Nick Levine

Wicked: For Good doesn’t defy gravity like its predecessor but fans will want to hold space for a sequel with a very poignant payoff.

Despite stellar efforts from Farrell and Robbie, it all adds up to something not quite charming, not quite moving and not quite compelling. This film is less a big bold beautiful journey; more a mildly diverting pitstop.

It’s heaps of fun watching Curtis chuck herself around the set in the name of slapstick as Lohan delivers the sort of poised performance she built her career on 20 years ago. Freakier Friday isn’t a flawless sequel but it does supply a satisfying nostalgia rush.

Watching the project as a whole is a bit like arriving at pre-drinks to find that someone has queued up 11 slightly same-y Miley Cyrus tracks in a row. Hardcore fans will be entranced; more casual admirers might want to wait until they all end up on YouTube.

Director Michael Pearce, who previously made 2021’s decent crime thriller Encounter starring Riz Ahmed, keeps the pace brisk but never really punches up the source material.

Another Simple Favour has built up enough goodwill to keep you invested, thanks largely to game performances from Lively and co-star Anna Kendrick.

Marching Powder isn’t just about anti-woke banter: it also has plenty of affection for its characters, even if it doesn’t fully flesh them out. It’s punchy but never lands a killer emotional blow.

Midas Man is so busy hitting the familiar beats of the Fab Four’s incredible rise that it never really burrows beneath Epstein’s skin.

If this is a bookend to his incredible performing career, at least it’s a respectful and tender one.

Nightbitch makes plenty of very valid points about traditional gender roles and the oppressive nature of new parenthood. But it never fully sinks its teeth into a meaty premise; it’s briefly ferocious where it could have been completely feral.

Awkwafina’s deadpan drollery dovetails neatly with Cena’s golden retriever energy and the climactic set-piece is genuinely exciting.

While there are glimmers of drama, there are also extended sections where this deliberately bewildering film gets a bit boring. Despite this, Sasquatch Sunset is worth seeking out if you have a taste for the absurd.

Sting is derivative but fitfully gripping. Crucially, it’s also good fun: with a main protagonist named Charlotte (lolz), there’s definitely a knowingness to proceedings.

The climactic setpiece isn’t quite an action spectacular, but it does feel tense and narratively satisfying.

Because it takes too long to become truly gripping, it ends up overstaying its welcome during the last few big reveals. Still, there’s no denying it contains enough intrigue to launch the franchise that Vaughn is already planning.

Thankfully, if you can suspend your disbelief, Heart Of Stone is plenty of fun and far slicker than a lot of recent Netflix content. It almost goes without saying that the ending leaves room for a potential franchise. And after two hours of near-constant japes and scrapes, you’d need a heart of stone – or at least a high entertainment threshold – not to think “Oh go on then, why the hell not?”

As The Super Mario Bros. Movie progresses, it’s hobbled by a perfunctory plot and some lazy creative choices.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody isn’t as illuminating as it could be, but it still feels like a fitting tribute to a brave and complicated artist with a genuinely incredible gift.

Though Lou is derivative and schematically plotted, it’s gripping enough to get away with it, thanks largely to Janney’s committed performance.

As vampire movies go, this one doesn’t slay, but it has enough thrills, spills and playful charm not to feel like a grave mistake.

For a film about feats of next-level bravery, Thirteen Lives is a little too cautious to really soar.

Purple Hearts is crushingly predictable and never quite rings true, but it’s not completely hopeless.

You won’t come away feeling as though Shania Twain has bared her soul, but you will have renewed respect for the talent, vision and hard work that made her an era-defining artist.

Don’t Make Me Go is a strange beast: a film that feels a little predictable until it snaps and stretches credulity to the limit. Thankfully, Cho and Isaac’s affecting performances are a lot more nuanced than the writing.

It’s hampered by an execution that’s flat, fussy and self-conscious. Only the most hopeless romantic will be able to invest in these characters for very long.

The film’s emotional beats don’t hit as hard as its musical ones.

Showalter’s film gives Bakker a sentimental but effective final act, but never fully explains why this flawed but enormously warm human being became an unlikely icon.