I was hot and cold about Robert Pattinson playing Batman/Bruce Wayne in The Batman. Sure, he makes a great vampire. But the Caped Crusader? I am pleased to report that Pattinson does indeed have that dark, Batman attitude, and he pulled off an astonishing performance. This is one that Batman fans around the world will not want to miss.

This iteration of the Batman saga has Paul Dano as one of Batman’s biggest enemies, the Riddler. Dano’s Riddler comes off as quiet and thoughtful, but he’s also a ruthless murderer who always has to hide the meaning of his messages. Only the Batman, with some help from some of his friends, can figure out the Riddler’s message. Dano’s Riddler leaves a dark trail of violence and evil that some may actually find hard to bear.

The Batman is of course set in Gotham City. Bruce Wayne is early in his career as the head of Wayne Enterprises, playboy extraordinaire, and the Dark Knight. His faithful servant Alfred, played by Andy Serkis, is by his side. The city of Gotham is corrupt and the Riddler, meanwhile, is killing people and leaving clues linking to more victims. Some of the other classic Gotham City criminal minds are also adding to the chaos, including Carmine Falcone, played by John Turturro, and Oswald Copplepot, aka The Penguin, played by Colin Farrell. Zoe Kravitz plays Catwoman Selina Kyle, who teams up with Batman and detective James Gordon, played by Jeffery Wright, to put together the Riddler’s puzzles.

Darkness is still Batman’s ally in The Batman, but it’s also a friend of his enemies and the darkness grows with the deceit, corruption, riddles, and death—in both the narrative and noir sense. It can be seen in the darkness and cinematography of Gotham and in the darkness of the evil moments of the film.

The Batman is truly dazzling and haunting on many levels, and I was simply blown away. It was different than the other Batman films, but very captivating and exhilarating. Three and a half stars for The Batman.

Dog is clearly marketed as a date night film. It stars Channing Tatum taking care of a dog, which would fit into the date night film genre, but it seems to straddle the line between being lighthearted and serious. And it does neither very well. It is poorly written, poorly developed, and just really never hits any kind of stride.

In Dog, Tatum is Briggs, a former Army Ranger assigned to take his commander’s dog, Lulu, on a road trip down the Pacific coast to attend the commander’s funeral. Briggs struggles to take care of Lulu, who is trained to be an army dog. The film features Briggs’ and Lulu’s lighthearted adventures and mishaps, and there are occasional minor laughs, but the film is very unstructured, predictable, and more of a drag than compelling.

Again, Tatum’s performance in Dog is apparently intended to be humorous at times and serious at other times. So Dogdoesn’t really have a specific category, which is fine. But throughout its hour and a half running, I kept wondering to myself how I’m supposed to perceive a given scene. Dog simply has a lack of focus.

I will admit that this is a film that I had low expectations for, but I still wanted to give it a shot. The film’s only positive aspect is the man’s best friend aspect, with Lulu and Tatum. But the film is barely mediocre, and it lacks in many respects. Some may enjoy it on a date night, and because it stars Channing Tatum. But I am giving Dog just one half star.

Just from the Blacklight trailer I knew this Liam Neeson suspense film would be a repeat of Taken (2009), Non-Stop (2014), Run All Night (2015), and other Neeson films about time running out to save someone or something. Despite the repetitiveness, Neeson can still pull these films off. He’s an outstanding actor with the attitude, the mindset, and the seriousness that has served him well for many years. But Blacklight, unfortunately, is far from his best film.

In Blacklight, Neeson is Travis Block, a government operative trying to walk away from a past that has haunted him. His world is turned upside down when he realizes his former director, Gabriel Robinson, played by Aidan Quinn, has been committing crimes against U.S. citizens. Dusty Crane, played by Taylor John Smith, is another operative who is put at risk with Robinson’s corrupt operations. There is also reporter Mira Jones, played by Emmy Raver-Lampman, who believes there is a story that can go public. And there is Travis’s daughter Amanda Block, played by Claire van der Boom, who gets tangled up in Robinson’s web while her father tries to protect her and his granddaughter.

These are the principal characters, and I’ve described the basic theme, but the plot of Blacklight jumps around a lot. It seemed like they were focusing more on Neeson rather than a cohesive story. And although there were many actions sequences with Neeson, at 69 he can’t run as fast or jump as high as he once did. His classic voice is still strong and authoritative, though, and that’s a selling point for the film.

Overall, I would say that Blacklight is just above average. Clever at times but with a somewhat dry plot that can be out of focus. Some decent chase scenes, and I always enjoy Neeson’s performances. Other than that, not much. Two and a half stars for Blacklight.