Starring Ben Barnes, William Moseley, and Peter Dinklage. Rated PG.

In England, it has been one year since the
Pevensie siblings—dashing Peter, responsible Susan, headstrong Edmund, and angelic Lucy—returned from their fantastic adventure in Narnia. But in that faraway land, a thousand years have passed, and Narnia suffers under the cruel dynasty of the Telmar. The dwarves, talking animals, and centaurs are persecuted and in hiding, in dire need of a champion, perhaps even the newly exiled Prince Caspian…

And in this world, three years have passed since The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe emerged to popular success and mostly respectful reviews. It’s sequel time! A considerable weight of expectation lies heavily upon Prince Caspian. But both the movie and the character acquit themselves admirably, if not flawlessly.

Although its predecessor featured good effects, cheeky wit, and well-drawn protagonists, the most compelling element was a scary performance from Tilda Swinton as the White Witch. Prince Caspian suffers from the lack of a villain of equal magnitude. Instead, the titular protagonist faces an array of lesser antagonists, including a maniacal uncle (Sergio Castellito), the corrupt court of Telmar, and even, surprisingly, the Pevensies, summoned once again to Narnia to set things right. It’s less witchiness, more bitchiness.

Andrew Adamson directed Shrek, but he also has a way with humans, obtaining earnestly grounded performances from the large ensemble. This time out, Peter (William Moseley) has become something of a dick, resenting the loss of his kingly status in the “real” world. He crosses figurative and literal swords with Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes, an apparent winner of the young Keanu Reeves look-alike contest). Susan (Anna Popplewell), Lucy (Georgie Henley), and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) are on the fringes of this power struggle, thereby giving the plummiest supporting part to Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage, his eyes blazing under pounds of makeup), a surly dwarf warrior.

Surly dwarf warrior? Yes, there is more than a whiff of Lord of the Rings about this enterprise, which can’t be helped or regretted. The film obviously carries an overtly spiritual message (Lucy’s faith in metaphysical Aslan versus Peter’s hubristic belief in his own strength), which doesn’t signify much, given the frequent battling. Prince Caspian is a very well-made film, but its ultimate enjoyment may rest with your tolerance threshold for raucous computer-enhanced melee action.