In Theaters This Weekend: February 10, 2012

If you can believe it, this weekend for movies is looking even weaker than the previous two. Granted, we had pleasant surprises with the likes of "Chronicle" and "The Grey", but going into them, we weren't 100% what we were going to get. Thankfully, they both ended up impressing though, and we were left with one good option for the weekend. This week, again you'll be left with, in my opinion, one option. Now whether or not you find it a good one is up to you, but if not, my recommendation is to catch up with either of the two above listed films that you haven't seen yet.

But that being said, check after the jump for the new releases this weekend and I'll show you what to look forward to (and what not to).


This weekend there are four wide releases: "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace" in 3D, "Safe House", "The Vow" and "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island". Not a lot that impresses, I know - especially if you aren't a Star Wars nut like I am. Even with that though, here is my recommendation: go see Star Wars in 3D! Look, we get it, it's not the old ones. No one's trying to say it's on the same level as the original trilogy. This movie was first released 13 years ago, and if you're like most Americans, you probably haven't seen it since then. So now that you're older, go give it another chance. Stop worrying so much about comparing it to the older films and just try to enjoy it. Go to the midnight showing. If you have kids by now, take them. Even if they're little. Let them grow up knowing that they too got to see Star Wars in theaters. Even if they're not the original ones, sitting in that crowded theater, waiting for the lights to go dark, and then hearing that theme music blast in. In my opinion it's an experience rivaled by none other. Go be a part of that legacy. And if you do, I'm positive there will aspects to be appreciated.

Outside of that, I think the options are pretty limited. I think "Safe House" is the fallback option here and will be a fine action movie for right now. The acting should probably be decent, if not phoned-in, and I'm sure there will be plenty of little twists and turns that keep you at least mildly interested throughout. But I think it will be very unmemorable and predictable. If you're dead-set on going to the theater and you've already seen everything I've listed above, this is probably the pick to go with.

And that just leaves us with "The Vow" and "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island". I'm sad that Rachel McAdams got stuck in this dramatic romance movie with Channing Tatum. I've really just started liking McAdams and this I think is a step back for her. The storyline will surely be predictable and boring, and Tatum will bring nothing good to the table for her to work with. He is cold and unemotional. Not a good fit at all for a movie like this. But he looks good with his shirt off, so I'm sure the ladies out there will still eat it up. If your wife or girlfriend drags you to this one, I'm sorry. Just try to do the best you can. And Journey 2, do we even need to talk about it? Who is the market for this movie even? Are children interested? Teenagers? I legitimately don't know. This movie looks just as terrible as the first one, and I can't see under any circumstances why you need to go see it - unless of course you want to watch a movie featuring Michael Cain and wonder why in the world he's involved in a project like this. Then this is the ideal choice.