In theaters this week

Published 8:33 am Friday, April 13, 2018

Can’t decide what to see this weekend?

Bowling Green Daily News film critic Micheal Compton is here to tell you the best – and worst – now playing at your local cineplex.

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Black Panther (A)

The Marvel Universe film franchise rises to a new level with “Black Panther,” a beautiful and engaging entry that transcends the comic-book genre in every way.

In the sure hands of writer and director Ryan Coogler – who recently gave the Rocky Balboa series new life with “Creed” – this is a fully realized, stand-alone story with rich characters and a wonderful new world to explore: The fictional Wakanda, a reclusive African nation where technology has advanced far beyond anything the rest of the world can imagine. (Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10)

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Blockers (C+)

This comedy is a film full of potential – a talented cast willing to do anything for a laugh, a high-concept premise that can go in plenty of promising directions, and some genuinely laugh-out-loud set pieces.

But for all of its potential, the film falls short of the finish line – unable to balance laughs with sentimental moments that sap out all of the comedic moments the cast worked so hard at achieving. (Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas)

Blumhouse’s Truth of Dare (not reviewed at this time)

(Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Highland Cinemas)

Chappaquiddick (B)

A solid recreation of the auto accident that left one woman dead and essentially shattered any future political aspirations for Ted Kennedy. The film may not provide much insight into the accident itself, but it definitely provides insight into the cover-up. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12)

Game Night (B)

This comedy is consistently funny thanks in large part to a talented cast headlined by Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. (Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10)

God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (not reviewed at this time)

(Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10)

I Can Only Imagine (C)

The true story of the popular Christian song of the same name suffers from a completely bland lead and a script that plays into cliches way too much. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Highland Cinemas)

Isle of Dogs (A-)

Writer/director Wes Anderson dips his toes back into claymation, after adapting Roald Dahl’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” in 2009, creating another visual marvel – an original tale with Anderson’s trademark visual flair that may look like it’s for kids, but is squarely aimed at adults. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12)

Midnight Sun (C)

A completely hokey adaptation of a YA novel about a girl that is allergic to the sun. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12)

The Miracle Season (D+)

This film based on a true about a high school volleyball team that came together after the tragic death of their star player feels like a made for TV movie better suited for the former ABC Family Channel than the big screen. (Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10)

Pacific Rim Uprising (C)

The world where the Transformers meet Godzilla is back in this follow-up to Guillermo del Toro’s mildly amusing bit of escapism released in the summer of 2013.

Without Del Toro behind the camera, replaced by first-time feature film director Steven S. DeKnight, the result is a film that only halfway captures the original’s goofiness before wearing the audience down with a slew of overly choreographed CGI battles in the film’s second half. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 12)

Paul, Apostle of Christ (B)

The makers of “Risen” have created another compelling Christian-themed film about Paul’s final days. The acting is strong. The direction is solid and the story is adapted well. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Highland Cinemas)

A Quiet Place (B)

Following up his feature-length directing debut “The Hollars,” which he also starred in, John Krasinski wrote, directed and acted here – creating a thriller that relies heavily on silence and anticipation. It’s nearly flawless from a technical standpoint, with some outstanding acting from Krasinski and real-life wife Emily Blunt. They play Lee and Evelyn Abbott, parents desperate to protect their children in a dystopian future where creatures that use sound to hunt have overtaken Earth with humans forced to live in a near-silent existence. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas)

Rampage (D+)

The latest adaptation of a video game, this time starring Dwayne Johnson, is a giant mess of an action film, even messier than the remains of downtown Chicago in the film’s final act. It’s a movie that has one thing going for it – Johnson and a giant gorilla facing off against a giant wolf and a giant alligator – and then proceeds to go to that well way too often. (Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas, Franklin Drive-In)

Ready Player One (B)

the latest from director Steven Spielberg, is a big ol’ slice of nostalgia pie that is easily consumed.

This visual smorgasbord, full of pop culture references ranging from the Atari 2600 to “Child’s Play,” finds Spielberg channeling his ’80s blockbuster self – a throwback to his previous work “E.T.” and “Jurassic Park” that allows the director to create and explore a vast new world sure to thrill audiences young and old. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Highland Cinemas)

Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (not reviewed at this time)

(Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas)

Sherlock Gnomes (D)

A completely lifeless follow-up to “Gnomeo and Juliet” where all of the best jokes – if you want to call them that – were left in the trailer. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas)

Tomb Raider (C-)

Lara Croft is back, for better or worse, in a reboot of the early 2000s franchise that featured Angelina Jolie as the English archaeologist made popular in a 1996 video game.

This time it’s another best supporting actress, Alicia Vikander, in the role of Croft. And while she proves to be a slight improvement over Jolie’s rather cold performances, she can’t save an action movie that plods along at a snail’s pace. (Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Franklin Drive-In)

Tyler Perry’s Acrimony (not reviewed at this time)

(Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12)

A Wrinkle in Time (B-)

This Disney epic aimed at young girls is a beautiful film that will satisfy its target audience, with enough sprinkled in to interest everyone else too. (Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12)