Nikki Baughan

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Empire, Screen Daily
For 166 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 63% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 34% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 5.6 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Nikki Baughan's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 X
Lowest review score: 30 The Misfits
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 118 out of 166
  2. Mixed: 45 out of 166
  3. Negative: 3 out of 166
166 movie reviews
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per page
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Devil Wears Prada 2
    The Devil Wears Prada has become something of a modern classic, thanks largely to its eminently quotable, whip-smart observations about the world of fashion and its enduring sense of style. It’s unsurprising, then, that this sequel (again directed by David Frankel) is cut from exactly the same cloth, deliberately designed to be a narrative retread – albeit with a few Gen Z updates – that should delight existing fans.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Mother Mary
    It’s a bold, gothic, compelling study of the cult of fame, the creative impulse, the fragile threads that bind. Every aspect of the film is carefully crafted and calibrated in service of Lowery’s distinctive vision, and, while it may prove divisive, it casts a hallucinatory spell.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    The Fox
    The Fox doesn’t go far enough, its sombre tone muting its fantastical elements, its weirdness not nearly weird enough to overcome its flaws.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Heel
    There’s something deeply compelling about this deliberately odd, carefully-calibrated neo-gothic fable, which suggests that rehabilitation can be found in the darkest of places, and that true freedom is simply a matter of trust.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
    Propulsive and entertaining, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man has plenty to keep fans happy and a wider audience engaged.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Bride!
    Ultimately, The Bride! stays the course as exciting, exhilarating filmmaking, a bracing example of creators throwing convention aside and pushing their vision to the absolute limit. Mary Shelley would no doubt approve.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Yellow Letters
    Catak retains an effectively claustrophobic atmosphere and a tight focus on his characters and their issues.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Frank & Louis
    While Frank & Louis is narratively unsurprising, its strong performances and emotional authenticity give it undeniable power.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Extra Geography
    In their scenes together, Clear and Duggan spark beautifully, navigating their characters’ emotional highs and lows with a mix of caustic wit and often moving vulnerability.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Shelter
    The narrative is often nonsensical, and the dialogue can lean towards the risible, but the action is kinetic and Statham as watchable as ever.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Saccharine
    It all builds to a frenzied, nightmarish climax of greed, desire and full-tilt excess that takes a sharp-toothed bite out of society’s toxic obsession with women’s bodies, and should leave horror audiences hungry for more.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    undertone
    Exceptional sound design and a superb central performance from The Handmaid’s tale star Nina Kiri, who is almost entirely alone on screen, mean the film casts a compelling spell, even when the narrative begins to succumb to genre cliché in its final reels.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    The Incomer
    This intriguing feature debut from Bafta-nominated Scottish short filmmaker Louis Paxton makes effective use of its striking location and a trio of strong performances from Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    I Swear
    While this stirring dramatization of Davidson’s life hits conventional narrative beats, sensitive handling and a remarkable central performance from Robert Aramayo do heartwarming justice to a remarkable life.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
    Bold, bloody and blisteringly brutal, this exhilarating follow-up to last year’s 28 Years Later grabs its audience by the throat from the off and never loosens its grip.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    The Housemaid
    As was the case with the source material, however, glamorous visuals and a kitschy vibe aren’t enough to paper over a threadbare plot, thinly drawn characters, obvious dramatic beats and an ill-advised central conceit.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Goodbye June
    Underneath it all, superb performances from a stellar, experienced cast – confidently shepherded by debut director/star Kate Winslet – hit authentic, relatable notes, and save the film from sinking entirely into melodrama
    • 54 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Keeper
    It’s certainly got the Perkins style and plenty of genuine chills, but the journey is more satisfying than the destination.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Running Man
    This Running Man could have been a powerful anarchist fable for our turbulent times but fun as it is, it runs out of steam before making any lasting impact.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Belén
    It is ultimately a heartfelt, inspiring story about ordinary people who choose to stand up and make a change – and a reminder that, for so many women, the fight goes on.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Selena y Los Dinos
