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The reluctant heroes of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe return to Narnia, but as Jesus--I mean, Aslan--says in Prince Caspian, “nothing happens the same way twice.” The four kids are both older and more confident in their roles as the mystical land’s saviors, but they still manage to be some of the most annoying child protagonists outside of Veruca Salt. There’s far less grandiose magic in Caspian than there was in its predecessor, and also considerably less exposition; thus, it’s hard to imagine viewers who are unfamiliar with the basic outlines of the previous story being able to get on board with the reference-heavy plot. But that’s OK: with a nearly 2.5-hour running time, there’s plenty of time to catch up. In the thousand or so years since the kids’ last visit, Narnia has been all but destroyed by invasive humans--meaning all the dwarves, talking rodents, and warrior centaurs are in hiding. Exiled Prince Caspian and the now-legendary young heroes gather up the troops to lead the charge against a corrupt king, and lots of incredibly violent (but bloodless) battles take place. And, seriously, that’s it. Thankfully, the battles are all well shot, the palace intrigue is kept to a minimum, and the young stars have grown up enough to make you not notice that this is the most melancholy popcorn flick of the summer.