NEW YORK. The moral probing and feminist revisionism that characterized its 2014 predecessor are mostly absent from the routine follow-up “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (PG, Disney). So much so, that ethical straightforwardness makes its title seem somewhat misleading.

WASHINGTON. A new film on the life of St. Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun whose visions of Jesus led to the Divine Mercy devotion, will have a one-night-only showing Oct. 28 on more than 700 screens across the United States.

The 90-minute movie, “Love and Mercy: Faustina,” will also have some features about St. Faustina surrounding it, according to Marian Father Chris Alar, who is seen on-screen during the film.

NEW YORK. Those who’ve been yearning for a fix of interwar elegance ever since the popular ITV and PBS television series “Downton Abbey” went off the air in 2015 can rejoice.

Program creator Julian Fellowes serves as screenwriter for Focus Features’ big-screen (PG) addition to his saga and, predictably, he keeps his well-loved ensemble of characters waltzing in perfect time. The result will be catnip to fans of the franchise.

NEW YORK. Loosely based on the case histories of real-life wounded veterans, writer-director Alex Ranarivelo’s endearing sports drama “Bennett’s War” (PG-13, Forrest) is a portrait of courage in the face of adversity. Well-suited to an audience of grown-ups, the film may also pass muster with the parents of older teens willing to overlook some barracks-style talk in the dialogue.

NEW YORK. Good personal values vie with relentless gory combat in “Angel Has Fallen” (R, Lionsgate). The result is an action sequel that’s too graphic for those seeking casual entertainment.

NEW YORK. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” (PG, Fox 2000), an otherwise benign drama about a man and his dog, adapted from the novel by Garth Stein, is marred by a treatment of reincarnation that prevents endorsement of it for impressionable viewers.

NEW YORK. Advances in moviemaking technology allow a story that could only previously be told as a cartoon to be enacted, so to speak, by animals. And so we get “The Lion King” (PG, Disney).

NEW YORK.  Just how good are the hotshots behind “Toy Story 4” (G, Disney)? So good that, by the time the closing credits roll, moviegoers will likely feel more emotional connection to an animated spork than they have to the vast majority of live-action human characters they’ve ever seen on screen.

NEW YORK. Lessons about overcoming fear and helping those in need are featured in “The Secret Life of Pets 2” (Universal).

Given that they come amid generally amusing antics that unfold at a lively pace, returning director Chris Renaud’s follow-up to his 2016 original rates as an entertaining cartoon suitable for all but the youngest kids.

NEW YORK. Though the magical tale of Aladdin is centuries old, it’s probably best known to contemporary audiences through two relatively recent products of pop culture: the 1992 animated film with Robin Williams and the Broadway musical derived from it, which continues a run that began in 2014.

With “Aladdin” (PG, Disney), director and co-writer Guy Ritchie serves up a spirited live-action take on the same material. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable musical fantasy that’s suitable for a wide range of age groups.