New Release
This feel-good documentary chronicles the 2002 project to complete two robots—“Opportunity” and “Spirit”—that will journey to Mars to determine if there was ever water on the now dust bowl planet. While the engineering process incurs its share of Murphy’s Law, the launch and mission does succeed.
Relying heavily on CGI for the bulk of the Mars segments, the near thriller, while impressive, feels synthetic. For a movie so deeply steeped and rooted in science and adventure, the new Amazon film is a bit in short supply of both.
Family Pick
Long ago, a Viking teen named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) signs up for his village’s dragon-fighting school to prove himself to his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), chief of his clan. But when Hiccup befriends a young, rare dragon, he tries to convince everyone that dragons, which often raid their village, can be peaceful.
This animated tale sports some great visuals and has some positive messages about overcoming stereotypes and getting along with others. However, it contains some mature themes and is more suitable for older children.
An Entertaining Espionage Thriller
Mitch Rapp (Dylan O'Brien) is on vacation with his fiancée when a group of terrorists suddenly attack a beach and kill her. Vowing revenge, Rapp eventually links up with former U.S. Navy SEAL Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton), who leads a black operations unit and trains Rapp in the art of warfare.
This tale of revenge isn’t exactly original, but this flick is a pretty fun espionage thriller with some fantastic action sequences and exotic locales. Just be aware that it does contain brutal fight scenes.
A Cinematic First
Young trapper Breck Coleman (John Wayne, in his first starring role) is hired by a group of settlers to scout ahead for them while they make their way along the Oregon Trail, facing many dangers together.
