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

Pokémon Detective Pikachu - 2/5

This movie is built for fans of the Pokémon franchise. Many of the wide city shots especially feature many background Pokémon for those in the know to appreciate, and that part of it was very good. Justice Smith also did a much better job than his previous work, with a few stand-out moments that worked particularly well. There’s CGI in every scene, and if you don’t like the 3D interpretation of the Pokémon then that will plague you for the duration. The ‘detective’ works just fine, and although adults will likely see the final reveal coming children may get much more mileage out of the solution.

Closest comparison: It’s like a live-action episode of a show that has been running for a little too long.

Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Mystery
Tone: Family