Only fossils of fun remain.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’
This franchise reboot directed by Gareth Edwards follows a group of scientists trying to extract DNA from live dinosaurs to develop a new heart disease medication.
From our review:
Mostly I spent “Rebirth” wondering why I was bored — not annoyed, not disgruntled, just disengaged from it all. Even the characters’ discussions about whether a heart-disease-curing medication should be patented by a company or given freely to mankind felt jammed in sideways, rather than organic to the story. Were there too many characters? Maybe. Too much dinosaur exposure? Perhaps. It just doesn’t feel like a movie that knows why it exists, other than the story told by potential box office returns.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Critic’s Pick
Theron and Thurman. What else do you need to know?
‘The Old Guard 2’
Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman star in this sequel about immortals with centuries of drama and differing opinions about protecting humanity.
From our review:
What could another installment offer? The best that a sequel can: Buff out those blemishes, expand the universe and subvert the genre again. In “The Old Guard 2,” superheroes saving humanity is out, gods beefing with gods is in. The film, directed by Victoria Mahoney, is a sure-footed romp that tightens the screws, most immediately by flexing a bigger cast and broadening the lore of the original comic book series.
Watch on Netflix. Read the full review.
Critic’s Pick
This farmland yields an abundance of tension.
‘40 Acres’
In this postapocalyptic thriller directed by R.T. Thorne, a family led by Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) fights to defend their farmland from roving cannibals.
From our review:
By seeing the army and the cannibals as the same threat, Thorne limits the film’s dramatic potential to mix race with horror and history. Still, there’s a tense beauty to “40 Acres.” Deadwyler’s forceful energy fills the frame; through her rigid stature and her cleareyed speech, she lends power and humor to this lovingly stern mother.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Keep calm and bumble on.
‘Heads of State’
John Cena and Idris Elba star as two political leaders forced together by several assassination attempts in this action-comedy directed by Ilya Naishuller.
From our review:
John Cena, the U.S. president, and Idris Elba, the British leader, craft their performances cannily — their characters don’t know they’re in a comedy, which makes things funnier. The way Cena’s face turns blank when his character doesn’t know what to do next (which is often) is particularly effective.
Watch on Prime Video. Read the full review.
A losing horse.
‘Kill the Jockey’
Facing a turning point in his horse jockeying career along with a traumatic brain injury, Remo turns to drugs and alcohol.
From our review:
The director, Luis Ortega, doesn’t give much reason to care about Remo’s conflict — the protagonist’s catatonia inspires the same in the viewer — and instead exhausts his efforts on a mannered blankness of style and mood. The action unfolds in composed tableaux, with lines delivered inexpressively enough to void them of meaning.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.
The post 5 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week appeared first on New York Times.
