Oppenheimer

 

     What can you say about Christopher Nolan's masterpiece that hasn't already been said? The film is magnificent in every respect. Written and directed by Mr. Nolan, it's his finest film to date and that says a lot. Even if you are not a history buff, the film has enough drama and energy to appeal to anyone.

     And what star power. Casting is impeccable. Cillian Murphy gives a tour-de-force performance in the title role. Robert Downey Jr. is remarkable as Lewis Strauss. Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Josh Harnett, Kenneth Branagh Jason Clarke, Benny Safdie, Tom Conti, Casey Affleck, and so many others are all just amazing. 

     The script is brilliant. So much history and science to absorb yet easy to digest within Mr. Nolan's screenplay. Some scenes are not historically accurate but still make for good drama. In his typical fashion, Mr. Nolan does like to play with chronology but switches from color to black & white to help frame the different time periods.

     The visual details are incredible. Nothing is out of place throughout the various time periods. A standout is also the sound production. I almost never pay too much attention to the sound of a film, but here, the sound is so important and precise, it's like its own character.

      Long after the phenomenon of "Barbiheimer"(both highly anticipated films coming out the same day) fades, people will remember "Barbie" for its huge box office and personal triumph for Greta Gerwig, but "Oppenheimer" will be remembered as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time.

Theater Camp

 

             This mockumentary about a scrappy Theater Camp in upstate New York is lots of fun. The film stars Ben Platt, Molly Gordon (who stars, and co-wrote and co-directed the film), Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Caroline Aaron, Ayo Edebiri, Amy Sedaris, Nathan Lee Graham, Patti Harrison, and Owen Thiele. It also has a terrific cast of aspiring young actors who love musical theater and are all very talented in their own right.

         The film follows a particular summer at the camp when there are financial troubles looming and the staff has to prepare the kids for multiple shows where everyone is looking for the lead roles. Since there is footage of Mr. Platt and others as children at a real theater camp, it is clear that the film is loosely based on their own experiences.

          From the auditions to the teaching process, and finally to the completed shows, the film is very funny and has some terrific song and dance numbers. If you are a fan of theater and musicals in particular, this is a must see but even if you are not and yet looking for something different and very enjoyable, you can't go wrong with "Theater Camp".

Barbie

 

       

       Bizarre, surreal, and yet brilliant in its execution, Barbie is both fun and funny but definitely not for young kids. Make no mistake about it, after about the first 30 minutes in Barbieland, Barbie becomes self-aware and the film takes a very real adult turn.

       Themes of self-awareness, existentialism, hierarchical power, patriarchal vs matriarchal society as well as what defines femininity as well as masculinity flow throughout the film. Director and co-writer (along with Noah Baumbach) Greta Gerwig has found an amazing way to bring the famous doll to life in both an entertaining and yet thought provoking way.

       Margot Robbie could not be better as "stereotypical" Barbie. She not only has the perfect Barbie shape but the intelligence and emotional depth to bring the doll to life. Ryan Gosling, as "stereotypical" Ken is also perfectly cast. Not only does he have the look Ken requires but he is very funny and gets a chance to show off his singing and dancing chops.

       Co-starring as other Barbies are Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Dua Lipa, Alexandra Shipp, among others. Besides Mr. Gosling,  some of the other Kens are played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and John Cena. Michael Cera plays Allen, Ken’s best friend. And in the real world, America Ferrera, Arianna Greenblatt and Will Ferrell play key roles. Rhea Perlman has an important cameo and Dame Helene Mirren is the film's narrator.

       Much of the humor is self-effacing, and many of the jokes come at Mattel's expense. There are many funny lines and visual humor as well. But throughout, the film does manage to sneak in its serious themes. The set design of Barbieland is incredible and the transition technique to bring Barbie and Ken into the real world is very clever. All the visuals are eyepopping and accompanied by a terrific score and songs.

         Kudos to Ms. Gerwig for finding a perfect balance of entertainment and enlightenment.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

  

      

      Inevitably a plot point involving time travel makes perfect sense for this new Indiana Jones adventure as it it seeks to recapture the thrills and excitement of the original franchise. While it certainly doesn't disappoint in the action sequences, it's joy for an audience comes from the nostalgic feeling we get when we hear the familiar theme music and crack of that weathered bullwhip.

