As I see it, the second year of the millennium is the continuation of an upward trend in movies. Between 1995 and 1999, computer-generated images and other devices (sex and violence) have reigned supreme in theaters. The “Batman” franchise was killed, “Titanic” fooled audiences worldwide, and “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” became “The Smart Alec of Hollywood” (or at least one of them). But thanks to industry awareness, there are more fun and entertaining movies out there.

Among the obvious are end of the year hits “Two Weeks Notice,” “Chicago” and “About Schmidt.” Over the course of the year, we got a new spin on war (“Black Hawk Down”), a web-spinner (“Spider-Man”), another swinger’s adventure (“Austin Powers in Goldmember”), a cannibal’s beginning (“Red Dragon”) and a wizard’s further journeys (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”). The results have been phenomenal, and while there are some drawbacks to point out, here’s the breakdown:

MS. UNDERRATED

One actress has managed to turn in two winning performances, under the radar of the general viewing public. Or so they think. High-profile (and dare I say undeserving) bombs “Death to Smoochy” and “S1mone” laid claim to the talents of Catherine Keener, low-profile Oscar nominee three years ago for “Being John Malkovich.” She gave natural crowd-pleasing qualities to a TV show producer and a studio executive, matching wits with screen heavies Edward Norton, Robin Williams and Al Pacino. Keener is one to keep an eye on for the future.

“BAD COMPANY” IS ANYTHING BUT

Originally titled “Black Sheep,” this production about a seasoned C.I.A. operative (Anthony Hopkins) training another fallen operative’s brother (Chris Rock) in a matter of days to save the world seemed like, well, a bad idea. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer hasn’t made a credible action flick since 1996’s “The Rock,” director Joel Schumacher hasn’t made a decent film in just as long (“A Time to Kill” of the same year), and Rock has been anything but charming in his previous theatrical outings (“Lethal Weapon 4” and “Down to Earth” come to mind). Within this cornucopia of talent, they got their acts together for a popcorn-smart and savvy two hours. The result is a highly recommended mentor and protege quickie team-up flick for any fans of the four men.

A TROUBLESOME TRIFECTA

Eddie Murphy. In the 1980’s he was revered. We loved him and hated him in the 90’s (“Vampire in Brooklyn,” anyone?). Now, we’re not quite sure what to make of him. For those of us that remembered, he came out with cop flick “Showtime,” D.O.A. shelf flick “The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” and the unsurprisingly disappointing “I Spy.” Not only were these films useless, but you have to wonder…

DID YOU NEED THE MONEY THAT BADLY?!

Buckwheat isn’t the only offender of this question/crime. But he did take legend Robert De Niro and fellow thespians Rosario Dawson and Owen Wilson with him on the way down (with the respective flicks from above). Also painful to watch (or even think about) are Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas in “Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever” (the title says it all), gentle giant Michael Clarke Duncan in “The Scorpion King,” and the cast and crew of “Men in Black II,” with one exception…

BIG WILLIE IS BACK IN STYLE!

Will Smith, who started sharp-tongued in 1995’s “Bad Boys” and digressed into a toxic attitude over the years leading to 1999’s “Wild Wild West,” has come into top form in just over a year. A one-two punch that began in December 2001 with “Ali” closed out with a brilliant comedic performance in “MIB II.” Smith made the most of a thankless role with timing and droll, easily making an otherwise useless film palatable. Agent J is just as charming as he should be, enough for an “MIB III” someday. We’ll see.

LAST OF THE UNDERRATED VICTIMS

“The Sweetest Thing” originally shaped up to be another sloppy farce, but proved to be something more genuine. An over-the-top comedy about commitment headed by girls who just wanna have fun (Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair) became a production of cast and crew who followed the same mentality, and it shows to crowd-pleasing effect.

And a slap on the wrist to New Line Cinema, for burying “S1mone” in the “end of August” drudgery reserved for assumed bombs. Writer, producer, and director Andrew Niccol teamed with legend Al Pacino, the aforementioned Keener, and newcomer Rachel Roberts (in the title role) for a thorough pot shot at the film industry. As entertaining and sharp as “S1mone” is, maybe New Line was afraid of what she became: accurate.