Ultimately there’s no fun to be had in ‘Fantastic Four’, nor is it bad enough to be entertaining or unintentionally hilarious. It’s a tedious, laborious watch and a scathing indictment of worst side of superhero filmmaking that has exploding in Hollywood. If anything, the big guys Warner and Marvel can watch this movie and learn what not to do.

The illogical plot and buffoonish over-the-top characters might still have been forgiven if there were even a handful of laughs to be had. Instead, the journey is tiresome and utterly un-engaging, filled with tedious potty jibes, loud noises and hammy gesticulation.

The comedy is so mediocre even Ed Helms struggles to hold your attention. Chevy Chase in the original had this mad glint in his eye which made things all the more funny. Everyone in this film, Christina Applegate included simply go through the motions like robots. Chris Hemsworth makes a mildly interesting cameo as a weatherman but even he’s relegated to being part of erection jokes. This is not really a National Lampoons movie, this is a ‘Hangover’ sequel, and if you’ve watched the last two you can guess the quality of this one.

‘Shaun the Sheep’ ultimately is a reminder that the simplest form of storytelling is the most attention grabbing and satisfying. Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’ proved that a children’s film can also be incredibly smart and cerebral, ‘Shaun the Sheep’ on the other hand proves smart filmmaking is all one needs to deliver a very good film. Whether you have kids or not, this one is a must watch. ‘Inside Out’ has serious competition at the Oscars this year.

The story is cookie cutter by ‘Mission Impossible’ standards but it’s the way the story is presented that makes all the difference. McQuarrie bravely spends time establishing character arcs and genuine conflicts that render stakes, so when our heroes are in danger you root for them to make it out alive. The film also moves at the pace of a hurricane, zipping from one exotic foreign locale to the other, yet somehow seeming coherent.

There is a ‘bird’, and a plane and Ethan Hunt at his best…What everyone will agree on, however, is that the finale is way better than the cringe-inducing ‘Indian’ segment from the previous movie. If this is the direction that this franchise is taking, then it’s a good sign that there’s only a gap of two years until the next Mission Impossible.

It’s a shame that this is the golden age of horror films, yet most of the products coming from the industry are so cheap and stale. Even if you’re looking for a timepass date movie, ‘The Vatican Tapes’ fails to deliver. The only respite is that it is not found footage.

The characters are all bland and also predictably stupid. Dudley is the exact same teenager found in countless movies – the adorable damsel in distress making twisted faces because of a demon yanking her soul. The film is audacious enough to tease at a sequel at the climax, promising an all out war between Beelzebub and the Vatican. If it is actually greenlit, perhaps the filmmakers could explore the option of making it an intentional comedy.

Ultimately it’s a story of hope and redemption, and on a simplistic level, it works. It’s not the best movie, but it’s harmless and well acted for sure. Given Gyllenhaal’s physical transformation for the role, a better-written movie would have been more worthy.

The film could have been an intense character based drama, but doesn’t end up being more than a simplistic and underexplored story of a damaged family man. It relies too heavily on Gyllenhaal’s shoulders and it’s a testament to the actor’s talent that he makes it (more or less) watchable.