What To Watch This Weekend: 'The Mule,' 'Spider-Verse' And More

The worlds of drama, sci-fi, adventure and animation light up the big screen this weekend.

In "The Mule," Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a drug courier trying to make up for past broken promises. Meanwhile, Kiki Lane and Stephan James play a couple of teenage lovers who dream of a future together in "If Beale Street Could Talk."

"Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" also makes its debut, which stars Jake Johnson, Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Heroes. Other films in the sci-fi and adventure genres include "Once Upon A Deadpool," starring Ryan Reynolds in the titular role, as well as "Mortal Engines," in which Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan play unlikely pals fighting a menace.

Here's what to see and what to skip this weekend:

Movies Out This Weekend

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” — Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, directed by Bob Persichetti and Peter Ramsey

At the heart of this animation movie is Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a young high schooler from Brooklyn who accidentally gets bitten by a radioactive spider while exploring the subway tunnels. In the process, he acquires Spidey powers and gets propelled into a universe full of more Spidey characters from other quantum dimensions.

The story then introduces us to Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Noir (voiced by Nicholas Cage), the Pig-Spider/Spider-Ham (voiced by John Mulaney), anime schoolgirl Peni Parker and Peter B. Parker (voiced by Jake Johnson), who teaches Miles the ropes of being a Spidey-Hero.

Our motley-crew of heroes stands united with one purpose: to vanquish their evil foe named Kingpin (voiced by Liev Schreiber) so that they can finally return to their respective worlds. Will they prevail?

See it. It’s insanely good. With excellent voicing and dramatic chops, vividly sharp graphics, exhilarating screenplay and deft direction, “Into the Spider-Verse” is a breath of fresh air throughout.

Watch the trailer:

“The Mule” — Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Taissa Farmiga, directed by Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood stars and directs his latest movie, “The Mule,” a story about family, love and broken promises.

In the film, Eastwood plays Earl, a man nearing 90 years of age, who is broke and on the verge of losing his work as a daylily farmer. In an effort to save his farming business, he decides to accept a job as a driver. But of course, there’s more to his new gig than meets the eye.

Unbeknownst to Earl, he will be transporting illegal drugs for a Mexican cartel. Everything is seemingly fine for the newly-minted drug mule — that is, until a hard-charging DEA agent, Colin Bates (Bradley Cooper), follows his trail. Is Earl really that innocent?

See it. Eastwood is on the roll, totally impressive, and more than capable.

Watch the trailer:

"If Beale Street Could Talk" — Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, directed by Barry Jenkins

Barry Jenkins' follow-up to his Academy award-winning "Moonlight" is a portrait of love and justice, adapted from James Baldwin's poignant novel of the same name, "If Beale Street Could Talk."

The crime drama, which is set in early 1970s Harlem, follows the love story of Tish (Kiki Lane) and Fonny (Stephan James), teenage lovers who dream of a future together. Their lives are upended when Tish discovers that she is pregnant, and Fonny is arrested and convicted for a crime he did not commit.

With her mother's (Regina King) steadfast support, Tish seeks out to prove Fonny's innocence before the birth of their child.

See it. Jenkins flawlessly re-affirms that love can move heaven and earth. It is a beauty to behold.

Watch the trailer:

“Once Upon a Deadpool” — Ryan Reynolds, Fred Savage, directed by David Leitch

Ever wondered how “Deadpool 2” would turn out if it were more family-friendly? Well, the answer comes to life in “Once Upon a Deadpool.”

The toned-down version takes place within the narrative setting of Rob Reiner’s 1987 “The Princess Bride,” and stars Fred Savage, who plays himself in the film. Savage is kidnapped and taped into a child-sized bed by Deadpool — and all the while, our superhero reads the story of “Deadpool 2,” which comes alive on the big screen.

See it. It’s not as good as the real, un-sanitized “Deadpool 2,” but it's good enough to entertain.

Watch the trailer:

“Mortal Engines” — Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, directed by Christian Rivers

Christian Rivers’ directorial debut is a sci-fi fantasy based on Phillip Reeve’s novel about survival and vengeance. Co-produced and co-written by Peter Jackson (director of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy), the film stars Hera Hilmar as Hester, a young woman seeking revenge.

Set 1,000 years into the future, the film opens in a dystopian world where relics of once-great standing cities are now mounted on tank tracks, making them mobile. One of them is London, an aggressor city in search of smaller towns to conquer in order to be more powerful.

We meet our heroine (Hilmar) as she sneaks aboard the London engine and attempts to kill her mom’s murderer, Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving). But she fails, and accidentally falls down a garbage shoot, landing in the dusty outlands.

Meanwhile, Valentine banishes his apprentice Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) because he knows about the murder. Hester and Tom will soon join forces to fight the menacing Valentine.

Skip it. Subplots and battles simply dwarf the storyline and main characters, though the performances are solid.

Watch the trailer:

Other entertainment news:

• Patch Living: Your December Entertainment Guide
• The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2019
• What's New On Netflix: December 2018
• Netflix's Best Christmas Movies To Binge
• Reviews of 'Mary, Queen Of Scots,' 'Vox Lux,' And 'Ben Is Back'
• Reviews of 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,''Head Full Of Honey,' 'The Possession Of Hannah Grace,' And 'Anna And The Apocalypse'

Main Photo: Jake Johnson, Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld attend the Photo Call For Sony Pictures Releasing's 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on November 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)