Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” — More is more in this follow-up to the 2005 fantasy hit “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” It’s simultaneously darker and funnier, more substantive and more engaging, more violent and more technically accomplished. You can’t really call it a sequel because it’s an adaptation of the second book in C.S. Lewis’ series, but seeing its predecessor is a must to understand what’s going on — and it’ll make you appreciate how much better this movie is. It’s been a year since the Pevensie children (William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley) left Narnia and returned to school during World War II-era London. But 1,300 years have passed in the magical land where they once served as kings and queens. They’re accidentally summoned back there by Prince Caspian (British stage actor Ben Barnes), whose life is threatened by his power-hungry uncle, Lord Miraz (Sergio Castellitto). The kids must band together with Caspian and the chatty, furry creatures of Narnia to fight Miraz and his massive army and restore the throne to its rightful heir. Sound like a fun adventure for the whole family? It’s not — this “Narnia” is strictly for tweens and older with its palace intrigue and protracted battle scenes, and some creatures and action sequences may be too frightening for little ones. Peter Dinklage brings depth and humor to the role of Trumpkin the Red Dwarf, Tilda Swinton makes an all-too brief appearance as the crazy White Witch, and Eddie Izzard steals the show as the voice of Reepicheep, a swashbuckling mouse. PG for epic battle action and violence. 137 min. Three stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

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“How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer” — Before she tried on a pair of magical pants or transformed herself as the award-winning star of “Ugly Betty,” America Ferrera appeared in this indie charmer. The movie’s been kicking around at festivals since 2005 and is just now being released theatrically, but it further reveals Ferrera’s naturally lovely screen presence, something which was first on display in her acclaimed but little-seen 2002 debut “Real Women Have Curves.” Here, she plays the youngest among three generations of women who discover themselves, and their sexuality, during a long, hot summer in an Arizona border town. Writer-director Georgina Garcia Reidel was inspired by her own 70-year-old grandmother living in sleepy Somerton, Ariz., and the strength of her obviously low-budget feature debut comes from the intimate simplicity of her storytelling. Her observations are sweet and funny and even risque, and by presenting them in a stripped-down way, she makes them more relatable than if she’d slathered them in treacly sentiment. Ferrera is Blanca, a 17-year-old virgin who’s drawn to an older bad boy (Leo Minaya). Elizabeth Pena plays her divorced mother, Lolita, who becomes preoccupied by both her co-worker at the butcher shop (Rick Najera) and a frequent customer (Steven Bauer) who shamelessly hits on her despite being married. And TV and film veteran Lucy Gallardo plays Lolita’s mother, Dona Genoveva, who impulsively buys a beat-up truck even though she can’t drive, then slowly falls for her gardener (Jorge Cervera) who’s offered to give her lessons. R for sexual content and some language. 128 min. Two and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic