Reviewing the mainstream media reviews of the new animated film, Space Chimps, you can only come to one conclusion: whether you hate or love this film comes down to one thing – individual taste.

Although most critics panned this film as a pale entry in comparison to WALL-E or Kung Fu Panda, other well-respected critics are praising the film’s message and family friendliness.

One thing is for sure, opening against the new Batman move and Mama Mia! and while both Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda are still hot in the box office, Space Chimps probably will not be bre4aking any box office records.

Of the positive reviews, noted is the film’s pro-animal rights and humane message, and the comedic talents of the actors adding voice to the film. The include comic geniuses Adam Samburg (SNL), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Patrick Warburton (The Tick, Family Guy), Kristen Chenowith (Pushing Daisies, Robot Chicken) and Kenan Thompson (SNL).

Although the good reviews are few and rather positive, the negative reviews are legion. Mostly noting the all-too-familiar plot line, the lack of any sort of suspense and no real dramatic climax to the story. Some critics are coming out and saying that this is a “comedy” that is just plain not funny.

Others say, that while the film is destined for success as a kiddie DVD, parents will avoid it like the plague.

In other words – it will probably be a minor cult hit among a core group of science fiction fans.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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• Inoffensive film with sight gags to amuse children

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• Plot too complicated for young children
• Plot too predictable for most adults

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{for="Salt Lake Tribune" value="3"}

"After a summer of good animation (Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda), Space Chimps is a callous clunker.” – Sean P. Means

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{for=”Christian Science Monitor” value=”4″}

“Why would you take your kids to see Space Chimps, an uninspired animated feature about chimp astronauts, when you could take them instead to see Wall-E?” – Peter Rainer

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{for=”Minneapolis Star Tribune” value=”3″}

“Pretty much like the story of Kung Fu Panda. Only in space. With monkeys. And not as funny.” – Colin Covert

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{for=”Washington Post” value=”4″}

“Most adults like to think there’s still a little 6-year-old inside them. Well, mine isn’t talking to me anymore, not since I took him to Space Chimps.” – John Anderson

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{for=”London Free Press” value=”6″}

“It’s summer, you’ve got time off, the kids are bored and, under those circumstances, you could do a lot worse.” – Jim Slotek

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{for=”Seattle Times” value=”7″}

“The film’s witty, smart story reminds us that chimps (even if they’re not being shot into space anymore) are still involuntarily on the dangerous, painful front lines of research.” – Tom Keogh

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{for=”New York Times” value=”8″}

“Journalism is all about having the courage to write the truth even if it will get you mocked by your relatives and co-workers, so here goes: “Space Chimps” is hilarious.” – Neil Genzlinger

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{for=”Hollywood Reporter” value=”7″}

“The CG animation is nothing special, but the characters are surprisingly fun and the story is full of enough puns, wordplay and slapstick to elicit laughs from across the age spectrum.” – Kirk Honeycutt

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Whether it's run-of-the-mill fanboy attention, rabid Batman fans, or ghoulish gawkers eager to see dead movie star Heath Ledger's final performance, The Dark Knight is set to be one of the biggest blockbuster movies of 2008.

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OPENS: July 18, 2008
RATING: PG-13 (Violence)
GENRE: Superhero, Fantasy

Three years ago independent film maker Christopher Nolan, best known for a little film called Memento, was picked by Warner Bros. to helm and write the big screen return of Batman.

Worse yet, Christian Bale, a British actor was cast in the lead role.

A skeptical but hopeful fanbase was pleasantly surprised when the movie opened as a smart ans serious treatment of the Caped Crusader – not the campy mocking treatment that has been done in past years.

So it was with great anticipation over the past few years that Batman followers looked forward to the release of The Dark Knight, Nolan’s sequel – which had the debut of Nolan’s take on the Joker as played by Oscar nominee Heath Ledger (Roar, A Knight’s Tale, Brokeback Mountain).

Then this past winter the unthinkable happened when Heath Ledger died in an accidental overdose from mixing prescription medications.

Because of this tragedy, The Dark Knight premiere became overshadowed as the last performance of a gifted young actor.

To a one, each mainstream media reviewer – and most fannish reviews – have focused on ledger and his performance. The consensus is that his turn as Joker is a success and exceeds any other actor’s previous attempt to inhabit the iconic role. Many – but not all – predict that Ledger will be nominated for best supporting actor when the Academy Award nominations come out next year.

Also of note, the addition of Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, replacing Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Most pointed out that Gyllenhaal’s acting chops, easy glamour and commanding screen presence show not only that Holmes was miscast in the role in the first film – but that Gyllenhall, maybe more so than her better-known brother Jake, is destined for a long career in the movies.

