ANaditz

This was a far better movie than expected -- pure popcorn all the way. Parts of the premise are pretty cliche: four attractive high school girls (of mixed ethnicity) who decide to go against parental edict and dive down to a mysterious underwater temple. One of the girls has to be talked into going. Deadly, almost prehistoric-looking sharks arrive; people die. They become trapped within the temple and need to find a way out or they're going to die. An escape attempt fails. More people die. And, there's one final showdown where either side could win and the other could die. The end. That hardly sounds like enough to merit my vote of 7 for this film. But the truth is, given its limitations (working budget was about $12 million, which is barely the travel expense for some big budget blockbusters), it's all executed fairly well. Gore is nearly non existent, although there are a few body parts floating around here and there. You have one rather shocking, sad, graphic death. There's enough happening to jolt you every so often and hold your interest. Yes, there are a few plot holes big enough to sail a shark-viewing boat through. The effects are so-so at times; you can tell shark attack footage was being reused from scene to scene, and some of the props look just like that -- props. But the biggest thing it has going for it is the fact these four friends come off exactly as that: friends. There's no "every man for himself" mentality during this whole affair, no finger pointing as to whose fault it was for getting everyone into this mess, no arrogant, backstabbing, unlikable person adding to the danger, no one emerging as the superhero (until, perhaps, the very end). Everyone has their moment when they're leading the group, and a moment later on when they're falling apart. In other words, everyone is human. And that's what makes this low-end film so watchable.

It took years -- more than 40, actually -- for a Wonder Woman movie to finally make the big screen. The wait was worth it. Gal Gadot nails the role, and you end up feeling good about a DC hero for the first time since the original "Superman" in 1978. (The Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy of the 2000s was also great, but "good" is not what you felt when you thought about that Batman.) This is a very good thing, if you're DC: Aside from Superman and Batman (and really, just Batman over the past 20 years), the company hasn't been able to generate much live action buzz with any of its heroes in theaters. If they wanted to keep up with Marvel, which has managed to march a solid stream of its iconic characters onto the big screen, DC needs another hero franchise. I was a bit generous in giving this movie a 9; usually I reserve that score for all-time classics, a level this movie does not quite reach. There are some nit-picky items here that I just couldn't forgive (particularly those that are non-canon to the comic book). Without giving too much away, I'm not thrilled about: * The "enhanced" relationship between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. * The abrupt change in skill level of one movie character, to the point where you wonder how the person isn't always a Master of the Universe and would therefore be unbeatable under just about any circumstance. * The timeline move to WWI in place of WWII (although, given other canon violations, this can almost be forgiven). * The constant slow-motion scenes in some of the action sequences (but not in all -- make up your minds, already). * An abrupt change in the fate of one character. * A somewhat cliche change in Diana's origin (i.e. "Xena, Warrior Princess.") * An also cliche group of supporting characters who go traipsing with Diana through the Western Front. * No use of the original TV series theme or the "electric twirl" as she changed into costume (just kidding here -- we knew it wasn't going to happen, but wouldn't it have been great if it had?). On the plus side: * Fantastic battle scene involving the Amazons and the German soldiers. Makes the battle scenes in "300" look like schoolyard scuffles among 5 year olds. * Wonderfully choreographed fight scenes between Diana and pretty much anyone else. * No nudity, swearing or even R-rated violence. There's barely any blood in this movie, and you don't miss it a bit. * Robin Wright as General Antiope, Wonder Woman's aunt, who teaches her those amazing combat skills. * Great chemistry between Chris Pine (Trevor) and Diana. Best scene by far is his "above average" moment. If you ever wondered what Captain Kirk was like as a high school student, perfecting his lady's man skills, here are your CliffsNotes. * A less-dark film than other recent DC efforts (particularly the two Superman films), offering a few light-hearted moments that offset the official, grim storyline. (Think "Superman" and Lois Lane's "pink" underwear.) * At least the level of canon infraction isn't at that demonstrated by shows like "Smallville," which pretty much threw out the source material and did what it wanted (remember the eventually murdered Jimmy Olsen and his little brother...Jimmy Olsen?). A lot has been said about the CGI-heavy moments toward the end of the film. Frankly, if I hadn't already read about them (and therefore, knew to look for them), I wouldn't have noticed. If anything, they're what's become standard in sci-fi/action films these **** over the top, just what you expect to see. Unless you really want to go back to the days of Styrofoam boulders and rubber swords, and punches that were about an inch away from the face but still knocked the bad guy out cold. Bottom line: A- for acting, B+ for story, A- for execution, and B+ for special effects. Nice job, DC. Now you get to do it again (times 7) with "Justice League" next November.

One can compare the "Alien" franchise to that of "Star Trek": Some good, some bad, some okay, some forgettable. "Alien: Covenant" falls within the latter two. It's not as mind-blowing as the original, not as much of a rocket ride as "Aliens," but it's no "Alien 3" or "Prometheus." Anyone who has seen any of the previous movies will be entertained but not awed, as there's really nothing new here. Anyone who actually appreciated "Prometheus" will see this as a fairly seamless transition to a faster-paced sequel. For me, this was like going on your favorite amusement park ride for the 100th time. You might still enjoy it, but it doesn't have that same joy or jolt of excitement you felt the first time you sat in the chair and buckled yourself in. The story line is almost a rewrite of the original "Alien," down to the "Let's try to kill the monster this way" ending. The characters are cookie-cutter; you have a Sigourney Weaver clone (the human Sigourney from "Alien," not the superhero of the later flicks), a number of other likeable but gone-too-soon folks, the unexpected stranger, etc. My biggest negative is with the movie's predictability. I figured out the "twist" about 40 minutes in, and hoped I would be wrong. No such luck. A person sitting near me complained that the movie should have focused more on the race introduced in "Prometheus." That's probably where the next movie (and you know they'll figure out how to do another one) is headed. Overall, I give this movie a B for entertainment value, a C for storyline, and a C+ for execution. It's not worth a full-priced admission, but it's good as a bonus picture with a Dish Network, DirecTV, Amazon or Netflix account. It's not a wasted day, but it's not one worth being at the top of your To Do list.

Critics rip this movie, saying it's slipshod, shoots itself in the foot, and gives villainy a bad name. Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes give it an average score of about 4/10. Audiences say it's fun, escapist fare, that the characters are likeable in their unfriendliness, and that they can't wait to see more. Their scores on MC and RT average about 7/10. What does that tell you? Yes, the movie has problems: In some scenes, too much happens at once, resulting in a dizzying back-and-forth that even the cameras can't keep up with. Others will escape non-fans and result in a "Huh?" reaction. The big-bang moments won't hold up well on TV. There's at least one cliche "Well, we had to prove what we said was actually true" moment. The climax is a bit of a letdown. But there are highlights: Will Smith (Deadshot), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) are spot-on. Jered Leto (Joker) meshes perfectly with Robbie, setting up a Joker/Harley "Bonnie & Clyde"-type film. Karen **** (Katana) looks great with a sword and deserves an origin movie of her own. You actually care about what happens to the gang of expendables, good or bad -- except, maybe, for the lone "good guy," Rick Flag (an underwritten Joel Kinnaman). The movie stays faithful to the original "Suicide Squad" comic book of the 1980s. Bottom line, it's your typical lead-in movie. Remember: People weren't thrilled with the first "X-men" or original series "Star Trek" films, either.