Jurassic World Rebirth

Actors: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein.

Rating: 7 out of 10, The rebirth, or should I say, revamping as this latest movie returns to what made the original movie so memorable – the dinosaurs instead of politics. Scarlett proves her Marvel action days were no fluke as she easily dominates in the lead role. She leads a team back to yet another island the original park used to breed the big guys. They’ve got to retrieve tissue samples from three of the largest dinosaurs. Surprisingly (😊), that’s not as easy as it sounds, as most of the team becomes menu items. There were some welcome surprises as one of the characters I predicted for an early demise survived while a lot of others did not. Not a lot of new terrain covered but a great summer epic walk with the dinosaurs again, ably helmed by the always watchable Ms. Johansson.

MVP: Johansson as the dangerous but beautiful Zora

The Amateur

Actors: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Laurence Fishburne

Rating: 8 out of 10, While this is a bit of a formulaic spy thriller, I truly enjoyed it. Remi Malek is a compelling actor and perfectly cast as CIA nerd who is bound and determined to take out the terrorists who kill his wife. Everyone is convinced this frail guy is not up to the task, but he finds a way to get the training he needs and sets out for Europe with CIA assassins on his trail. I liked that the film didn’t automatically turn him into a super spy, and you could empathize with him as he struggles with his dark tasks. It puts out a very poignant message for today’s times, never underestimate the nerds. There is an excellent supporting cast with Lawrence Fishburne, in Morpheus mode, as the trainer, and Mrs. Maisel as the beloved wife. My only complaint might be the lack of screen time for Mrs. Maisel but that’s what gets the whole plot moving. A fun watch, really well done.

MVP: Malek as Charlie the dangerous geek

Captain America Brave New World

Actors: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford

Rating: 6 out of 10, This is seemingly a step back in the right direction for Marvel. Anthony Mackie, while no Steve Rogers, effortlessly carries the movie and more than holds his own with Harrison Ford, no mean task. The plot harkens back to some earlier Marvel efforts bringing former subplot villains to the fore. The head villain turns out to be a guy with a misshapen head and some serious anger issues. There are the usual plots within plots which culminate with Ford becoming the Red Hulk and destroying part of the White House. I saw a very funny quite saying Ford was only the second most rage filled US President of recent history. I enjoyed the action but it still didn’t have the magic of some of the original Marvel movies. A diminutive female security chief was a clear miss, don’t know what the casting director was thinking there. An enjoyable action flick.

MVP: Mackie as the new Cap

Nobody 2

Actors: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Colin Salmon, Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath, Christopher Lloyd, John Ortiz, Colin Hanks, Sharon Stone

Rating: 8 out of 10, I loved the first movie and was fully prepared to accept a watered down, money seeking sequel. I was therefore more than pleasantly surprised to find an awesome movie in its own right. Bob Odenkirk continues his role as the most unlikely of all action heroes as Hutch Mansell. He’s still dealing with the ramifications of the path he carved through the Russian mafia in the first flick and decides the family needs a vacation together. Of course, trouble ensues as he returns to a beloved amusement park of his youth which had not been updated since and conveniently supplies a full team of villains led by a deranged Sharon Stone. The entire cast that survived the first movie is back and, if possible, were even more fun this time around. I loved that they didn’t waste time trying to explain Mansell to the audience. Too many sequels assume the audience needs a re-introduction to the main characters. This movie takes for granted you’re watching it because you loved the first movie. I did and this one as well.

MVP: Odenkirk as Mansell, frumpy but deadly

Superman

Actors: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced

Rating: 9 out of 10, The new Superman movie is just flat awesome. There have been so many versions that I was skeptical about this one. I was totally blown away by the sheer entertainment this new sally forth of the man of steel. The cast delivers, especially the central couple of the title character and Lois Lane. I loved Mrs. Meisel so I wasn’t surprised she was so good in this, but David Corenswet is a revelation as Superman. He was everything you could hope for, injecting more personality than I’ve seen since Reeves. Nicholas Hoult, likewise, was the best Lex Luther ever. He played evil effortlessly along with a ferocious drive to best Superman. James Gunn injected a lot of his signature humor (most of it at the expense of the Green Lantern) which made this a very fun ride. There was a little too much at times, like saving a squirrel when buildings are falling all around but the levity was needed with the earth-endangered plot spinning along. A true summer epic and one of the best movies of the year.

MVP: Corenswet as Superman, living up to the role

Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning

Actors: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett.

Rating: 8 out of 10, If this truly is the last film in this series, it goes out with a bang. While that is predictable given the series DNA, somehow they’ve taken the stunts and sheer “impossibility” of some of Tom Cruise’s exploits to even higher levels. The run time is really, really long as they crammed as much as they possibly could into the nearly three hours. They spend a lot of time reconnecting to the prior movies, including an extremely cool reach back to one of the minor characters from the very first movie. They could have and probably should have trimmed some of the underwater work which dragged on way too long, stretching incredulity beyond even what a dedicated MI fan can accept. You have to go into these movies prepared to suspend disbelief but there were times I was just shaking my head as we left reality behind decisively. The final half of the movie, with the world on the brink of nuclear immolation (of course), makes anything leading up to it easy to forgive. A great, glossy, overblown, overlong, but completely entertaining epic, I loved it.

MVP: Cruise as Hunt (of course)

Working Man

Actors: Jason Statham, Michael Peña, David Harbour, Andrej Kaminsky, Jason Flemyng,  Ninidze

Rating: 8 out of 10, A Working Man is an excellent action flick with Statham’s once again playing the everyman blessed with a back story involving elite military skills. The bad guys, once again, fail to take that into account when they kidnap the daughter of a close family friend. The expected carnage follows but this is so well done and Statham is so believable in both his acting and his athleticism that it is a joy to sit through. You almost feel sorry for the bad guys as they make the mistakes leading to their eventual comeuppance and loss of body parts. David Harbour shines in a small role as a former military buddy. This is an excellent follow-up to last year’s Beekeeper and proves Statham is still at the top of his game.

MVP: Statham as Levon, lost nothing off his action creds