The Suicide Squad (2021) - 4/5

This movie is a tour de force rebuttal to its previous installment. It’s a colorful, blood-spattered comedy corral, with a plot that actually works and consistent stakes. It retreads some story beats from the first installment but improves them just to flex. It takes bizarre situations and obscure characters, then injects them with pathos and treats them with more care than the rest of these non-MCU superhero cash-grabs.

Content warning: Gore

Closest comparison: It’s like Guardians of the Galaxy by way of Deadpool.

Setting: Military
Plot: Super Hero
Tone: Dark Comedy

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