KANSAS CITY, Mo — FOX 4 film critics Russ Simmons and Shawn Edwards review The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, Annie, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Wild.
1) THE HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (PG-13)
Warner Brothers
SHAWN
A spectacular ending to the franchise.
RUSS
“The Hobbit” finale features all of the series’ strengths & weaknesses of the series…including the top-drawer eye candy and narrative padding.
SHAWN
Really didn’t want the movie to end.
RUSS
I often thought it wouldn’t. Still, Peter Jackson’s impressive epic has redefined the term ‘big screen spectacle.’
RUSS: 4 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 4 Popcorn Bags
2) ANNIE (PG)
Sony Pictures
SHAWN
Sure the remake of “Annie” is a bit too sugary and over-the-top bubbly, but at the center is Quvenzhane Wallis who is incredible. She’ll steal your heart.
RUSS
I was rooting for this one. The cast is appealing, but the execution of this update of the Broadway musical is flat and uninspired.
SHAWN
And yes Annie is black this time around but she just exist. There are no references about her ethnicity. The entire movie is diverse and represents what the Obama era was to be all about and I like it.
RUSS
It’s dull, even for undemanding kids.
RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
3) NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (PG)
20th Century Fox
SHAWN
Let me go old school. Someone still has access to a carbon copy machine, Xerox machine or mimeograph machine.
RUSS
Yes, like its predecessors, it’s clever, imaginative and beautifully produced.
SHAWN
Seen the first two then you’ve seen this one. But know this. It’s all a joyful blast of fun that’s perfect for the entire family.
RUSS
It may even get kids to want to visit an actual museum. That can’t be bad.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
4) WILD (R)
20th Century Fox
SHAWN
Wild is a movie about an unlikable character who does unlikable things while on an impossibly dangerous journey. Which made for an unlikable experience.
RUSS
This adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s memoir about her cathartic1100-mile hike is well acted, particularly by Reese Witherspoon, but it’s just not as illuminating or involving as it should be.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags
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