PG, 2:00, action
The animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” gives ensemble superheroism a good name while giving audiences a really good time. It derives most of its story from the character of Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino Brooklyn teenager whose father is a vigilante-hating cop. Exploring the subway tunnels with his uncle Aaron, Miles is bitten by a genetically altered problem spider. Soon he learns that he, like Peter Parker, has been chosen to take on the Spidey mantle. The second half’s a bit of a letdown, but by the end, we’re back where we need to be: captured, happily, by Miles’ story and the “Spider-Verse” notion of the mask being for everyone up to the task.
R, 1:56, action
Producer, director and star Clint Eastwood’s latest film, “The Mule,” takes its inspiration from Sam Dolnick’s 2014 New York Times Magazine feature on Leo Sharp. Sharp was a World War II Bronze Star veteran, a horticulturist and day lily “hybridizer” of some renown. When his business stumbled with the rise of online commerce, he tried running drugs for the Sinaloa cartel headed by Joaquin Guzman, better known as El Chapo. “The Mule” retells it as if terrified of giving the main character a strong point of view, or viewing him through a stimulating clash of perspectives. The movie’s version of Sharp is Earl Stone. “The Mule” struggles to find a rhythm.
PG, 1:30, comedy
Benedict Cumberbatch steps into the role as the Grinch in “The Grinch,” but fortunately for him, there’s no prosthetic makeup involved — this is all computer animation. The new animated version brings us closer to the 1966 TV movie. The animation is stunning. The story about the Grinch stealing Christmas is padded out with a bit more back story for Miss Cindy Lou Who (Cameron Seely), who has a Christmas wish she needs to speak about with Santa. She’s hoping her frazzled single mom catches a break, as she works all night as a nurse. This is about finding the spirit of Christmas in community and connection. “The Grinch” is beautiful to look at, and diverting enough.
PG, 1:54, family
The sequel to 2012’s “Wreck-It Ralph” throws a tremendous amount at the video game villain, voiced so sweetly by John C. Reilly, and Vanellope von Schweetz, one of 16 competitors in a retro racing game called “Sugar Rush.” Ralph, Vanellope and their arcade-game comrades live and work in an anachronistic Centipedes and Pac-Man emporium. A broken steering wheel threatens the existence of Vanellope’s racing game, and the replacement part is pricey, which means all “Sugar Rush” characters may become “gameless.” The movie’s simple enough in its emotional through-line to hold together.
PG-13, 2:08, action
The young adult fantasy flick “Mortal Engines” rolls into and out of one’s consciousness like the “traction cities” that roam its landscape. There’s not much setup for the dystopian future. Puckish museum assistant Tom (Robert Sheehan) has his world thrown topsy-turvy, literally, when he’s tossed into a giant waste tube with Hester (Hera Hilmar), a mysterious girl. Tom is caught up in Hester’s quest for vengeance. Visually, it’s busy, hefty and propulsive, but emotionally and thematically, it’s as light as air. These engines could have used a bit more in the tank.
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