Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

‘Fantastic Franchise and How to Make it Tedious: The Exposition of Everything’ is about as exciting as it’s endless title, an ill concocted potion that pits a caricaturish Depp against Law, who’s admittedly brilliant, and perhaps the only shining spark in a not so magical, muggled mess of a movie.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spine-tinglingly sensational cinematic experience weaves a wonderful alternate world where ground-breaking arachnimation, comic comedy, and philosophical depth can co-exist simultaneously, and even as the brilliantly genre-bending cast of characters struggle to thwart trans-dimensional fusion they introduce our less-advanced reality to futuristic concepts like… genuine diversity, moral ambiguity, and increased spider-sensitivity.

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The Lego Batman Movie

Feels like an overlong South Park episode made weaker through pulled plastic punches. Amusing Romantic Knight plot provides clever genre commentary and appearance of infinite baddies from inside and outside canon proved spectacular entertainment, but ultimately the comedy doesn’t quite match the originality of predecessor. Perhaps they suffered writers blocks.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fun-filled but utterly unmotivated catch and release expedition terminates abruptly into a confusingly contrived political horror story. Complexity of Potter disapparates in favor of tired arc where boys end up liking girls and vice versa. Imaginative vfx float their way through an unimaginative plot to explode at an unexpected Imaginarium.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Mel’s missing from post-apocalypto chase extravaganza, but Tom fills (at least one of) his shoes admirably.  Hard-E wanders the wasteland silently for one act before shedding his Bane mask and joining the glorious insanity.  Extensive dark night aside, proof that for Maximum results, studios should let their directors go Mad.