The Basics: Aeon Flux is on a mission to assassinate the leader of her corrupt utopian society, but the more she uncovers, the more confused she — and the audience — becomes. She fights a lot of people along the way.

What's the Deal? You have to wonder why Paramount decided not to show this movie to critics. It's no worse than a lot of other silly sci-fi movies. That doesn't mean it's good. It's mostly a lot of Charlize Theron deadpan-murmuring her theories about what's really going on underneath the surface of her ultramodern world and then pulling gadgets out of her stacked high heels to help her fight off the bad guys. But it's got a consistent tone of spaced-out seriousness. That's something, at least.

What Sucks About It: If you aren't familiar with the animated version that came first, you'll have to just sort of guess what's going on most of the time. They should have maybe thought about that before making sure all the sets looked rad.

What's Cool About It: The sets. They're the kind of sleek, modern, outer-spacey Danger Diabolik surroundings that make you think, "What's she got to complain about? Look at how everyone gets to live!" Even the dead people get to be carried away on glowing stretchers.

Costume Clause in Charlize's Contract: Someone made the executive decision to costume our heroine in full-body unitards and hoods. Of course, if she wore what the 'toon Aeon wore, it would be rated NC-17. Having said that, there's one scene in which you learn that she sleeps in something that resembles a chain-mail bikini. That's gotta hurt.

A major merger between two of the world’s largest oil companies reveals ethical dilemmas for the lawyer charged with making the deal (Jeffrey Wright), and major global implications beyond the obvious; a CIA operative (George Clooney) discovers the truth about his work, and the people he works for; a young oil broker (Matt Damon) encounters personal tragedy, then partners with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig) attempting to build a new economy for his people, only to find he’s opposed by powers far beyond his control. Meanwhile, disenfranchised Pakistani youths are lured into terrorism by a radical Islamic cleric. And that’s just the start. As in Traffic, in one way or another all of the characters’ fates are tied to each other, whether they realize it or not, though the connections are sometimes tenuous. While Syriana is basically a good film with timely resonance, it can’t quite seem to measure up to Gaghan’s ambitious vision and it very nearly collapses under the weight of its many storylines. Fortunately, they’re resolved skillfully enough to keep the film from going under in the end.

To some viewers, Syriana will seem like an unfocused and over-loaded film that goes, all at once, everywhere and nowhere. Others will find it to be an important work earnestly exploring major issues. In either case, it’s a film that deserves to be taken seriously, and it’s likely to be one that will be talked about for a long time to come. --Dan Vancini --/www.amazon.com

The Basics: Harry participates in the very dangerous Tri-Wizard Tournament, and kids argue amongst themselves a lot in the best of the four movies so far.

What's the Deal: Look, I was dreading even going to this movie because I'm fed up with half a decade of Harry Potter marketing hype. I was seriously ready to see Voldemort just eat one of these kid's faces. But this is the most adult-ish and interesting of the series to date. The kids have grown into human beings who do more than react to special effects and fantastical adventures. They bicker, fight, seethe and lust in this one — sometimes for each other. Only the most prickly and demanding book fans will have anything to complain about.

How Long? Oh, Lord: Two and a half hours. But it's full of enough rambunctious energy that it keeps you from that butt-growing-into-the-seat feeling.

The Awkward Years: Thank goodness they keep using the same kids in these movies. It's refreshing to see them get older and enter their dorky-looking phases. It has the effect of endearing them to the audience much more than then the endless Hollywood parade of perfect princes and princesses ever could.

Support Staff: It's been said before, but it bears repeating — Alan Rickman's sneering Professor Snape is the coolest teacher character to come along in the movies since Election.

Fake Stuff: This one also has the best special effects of the lot, but parents of very little kids should know that the monsters and creatures that would love to eat Harry this time around are pretty scary.

Britpop Cameo: Check out Pulp's Jarvis Cocker as the lead singer of the school dance's rock band. Just don't blink.

The Basics: A very big ape gets kidnapped from his happy Skull Island home, dragged to New York and turned into a Broadway star. He then tries to escape to the Empire State Building with his girlfriend. This turns out badly for him.

What's the Deal? This movie is Brokeback Mountain for giant gorillas and their blonde, female life-partners. They experience idyllic getting-to-know-you romance in a remote wilderness location, they tell no one about their special bond (but people start figuring it out anyway), they have to fight major battles with hostile forces to keep their love from being destroyed and, in the end, they have to endure heartbreaking tragedy. If this had been a more politically progressive remake, Kong and Naomi would have been allowed to marry at the end.

How Long, Oh Lord? You've heard correctly. It's more than three hours long. And I think even Peter Jackson understands that a three-hour King Kong movie is a ridiculous idea. But it's three hours packed with awesome stuff like giant monster fighting, dinosaurs chasing and eating people, huge insects attacking Adrien Brody and biting off lesser characters' heads, and then, finally, sad-eyed, lovesick Kong biting it at the end. You get your money's worth and have a great time.

Deeper Meanings: Well, there are all sorts of references to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and there are plenty of people staring at the camera announcing just how serious and important it all is — "It's not just an adventure," says one of them, meaning both Heart and also this big, 190-minute epic — but honestly, it's mostly about the totally entertaining giant monster fighting.

Throwaway Reference to the Original: Early in the film, Jack Black complains that he can't get Fay (Wray) for his movie because she's "making a picture at RKO."