Civil War (3 stars out of 4)



When I saw the trailer for “Civil War” earlier this year, I wondered if it might be one of the worst movies of 2024. With the presidential election coming up, our extremely divisive culture was already set to be even more divisive than usual, and though the premise of a modern cinematic civil war

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: 3 stars out of 4



I genuinely enjoyed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” back in 2021, both as a continuation of the franchise and as a tribute to original cast member Harold Ramis. At the same time, the film made it clear that another key cast member was MIA: New York City.



The Oklahoma setting for “Afterlife” was fun, but it also

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: 1 1/2 stars out of 4



My expectations were pretty low going into the second (and final) Aquaman film, but I hoped that at least maybe Jason Momoa could inject some energy into “Lost Kingdom” the way he did with “Fast X” earlier this year. Sadly, there was no underwater equivalent to his flowing purple Fast

"Dream Scenario" - 3 stars out of 4



One of 2022’s more memorable films was, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” which cast Nicholas Cage as himself in a fun and at times surreal comedy-adventure about a late-career actor who gets in over his head when a wealthy fan pays him to make an appearance at his birthday party.



2023’s “Dream Scenario”

"Napoleon" - 2 1/2 stars out of 4



Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” traces the life of the iconic French emperor from the time of theFrench Revolution through his final exile after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. His rise andfall as a military leader is paired against his tumultuous relationship with his wife Josephine,and though Scott’s film features powerful moments, as

"The Creator" - 3 Stars out of 4



It seems rare nowadays for a science fiction film to come along that isn’t part of an existingfranchise. Even “Blade Runner” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” had sequels, and many sci-fi filmsare adaptations of well-known books or comics.



Near as I can tell, Gareth Edwards’ “The Creator” is an original, standalone project. Thedirector’s follow-up

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One: 3 1/2 stars out of 4



It’s hard to think of a modern franchise as reliable as the Mission: Impossible films, at least in terms of quality. (I can think of a few that can be counted on to be crap, but that’s beside the point.) Ever since JJ Abrams’ “Mission: Impossible 3” course-corrected

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – 2 stars out of 4



Thanks to 2018’s “Bumblebee,” the bar for “Transformers” movies was raised after a decade of overstuffed schlock. Unfortunately, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” takes the franchise back toward Bayhem.



I went into “Rise of the Beasts” with mixed expectations. “Bumblebee” was so good—really, the “Transformers” movie I think fans of the

Fast X: 2 1/2 stars out of 4



“Fast X” might be the dumbest movie I’ve ever seen, but when it comes to the Fast and Furious franchise, that may be beside the point. The tenth installment of this joyously bizarre saga suffers from all of the maladies that have plagued its recent releases, and is getting dangerously close to “Sharknado”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 3 Stars out of 4



It’s too long, the plot’s a mess, and it’s pretty moody for one of Marvel’s “funny” franchises, but given the quality of the post-“Endgame” era, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is surprisingly good, and an appropriate capstone for one of the more unique trilogies to come out of the