I can describe Will Smith's new movie, "Hancock", in two words: Very Odd.

Hancock is a superhero who lives here on Earth and looks like a regular person. But he acts like a bum and is mean to everybody and even when he saves people he causes so much trouble that no one likes him. One day he saves Ray, played a Jason Bateman, from being killed by a train. Ray does like Hancock and decides he can change Hancock's image and make him into a true hero.

From the original trailer I had high hopes that "Hancock" was going to be a fun action/comedy. But most of the funny scenes were in the trailer and they're all in the first half of the movie. The second half includes a surprising twist and then story gets very violent and serious.

"Hancock" is rated PG-13 and could have been R. Along with the violence there's a ton of bad language, some actually spoken by kids. If you are a parent thinking of taking your kids to see this movie: don't even think about it!

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Hancock" gets a sad, but true, D+.

This is Will Smith's fifth 4th of July film, and it's his worst. It's an action/sci fi/adventure/romance/drama/comedy that doesn't focus enough on any of those areas to be any good.

"WALL-E", the latest film from the amazing folks at Disney/Pixar, is a lot more serious than their usual movies and, for me, a bit of a disappointment.

WALL-E is a robot who's been left behind on Earth to clean-up after all the humans leave to live in outer space. His name stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class. He and a cochroach friend are all alone on the planet until a space ship returns to Earth to check things out. Wall-E immediately falls for Eve, a robot who's job it is to look for new life.

The pair get separated and most of the movie is about them getting back together and trying to help the humans return to Earth.

I expected "WALL-E" to be much funnier than it is. It's more of an adventure/love story. The animation, as always in the Pixar films, is phenomenal, especially the scenes in outer space. And the voices are good. You Pixar fans will be happy to know that John Ratzenberger makes his regular appearance.

"WALL-E" is rated "G" but I don't recommend it for real young kids because I think they be bored by the lack of action and laughs.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "WALL-E" gets a B, which is o.k., but it's the lowest grade I've ever given a Disney/Pixar movie.

See it, but don't expect to have as much fun as you did at "The Incredibles", "Cars", and "Ratatouille."

And, before the feature, Pixar continues it's tradition of short films with "Presto", which is about a magician and his rabbit. It's hilarious, providing more laughs in 5 minutes than "WALL-E" does in 100.

Most of the 60's TV comedies that Hollywood has made into feature films, such as "Bewitched" and "The Flintstones" have been disappointments with critics and at the box office. But now comes "Get Smart", and it is NOT a disappointment. In fact, it keeps you laughing from start to finish.

Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, is played by Steve Carell and early in the movie he gets partnered with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) so, together, they can fight the evil group, Kaos, which is planning a nuclear attack on the United States. Carell and Hathaway have great chemistry together in both the comedy and action scenes. Alan Arkin is also very good as The Chief. Dwayne (no more "The Rock") Johnson rounds out the stars in the cast and there are some funny supporting performances as well.

I've never seen an episode of the TV show, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the movie. But there are plenty of classic lines, inside jokes and a fun cameo that fans of the TV series will appreciate.

"Get Smart" is an action-comedy, with a little romance thrown in, and it works on all levels. However, it is not a "Family Film", due to violence and some bad language. Kids 10 and under, who may want to see this movie, should, instead stick to DVD reruns of the TV series.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Get Smart" gets a B+.

The movie is dedicated to actor Don Adams, who made Maxwell Smart one of the great TV characters of all-time. I think he'd be very proud of this version of his show.

So, be smart and see "Get Smart."

Marvel Studios 2nd film of the summer is out. And while I really liked their first, "Iron Man", and it's still doing great at the box office, their new one isn't that incredible.

"The Incredible Hulk" stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, a scientist who suffered gamma poisoning during an experiment. If his blood pressure gets too high he turns into the big, mean, green guy. Liv Tyler plays his girlfriend, Betsy. They're both good at their roles. In fact all the acting is pretty good, including Tim Roth, a solider who's job it is to stop The Hulk, and William Hurt, who plays an Army general who was in charge of the experiment that turned Banner into The Hulk.

The story, of course, is based on the classic Marvel comic, and this is just the latest version of story. There have been cartoons, a popular TV show and other movies, including 2003's "Hulk", directed by Ang Lee. I didn't see that film, but I know it wasn't a big hit with critics or fans of the comic book. I think more people will like this version. There's plenty of action and the animated creatures are well done.

However, "The Incredible Hulk" is not as enjoyable as "Iron Man". The plot is too simple and a little too serious. The only funny parts of the movie are a couple of cameos and one scene involving purple pants.

"The Incredible Hulk" is rated PG-13 and it's deserves that rating. There is graphic violence and some bad language and the monster scenes are pretty intense. Parents - this is not a movie for little kids.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Incredible Hulk" gets a C+.

