12 Strong

Despite intense action sequences and heavy helping of familial empathy enhancers, Thorse Soldiers lacks emotional impact of Lone Survivor or suspense of Zero Dark Thirty. The story is straightforward though their path meanders, and character arcs fall unsatisfyingly in between. And the ‘bad Muslims’ educational cutaway feels preachy and unnecessary.

Collateral Beauty

Life is Cynical continues Will Smith’s Pursuit of Oskars but falls like so many dominos as it drifts from clichéd to conniving to contrived. Star-studded cast turn in career low performances as the illogical and deeply troubled mini-machiavellis. One clever third act reveal hardly compensates for all the collateral BS.

Ant Man

Big time crook turns to petty crime in Marvel’s Irony Man.  Rudd fails to steer this clunky quasi-comedic heist through awkward pacing, ham-fisted emotional backstory, and remarkably low stakes.  Lilly’s Zeta-Jones costume makes Douglas seem even more villainous than trying to blow up his company to stop his protégé’s progress does.

The Martian

Saving Astronaut Damon is Scott’s first humans-only space epic and the cast, setting and result are stellar. Necessarily jettisons several of source’s set-pieces but remains loyal to the physics, the feel, and the fun.  Iron-ically cheesy finale and spaced out Glover are only detractors.  But Boromir explains Elrond to council!!!