Arts & Entertainment

This Week at the Movies

'Pacific Rim' is a decent summer blockbuster, 'Grown Ups 2' is a bust and 'Fruitvale Station' is a powerful - and, sadly, timely - debut.

“Pacific Rim” is your standard, expensive-looking summer movie aimed at audiences with short attention spans, but crafted by filmmakers of a higher caliber.

On the one hand, the picture is not a far cry stylistically from Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies in that both “Rim” and that clunky trilogy of summers past both feature large robots engaging in frenetic battle sequences during which it is often difficult to discern whom – or what – is bashing whom – or what.

The difference here is that “Rim” is directed by Guillermo del Toro, who has made a few better-than-average action films (the “Hellboy” movies and “Blade 2”), some solid horror-themed dramas (“Cronos” and “The Devil’s Backbone”) and at least one masterpiece (“Pan’s Labyrinth”).

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In the film, humongous creatures known as Kaiju have risen from the sea and taken to decimating cities across the globe. Note: Those of who you are tired of seeing metropolises laid to waste in summer movies might want to sit this film out.

So, the human race has created their own monsters, known as Jaegers – massive robots controlled by two “pilots” that are viewed as mankind’s last hope.

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The Jaeger program is overseen by – and I’m not kidding about this name – Stacker Pentecost, whose character is given some gravitas by the indispensable Idris Elba (“The Wire”).

But the story primarily revolves around two Jaegar “pilots,” one of whom (Charlie Hunnam) watched his brother killed by a Kaiju and another (Rinko Kikuchi) whose family and entire city was destroyed by the sea monsters.

For a summer blockbuster, “Pacific Rim” is better than average. The non-stop destruction is well shot, albeit slightly tiresome after a few hours, and del Toro gives his characters more personality than is typically required for this type of picture.

Those looking for a well-made special effects extravaganza could certainly do worse than “Pacific Rim,” although I’d much prefer to see del Toro working on a smaller scale.

“Grown Ups 2” is another addition to the Adam Sandler assembly line, which has increasingly seen diminishing returns in terms of quality.

The picture is a sequel to the 2010 ensemble comedy that was Sandler’s last big financial success. And while this sequel is still mostly lacking in laughs, it’s just slightly better than Sandler’s two previous films – the absurd “Jack and Jill” and the horrendous “That’s My Boy.”

But let me not give the impression that his latest is that much more watchable. This virtually plot-less film finds Sandler’s Lenny Feder returning with his family to his New England hometown after spending years in Hollywood.

Most of Sandler’s pals – Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James – are back along with some new editions – Jon Lovitz, Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Buscemi.

And in the film’s silliest subplot, Taylor Lautner – whose ability to keep his shirt on exhibits some newfound restraint – and his band of fraternity brothers engage in a feud with Lenny and his aging buddies.

I won’t lie – the film has a few laughs, but not nearly enough to justify this sequel or the inevitable third picture in the series.

“Fruitvale Station” is easily the week’s best new film.

This timely Sundance Film Festival favorite follows the final hours in the life of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan, who played Wallace on “The Wire”), a young black man who was handcuffed and then shot in the back by a transit cop on New Year’s Eve 2008 in Oakland.

Director Ryan Coogler makes a point of not canonizing Grant as a saint. The film paints a portrait of a flawed young man trying to make a change in his life.

Grant, who formerly served a prison sentence, has made a decision on the final day of his life to quit selling drugs and to marry the mother (Melonie Diaz) of his young daughter, on whom he dotes. Oscar is portrayed as a likable guy with good intentions who has made some poor decisions.

The film’s performances are all solid, from Jordan’s star making turn to Diaz and Octavia Spencer as Oscar’s mother, who loves her son and wants to see him turn his life around.

This is a deeply sad film and was, for me, difficult to watch in the same way as “Boys Don’t Cry.” And “Fruitvale” is especially poignant in light of this past weekend’s ruling in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Coogler does not politicize Grant’s death, but his potent debut feature may give pause to those who believe we live in a post-racial America.

“Pacific Rim” and “Grown Ups 2” are playing at UA Midway Stadium 9. “Fruitvale Station” is screening at Manhattan’s Angelika Film Center.


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