Angel Has Fallen - 3/5

This movie is a solid addition to the series. It’s more of a thriller than either of the previous films, with the action taking slightly more of a back seat to the scrappy resourcefulness the main character uses to fight the chaos that comes against him. The action here is often too dark or shaky to see well, but feels more like it’s trying to convey the characters’ state of mind more than just not knowing how to make an action scene. Sure, there are some things that don’t make a whole lot of sense, but they’re easy to overlook and just go along for a fun ride.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Fugitive (1993) or Clear and Present Danger (1994) by way of Jack Reacher.

Setting: Political Thriller
Plot: On-The-Run Action
Tone: Thriller

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - 2/5

There are a few great moments between Toothless and the new dragon with some legitimately beautiful cinematography, but the story overall is only mostly passable. The main supporting characters are so aggressively obnoxious that even if someone else were watching this movie I would only stick around for the scenes with Toothless. The movie is going for irritating humor, and if you enjoy that then you will probably get more mileage out of it than I did.

Closest Comparison: The same thing is happening to this franchise as happened to Shrek.

Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Comedy