    While Selena’s raw talent and infectious personality are a huge draw, the film’s real selling point is its access to Selena’s family, open and honest in their recollections.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Love+War
    While her work certainly speaks for itself, it’s fascinating to hear Addario tell her own remarkable story.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    Black Phone 2
    It remains a superficial exercise in creepy fun, but – like so many horror sequels – retreading familiar ground proves an exercise in diminishing returns.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Fence
    Essentially a four-handed chamber piece of sorts, this adaptation deals with powder-keg themes of the colonial psyche, racial tensions and retribution, but ultimately proves too stilted and stagey to pack much of a punch.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Good Boy
    In lesser hands, this could have been merely a gimmick but, with his feature debut, director Ben Leonberg delivers an effective, genuinely unsettling chiller.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
    This high-concept feature tries so hard to charm that it becomes an exercise in wading through sickly sweet treacle.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Rose of Nevada
    It effectively combines familiar genre tropes with Jenkin’s unique visual style and a resonant message of community.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Bonus Track
    The two actors manage to capture the vulnerabilities that come with opening yourself up to someone else, particularly at such a delicate age.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Blue Heron
    A lyrical study of the twisting nature of memory and the lasting impact of childhood trauma, Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari’s debut Blue Heron has an authenticity and sensitivity that steers it through occasional moments of narrative affectation.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    The Long Walk
    It’s one of the most powerful King features for some time.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
    Perhaps unsurprisingly – and intentionally – Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is a much gentler affair, intended to affectionately lampoon those ageing musicians who struggle to retain their creative spark and trade heavily in nostalgia. There is plenty of that here – the film essentially retreads old ground and gags – but the sharp wit of the original is sadly lacking.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Steve
    While the entire cast impresses, standout performances come from Murphy and Lycurgo. They make it clear that Steve and Shy are two sides of the same coin, both shaped by past trauma and finding it almost impossible to exorcise their demons.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Cover-Up
    Cover-Up pays fitting tribute to a man who has made it his life’s work to seek out and expose the hardest of truths.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Dead Man's Wire
    Director Gus Van Sant turns this fascinating true crime story into both an entertaining period drama and an evergreen tale of ordinary men pushed into desperate acts.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    After the Hunt
    While it may wish to spark debate, the stance it takes on its messaging is troubling – particularly given a stapled-on coda that seems to suggest we should be putting all of this nonsense behind us.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Bugonia
    It’s a serious message delivered in typically entertaining Lanthimos style and hammered home via a bravura climax which manages to be both gonzo and gut-wrenching in equal measure.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Friendship
    Part cringe-comedy, part diagnostic study of the modern pandemic of male loneliness, Friendship has several inspired moments, and strong performances from Robinson and Rudd. Ultimately, however, its determination to straddle both camps means it stretches itself rather too thin.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    M3GAN 2.0
    Returning director Gerard Johnstone does not feel the need to rewrite the code, delivering a tried-and-tested mix of action, effects and comedy. Yet the whole thing now feels overly self-aware, resulting in a lumbering actioner that lacks the novelty value of its predecessor.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    28 Years Later
    Danny Boyle’s long-awaited return to the franchise he created in 2002 may lack the immediate, visceral bite of his original 28 Days Later, but nevertheless brings a satisfying mix of old horrors and new ideas.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    How to Train Your Dragon
    Returning director Dean DeBlois (who helmed the animation alongside Chris Sanders, as well as its sequel) has retained the energetic spirit of the original, and he’s helped by some fantastic CGI and a game cast, both of which lean into the fantastical charm of this tale of a hapless young Viking who discovers he is something of a dragon whisperer.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Life of Chuck
    For the most part The Life Of Chuck remains a moving drama that comes close to capturing the infinite value of an individual life.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Tornado
    Scottish director John Maclean’s ambitious second feature is an intriguing blend of Western and samurai actioner — always close bedfellows — which makes the most of its untamed setting.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Pillion
    Open-minded audiences will soon realise that Pillion is not out to provocate, but to authentically and sensitively explore a side of gay culture little seen in mainstream film.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Bono: Stories of Surrender
