Two big critic-proof movies opened today in local theaters. “The Seeker: The Dark is Rising” and “The Heartbreak Kid” are the kinds of movies - a kid-friendly fantasy and a star-studded romcom - that will probably find a large audience no matter what the critics say. And boy, do some critics hate these movies.
Read on to find out what some major critics are saying about this weekend’s new movies. It’s Critical Mass …
- ‘The Seeker: the Dark is Rising’
Tomatometer: 19% Metascore: 39
The trailers for this thing aren’t doing it any favors. If Fox wanted to make sure you think “The Seeker” is a bland, by-the-numbers fantasy flick that adds nothing new to the genre, well kudos to them. It’s based on a book that most critics agree is far superior to this simplistic mess.
“Neither the cast nor director Cunningham appear to have even the most rudimentary idea of what is going on from one sequence to the next.” - Austin Chronicle
“A puttering Potter without wit and whimsy.” - Newsday
“Final score: Book 1, Movie 0.” - The Onion AV Club
- ‘The Heartbreak Kid’
Tomatometer: 33% Metascore: 45
The Farrelly brothers haven’t really scored in a few years, and it looks like they’ve dropped another stinker with ths remake of a ’70s comedy. In trying to recapture some of that “There’s Something About Mary” magic with Ben Stiller, most critics agree that this is just another gross-out romcom with nary a laugh. Some thought it was OK, but just OK.
“If I were in movie hell, I’d rather see Good Luck Chuck again than return to this atrocity.” - Chicago Reader
“It’s funny in spots if you can tune out the Farrellys’ ultra-crass jokes - along with any memory of the first movie. ” - San Francisco Chronicle.
“[The Farrelly Brothers] have taken what was a minor classic and annihilated everything that was funny about it.” -San Jose Mercury News
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Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox
[...] Las Cruces Style wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTwo big critic-proof movies opened today in local theaters. “The Seeker: The Dark is Rising” and “The Heartbreak Kid” are the kinds of movies - a kid-friendly fantasy and a star-studded romcom - that will probably find a large audience … [...]