A hugely accomplished horror achievement, and a significant step up from Barbarian: tense, sad, hilarious, unsettling, ridiculously entertaining, and ultimately oddly uplifting.

Slightly chaotic plotting under-serves the story in places, but it’s saved by an endlessly entertaining Lohan and Curtis.

A risible attempt to modernise classic science-fiction by adding WhatsApp and political chicanery. This thin, frenetic, soulless adaptation is misguided moviemaking cubed.

The first feature from music-video director Isaiah Saxon boasts wondrous old-school creature effects, but they’ve been applied to a rather derivative fable, an eccentric but skimpy Amblin wannabe.

The result is a film that has a better chance of producing a belly laugh than any in recent memory: one that deserves, as Drebin would say, “20 years for man’s laughter”.

Adam Sandler goes back to his Happy place for this unashamedly stupid sequel. What it lacks in precision or panache, it makes up for in sheer goofy, golf-y geniality.

Though it can be predictable and a little simple, The Bad Guys 2 smooths over some of the frustrations of the first — bringing a sharper and (slightly) more mature sense of humour to its compellingly cartoonish animation.

With an exemplary cast and shiny new alt-universe to enjoy, this is the best Fantastic Four yet. And if that bar’s too low for you, then it’s also the best Marvel movie in years.

A big hand to the Talk To Me directors for navigating the filmic equivalent of that difficult second album. An accomplished and disturbing work, with Sally Hawkins on startling form.

“Nostalgia’s overrated,” warns this vacuous slasher with a wink. Trouble is, other than obnoxious new characters meeting immemorable ends, that’s all it has to offer.

A big old pile of Smurf.

This zany debut dials up the cringe comedy to its most excruciating extremes — and it’s a riot. Andrew DeYoung and Tim Robinson are a match made in heaven.

David Corenswet takes on the blue-and-red mantle admirably, and glimpses of Gunn’s signature sense of fun shine through — but a lack of humanity, originality and cohesion means the movie around them just doesn’t work.

Too much distance has crept in for The Old Guard 2 to feel memorable, and it shows. A convoluted, sequel-baiting mess that proves time is not a healer.

The Shrouds certainly fits neatly into Cronenberg’s filmography but stands apart as his most intimate work. It’s a hypnotic descent into the darkness of grief, punctuated by perverse Cronenbergian pleasures.

A really good, dumb comedy can be a joyous thing, and this is a really good, dumb comedy.

It’s not doing much daring or different but this delivers a fun, well-made summer theme-park ride, with fast highs and slow lows. Pleasurable, though it doesn’t linger.

M3GAN 2.0 is more absurd, self-aware silliness: a riot of timely tech paranoia, with almost no horror but a ton of successful comedy. Slay, queen!

It's easy to see why this has consistently entertained generations of audiences.

The sequel we needed is both the film you expect, and the one you don’t. There’s blood, but also real guts and brain and heart — visceral cinema soaked in viscera.

Joseph Kosinski has done it again. F1 combines unparalleled access, pioneering filmmaking and moving redemption arcs to deliver an exhilarating cinematic experience. What will he attach a camera to next?

Deftly balancing multiple genres, Tornado’s occasional pacing issues are propelled by Jed Kurzel’s ferocious score, Robbie Ryan’s haunting cinematography, and standout performances from Kōki and Tim Roth.

Robert Zemeckis’ Contact for kids. A slow start gives way to a charming, visually inventive adventure that might just inspire a new generation of astronomers to look to the skies.

An intelligent, sapphic-tinged and superbly acted rural thriller with Moore, Sweeney, Gleeson and Shaw all on fine form, only slightly dampened by some blatant product placement.

A different beast to Past Lives, this is a razor-sharp look at the competitive marketplace of dating: both rigorously honest and idealistically romantic.

Does Deep Cover work as an improv comedy? Yes, and it delivers strong characterisation, a twisty crime story, and great performances too. End scene.

It’s clearly made with real love and care, but shows far too much deference to its progenitor. Even in a remake, we need more originality and less playing the hits.

Some fun intergenerational warfare, clever genre nods and a generally sharp script enliven what could have been a bog-standard slasher movie.

Killer Of Killers looks the business and comes with all the gory kills and human heroes you’d hope for, but like most anthologies it is a little hit-and-miss.

The story is a bit slight, but it’s fun to watch Ana de Armas punch, shoot, stab and blast everything and everyone in her way. A Wick-edly entertaining addition to one of cinema’s best action franchises.

This attempts to unite period drama and demonic possession, but feels tired and overworked on both counts.

This deeply disappointing new Fear Street instalment leans too hard into worn-out tropes and excessive gore, at the expense of fun, engaging characters or any genuine scares.

Engaging turns from Anderson and Isaacs can’t elevate a narrative that ultimately goes nowhere, although it might make you want to get the tent out of the attic at long last.

