Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is not that interesting

5 second plot: Newt arrives in New York with a suitcase filled with magical creatures. When some of them escape he tries to get them back as quickly as possible. But there is another beast on the loose and now everyone is blaming him for the havoc it causes.

5 second review: The magic is cool and the beasts are fantastic but the story is rather slim (and not very interesting). The focus is mainly on computer graphics. The first half feels like a slow playful children's film and the second half like a rushed dark Gothic thriller.

IMDb score: 8,2/10
Our score: 6,5/10

Max Steel is not very special

5 second plot: Max moves back to the town where he used to live when he was a little kid. This is also the town where his dad died in an explosion at a technical research facility. From the moment he arrives he start experiencing strange energy waves coming from his body.

5 second review: The effects are good and as an origin story it's okay. But it feels like a TV pilot and I think it's meant for small children. It's a little bit 'light' for my taste.

IMDb score: 4,6/10
Our score: 3/10

The Secret Life of Pets is too nuts

5 second plot: Two dogs get lost in the big city. Their friends start a search and rescue.

5 second review: Little kids will enjoy the movie. I had to laugh a bit a couple of times but I was expecting it to be more out loud. Instead of telling a simple adventure story about normal pets (and their extraordinary secret lives), the focus suddenly switches to crazy pets that live in the city's underworld. The plot spirals totally out of control. It goes completely nuts and turns into a big mess.

IMDb score: 6,8/10
Our score: 5/10

Mountain Men is a bit of everything

5 second plot: Two brothers get a chance to catch up while trying to survive on a snowy mountain.

5 second review: I can't tell if this is supposed to be mainly a comedy, or a brotherly love drama or an adventure. It's a little bit of everything. I think they tried to make it a laugh out loud comedy, but that didn't really work out. It's not terrible, but not very much interesting happens. It's also nothing new, it feels like I've seen it a thousand times before.

IMDb score: 5,7/10
Our score: 5/10

Tomorrowland does not use its full potential

5 second plot: There's a secret place where all the smartest people flocked together to create everything they could imagine, without all the boundaries of the world we live in. But now they've built something they shouldn't have and they need Casey to come fix it.

5 second review: This is one of those adventure stories that don't come around very often anymore. The action is cool fun but it takes a long time to get started. The story is too little about the wonders of Tomorrowland and too much about the failure of our world.

IMDb score: 6,7/10
Our score: 5,5/10

Cinderella is gorgeous

5 second plot: This is the classic story of the girl from the title. She's a sweetie-pie who is treated horribly by her step-mother. She falls in love with a prince. And he falls in love with her. But their love seems impossible. But we all know: love conquers all.

5 second review: This is a children's story. So it came as quite of a surprise to me that I really liked it. Seriously. It's like I was enchanted by it (laugh all you want). It's everything a fairy tale should be. It's gorgeous and everyone fits his or her part perfectly (good and evil).

IMDb score: 7,7/10
Our score: 9/10

Annie has its moments

5 second plot: Annie is a foster kid who has been looking for her parents her whole life. She lives with a foster mom that doesn't care very much about her or the other kids that are living there, but Annie keeps her spirit up and keeps putting a smile on everyone's face. She gets a chance to live a rich girl's life for a couple of weeks when she meets Will Stacks.

5 second review: This is not the legendary picture the first movie was (still is), but kids will probably like it. As an adult I really hated the grown-ups singing and dancing. It's terrible. The rest of the movie is definitely not perfect, but it has its fun moments, like a couple of great cameos and fun pop culture references.

IMDb score: 4,5/10
Our score: 5/10

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a very long title

5 second plot: Every day is a bad day for Alexander. His family doesn't seem to understand him. So on his 12th birthday he wishes they would. It's like a Home Alone wish. He doesn't really want bad things to happen to his family, but he just wishes they would know what it feels like. And sure enough, that day his entire family has a (insert title here).

5 second review: It's a very simple family movie without a lot of meaningful content. It's only 70 minutes long (without the end credits) so clearly there wasn't very much to be said. It's a little bit funny to see everything go wrong. It's a shame the movie doesn't exploit its full potential though: it could have been a lot more interesting.

IMDb score: 6,2/10
Our score: 5/10

Earth to Echo is a modern day Goonies I guess

5 second plot: Three best friends are preparing to move with their parents away from the town they grew up in. Because the government is building a freeway right across it. All of a sudden their phones start acting funny. It seems as if the phones are trying to send them in a certain direction. On their last night together they decide to see where it takes them. They find a tiny alien that needs their help.

5 second review: This is a movie about kids and friendship. It's filmed with handheld cameras and all sorts of modern day equipment. So it's kinda shaky. This is very much in contrast with the really well designed special effects. It's a sweet story, it's got a cute alien and the kid actors are really convincing. Not bad at all.

IMDb score: 5,8/10
Our score: 7/10

Maleficent will make some people raging mad

5 second plot: Maleficent's wings are stolen by a soon to be mad king. She curses his newborn baby. On her 16th birthday she will fall into an eternal sleep if she pricks her hand on a spinning wheel. But then Maleficent becomes really fond of the princess. But it's an irreversible curse. Only a true love kiss can save her. And there isn't one available.

5 second review: The fairy tale creatures look cartoonish. Not in a good way. King Stefan looks and talks like a character from Robin Hood: Men in Tights. But there are also some good elements in this film (like the magic and the story of true love) and it is a nice swing on the original story. It's best that you watch this movie only if you're in a happy mindset, because otherwise Angelina Jolie looking at you (a lot!) like she means business could get on your nerves.

