Beowulf (in 3D)Impressive monsters and realistic animation. Better than 300, a bit reminiscent of the recent Lord of the Rings films.
Bride of FrankensteinIt’s interesting to see just how much of the Frankenstein mythos not only isn’t in the book, but isn’t in the first movie.
Captain America: The First Avenger★★★★☆Better than I remembered, Captain America stands out from the MCU both because it’s a war film and because the formula hadn’t solidified yet.
Conan the Destroyer★★☆☆☆The first movie holds up. The second tries too hard to fit in a PG rating and ends up as self-parody.
Doctor Strange★★★★☆Surrealism is the best part. Creative use of Escher gravity, portals, astral projection, time manipulation, incredibly detailed alterations to reality, and effects that make it all look incredible.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness★★★☆☆Not as bad as I expected, but the alternate realities weren’t as fun as the reality-bending in the first movie. And there was way too much reliance on the Idiot Ball.
Dungeons & Dragons (2000 Movie)★☆☆☆☆So bad that the group of friends I was with started heckling the movie, and the rest of the audience joined in.
Edward Scissorhands★★★★☆The film still holds up: the fairy tale music, the contrast between ‘normal’ suburbia and Edward’s home, and the tension between appearances and heart.
From Hell (Movie)★★★☆☆A fairly decent Jack the Ripper film (if there is such a thing), but tossed out the main themes of the graphic novel.
Ghostbusters★★★★★The jokes are still funny, the story still works, and even the effects hold up pretty well.
House of FrankensteinA rather disjointed tale of revenge focusing on Dracula in one segment, the Wolfman in the other, and not much on Frankenstein’s monster.
The IllusionistFor the first hour I couldn’t get past lead characters being colossally stupid, but the ending totally made up for it.
Jurassic Park (Movie)★★★★★
Steven Spielberg The original Jurassic Park film is still great, more than 30 years later. The dinosaurs are still impressive, it’s well-paced and dramatic, and despite contemporary reviews, the characters are engaging.
Justice League: The New Frontier (Movie)★★★★☆Cooke’s drawing style and the 1950s retro look to the artwork both translate well to the screen. A bit disjointed at first, but settles into a solid story about hope and trust.
Les Misérables (Adaptations)Reviews of several Les Misérables movies, parodies, comic books, the 25th Anniversary production of the musical, a children’s book, a radio play and more.
Nightmare Before Christmas (in 3D)★★★★⯪ILM remade the entire film in CGI, then shifted the virtual camera over for the second viewpoint. They match seamlessly. That said, 3D doesn’t add much to the original, but it doesn’t interfere either.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End★★★★☆A lot of fun, if hard to keep track of all the double-crosses. Doesn’t require intimate knowledge of the previous films, just knowing who the major players are.
Ready Player One (Movie)★★★★☆
Steven Spielberg Better than I expected, having soured on the book by the time it came out. Not a straight adaptation so much as a rewrite of the same premise that’s more character-driven and yes, more cinematic. With Spielberg.
Rotten Tomatoes★☆☆☆☆Let’s see…worst movie I’ve ever seen in a theater. Top three candidates
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Movie)★★★★☆It’s a fun mash-up of movie, comic book and video game sensibilities, though it does suffer from cramming six books into a single movie.
Short Circuit★★★★☆The comedy about a robot coming to life and the humans trying to catch him or help him escape holds up better than I expected.
Solo: A Star Wars Story★★★☆☆Solo isn’t high art, and it’s got some rough edges, but it’s a fun ride.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones★★★☆☆I think it’s the weakest of the prequels and of the six that George Lucas was actually involved in.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi★★★★☆The performances are way better than most of the prequel trilogy, and the story is the first theatrical Star Wars to break new ground in ages.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace★★★★☆Better than I remember. It’s well constructed, and there are incredible subtleties and thematic elements hidden among the flashy (and cheesy) A-plot.
Stardust (Movie)★★★★★Light-hearted fantasy adventure built around a love story, Stardust takes itself just a touch more seriously than The Princess Bride. Enjoyable on its own, and stays true to the heart of the book.
Superman Returns★★★☆☆Enjoyed it, but no interest in seeing it again. It already felt like deja vu since there were so many references to the first two movies with Christopher Reeve.
Thor: The Mighty Avenger★★★☆☆Amazing designs, intriguing concepts, but a plodding plot that tries to be a character piece but is required to be an action film.
Transformers (Movie)★★★☆☆Better constructed than I expected, with impressive effects, plausible story logic, but a lot of the humor is forced and it feels like they missed the big picture in trying to get the details right.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen★☆☆☆☆In some ways it wasn’t as awful as I’d heard, and in some ways it was worse. I’m glad I waited for the second-run showing and only spent $1.75.
Unofficial Trilogy of CheeseThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow should make a trilogy of sorts.