Summer movie rundown

“The Sorecer’s Apprentice”

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I see Nicolas Cage… “The Sorecer’s Apprentice”

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I see Nicolas Cage with his ratty long hair, black leather trench coat and a crazed-man-on-a-mission stare and think, “This feels right.” Cage is a solid PG to PG-13 movie adventure hero, and he delivers once again in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” The Disney action-adventure movie comes from the same director as “National Treasure,” and the movie is like “National Treasure” but with physics, instead of history, saving the day. Though it can’t compete with Harry Potter and his pals, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is the most electrifying magic movie of the summer.

-Estelle Tran

“Get Him to the Greek”

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Banking off a side plot from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” was genius for director Nicholas Stoller. “Get Him to the Greek” is, in a word, hilarious. Fuzzy walls, “African Child” and Russell Brand’s awesome performance puts “Get Him to the Greek” on the same level as “The Hangover.”

-Kelsey Shea

“Prince of Persia”

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Putting slightly tweaked scenes from every major action blockbuster in the past decade doesn’t equal an epic masterpiece in the world of film making. In fact, it makes a fairly predictable and mildly amusing souped up “Aladdin.” But hey, it could have been worse. Jake Gyllenhaal could have worn a shirt.

-Kelsey Shea

“Eclipse”

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So for any other series, I would bash this movie to bits for being corny, predictible and all-around lame. But considering the past two “Twilight” movies, this is by far the strongest and even a little bit funny at times. All the same, it’s still full of mushy romantic junk. Thumbs down.

-Kelsey Shea

“The Last Airbender”

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Really, what is there to say about “The Last Airbender?” I guess I’ll start with the positives: Dev Patel looks damn sexy as the brooding banished Prince Zuko, though his performance is hardly equal to his work in “Slumdog Millionaire.” Unfortunately, the rest of the cast — comprised of forgettable child actors and middle-aged C-listers — were at times stale, while at others, overly affected. I had hoped the one savior of this movie, which chronicles a world of element-bending and mysticism, would be its special effects, yet those, too, were disappointing — I saw Matilda throw water around in 1996. In short, the movie, like M. Night Shyamalan’s directorial career, limps along like a mangled deer looking for a place to die.

-Molly Green

“Splice”

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Throw “Frankenstein,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and some scientific jargon into a blender for about a minute. Then freeze it for a while to make sure all of the life gets sucked out of it and put the result in front of a camera. That is the basic premise of “Splice.”

-Mike Macagnone

“Grown Ups”

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“Grown Ups” boasts an all-star army of comedic valor with Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade. But surprisingly, their goofiness is overshadowed by the overall — get ready for this, folks — plot of the movie. There is, in fact, more to “Grown Ups” than stupid humor. The movie centers around the theme of family and the realization of what is most important in life.

-Jordan Struessnig

“Sex and the City 2”

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This fashionable sequel was noticeably lacking in the areas of plot and nudity. Fans of the series will likely be happy just to see the fantastic, although somewhat wrinkled, foursome again and not mind the missing storyline.

-Lexie Bond

“Despicible Me”

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This tale of super-villain-turned-softie was good, but not great. When sized up against the animated greats, it doesn’t have the perfectly paced plot or nuanced writing of former genre triumphs like “Finding Nemo” or “Shrek.” That being said, it was entertaining and, at times, hilarious, with much of the humor coming from the character Agnes (Elsie Fisher) and the comically childlike, Mexican jumping bean-shaped minions. Steve Carell, as lead villain Gru, was at times laugh-out-loud funny, though at others, his Russian accent began to wear on the mind like a titanium steel cheese grater.

-Molly Green

“Toy Story 3”

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The wizards at Pixar have done it again. “Toy Story 3” follows the final adventure of Woody and Co. This film is more heartfelt and, surprisingly, more human than anything else you’ll see this summer. Pixar continues to perfect its animation, creating unbelievably realistic worlds in every frame. With artists this dedicated, there is no need to see “Toy Story 3” in 3-D.

-Anne Gruschecky

The A-Team

Formulaic, cheesy, but fun with some memorable scenes. Think parachuting tanks and plenty of 50 cals. The flick may offer solidarity to casual fans nostalgic for ’80s action television, but Mr. T diehards will probably walk away wanting. Overall, this lighthearted remake has all the necessary action blended with 2010 special effects — a real romp.

– John Manganaro