Nothing's better than spending the weekend holed up in a movie theater, devouring the latest big-screen debuts. But how do you choose what to see? Well, that's where we come in. Obviously, there will be certain movies throughout the year that feel like must-sees just because everyone is talking about them. (Have you seen all the Oscar winners yet? Don't make Leo sad!) But if you want to be a more discerning cinephile, you can visit this cheat sheet. Here we'll give you the lowdown on new releases — and the critics' verdicts on them. Then you'll be able to determine which one is right for you.
This post will be continually updated, so don't forget to check back!
Zootopia
Starring: Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba
Rated: PG
Tomatometer: 99%
Synopsis: The latest animated movie from Disney is all about animals and tolerance.
What's The Word: Zootopia is far more than just cute talking animals. Writing for BuzzFeed, Alison Willmore explained that the "issues it wants to tackle stop not all that far short of conversations central to Black Lives Matter." She added that in some moments, the movie "feels boldly and almost jarringly ambitious." Todd VanDerWerff of Vox noted that Zootopia is the "best animated kids comedy about prejudice and the roots of police brutality ever made."TheNew York Times' Neil Genzlinger wrote: "It trusts young viewers to recognize the clichés they’ve been fed by other animated movies over the years and to appreciate seeing them subverted."
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman
Rated: R
Tomatometer:60%
Synopsis: Tina Fey gets the hang of war reporting in Afghanistan.
What's The Word: For some, Fey pulls off this more dramatic role.Time's Stephanie Zacharek wrote that the movie "captures the texture of one person’s experience in a place where she knows she shouldn’t be, and helps us understand why she fears she’ll never want to be anyplace else."USA Today's Brian Truitt argued that the film "wobbles in terms of an authentic feel, yet there’s no doubt Fey succeeds in her most serious big-screen outing yet." A dissenting opinion? Susan Wloszczyna of RogerEbert.com said Fey has "yet to show us she has what it takes to be a truly compelling presence on the big screen."
London Has Fallen
Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman
Rated: R
Tomatometer:26%
Synopsis: Gerard Butler has to save the president, again.
What's The Word: What were you expecting? This one's a stinker. Variety's Guy Lodge called it a "cement-headed sequel." At the A.V. Club, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky deemed it "one of the worst action movies in recent memory, its signal achievement being a firefight that’s presented in a single take, but which still manages to be incomprehensible. Perhaps the movie’s politics — which range from tone deaf to irredeemable — would be more of an issue if it weren’t so inept."The Telegraph's Robbie Collin said the "action" has a "sourly nihilistic streak."
Knight of Cups
Starring: Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett
Rated: R
Tomatometer: 52%
Synopsis: Terrence Malick follows Christian Bale around Los Angeles.
What's The Word: The movie sounds pretty impenetrable. ScreenCrush's Erin Whitney said that it's the director's "most challenging and messiest film yet." EW's Kevin P. Sullivan wrote that "at every turn, the film shakes off each attempt a viewer makes to cling to it." A.O. Scott of TheNew York Times asserted that the film "settles into a lukewarm bath of male self-pity, a condition perhaps more deserving of satire than sanctification."
Gods of Egypt
Starring: Gerard Butler, Nikolaj-Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer: 10%
Synopsis: A tale of ancient Egypt, but with white people.
What's The Word: Bad but odd, and bad! Manohla Dargis of TheNew York Timesdeclared that if the movie "were any worse, it might be a masterpiece." At Screen Crush, Matt Singer called it "a bizarre, goofy mess — and occasionally a beautiful one." Scott Tobias of NPR wrote: "Many of the images in Gods of Egypt would make for a fetching prog-rock album cover, but [director Alex] Proyas has populated his digital paradise with banal characters, cherry-picked mythology, and a score just a few notes off from Lawrence of Arabia."
Triple 9
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet
Rated: R
Tomatometer: 56%
Synopsis: A heist movie with dirty cops and Kate Winslet playing a mobster.
What's The Word: There are a lot of talented people in this mixed bag of a movie. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers called it "a twisty, terrific ride." But Joe Morgenstern wrote in The Wall Street Journal that"seldom has film been so noir — the light of day barely penetrates many of the settings — or so joyless." Meanwhile, David Edelstein of New Yorksaid it has "a bizarrely great cast for what’s basically a B movie."
Eddie the Eagle
Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer: 71%
Synopsis: Get your feel good on with this Olympic story.
