Critics Weigh In: What Movie to See This Weekend?

Trying to decide which of the many new releases you should see this weekend? A smattering of critical thoughts on the biggest of them:

• The Interview: Now that it's available to watch, is it worth it? Well, it has a not-awful-but-also-not-great 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a similarly lukewarm score of 51 on Metacritic. Among the praise: It's "shocking and novel," "bluntly funny and ever-so-slightly sweet." But some critics warn that it "fails to live up to the hype" and is "bereft of satiric zing," with one warning, "The more desperately a comedy tries to be outrageous, the less likely it is to be outrageous—or even just funny."

• Into the Woods: The Disney adaptation of a well-loved Stephen Sondheim musical snags a much-healthier 71% on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a 71 on Metacritic. Critics call it "splendid," "satisfyingly dark," and a "jolly mash-up of symbol-laden, signature once-upon-a-time tales about lust, envy, greed, and misguided pursuits of happiness" with a "top-notch" cast. But not everyone loved it, and one critic warns that "some of the musical's superfans will feel shortchanged by the movie no matter what."
• Big Eyes: Tim Burton's biopic about a massive art fraud also garners a respectable 71% on Rotten Tomatoes and 62 on Metacritic. "The story is just so downright weird that the film can't help but be compelling," notes one critic; another calls it "the cinematic equivalent of a lava lamp." But others think it's "lifeless" or "never fully realized."
• Considering another? Also out this month are American Sniper (72%, 72), The Gambler (46%, 55), Selma (100%, 91), Annie (28%, 33), the latest Night at the Museum (48%, 47), and Bible epic Exodus (29%, 52).

Click for reviews of this month's other big movies: Unbroken, the final Hobbit film, Inherent Vice, and Wild. (More movie review stories.)