Critics Consensus: Solid Public Enemies Doesn’t Quite Bring The Noise
Plus, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is lumbering.
This week at the movies, we’ve got crime and punishment (Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale) and prehistoric domesticity (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, with voice work from Ray Romano and Queen Latifah). What do the critics have to say?
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Public Enemies
Public Enemies hits theaters with an impressive pedigree — it’s directed by Michael Mann and stars two of contemporary cinema’s biggest names, Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. And although critics say the picture offers plenty to admire, it’s strangely muted overall. Depp stars as legendary bank robber John Dillinger, whose daring criminal exploits made him an American folk hero in the 1930s, while Bale plays g-man Melvin Purvis, who’s hell-bent on taking him down. The pundits say Public Enemies has impeccable period ambience, and Depp emits oodles of roguish charm in the lead. However, others say it never makes the leap from good to great; it’s a solid crime picture that never fully explores its characters or its era.)
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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the third film in a series that saw its critical fortunes dwindle from the first movie to the second. And the scribes say that this one’s not much better, despite solid animation and a funny turn from Simon Pegg as a crazed weasel. Mammoth couple Manny and Ellie (Ray Romano and Queen Latifah) are expecting their first kid, but find they must rescue their sloth pal Sid (John Leguizamo), who’s trying to raise some T. Rex babies, from an angry dinosaur. The pundits say Ice Age‘s 3-D visuals are often extraordinary, but the story is tired stuff, and even the irrepressible Scrat, so entertaining in the first two films, brings little levity to the proceedings.
Also opening this week in limited release:
- The Chilean import Tony Manero, about a man who’s obsessed with Saturday Night Fever during the Pinochet era, is at 93 percent.
- The Beaches of Agnes, an autobiographical documentary from French New Wave pioneer Agnes Varda, is at 91 percent.
- The Girl From Monaco, a dark comedy about an attorney who meets a beautiful woman while defending a criminal in Monaco, is at 60 percent.
- I Hate Valentine’s Day, a romantic comedy that reunites My Big Fat Greek Wedding stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett, is at 40 percent.