    The result is an intense baring of the soul that is part performance, part confessional and all entertainment.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    Dangerous Animals
    Sean Byrne’s third feature is a messy mash-up of creature feature and serial killer movie whose psychological posturing and gory effects can’t hide the fact that it’s propped up by tired horror tropes.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Woman in the Yard
    A raw central performance from Danielle Deadwyler brings some depth to this Blumhouse thriller, which otherwise maintains a creepy atmosphere but mostly trades in familiar psychological horror tropes and an abundance of jump scares.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Warfare
    Warfare certainly isn’t the first combat movie to take such an immersive approach to the subject, but what’s striking about this film is its overriding commitment to the truth as perceived by its real-life characters.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Long Day's Journey Into Night
    The festering resentment of things left unsaid fuels this play, and David Lindsay-Abaire’s unflinching, brisk screenplay traces the growing fissures in the family.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Ricky
    While this expansion of Frett’s 2023 short of the same name may, at times, feel like it’s being cornered into making a political statement, the nuanced central performance from Stephan James largely prevents the message from overwhelming the story.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Companion
    Companion looks fantastic. But, underneath that glossy surface, it makes some biting comments about power dynamics, free will, and what it really means to be human.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Inheritance
    This guerrilla approach, together with Dynevor’s committed performance, give Inheritance an adrenaline-fuelled agility that lifts it above the normal trappings of the genre.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    The Damned
    While there are perhaps a few too many jump scares, and an overwrought ending which takes some of the wind out of its sails, The Damned is powered to the finish by its creeping sense of dread.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    Get Away
    Get Away attempts to blend Withnail-like irreverence with Wicker Man-tinged folk horror but, while some of those elements hit their mark, the film’s tonal swerves undermine its more original aspects.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Daddy's Head
    Inevitably, this will mean it draws comparisons to The Babadook, the current high-bar for grief manifestation horror, but Daddy’s Head, which premiered at Fantastic Fest, is sharply drawn, well-shot, and genuinely unsettling in its own right.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    The Penguin Lessons
    In its determination to maintain a glossy, upbeat tone throughout — even when dealing with an event that, as a final sombre title card tells us, saw ‘over 30,000 people killed or disappeared’ — The Penguin Lessons proves to be neither fish nor fowl.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    The Return
    The film moves at a languid pace, with long periods of silence, and there’s not a great deal of action until a final cathartic orgy of violence. Yet this world is richly drawn.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Speak No Evil
    This remake of the 2022 Danish-language chiller maintains much of what made the original so effective but, in swapping that film’s shocking ending for a more audience-friendly take, loses some of its bite. Nevertheless, a striking performance from James McAvoy keeps things interesting.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Dìdi
    Drawing heavily from his own adolescence, director Sean Wang makes a beautifully-crafted feature debut, which manages to be both personal to his own specific cultural experience, and speak to more universal truths about walking that tricky path to adulthood.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Meanwhile on Earth
    Like I Lost My Body, Meanwhile On Earth is a moving elegy on the power of grief, and the lengths to which we are driven in order to feel whole. While it may not have quite the same visceral impact as Clapin’s animation, and culminates in a soft, somewhat-obvious ending, it nevertheless leaves its own mark.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    blur: To the End
    It’s a joy to see them performing energetic old hits like ’Popscene’ and ’Song 2’, and a privilege to watch them create their more introspective new material.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Convert
    The Convert promises the potential for plenty of fire and brimstone but, despite some committed performances, lacks the dramatic passion that would have really left a mark.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Touch
    Director Baltasar Kormákur and his actors err on the side of restraint, delivering a balanced, absorbing human drama.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Hummingbirds
    The result is a vibrant, infectious and surprisingly hopeful portrait of a divided America, fuelled not by idealism but dogged determination.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Queendom
    As Gena attempts to live an authentic life in a place which is dangerously prejudiced against her, so Queendom takes shape as a damning portrait of state-sanctioned intolerance and suppression.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Nasty
    Nastase is a compelling, complex character.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Look Into My Eyes
    While Wilson stays resolutely — and perhaps for some frustratingly — neutral about whether that link is forged by lived experience or spiritual ability, her film can be read as a celebration of human empathy and the power of shared connection.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    Bad Boys: Ride or Die
