capsules_07_14

CAPSULES

By Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Disney)
Generally inoffensive but routine fantasy adventure about an ordinary New York City college student (Jay Baruchel) who discovers he is the long-prophesied heir to legendary magician Merlin's wonderworking skills, powers he struggles to master under the supervision of a good wizard (Nicolas Cage) so he can aid in the fight against an evil sorcerer (Alfred Molina), though his pursuit of the gal (Teresa Palmer) he has loved since childhood proves a constant distraction. As directed by Jon Turteltaub, the special effects-driven proceedings -- which include unbloody battle scenes too intense for tots -- fall well short of movie magic. Extensive stylized violence, brief scatological humor. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Despicable Me (Universal)
This enchanting 3-D animated comedy about a slightly wicked but ultimately softhearted rogue (voice of Steve Carell) follows his rivalry with a nerdy newcomer (voice of Jason Segel) for the title of world's most terrible villain -- during which they compete to steal the moon, no less - and charts the life-altering effect a trio of orphans (voices of Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher) have on him after he takes them under his wing, initially for his own nefarious purposes. Co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin -- who also provide voice work for the main miscreant's army of comically mumbling undersized minions - serve up a delightfully humorous conversion tale spun around themes of loyalty and the transformative power of family love with only a few effects that might scare the most timid and a touch of mild bathroom humour to raise concern among some parents. The Catholic News Service classification is A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Predators (Fox)
Dreary sci-fi sequel in which a random collection of human warriors and criminals (most prominently Adrien Brody, Alice Braga and Topher Grace) find themselves unwillingly and mysteriously parachuted into a jungle by the invisibility-cloaked aliens of the title who then hunt them for sport. Despite a half-hearted last-reel lesson about the need to maintain civilized values, director Nimrod Antal's addition to the thriller franchise that began with 1987's Predator is mostly a survey of nasty ways to die, while Alex Litvak's script is chockablock with obscenities. Frequent graphic violence, some of it gruesome, a few uses of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

The Last Airbender (Paramount)
Strained 3-D fantasy adventure, set in an alternate world where some human beings have the power to "bend," that is, control, one of the basic elements of fire, earth, air and water, and where a brother and sister (Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz) assist a child (Noah Ringer) who is the latest incarnation of a global peace-giver in his quest to restore order to society by ending the oppressive rule of a warlike, imperialist nation (led by Cliff Curtis and Aasif Mandvi). Though free of objectionable language or behaviour, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of an animated TV series -- which also features Dev Patel as a disgraced prince out to prove his mettle by capturing the boy wonder -- fails to gain dramatic traction, bogging down in stilted dialogue and endless explanations of its back story. Much non-graphic martial arts and combat violence. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Summit)
A well-behaved vampire (Robert Pattinson) and an equally courtly werewolf (Taylor Lautner) overcome their natural antipathy and temporarily unite to protect the teen mortal (Kristen Stewart) they both love from the threat posed by a vengeance-driven bloodsucker (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her plasma-hungry minions. Director David Slade's third instalment in the hugely popular Gothic romance franchise -- based on the best-selling novels of Stephenie Meyer -- draws on self-referential humour to leaven its potentially ridiculous, and occasionally over-familiar, proceedings as it ramps up the mostly bloodless supernatural battling, but shifts the basis of the main couple's chaste interaction from a matter of constraint to one of choice. Considerable stylized violence, an off-screen rape, a scene of non-graphic sensuality, a birth control reference and a few mildly crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.