Kids sure do grow up fast don't they? Well, that's an understatement for the four Pevensie children from Narnia. Since the last time we saw them they aged 1,300 years! (Three years in earth time.)

This new Narnia movie re-introduces us to the kids, we see them wandering around a London train station in their school uniforms. Any hopes that they'll be getting in a rumble with the Hogwarts gang are dashed however when the station abruptly turns into Narnia.

Drats! Back to Narnia? Yup, a blast from a prince named Caspian's magic horn, literally sucks the Pevensies back into Narnia.

There Goes the Neighborhood

But sadly, Narnia isn't what it used to be. It's no longer the wintry, welcoming wonderland it once was- nope, far from it.While they were gone, a shipload of Telmarines stumbled in and took up residence, crowding out the natives. The Narnians who survived, a mish-mash of talking animals, dwarves, centaurs, the White Witch and Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) a god- like lion now live far away in the woods; out of sight and mind of the Telmarines. The Telmarines are led by a mean dictator named Miraz who murdered his brother, the former king; took over the throne and is now trying to off his nephew Caspian (played by Ben Barnes) hoping to hand over the kingdom one day to his own newborn son. Basically, whatcha got is a war movie for children, a "Lord of the Rings Lite" if you will!

SideNote: Although not my type, Ben Barnes will be the new heartthrob in Hollywod, definitely giving Orlando Bloom a run for his money.

It's weird -this new Narnia is exactly 1 minute longer than the first one but it felt much, much longer.The same people who made "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" which was of the coolest films of 2005 have turned around and made one of this year's biggest duds.

Don't get me wrong, it's not all bad; it's visually very cool, with great special effects- it just felt kind of... empty to me. I can't put my finger on it, but I was expecting to be entertained by it in the same way the first one did. But in the end it just fell flat.

The moral of "Prince Caspian"seems to be-you can't go home again, especially if you arrive 1,300 years later!

But if you love the books (even though some would say this one isn't the strongest in the C.S. Lewis series) and do decide to see it after all, well then all I can say is Good Knight and Good Luck.

Rated PG