The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG, 2008)

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN starts with a bang -- or, rather, a wail -- and doesn't let up from there. When a baby son is born to Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), his nephew, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) must flee for his life: Miraz wants the throne, and now that he has an heir, he's out for blood. Caspian heads for the enchanted woods on horseback, Miraz's henchmen in hot pursuit -- in dire need of help, he blows an ancient, magical horn, summoning back the kings and queens of old (who, at the moment, are stuck in a London subway station). And so the Pevensie siblings -- Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Lucy (Georgie Henley), and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) -- return to Narnia, hundreds of years after they left. Can they save Caspian and Narnia from Miraz and his Telmarines? And where is noble lion Aslan when you need him?

PRINCE CASPIAN is lots of fun even if you're not a fan of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books. (In fact, it may be better not to be one in this case, as purists are likely to balk at some departures from the text.) Caspian doesn't offer as much whimsy as the first installment, dealing instead with darker matters -- notably that of Caspian's fight to keep his throne, which is wrenched from him by his scheming, power-mad uncle. The Narnians, under siege by the Telmarines, are rougher around the edges this time, too; they're more cynical and tired of persecution. To win their freedom, they must fight -- often, and sometimes to their death.

Still, thanks to well-paced moments of levity -- many of them instigated by swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep (voiced impeccably by Eddie Izzard) -- the long journey (the film clocks in at over two hours) doesn't lag too much. (Some jokes do jar, taking you out of the time period; the kids, for instance, refer to one of the dwarves as "DLF," for "dear little friend," which, although it's straight from the book, somehow sounds a little text message-y.) Director Andrew Adamson keeps the fight scenes taut and swift, though one less skirmish or two could have gone a long way toward preventing battle fatigue. But fine work from the cast (particularly Henley) helps make up for this, as does the breathtaking scenery. You'll be ready to book your own Narnia adventure by the time the credits roll.