What's The Word:It's an all too familiar tale, but you may enjoy it. Todd VanDerWerff at Vox wrote that "it's just about the most clichéd sports movie," but "it's got charm to spare, and, more importantly, it feels like it emerged from a 1980s time capsule."TheNew York Times' Neil Genzlinger explained that Eddie is "a good-natured film about the British Olympian Eddie Edwards, but it would be better if it respected its audience’s ability to recognize an underdog story." Gary Goldstein at the Los Angeles Times, however, called it "diverting and big-hearted."
The Witch
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Rated: R
Tomatometer:89%
Synopsis: A witch and a goat torment a family in Puritan New England.
What's The Word: You are going to want to get freaked out by this one. The New York Times' Manohla Dargis called it "a finely calibrated shiver of a movie," while Time's Stephanie Zacharek went for the phrase a "triumph of tone." According to Slate's David Ehrlich, it's "one of the best tricks the devil has ever pulled."
Race
Starring: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Shanice Banton
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer: 60%
Synopsis: Jesse Owens' Olympic tale put on screen.
What's The Word: Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter praised Stephan James' performance as Owens, but wrote that the movie is "still largely a boilerplate affair that takes far too long to hit its stride." Brian Truittwrote in USA Today:"A couple surprising star turns in Race give justice to Jesse Owens' running glory in the 1930s while also feeling timely with modern racial issues in the news."Variety's Andrew Barker argued that the movie "is better than it has to be, but not by too much."
Deadpool
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller
Rated: R
Tomatometer:81%
Synopsis: This superhero says bad words.
What's The Word: People like how this movie shakes up an overplayed genre, though it's not for everyone. New York's David Edelstein called it an "agreeable, unprecedentedly R-rated romp with in-jokes, dirty words, and splatter." Refinery29's own Lauren Le Vine explained that the movie is "deeply satisfying because it’s extremely sexually progressive, and while it’s ostensibly Wade Wilson’s story, the film’s female characters are actually its entire raison d’être." ScreenCrush's Matt Singer was not sold. "Gleefully puerile and deeply immature, it has tons of what the MPAA calls 'adult content,' but no actual content for adults," he wrote.
Zoolander 2
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer:23%
Synopsis: The perils of being really, really ridiculously good looking, round two.
What's The Word: Time has not done any favors for Derek and the gang. Richard Lawson summed it up viciously in Vanity Fair, saying it's a "deeply depressing mess of a movie whose antic busyness drains at the center, all snap and energy sucked into a howling void where a decent joke used to be." At NPR, Scott Tobias wrote that the "experience of watching Zoolander 2 is like being the plus-one at a Hollywood party where the guests are all blasted on synthetics. It's loud, garish, and distracted, and doesn't care much about showing you a good time." UPROXX's Mike Ryan compared the movie to "a turd with a smattering of celebrity Speed Stick plastered all over it."
How to Be Single
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann
Rated: R
Tomatometer: 50%
Synopsis: City ladies hook up, learn about life.
What's The Word: Though its not getting raves, this rom-com has its moments.The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck declared that it "offers enough fresh, off-kilter humor to provide amusing comfort to those afflicted with the titular condition on its opening Valentine's Day weekend." Perri Nemiroff at Collider said director Christian Ditter "actually manages to deliver a film that both embraces and subverts genre tropes, keeping the film firmly afloat through narrative highs and lows, and also leaving you with something to think about after it wraps up."Variety's Nick Schager was not on board, comparing it unfavorably to Sex and the City.
Hail, Caesar!
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer:77%
Synopsis: The Coen brothers do Old Hollywood.
What's The Word: There are some who adore this movie. Slate's David Ehrlich deemed it one of the Coens' "very best." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "a wild whoosh of Coen brothers wizardry that left me laughing helplessly and filled with spiritual dread." Others were not quite as sold. Melissa Anderson wrote in TheVillage Voice that "the fizziness, though, proves fleeting, and Hail, Caesar! too often goes flat."
The Choice
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer, Alexandra Daddario
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer: 9%
Synopsis: Pretty people fall in love, jerk tears out of you in a Nicholas Sparks adaptation.
What's The Word: Could this be the "worst" Nicholas Sparks adaptation? That's the proposition floated out by Andrew Barker at Variety. Jordan Hoffman at The Guardian called the big twist "a cheap, gratuitous and manipulative way to con people into leaving the theater thinking they’ve had a thorough emotional workout." According to The New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis, the movie is "repellently synthetic."
Kung Fu Panda 3
Starring: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons
Rated: PG
Tomatometer: 78%
Synopsis: Po returns and meets his dad.
