A big friendly giant and the king of the jungle are among what’s headed to theaters this weekend in The BFG, The Legend of Tarzan and The Purge: Election Year.
Read on to find out what The Hollywood Reporter‘s critics are saying about the weekend’s new offerings.
Steven Spielberg brings Roald Dahl’s fictional tale to life in a highly anticipated film starring Ruby Barnhill as a young girl who befriends a dream-catching giant (voiced by Mark Rylance). THR film critic Todd McCarthy writes in his review, “An uncanny thematic mirror to E.T. some 34 years later, Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison’s The BFG emerges as a conspicuously less captivating, magical and transporting experience than its classic forebear.” Read the full review here.
The Legend of Tarzan
Director David Yates’ new live-action film features Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan. McCarthy writes in his review that the big-budget Warner Bros. film “isn’t half-bad; actually, it’s pretty good.” Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, and Margot Robbie also star in the film.
The Purge: Election Year
While the U.S. is in the midst of election chaos, the third follow-up to the horror franchise gets political as well. THR film critic Justin Lowe writes that the title is “a speculative but frightening political scenario.” Read the full review here.
Naomie Harris and Ewan McGregor are a couple who get caught up with a Russian mob while vacationing in Morocco. THR film critic Leslie Felperin regards the film as “high-toned but ho-um” and writes, “Traitor suffers somewhat in comparison with Night Manager: Feature length doesn’t always suit the longform, dense storytelling of Le Carre’s work.” Read the full review here.
Roseanne for President!
Michael Moore collaborator Eric Weinrib helmed a documentary/satire following Roseanne Barr’s decision to run for President in 2012. The feature highlights the comedian’s working-class humor as she touches on her comedic career, why marijuana should be legalized and her run as a Green Party candidate and the Peace and Freedom party ticket (she appeared on the ballot in California, Colorado and Florida). “I told her if she was going to run she should film it,” said Moore.
