'The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian' (PG) (out of four)

If you can trudge through the first 30 minutes of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," you'll find that the journey was well worth the wait.

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The follow-up to the 2005 "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," finds the Pevensie children heading out on another adventure, only this time the wardrobe is gone, the White Witch is dead, and beloved lion Aslan hasn't been seen for more than 1,000 years.

This epic big-screen telling of the second book in C.S. Lewis' fantasy series of literary classics spares no expense. The film is bigger, bolder and beastlier than the first installment -- and moodier, too.

When the movie opens, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are transported from World War II-era London back to Narnia through a subway station near London's Trafalgar Square. Personally, it just doesn't have the same magic as the wardrobe, but it's a way to get the characters to where they are going, so it works.

When they arrive back in Narnia, they learn that more than 1,300 years has passed since their initial visit where they were made kings and queens of Narnia by the great lion Aslan. But as they delve deeper, they discover that Narnia isn't what it used to be. Trees no longer dance, talking animals have been reduced to man-eating beasts, and a race of humans called the Telmarines has taken over the land.

The children learn that they have been summoned back to Narnia by Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) -- the young heir to the Telmarine throne -- whose father has been killed by his evil uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) so he may claim the kingdom. By the time the foursome is transported and the complicated tale of Lord Miraz and Prince Caspian is tidied up, it seems like 1,300 years really has passed.

But the filmmakers redeem themselves soon after with plenty of mythical creatures, including a swashbuckling mouse with a very tiny sword (who is definitely a descendent of Puss in Boots of "Shrek" fame), a faithful talking badger, a hag, a werewolf and the famous Satyrs, plus the incredible battlefield of masked soldiers that appears to number in the thousands.

Along with Caspian, the children are determined to return Narnia to its original luster and save it from being taken over by the Telmarines. This is where the world of Lewis and Hollywood movie magic unfolds -- as Minotaurs, centaurs, dwarves, griffins and assorted other creatures fly through thick, wooded forests, while throngs of half human-half beast creatures storm a castle, and create an all-out war with soldiers wearing frightening armor masks.

There are shades of "The Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" in "Prince Caspian," so fans of those fantasies will revel in the film's dark side. There's no question that what makes this film jump off the screen are the phenomenal special effects worth the commitment of a 140-minute running time.

The earnest cast, including British stage actor Barnes and the four original child stars of the movie, Moseley, Henley, Keynes and Popplewell, keep the human action alive and the savage world of a torn-apart Narnia interesting.

Audiences in the second installment grow along with the emotional coming-of-age of the characters, and just like the children have grown up since the first "Narnia," the story is more adult, too. The end of the film makes it entirely clear that Peter and Susan won't be coming back to Narnia, and it's the end of the road for the two.

"Things never happen the same way twice," says mighty lion Aslan, voiced by Liam Neeson. Luckily for filmgoers, the second "Narnia" takes that to heart, creating an original experience for even those who never saw the first movie.