Coraline: A young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) escapes into an alternate universe where her "other mother and father" dote on her, unlike her self-absorbed real parents. This first animated stop-motion feature to be created in 3D reminds us that there can be more than mere gimmickry in the souped-up imagery.
- Marjorie Baumgarten
Watchmen: The nihilistic '80s comics series imagined an alternate Earth where the paranoid Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) goes overboard trying to figure out who killed his fellow superhero the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Zack Snyder's film adaptation is cold and uninvolving, lacking the comic's emotional connection.
- Marc Savlov