Movie Reviews

The routine thriller “Escape Room” (Columbia) may leave discerning moviegoers looking for their own means of egress.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective and his doctor sidekick are given a comedic makeover in “Holmes & Watson” (Columbia). A successful result, however, is far from elementary.

The story behind the fact-based tale “Welcome to Marwen” (Universal) is a compelling one. And it provided the subject matter for “Marwencol,” a highly-regarded 2010 documentary by filmmaker Jeff Malmberg.

“Vice” (Annapurna), writer-director Adam McKay’s portrait of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is a gleeful hatchet job in which Cheney — played by Christian Bale — comes off as Machiavellian, black-hearted and more demonic than human.

The appealing workplace comedy “Second Act” (STX) which posits that street smarts should rate at least as highly as an educational pedigree, is not so much #Metoo as #Whynotme.

Viewers taking the plunge to follow his adventures will be treated to a sprawling, lush spectacle. But the DC Comics adaptation built around him also is overlong, overcomplicated and, at times, just plain dumb.

Does “Bumblebee” (Paramount) deserve a lot of buzz? While it shares the slightly preposterous premise of all the “Transformers” movies — being concerned, as they are, with alien robots who can shapeshift into cars — this installment of the sci-fi action franchise ranks above average thanks to an emotionally appealing story line.

Director Peter Jackson, best known for helming “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, ventures far from Middle Earth in his innovative documentary on the First World War, “They Shall Not Grow Old” (Warner Bros.).