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Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Bangor Daily News (Maine) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Christopher Smith.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
A-
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Christopher Smith Jackson has covered more territory than anyone could have hoped for or imagined, and he has done so in a series of films that have raised the bar for moviemaking.
Posted Jan 14, 2026  Edit critic review
B
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) Christopher Smith Gollum, voiced by Andy Serkis, is fascinating, a feat of showmanship of the first order. He has more presence and character than any human actor in the movie and his creation is nothing short of genius.
Posted Jan 13, 2026  Edit critic review
B+
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Christopher Smith Tolkien's story of wars fought within mountains couldn't be more timely, a smashing connection to the present that gives the film an enormous lift as it launches into its second hour.
Posted Jan 13, 2026  Edit critic review
Spider-Man (2002) Christopher Smith Framed to look like a comic book yet written and directed to reflect the series' sly wit and intelligence, Spider-Man has it all.
Posted Sep 24, 2025  Edit critic review
C+
Superman Returns (2006) Christopher Smith "Returns" is a glossy, special effects-heavy movie, for sure, and it has a few sparks, but these days, glossy special effects and a few sparks aren't good enough.
Posted Jul 07, 2025  Edit critic review
B-
Jurassic Park III (2001) Christopher Smith Johnston is a director with a gift. He knows how to keep things moving and maintain interest in spite of the odds stacked against him.
Posted Jun 25, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Mission: Impossible II (2000) Christopher Smith The film is great fun, a summer blockbuster that seamlessly blends action, humor, sex, and glamour into a mix that's so intoxicating...
Posted May 08, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Christopher Smith Monty Python and the Holy Grail isn't perfect -- it can be wildly uneven and sometimes it's dull. But when it unleashes the full Monty of its cast's genius for dialogue, it can be unforgettable.
Posted Apr 01, 2025  Edit critic review
B
Slither (2006) Christopher Smith As with so many zombie movies, table manners have no place here -- why should they when fresh intestines are on the menu? Gluttony, however, does bloom in Slither, and what it builds to is one savage little garden.
Posted May 23, 2024  Edit critic review
A
Almost Famous (2000) Christopher Smith Marked by its strong script and outstanding performances, particularly from Fugit, McDormand and Hudson, Almost Famous is a shot in the arm for anyone tired of the dreck Hollywood has been unleashing in recent weeks.
Posted Mar 25, 2024  Edit critic review
D
The Story of Us (1999) Christopher Smith It features two bitter, bickering stereotypes who are meant to represent a realistic married couple, but they don't. Not once.
Posted Apr 07, 2020  Edit critic review
B
Bridesmaids (2011) Christopher Smith "Bridesmaids" is a great first step for Apatow in finding his feminine voice, and an even better launching pad for the hilarious Kristin Wiig.
Posted May 14, 2011  Edit critic review
D
Priest (2011) Christopher Smith If you have an action movie that doesn't have enough loud, wham-bam, explosive fun to wake a sleeping baby, which was the case at my screening, then you, my friend, have an action movie not worth seeing.
Posted May 14, 2011  Edit critic review
C
Something Borrowed (2011) Christopher Smith The film relies on a singular idea-deciding whether to hurt a friend for the sake of true happiness. It's a premise that runs out of steam halfway through, but not before repeating its point over and over. More like "Something to Throw Away."
Posted May 07, 2011  Edit critic review
B+
Thor (2011) Christopher Smith With a director this interested in making every shot exciting, it should come as no surprise that his film is just that.
Posted May 07, 2011  Edit critic review
D+
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011) Christopher Smith The very nature of animation is to appear lively, and if that's the case, "Hoodwinked Too" fails at almost every turn.
Posted Apr 29, 2011  Edit critic review
B-
Fast Five (2011) Christopher Smith The film's plot rarely makes sense and the script is lackluster, but who cares when each chase is composed of the right amount of speed and clarity? Lin never puts his foot on the break until the last possible second.
Posted Apr 29, 2011  Edit critic review
B
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010) Christopher Smith There is a scene in the movie that is so visceral, it will make you forget about the high-flying silliness. That's the Donnie Yen I was waiting to see.
Posted Apr 23, 2011  Edit critic review
D
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (2011) Christopher Smith "Madea's Big Happy Family" is an assault on the senses. I'm still trying to figure out how "Afternoont" and a pancreatic tumor equate in humor, but, hey, maybe Perry's a pioneer of comedy, too.
Posted Apr 22, 2011  Edit critic review
C+
Water for Elephants (2011) Christopher Smith The director puts on a beautiful spectacle. However, while the film looks fantastic, its stars lack the connection needed to make this circus a true marvel.
Posted Apr 22, 2011  Edit critic review
B+
Insidious (2010) Christopher Smith For scares alone, "Insidious" deserves an "A." It may not be very original, but for a fun trip through a haunted house, it works exceedingly well.
Posted Apr 02, 2011  Edit critic review
D+
Hop (2011) Christopher Smith Like the colorful candies of Easter, "Hop" is a pastel distraction lacking any kind nutritional value. Inside its foil wrapping exists an endless array of predictable jokes, aimless subplots and obnoxious characters. It's a disaster.
Posted Apr 02, 2011  Edit critic review
A-
Source Code (2011) Christopher Smith A well-paced and structured sci-fi thriller that's as complex as it is clear-headed.
