In Theaters This Weekend: Reviews of ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation,’ ‘The Host,’ ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ and More

It’s an action-packed Easter weekend.

Based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe franchise, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is packed with plenty of guns and violence. As the sequel to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Jon M. Chu‘s film stars Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, D.J. Cotrona and Adrianne Palicki as the only G.I. Joes to survive an attack in Pakistan. They must risk their lives to save the country and bring order back into the U.S. government.  

In the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer‘s novel The Host, the science-fiction film follows Saoirse Ronan as a “soul,” whose body has been been invaded by an alien. As one of the humans who’s able to fight the soul that has taken over her body, Ronan’s character will risk everything to protect her loved ones.

Read what The Hollywood Reporter‘s film critics have to say about all the films opening this weekend and find out how they are expected to perform at the box office.

PHOTOS: ‘The Host’ Premiere: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger Celebrate Stephenie Meyer’s Adaptation

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Jon M. Chu’s action-packed sequel starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum follows the elite macho soldiers in a worldwide battle against the bad guys. Read Todd McCarthy’s review here.

The Place Beyond the Pines

Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Dane DeHaan star in Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance‘s moody drama about fathers and sons. Read David Rooney’s review here.

The Host

Andrew Niccol directs the Twilight author’s most recent adaptation, starring Saoirse Ronan. Read Todd McCarthy’s review here.

Blancanieves

Spanish writer-director Pablo Berger‘s reinvention of the Brothers Grimm classic is the most original of the year’s Snow White makeovers. Read David Rooney’s review here.

STORY: ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ Featurette Digs Into the Explosive 3D (Exclusive Video)

Mental

Australian filmmaker PJ Hogan reunites with his Muriel’s Wedding star for the Melbourne International Film Festival’s closing-night film, also starring Liev Schreiber, Anthony LaPaglia and Rebecca Gibney. Read Megan Lehmann’s review here.

Room 237

Rodney Ascher’s doc investigates the hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick‘s 1980 horror film The Shining. Read Todd McCarthy’s review here.

Wrong

Director Quentin Dupieux‘s comedy centers on a man searching for a missing dog. Read John DeFore’s review here.

Violeta Went to Heaven

The prize-winning biopic spotlights the legacy and tumultuous life of Chilean musician and folklorist Violeta Parra. Read Justin Lowe’s review here.

STORY: Gosling, Guns and a ‘Nation Built on Brutality’: Derek Cianfrance on ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’

Family Weekend

A teenage girl holds her parents hostage in Benjamin Epps‘ determinedly wacky comedy. Read Frank Scheck’s review here.

Renoir

Director Gilles Bourdos takes an appreciative look at Andree Heuschling‘s impact on the lives of painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his son Jean. Read Todd McCarthy’s review here.

Detour

William Dickerson‘s claustrophobic thriller concerns a man trapped in his car buried under a mudslide. Read Frank Scheck’s review here.