Creed II

Sequel sympathizes with star as it struggles to sustain previous success. Impressively in-depth antagonist characterization creates conundrum, as baby-Dolph becomes more empathetic than self-centric Creed. Stallone stalls Two, and attempted emotional interludes feel tone deaf at best. Spoiler: finale spoils the premise as a predictable victory further vindicates ‘hero’s vanity.

Annihilation

Garland goes from mechanic to organic with deep dive into Area Ex, annihilating conventional narrative amidst shimmery translucent visuals dense with opaque meaning. Simultaneously adds and subtracts from source’s actively ambiguous characterization, while sparse script and rich score imply just as much depth as the stony performances of the cast.

Thor: Ragnarok

What We Do in the Cosmos plays Thor for laughs, but slips into idiocracy for lengthy rags-to-rocks second act made entertaining by gladiatorial Goldmaster. Blanchett’s character lacks the complexity of her thorny performance. Psychedelic colors and Marvel’s first memorable music assist endless ad-lib in delaying end (of world and film).

Creed

Coogler embraces source material with arms wide open and delivers drama that could go toe to toe with its cinematic senior. Jordan’s unstoppable acting train has left the station and he trades emotional blows with still-alive Stallone. Reboot reveals that Black or white, Pandora’s boxing is filled color of money.