In the age of streaming entertainment, it can be hard to leave the couch. But movie theaters still offer a special experience for those willing to get out of the house. Want to see what's out there? Take a look at this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Elizabeth.
Read on for the highest rated films to catch, based on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer Score, which reflects the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics.
(Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango. Movie ratings and showtimes are subject to change.)
Us
Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.
Set to be released on Friday, March 22, "Us" already has a Tomatometer Score of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Atlantic's David Sims said, "'Us' is a glorious symphony of fear, to be sure, but it's also an ambitious sci-fi allegory and a pitch-black comedy of the haves and have-nots," while Brian Truitt of USA Today noted, "Peele is this generation's Hitchcock, for sure, but also a true American original with introspective themes in hand and suspense to spare."
Get a piece of the action at AMC Jersey Gardens 20 (651 Kapkowski Road) through Wednesday, March 27. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.
With a Tomatometer Score of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" has garnered plenty of praise since its release on Feb. 22.
"So much of 'The Hidden World' is stuffed with filler material. But in certain wordless moments, this grand final entry really sings," according to David Sims of the Atlantic, while the New York Post's Johnny Oleksinski said, "The movie could easily be called 'How To End Your Trilogy.'"
Catch it on the big screen at AMC Jersey Gardens 20 (651 Kapkowski Road) through Wednesday, March 27. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Captain Marvel
The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With a Tomatometer Score of 79 percent and an Audience Score of 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Captain Marvel" is well worth a watch.
"Does it work? The short answer is: yes. There's enough to keep both diehard Marvel fans and newcomers engaged," noted Mark Daniell of the Toronto Sun, while the New Yorker's Anthony Lane said, "Superhero cinema has lectured us, ad infinitum, on the responsibility that is conferred by extraordinary gifts. Praise be to Larson, for reminding us that they can be bringers of fun."
Catch it on the big screen at AMC Jersey Gardens 20 (651 Kapkowski Road) through Wednesday, March 27. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community
With a Tomatometer Score of 72 percent and an Audience Score of 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase" is well worth a watch.
New York Magazine/Vulture's Bilge Ebiri said, "Lillis is ideally cast as Nancy, often cheerfully undercutting some of her character's more precocious proclamations, cracking smiles and reminding us that she's still a kid," and Variety's Peter Debruge noted, "(Lillis is) the freshest thing to happen to 'Nancy Drew' in decades, making it clear that casting was the solution that has so often eluded this series in its jump from page to screen in the past."
You can catch it at AMC Jersey Gardens 20 (651 Kapkowski Road) through Sunday, March 24. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Happy Death Day 2U
Collegian Tree Gelbman wakes up in horror to learn that she's stuck in a parallel universe. Her boyfriend Carter is now with someone else, and her friends and fellow students seem to be completely different versions of themselves. When Tree discovers that Carter's roommate has been altering time, she finds herself once again the target of a masked killer. When the psychopath starts to go after her inner circle, Tree soon realizes that she must die over and over again to save everyone.
With a Tomatometer Score of 68 percent and an Audience Score of 66 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Happy Death Day 2U" is well worth a watch.
The Atlantic's David Sims said, "Along the lines of other recent inexpensive genre efforts that behave more like franchise blockbusters by building out their lore and doubling down on their nerdiness," while Matthew Rozsa of Salon.com stated, "It is instead that rarity — a sequel that is both better than the original and manages to retroactively improve that movie."
It's screening at AMC Jersey Gardens 20 (651 Kapkowski Road) through Wednesday, March 27. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
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This story was created automatically using local movie data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
