Tom Jorgensen

Avatar: The Way of Water is a clear improvement on its predecessor and, though its story isn’t breaking new ground, its jaw-dropping visuals make this an irresistible return to Pandora.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is at its most effective when paying tribute to its fallen king, and strong performances from the returning cast keep it afloat through its occasionally choppy plot.

There are some memorable kills and reverence for the franchise at large, but it stumbles as it brings it to a close.

Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey never lets up. It’s full of the Predator franchise’s trademark violence and tension, but it’s the ferocious, star-making turn from Amber Midthunder that stands as its greatest strength.

Thor: Love and Thunder is held back by a cookie-cutter plot and a mishandling of supporting characters, but succeeds as the MCU's first romantic comedy thanks to Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman's chemistry.

Studio 666 features fun performances by the Foo Fighters, but its “kitchen sink” approach leaves it open to unfavorable comparisons to the movies to which it pays homage.

Though visually engaging, Malignant can’t overcome the genre identity crisis at its core.

Though The Devil Made Me Do It is a smart recalibration for The Conjuring series, its successes have little to do with its strengths as a standalone horror movie. Ed and Lorraine Warren's investigation may be an engaging mystery, and their opponent is a franchise-best, but the scares are just not as potent in part because half of them center on a possession victim who’s really not easy to root for.

In the Earth is an oppressive, bizarre trip of sight, sound, and spore-induced psychedelia. Director Ben Wheatley sometimes sacrifices characterization for the loftier ideas about nature he wants to explore but given how innately the audience should understand how one would be affected by a pandemic, it’s a gambit that mostly pays off as the film’s third act roars toward an all-out sensory assault in the climax.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a surprise vindication for the director and the fans that believed in his vision. With a mature approach to its superhero drama, better-realized antagonists, and improved action, Snyder’s version of Justice League saves the movie from the dustbin of history.

While it has an interesting hook, Chaos Walking never capitalizes on its premise or the promise offered by its cast.