Man of Steel

Man of Steel (2013) – Part dreary rehash, part CGI-over-reliant generic blockbuster, this heavy-handed, frequently irritating film has some good performances, but it’s got more product placement than it does character development, and it’s never really all that interesting; unfaithful as it is to the spirit of the title character, it’s got only the barest flashes of what makes Superman such a great character. 5

Castle in the Sky

Castle in the Sky (1986) – Like you expect, it’s good looking and imaginative, with a fine Hisaishi score, but it embraces many of anime’s sillier conventions, and the slow, thin story lacks much of the wonder, the weight, the character development, and the emotional impact of Miyazaki’s best films. 6

Alien: Resurrection

Alien: Resurrection (1997) – What a thoroughly mixed bag this is: Jeunet has an effective visual style, but his tone is often jarringly campy; there are a number of intriguing ideas—including a sufficiently fresh spin on Ripley to keep things interesting—but Whedon’s script isn’t particularly ambitious from a storytelling standpoint, and it’s got a ton of throwaway dialogue that isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is; and while there are some good performances by the supporting cast—plus Weaver, of course—Ryder feels out of place and Hedaya is ridiculous. 6

Alien 3

Alien 3* (1992) – It begins by criminally throwing away much of the significance of Aliens, but it nonetheless manages to start off decently strong even so, due in large part to fine performances by Weaver (as usual), Dance, and Dutton; it has a few highlights, but the effects are decidedly subpar, and the film spends most of its second half as poorly paced, pedestrian horror populated by indistinguishable and undeveloped characters, in which its well-known development fiascos shine through with some bad script and plot moments. 5

*I watched the 145-minute Assembly Cut.

Aliens

Aliens (1986) – If we can get past how mind-bogglingly counterproductive it is for Ripley to be taken on the mission, this is an excellent action movie with a number of solid characters and some impressive work from Cameron; it’s reasonably predictable, but it’s quite satisfying, and it has little trouble rising above its action movie clichés. 7

Alien

Alien (1979) – With fantastic practical effects, striking art design, unforgettable visuals, a classic monster, and a slow-building, stripped-down, raw approach from Ridley Scott, this film sits at the top of the survival horror heap with only Carpenter’s The Thing for company. 8