The Good Dinosaur - 2/5

This movie is very confused. It’s too dour and gritty to be a kids movie, and too whimsical and frivolous for adults. The tone is too lighthearted in some places where it needs to be serious, and the resolution is underwhelming given the scope of the journey. And to make things worse, in an attempt to make the subject matter kid-friendly the dinosaurs ‘drive off’ attackers instead of tearing them to pieces, which actually causes plot holes later on. It’s a mess.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Searchers by way of Rango (2011).

Setting: Western
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Tragedy

War for the Planet of the Apes - 3/5

It's about as good as the second one. High points are a few beautiful visuals and enjoyable character moments. Low points are grueling, bleak prison sections and immersion-breaking plot holes. There were many missed opportunities as well, where a sceneaccomplished very little and I started to get bored, but it could very easily have been dynamic, interesting, and powerful. Great CG on the apes, as always, and a standout performace from Steve Zahn.