Arizona Republic's Scores

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For 2,968 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 62% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 34% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.2 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 66
Highest review score: 100 The Peanut Butter Falcon
Lowest review score: 10 The Legend of Hercules
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,701 out of 2968
  2. Mixed: 1,148 out of 2968
  3. Negative: 119 out of 2968
2968 movie reviews
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  1. Equity
    If there is a criticism to be made, it’s that Equity is just a bit too low-key to fully draw the audience in. The chiaroscuro lighting and thrumming mood music build tension slowly and surely, but never enough to make you inch forward in your seat. Just a smidgen of Gordon Gekko bombast might kick things up a notch.
  2. Anthropoid
    Ultimately, Anthropoid is quite gripping, even if it feels like two movies in one.
  3. Pete's Dragon
    Pete’s Dragon is a good movie. But it could have used a little more of the magic its characters are searching for.
  4. Hell or High Water
    Foster was born to this kind of role, rugged but soulful, and he’s outstanding. The surprise is Pine, giving by far his best performance.
  5. Gleason
    Gleason is disturbing, brave and compelling, which is exactly what it needs to be.
  6. Indignation
    Indignation sneaks up on you, and that may be its greatest difference from the blockbuster mentality. Its explosions are quieter, but just as destructive.
  7. Train to Busan
    It’s a zombie movie that, amidst the giddy bloodshed, allows room for philosophical questions about our fundamental responsibilities to one another. It may not be something we’ve never seen before, but it’s something we can benefit from seeing again.
  8. Don't Think Twice
    Birbiglia, whose previous feature was the well-received “Sleepwalk with Me,” has made a tiny gem, a delightful film as surprising as it is satisfying.
  9. Suicide Squad
    It’s probably best to think of Suicide Squad as a primer, an entry into a side world of the DC Universe that may pay bigger benefits in later films. It certainly seems like that’s how the filmmakers thought of it.
  10. Jason Bourne
    Should you see it? Sure. The absolutely absurd, over-the-top Vegas chase scene assures you’ll get your money’s worth in ridiculousness. (Not all of Greengrass’ set pieces are smart.) But in truth, you’ll be there because it’s a Bourne movie, and you’ll like it a little better than you should because it is.
  11. Bad Moms
    It’s not the moms that are bad — it’s the movie.
  12. Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
    In the past, I’ve given D’Souza the benefit of the doubt, going out of my way to be extra objective. I actually gave “2016: Obama’s America” a somewhat positive review in 2012 (3 out of 5 stars). But this thing is madness.
  13. Nerve
    You certainly won't be bored. And if you go into Nerve looking for a thrill ride, you won't be disappointed. If you're hoping for more, that's a different story.
  14. Equals
    The final resolution of the plot is actually rather intriguing, but the journey to it is so slow and predictable that most moviegoers will have long since lost interest.
  15. Nuts!
    Once the movie is over and you realize how the filmmaker has turned the tables, you can't help but be amused — and amazed.
  16. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
    The charms of the leading ladies are hard to resist, as are their rare moments of clarity and self-awareness. Saunders is a tumbledown hoot while Lumley can generate a laugh with simply a deadpan stare, yet both seem a tad more human this time around. Just a tad.
  17. Café Society
    The movie isn’t particularly hard to figure out and doesn’t try to be. Its charms lie more in what the actors make of characters that could have been cliches (or, if you’re in a kinder mood, archetypes) and its gorgeous look.
  18. Ice Age: Collision Course
    It wouldn’t make the movie good, but at least a meteor strike would preclude the possibility of a sixth “Ice Age” film.
  19. Lights Out
    The scares here are in the execution, aided by the acting. Bello is, like always, terrific, adding layers to what seems at first like the stereotypical mentally-ill movie character. She's fighting for something. Palmer, too, adds grit to her would-be iconoclast.
  20. Star Trek Beyond
    It’s a knowing nod to the past fused with a contemporary cast confident in the present, and where the franchise might take it in the future.
  21. Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
    What matters is creating, and “Eat That Question” turns out to be a stirring look at the creative process examined, however reluctantly, by someone who created a lot, and exceptionally well.
  22. How He Fell in Love
    It never feels contrived, never panders to our illusions. When the ending comes, it is neither expected nor a twist. It’s just what happens.
  23. Captain Fantastic
    Through it all, you can’t stop watching Ben, Mortensen’s character. At some point, though, you realize it’s no longer because you admire him for his ideals but want to strangle him for his undying adherence to them.
  24. Ghostbusters
    The new Ghostbusters is a pretty funny movie, a goofy take on the goofy original that has some good laughs and a dopey story.
  25. The Infiltrator
    Thanks to Cranston’s performance — along with a game supporting cast — and Brad Furman’s tension-building direction, the movie works.
  26. Wiener-Dog
    It’s a variation on a theme that Solondz has been working through his whole filmography, and when he’s successful, he convinces you to believe the worst in people and laugh at it. But when he’s not, the film can feel like punishment.
  27. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
    Long story short: Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a terrific movie and you should do whatever you can to see it.
  28. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
    Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates gives us too much hangover and not enough buzz.
  29. The Secret Life of Pets
    The Secret Life of Pets is a pleasant-enough movie that would have been much better had it lived up to its title.
  30. Swiss Army Man
    There are obviously a lot of parts here, and they don’t all fit together successfully; the shift in tone toward the end is particularly unsettling. But it’s not for lack of ambition on the part of the Daniels, nor the performances by Dano and Radcliffe.
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