Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – why bother?

Every movie star should have a backup franchise — just in case.

Chris Pratt, for instance, has Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy. Tom Hanks has the Da Vinci Code series and playing heroic real-life captains in films named for them, e.g.…

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is pure family-friendly froth

Man, it’s a difficult life being the child of a god.

It’s been three years since teenage demigod Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) last appeared in The Lightning Thief, his equivalent of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone. In it, Percy learned about his mystical heritage, headed over to Camp Half-Blood (a slightly more outdoorsy Hogwarts), and headed off for his first adventure with his two new best friends.…

RIPD is the cinematic equivalent of being in limbo

“Say what you want about the tenets of The Lone Ranger, dude, at least it’s an ethos.”

RIPD, the newest big-budget adaptation of an obscure comic book series, sounds like a concept being sold on its title. Based on the trailer, it looks like a hodgepodge of Men In Black and Ghostbusters, but fails to be much more than derivative schlock.

GI Joe: Retaliation is a “Strikes Back” no one asked for

 

Cinematic adaptations of beloved 1980s toy lines are not generally renowned for their artistic qualities.

Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise may have grossed more money than the GDP of most South American nations, but its eye-popping action was more migraine-inducing than Avatar-immersive.…