New Movies Feb. 14-16: 'Robocop' Leads a Return to the 1980s

It would be fitting if "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" were being released this week, because someone's definitely been playing around with the WABAC machine. We'll still have to wait a few weeks for Mr. Peabody, but we can still engage in time travel at the theater this weekend, since every single new wide release is based on a story that's at least a quarter-century old.

The most venerable of these tales is "Endless Love," a reboot of the 1981 film about forbidden young love that starred Brooke Shields. This one stars Gabriella Wilde and Alex Pettyfer, and it's not making a very positive impression on critics.

Next is "Winter's Tale," a fantastical romance based on the 1983 novel by Mark Helprin. It's about a good-hearted thief, played by Colin Farell, who falls in love with a sickly rich girl, played by Jessica Brown Findlay. There's also time travel, sort of, and a magical horse. This one is getting even less love from critics than "Endless Love" is.

The only new movie getting mostly good reviews is the remake of 1986's "About Last Night" starring Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant in the roles made almost famous by Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. Kevin Hart and Regina Hall also star in this reboot.

Finally, there's a reboot of 1987's "RoboCop" starring Joel Kinnaman as a cyborg cop who must fight evil and corruption in Detroit. It's getting mixed reviews, but most critics are saying that it's a competent, if not spectacular, update of the original.

"RoboCop" will certainly be the winner among the new movies this week, but it's going to face tough competition from "The Lego Movie"—and maybe a little from "The Monuments Men," too.