    Ultimately, Ride Or Die is such a relentless bombardment of bombastic effects whipped up by a pounding soundtrack, rapid-fire editing and frenzied camerawork — which, at times, emulates a first-person video game — that it becomes exhausting, rather than exhilarating.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Big Boys
    Writer/director Corey Sherman’s understated screenplay, inspired by his own experiences as a young gay man, favours nuanced realism over high drama.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    June Zero
    This earnest drama wears its politics very much on its sleeve — and makes no apologies for doing so — although its intimate take on an overwhelming moment in history can make for some compelling drama.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Balconettes
    Nicole, Ruby and Elise are powerfully defiant just by refusing to be intimidated or shaped by patriarchal forces: an idea which rises above the outlandish events unfolding on screen to strike a universal, cathartic chord.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
    While any narrative nuance is left in the dust by the film’s singular focus on bloody retribution at all costs, it is one hell of a ride.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Idea of You
    This romcom offers a heady slice of appealing escapism fuelled by the chemistry between its two leads.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    Mothers' Instinct
    While a committed Chastain and Hathaway do their utmost to inject some gravitas into proceedings there are some moments which border on the absurd, particularly as it reaches its frenzied climax. Still, there is some fun to be found in the arch campness of it all and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the film looks gorgeous.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 30 Nikki Baughan
    Sleeping Dogs
    The result is a clunky, overwrought thriller which leans heavily on cliche.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Bob Trevino Likes It
    Any dramatic convenience can be forgiven as the platonic chemistry between Ferreira and Leguizamo feels natural, empathetic and genuine. And as they both begin to let down their guards, it’s a pleasure to watch them; so much so, in fact, that it doesn’t really matter that the characters in their orbit are far less vividly sketched.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
    Ariane Louis-Seize’s debut feature plays like a coming-of-age genre mash-up, and features a tortured blood-sucker protagonist reminiscent of Only Lovers Left Alive, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night or even The Hunger, although it is narratively and stylistically striking enough to make its own impact.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Timestalker
    Taking pleasure in subverting romcom tropes and boasting a satisfying attention to detail, Timestalker is a showcase for Lowe’s considerable talents on both sides of the camera.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Much Ado About Dying
    In its refreshingly frank look at the end of life, Much Ado About Dying becomes a thought-provoking study of what it means to live.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Eternal You
    Eternal You acts like a modern day Wizard Of Oz as it lifts the curtain on the intricate processes of bringing the dead to life.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    Argylle
    This tale of a bestselling spy novelist who finds herself embroiled in real life espionage has some fun moments, an impressive cast and explosive set pieces (not to mention some strong echoes of classic eighties adventure series Romancing The Stone) but, in its attempts to keep audiences guessing, ties itself up in knots.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Daughters
    Despite the sentimental score, which unnecessarily ramps up the emotion, Daughters is honest about the fact that this programme is not a magic bullet, just one important step on the road to change.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Between the Temples
    There’s a lightness of touch to the performances, with Silver encouraging his actors to improvise on-set. Events may have made Ben something of a sadsack, but Schwartzman ensures there is still a glimmer in his eye, a hint that his lust for life is simply dormant.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Amerikatsi
    This charming story . . . has a deft, audience-friendly lightness of touch, focusing on Armenia’s people rather than its difficult history. Nevertheless, it firmly makes its points about displacement, cultural cleansing and the difficulties of returning home.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Good Grief
    The chemistry between these three is the film’s greatest strength, and Good Grief plays best as a love story between friends.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Your Fat Friend
    This engaging, eye-opening documentary follows Gordon over six years, as a book deal forces her to give up her anonymity and she further explores her own relationships with food, her family and society at large.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
    Beneath all of the visual razzle-dazzle and quick-firing gags, though, Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget is, fundamentally, a familiar, well-executed coming-of-age narrative, in which a youngster is compelled to spread their wings, and parents must learn to let them fly.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    The Kitchen
    While the subtle world-building may be more consistently impressive than the familiar narrative, The Kitchen nevertheless makes its points with style.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Pay or Die
    With the film reminding us that the American system isn’t only failing people with diabetes, the battle for affordable healthcare rages on.
