Soren Andersen

Although being in essence the second bite at the apple for this story, with the animated version being superior in terms of its visuals and the vocal performance of Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana holding the edge over Lagaʻaia, the picture is very satisfying.

Frequently very funny and often insightful as it zooms through what amounts to a crash course in the early days of Hollywood moviemaking, this “Minions” is a compact delight (at just 90 minutes). It brings the happy to this holiday. Enjoy.

Fan service all the way with this one, though it would have benefited from less slam bang and more humor. However, fans will probably love it.

The prime attraction of this movie, and its predecessor, is that it envelopes the audience in the Mario world. Every square inch of the screen, from top to bottom, corner to corner, is packed with images derived from the game. Easter eggs abound. Watching it is akin being inside the 2007 Super Mario Galaxy game itself. Which is why it needs to be seen on the big screen. Seeing it on a phone or a laptop wouldn’t do it justice.

Shouting and struggling, poor Pratt vainly tries to give his character dimension and some sense of sympathy. So genial and engaging in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, Pratt flails grouchily and ineffectively in Mercy.

Everybody involved seems to be having a blast making this latest “SpongeBob” a funny, fast-paced pleasure.

The sweetness in the original is absent in the sequel. The players, including Judy and Nick, have an edge to them. Maybe that’s to be expected in that the main characters are now more settled in their parts, but there’s a sharpness in tone that makes them hard to warm up to.

The picture itself is more workmanlike than transcendent. It marches along but doesn’t soar.

Both star and director are at the top of their game here, and that’s as good as movies get.

This “Naked Gun” tries hard, but the magic simply isn’t there.