Arizona Republic

For one thing, it’s not all that sexy. It is, however, funny, well-acted and may actually have something to say, though I’m still debating that point.

It’s not a full meal of a movie. It’s a snack that is wholly without nutritional value, but it is pretty tasty for the most part. It’s the kind of movie that you’ll be glad it exists, even if by this time next week you’ll probably forget that it does.

It’s great, a star-studded triumph that is at once overwhelming and accessible.

Alcock is outstanding in portraying all of this — the nihilistic party girl with a tortured past, the tough-love mentor, the confused cousin of the Man of Steel. But the direction is messy, and the fight scenes, of which there are plenty, are shot way too dark, making it hard to know what’s going on, and hindered by remarkably poor computer graphics. A couple of scenes in particular look like they aren’t quite done yet. It all adds up to a promising portrayal diluted by sloppy storytelling.

The new film...tackles the perils of technology, and while it has its moments, introduces a great new character, consistently scores with throwaway jokes and asides and finally centers a female character, it’s just not as good as the “Toy Story” movies that came before it.

This is going to be the favorite movie of weather forecasters everywhere. As well it might. For a movie about the weather, it’s pretty exciting. And the cast, which includes Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon and Andrew Scott, is excellent.

If you are the sort of movie fan who appreciates a director who doesn’t tie everything up in neat little bows, you’ll love this. It’s at times confusing, at times frustrating. But it feels as if Parsons maintains control over every frame of the film. He knows where he wants to go, even if at times, like in the Backrooms, it’s sometimes hard to follow.

In an algorithm-driven world in which every decision is made based on numbers, prediction markets or a desperate attempt to be all things to all people (especially the people not buying your product), hooray for this weird little movie that refuses to play that game. If it can’t always figure out quite what it wants to be, it’s all the better for it.

It's all too much on the surface, not enough underneath. In other words, fans of the first film will love it.

More curiosity than movie, “Michael,” a biopic so reverential towards its subject, Michael Jackson, that it borders on worshipful, can’t seem to figure out what it is.