It is an enjoyable movie with a fantastic starring performance from Timothée Chalamet.

This is a sequel that pales in comparison to the original simply because we’ve already seen the original.

The movie is well-made, yet unimaginative. It is a basic family-friendly spectacular in time for the holidays.

Instead of being the lazy fan-service I feared, it is a legitimately entertaining family-friendly adventure.

Though thematically darker than the famous Disney version, it is an inspiring family adventure that del Toro has certainly made his own.

This is an ambitious, compelling project, a fitting way to explore someone whose career didn’t follow a familiar pattern.

This is a decent adaptation of the material in most ways, except for Peter Dinklage’s performance, which raises it to a higher level.

It only wants to be uplifting and celebratory. Since it succeeds at those things, it doesn’t need to be anything else.

It defies easy synopsis. It is about art and performance, reality and artificiality. It is one of the best movies of the year.

It is hard for me to think of a word that describes In the Heights better than “joyous.” Maybe “celebratory?”