There will definitely be a connection between the The Hulk and Iron Man characters and other Marvel comic superheroes in other upcoming movies. And you learn more about that connection in the final scene of this one.

The next Marvel Studios productions are "Thor", due out in June 2010, followed by "Captain America" and "The Avengers" in 2011. And, an "Iron Man" sequel is already in the works. Marvel has become a "Super Studio" in a very short time.

Jack Black stars in my favorite live-action film of 2008 so far - "Be Kind Rewind." Now, he also stars in my favorite animated film of the year - the hilarious "Kung Fu Panda."

Black voices Po, a Panda who loves Kung Fu and the great Kung Fu masters, and he dreams of someday becoming a great Kung Fu warrior. But instead he is stuck working at his father's noodle shop. That is until he is unexpectedly chosen to be "The Dragon Warrior", the one who will save his village from the evil snow leopard Tai Lung.

The real Kung Fu masters, "The Furious Five", and their teacher, Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), don't believe in Po at first and he really doesn't believe in himself. But then Shifu decides he can teach Po Kung Fu by using food, which is his favorite thing. And Po quickly catches on, and is ready when Tai Lung breaks out of prison and returns seeking revenge.

The plot of "Kung Fu Panda" is basic, but that is the only thing in the movie that is. The animation is incredible. The Kung Fu fighting scenes are amazing, all the voice work is excellent and, oh, did I mention that "Kung Fu Panda" is the funniest film of the year? Well, it absolutely is.

The movie is rated PG for the martial arts fighting sequences, but it's great for everyone. In fact, there isn't a kid or adult that won't love this film.

My only problem with "Kung Fu Panda" is that it's too short - only 91 minutes. I would have liked more from "The Furious Five", who really don't have that many scenes.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Kung Fu Panda" gets a B+.

I don't know if Dreamworks has plans for a sequel but don't be surprised if we hear about one soon because this is going to be one of the major hits of 2008.

Da Da Da Da...Da Da Da.

That's right...after 19 years there's finally a 4th installment in the "Indiana Jones" series.

Of course, Harrison Ford is back. This time the movie is set in 1953 and the villains are Russians. The chief villain is played by Cate Blanchett, who, when she first heard she was going to be in the movie, thought she was going to play the love interest of Dr. Jones. Instead she leads a group of Russian soldiers looking to find the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and gain powers to control the rest of the world.

Indiana Jones is helped by a boy named Mutt...whose mother has been captured by the bad guys. He's played nicely by Shia LaBeouf. Jones doesn't realize that the boy's mother is his former sweetheart Marion (Karen Allen back in her "Raiders of the Lost Ark" role) and that Mutt is actually...well...I don't want to give too much away.

This is the first "Indiana Jones" I've seen, so a few times during "Crystal Skull" I didn't pick-up on some past references, but other than that I really enjoyed it. There's almost non-stop action. And the plot is easy to follow. It's basically good guys versus bad guys. You can tell that Steven Spielberg loved being back directing another "Indy" film.

"The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is rated PG-13. There is plenty of shooting and killing...but it isn't graphic and there's no blood. A few scary images may be too intense for younger kids. I say ages 10 and up should be able to handle the movie...and they'll be entertained.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" gets a B+.

Some older critics have not liked the movie. Maybe they were expecting too much. For me, if the other "Indiana Jones" adventures were better than this I can't wait to see them. 

In 2005 Disney took us on an extraordinary journey in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Three years later the sequel is here, and it's all about "Prince Caspian."

The four children who went back in time, saved the kingdom of Narnia and became Kings and Queens are back. For them it's a year later, but in Narnia time it's actually 1,300 years. Prince Caspian (the 10th to be exact) has been forced to leave his kingdom and he summons the kids to help him. They all join forces to try to defeat the evil Telmarines and give the Narnians their land back.

Many of the great creatures from the first film are back, though different talking animals star in this story - a badger, a bear and a very funny mouse. And the good lion and the White Witch also make cameos.

But "Prince Caspian" is not as good as the first film. There are too many fighting sequences and the story doesn't give us anything special or new, except the Prince, who isn't very exciting. In fact actor Ben Barnes plays Caspian as kind of a wimp, not a brave future king.

The rest of the acting is o.k., the battle sequences are well done and we do get some laughs, especially from the talking animals. But the magic of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is missing.

"Prince Caspian" is rated PG for all the fighting scenes and some mild language. It's safe for kids, say, 8 and older. But it is 132 minutes long, so make sure you've made your restroom visits before taking your seat.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" gets a B.

I'm sure it will do well enough at the box office that a third movie will be made, maybe from the next book in the series and maybe not. We do find out late in "Prince Caspian" that not all of the main characters will be back.

After months and months of trailers and stories about "Speed Racer" I was really looking forward to a great movie. Unfortunately I walked out of the theater the other night surprisingly disappointed.