Karate Kid: Legends doesn’t quite live up to the promise of its Cobra Kai-meets-Mr Han marketing. But for breezy feel-goodness, you’ve come to the right dojo.

Darkly funny as it descends into farce and ends on a chilling final note, Mountainhead is, unfortunately, truly a film for the 2020s. Just don’t chase it with a doomscrolling session.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a big-hearted, consoling hug of a movie. It might not reinvent the wheel, but it’s the low-(Tim)-key crowd-pleaser of the year so far.

Given all the elements involved, Fountain Of Youth should be a blast. That it isn’t is a real disappointment. Maybe best left buried.

Fleischer Camp brings a light touch and a good human cast to this reverently faithful effort, but it’s never as clear and bright as its source material.

Despite some impressive woozy visuals and a soundtrack of chart-topping music, there’s not much to recommend this derivative pop-star drama.

This is textbook Wes Anderson without falling back on old tricks. The rich world of The Phoenician Scheme can be a lot to take in, but what a view it is.

Strictly-for-fans-only. Bono is a charismatic chronicler of his own life, but the self-conscious storytelling concept is a harder thing to stomach for non-enthusiasts.

This Hallow Road is paved with brilliant performances, a smart, unpredictable script, and tight, precise direction from Anvari. An unsettling ride worth taking. 

A tense, knotty opening act yields to some of Tom Cruise’s most impressive stunts yet, ending the film — and perhaps the series — on a high.

Laugh as you barf. This fun reboot is crammed with affectionate nods and grisly kills as it bids a fond farewell to Tony Todd. Might it have been called ‘Ultimate Destination’?

Despite some sweet moments and strong on-screen talent, The Wedding Banquet’s off pacing and limited character development mean it ultimately falls flat.

Jazzily scored and cut, The Uninvited hangs in the Hollywood hills and vibes like a ’90s indie. It’s no Swingers but it’s well-acted and makes entertainment of its earnest themes.

With a committed, crazed, brilliantly calibrated performance from late-Renaissance Cage, this is a feverishly good thriller: surreal and strange and sticky.

Cleaner has good people behind it but this British attempt at a Die Hard ends up just being a bit of a mess. Yippee-ki-nay.

Even the slightest wisp of critical thought will bring the house-of-cards plot tumbling down, but avoid thinking too much and it’s a frothy, sun-drenched bit of fun.

Until Dawn wants to carve its own path, separate from its source material. Ironically, in trying to be different, it ends up feeling more clichéd than ever.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film is a chilly and mystifying expression of a modern malevolence which hangs over our lives — like a cloud, if you will — worsened by constant digital connection.

It won’t win points for originality or sophistication, but this is another muscular, well-pitched heist thriller with strong character work from Butler and Jackson Jr. We wait with bated breath for The Further Adventures Of Big Nick.

It doesn’t always land, but it dares to be different, from the title to the team-up. Fresh and thoughtful in a way recent Marvel efforts haven’t always managed.

Naomi Watts’ exceptional performance is the crucial element of this moving if flawed tale. The film to see if you’ve ever wondered how to tackle grief with a ginormous dog in the Big Apple.

Unsurprisingly, HAVOC is at its best when we’re plunged into wall-to-wall carnage. It may not be for the faint-hearted, but this fist-flinging fever-dream sees Evans back near the top of his game.

Affleck and Bernthal make a funny, if morally dubious, double act, as Christian’s autism lets sociopathic hit man Brax think of himself as the ‘normal’ brother. Best bit: the line-dancing scene.

If you do pick up a penguin, you could do worse than experience Michell’s kind of spiritual and moral awakening. Still, the film is thankfully sharper and less cute than it initially appears.

An idiosyncratic, thematically dense twist on the vampire myth that’s oddly paced but beautifully played. One to sink your teeth into.

A moving story that manages to steer clear of the usual hammed-up adolescent angst. The result is a quietly powerful refresh of the coming-of-age genre.

Freaky Tales never amounts to more than the sum of its parts — but those parts, while uneven, are always high-energy and entertaining.

Not exactly a world leader in the action movie stakes – but entertaining enough, particularly thanks to Viola Davis. 

Aka ‘The Odyssey: The Bits Without The Monsters’. Not that that should put you off, as Binoche and Fiennes bring some raw, fleshy humanity to this mythic text, giving it a modern twist that balances the film’s flaws.

Bolstered by a grounded performance from Meghann Fahy, Drop deftly weaponises its titular tech to update the paranoid thriller for the iPhone age. Better check those security settings.

Operating with more of a steady pulse than a full-on thrill-ride, this revenge flick exchanges fists for brains with only decent results.

A hyperactive hot-pink mess of a movie, which fails to elevate its cubic source material and revels in that failure like it’s achieving something.