      Harrison Ford returns once again as Indiana Jones and the CGI department works their magic to "de-age" Mr. Ford for the 25 minute prequel. The effect is almost flawless and the opening sequence is quite exciting (and in an odd way mirroring a similar scene in the new Mission Impossible film). For the rest of the film, Mr. Ford acts his age and still manages to succeed in the action scenes helped by a very capable Phoebe Waller-Bridge, playing his goddaughter.

      The plot involves the hunt for two pieces of a clock like apparatus created by Archimedes that can affect time. Mr. Ford's nemesis, a Nazi scientist trying to change history, is well played by Mads Mikkelsen. The film also co-stars Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and in cameos, John Rhys-Davies and Antonio Banderas.

      Director and cowriter James Mangold keeps the story and the action well paced, making great use of exotic locations and set pieces. There are even a few nods to the previous films in the franchise. As the fifth film in the series, it makes for a much better Indiana Jones sendoff than it's predecessor, "The Crystal Skull". And while the last third of the film could be considered "jumping the shark", it redeems itself with an excellent surprise ending.

MIssion Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One

 

         

         Tom Cruise returns in the summer blockbuster franchise filled with more incredible stunts and action sequences. By now, fans of the franchise know what to expect in terms of action and plot and the film doesn't disappoint.

        Much has been made by now of the freefall cliff jump by motorcycle but for my money there are even more incredible moments, especially in the last sequence in the film. While the action is very satisfying, the plot is less so. Rather than face one villain or shadow organization, Mr. Cruise's nemesis this time is an sentient artificial intelligence know as 'The Entity".

         The plot revolves around finding a key that will shut off the AI. It's rather convoluted and a weakness of the film that characters have to stop and explain  plot points multiple times. It appears the filmmakers don't trust the audience enough to understand the story but the reality is, it doesn't matter since this built in audience is here for Mr. Cruise and all the action, not the story.

         Returning co-stars include Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and Henry Czerney. New to the cast are Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, and Pom Klementieff. Ms. Atwell is a terrific addition to the cast as a thief accidently drawn into the mission and Ms. Klementieff (so good as Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy) is having a ball as an assassin protecting The Entity.

        The story jumps practically all over the world with beautiful scenery and the blend of live action and CGI is almost flawless. Directed and co-written by Christopher McQuarrie, the film delivers on it's anticipated promises but does leave the audience wanting more since it is only part one of a two part story. We will all have to wait until June 28th, 2024 to see how it all plays out.

No Hard Feelings

   

    Selling itself as a raunchy "sex comedy", "No Hard Feelings" does have its moments but for the most part plays it safe and ends up a sweet, sentimental comedy about two insecure characters finding a connection. 

     Jennifer Lawrence stars as Maddie, an Uber driver without a car who needs to make some quick money to save her Montauk home. While a ridiculous set up as a plot, she does answer an ad to "date" a 19-year-old in exchange for a car.

    Ms. Lawrence is a gifted dramatic actress who is quite adept at comedy as well.  While the premise to kick start the film is ridiculous, she makes it work and is quite funny in the role of Maddie. Her co-star as the awkward 19-year-old, Percy, is Andrew Barth Feldman, who has the difficult job of playing things straight and warding off Ms. Lawrence's sexual advances. The two develop great chemistry and the film ends on an expected and sweet note.

    The film co-stars Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick as Percy's overprotective parents and Natalie Morales and Scott MacArthur as Maddie's best friends. Also, in minor roles are Kyle Mooney and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

    While some may find the premise cringe worthy (it's supposed to be), Ms. Lawrence is constantly reminded of the age difference between Percy and herself, as well as continuing to question her motives. It's all played for laughs with a few genuinely funny moments.

Asteroid City

 

      Highly stylized and rather self-indulgent, this new Wes Anderson film is strictly for his fans. The casual film goer may be lured in by the extensive big name cast but will most likely find the film very weird.

     When a film has such an extensive cast, many of whom are Anderson regulars, it will, unfortunately find many of them lacking in character development. This will result in many brief cameos, and such is the case here.