Posted Apr 02, 2011  Edit critic review
D+
Beastly (2011) Christopher Smith "Beastly" is a poor representation of its source material and creates a monster out of it its inherent themes.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
D
Mars Needs Moms (2011) Christopher Smith "Mars Needs Moms" is only consistent in that it's a mess.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
B-
The Adjustment Bureau (2011) Christopher Smith Damon and Blunt are great--it's just a shame they don't have a stronger adversary for their love.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
D
Red Riding Hood (2011) Christopher Smith Against the phony sets and effects, Valerie's world seems more like a cheap stage rather than a realistic fantasy world, making the film's own flaws and missed opportunities clear as day even in the dark of night.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
B+
Rango (2011) Christopher Smith "Rango" has everything going for it -- strong characters, complex plotting, and a knowledge of the genre it parodies without excluding newcomers to it. It's smart without being alienating and exciting without being mindless.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
C+
Battle: Los Angeles (2011) Christopher Smith If the recent slew of apocalyptic invasion pictures teaches us one thing, it's that they make better trailers than movies. This is a case in point.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
B+
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) Christopher Smith McConaughey's confidence fits like a glove--it's the role he's been waiting for, and coupled against Philippe's easy-to-hate playboy and a great supporting cast, the film turns out to be one of this season's better movies.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
B
Limitless (2011) Christopher Smith "Limitless" delivers the goods in terms of fun, suspense, and an above-average story. The twists and turns never appear without reason, and Cooper delivers an assured, charismatic performance that lifts the film.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
B
Paul (2011) Christopher Smith "Paul" might not connect with everyone, but it's certainly funny and heartfelt enough to please those brave enough to see it. It seems destined for a cult following rather than a legion of converted geeks.
Posted Mar 19, 2011  Edit critic review
D
The Resident (2011) Christopher Smith If all is right in the universe, the only good that will come out of "The Resident" is the murder of its director's career before it even starts.
Posted Feb 11, 2011  Edit critic review
C
Sanctum (2011) Christopher Smith James Cameron produced "Sanctum" to create a similar experience to "Avatar." But where as the world of Pandora benefitted from the immersive qualities of Imax 3-D, "Sanctum" only occasionally uses the screen's size properly.
Posted Feb 05, 2011  Edit critic review
D+
The Roommate (2011) Christopher Smith It explores that roommates can be, you know, like a total drag sometimes.
Posted Feb 05, 2011  Edit critic review
C+
No Strings Attached (2011) Christopher Smith The hilarious supporting players keep things moving when the director stumbles, but "No Strings Attached" lacks the emotional core that would have made it memorable.
Posted Jan 30, 2011  Edit critic review
B+
The Company Men (2010) Christopher Smith In the wrong hands, "The Company Men" could have slipped into a slop of sentiment, but the movie doesn't go there. This is, first and foremost, a movie about "men," and what, in Wells' eyes, it means to be a man in these difficult times.
Posted Jan 30, 2011  Edit critic review
B+
The Way Back (2010) Christopher Smith Rife with uncertainty and realism, Weir's film is a stunning testament to human fortitude and to the power of Mother Nature.
Posted Jan 30, 2011  Edit critic review
B
The Mechanic (2011) Christopher Smith Check your brain at the door and enjoy.
Posted Jan 30, 2011  Edit critic review
D
The Rite (2011) Christopher Smith "The Rite" aims for authenticity but is nothing more than a cartoon. The film is rife with poorly executed genre clichés and bad acting, alienating the viewer from the picture--and putting them into a coma.
Posted Jan 30, 2011  Edit critic review
A-
Black Swan (2010) Christopher Smith You've never seen a movie quite like "Black Swan" before. It's brazen, it's ridiculous, it's magnificent, it's human, it's unique, it's the world at its worst, it's the worst at its best - and this is why it's so weirdly compelling.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
C
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) Christopher Smith Their joyous return to Narnia washes away as their comfort in the face of the fantastic sets in. Nothing appears new to them, and likewise, nothing enchants us.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
D+
Yogi Bear (2010) Christopher Smith Yogi's picnic gag is funny in small doses but, much like his Chipmunk brethren, inflating these simple pleasures into a feature-length movie is disastrous.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
D+
How Do You Know (2010) Christopher Smith This neurotic comedy tiptoes from one boring setback to the next, bottling its issues in schmaltz, and thus, costing the film its heart.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
A
The Fighter (2010) Christopher Smith Most of the drama takes place outside of the ring, where lives are on the line, a family is divided and one of the year's best movies is found.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
D
Little Fockers (2010) Christopher Smith A mapped minefield of bad jokes.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
C
Gulliver's Travels (2010) Christopher Smith Jack Black's abridged version of Jonathan Swift's famed epic fairs slightly better than other recent family adaptations. It's silly and occasionally funny -- not bad for a movie starring a guy who saves an entire city with his urine.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
A-
Rabbit Hole (2010) Christopher Smith With so many tricky undercurrents to manage, "Rabbit Hole" could have caved beneath their weight and gone into safe, predictable directions that would have been easier to navigate. But it doesn't. It's more complex than that.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
F
Season of the Witch (2011) Christopher Smith Because this is the first release of 2011, it would too be easy to crown "Season of the Witch" the worst film of the year, but I'm sure it will live up to that title for weeks to come.
Posted Jan 07, 2011  Edit critic review
B
Tron: Legacy (2010) Christopher Smith Like the original movie, "Tron: Legacy" was made to push the boundaries of technology in cinema. It succeeds. The film is a special effects spectacle to behold.
Posted Dec 17, 2010  Edit critic review
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