What's The Word: This franchise apparently still has steam. Writing for TheNew York Times, Neil Genzlinger explained that the movie has "a darker feel" than the earlier installments, and that the animation is "simply gorgeous."Variety's Justin Chang was effusive: "Emotionally, dramatically and perhaps most of all visually (it’s worth seeing in 3-D), this delightful trilogy capper is almost as generously proportioned as its cuddly warrior hero, restoring a winning lightness of touch to the saga while bringing its long-running themes of perseverance and self-knowledge to satisfying fruition."USA Today's Brian Truitt was less enthusiastic, saying, "While it lacks the wonder and nuance of earlier Pandas, there are enough new faces and wowing, Asian-influenced style to also keep parents amused for an hour and a half."
The 5th Wave
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer: 20%
Synopsis: Aliens invade; teens fight.
What's The Word: The fading YA craze sludges along with this lackluster entry. EW's Clark Collis wrote that the film has a "very small amount of grit, either emotional or literal." Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian argued that "Moretz is a strong presence, but without the Katniss factor." Alonso Duralde at The Wrap compared it to a "bad orange," saying it "lacks both juice and flavor."
The Boy
Starring: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, Jim Norton
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer:N/A
Synopsis: A woman becomes the nanny for a seriously creepy doll charge.
What's The Word: The Boy isn't must-see horror. The A.V. Club's Katie Rife explained that "moments of inspiration, or craftsmanship, or whatever you want to call them, are ultimately seasoning sprinkled onto a mushy, microwaved platter of lukewarm horror clichés." Joe Leydon, writing for Variety, said that "the movie never fully distracts its audience from the inherent silliness of its premise — a young woman is hired by an elderly couple as a nanny for a life-sized doll — and, as a result, is more likely to elicit laughs and rude remarks rather than screams and rooting interest. "
Ride Along 2
Starring: Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, Olivia Munn
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer:17%
Synopsis: Remember the first Ride Along? This is the sequel.
What's The Word: Look, it’s not like Ride Along was a masterpiece, so don’t get your hopes up. Entertainment Weekly’s Kevin P. Sullivan wrote that there was really no attempt to distinguish the sequel from its predecessor: “The films are so note-for-note similar that it’s easy to visualize a split-screen YouTube comparison video, if you can imagine such a horror.” Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporterhad a great burn for the film, calling the “storyline less challenging than that of a typical CBS crime procedural.” At least The Guardian’s Jordan Hoffman had some kind words for the actors, writing: “Though some of the jokes land, that’s entirely due to the performances; there’s not one example of clever writing in the entire picture.”
The Revenant
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson
Rated: R
Tomatometer:78%
Synopsis: Leo plays a fur trapper who must fight for survival after being attacked by a bear.
What's The Word: Go see this movie if you're interested in seeing Leonardo DiCaprio suffer for about two-and-a-half hours. Though deemed the actor's Oscar movie, critics have been mixed. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone hailed it, but declared, "Note to movie pussies: The Revenant is not for you," and called it "one brutal, badass epic." In Peter Bradshaw's five-star review for The Guardian, he wrote: "This is not an immersion that feels like a sensual surrender; it's closer to having your skin peeled."Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson wasn't as sold, writing, "The gore is unflinching and realistic, but it tends to overwhelm, or outright preclude, any deeper thought, any more complex idea than 'Pain is real.'"
The Hateful Eight
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins
Rated: R
Tomatometer:75%
Synopsis: Quentin Tarantino maroons a bunch of questionable characters together during a late-19th-century blizzard. It gets bloody.
What's The Word: If you have some time on your hands, you may want to check out Tarantino's lengthy Western. (If you're a film buff, you should check out the Roadshow version screened in 70mm.) It's controversial, of course, because it's Tarantino. "Mr. Tarantino doesn’t make films that are 'about race' so much as he tries to burrow into the bowels of American racism with his camera and his pen. There is no way to do that and stay clean," A.O. Scott wrote for The New York Times. He continued, "Some of the film’s ugliness is therefore a sign of integrity, and of relevance. But much of it seems dumb and ill considered, as if Mr. Tarantino’s intellectual ambition and his storytelling discipline had failed him at the same time."New York's David Edelstein was harsher: "It seems perversely crabbed, nihilistic, and shot through with cruelty for cruelty’s sake." The movie does have its fans, though. Variety's Peter Debruge noted: "Familiarity aside, however, the movie absolutely delivers on the sheer moment-to-moment pleasures fans have come to expect, from dynamite dialogue to powder-keg confrontations."
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