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PG-13, 1:35, thriller
Mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) has ventured into a decimated town with her husband, Lee (John Krasinski) and their three children. Minutes later, in a flash, one is gone. As we learn, the monsters lurking around the family have insectlike legs and crablike pinchers. They’re blind but blessed with an acute sense of hearing. A year and a half into the storyline, Lee and Evelyn live in virtual silence, as does their hearing son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and their deaf daughter, Regan (Millicent Simmonds). I don’t know if I’d call “A Quiet Place” enjoyable; it’s more grueling than cathartic. But the upbeat, can-do, shotgun-blasting climax gets the crowd going. —
PG-13, 2:20, sci-fi
It’s the year 2045 in Columbus, Ohio. Wade, played by Tye Sheridan, is hooked on his virtual-reality devices and the OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation), created by a late genius played by Mark Rylance. The inventor has hidden clues to three keys inside the OASIS, and whoever secures them becomes heir to a fortune. Much of “Ready Player One” concerns the ever-shifting environments within the OASIS. Wade’s gaming avatar, Parzival, longs to know Art3mis in the real world, where she is plain ol’ supercool Samantha. The forces of corporate evil conspire against Wade and, eventually, his OASIS posse. —
R, 1:42, comedy
Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and John Cena play the blockers of the title, friends since their daughters bonded in elementary school. Now the kids are graduating seniors. One day at lunch, the girls make a pact to lose their virginities on prom night. Some casual digital monitoring reveals the plan to their parents. From there, “Blockers” becomes a tracking device of a sex comedy. The middle-age killjoys follow the girls from prom to lakeside after-party to hotel bash. Some of the gags are centuries old; other scenes redirect the movie to a fresher place. The girls’ friendship, however, is what makes “Blockers” more than an elevator pitch. One trio gets ’em in the door; the other trio keeps ’em there. —
PG-13, 2:20, action
“Black Panther” in brief: Wakanda was blessed by a magical substance called vibranium. The metal provides superhuman ability and turns the king of the moment into Black Panther. King T’Chaka expires, and his son, T’Challa, is crowned. There are two antagonists: Andy Serkis is vibranium fanatic Ulysses Klaue, and Michael B. Jordan is the American black ops ace known as Killmonger. He has ambitions for the throne and a belief in getting advanced weaponry in the hands of oppressed people. May Marvel learn its lesson from “Black Panther”: When a movie like this ends up feeling both personal and vital, you’ve done something right. —
PG, 1:10, drama
Fans of the title song already know how “I Can Only Imagine” turns out — that is, what happens once MercyMe frontman Bart Millard writes the lyrics to the track. In Bart’s case, his earthly father was a monster (Dennis Quaid). How exactly the song got discovered has been refashioned to suit the movie’s feel-good narrative. It’s standard practice for biopics to simplify details for the sake of drama. It lifts the entire enterprise to have an actor of Quaid’s caliber involved in a film like this. Actually, it’s even more satisfying to see Cloris Leachman pop up as Bart’s Memaw.
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