     The lead actors with the most fully realized characters are Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Brayan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, and Edward Norton. There are lest least 14 other recognizable stars in the minor roles.

     An audience may find themselves either put off or very intrigued by the structure of the film. What starts as a TV documentary about a play, then turns into a filmed version of the play but often cuts back and forth between versions. Anderson uses a bright palate of color to represent the film and black and white to represent the play. Actors play characters who play characters.

     The story, on the surface, is about a group of Junior Stargazers who come together at Asteroid City, a very, very small town in the desert to celebrate their scientific achievements, 

     Mr. Anderson, who wrote and directed the film, incorporates humor and drama in equal parts with a fine eye for detail. Nevertheless, there are puzzling elements that seem to have no rhyme or reason. It's a fun, whimsical, yet strange journey.

The Flash

 

 All of the recent DC superhero movies, this is by far, the most fun, thanks to a clever script and duo acting by star Ezra Miller.

 Mr. Miller stars as Barry Allen aka The Flash, fastest man on earth. Without revealing too much, his super speed puts him in an alternative timeline where he exists with a younger version of himself. The two must work together, with surprising help, to repair the time line and get Barry back to his own time.

 The interaction between the two is very funny at times and makes for much of the film's humor. Besides the humor, there is plenty of action and while the CGI can be excellent at times, it can also be sloppy as well (especially in the third act).

 There are some sequences that make great use of Barry's speed, slowing down everything else around him. But at other times, the CGI, especially in the battle scenes look just like a poorly done videogame. It seems director Andy Muschietti had his team save the best for the most significant CGI scenes and skimped on the less important ones.

 The film co-stars Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingstone as Henry Allen (Barry's father), Maribel Verdu as Nora Allen (Barry's mother), Keirsey Clemons as Iris West, and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman (in Barry's normal timeline). Michael Keaton plays a significant role and there other a few other surprise stars as well.

It's always a problem when you play with timelines in superhero movies. Paradoxes and contradictions abound and I'm sure there will be debate over how things turn out in the end. The fun here though is in the journey, not the destination and there is plenty to enjoy.

There is a post credits scene and while fun, it doesn't add anything significant to the story (present or future). And I would also recommend seeing the film in IMAX as it looks (for the most part) and sounds great.

    

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

 

   The animated sequel to "Into the Spider-Verse" finds Miles Morales, drawn (no pun intended) once again into the Spider-Verse by Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Girl.

    This is a wild ride strictly for fans. You will be as lost as Miles becomes if you are not familiar with this world or mythology. If you are a fan, you have been anxiously awaiting this sequel and will not be disappointed.

    The animation is terrific, mixing many different styles to create a psychedelic ride through this multi-verse of Spider-characters. There are inside jokes and references to the comics throughout the film. The vocal work of it's cast is excellent matching their characters perfectly.

    Shameik Moore is Miles Morales, Hailee Steinfeld is Gwen Stacy, Brian Tyree Henry is Miles's dad, Luna Lauren Velez is his mom, Kae Johnson is Peter Parker, Jason Schwartzman is "The Spot", Issa Rae is Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman, Daniel Kaluuya is Hobie (a British punk version of Spider-Man), and Oscar Isaac is Miguel O'Hara, Spider-Man 2099.  

     Fair warning, this is the middle film in a planned trilogy and ends "to be continued". This seems to be the new Hollywood trend as we've already seen "Fast X" to be continued and the upcoming "Mission Impossible" has Part One right in it's title.

     

  

The Boogeyman

  

  Based on a short story by Stephen King, it took three people to write the screenplay and while they try their best, they fail to bring the horror.

  When an evil spirit is released in their home, it's up to a family to battle the creature before it can claim more victims. The film stars Chris Messina as the widowed therapist with two daughters. Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair play his daughters. The film also co-stars LisaGay Hamilton, Marin Ireland, and David Dastmalchian.

  Director Rob Savage does an admirable job creating the spooky atmosphere, creepy score and  has a committed cast but ultimately produces a generic horror film filled with stereotypical elements that lack true horror.

About My Father

  

    This new comedy co-written and starring Sebastian Maniscalco is a 90 minute therapy session that ends with Mr. Maniscalco's better understanding of his father. His stand-up routines about his father are very funny but unfortunately they don't translate well in this loosely based but fictionalized version of his life.

