In "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," nerdy scientist Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) came up with an invention that would shrink matter. But when his kids (and a couple of neighbors) triggered it, they accidentally shrunk themselves, leading to comic complications.

What really made that film cross over to an older audience, however, was the warmth of the family more than the slapstick of the gimmick. It's unfortunate that the inevitable sequel, "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," abandons the first film's sense of character and leans more heavily toward gimmick. But the players are charming enough to carry us through it all, and there are some clever gags and eye-popping special effects.

In "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," Moranis is back as Wayne, now working for a huge scientific research company in Nevada. This time, he's trying to unravel the secrets of making things bigger, and, in case you've been in a cave and missed the commercials, he accidentally triggers his latest device when his 2-year-old toddler Adam (played by twins Daniel and Joshua Shalikar) wanders into the line of fire. As a result, the baby grows by leaps and bounds — his first growth spurt putting him at 7 feet. He ultimately becomes 50 feet tall and heads for the bright lights of Las Vegas, causing no end of havoc.

There's no question that "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" is a one-joke movie, but it's a pretty cute joke. And it's certainly better than the average children's picture these days. Still, this one may not be quite as appealing to adults as its predecessor.

The film opens as we again meet the Szalinski family (Marcia Strassman, Robert Oliveri and Amy O'Neill reprise their roles as Mom and the kids — though O'Neill immediately goes off to college and isn't heard from again). They've been uprooted and transplanted to a Nevada suburb, but they're still surrounded by all those crazy gadgets Wayne builds to "simplify" household duties.

Wayne is working for an eccentric industrial magnate (Lloyd Bridges) as part of a team headed by a snobbish scientist (John Shea) who has no respect for Wayne's work, and who's plottingwith a board member (Gregory Sierra) to take over the company.