IMDb score: 7,3/10
Our score: 6/10

Two-Bit Waltz is a weird little fucker

5 second plot: Maude is almost 18 years old, she's suspended from school and is bored because no-one wants to hang out with her. Even her mother says 'Darling, I would, but I don't want to'. She's got one big project she can focus on: she wants to become a writer.

5 second review: Written by, directed by and starring Clara Mamet. After 5 minutes I was thinking 'Why am I watching this?'. And this thought stayed with me through the entire movie. It's possible that Clara Manet is trying to tell us something. But I seriously don't know what it is.

IMDb score: 5,3/10
Our score: 2/10

Jamesy Boy is a big surprise

5 second plot: James is a young guy that gets into trouble all the time. He's been institutionalized since he was 6. He's simply an angry kid. In his teens he gets convicted and put in jail. At first he needs to be the big man on campus, but after a while he realizes he needs to straighten up if he wants to make something of his life.

5 second review: I totally didn't expect it, but I kinda loved this film. The character is worked out really well and played with an enormous eye for detail. Scenes from the past and present move along simultaneously: that creates a perfect pace. Good job.

IMDb score: 6,1/10
Our score: 8,5/10

Khumba misses its target

5 second plot: Khumba is a young zebra with only half a set of stripes. His herd thinks he will bring them bad luck. And sure enough, a little bit later, it stops raining. Khumba goes on a quest to find a magical pond to get himself a full set of stripes.

5 second review: This should be a fun movie. Just look at the trailer: that was the idea, right? Why oh why, then, is there so much melodrama in here combined with too much scary stuff and life lessons no kid can understand without an adult explaining it to him/her? A little bit of a miss-fire this one...

IMDb score: 5,8/10
Our score: 3/10

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is well done

5 second plot: Percy and his friends are searching for a fleece with magical healing powers to save one of their own and restore their protective barrier. The quest is dangerous and there is someone else out to get the fleece with an ulterior motive.

5 second review: For kids? Yeah, sure, but not exclusively. You could have some fun with it as an adult. The movie is very well done (sets, characters, acting). The only flaw for me is that it is not always clear where it is going.

IMDb score: 5,9/10
Our score: 7/10

Oz the Great and Powerful

5 second plot: Oz is a carnival magician in Kansas. After he gets swept away in an hot air balloon by a tornado he ends up in a place also called Oz. There his mission is to fulfill the prophecy and defeat the wicked witch.

5 second review: This feels like a reversed Roger Rabbit where the 'real' people are in the cartoon instead of the cartoon in the real world. They should had used real sets. Because it all feels really empty. The only fun stuff is the reference to The Wizard of Oz. And the beautiful Mila Kunis. But she turns green half way through.

IMDb score: 6,6/10
Our score: 5/10
Box office mojo: 491 mio $ worldwide (on 22-06-2013)

Howl's Moving Castle is stunningly beautiful

5 second plot: Sophie, a shy but very warmhearted  girl gets turned into an old woman by a wicked witch. After that she feels the need to search for a young wizard, Howl. Maybe he can help her with the curse. In the background the kingdom where they all live is going to war.

5 second review: This is a beautiful story and a visually stunning movie. I didn't always get where it was going, but it was still a lot of fun. Wizards and witches... and a walking house. Something you don't see every day. A must see.

IMDb score: 8,2/10
Our score: 9/10

Spirited Away is a beauty

5 second review: Chihiro accidentally ends up in another world. This world is crowded with strange creatures. The leader is a (sort of) evil witch. To survive, Chihiro has to work in the bath house. She also has to find a way to get back home. But that's going to be a tough one. Luckily she's got a very big and warm heart to help her find her way.

5 second review: I don't know anyone with such a fantastic imagination as Hayao Miyazaki. How in the world does he do it? He must have amazing dreams. This is a beautiful story brought to life in beautifully detailed animation.

IMDb score: 8,6/10
Our score: 9/10

My Neighbor Totoro is gorgeous

5 second plot: Two little girls and their dad move to the countryside to be closer to their sick mom who is staying in a hospital nearby. Next to their house is a big forest. The girls make friends with the spirits living there.

5 second review: A beautiful story, made in gorgeous animation, filled with warm, kind and friendly people (and spirits). There is not a lot of story going on, but it’s one of those movies that just make you happy. 

IMDb score: 8,3/10

Our score: 8/10

Explorers is old school

5 second plot: Three friends find a way to travel as fast and as far as they want to. So what does one do in that case? Build a spaceship of course.

5 second review: It's a great adventure movie for kids. It's all about being fearless (and worry-less). The visual effects are really old school and the movie is very monotonous. But the aliens are definitely memorable.

IMDb score: 6,6/10
Our score: 3/10

Mork & Mindy Season 1 Episode 1-3

5 second plot: Mork is an alien who’s been sent to earth to observe us. He ends up living with Mindy who will try to teach him how to blend in. Mork has been to earth before. That previous time he met the Fonz, who tried to teach him about dating. It didn’t work out well.

5 second review: This is the perfect platform for a comedian like Robin Williams. He can do lots of voices and make a big fool of himself. You can tell he's having a blast. The humor is a bit simple (from back in the day) and the visuals did not withstand the test of time. But if you're looking for old school fun, this could be your thing.

IMDb score: 7,2/10

Our score: 6/10