The weekend warriors for March 1-3, 2013 includes Jack the Giant Slayer, 21 and Over, and The Last Exorcism Part II. Box Office Battlefield is a recurring rundown of all the movie releases for the weekend. Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard earned dollars. Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over the others.
Last weekend, Identity Thief swooped in and stole the weekend from both Dark Skies and Snitch. Now that the Oscars are over, we should begin to see better movies roll out than what’s been dumped on us during awards season. Is it May yet?
Can Eli Roth possess us to like his work one more time? Will Bryan Singer escalate the fairy tale genre? Or will college kids take over the box office this weekend? Fee-fi-fo-fum, let’s party with demons! This is the Box Office Battlefield:
Jack the Giant Slayer (Rated PG-13) – (Directed by Bryan Singer) Starring Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, and Eleanor Tomlinson
Synopsis: The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 50% • Audience – 68%
After Hansel and Gretel, I’m already burned out on fairy tale movies for the year. Jack the Giant Slayer doesn’t seem to have a grasp on the target audience it is going for. It’s PG-13, but looks too kiddy for adults? I’m not sure what Bryan Singer saw in this project, but I can’t help but wonder how X-Men: Days of Future Past will turn out after this. NETFLIX IT!
21 and Over (Rated R) – (Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore) Starring Miles Teller, Justin Chon, Skylar Astin, and Sarah Wright
Synopsis: The night before his big medical school exam, a promising student celebrates his 21st birthday with his two best friends.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 35% • Audience – 71%
From the writers of The Hangover comes Weekend at Bernie’s meets Project X. 21 and Over has little stakes with zero consequences. This film wants you to believe that these are guys you’d want to party with, but you come to find out they are just soulless cliches void of any personality. There are some moments that are laughable, but it’s mostly everything we’ve seen before from other “one crazy night” R-Rated comedies. MATINEE IT if you’re desperate to see a movie, otherwise NETFLIX IT!
The Last Exorcism Part II (Rated PG-13) – (Directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly) Starring Ashley Bell, Julia Garner, Spencer Treat Clark, and David Jensen
Synopsis: As Nell Sweetzer tries to build a new life after the events of the first movie, the evil force that once possessed her returns with an even more horrific plan.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 18% • Audience – 75%
I loved The Last Exorcism (watch it on Netflix Instant now!). When I heard that there would be a sequel, I wondered, would they call it The Last Last Exorcism or The Absolute Last Exorcism? I was skeptical, but when the trailer hit, I was on board. It feels like something you wouldn’t have to see the first to understand. But what I’m afraid of is whether it can keep the same intensity and tone without the found footage aspect. [REC] 3: Genesis ditched the first person camera styling of its predecessors and failed miserably – but that was mostly due to a horrible screenplay. The critic score isn’t helping, so we’ll see. NETFLIX IT!
Movie synopses courtesy of IMDb.com
