‘Coraline’ dazzling, but lacks depth

‘Coraline’

Adapted from Neil Gaiman’s enormously successful book of the same name, this film follows 11-year-old Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning), whose wish to replace the adults in her life leads to a nightmarish experience in a parallel universe.

She finds herself in another world where charming replicas of her parents invite her to live with them. There’s a major hitch, of course: Coraline’s “Other Mother” (Teri Hatcher) makes her a prisoner and demands unyielding devotion.

For all its visual delights, the film remains more an engaging spectacle than a connective drama. Director-writer Henry Selick doesn’t reach for the kind of universality that would enrich the movie.

It’s a shame, because Fanning’s performance – from cheeky to sweet, bored to anguished – should have been part of a bigger, deeper movie. (1:40; PG for scary images, mild profanity and suggestive humor)

‘Watchmen’

(R, 163 minutes): The film, like the 1986 graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, follows the tormented daily lives of a ragtag band of retired superheroes caught up in a plot to save the Earth, and themselves, from the machinations of a self-appointed savior of mankind – one who may not have mankind’s best interests at heart.

The gang’s all here: the psychotically righteous Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), the dangerously smart Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode) and the shape-shifting blue nudist with seemingly limitless power, Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup).

The movie exposes the glaring problems with the original material: The dialogue stinks and is filled with cliches. When it marches in lock step with the tedious plot, the only watch that matters in “Watchmen” is the one on your wrist.

DVD extras: extended cut of the film, split-screen commentary from director Zack Snyder, featurettes. (2:43; R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language)

‘The Great Buck Howard’

Buck Howard (John Malkovich) is a vaudevillian mentalist who gets through each day by reliving his best moments from 30 years ago, even though the rest of the world has moved on. Colin Hanks plays Buck’s assistant, who caters to his strange needs and helps maintain his boss’ delusion that he is still a beloved personality.

One problem is the dull Hanks (his father, Tom, produces and acts in the film). A bigger problem is Hanks’ character, Troy, a law school dropout.

The story is Troy’s, not Buck’s, and the film is all the less interesting because of it. Malkovich is merely a vessel through which Troy learns an important lesson on the way to establishing his own writing career. (1:27; PG for language, including suggestive remarks, and a drug reference)

Also available: “Echelon Conspiracy,” “Midnight Express,” “Pushing Daisies: Season 2,” “Prison Break: The Final Break,” “Monk: Season 7,” “Psych: The Complete Third Season,” “Charlie’s Angels: Complete Fourth Season”