The Fantastic Four: First Steps—Finally a Leap Forward

The Fantastic Four: First Steps—Finally a Leap Forward

The Fantastic Four: First Steps ★ ★ ★ ½ After three forgettable (and sometimes embarrassing) attempts, The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally gives Marvel’s original superhero team the movie they deserve. The story follows four astronauts—Reed Richards (Pedro...
I Know What You Did Last Summer—But I Wish I Didn’t

I Know What You Did Last Summer—But I Wish I Didn’t

I Know What You Did Last Summer ★ I Know What You Did Last Summer seems to think its audience is stupid. I say that because the characters we’re supposed to root for are so tragically dumb, you start to root for the hook-wielding killer. The dialogue sounds like it...
Superman Takes Flight but Leaves the Plot Behind

Superman Takes Flight but Leaves the Plot Behind

Superman ★ ★ ½ James Gunn has a lot riding on Superman. Hired by Warner Bros. to reinvent the DC Comics Cinematic Universe (DCU), he needs this film to accomplish two things—ideally both. First, it has to be a box office success. Second—and less important, at least by...
M3GAN 2.0 Upgrades Herself—and the Franchise

M3GAN 2.0 Upgrades Herself—and the Franchise

M3GAN 2.0 ★ ★ ★ ½ In its own dumb, goofy way, M3GAN 2.0 follows a similar pattern to the first two Terminator films. If The Terminator was sci-fi, slasher-horror, its sequel, Terminator 2: Judgement Day was a sci-fi action thriller. In both pairs of films, the first...