Great style, but too gratuitous violence and nudity.
Content warning: female nudity, language
Closest comparison: It’s like Free Fire by way of 6 Underground.
Setting: Action
Plot: Action
Tone: Action
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - 4/5
This movie is so much better than it has any reason to be. The inter-character chemistry among the main party isn’t anything spectacular and the narrative is long and meandering. But the story never gets ahead of itself and all of the characters endear themselves to the audience so well that it carries the whole film. All of the D&D specific lore is either background set dressing for eagle-eyed fans or explained well enough that even the casual, disinterested audience members will understand what’s going on.
Closest comparison: It’s like a mix of Logan Lucky, Labyrinth, and Stardust.
Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Heist
Tone: Comedy
Hell or High Water (2016) - 3/5
This is a straightforward cops and robbers tale in rural modern Texas. It’s good at showing why the robbers are robbing, and how the cops are pursuing, but beyond that it’s a bit boring. It’s not as compelling and tense as No Country for Old Men, nor as gleefully anarchist as Thelma and Louise or Bonnie and Clyde. Mostly it plays out as expected, and while it’s not bad by any means it doesn’t present anything particularly special.
Closest comparison: It’s like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? by way of The Highwaymen (Netflix, 2019).
Setting: Western Drama
Plot: Cops and Robbers
Tone: Family Drama
A Wrinkle in Time (2018) - 2/5
There’s nothing in this movie that’s particularly interesting. It has no reason to exist apart from the obvious cash grab. Chris Pine’s performance is the standout feature; it’s spectacular and almost makes the rest of the movie worth watching. Everyone else looks bored, and the extensive CGI effects don’t integrate well with the scenes they’re used in, which results in something that looks more like large-scale sci-fi channel effects than a Disney blockbuster. It’s bright and colorful, but that can’t make up for lack of acting, plot, and purpose.
Closest comparison: It’s a big budget Disney Channel movie.
Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Family
Wonder Woman - 4/5
The fight scenes are really cool, and they effortlessly walk a narrow line between the sexes. There really aren't many (any?) pandering shots of the title character, but they also don't fall prey to a feminist ideology. They did their heavy lifting early so some lines later on that could have come off as cheesy end up being actually meaningful. It's refreshingly fun and honest, definitely the best DC movie in the past 9 years.