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!
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer:11%
Synopsis: This YA dystopian saga about factions lumbers on.
What's The Word: Dragging this trilogy out over four installments is obviously not doing it any favors. At Mashable, Hillary Busis wrote: "Previous split-book franchises could get by on plausible deniability; this one barely bothers to justify its continued existence." The "bottom line" of Jordan Mintzer's Hollywood Reporter review declared: "More like redundant."The New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis explained that the movie "offers a weak bridge to the series’ conclusion."
Midnight Special
Starring: Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer: 85%
Synopsis: A father and son are fleeing a cult and government authorities, all because the boy has a very special gift.
What's The Word: Jeff Nichols' sci-fi story plays like something Spielberg might have made, and many critics are high on it. "Nichols keeps us guessing in a way that evokes Close Encounters of the Third Kind,"Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty explained."Midnight Special is a more modest, more enigmatic film than that one was, but it’s no less gripping." Peter Travers of Rolling Stonenoted that "in this spellbinding sci-fi chase movie, UFOs take a back seat to identifiable human emotions."Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson had some compliments for the film, but concluded that it "feels more like an interesting genre experiment for Nichols than it does a completely realized movie."
Miracles From Heaven
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Martin Henderson, Kylie Rogers
Rated: PG
Tomatometer: 55%
Synopsis: Jennifer Garner stars as a mom whose daughter is battling a disease in this faith-based movie.
What's The Word: You'll probably cry. RogerEbert.com's Christy Lemire instructed readers to "bring tissues," explaining that the movie "could be the first faith-based film to truly cross over and find both critical acclaim and a mainstream audience beyond just the church-going crowd."TheNew York Times' Ken Jaworowski also hit on the tears point, writing, "if the film follows the formula of an inoffensive Lifetime movie, that works well enough to keep the tale perfectly watchable." Geoff Berkshire at Varietywondered harshly: "If there are miracles everywhere we look, who wants to waste time on a movie this middling? "
10 Cloverfield Lane
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher, Jr.
Rated: PG-13
Tomatometer: 91%
Synopsis: A creepy guy keeps a young woman in a bunker, and there's maybe something crazy going on outside.
What's The Word: Go go go to this one. But don't read too much about it. Though it's not really a Cloverfield sequel, Stephanie Zacharek at Time wrote, "It's a better movie than its predecessor, one that at least has a sense of humor about itself and its genre."The New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis called it "smartly chilling and finally spectacular." Jordan Hoffman put it simply at The Guardian: "This movie, whatever you want to call it, is really good."
The Brothers Grimsby
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson
Rated: R
Tomatometer: 44%
Synopsis: Sacha Baron Cohen has graced us with another one of his creations. This time it's Nobby Butcher, who works alongside his super-spy brother played by Mark Strong.
What's The Word: Disgustingly funny or just disgusting? Critics have gone both ways. At Entertainment Weekly, Darren Franich claimed that the movie is Cohen's "best work in a decade." Manohla Dargis of The New York Times was not as pleased. "But while there may be comedy gold in an elephant’s vagina, Mr. Cohen fails to find it here," she wrote. Drew McWeeny of HitFix said the movie is "an entirely laughless affair and easily the low point of Cohen's career so far."
Hello, My Name Is Doris
Starring: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Tyne Daly
Rated: R
Tomatometer: 88%
Synopsis: Sally Field pursues a younger man.
What's The Word: Field is great in this sweet comedy. The New York Times' Manhola Dargis wrote: "Doris has issues, mostly grief and social isolation, which Ms. Field makes movingly real with a performance that reveals its truth incrementally." Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times raved that Field "gives perhaps the year's first Oscar-worthy lead actress performance in the funny, beguiling, and affecting" film. Some weren't quite as positive on the movie as a whole. NPR's Andrew Lapin wrote that Field "carries the film through a weak script that often sells her character's intelligence far short."
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."
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.”
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