“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is a derivative fantasy-epic that gives the audience magic and medieval warfare without much in the way of dramatic value.

Impressive production design, serviceable special effects and some strong performances do little to hide the film’s lack of plot, character development, or any thematic subtlety.

The plot follows Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes of “Stardust,” playing the Prince as a poor man’s Antonio Banderas) as he tries to overthrow his genocidal uncle, Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) from the throne of Narnia. He summons the four Pevensie children, experienced from a lifetime of ruling Narnia, back to their former kingdom in order to free it.

The plot struggles to go any deeper than that. Never are reasons given for why Miraz is so very evil besides for a lot of snarling and yelling, or why Caspian is so very good besides for the natural charisma of Barnes.

The characters of the Pevensies, which could have been very interesting with having decades of experience as rulers and warriors, are hardly developed at all.

Apparently leaving a magical adult life to become a child again, only to go back to that magical life only serves to make you either na’ve and clumsy (see the younger two children, Georgie Henly and Skandar Keynes), boring (Susan as played by Anna Poppelwell), or a unlikeable twit (Peter, William Moseley).

The first half of the film struggles to find something to hold on to.

The audience is expected to just accept things as they happen, without being given a reason for them. As the film goes on and the action picks up, the film develops momentum, but never really develops the plot or characters in any interesting or creative ways.

More typically, the film falls back on the heavy-handed use of Christian themes of faith and providence, which come off less as some significant statement and more as a lazy use of plot contrivances and deus ex machina.

One scene in particular, where Caspian is tempted by evil monsters to bring back the White Witch (Tilda Swinton from “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”) in order to defeat his uncle, is quite chilling, and shows the dramatic weight the rest of the film is lacking. Also, the movie could do with a frightening yet charismatic presence like Swinton’s from the first film, which is only teased here.

Fans of the books and those who enjoyed the first movie will likely find more of what they enjoy in “Prince Caspian,” although the darker tones may discourage fans of the first movie’s more fanciful aesthetic. Those simply looking for well-made summer fun should look elsewhere, particularly to “Iron Man,” or even “Speed Racer.”

Two hilariously dopey bears yelling “For Aslan!” out of five

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