- Akira directed by Katsuhiro Otomo (1988)
[7/10]
"Most viewers who like science fiction should find Akira an accessible story, but I highly recommend reading the six volume graphic novel for a richer, more detailed version of the story."
- Artificial Intelligence: A.I. directed by Steven Spielberg (2001)
[7/10]
"I appreciate all the interesting moral and philosophical questions Spielberg introduces in A.I., and the movie does manage to keep your interest -- espically visually -- for the almost three-hour running time."
- Avengers, The directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik (1998)
[3/10]
"The story line limps along and no amount of explosions or fight scenes can save us from the compounding ennui."
- Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe directed by Andrew Adamson (2005)
[8/10]
"On the whole, Adamson has faithfully captured the essence of Lewis's book and given a movie audience the adventure story it expects."
- Eragon directed by Stefen Fangmeier (2006)
[5/10]
"If you have never read the book Eragon, then the movie provides a simple yet satisfying teen adventure story."
- Everyone's Hero directed by Christopher Reeve, Colin Brady, Dan St. Pierre (2006)
[5/10]
"Nothing in the story makes you want to see this movie again, and you feel bad that this movie serves as a final tribute to Christopher Reeve."
- Flyboys directed by Tony Bill (2006)
[6/10]
"Essentially, you should see Flyboys for the excellent dogfights. You need the basic story line so you will care enough about the pilots when they die, but otherwise the plot doesn't do much to enlighten the audience about Americans serving in the French military as some of the first wartime aviators."
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone directed by Chris Columbus (2001)
[8/10]
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone holds up well to repeated viewings, although you do start to see a lot of minor inconsistencies."
- Holes directed by Andrew Davis (2003)
[7/10]
"I would have to guess that the book provides more satisfactory development of Stanley's character than the film. I liked the film, and as with any good underdog story, we cheer for Stanley and Zero as they work to overcome both the oppression of their immediate situation and their family history."
- Incredibles, The directed by Brad Bird (2004)
[9/10]
"Before seeing The Incredibles in the theater, I was skeptical after hearing all the hype from the media and friends about the film. Without even a grudge, I have to say the movie lived up to most of the hype, and it has taken its place in my mind as Disney's all-time best animated movie."
- Jumanji directed by Joe Johnston (1995)
[5/10]
"A movie with a promising premise, but the frame stories created to present the premise lack adequate character development to make all the special effects worth watching, especially since half the characters have their development revoked at the end of the film."
- Kaze no tani no Naushika [Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind] directed by Hayao Miyazaki (1984)
[7/10]
"Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind tells the story of a distant future where warfare and mass pollution have made the earth almost uninhabitable."
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events directed by Brad Silberling (2004)
[7/10]
"In most cases where I have both read the book and seen the movie adaptation, I recommend the book as the better experience. In the case of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I have to recommend the movie over the books."
- Madagascar directed by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath (2006)
[6/10]
"Darnell and McGrath know that their plot only holds up for so many jokes, and mercifully Madagascar runs a trim eighty-six minutes -- just enough time to enjoy the story and the laughs without getting beat up by the same jokes over and over."
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir (2003)
[9/10]
"Master and Commander excels at presenting a picture of life on a nineteenth century naval vessel: close quarters, dirty living conditions, and a high likelihood of receiving severe wounds or dying."
- Monster House directed by Gil Kenan (2006)
[7/10]
"Monster House provides a nice, family-friendly movie with a good story and well developed characters."
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail directed by Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones (1975)
[9/10]
"The special edition DVD with an extra 30-seconds doesn't add much value to the film, but the interviews with the cast and especially the tour of the locations with Michael Palin and Terry Jones give some interesting insights into the production."
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest directed by Gore Verbinski (2006)
[6/10]
"If you want action and don't care much about plot or character development, then see Dead Man's Chest. If you like your action movies to have some purpose behind the action, then you will probably find this movie runs a bit long -- like I did."
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl directed by Gore Verbinski (2003)
[8/10]
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl provides a fresh, funny adventure story that you can watch over and over."
- Poseidon Adventure, The directed by Ronald Neame (1972)
[7/10]
"Classic disaster fare with good character development and some interesting religious philosophy thrown into the mix."
- Prince Ombra by Roderick MacLeish (1982)
[5/10]
"I think kids and even younger teens will enjoy Prince Ombra, but any examination of the story beyond the surface leaves the reader to deal with a set of unsatisfactory philosophical conclusions necessary for the plot to function."
- Seeker, The: The Dark Is Rising directed by David L. Cunningham (2007)
[6/10]
"The Seeker has it fun and scary moments, but the threat of evil -- in spite of its well demonstrated power -- feels hollow, and the teenage protagonist too easily defeats in five days a force that has had thousands of years to prepare."
- Spiderwick Chronicles, The directed by Mark Waters (2008)
[8/10]
"Ignoring the very clear warning about death and destruction to those who open the book, Jared breaks the seal and begins to read about a world of magical creatures. By breaking the seal, Jared breaks the barrier between the fairy and human worlds and exposes his family to a pantheon of aggressive creatures."
- Stand by Me directed by Rob Reiner (1986)
[8/10]
"Rarely does a collection of child actors have so much talent bundled together, and the list of talent doesn't stop with the main characters. Stand by Me also has excellent performances by young Kiefer Sutherland and John Cusack."
- Superman Returns directed by Bryan Singer (2006)
[7/10]
"Bryan Singer has collected an excellent cast and presented a new and interesting addition to the Superman saga that surpasses all the previous Superman efforts."
- War of the Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg (2005)
[7/10]
"When a story remains popular for over a hundred years, clearly the elements strike a chord in the human psyche, and who better than Stephen Spielberg to know how to make a movie that resonates that chord in modern audiences."
- Zathura directed by Jon Favreau (2005)
[6/10]
"If you've seen Jumanji, then you pretty much have seen Zathura. In essence, a couple of kids find an old game, start to play, and then realize that the game affects reality in quite serious and perilous ways."
- Zoom directed by Peter Hewitt (2006)
[2/10]
"I don't think that I have ever seen a movie that tried harder than Zoom only to fall flat on its face. It wants to make you laugh. It wants you to have fun. It wants you to like the characters. It wants to do a lot of things, but it just can't muster up enough energy to do any of these things."
Average score: 6.61
