Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams

Rating: 8 out of 10, This will go down as another Marvel win with the engaging cast taking the story in a number of different ways. There was a definite different tone with Sam Raimi at the helm which also meant the obligatory (and welcome) Bruce Campbell cameo. Dr Strange is called upon the save not only ours but a multitude of other dimensions as well. It was kind of weird that a newly introduced Latina character had a superpower of being able to cross borders but that’s for right wing to pick up and run with. She was very good as was the Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Olsen. This could have been labeled as her movie every bit as much as the doctor’s as she takes her character in a wild new direction. Following up on the crossover-a-palooza of the last Spiderman movie, there are almost too many crossover characters from other movies to count; but that’s what you get when you open up the multiverse. A great summer movie ride that I thoroughly enjoyed.

MVP: Olsen as the uber-depressed witch

Jurassic World, Dominion

Actors: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, BD Wong, Omar Sy

Rating: 8 out of 10, This brings virtually all of the non-consumed characters from all the Jurassic movies together, including the very first with Sam Neill and Laura Dern. That might be a problematic as there were a lot of sub-plots competing with each other for attention. Each of the stories were compelling though and the action virtually non-stop. A kid and a dinosaur are kidnapped by the inevitable evil corporation which is also seeding bird sized locust herds on the planet, just in case the kidnapping wasn’t evil enough. The dinosaurs have evolved in the CGI world to where they’re not the stop and admire screen presence they used to be. They’re characters in themselves. My only reservation was the seeming acceptance of these apex predators as a normal part of life after the last movie. They kind of wish away what the real-world impact would be, I’m thinking helicopter gunships, but with the the Jurassic movies you forgive a lot. It is what it is supposed to be, a big, gnarly, epic sized, popcorn, summer movie, in all its glory. A great send off to the series.

MVP: Dern strikes the perfect note as returning icon Dr Sadler

Jungle Cruise

Actors: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti

Rating: 8 out of 10, I didn’t think there was a movie in the Disney ride, Jungle Cruise, but I was wrong. The film is almost workmanlike but it works because of the screen presence of the two stars. The Rock flexes through his role as an Amazon River boat captain with his usual swagger and likability. The true star of the movie though is Emily Blunt as a spirited turn of the 19th century British adventuress. There’s a couple of well-conceived surprises along the way as they contend with a Kaiser’s son in search of a mythical tree deep in Amazonia. The special effects and CGI are up to the usual Disney standard but the most engaging part of the movie is the continual banter between the two stars as they argue their way deeper into danger. I hadn’t expected to like this movie half as much as I did. I blame Ms. Blunt.

MVP: Blunt, of course, as Professor Pants

Bullet Train

Actors: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Sandra Bullock

Rating: 9 out of 10, This received a lot of hype and I was afraid it was going to be one of those movies that had a great trailer but failed to deliver. This delivers. In spades, thanks to an incredible cast led by Brad Pitt. He is incredibly funny as a luck bereft hitman tangling with an bevy of his peers while spouting Zen phrases as he deals with some personal worth issues. All this occurs while hurtling along on a high-speed Japanese train. The characters are slowly revealed as the action builds to a truly incredible climactic battle royale. Pitt dominates as he tries to get his fellow assassins to talk things out instead of killing him. There are a couple of hilarious cameos as well which is always fun. It’s so hyper violent that you’re almost guilty at laughing but it’s too funny. I loved this movie.

MVP: Pitt as Ladybug, the assassin in search of a hug