Avatar
*** ( 3 STARS)
$68.4
million
$352.1 million
3 weeks
Rated : PG-13
Running time : 2:40
What it's about : A paraplegic ex-Marine (Sam Worthington, above) controls the body of an "avatar," a body of a creature on another planet, and gets caught up in a struggle between the humans and the natives.
Our take : James Cameron has delivered the most-anticipated blend of live-action and motion-capture animation to date, but the story's simplistic.
Sherlock Holmes
* 1/2 ( 1 1/2 STARS)
$36.6
million
$138.7 million
2 weeks
Rated : R
Running time : 2:10
What it's about : The classic detective story is updated with Robert Downey Jr., above, and Jude Law taking on the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Our take : Director Guy Ritchie's trademark slicko sadism is all wrong for these characters. It's heartbreaking to see Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legends messed up this way.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
* ( 1 STAR)
$35.1
million
$155.9 million
2 weeks
Rated : PG
Running time : 1:28
What it's about : Alvin, above, and the chipmunks head to school and face off against the Chipettes in a battle of the bands.
Our take : Whatever slim charms there were in the nostalgic, musically cute and slapstick-friendly first film of chipmunk mania are squished right out of this sequel.
It's Complicated
*** ( 3 STARS)
$18.8
million
$ 59.1 million
2 weeks
Rated : R
Running time : 1:58
What it's about : Meryl Streep, above, plays a Santa Barbara restaurateur who strikes up an affair with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) while juggling a new romance with her architect (Steve Martin).
Our take : This genial comedy, for and featuring actual adults is sitcommy, but very well done.
The Blind Side
*** ( 3 STARS)
$11.9
million
$208.4 million
7 weeks
Rated : PG-13
Running time : 2:08
What it's about : A well-to-do white family champions - and loves - an inarticulate black student at an evangelical school: Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron, above).
Our take : Without subtlety but with a lot of heart, the movie fleshes out the inspiring idea that a young man from a destructive environment can bloom in a caring one.