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“Sonic the Hedgehog”
PG, 1:39, family
Expectations have been low for this adaptation of the ’90s video game, but it’s legitimately funny and heartwarming. Ben Schwartz voices Sonic, a lonely alien on Earth, where he longs to connect with the humans around him in a small Montana town. James Marsden is Tom Wachowski, the cop who takes Sonic under his care, with Tika Sumpter playing his wife, and Adam Pally and Natasha Rothwell in very funny supporting roles. But the big news here is Jim Carrey’s glorious return to form as Sonic’s main antagonist, a secretive government mad scientist named Dr. Robotnik. This entire review could be dedicated to Carrey’s delightfully campy performance. — Katie Walsh
“The Call of the Wild”
PG, 1:40, adventure
Based on the classic novella by Jack London, this is what one might call a literary dog movie, even if there is technically no actual dog in it. Buck, the dog, is a CGI creation. And it’s only through technology that his dangerous and harrowing adventures in the Alaskan wilderness during the Gold Rush could be realistically brought to the big screen, for better or for worse. Buck’s digital nature is off-putting, and something you can never quite shake throughout the film. Fortunately Buck plays opposite several solid human actors who can hold up their end of the tale: Omar Sy as Perrault, Harrison Ford as John Thornton, and Dan Stevens as Hal. — Katie Walsh
“Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey”
R, 1:44, action-adventure
The best thing to come out of 2016’s antihero team-up “Suicide Squad” was Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, self-proclaimed “Joker’s girl” and quirky chaos clown. She’s back and better than ever in this brilliant, breakneck circus for the senses, with characters that give the film heart and humor: Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a butt-kicking blaxploitation queen; Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a mysterious, neurotic assassin out for vengeance; renegade cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez); and precocious pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). Harley’s new girl gang bands together against the sinister Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). — Katie Walsh
“Brahms: The Boy II”
PG-13, 1:26, horror
The scares come early and often in this sequel as a family of three looks for a fresh start after a traumatic home invasion. They move into a house on the estate from “The Boy.” The son Jude (Christopher Convery) finds Brahms and brings him into the house, demanding that mom Liza (Katie Holmes) and dad Sean (Owain Yeoman) follow the first movie’s “rules” and treat the doll like a person. As always, the doll’s blank face and soulless eyes make even the most routine “Who moved that furniture?” moments moderately more spine-tingling. “The Boy II” is a fairly corny and stodgy spook-show, with a few good jolts and one genuinely creepy killer toy. — Noel Murray
“The Photograph”
PG-13, 1:46, drama
Director Stella Meghie’s film plays an artful, subdued game of flashback hopscotch, from the present-day romance between Mae (Issa Rae) and Michael (LaKeith Stanfield) to 1980s scenes about Christina, Mae’s mother. She’s played by the subtly terrific Chanté Adams. There’s hardly any melodrama, and a lot happens off-screen; Mae and Michael get to know each other, for example, in leisurely, conversational encounters, without the usual montage shortcuts. Mae can be a frustrating protagonist, but Rae’s warmth keeps her interesting, just as Stanfield’s unpredictable timing keeps his character (romantically impulsive, tough to read) from being a weasel. — Michael Phillips