Maya Phillips

By narrowing the scope and condensing the logic of the action, this film undermines the excitement of the story, so even the day of an alien apocalypse starts to get tedious. That’s a great misfortune given the movie’s funky style.

The writer-director Jiao Zi uses equally expansive storytelling and visuals to deliver an epic, fantastical hero story about power hierarchies and the fall of institutions.

The Colors Within has such an aloof tone that the deeper motivations and stakes for each character, though alluded to, don’t feel substantial enough to provide the story with any sense of urgency.

“The War of the Rohirrim” is worth a watch for the Tolkien faithful, especially as a fresh way to adapt the author’s work.

The film’s many whimsies don’t detract from the resonant themes at the fable’s core, about the transformative qualities of grief and the indelible bond between sisters.

Though “The Dumpster Battle” is squarely aimed toward fans of the series, it has charms that may lead new viewers to the anime (streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix) to follow the story from the beginning. Because even if crows and cats battling in a dumpster doesn’t appeal to you, there’s still the promise of watching good athletes play a good game — and that’s worth a seat in the bleachers.

This unremarkable story, along with cheap-looking visual effects and Soto’s colorless direction, is a prime example of somnambulist filmmaking that lulls the audience into a mindless stupor. At least the Reyes family is a force to be reckoned with; their chaotic ensemble scenes are the most delightful, and truly unexpected, of the movie.

A film unintentionally stuck in its own kind of adolescence, “Mutant Mayhem” has plenty of charms but tries so hard to be cool, funny and relevant — so totally online — that it forgets to kick back with a slice, some buds and just, you know, vibe.

Spider-Verse achieves the challenging task of building a sequel that not only replicates the charms of the first film but also expands the multiverse concept, the main characters and the stakes, without overinflating the premise or shamelessly capitalizing on fan service.

Though this “Guardians” is certainly less fun than the others, there are still glints of joy in the more mundane and ancillary quibbles among the found family of misfits.

It’s not just the drama that works. Shinkai delivers hilarious physical comedy in the awkward gambols and leaps of Souta the three-legged chair — a refreshing reversal of the trope of the handsome young love interest who leads the naïve girl on a journey.

The combination of this fine-tuned spectacle with the ineffectual vocals of the main duo — and distractingly uncanny visuals and special effects — transforms Spirited into a disjointed movie musical with all the superficial trappings of a Broadway flop.

The story lines feel far-flung and disconnected, and the limits and rules of this world’s magical logic are at turns underdeveloped and inconsistent. Though the movie has a delightfully raucous rock ’n’ roll sensibility, the dialogue lacks the wit and punch to match.

If, as the credits roll for Black Adam, you’re still stuck wondering what defines a bad hero or a good antihero, know that at least the film clarifies one thing: What makes a bad hero movie.

The film doesn’t have the space to expand all of its ideas and gracefully unfold its plot, which is full of so many narrative twists and reversals that The School for Good and Evil equates to a whole TV season untidily packed into a feature film.

Though Drifting Home delivers a great visual concept . . . it doesn’t deliver on the action. The pacing lags and the beats are predictable; the film’s go-to antic is having children repeatedly topple overboard.

It’s too bad that Turning Red fumbles its storytelling, because at the very least it has fun when it lets its fur fly.

The Madrigal family members belong even when they’re not conjuring roses or transforming the weather. And even with these fantastic feats of wizardry, the Madrigals, with all of their relatable family dynamics, are believably loving, funny and flawed.

“World Heroes’ Mission” has little to offer veteran fans of the series or new viewers, who won’t find any of what makes the series great in what’s essentially a filler arc.

The film, which Pollono also directs, provides more depth than the original but still flounders in the translation from stage to screen.

The film uses the superficial markers of Asian culture and filmmaking without presenting anything unique in its Marvel take on that tradition.

On Broadway sure knows how to work a theater-lover’s heart.

Free Guy has charm, but there’s not much memorable in the same old quest, same old boss fight, then game over.

Vivo, despite its exuberant beginning and heartfelt ending, struggles to offer more than odd turns and clichés in the rest of its story.

Despite the intriguing opening sequence, which involves shootings, a jet and a family escape, Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland, lags, unsure of how to proceed with the story.

A baby in a suit? Always cute. Recycled gags? Not so much — this “Boss Baby” just didn’t get the memo.

Despite the intriguing premise of the film, its cursory and lopsided narrative approach dilutes its salient themes and messages.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines not only has laughably eccentric characters but also a script packed with bonkers, fast-paced action — with elaborate, wild visuals to match.