2012 (2009)

It’s intense, no doubt, but in a discomforting, empty sort of way-feels hard to feel relief at the constant near escapes of our protagonists when 99.9% of the rest of the world is completely annihilated in massive dumps of CGI. On one hand, this numbness as a response to such widespread devastation rings partially true, but on the other, it speaks to a certain blockbuster gloss that leaves the film’s themes of human desperation and end-of-the-world values inconsistent and underdeveloped.

4

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

During an adventure into the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion. (IMDb)

A solid, if unspectacular space adventure with good action (the dangerous short-cut on the Kessel run was a highlight), interesting and likeable characters (many of the charmingly unpredictable “mostly good” variety; others pure comic relief-I loved L3: “Do you want anything?” “Equal rights?”), and an easy-to-follow plan/heist/escape plot with a couple nice twists at the end. Finally, I know this is dependent on seeing the other films, but I smiled big when Chewy climbed in the co-pilot’s seat.

7/10 (Good)