This is sadly unsuccessful as both an eat-the-rich satire and a schlocky B-movie. Not even Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega can rescue Death Of A Unicorn from expiring on arrival.

For all its originality, O’Dessa can’t help but get tangled up in its own mythology, dragged down by a romance that never sizzles.

It's well performed, and Collet-Serra knows his way around a beautifully timed scare, but what's most haunting is the sense that the same idea has been done better before.

A curiously bloodless account of a real-life disaster that has moments of gripping tension punctuating long stretches of fatally understated business as usual.

War is hell, and Warfare refuses to shy away from it. Free of the operatics of most supposed anti-war films, it’s all the more effective for its simplicity. It is respectfully gruelling.

Nicole Kidman has perfected the art of the wronged housewife, but that’s not enough to elevate the shallow nightmare of Holland. This derivative thriller is in need of some Dutch courage.

Like a parody of a Jason Statham film, without any of the joy that might imply. This Working Man just doesn’t work.

Joshua Oppenheimer’s uncompromising, apocalyptic odyssey thoughtfully unpacks the stories people tell themselves to survive — but don’t expect to be tapping your feet to its collection of lacklustre songs.

A largely painless viewing experience — but it could have been far more pleasurable.

At once awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, eye-rolling and head-scratching, this is animated cinema on a scale rarely seen. It doesn’t always hang together, but on its box-office achievements alone, Ne Zha 2 has earned a place with the immortals.

Timeless, generational music combines with thrilling showmanship and insightful creative musings as Zimmer (& friends) bring his act to the big screen with winning results. Almost no bum notes detected.

It’s at its best when it’s an old-fashioned song-and-dance princess story, with Zegler and Gadot broad but effective, and at its worst in any scene involving the digital dwarves.

Occasionally clunky and retrograde but in the same manner as a story told by a grandparent, The Alto Knights reminds us that De Niro will always be cinema’s greatest gangster.

Light on laughs, and even lighter on drama, Kyle Mooney’s throwback high-school romcom/tech-horror shifts uneasily between its various modes and tones, but never finds its groove.

Neither Bautista nor Jovovich can elevate this ugly-looking misfire. Fans of entertaining fantasy action need not apply. 

An over-eager, idea-stuffed debut that keeps you engaged with its surprising twists, but which nevertheless could have used a little pruning.

All is very much what it seems from another one of these all-is-not-what-it-seems thrillers — but there are fun, enjoyably unhinged performances from Edebiri and Malkovich.

It’s occasionally funny, but the moments of sincerity are undermined by the unformed sense of grievance and bitterness at the whole wide world.

It leans too heavily into ham-fisted cliché but Jack Huston’s debut gets by on a striking look and a clutch of strong performances led by an excellent Michael C. Pitt.

The Electric State loses some of the quiet profundity of the original text, but as a breezily watchable retrofuturistic jolly, it has just enough juice.

Its pleasures lie in the dialogue, the twists, the reveals. It all leads to a delightful Agatha Christie-style drawing room denouement, in which the rat is exposed, their best-laid plans laid to waste. Like the film as a whole, it’s deliciously, lip-smackingly satisfying.

A mesmerising, wondrous example of animation’s potential; a thoughtful allegory about ecocide and death; and an adorable ode to four-legged (and two-legged) friends. No ebbs here: Flow is the real deal.

A solid bit of high-concept B-movie fun, establishing Josh Hartnett as a credible action hero, and James Madigan as a genre director to watch.

Not quite a showstopper, but this reflection on womanhood boasts noteworthy performances across the board, especially from Pamela Anderson and a surprisingly tender Dave Bautista.

It's all very, very silly. That, combined with the relentless pace, should ensure that it delights its target audience of under-tens, but the adults shouldn’t fear this dog’s bark too much.

This drama is a little too sedate to make its mark, but director Walter Salles delivers a sensitive portrait of Eunice Paiva's family life during a period of traumatic upheaval.

Like Mickey himself, it’s goofy and a little inconsistent, but it’s also funny, thoughtful and more plausible than we might like. A charming space oddity for these unusual times.

An affectionate bloody valentine to both romcoms and horror, Heart Eyes is a like a Hinge date from hell. Smart, funny, intense; swipe right.

Weird and wonky in the best way, this is a compelling character study that makes its joys, however fleeting, feel truly earned.

A decidedly grown-up thriller boasting several compelling performances, The Order is as tense and visceral as it is timely.

Deeply misconceived and steadily unfunny, this feels longer than its running time. A few moments of emotional honesty between mothers are the only bits worth watching, but they're too scant to save this mess.

The spirit of the drive-in is strong in this trashy mash-up, though it’s best appreciated as an unlikely romance, where love and poetry somehow blossom amid heavy gunfire and monster rampages.

Pacy and punchy, this is a promising first official outing for the new Captain America, even if some awkward and inconsistent moments hold it back from greatness.