Missing Link Is Mostly Agreeable But It's Also A Step Down From Past LAIKA Films

Missing Link is a very traditional sort of family movie, a stark contrast to many animated American family movies that pride themselves on constant wink-winks and self-referential nods to the audience. That's not the angle Missing Link wants to go down, no siree, instead, it's a classical globe-trotting adventure story with flashes of a Western and an old-timey slapstick comedy (think Laurel & Hardy) thrown in for good measure. All of these old Hollywood influences result in writer/director Chris Butler making a movie that tries to stick to just the basics, but it does that job too well, resulting in a film that far too often registers as passably agreeable rather than exceptionally memorable.

Set Phasers To Awesomeness For Star Trek Beyond

Each of the Star Trek movies that have emerged since 2009 seem to have taken direct inspiration from different noteworthy motion picture. That first feature in this rebooted franchise was very much inspired by the success of then recent reboots like Batman Begins and Casino Royale while Star Trek Into Darkness was an obvious attempt to mimic how most second films in major blockbuster franchises (think The Empire Strikes Back) are the "darker" story. Now Star Trek Beyond arrives very much as a post-Guardians Of The Galaxy Star Trek adventure. Colorful looking aliens have a greater presence than they did in the last two Star Trek movies, tunes from the 80's surface at critical moments, there's a greater emphasis on the dynamic of the main group of characters and new character Jayllah (Sofia Boutella) and her trait of not quite understanding certain aspects of the English language bear a notable similarity to Drax The Destroyer.

Infinitely Polar Bear Review

Bear With Me Here

Setting the events of Infinitely Polar Bear in 1978 is a clever idea, since it allows for all of the characters in the story to be lost in one way or another. Cameron (Mark Ruffalo), who lives with bi-polar disorder, has to grapple with the fact that people are still just discovering news ways to treat and handle his disorder. His wife, Maggie (Zoe Saldana), meanwhile has the can-do spirit that drove the 70's feminist movement while facing workplace sexism.

The Book Of Life Review

Guillermo Del Toro has lent his name to a vast amount of projects since he became a household name with the Hellboy features and Pans Labyrinth. Since the second Hellboy, he's only directed one feature (last years beautifully exciting Pacific Rim), but has produced several more than that. His most recent endeavor as a producer is The Book Of Life, an animated feature from Reel FX and director Jorge R. Gutierrez. Gutierrez makes his debut as a director of a feature length film with this production, his previous defining work being the Nickelodeon program El Tigre.

Guardians of The Galaxy Review

Glorious Guardians Guarantee Greatness

OH ITS SO GLORIOUS

We've seen a lot of amazing adventures from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the interlocking film series that includes the Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Avengers films (it also includes the singular The Incredible Hulk). They've changed the face of cinema in recent years, with The Avengers encouraging every movie studio and their grandma to enter the business of creating franchises that constantly crossover into each other. The only one to emerge so far (though the Universal Monster movies are the next up to follow this tactic) was The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which ditched coherent storytelling in favor of setting up endless amounts of sequels.