Despite the “true-story” claims of its advertising campaign, Hidalgo is based on bunk – contemporary scholars contend the exploits of Old West cowboy Frank T. Hopkins have been greatly exaggerated. Still, his stories make for rousing legends. As Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen, playing another reticent hero) travels to the Arabian desert to participate in a 3,000-mile

Director Peter Weir and star Russell Crowe have tried to make Master ring true for seafaring buffs, especially fans of Patrick O’Brian’s series of historical novels. I don’t belong to either group, but I’d rather be immersed in the history and jargon such enthusiasts demand than sit through a mindless spectacle of which no one

More of a fashion magazine photo spread than an action film, this sequel to 1996’s Mission: Impossible showcases some snazzy stunts courtesy of Hong Kong action director John Woo. But there’s no real vision here, aside from the slavish devotion to slow-motion shots of Tom Cruise’s perfectly coifed hair.

Amazing visuals are put in service of an increasingly convoluted story in this computer-animated adaptation of the popular video game in which a futuristic scientist leads a last stand against invading aliens. The human characters are astonishingly realistic – it’s the spiritual/scientific mumbo jumbo coming out of their mouths that rings false.

The unexpected casting of honored thespian Anthony Hopkins and incidental actor Chris Rock – the former as a CIA operative and the latter as a street punk who’s recruited by the agency to help track down a missing atom bomb – gives Bad Company some zip. Yet rather than allow us to enjoy their comic

A dim-witted and lazy spinoff of the Animal Planet documentary series, Crocodile Hunter is entertainment opportunism at its most glaring. Writer-director-producer John Stainton doesn’t even bother presenting the segments involving animal antagonizer Steve Irwin in 35 mm, leaving ugly black bars on either side of the theater screen.

From its costumes to its weaponry to its production design, this Marvel Comics adaptation wants all of the surface style of an Asian martial-arts movie without any of the authenticity. A joyless Jennifer Garner reprises her role from Daredevil as a kung-fu trained assassin, but this is a rote Hollywood action flick through and through

A popcorn flick masquerading as a head trip, this space adventure still offers some good gripping fun. Don Cheadle, Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins are among the first astronauts to land on Mars, where they encounter lots of rocks and grand philosophical questions left over from 2001: A Space Odyssey. From unlikely director Brian De

Hong Kong action star Jet Li (Hero) usually projects a serene, passionless aura, but here he showcases an appropriate sense of rage. Li plays a near-mute who wears a dog collar and attacks with animalistic ferocity when his “owner,” a sadistic loan shark (Bob Hoskins), takes it off. This is terrifying stuff, except for a