Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012) – The quality of the source material is, of course, through the roof, but the extensive introspection from the comic is missing and Miller’s ugly eighties’ style has been, to a great extent, cleaned up, and thus, while this adaptation is faithful, it’s also largely devoid of depth and atmosphere; the voice cast, too, is only fair. 6

The Expendables 2

The Expendables 2 (2012) – It’s got a generic, predictable plot, way too many obviously digital effects, cartoony, nonsensical action, and a script almost entirely comprised of clichéd one-liners; about the only thing it has going for it is an even better cast of eighties heroes than the original, and that almost carries the film by itself; it also takes itself less seriously than the first, which is good, but we’re well into self-parody here, and honestly, it’s a little bit embarrassing. 5

The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges (2012) – The eponymous performances are impressive imitations of the originals, but the feature-length running time is a painful, not-very-funny overdose of stupidity that will likely become tiresome to any but the youngest viewers. 4

Pi

Pi (1998) – It’s impressive given the budget, as Aronofsky lays a strong foundation with ideas and atmosphere, but while the concept is compelling, it’s not enough by itself to justify a feature-length running time, and what little plot has been summoned for this task feels extremely forced; worse, the conclusion is a pretentiously vague and unsatisfactory copout. 5

In Time

In Time (2011) – It’s a decent concept and an interesting metaphor (an insightful one, even, given its obvious parallels to the subsequent Occupy Wall Street business), but it’s brought down by clumsy storytelling, eye-rolling contrivance and cheese, and an utterly manufactured romance (and if, after watching your film, Harlan Ellison decides he can’t be bothered to sue you after all, that might be a red flag). 5

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – It retreads so much ground from the recent Raimi films that it can’t justify its existence; even on its own, while it has a good primary cast, it’s shallow, with clichéd, corny dialogue and plotting, chick-flick sensibilities, as well as a mediocre villain and action scenes – we’ve been fed this story dozens of times, and the film is utterly predictable in every way. 5