Mixed on ‘Tracy’

The first review is in on “Dick Tracy” and it’s not a rave. But as Maggie Thompson, co-editor of the trade publication Comics Buyer’s Guide, notes, the review is based on an early preview screening--not the final cut. “We make that clear in a special precede.”

Freelance contributor Christopher Snowden underlines the point in his review, which surmises, “The movie’s just OK, but the villains are fantastic . That’s why I’ll be seeing it again.”

This despite calling the picture “a counterfeit ‘Batman’--from the love-distracted crime-fighting hero to the freakish villains right down to the Danny Elfman score.” (Elfman also scored “Batman.”)

Snowden also took shots at the square-jawed copper, played by director Warren Beatty, calling him “dim” and “boring” and “not even a very sharp crime-fighter.” And he blasted the film’s pacing--”almost every sequence drags”--but predicted it will be tightened before the film’s June 15 release.

In fact, admits a Walt Disney studio insider, the meticulous Beatty was “tinkering” with the picture as recently as last week--the result of preview screenings at various California theaters and at the studio for buyers and bookers.

Meanwhile, the folks at Comics Buyer’s Guide plan a special “Tracy” issue on June 22.