I don't think I've ever been as conflicted in choosing whether to recommend a film.  My close friends know how much I admired Ang Lee's Hulk (2003).  I called it, "the most introspective of the Marvel superhero movies that have come out so far."  And it still is.  Yet this latest version, directed by The Transporter's Louis Leterrier, makes up for its lack of insight with its blistering action.  So how should I judge a film that succeeds in what it sets out to do, but is wanting when compared to its predecessor?

A lot has been said about how much darker Prince Caspian is over its predecessor (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe), and that it is.  But what gets lost within this observation is how much more assured and polished this outing is as well.  As if released from the burden of fitting this material for children, Andrew Adamson has crafted what is essentially a Jacobean fairy tale, managed with clever writing and a few lighthearted moments, and methodically punctuated with a marvelous climax.

What on Earth were the Wachowski brothers smoking?  That's pretty much all I could think about after seeing Speed Racer, a film that blows its wad over CGI (the film's budget was $120 million), and yet feels so spectacularly cheap.  Despite its dazzling visual assault and actors' brave (but thankless) performances, the movie is essentially a two hour Hot Wheels commercial.

Iron Man is Marvel's answer to Batman.  Both are gazillionaires who pour their immense fortune (obtained from weaponry) to fund their personal crusades.  Both wield no "super powers".  Both are haunted by loss and are driven by such trauma to save humanity from itself.  But whereas Bruce Wayne's life-mission is to exact vengeance on wrongdoers, Tony Stark aims to have sinful fun while saving the world.  He's not as focused, but he makes up for it with his technological genius.