In the first film The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four English kids — Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy — had accidentally entered the magical world of Narnia when they walked into a wardrobe in their uncle's house. After fighting alongside Aslan the lion and killing the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), the children grew up in Narnia and became its rulers. One day however, the four stumble onto a pathway that leads them back to our world, where they become children again.

In the sequel Prince Caspian, the four are transported once again to Narnia after a beleagured Narnian prince (Ben Barnes) blows the magical horn that once belonged to Susan. When the children arrive, they find that Narnia has changed completely. The kingdom is now run by warmongering humans and the magical creatures have been banished to the deep, dark forest. As one grumpy dwarf (Peter Dinklage) tells the children, "You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember."

It is up to the kids to help the good Prince Caspian restore order to the kingdom...

We liked The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but we enjoyed this sequel even more. Compared to the first film, Prince Caspian is much faster-paced and more action-packed. There are two major battles featuring fierce head-to-head combat, airborne assaults and giant catapults. The battle scenes feel almost Lord of the Ring-ish — save for the fact that we seldom see blood being shed or limbs being severed because the Narnia franchise is, after all, targeted at children.

That said, however, Prince Caspian is still a well-crafted fantasy-adventure that can be enjoyed by audiences young and old. The sequel retains much of the original's charm and magic, and we particularly loved the swashbuckling mouse. Don't miss it.