"Speed Racer" stars Emile Hirsch, who plays Speed. We see him as a young boy who only cares about one thing: car racing. When he grows up he gets an offer to drive for the #1 racing team in the World Racing League. But he turns it down and so the evil owner of the team tries to destroy Speed and his family.

Of course, the movie is based of the cult TV cartoon on the 1960's. I haven't seen any of the cartoons so I can't say if this story followed those old stories or not. I do know that most of the characters are from the TV show, including Speed's family, his girlfriend Trixie (played by Christina Ricci) and the family pet - Chimp Chimp.

The Wachowski Brothers, who produced and directed the Matrix Trilogy, do an excellent job with the special effects. They create an amazing science fiction racing world of colors and action. As you might guess, most of the movie was shot with green screen.

But the story is pretty basic and even though the racing scenes are cool, there are just too many of them. The action actually gets "boring" after awhile.

"Speed Racer" is 134 minutes long. At least a half-hour could have been edited-out and the movie would have been better. In fact, most of the scenes involving Speed's little brother, Spritle, and Chimp Chimp could have been left out. None of them are funny. In fact there are practically no laughs in the entire movie, strange for what is suppsed to be the first big Family Film of the summer.  

The acting is o.k....but no one, even stars such as Susan Sarandon, John Goodman or Matthew Fox, really stands out.

"Speed Racer" is rated PG. There is the use of a three letter word several times that I didn't expect. Younger kids, especially boys, will probably enjoy it, except since the movie is so long they'll likely get bored.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Speed Racer" gets a C+. There's no reason to race to the theater to see it. My suggestion: wait until it comes out in a drive-in near you in the summer as the second part of a double-feature with a new family film that's really worth seeing.  

The first big film of the Summer Movie Season is here and it's a good one.

"Iron Man" is based on the popular Marvel comic book. It stars Robert Downey, Jr., who plays Tony Stark, a rich guy who owns and runs a company that makes weapons used in wars. On a trip to Afghanistan he gets injured during an attack by enemy soldiers and is captured.

To escape, Tony makes a superhero suit, and when he gets back to the U.S. he realizes that he should change his life and start doing good. But others at the company, especially his business partner (played by Jeff Bridges) don't agree.

There's plenty of great action scenes in "Iron Man", but there's a little too much set-up time before the action heats-up. It's about 45 minutes into the film before we get to see Tony in the first "Iron Man" suit.

The last movie I saw Downey, Jr. in was "The Shaggy Dog", and he was one of the best things in that film. He's also very good here, though, I'll admit, when I first heard that he was playing "Iron Man" I didn't think he was a great choice.

The supporting cast of Bridges, Gwenyth Paltrow and Terrence Howard are all very good, and there are cameos by Stan Lee (who created the Iron Man character) and Jon Favreau, who directed the film.

"Iron Man" has some funny parts and the story is well done. But the violence is very heavy, especially in the early war scenes. So, parents be careful. I wouldn't recommend children under eight years old seeing this film.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Iron Man" Gets a B.

And, as always, remember to stay until the credits are over. There's an extra scene that gets you ready for the sequel.

From the people who brought us last year's "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" comes another bad family film.

"Nim's Island" stars Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin. She plays Nim, an 11-year old girl who lives on a secret island with her father (played by Gerard Butler) and her sea animal friends, including a sea lion named Selkie and a lizard named Fred.

Nim's dad is a marine biologist. He takes a trip on his boat in search of some new plankton and gets lost in a storm, leaving Nim alone on the island.

Jodie Foster plays an author who writes a series of popular books that star Alex Rover, a kind of Indiana Jones character. But the writer (whose name is Alexandra Rover) is nothing like the hero of her books. But when Nim asks her in an e-mail to come and help her since she's all alone and worried about her father, the author must overcome her fears and try to be a real-life hero.

There are a lot of problems with "Nim's Island". First of all the movie is supposed to be an adventure/comedy...but neither the plot nor any of the characters are very funny. Jodie Foster is a very good actress...but she's terrible doing all the physical comedy her role requires. And much of the blame also has to go to the writers of the script...who put her in several awkward and embarrassing scenes.

The story is not very believable and there are too many plot points. In the middle of the movie the island gets invaded...not by pirates...but by tourists. But that story line doesn't really go anywhere. Another major mistake was the decision to have Butler play two roles: the father AND Alex Rover. They should have simply hired another actor.

I'm a big Abigail Breslin fan but she delivered much better performances recently in "No Reservations" and "The Ultimate Gift" than she does here.

"Nim's Island" is rated PG for some mild, rude humor. The movie is geared toward young girls who might dream of living on an island with their dad and funny animals and not have to go to school. After seeing this movie they'll probably dream of something else.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Nim's Island" gets a D. 

Both the trailers and the poster showed scenes that didn't make the final movie. It seems like the producers were making changes right up to the last minute. They should have made more.