   Mr. Maniscalco plays a version of himself and for the most part is the straight man in the film or the recipient of a joke. Robert De Niro plays his father and he gets the best lines and comic reactions. If you've seen the trailer, then you have already seen the best bits and what's left is a sappy, sentimental, not very funny, comedy about family.

   The film also co-stars Leslie Bibb, Anders Holm, David Rasche, and Kim Cattrall. Their characters are all stereotypes and almost everything in the film rings of a false note.

   A major disappointment, Mr. Maniscalco should stick to stand-up or acting in someone else's films. I also can't understand why the studio didn't release the film on Father's Day weekend which may have helped the marketing.

Fast X

     

       Family. Remember that word. This latest installment in the "Fast & Furious" franchise is so packed with action sequences that it becomes mind-numbing and you forget there is a story buried in there somewhere. But every fifteen minutes or so, the screenwriters will remind you. Family. It's all about family.

      By this chapter, I think fans have come to realize it's about family but for anybody new to the series and drawn in by the trailer, the filmmakers want to make sure you understand that. It's about family. Did I mention that?

      As the 10th installment, writer Justin Lin and his co-writers Dan Mazeau and Zach Dean pull their plot together from every other film in the franchise. They overstuff the story with even more impossible stunts and appearances (in one way or another) of every actor who has ever appeared in the franchise.

      Vin Diesel returns as Dom Toretto along with all the other characters fans know so well. Jason Momoa is the villain seeking revenge against Dom and his family. Oh yeah, it's about family. While Mr. Diesel seems to never age, the same can be said for the rest of his team but their "schtick" is getting old. Mr. Momoa, on the other hand, breathes fresh life in his role as a gleefully psychotic villain.

       The action is pretty much non-stop and the story takes us around the globe with stops in Rome, Portugal, Rio, Los Angeles, and even a surprise location. There is a cameo by a comic that many will enjoy. Personally, I don't get the appeal.

       Most fans are aware but I must warn others that this is the first of a two or even three part finale to the series, so don't expect a tidy resolution at the end.

        

SISU

 

 Destined to be a cult classic, this violent, action adventure is mind-blowing entertainment if you love watching a high body count of Nazi soldiers getting slaughtered.

  It's 1944 in the middle of rural Finland. An ex-Finnish soldier is prospecting for gold. When he strikes it rich, he must travel hundreds of miles by horseback to reach Helsinki. The only thing standing in his way is a retreating company of Nazis with a tank and a truck full of female prisoners.

  When the Nazis steal his gold, our Finnish hero spends the rest of the movie trying to get it back. It's a simple plot with minimal dialog but this is no ordinary ex-soldier. Soldiers are killed in very inventive ways. The film gets more and more gonzo as it goes along. The finale is off the charts crazy.

   The film is written and directed by Jalmari Helander and stars Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan and Mimosa Willamo. The minimal dialog is actually in English except for a few lines in Finnish.

    If you enjoy the genre films like "John Wick", you will love "Sisu".

   

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3

 

 

     Writer/director James Gunn sends the Guardians on their way with an epic final volume. If you are a fan of the series, you won't be disappointed.

     All the stars are back for one grand adventure to save the life of Rocket Raccoon, who, in this volume, gets a lengthy back story that figures predominantly into the plot. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel (as the voice of Groot) and Bradley Cooper (as the voice of Rocket) and all back and still at the top of their game. Ms. Saldana as Gamora is a standout. Also returning are Sean Gunn, Elizabeth Debicki, Will Poulter (as Adam Warlock), Maria Bakalova (the voice of Cosmo the dog) and unnecessarily Sylvester Stallone (as a Ravenger captain who just seems to be out of place). The new villain is the High Evolutionary, a well-known Marvel universe villain, played here by Chukwudi Iwuji.

    The sets and visuals are amazing as usual as is all the CGI work. In Rocket's flashbacks, we find him as a young raccoon being experimented on, along with other animals, by the High Evolutionary. It's to Mr. Gunn's credit that we find ourselves getting emotional over tortured CGI animals. Some of these scenes are actually hard to watch.

