Ultimately, Watchmen: Chapter 1 is a relatively promising start to this two-part adaptation of Moore's graphic novels, though it's brought down by familiarity, failure to surpass its prior adaptations, and a somewhat rushed pace.

Against the Ice is a searing portrayal of the cost to explore in the early 20th century.

It is consistently sweet and charming.

The film is masterful in exploring the kinetic energy between its leads, even in the most subdued scenes. The Pact is a slow burn, but one feels the heat the whole time.

The result may not be groundbreaking, but it's fun and it does what it sets out to do, creating an interesting supernatural horror that keeps tensions high.

Its focus may have needed some more fine-tuning, but Steve proves meaningful regardless.

I Want You Back will definitely make viewers laugh. The film isn’t trying to make anyone cry or be overly dramatic — it simply follows funny performances through the 2022 dating world and lets the audience fill in the blanks.

The Mother is a lean, mean actioner, but one that could have benefited from better editing and a tighter script. That’s not to say that the film is terrible or unbearable by any means, it's just that it is a straightforward narrative that does not require a nearly two-hour run time to tell it right.

As a story of parental reckoning, Goodrich lacks the interrogative instinct of something like Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks, and it rushes Grace's catharsis as a result. But as a story of a man's late-stage awakening, it strikes a more resonant chord.

While there is plenty of fun to be had with the monsters and the buildup towards the final showdown, The New Empire’s story feels forced.

It’s a tender drama and one that focuses on its characters in interesting, thoughtful ways.

Weaving an unsavory tale about isolation, bullying, and familial dysfunction, Slapface looms like an uncomfortable truth that is too desolate in tone.

Confess, Fletch isn't a ringing endorsement of rebooting projects from the 80s; instead, it is an excellent showcase of Jon Hamm's comedic chops, a well-known skill that has been primarily misused until now.

It’s a deeply symbolic and, at times, flawed film, but Tuesday is filled with love, heartache, and pain.

It doesn't reinvent the rom-com wheel, but it makes for easy, pleasurable viewing.

Despite lacking the same polish as many other movies the two leads have been in before, it's still a thrilling rollercoaster that offers plenty of twists and turns, making for a generally interesting addition to both actors' careers.

It proves to be a fulfilling and heartwarming journey.

Despite having a decent budget and some recognizable actors to work with, writer-director Tommy Wirkola, known for Nazi zombie film Dead Snow and his Santa action film Violent Night, ensured what ended up on screen was a pretty fun B picture. It doesn't have the stylistic touch that can sometimes bring a little something extra to playful genre films, nor does it have a true standout sequence that could give it a chance at a longer cultural life. But it does have just the tone you'd hope it would, especially as it nears its climax, and that's all it really needs to deliver the goods.

It delivers a beautiful and promising dressing before unveiling a largely by-the-book story. It is not bad by any means, but it doesn't push the envelope or explore anything new, either. Slingshot is a pleasant watch, but it doesn't ever rise above that.

It's elevated by a captivating lead performance from Sanz, whose terror when events start ramping up feels very realistic.

Gradually, everything becomes burdened with story. The more the triangle of Kathy, Benny, and Johnny is played up for drama, the less interesting it becomes.

While the indecision of the plot reflects the hapless existential angst of Hana’s mid-life crisis, Luxor moves further away from meaningful rumination as the film progresses, and ends not with a bang, but a whimper.

It’s not particularly memorable, but it also has its moments, elevated by the chemistry between Madelyn Cline and Riverdale’s KJ Apa.

Adult Best Friends certainly has its heart in the right place and it can even be quite funny and lovely as it navigates the characters’ friendship and its evolution, but it’s also overstuffed with unnecessary characters and subplots that don’t add anything to the core relationship beyond distracting it from being deeper.

The film is certainly worth a watch simply for the music and the entertaining aspect of its storytelling.

Soul isn't Pixar's finest or most resonant film, but its beautiful animation and soundtrack, paired with fun characters make for an enjoyable watch.

The Deliverance is bolstered by the cast’s commitment to the story and their characters. Without them, the film's ending wouldn't have been remotely believable.

Even a joyfully queer reimagining of the genre’s classically hard-boiled protagonists fails to inject enough new energy to maintain consistent intrigue, prompting viewers to seek a resolution to the central mystery well before its comparatively short 89-minute running time elapses.