Movie Reviews: 'Pacific Rim', 'Grown-Ups 2', 'The Heat' and More

By Stephen Schmidt

Pacific Rim

Run Time: 125min
Starring: Charlie Hunnam , Idris Elba , Charlie Day , Rinko Kikuchi , Rob Kazinsky

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Trailer: Watch

A massive, lumbering behemoth of a movie, Pacific Rim resurrects the 'kaiju,' or giant monster genre, by returning to its roots in Japanese science fiction. Fun enough during its pounding action scenes, Pacific Rim has less to offer when it comes to story and characters. — Daniel Eagan, Film Journal 

After what seems like years of convoluted megamovies whose pretzel-like twists, turns, and double-crosses confound logic and confuse audiences, it’s incredibly refreshing to watch a film where the setup is simple, the mythology straightforward, and the execution consistently clear. — Todd Gilchrist, The Verge

In most ways, this paradoxically derivative yet imaginative sci-fi epic is everything every monster movie since the beginning of time might have wished it could be: In no way pinched budget-wise, it's got first-class special effects, crafty behemoths that calculate and react to circumstances in non-dumb ways, a smart director who injects a sense of fun and surprise whenever he can, a fair percentage of characters you don't mind watching, and a few decent plot twists. In this genre, that's saying something. — Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter

'Pacific Rim' very much lives in comic book/pulp science-fiction territory, complete with comic relief scientists (Charlie Day and Burn Gorman). But a number of factors combine to make it a deeper movie experience. — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Grown Ups 2

The all-star comedy cast from 'Grown Ups' returns (with some exciting new additions) for more summertime laughs. Lenny (Adam Sandler) has relocated his family back to the small town where he and his friends grew up. This time around, the grown ups are the ones learning lessons from their kids on a day notoriously full of surprises: the last day of school.

• Run Time: 101mins.
• Starring: Adam Sandler , Kevin James , Chris Rock , David Spade , Salma Hayek 
• Director: Dennis Dugan
• Trailer

“The party’s over, fellas,” says Adam Sandler’s character, Lenny, to his buddies in “Grown Ups 2.” “We’re irrelevant.” And though the box office may disagree, his words aren’t far from the truth. The first“Grown Ups,” in 2010, grossed more than $271 million worldwide;the sequel will probably rival that amount, reaping lavish dividends for Mr. Sandler and his co-stars, many of them his fellow “Saturday Night Live” alumni. Once again Mr. Sandler milks middle age for lucre, nostalgia and clunky, ham-fisted humor. But he has cause for concern." ~ Andy Webster, New York Times

"A movie of fools, by fools, for fools" ~ Laremy Legal, Film.com

"Adam Sandler films tend to celebrate the same core ideals: friendship, small town values and women with very large breasts.

The Heat

• Run Time: 117mins.
• Starring: Sandra Bullock , Melissa McCarthy , Kaitlin Olson
• Director: Paul Feig
• Trailer

"A bawdy and belligerent comedy, meant mostly for folks looking for nothing more than to enjoy a few laughs." Jeremy Legel, Film.com

"Give it up for Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. You’ll never see them work harder at a comedy than in The Heat, a stumbling, aggressively loud and profane cop buddy picture where they struggle to wring “funny” out of a script that isn’t." Roger Moore, Movie Nation.

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World War Z

• Run Time: 116mins.
• Starring: Brad Pitt , Mireille Enos , Anthony Mackie , James Badge Dale , Bryan Cranston
• Director: Marc Forster
• Trailer

This nightmarish travelogue is coy about gore, but it’s still an effective thrill-ride. If the sequel happens, let’s hope it delivers some actual combat. Empire, Full Review
Go big or go home, they say; World War Z picks the wrong choice for its slow fade-out, and, instead of leaving you in fear of being chomped upon as you exit the theater, makes you feel enraged that you’ve been more than a little cheated. David Fear, Time Out New York. Full Review

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Monsters University

• Run Time: 110mins.
• Starring: Voices of Billy Crystal , John Goodman , Steve Buscemi , Dave Foley , Julia Sweeney
• Director: Dan Scanlon
• Trailer

Speaking of second chances, Monsters University is exactly the rebound Pixar needed after 2011's "Cars 2" left some wondering if the studio had lost its magic. Entertainment Weekly, Full Review.

It’s easily the most enjoyable animated film so far this year, one that is visually stunning, wickedly subversive, incredibly funny (Day's character is a hoot), and (at times) lump-in-your-throat emotional. Drew Taylor, The Playlist. Full Review
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Man of Steel

• Run Time: 143 mins.
• Starring: Henry Cavill , Amy Adams , Michael Shannon , Russell Crowe , Diane Lane
• Director: Zack Snyder
• Trailer

"Deploying an impeccable American accent, Brit Henry Cavill may be as charming as the late great Christopher Reeve." Lou Lumenick, New York Post. Full Review

"The local multiplex is lousy with celluloid crime fighters. So what turf is left for good old Clark Kent? That's the nagging question that director Zack Snyder's Man of Steel tries — and ultimately fails — to answer." Entertainment Weekly. Full Review

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This Is The End

• Run Time: N/A
• Starring: James Franco , Jonah Hill , Seth Rogen , Jay Baruchel , Danny McBride
• Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
• Trailer

"By the time September arrives, This is the End will probably be in the running for "funniest comedy of the 2013 summer." James Berardinelli, ReelViews. Full Review

"It's disheartening that, despite some half-hearted overtures toward shifting the comedy paradigm, the filmmakers make little attempt to expand their comedic palette." Jesse Cataldo, Slant Magazine. FullReview

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Any of these spark your interest? Cinemark 12 and Cinemark 5 will be showing most of these films.