    As with the previous Guardian films, the soundtrack is terrific, all the songs coming from Peter's iPad playlist. The film runs a bit long, but Mr. Gunn seems determined to throw everything into this finale. Something tells me though we haven't seen the last of most of these characters as they all still exist within the Marvel universe.

    The film looks great on the big screen and is a lot of escapist fun. It is certainly the best of the recent Marvel film releases.

     

    

Evil Dead Rise

     Nothing like a blood soaked, gore filled horror film to wake the senses. This is the fifth installment in the Evil Dead franchise. It's written and directed by Lee Cronin and he infuses the series with fresh blood. (Pun intended).

      After a short prequel with a clever title shot, the story moves to an urban landscape and features a family in danger from the evil supernatural force released from the Book of the Dead. Mr. Cronin has a assembled a cast willing to be put through all sorts of indignities for the sake of "art". 

      The film stars Lilly Sullivan as Beth, Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie, Morgan Davies as Danny, Gabrielle Echols as Bridget and Nell Fisher as Kassie. Ms. Sutherland, in particular, does a terrifyingly good job as the possessed mother.

       Besides breathing new life into the "dead" series with his plot, Mr. Cronin does a fine job directing the mayhem. He uses multiple camera angles in disorienting ways to keep the audience unsettled. While the film obviously misses the iconic character Ash, there is a clever nod to him late in the film and Bruce Campbell (who played Ash) makes an audio cameo in an unusual way.

        If you're a fan of the series, you won't be disappointed. And if you like horror and are new to the series, it's a good place to start without needing any background.

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant

    

      Can't say the man doesn't have an ego putting his name above the title. Obviously it's a Guy Ritchie film. He co-wrote it, produced it and directed it. However, in this case I'll forgive the egotism as it's his best film to date.

      Forgoing his usual bombastic directing style, Mr. Ritchie shows great restraint to tell this harrowing tale of survival and the bond that grows between an American soldier and a native interpreter during the Afghanistan war.

      Jake Gyllenhaal, intense as ever, plays Sgt. John Kinley, who is seriously injured during a battle with the Taliban. Miles from his base and in Taliban controlled territory, his interpreter, Ahmed (played by Dar Salim) honors his promise to try to get Kinley back to his base. And that's not even the whole story.

       The film co-stars Antony Starr, Jonny Lee Miller and Emily Beecham.

       The battle scenes are intense and Christopher Benstead's score is a surprising and emotional choice during those moments. Mr. Ritchie handles the dramatic moments beautifully, ratcheting up the tension without overdoing it. What transpires later in the film is remarkable, in both it's suspense and heart.

       The coda at the end is heartbreaking. It will also leave you angered, which was obviously Mr. Ritchie's intent.

       

Renfield

  

     With a story by Robert Kirkman (of Walking Dead fame), you know to expect a lot of  violence and gore. This new horror comedy certainly has plenty of both but at it's core is a clever story that offers plenty of laughs and action as well.

      Nicholas Hoult stars as Renfield. Those familiar with the mythology will know that Renfield is the crazed bug eating servant of Count Dracula. In this updated version of the story, Renfield is tired of his co-dependency and tries to break free of Dracula's hold on him. At the same time he befriends a New Orleans cop, played by Awkwafina, trying to take down a local criminal organization.

       Nicolas Cage plays Count Dracula and he is clearly having a blast in the role. There is even a black & white homage to the 1931 original Bela Lugosi version of Dracula that is spot on. Mr. Cage does put his own spin on the character though and is a great deal of fun to watch.

       Mr. Hoult is just as committed to his role as Mr. Cage and shows great range as a co-dependent weakling turned action hero (with the help of eating copious amounts of bugs). The film also co-stars Ben Schwartz (perfectly cast) as the criminal son of Bellafrancesca Lobo, the crime lord, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo.

         It's definitely a crazy mix of horror, comedy and action but if you're looking for something really different, take a bite. Just don't mind all the blood.

Air

 

  

      Loosely fact-based drama detailing how Nike signed Michael Jordan to a contract that changed the company and the sports world forever.

    Directed by Ben Affleck, this fast-paced story puts a full court press on Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and his pursuit of Mr. Jordan to sign an exclusive contract with Nike. Matt Damon is perfection as Sonny and Mr. Affleck, while directing, doubles down, playing the role of Phil Knight, the CEO of Nike and Sonny's boss.

