Though short on laughs, this backcountry comedy is an amiable, inoffensive piffle that benefits from the warmly moronic camaraderie of stars Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard. Still, the movie is so insubstantial, it’s more a time-killer than entertainment. “Without a Paddle” follows three pals who take a pratfall-riddled canoe trip looking for the loot of legendary skyjacker D.B. Cooper. Burt Reynolds co-stars as a grizzled mountain man. Rated: PG-13 for drug content, sexual material, language, crude humor and some violence. Rating: 2 out of 4 stars.

– David Germain, AP Movie Writer
‘Alien vs. Predator’

The PG-13 rating tells the story of this grudge match between space beasties, whose six “Alien” and “Predator” predecessors had hard R ratings. Bringing this hybrid in at PG-13, the studio and filmmakers crassly aim to bait the broadest opening-weekend audience possible before word spreads about how dumb the movie is. The skimpy story follows a scientific team exploring a pyramid discovered beneath Antarctica, where they stumble into a blood-sport feud between Predators and Aliens. Writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson engineers little more than a big-screen video game. The cast is led by “Aliens” co-star Lance Henriksen and Sanaa Lathan, but the human characters are just incidental lunch meat. Rated: PG-13 for violence, language, horror images, slime and gore. Rating: 1 1/2 out of 4 stars.

– David Germain, AP Movie Writer
‘Princess Diaries2: Royal Engagement’

This movie takes a cute premise and two terrific performers, Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, and wastes them. From the sets to the story to the direction to the way-too-obvious stunt doubles, director Garry Marshall’s film comes across as a halfhearted effort. Princess Mia (Hathaway) must find a husband in 30 days, lest she lose her claim to the crown. Her grandmother, the Queen Clarisse (Andrews), does her best to teach the young girl poise. But there are no surprises, no twists. Everything works out exactly as you expect. Happily ever after was never so blah. Rated: G. Rating: 1 1/2 out of 4 stars.

– Anthony Breznican, AP Entertainment Writer