Capsule reviews for June 3

Eiffel

The Eiffel Tower might not have any structural flaws, but the same can’t be said of this highly embellished French biopic about its creator and namesake. Gustave Eiffel (Romain Duris) was a mechanical engineer whose secondary contributions to the Statue of Liberty earned him a commission for his massive metal tower to help lure visitors to the 1889 world’s fair in Paris. It’s too bad the film undercuts the fascinating and often controversial construction process with a banal romance involving Eiffel and an aristocratic woman (Emma Mackey) with disapproving parents. Such revisionist history isn’t convincing, despite the stylish period re-creation and Duris’ spirited portrayal. (Rated R, 108 minutes).

Fire Island

Although its appeal is unlikely to stretch much beyond the target demographic, this sun-soaked variation on Pride and Prejudice at a gay beach retreat generates some heartfelt charm beneath its thin characters and uneven tone. The titular New York getaway is where a tight-knit circle of friends including Noah (Joel Kim Booster) and Howie (Bowen Yang) heads for a week of hookups and parties. Along the way, they both reinforce and shatter stereotypes with misadventures both comic and bittersweet. Booster’s screenplay adheres to predictable romantic comedy formula with some big laughs along the way, but an authentic sense of camaraderie and, well, unabashed pride shines throughout. (Rated R, 105 minutes).

Last Seen Alive

Cliches and contrivances sap away most of the suspense in this derivative B-movie vigilante thriller that squanders some reliably intense Gerard Butler confrontations. Butler plays Will, a quick-tempered real estate developer whose wife (Jaimie Alexander) is preparing to leave him. But first, she disappears during a routine stop at a gas station, leaving a frantic Will to bring down the kidnappers himself when he becomes frustrated with the inefficient police investigation. Efficiently directed by Brian Goodman (What Doesn’t Kill You), the film’s nondescript villains and progressively implausible twists diminish the rooting interest in the whereabouts of the victim or the status of their marriage. (Rated R, 95 minutes).

Neptune Frost

A barrage of sounds and images populates every frame of this head-scratching, genre-bending, and frequently exhilarating mix of science fiction, punk-rock musical, and offbeat romance with a queer Afrofuturist twist. Set in Burundi, the loosely constructed plot tracks an escaped coltan miner (Bertrand Ninteretse) who meets a renegade intersex hacker (played alternately by Cheryl Isheja and Elvis Ngabo) and forms a spiritual connection in a high-tech dreamscape. Even when it veers off course, the strikingly original vision of directors Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman resonates both as a study of colonialism and political oppression, and as a more abstract celebration of cultural identity and sexual fluidity. (Not rated, 105 minutes).

The Phantom of the Open

Indulging some formulaic tendencies while emphasizing quirky charm, this true-life British underdog saga from director Craig Roberts (Eternal Beauty) is a crowd-pleaser even for non-golf fans. In the 1970s, Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) was a crane operator in a small coastal town who managed to gain entry into the prestigious British Open tournament with virtually no experience. His upbeat optimism gains a following as Maurice and his wife (Sally Hawkins) proceed to tear down the stuffy golf establishment. The glossy screenplay leaves some questions unanswered, although the understated portrayal by Rylance (Bridge of Spies) helps turn this lovable loser into a well-deserved working-class folk hero. (Rated PG-13, 104 minutes).

Poser

The underground music scene of Columbus, Ohio, is the real star of this mildly pretentious character study of obsession and elusive stardom, which struggles to find its offbeat rhythm. Lennon (Sylvie Mix) is a wallflower who starts podcasting about the local music scene to come out of her shell. As she interviews some bands and infiltrates the inner circle of flamboyant punk-rocker Bobbi Kitten, Lennon discovers her own voice. But realizing her dreams can be costly. Mix’s committed performance provides an emotional anchor even if she never really earns our sympathy. Yet if the script wants to showcase original talent, why does it feel so familiar? (Not rated, 87 minutes).

The Time Capsule

A moderately intriguing concept gives way to formulaic execution in this romantic comedy with a science-fiction twist. Set in the near-future, it follows a politician (Todd Grinnell) who retreats to the family cabin with his wife (KaDee Strickland) after an election loss, then bumps into an old flame (Brianna Hildebrand), who has just returned from a 20-year mission in space and hasn’t aged a day. With his public image at stake, will their reconnection rekindle the sparks? It’s unlikely you’ll be invested enough to care after the more compelling futuristic aspects of the story are pushed aside by tired cliches about redemption and fate. (Not rated, 104 minutes).

Watcher

After building tension slowly and steadily, it’s a shame this psychological thriller lacks the payoff to match its creepy setup. Julie (Maika Monroe) moves to Romania with her husband (Karl Glusman) for his job. Suddenly she suspects a strange neighbor of stalking her, triggering a downward spiral of suspicion and paranoia. Failing to convince anyone, Julie is forced to confront her fears. Moderately unsettling yet mostly familiar, the screenplay by rookie director Chloe Okuno develops a rooting interest but contrivances diminish the impact. Moreover, the film lacks fresh insight into contemporary cultural and sexual politics, which doesn’t distinguish it from the genre classics that provided inspiration. (Rated R, 96 minutes).

Wolf Hound

Abundant shots of authentic vintage warplanes engaged in combat are hardly enough to justify sitting through this bloated and woefully cliched World War II epic. It chronicles an American pilot (James Maslow) whose bomber is shot down behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied France. He survives and learns of some confidential information that he needs to share with his superiors — if only he can elude detection on the ground while rescuing some stranded colleagues. Although the film is evidently inspired by real events, the heroics are depicted in derivative fashion while lacking broader context. Whenever the action drifts outside the cockpit, the film remains grounded. (Rated R, 130 minutes).