The Skulls

Veteran director Rob Cohen keeps THE SKULLS moving, even when the action stops making sense. Adults may become impatient with the many lapses in logic. However, this is a thriller for teens. The main character learns that money and power at the expense of friendship isn't worth it--not such a bad message during a time when wealth is seen as the ultimate, if not only, barometer of success.

One fifteen-year-old female viewer liked the two friends Luke leaves behind the best: fellow rower and outsider Will, whose murder sparks Luke's turnaround, and the girl upstairs, Chloe. Will is a strong, if briefly developed African-American character, and Chloe turns out to be one tough woman, planning getaways and out-driving killer SUVs. But even the fifteen-year-old saw where the plot went awry. The scene in which Luke goes from a thorazine coma to fighting a duel exasperated her, but it didn't dampen her overall enthusiasm. Bottom line: The glossy visuals, intriguing settings, and action in The Skulls may help teens forget that all the plot twists add up to a pretzel.