As with most animated franchises aimed at a younger audience, the sequel is generally used as an opportunity for world building, and director Walt Dohrn literally makes it his primary objective from the opening minutes.

Clocking in at a tight 91 minutes, Blow the Man Down works as efficiently as a hardened seaman in establishing its bona fides. Still, if you’re anything like me, you’ll wish Krudy and Cole had made a more memorable set of circumstances, or had something new to say about the noir genre.

Of course, Onward contains all of the Pixar standards: great visuals and a lively color palette, fun character dynamics, comic relief, action set-pieces, and a conclusion that’s designed to make the adults cry. But where it lacks most is the unique messaging that we’ve come to expect from the studio.

Birds of Prey can best be seen as DC cleansing itself of the earlier films, right down to the fiery explosion that Harley uses early in the film to signify that she’s done with the Joker.

How much mileage you get out of Miss Americana may vary depending on your level of devotion to Swift’s career and music, but her overwhelming sincerity may make a believer out of even the most cynical.

Heartbreaking but hopeful, complex but familiar, Portrait tells the story of a doomed romance between two young women in the 18th century – one a painter (Noémie Merlant) and the other her muse (Adéle Haenel), the daughter of a wealthy family who is betrothed to a man she’s never met.

There’s no denying that 1917 is a technical marvel. There’s also no denying that nearly every individual element of the film is impressive, from the score to the cinematography to the production design. Unfortunately, the elements that are left by the wayside are the ones it needs to be a complete experience that its audience can fully invest in, like memorable characters or an original story.

The real draw here are the performances of its three leads: Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. Theron in particular shines as Megyn Kelly; it would be difficult enough to mimic her distinct baritone voice and mannerisms, but Theron also nails her confidence and uncertainty.

The Two Popes provides an interesting peek behind the curtain at the life of the head of the Catholic Church, but it comes up slightly short as a two-handed biography. McCarten’s script injects enough humor to a tale of two stuffy old men to make it fun and engaging.

It may be hard to believe given his post-2000 movie roles, but Sandler is electric from beginning to end. He’s never been better, topping his previous high when directed by Paul Thomas Anderson in Punch Drunk Love. Without Sandler’s frenetic energy, Uncut Gems would not be able to sustain its breakneck pace for the quickest 130 minutes you’ll sit through all year.

Abrams had a Star Destroyer-sized task in front of him, in that he had to not only wrap up a highly-anticipated trilogy, give each character enough screen and plot time, and include enough Star Wars lore to keep the diehard fans interested (not to mention he had to make an entertaining movie, of course). And, yes, Abrams does succeed in some respects with this entry.