The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers

Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Matthew Macfadyen, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of adventure action violence

It seems to be a requirement for Hollywood to make a film based on “The Three Musketeers” at least once every twenty years, preferably saturated with whatever is currently in vogue. So, back in 1993 we had Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Oliver Platt as the titular friends, and the whole thing was very bright and shiny and silly. Now we have Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans, and Ray Stevenson, and there’s lots of slow-mo martial artsy awesomeness, some snark about governmental budget cuts, and steampunk airships.

Real Steel

Real Steel

Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangelie Lilly, Kevin Durand
Rated: PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language

Disney has many strengths, and “Real Steel” plays to two of them: telling heartwarming tales about underdogs and offering sweet stories about kids and parents bonding. The latter sometimes spills over into laughably twee territory, but “Real Steel” manages to avoid that. No, this is not a groundbreaking art film. This is a movie to see if you want to watch giant robots fight and maybe get a little sniffly watching an underdog father-son team learn to care about each other while beating the odds.

Moneyball

Moneyball

Directed by: Bennett Miller
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, Robin Wright, Stephen Bishop
Rated: PG-13 for some strong language

A movie about the pioneering use of cost-benefit analysis in baseball shouldn’t be exciting, but somehow, “Moneyball” is. It traces the efforts of general manager Billy Beane to turn around the failing Oakland A’s using the statistics knowhow of Yale economics geek Peter Brand. For all its math geekery and talking, it’s really an underdog sports movie. This is a flick that will crack you up and make you clutch your armrest in equal measure.

Warrior

Warrior

Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material.

Films in which boxing or other forms of physical violence stand in for verbal communication between men are hardly new, but “Warrior” sets its conversation-with-fists in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitive arena. As a bonus, it stars two actors who manage to deliver not only believable combat stunts but impressive performances as well. This is no ordinary sports film.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt
Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox, Tom Felton
Rated: PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Prequels are by definition at something of an advantage — knowing even the basic plot of the stories that take place after them means that you have at least general knowledge of how the prequel must end. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” definitely has this problem; even folks who haven’t seen the other “Planet of the Apes” movies know how things wind up. Even so, the characters (both human and ape) are engaging enough to draw viewers into the film.

Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference.

Westerns and alien invasion flicks both have their cliches, and the idea of mashing the two together is a clever one — that kind of genre smashing has done well in the past (“Shaun of the Dead” remains my favorite example). “Cowboys & Aliens” held great promise when its previews first started showing, and while it doesn’t quite live up to its potential, it’s still a lot of fun.

Captain America

Captain America

It’s still summer, and “Captain America” is a summer superhero movie if there ever was one. It takes us to a 1940s America where the little guy can achieve beyond his wildest dreams, and where good people can destroy evil with tenacity, luck, and a strong jawline.

Super 8

Written & Directed by: J.J. Abrams Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Ryan Lee, Riley Griffiths, Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and some drug use

X-Men: First Class

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn Starring: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Jason Flemyng Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity, and language