First this caveat emptor: Some straight-to-video films are good enough for the big screen. “The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas” is a film that premiered on the big screen but which should have gone straight to video.

That’s not meant to be a slam on this particular movie, a prequel to the 1994 film. It’s just that it’s the rare TV show which successfully makes a transition to the big screen. For every “Addams Family,” there’s a dozen such efforts as “Wild, Wild West” and “The Avengers.” All the special effects in the world can’t disguise that fact.

Still, with the relative dearth of family films out there, “The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas” is a fairly safe choice (it scores points just for not being “Pokemon” or some other similar, badly dubbed Japanese import). There’s little language or violence to which most parents could object.

Actually, this sequel actually works better than the original, even though both were directed by the same man, Brian Levant. That’s probably because the first film was crammed with name actors, including John Goodman and Rosie O’Donnell, while the new Universal release features a lesser-known cast of TV, art film and theater actors. They’re more believable in character than those in the first movie, where it seemed like the stars were slumming in a cartoon.

Also, this prequel has more of the feel of an episode of the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon. The basic plotline: Fred and Barney get in trouble, and their significant others bail them out.

“Viva Rock Vegas” tells how the Flintstones and the Rubbles first met. Wilma Slaghoople (Kristen Johnson, “Third Rock From the Sun”) leaves her wealthy family to go live among the little people in Bedrock. She’s befriended by Betty O’Shale (Jane Krakowski, “Ally McBeal”), a skating waitress at the Bronto Cafe. Before long, they’re going out with two new employees of Slate’s Quarry, Fred Flintstone (Mark Addy, “The Full Monty”) and Barney Rubble (the youngest Baldwin scion, Stephen, most recently out-acted by a blue M&M).

The foursome is invited to Rock Vegas by Wilma’s ex-boyfriend, Chip Rockefeller (Thomas Gibson, “Dharma and Greg”), who is conspiring with Wilma’s conniving mother, Pearl (Joan Collins, in an inspired bit of typecasting) to get back together with Wilma. You see, he needs to wed into the Slaghoople fortune to pay off the mobsters bankrolling his foundering casino.

While the leads (especially Krakowski) are serviceable in their roles, the scene-stealer is Alan Cumming (a Tony winner for the revival of “Cabaret”), who plays both the interstellar imp Gazoo and the prehistoric rocker Mick Jagged (of Stones fame).

The film manages to capture enough of the nuances of the cartoons to keep nostalgic adults from getting bored, and is still vivid enough to keep young newcomers to the Flintstones enthralled.

My junior critic, Samantha, who is nearing 5, is no fan of “The Flintstones” (she’s still waiting for that live-action “Scooby Doo” film), and yet she said she liked everything about “Viva Rock Vegas.” She paid it a high honor indeed, taking only one bathroom break. Still, by the end of the 90-minute movie, she was wandering back and forth along our aisle. So it’s a tad lengthy for those trained on 75-minute Disney films.

So, to recap, “Viva Rock Vegas” has a little something for everyone, but not enough for any one. It will make a good weekend rental in about four months.

Editor’s Note: Dale McGarrigle is a Style writer who writes about contemporary music, television and pop culture. His 4-year-old daughter Samantha specializes in Disney films and both old and new TV cartoons, and in spreading her toys throughout the entire house.