'The Monuments Men' Review Roundup: George Clooney's Latest Called Vapid and Dreary

On Feb. 7, Sony/Columbia will release George Clooney's "The Monuments Men" to mixed reviews.

The new film, directed, starring and written by Clooney, tells the story of an unlikely World War II platoon who are tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners.

The film, which screened early for critics at the Berlin Film Festival, scored terrible reviews. However, after more screenings, critics have responded better to the film. The movie currently has a 58 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Peter Travers from the Rolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Escapism junkies may feel betrayed. Clooney has crafted a movie abort about aspiration, about culture at risk, about things worth fighting for."

David Edelstein from New York Magazine gave the film a good review and stated, "It's a graceful, engaging film -- I enjoyed it. But it could have been called The Tasteful Dozen."

Drew Taylor from the Playlist, however, was mixed about the film and stated, "If some cataclysmic event were threatening the cultural legacy of America, it's hard to imagine anyone would make an attempt to save 'The Monuments Men' from the flames of war."

Scott Foundas from Variety gave the movie a terrible review and said, "Clooney has transformed a fascinating true-life tale into an exceedingly dull and dreary caper pic cum art-appreciation seminar - a museum-piece movie about museum people."

"The Monuments Men" also stars John Goodman, Jean DuJardin, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban and Cate Blanchett is rated PG-13 for some images of war violence and historical smoking. The film will be released in 2,800 theaters.