Short takes

Reviews by Daily News critic Gary Thompson, unless noted.

BRICK LANE. Bored Bangladeshi wife looks for excitement in London, where she and her family have lived, but not assimilated to, for 20 years. (PG-13) B- (Wire services)

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN. Big-budget sequel takes the Pevensie children back to Narnia for a lot of fighting and a few more laughs. Ben Barnes. (PG-13) B

THE DARK KNIGHT. Heath Ledger is a nihilistic Joker, taunting Batman and bent on demoralizing Gotham before destroying it. Effective; not for kids. (PG-13) B

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD. Another of Werner Herzog's "documentaries" trains the filmmaker's surreal, spectacular vision on Antarctica. (G) A- (Wire services)

THE FALL. Injured silent-movie stuntman entertains injured girl with an adventure story. Visually exciting, narratively weak. (R) B (Wire services)

GET SMART. Comedic misfire with inconsistent tone tries to flesh out sitcom icon Maxwell Smart to the detriment of humor. And the love story? Ick. Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway. (PG-13) C

GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON. Celebratory documentary tracks wildman Thompson from his days riding with the Hell's Angels to fame as a Rolling Stone political correspondent to his slow slide to suicide in 2005. (R) B+

HANCOCK. Will Smith goes against type as slacker superhero, getting help from PR guy Jason Bateman. Starts strong, but turns weird, grim, off-putting. (PG) C+

THE HAPPENING. When toxins hit Philly, Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel head for the hills. Not much horror, drama, in M. Night Shyamalan's latest. (R) C

HELLBOY II. The highlight is still Ron Perlman in the title role; myth-laden story becomes a chore. With Selma Blair. (PG-13) B-

THE INCREDIBLE HULK. Action-packed wham-bam chase film with the not-so-jolly green giant battling the Abominator. (PG-13) B+ (Howard Gensler)

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Both a return to old adventure serials and a retrospective of director Steven Spielberg's career; aside from a few scenes, it doesn't really succeed as either. Harrison Ford. (PG-13) B-

IRON MAN. Playboy inventor (Robert Downey Jr.) builds militarized body-armor suit, becomes superhero. Fun, uptempo version of the Marvel comic. Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow. (PG-13) B+

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER THE EARTH. Scientist (Brendan Fraser) looks for life beneath the surface. (PG) B

KIT KITTRIDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL. Cub reporter (Abigail Breslin) crusades for scapegoated hobos. Wholesome, but a bit stiff. (G) B-

KUNG FU PANDA. OK animated movie about panda (voice of Jack Black) chosen to defend his village. (PG) B-

MAMMA MIA. Up and down version of the hit stage show, with Meryl Streep and appealing newcomer, Allentown's Amanda Seyfried. (PG) C

MEET DAVE. Tiny alien (Eddie Murphy) inside humanoid robot (Murphy again) visits Earth. Clean fun for kids but not Murphy's best. (PG) C

MONGOL. Fascinating epic shot in Kazakhstan shows a softer side of Genghis Khan. (PG-13) B+

SEX AND THE CITY. A wrap-it-all-up valentine to fans of the erstwhile show. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis, Cynthia Nixon. (R) B

SPACE CHIMPS. Family friendly but completely lacking in originality. Computer animation alone can't do it. (G) C (Wire services)

TELL NO ONE. Who does thrillers better than the French? No one. Slow-moving and cerebral, but worth the effort. (Unrated) B+ (Wire services)

THE VISITOR. Quirky, often funny story of widower (Richard Jenkins) who befriends immigrant squatters. From writer-director Tom McCarthy. (PG) B

WALL-E. Pixar gem is probably the sweetest movie ever made about humans destroying the earth. Sweet, but not saccharine. (G) A-

WANTED. Turns the teen male fantasy genre on its ear. Great cast - James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp, Morgan Freeman. (R) B

WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? Gloomy little talker of a dying father (Jim Broadbent) and the son (Colin Firth) who must come to terms with him. (PG-13) B (Wire services)

YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE

ZOHAN. Nutty Adam Sandler movie about a retired Israeli spy turned hair stylist harassed by Hamas in New York. (PG-13) B-