    • 39 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    The Exorcist: Believer
    Exorcist: Believer has none of the creeping dread of the original.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Infested
    Debut feature director Sebastien Vanicek proves to be adept at wringing every drop of tension out of this slim narrative, elevating this B-movie creature feature to A-grade horror.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Ballywalter
    While the dramatic destination may be signposted fom the off, this well-observed debut from actor-turned-director Prasanna Puwanarajah handles its themes lightly, leaning into dark comedy rather than melodrama, and that approach, together with strong central performances, serves it well.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    In the Rearview
    Respectful, frank and moving, this is a small film with a devastating impact.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    The Peasants
    The Peasants again melds oil paintings (some 40,000 of them) over live-action footage of actors to become a dynamic, immersive drama that brings the pleasures and pains of the past to ravishing life.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 30 Nikki Baughan
    The Nun II
    Logic, though, is not at the forefront of The Nun II which, like its predecessor, attempts to force the fear through endless jump scares and bombastic music rather than take time to build any real tension.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    One Life
    This is an undeniably moving story, and Winson — who died in 2015 aged 106 — a man worth honouring, but One Life comes across as an orchestrated tearjerker.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
    Its layered story, about a rich man and the extraordinary book that changes his life, is particularly well-suited to Anderson, who revels in such Russian Doll narratives and delivers the story as a dramatic reading, narrated by its characters.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Aporia
    Moshe is not the first filmmaker to grapple with theories surrounding the manipulation of the fabric of time but his intimate approach, coupled with strong performances, make this an intelligent homespun take on a familiar subject.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Joy Ride
    Joy Ride could easily have felt like a series of increasingly outrageous skits but, thanks to the chemistry between its leads and the tonal confidence of first time director Adele Lim, it ultimately lands as a raucously authentic comedy.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Greatest Days
    It may be fuelled by the schmaltzy lyrics of a boy band, but this is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of female friendship.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Barbie
    While Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach may couch this self-discovery narrative in powder pinks and unrelenting pep, their message is authentic and acerbic: an urgent feminist call to arms wrapped up in a hugely entertaining popcorn movie.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Boogeyman
    While The Boogeyman — based on the 1973 Stephen King short story about a closet-dwelling stealer of souls — is as narratively generic as its on-the-nose (and oft-used) title may suggest, British director Rob Savage brings an innate humanness and playful spirit that lifts this otherwise-rote monster movie.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    The Little Mermaid
    While this story of a mermaid who gives up her enchanted life to follow her heart onto the land has been given the full cutting-edge CGI treatment, the slow pacing, often-overwrought emotion and undeniably outdated story mean that it fails to make much of a splash.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Fast X
    This tenth instalment of Universal’s high-octane automotive action franchise puts its foot on the gas early on, and doesn’t hit the brake until the end credits — and, even then, leaves things open for at least one more spin of the wheel. That’s par for the course with these films, but what does come as a surprise is just how fun this well-trodden formula can be.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    Book Club: The Next Chapter
    Bright, colourful and relentlessly frothy, Book Club: The Final Chapter is not so much a film as a series of inspirational posters and Italian postcards stitched haphazardly together.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    The End of Sex
    It could just all have benefited from a more delicate touch.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Peter Pan & Wendy
    Despite the fact that it trades in a dogged familiarity, this magical story still retains some spark.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
    For all its visual prowess, the film’s most successful element is its balance of the fantastical with the familiar.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Angel Applicant
    Meyer, who also acts as the film’s editor, is a likeable, informative and honest guide through his extreme experience.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Raging Grace
    Raging Grace walks its own line between traditional genre filmmaking and contemporary social commentary and, while more effective during its slow-burn first half, effectively draws on the systemic horrors of a traditionally white power structure which purports to help ’outsiders’ while keeping them firmly underfoot.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Scream VI
    While that familiarity is Scream VI’s major strength, it has also become its fundamental flaw. The location may have changed, the kills may be increasingly inventive, but underneath all that window dressing it’s the same as it ever was.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    Manodrome
    Eisenberg impresses in a role which requires him to keep a great deal beneath the surface. But the screenplay locks up some elements of his character rather too tight and, as dramatic motivations for what follows, they are unpersuasive and somewhat cliched.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Nikki Baughan
    Sharper
    There are some fun moments in Sharper, not to mention its attractive production and costume design, and Moore is clearly having a blast with a character who is sexy and smart in equal measure. But with the story broken down into obvious individual character-focused jigsaw pieces, viewers won’t need many of their own wits about them to guess where this tale is headed.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Cinema Sabaya
