It's a cluttered weekend at the American box office, as there are no less than three big budgeted films vying for chart domination. Fancied topper is the superhero sequel Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which has been getting glowing notices from America's critical community. Variety got the ball rolling by eloquently saying "There's a precision to the visual ornateness of Hellboy II that exceeds even that of its predecessor" while USA Today kept it much more simple and said it was a "quintessential summer movie that delivers plenty of inventive thrills". Meet Dave hasn't fared so well, but it still has its admirers as Variety said it was a "pleasant surprise"; most other outlets were far tougher to impress though, as The Chicgao Tribune was amongst the naysers, saying the film needed "Better material and more adept direction", which is another way of saying it's crap. Last and, quite frankly, probably least is the adventure film Journey To The Centre Of The Earth In 3D, which wasn't screened for us lowly Irish critics. Reaction in The States has been positive, despite a severely displeasing trailer; TV critic Richard Roeper called it simply "a lot of fun" while The Washington Post said it was "terrific family entertainment" but then went on to say it was "an action comedy on a par with Night at the Museum and National Treasure." That is supposed to be a positive review... we think.
