The LEGO Movie

There's no way that this movie would have been given nearly the high appreciation it received upon release had it not been for the fact that the animation involved all those billions of blocks. Everything in the film is formulaic. We've seen it all before--the misfit hero, the vaguely inaccessible love interest, the odd mentor(s), the cliches about belief and everyone's intrinsic value--all set in a fantasy world. If the visuals were not as impressive as they are, this brick flick would have passed by without nearly as much praise. But the blocks have a following, to be sure, and that almost guaranteed success regardless of the script. I guess it's not awful, but this one never really grabbed me at any deep level. Chances are you could entertain yourself more with a few buckets of bricks and a free afternoon.

Zathura

Standard issue, mild juvie entertainment, with a half-and-half feel. Some good stuff (nice visuals, some nice character moments, a blissful lack of skateboards), some bad (the kids are a little grating, the usual product placements). Blend it together an you get a decent, though not especially engaging, movie. Kids will probably like it; if you're uncritical, maybe you will too.