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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

Despicable Me 2
Starring: (Voice talents of) Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Steve Coogan, Russell Brand, and Benjamin Bratt
Synopsis: This film has been wildly successful so far, and why not? It's a fun kids movie during a period where explosions and destruction seem to be the calling card of most films. I am an adult — well outside the target demographic for this film — but I couldn't wait to see it. I love the Minions. In fact, I'm pretty sure a 90 minute Minion movie would be one of the greatest animated films of all time. And the portions dedicated to the Minions in this movie were awesome. The rest of it is just OK. The sequel doesn't have as interesting a story. Gru (Carrell) is no longer a bad guy. Now he's a father of three, a bit eccentric, and looking for a wife. That's fine as a story — though I wonder about the wisdom of doing a romantic comedy for a film aimed primarily at kids — but it's not that fascinating. The villain isn't as dynamic and the stakes don't feel that high. There are fun moments, but it's not as dynamic a film. But the Minions are worth the price of admission.
Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Pacific Rim
Starring: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, and Rinko Kikuchi
Synopsis: There is a proud movie tradition that includes monsters from the sea wreaking havoc on the mainland. Often we think of Godzilla destroying Tokyo. Those films have been a part of our cinematic heritage for decades. Now Guillermo del Toro is taking that to a new level. In recent years giant robot movies have dominated our summer cinematic landscape — with the three “Transformers” installments selling plenty of toys and earning plenty of green. So why not combine two cash cows? That’s what del Toro and fellow screenwriter Travis Beacham sought to do with “Pacific Rim.” It’s a big, loud and expensive summer blockbuster that offers the hook of giant monsters from the sea fighting giant robots. On paper that seems like a winning combination, but the mildly disappointing trailers and modest Box Office numbers suggest that the public wasn’t sold on that conceit with “Pacific Rim.” Despite it’s outward appearances and the fact that it feels like a lot of familiar cinematic motifs crammed into one film, it’s actually pretty watchable. “Pacific Rim” is emblematic of the failings of most of the summer movies in 2013. It’s an expensive, effects-driven homage to carnage. Cities are destroyed, stuff is blown up and people die. There are explosions, giant battles and some witty dialogue mixed in to break up the action set pieces. It’s not that the film is bad — it’s actually one of the more interesting summer blockbusters — it’s just that it feels too familiar. Every other week there have been movies of the same ilk, with little in terms of plot or character to distinguish them. Even “Man of Steel,” the highly anticipated re-boot of the Superman franchise — devolved into people punching each other through buildings for 30 minutes at the end. The trio of lead performers in “Pacific Rim” do a good job of trying to pull the humanity out of their characters. Elba and Hunnam have done great work on the small screen and continue it here. Both are strong in their roles and add depth to the film by helping you invest in their characters. Kikuchi, best known for her work in the indie drama “Babel,” does a good job in her role too. But at the end of the day, this is another film that spends a bulk of its two plus hours devoted to giant CGI fight sequences. As a director del Toro has offered some fascinating visual films, but they usually have more depth. This film, for all it does well, follows a fairly familiar plot and piles on special effects to gloss over its lack of originality. Sure, we haven’t seen robots and monsters fight, but we’ve seen plenty of destruction of cities before, and plenty of CGI-heavy summer films before. Technology is a wonderful thing. It’s allowed for filmmakers to dream bigger than ever before, create more lavish worlds and bring a sense of realism. But for the last few years the films of summer have relied solely on their big budget effects to get the job done. We need more compelling stories. “Pacific Rim” nails the visuals but doesn’t offer anything lasting in terms of a story. It’s just the latest in a seemingly never-ending trend of summer blockbusters that’s all style and very little substance.
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:

Friday, July 26 — "The Wolverine," "The To Do List"

Wednesday, July 31 — "Smurfs 2"