Hits its silly stride early and never shifts into a higher gear.

A cheap and easy amusement, one that's gone a little stale and never quite rises to the occasion.

The animation sequences -- the movie's best moments -- hurtle by at breakneck speed, while the live-action portions are a bit sluggish.

Kidman gets kudos for giving the enterprise a touch of class, while the film gives the studio's library a rare pedigreed addition.

It's one bad apple.

Except for its muddier than necessary photography, there aren't any surprises, which probably won't matter to the target audience.

Isn't always perfect. But it fills an empty spot in the hearts of girls of all ages who have been pining all summer for a movie like this.

Director Francis Ford Coppola's revamping of his Vietnam epic, Apocalypse Now, with 49 added minutes, has significantly improved the troubled blockbuster. The film now seems both mellowed and — thanks in part to the most vibrant-looking prints in its 22-year history — revitalized.

There's one reason to see Tim Burton's flawed, somewhat declawed but often amusing do-over of Planet of the Apes. The apes. What else?

Essentially a one-gag film.

The writing here is rarely funny, and often trite and predictable. A couple of scenes are downright disturbing:

Clumsier hands could have planted this load of pungent sap and come up with sticky fingers. But the creators of this based-on-truth fable carefully cultivate the material so it comes off fresher than it sounds.

This movie is a cookie. A slightly stale generic-brand cookie.

Wildly witty, but also inventive, audacious and poignant.

Ghost World draws super, natural performances.

Even the special effects alone aren't worth the price of admission.

There are explosions, double-crosses and chase sequences, but it just doesn't add up to edge-of-your-seat tension.

The movie's success with viewers will depend on whether they think Vaughn is funny or tiresome.

Guilty of inciting a near-laugh riot thanks to an irresistible leading lady whose comic instincts are as impeccable as her manicure.

One has to wonder about the mind-set of a middle-aged filmmaker who repeatedly seeks out material about amoral and promiscuous teenagers with little to say.

Moviegoers accustomed to Hollywood action probably won't find this contemplative adventure so appealing.

Seeing this movie won't get you into MIT, but it's passable fun.

Few filmmakers of the past 20 years have mesmerized as much in their use of crisp, color-drenched photography.

This family entertainment hard sell lags far behind even "Dr. Dolittle 2."

Dull and unpleasant.

This is economy of style that Americans get only in Woody Allen movies -- and even that's not a guarantee.

Only the makers of "Freddy Got Fingered" might crack a smile because it now has competition for worst movie of the year.

Atypical teen drama about opposites attracting that often (and happily) confounds expectations.