Freeze Frame: “The Matrix Resurrections” (R), “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story” (PG), “Don’t Look Up” (R), “A Journal for Jordan” (PG), “Even Mice Belong in Heaven” (Not rated)

It’s been 18 years since the last installment of the lauded sci-fi “Matrix” franchise. Is the fourth movie “The Matrix Resurrections” necessary? Not really, but it’s a welcome mind-trip down memory lane. Neo tries to save his beloved Trinity from the conniving puppeteer behind the matrix…but who’s saving whom? The best way to enjoy “The Matrix Resurrections” is to give up on trying to figure it all out and just go with the visually intensive flow. 

Quarterback Kurt Warner’s rags-to-riches story as an undrafted free agent who became a Super Bowl MVP is an inspiring one. The filmmaking of “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story,” however, is uninspired. Still, it’s an uplifting feel-good movie for the whole family.

Leonardo Di Caprio and Jennifer Lawrence lead an all-star cast, giving their all to Adam McKay’s sharp political satire, “Don’t Look Up.” It’s the story of scientists who try to warn humanity about Earth’s imminent collision with a comet. This allegory about climate change, Covid-19 and political divisions hits all the targets it aims for. “Don’t Look Up” wants to be “Doctor Strangelove” for a new generation but may be too ostentatious for its own good.

Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams are very appealing in the sweet but tragic true story “A Journal for Jordan.” Their chemistry propels director Denzel Washington’s well-meaning romantic drama, but the slow pace and maudlin approach of “A Journal for Jordan” works against it.

“Even Mice Belong in Heaven” is a beautifully crafted stop-motion animated movie from Czechoslovakia about natural enemies, a fox and a mouse, who meet in the hereafter and form an unusual bond. The story gets a bit cloying, and the voice work is shrill, but it’s still a sweet visual treat suitable for all ages.

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