     The film also stars Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker and as Mr. Jordan's mother, Viola Davis. While Michael Jordan is portrayed by Damian Delano Young, we only see him from the back in one particular scene. Mr. Affleck makes the choice to not focus on Mr. Jordan as a character as the film is really not about him and his image is really only shown on magazine covers and basketball video clips.

     Chris Messina plays David Falk; Mr. Jordan's agent and he has some of the juiciest scenes in the film. Of course, being the agent, he is portrayed as the "villain" of the piece, which was far from the truth, but it makes for good drama.

      The film takes other liberties with how the story actually occurred but the fictious parts all make for a better film. Backed by a strong script and a great '80's soundtrack, the film never misses a beat creating excitement and tension for the viewer, which in reality, was probably not all that exciting outside of the corporate world.

       It's fun to watch Mr. Affleck and Mr. Damon together again on screen and Ms. Davis hits a three pointer with another strong performance. Mr. Affleck keeps everything lively and thoroughly entertaining. You don't have to love basketball or even know a lot about Michael Jordan to enjoy the film. 

Spinning Gold

     

   

   This is a new docudrama based on the life and times of Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records. It was written and directed by his son, Timothy Scott Bogart.

     Neil Bogart was a music industry legend, quickly rising through the business finding success first at Buddha Records with Gladys Knight & The Pips and The Isley Brothers. He later started Casablanca Records where he discovered Kiss, Donna Summer, the Village People and George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic.

      Rather than use archival footage, Mr. Bogart makes a bold choice reimaging those stars with many of today's artists. Wiz Khalifa plays as George Clinton, Jason Derulo plays as Ron Isley, Ledisi plays Gladys Knight, Pink Sweats plays Bill Withers, and Tayla Parx plays Donna Summers.

      Jeremy Jordan stars as Neil Bogart and he is terrific, truly inhabiting the spirit of the man. The film also stars Jason Issacs as Neil's father, Michelle Monaghan as his wife Beth, Jay Pharoah as Cecil Holmes, Dan Fogler as Buck Reingold, Peyton List as Nancy Weiss, Lyndsy Fonseca as Joyce Biawitz, Sebastian Maniscalco as Giorgio Moroder (terrible accent), Michael Ian Black as Bill lAucoin, Vincent Pastore as Big Joey, Casey Likes as Gene Simmons and Chris Redd as D.J. Frankie Crocker.

       According to Mr. Bogart, "the story is true, even the parts that aren't".  The music and insanity behind the "sex, drugs, and rock & roll" of the music business is well represented. The story itself, as directed by Mr. Bogart, is written with love for his father, faults and all. However, his personal subjectivity of his father works against him, bloating the film and creating tedious moments that an objective director would have handled better. The film runs two hours and seventeen minutes. A tighter two hour film would have definitely cut through the clutter.

        It's still a fascinating film that takes you behind the scenes of the stories of some of music's biggest stars and the man behind them. And the songs, ah the songs, faithfully recreated, are just wonderful.

        

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

 

   

    I confess, I've never played Dungeons & Dragons but the trailer for this film intrigued me. I was pleasantly surprised that the trailer lived up to the expectations. This is a fun fantasy adventure that requires no prior knowledge of D&D to enjoy. 

    The film stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant. Mr. Pine makes a dashing rascal of a hero even if he is a thief. Ms. Rodriguez is his partner in crime who gets to do most of the heavy lifting in the fight scenes. Mr. Smith and Ms. Lillis  are their colleagues, a self doubting magician and a shape shifter who makes the most of her CGI abilities. Mr. Grant is the villainous con man who has betrayed his friends and fallen in with the all powerful evil Red Wizards.

    The story is actually well written for a fantasy adventure. It's heartfelt, funny, exciting and suspenseful. It's also filled with great special effects that really pop, especially in IMAX. While there are plenty of fight scenes, the violence is rather cartoonish with little blood. It's a film that the whole family can enjoy together, although there are a few scenes that may be scary or too intense for small children.

    This is a fantasy film done right and I hope the inevitable sequels hold up just as well.