1. Concludes in a wholly unpredictable way and emphasizes such lessons as the retainment of knowledge, art, and spirit as perhaps the most valuable act for any surviving society.
2. The film's final image is a poetic paean to the Book's living power—a power that The Secret of Kells, like Aisling, recognizes without, perhaps, fully understanding.
3. Just a couple of minutes into this beautifully drawn, intricately rendered Irish import, you understand why the movie earned the Academy's attention.
4. This is a feast for the eyes. Characters look like expressive, paper cut figures, Celtic knots provide "frames" for the images and there are lush, watercolor-like backgrounds.
5. ... a must-see for animation fans, particularly those who are wearying of the computer animation look.
6. The Secret of Kells is a magical adventure unlike anything we've seen on screen before.
7. A glorious throwback to the more stylized, painterly work of decades past, the kind of vividly colored, fanciful pictorials that are usually confined to the small-scale realm of animated shorts.
8. Before long the magic that enchanted the Academy voters enchanted me too.
9. No, this isn't a great film, but it is a unique visual experience.
10. Colorful and imaginative, it's a visual treat. Where the story comes in, however, it loses it's footing.
What is the critic consensus?
A: Beautifully drawn and refreshingly calm, The Secret of Kells hearkens back to animation's golden age with an enchanting tale inspired by Irish mythology.

1. Even with Black's charisma, and a talented support cast, this is dull stuff.
2. It's not just weary parents who will get fed up with this one; kids will probably realize they've been duped too.
3. A feeble rip-off of Jonathan Swift's 18th-century satire, reduced to a succession of lame jokes and a drearily unfunny star vehicle for Jack Black. Dumbing down doesn't come more dispiriting than this.
4. I mean - really - do you have a burning desire to see Jack Black's buttocks? Blown up, in the land of Lilliput, to 12 times their normal size? I didn't think so.
5. Funny films are short on the ground and this one - which has already been dubbed a flop by US critics - deserves to be bigged up.
6. Like a health warning on a packet of cigarettes, the words Jack Black on a movie poster have become synonymous with life-threatening unfunniness.
7. Really, this could have done with some bigger laughs.
8. Black can barely keep a straight face as he gambols from one digital effects sequence to the next.
9. As so often, this diluted Gulliver's Travels is presented as if it were a children's story, clearly influenced by similarly defanged versions of Alice In Wonderland.
10. Emasculated Swift but entertaining enough for kids.
What is the critic consensus?
A: Though Jack Black is back doing what he does best, Gulliver's Travels largely fails to do any justice to its source material, relying instead on juvenile humor and special effects.

1. ...a respectful, storyteller's approach to rural America. No mockery, no Hollywood-knows-better, no nonsense. That kind of thing is in shorter supply than the universe's collective desire for McConaughey to return to rom-coms.
2. Mud is a captivating drama with well-rounded characters and fantastic performances from its three leads.
3. Mud combines the poignance of a boy coming to terms with life's realities with the excitement of top-notch suspense.
4. Jeff Nichols' script for Mud is a lot like the Mississippi River that serves as a backdrop for the tale of unrequited love. There are times it is big and powerful and other times when it becomes so serene it's easy to forget the depths that hide below.
5. With Mud, Jeff Nichols demonstrates once again that he's that rare breed of filmmaker who prefers to bury himself in the dirt of rural America rather than carve his initials into the concrete of sprawling urbanity.
6. It's a lovely, coherent piece of storytelling, with a unique sense of place. Nichols has carved out a niche as a distinctive film-maker.
7. It's rare that films manage to capture the actual experience of what it is like to be a child, but 'Mud' seems to nail the ethos.
8. Nichols weaves it all together with consummate skill and a little black pepper.
9. It's a sweet tale that displays plenty of faith in humanity without ever veering into sappiness and always keeping you on the edge of your seat.
10. [Feels] like an adaptation of a classic novel that doesn't actually exist.
What is the critic consensus?
A: Bolstered by a strong performance from Matthew McConaughey in the title role, Mud offers an engaging Southern drama that manages to stay sweet and heartwarming without being sappy.

1. The most courageous thing about it, from today's standards, is that it closes without an obligatory happy ending, and an audience that has watched for 187 minutes doesn't get a tidy, mindless conclusion.
2. It is a spotty, uneven drama.
3. the liberal message is delivered with a heavy hand, but the film also boasts some stirring action and intelligent dialogue.
4. An absolute classic by one of the great American directors.
5. Kubrick's gladiator film is the pinnacle of sword-and-sandal epics.
6. Meant to be seen on the big screen.
7. It's especially strong, and more typical of Kubrick, in the first half -- before satire gives way to sentiment.
8. Rousing in patches, but kitschy in so many others - a mixed bag.
9. Director Stanley Kubrick was obviously just collecting a paycheck for this one, though he stages some intricate battle scenes. Too bad he obviously couldn't have cared less about the lame love story and political machinations behind the scenes.
10. Many scenes ring passionate and rousing, while others are campy and silly, and somehow they all work together.
What is the critic consensus?
A:
Featuring terrific performances and epic action, Kubrick's restored swords-and-sandals epic is a true classic.