PG-13, 2:40, action
Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) is after the precious infinity stones, which will grant him control over the universe. Our favorite superheroes must join together to put an end to Thanos’ evil plan. Numerous Marvel characters appear, including Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). The nervy fatalism of its climax might actually count for something if you didn’t know in your bones that the “Avengers” movie coming out a year from now will very likely undo what we’re left with.
PG-13, 1:35, thriller
Mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) has ventured into a decimated town with her husband, Lee (John Krasinski), and their children. As we learn, the monsters lurking around the family have insectlike legs and crablike pincers. They’re blind but blessed with an acute sense of hearing. A year and a half into the storyline, Lee and Evelyn live in virtual silence, as does their hearing son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and their deaf daughter, Regan (Millicent Simmonds). I don’t know if I’d call “A Quiet Place” enjoyable; it’s more grueling than cathartic. But the upbeat, can-do shotgun-blasting climax gets the crowd going. —
PG-13, 1:47, comedy
Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer) works in a ratty Manhattan Chinatown satellite office of a fashionable cosmetics firm. She has friends and plenty of smarts, but zero confidence and a barren dating life. After conking her head in spin class, Renee wakes up seeing an entirely new woman in the mirror. Before the inevitable, wince-worthy moment of reckoning, “I Feel Pretty” follows Renee 2.0 as she revels in her newfound swagger, acing a job promotion and finding an affable man. It’s just not funny or fresh enough, and that has everything to do with the material and how it’s handled visually, and nothing to do with the people on the screen.
PG-13, 1:47, action
After a space lab carrying experimental pathogens crash-lands at various points on the U.S. map, animals become infected and mutate. Naomie Harris takes the role of a geneticist whose former employer was the insidious biotech firm Energyne. The Energyne headquarters is at the top of Willis Tower in Chicago, where it controls the creatures’ movements by way of bio-sonar. The digital effects are solid, but there’s no pleasure in the film’s climactic three-way clash involving Dwayne Johnson, Harris and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Johnson and Harris will survive it. But if it’s a hit, it’ll only encourage studios and audiences to settle for more of the same joyless, indecisive noise. —
“Black Panther” in brief: Wakanda was blessed by a magical substance called vibranium. The metal provides superhuman ability and turns the king of the moment into Black Panther. King T’Chaka expires, and his son, T’Challa, is crowned. There are two antagonists: Andy Serkis is vibranium fantatic Ulysses Klaue, and Michael B. Jordan is the American black ops ace known as Killmonger. He’s got ambitions for the throne, and a belief in getting stunningly advanced weaponry in the hands of oppressed people. When a movie like this ends up feeling both personal and vital, you’ve done something right. —
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