    While the film’s narrative may run a familiar path from conflict to resolution, Rotem’s light, authentic touch makes it an engaging journey.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Talk to Me
    This story of foolhardy youth and the hell it can unwittingly unleash is a staple of genre cinema, but first time directors Danny and Michael Philippou tell it well and there’s certainly plenty of atmosphere (and effects) to appeal to hardened horror fans.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Starling Girl
    Scanlen effectively embodies her character’s internal struggles, unable to vocalise her growing frustrations lest she forfeit her purity — which is seemingly her only value.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 40 Nikki Baughan
    The Pale Blue Eye
    Rather than lean into the increasingly gothic elements of this spiralling yarn (which reach a fever pitch worthy of Poe’s own work) the film takes itself far too seriously as a character study of a tortured man.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Children of the Mist
    Diem’s intimate access and sensitive approach, together with editor Swann Dubus’ keen eye for texture and detail, make for a compelling and eye-opening drama.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Maya and the Wave
    A mix of fly-on-the-wall material with archive footage and interviews, Maya And The Wave is a by-turns exhilarating and infuriating exploration of how, for a woman, talent is often not enough to cut through.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Nocebo
    Nocebo combines traditional Filipino folklore with modern concerns about cultural exploitation, and while it is prone to moments of melodramatic excess is still another intriguing work from one of Ireland’s most interesting talents.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical
    This …Matilda is not just a big movie about a little girl finding her voice, but about the need to speak up against injustice, wherever its found, and to find people who believe in you enough to lend their support.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Swimmers
    Its impact comes not only from the real-life events it’s depicting, but also the way in which it frames this now-familiar tale; a triumph of human – and particularly female – will against adversity and a celebration of those who would seek a better life, despite the costs.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Glorious
    It’s a trip, and then some.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Good Madam
    The film expertly blends satirical social commentary and disturbing horror tropes to shine a light on the appalling racial and economic divides that still shape the country 30 years after the end of apartheid.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Nitram
    Exceptional performances, particularly from Caleb Landry Jones in the lead, and a sensitive touch from director Justin Kurtzel can’t shake the unease of giving yet another cinematic spotlight to a real-life mass murderer.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    More Than Ever
    Featuring superb turns from Vicky Krieps and the late Gaspard Ulliel - in his final role - as a couple facing the most difficult of choices, More Than Ever persuades, rather than forces, its audience to stare death in the face, and proves surprisingly life affirming in the process.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    White Building
    While the film is contemplative, intimate and visually arresting, its deliberately slow pace lessens its dramatic impact.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch
    It is a fascinating, horrifying story and Klayman eschews any tricks or gimmicks — bar some lively collage animation — to allow this explosive narrative to evolve through the eye-opening experiences of those who lived it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 100 Nikki Baughan
    X
    There are some tremendous misdirects, effective jump scares, and literal piles of gore. There just happens to be plenty of brains to go with all that blood.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Outfit
    Beautifully designed, carefully measured and expertly cut, The Outfit is a handsome debut from director Graham Moore.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Alice
    Like her Lewis Carroll namesake, the protagonist of writer/director Krystin Ver Linden’s bold and enlightening feature debut hurtles down a rabbit hole — but the alternative reality in which she finds herself is certainly no fairy tale.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Hatching
    Probing issues of motherhood, adolescence and identity with a delicate dramatic touch while expertly harnessing some outre genre elements, Hatching is a bold, arresting feature debut from Finnish director Hanna Bergholm.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Swan Song
    Exceptional near-future production design and a strong dual performance from Mahershala Ali as a man and his clone fuel Benjamin Cleary’s impressive, thoughtful sci-fi debut.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Encounter
    While Michael Pearce’s second feature may not deliver quite the same wallop as his debut feature Beast, it demonstrates the same mastery of filmmaking craft and another incredible performance from Riz Ahmed.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Beans
    Tracey Deer’s feature debut Beans vibrates with ferocious anger and righteous pride.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Passing
    An impressive filmmaking debut from actor-turned-director Rebecca Hall which largely avoids cliché or soapboxing about race, featuring two excellent performances from Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Copilot
    Co-written and directed with sensitivity and visual flair by Anne Zohra Berrached, Copilot puts an intimate spin on the devastating events of 9/11.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Black Conflux
    With strong performances and an arresting tone, Black Conflux doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking in terms of its narrative, but is nevertheless a striking calling card for its talented maker.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The American Sector
    An assured, intelligent piece of filmmaking.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    False Positive
    A sharp screenplay and strong performances give this life as a watchable thriller, rather than just a mere pastiche.