Of the few negative comments. Some reviewers didn’t line the 2 1/2 hour length of the film. Others said the film lost the edgy magic of the first film as it reached too far toward becoming an action flick. Still other negative comments focused on the dystopian, bleak atmosphere of Dark Knight.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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• Outstanding cast
• Terrific writing
• Possibly the first superhero movie destined to win in a major Oscar category

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• Not for children because of extreme violence and scary scenes
• At 2 1/2 hours, may be too long for some people
• If you want an uplifting feel-good movie, you won’t get it

{/rw_bad} –>

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{for="Houston Chronicle" value="9"}

"Even without the sentimental distinction of being the late actor's last role, Ledger's performance as the Joker is the best thing about the movie." – Eric Harrison

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{for=”E!” value=”9″}

“It’s almost unfair to call The Dark Knight a sequel. Director Christopher Nolan has crafted a Batman film of such devastating impact, it practically obliterates the memory of its predecessors.” – Alex Markerson

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{for=”Salt Lake Tribune” value=”9″}

“ Ledger, tearing into his last great role, embodies the insane genius of The Joker – and of the movie.” – Sean P. Martin

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{for=”CNN” value=”8″}

“ In a summer when action overwhelms intelligence (and even good sense), here’s a movie that works on many levels.” – Tom Charity

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{for=”Washington Post – Family Filmgoer” value=”7″}

“Ledger walks away with the movie. His Joker is insane, evil, scary, funny and even pathetic in his psychopathic lack of feeling. He could give younger kids nightmares. This is not a movie for teens younger than high school age, let alone grade schoolers.” – Jane Horwitz

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{for=”Newsday” value=”8″}

“Ledger is wickedly brilliant as the Joker. He revels in his spaghetti hair and maimed-clown makeup, but it’s his delightfully nasty delivery and twisted posture that transform him into a force of nature. If Alfred Hitchcock was right that a film is only as good as its villain, that explains the success of The Dark Knight.”- Rafer Guzman

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{for=”Boston Globe” value=”8″}

“You come away impressed, oppressed, provoked, and beaten down, holding on to Ledger’s squirrelly incandescence as a beacon in the darkness.” – Ty Burr

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{for=”Chicago Sun-Times” value=”10″}

“Because these actors and others are so powerful, and because the movie does not allow its spectacular special effects to upstage the humans, we’re surprised how deeply the drama affects us.” – Roger Ebert

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{for=”Salon” value=”6″}

“Looks as if it were made from a messy blackboard diagram with lots of circles, heavily underlined phrases (“Duality! Good vs. evil — in the same person! Kinship between hero and villain!”) and crisscrossing arrows that ultimately point to nothing.” – Stephanie Zacharek

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{for=”London Free Press” value=”9″}

“this shadowy opus of morality and identity bends the genre to new dimensions — hinging not on spectacle, but the yin-and-yang pathology of its hero and villain. It’s a gripping, gratifying high-wire act and a startling departure for a genre usually dismissed as effects-driven eye-candy.” – Kevin Williamson

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{for=”San Francisco Chronicle” value=”8″}

“The Dark Knight is by no means a complete success. But the more it reveals its dark heart, the better it gets, and at times it seems just a step away from achieving something extraordinary. In the end, it’s no leap forward, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.” – Mick LaSalle

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{for=”USA Today” value=”10″}

“A more thrilling, intelligent, morally complex and masterfully crafted film than any summer blockbuster in recent years. It’s probably the best superhero movie to date.” – Claudia Puig

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{for=”Los Angeles Times” value=”9″}

“The Dark Knight may be the most hopeless, despairing comic-book movie in memory. It creates a world where being a superhero is at best a double-edged sword and no triumph is likely to be anything but short-lived.” – Kenneth Turan

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{for=”Chicago Tribune” value=”10″}

“Sensational, grandly sinister and not for the kids, “The Dark Knight” elevates pulp to a very high level.” – Michael Phillips

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JULY 8

• Dick Geis’s Hard Plasm - (adults)
• Jean Martin and Chris Garcia’s Science Fiction/San Francisco #69

JULY 12

• Dick Geis’s Taboo Opinions #111
• Dave Locke’s Time and Again #4 (successor to David Burton’s Pixel)

JULY 14

• Christopher J. Garcia’s The Drink Tank #174

JULY 15

• Arnie Katz’s Vegas Fandom Weekly #108
• Peter Sullivan’s Virtual Tucker Hotel #12

If you publish an electronic zine and are interested in having ezines.com post your work, contact Bill Burns at billb@efanzines.com.

It is called www.kids-in-mind.com

They have three categories to rate a movie, each category having a 0 to 10 scale, 10 being the worst (or the most) and 0 being the safest (or the least). The categories are Sex/Nudity, Violence/Gore,  and Profanity. The categories are always listed in that order. There is also a detailed listing of why the movies receive the ratings they do in each category.  In addition to that they include a section on instances of Substance Use, Discussion Topics, and the Message of the movie. What is a big plus for lots of folk is that this site is NOT affiliated with any sort of religious group and nor does it knock down movies with higher ratings. It simply gives you the facts. More details on how they do this is listed here: www.kids-in-mind.com/help/ratings.htm

Hancock received the following ratings:  Sex & Nudity 2, Violence & Gore 6, Profanity 5  (2.6.5 – I will now simply list the numbers in each rating category as I assume you are paying attention.)

The Incredible Hulk received  2.6.4

Iron Man received  4.7.4   I shall note that all three of these movies have a PG-13 rating. Yet the levels of sex violence and profanity are rather different.

WALL-E received 1.2.1 I must note that WALL-E is the most kid friendly summer movie this year. The fantasy story of Kung Fu Panda is close at a 1.3.1 (which is rated PG) and non-SFF Kit Kitteridge: An American Girl at a 1.3.1 (which is rated G).

Hm, those last two movies have the same ratings but according to the MPAA rating system one is rated PG, and the other G.  What’s the difference?  Why the different MPAA ratings? I personally do not know, however, these differences and inconsistencies between content and ratings further explains why I personally do not bother with ratings anymore but the content. This is why I find kids-in-mind.com to be a useful tool in gaging what sort of movies I want to see and especially what movies I want my five year old daughter to see.

Happy Movie Hunting!