oh! Isn’t the weather beautiful today? Are those tulips blooming in your yard? How about that NCAA championship game?

Be Aware: Rated PG-13 for mature sexual humor throughout, language and some drug content. Also be aware that it will plunder 98 minutes of your life you can never, ever reclaim.