New `Narnia' is both darker and funnier

Once the kids return to Narnia - which they reach through a tube station, calling to mind the passage route to Hogwarts in the "Harry Potter" series - they must band together with Caspian and the chatty, furry creatures of Narnia to fight Miraz and his massive army and restore the throne to its rightful heir.

Sound like a fun adventure for the whole family? It's not. This "Narnia" is strictly for tweens and up with its palace intrigue and protracted battle scenes, and some creatures and action sequences may be too frightening for little ones. (Adamson co-wrote the script with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who all collaborated on part one, as well.)

But despite the heavier themes of betrayal of trust and loss of innocence, this "Narnia" also has a healthier share of light moments, too. British comic Eddie Izzard steals the show as the voice of Reepicheep, a flamboyantly swashbuckling mouse who calls to mind Antonio Banderas' Puss in Boots character from the second and third "Shrek" flicks.

Peter Dinklage brings depth and humor to the role of Trumpkin the Red Dwarf, a Narnian who's as quick with a sword as he is with a cranky one-liner. And Tilda Swinton makes an all-too brief appearance as the crazy White Witch, a tantalizing reminder of the great range within this recent Oscar winner. (Barnes, meanwhile, is dreamy and all but it's hard to tell whether there's anything there, even though he plays the titular prince.)

And there is still an innate sweetness in the fact that Lucy, the baby of the Pevensie bunch, is the voice of reason - the one who sees things her brothers and sister miss and realizes that magic is still possible while they're busy flailing in their pragmatism.

All the young actors seem stronger and more comfortable than they were the first time around, and their bonding and bickering make their familial relationships seem believable, relatable. At least that gives you something to latch onto when all those talking squirrels and centaurs seem just too silly to take.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," a Walt Disney Pictures release, is rated PG for epic battle action and violence. Running time: 137 minutes. Three stars out of four.