Superman II (1980)

Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.

From memory: Director Richard Lester adds some much-needed humor and speedy action, even breaking some taboos along the way, and Gene Hackman is fine as villain Lex Luthor.

Halliwell (no star): "Half the first episode was devoted to a creaky unnecessary setting up of plot and characters.  This sequel is all the better for diving straight into action, but a classic it isn't, even of the comic strip kind."

Maltin***: "Screw the Superman legend, forget logic, and full speed ahead: that's the attitude of this flashy sequel...Full of great effects and entertainingly played, but lacking the awe and wonder of the original film, adding cruelty and violence instead."

Teorema (1968)

A mysterious young man seduces each member of a bourgeois family and changes their lives.

Although told quite straightforwardly, this tale is charged with political, existential and religious implications without giving any answers; a riddle of sorts.

Halliwell*:  "Moderately amusing fable with the presumed intent of decrying all universal panaceas, including Christianity."

Maltin**: "Pointed, but obvious, occasionally hokey political/sexual fable..."

Elektra (2005)

Elektra the warrior survives a near-death experience, becomes an assassin-for-hire, and tries to protect her two latest targets, a single father and his young daughter, from a group of supernatural assassins.

Comic adaptations, especiallly of the superhero kind, are generally a slippery task (campy vs silly), but on this occasion the result is on simple B picture/Golan-Globus level.

Maltin*1/2: "Lackluster fight scenes, Garner's sleepwalking, and a tendency toward the psychoanalytic (Elektra had a tough childhood) make this a groan...a far cry from the franchise it was intended to launch."

Red Planet (2000)

Astronauts, and their robotic dog AMEE (Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion), search for solutions to save a dying Earth by searching on Mars, only to have the mission go terribly awry.

It's quite a regular sci-fi adventure with maybe a bit too many obstacles packed into the plot, but manages to entertain in an old-fashioned kind of way.

Halliwell (no star): "Dreary science-fiction, with the actors inhibited by their space-suits; nothing interesting happens very slowly."

Maltin**: "Utterly ordinary sci-fi saga...Looks good, but covers awfully familiar dramatic turf."

Big Eyes (2014)

A drama about the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

Adequately straightforward handling of an unusual and upsetting true story of artistic betrayal with a splendid cast.