Avatar: The Way of Water (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)
""Avatar: The Way of Water" reaches new heights and explores undiscovered depths as James Cameron returns to the world of Pandora in this emotionally packed action adventure. Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" launches the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. All of this against the breathtaking backdrop of Pandora, where audiences are introduced to new Na’vi cultures and a range of exotic sea creatures that populate the majestic oceans. Nominated for numerous Academy Awards® including Best Picture, the James Cameron-directed film became the third highest-grossing box office film of all-time and set a new benchmark for visual effects."
- Image and description from 20th Century Fox
"I was completely taken in by Avatar: The Way of Water and overwhelmed by its fluid, kinetic action scenes, eye-popping production design and propulsive storytelling. This is a movie filled with wonder, which has become a rare commodity in the age of CGI."
- Leonard Maltin, leonardmaltin.com
"The Way of Water is the kind of tremendously entertaining, spectacularly ambitious, not-a-little-bit-silly epic that only James Cameron can, and should, make."
- Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)
"A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people in this hilarious and action-packed adventure."
- Image and description from Paramount
"Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez have terrific buddy-movie chemistry in a fantasy film that deftly balances high-stakes action, warm drama and clever comedy."
- Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is the work of filmmakers who understand that the best way to take stuff like this seriously is not to take it seriously at all, and to have fun with it. Other movies could learn from the example."
- Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture
"As a game, Dungeons & Dragons is all about balance. A strong team of players will know how to account for individual strengths and weaknesses; Honour Among Thieves, in turn, has found itself a cast capable of the necessary humour, sincerity, and action."
- Clarisse Loughrey, Independent
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)
"From New Line Cinema comes “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” which continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “SHAZAM!,” is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam.
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” stars returning cast members Zachary Levi (“Thor: Ragnarok”) as Shazam; Asher Angel (“Andi Mack”) as Billy Batson; Jack Dylan Grazer (“It Chapter Two”) as Freddy Freeman; Adam Brody (“Promising Young Woman”) as Super Hero Freddy; Ross Butler (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) as Super Hero Eugene; Meagan Good (“Day Shift”) as Super Hero Darla; D.J. Cotrona (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) as Super Hero Pedro; Grace Caroline Currey (“Annabelle: Creation”) as Mary Bromfield / Super Hero Mary; Faithe Herman (“This Is Us”) as Darla Dudley; Ian Chen (“A Dog’s Journey”) as Eugene Choi; Jovan Armand (“Second Chances”) as Pedro Pena; Marta Milans (“White Lines”) as Rosa Vasquez; Cooper Andrews (“The Walking Dead”) as Victor Vasquez; with Djimon Hounsou (“A Quiet Place Part II”) as Wizard."
- Image and description from WarnerBros
"Billy’s inane babbling gets a little wearing, but the action sequences, featuring dragon-based mayhem, cyclopes and an army of formidable hell unicorns hopped up on candy, are pacy and fun."
- Wendy Ide, Observer
The Creator (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)
"The Creator is sleek, but thoughtfully so. It’s impressive, but humble. The film is, to risk hyperbole, a true vision, a filmmaker reasserting their unique talent for spectacle."
- Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
"Even if it is a somewhat convoluted and silly mishmash of familiar tropes and sci-fi cliches, it still evokes the feeling of something fresh, something novel, something exciting to experience and behold."
- Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
"The Creator may be an effective interrogation of American imperiousness and imperialism, but it also has a tender, anguished heart."
- Alison Willmore, New York Magazine/Vulture