John Mulderig

Families don’t have to achieve perfection in order to live in harmony. Along with a lesson about the breaking down of fear-based barriers, that’s the basic theme of “Trolls Band Together” (Universal), a pleasant third animated adventure for the music-loving, doll-derived beings of the title who first arrived on the big screen in 2016.

Set in an imaginary kingdom ruled by a sorcerer called Magnifico (voice of Chris Pine), this is the story of one of his younger subjects, 17-year-old Asha (voice of Ariana DeBose).

Viewers out for sweeping spectacle will likely come away from director Ridley Scott’s historical epic satisfied. But those seeking insight into the conquering French emperor’s personality will find there’s a hollow ring to star Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of him.

Considered artistically, the quirky, sometimes humorous but more often confusing superhero adventure “The Marvels” (Disney) presents a mixed bag of ingredients that will likely appeal to some viewers but not others.

The relationship that writer-director Sofia Coppola’s screen version of Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me” charts is a strange mix of the respectable and the unsavory.

Attentive viewers will discern some positive moral values underlying the plot of the action comedy “Freelance” (Relativity).

– A warmhearted profile of a pioneering Indigenous American sports figure is provided in filmmakers Jonathan Cipiti and Megan Harrington’s documentary “Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer.”

A child-abduction theme lends a dark undertone to the turbid horror film “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”