    • 25 Metascore
    • 30 Nikki Baughan
    The Misfits
    While the titular criminal gang at the centre of this action thriller may be presented as supposedly quirky and unconventional, the film in which they operate is as blunt-edged and cliched as they come.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Rose Plays Julie
    Layering its fairly straightforward story of an adopted Irish girl who tracks down her birth mother with immersive visual and aural motifs, it plays more like modern operatic tragedy than run-of-the-mill social drama.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Slalom
    Everything about this hard-hitting film is restrained, like a breath tightly held, and all the more powerful for it.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Censor
    Debut director Prano Bailey-Bond crafts a stylish, effective horror that is both an homage to genre cinema of that period and a psychological dive into the combined traumas of grief and guilt.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Stray
    There’s something strangely beautiful about short filmmaker Elizabeth Lo’s concise, allegorical debut feature documentary, which starts off as a fly-on-the-fur exploration of Istanbul’s stray dog epidemic and becomes a lament about the difficulties of finding somewhere to belong in an increasingly fractured, and fractious, world.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    The Racer
    Talpe is excellent in the lead, his tightly-honed physique an increasingly transparent veneer for his troubled emotional state.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Mole Agent
    A moving exploration of the realities of growing old, Maite Alberdi’s documentary effectively blends documentary with dramatic elements to charming, if not always transparent, effect.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Boys in the Band
    Strongly acted and effectively staged, The Boys In The Band has lost little of its impact in the five decades since its first debut, and is a fitting tribute to its creator Mart Crowley, who died in March.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Yes, God, Yes
    Successfully mining the awkward humour of the adolescent experience, Karen Maine’s coming-of-age feature makes the most of a strong central performance from Natalia Dyer.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    The Vigil
    Featuring strong performances and excellent effects work, The Vigil is a genuinely creepy debut which explores the ways in which our psychological demons can get their claws into our entire lives.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Stage Mother
    Jacki Weaver is excellent in this colourful culture-clash comedy which, despite an uneven tone, offers a welcome message about the power of love and acceptance.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The Tobacconist
    Freud aside, this is a fairly straightforward boy-to-man narrative, but that it plays out during such a turbulent time in Austrian history brings additional texture.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Atlantis
    With an ambition that far exceeds its relatively small on-screen scale, Atlantis is a remarkable piece of filmmaking from an exciting emerging Eastern European voice.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    When Lambs Become Lions
    Kasbe has imbued When Lambs Become Lions with the feel of a thriller rather than a polemic.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Joy
    Centred around two exceptional performances, and taking an intimate, documentary-like approach to the drama, Joy effectively explores the devastating traps of abuse and extortion without ever becoming exploitative itself.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Gay Chorus Deep South
    Gay Chorus Deep South draws its strength not only from its subject, but also the effective way in which it it presents its arguments.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    Pet Sematary
    As with all Stephen King stories, there are resonant universal themes running through Pet Sematary; guilt, grief and trauma fuel this tale of a family who move to the countryside and become embroiled with an ancient evil. Yet these are buried deep under a mudslide of horror cliches — jump scares, creepy kids, expositional newspaper headlines — that reduce this to just another run-of-the-mill horror remake.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    Been So Long
    Crucially, underneath the music and the soft-focus romance Been So Long makes some poignant observations about community, family and the importance of connection.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Lords of Chaos
    Despite the film’s inherent shock value, Lords Of Chaos still manages to successfully mine the explosive psychology of adolescent angst - even if the horror movie aesthetics occasionally threatens to overwhelm proceedings.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Scaffolding
    Israeli teacher-turned-filmmaker Matan Yair mines his own experiences for Scaffolding, bringing depth and poignancy to what could have otherwise been a familiar tale.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Nikki Baughan
    The House with a Clock in Its Walls
    Despite a fantastical premise and some truly eye-popping effects, The House With A Clock In Its Walls suffers from post-Potter fatigue; there’s simply nothing here, visual or thematic, that hasn’t been done before.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    Never Steady, Never Still
    It’s to Hepburn’s credit that Never Steady, Never Still avoids any of the histrionics or melodrama often associated with such stories. Instead, she offers keen-eyed, compassionate observation of the impact of illness that, while not shying away from its emotional toll, celebrates the strength and sanctuary a family can provide.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist
    Despite the endearing reticence of its subject, Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist uses interviews, archive footage and intimate fly-on-the-wall access to get (almost) to the heart of this remarkable woman; although one suspects that Westwood will always keep some secrets firmly up her sleeve.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Nikki Baughan
    All About Nina
    While the character’s resulting journey of self-discovery may follow familiar lines, it is bracing nevertheless.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Journeyman
    Considine’s strong central performance gives the film an emotional resonance.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Nikki Baughan
    Duck Butter
    Ultimately, it works as both a character study and welcome example of an LGBTQ film in which none of the characters are defined by their sexuality or gender, but by their individual choices — both good, and bad.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Nikki Baughan
    John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection
    Director Julien Faraut, who oversees the French Sport Institute’s 16mm film collection, showcases masterful command of the documentary form. His insightful, entertaining and often humorous film will appeal to fans of McEnroe, tennis and sport in general.
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