Full-force performance form Ryan Reynolds but not as funny as it hopes it is.

Unique, beautiful and endlessly fascinating. It really is a work of art.

Once you swallow the giant pill that is the premise, it just about makes sense, and Woodley sells it with all her conviction.

With Neeson on fine form and an encouraging start, it’s a shame that this gritty crime drama feels the need to erupt into a full-blown action movie by the end.

Sterling performances lift the occasionally soapy storyline in this semi-successful adaptation.

Writer-director Gerard Johnson and chameleon-like star Ferdinando continue to impress with their strong collaboration here.

Blomkamp’s third movie has just about enough spectacle and quirk to overcome some fairly major flaws, not least of which is an unappealing central trio.

A final opportunity to see a master at work in this mischievously melancholic delight.

Quietly compelling, but lacks finesse in its characterisation and dogged denunciation of the Ethiopian justice system

A more restrained effort from Araki than the headrush of Kaboom, there’s plenty of fun to be had in Eva Green’s Joan Crawford-esque turn as the vanished lady

Not all of it works but it does breeze along, thanks to its likable characters and dry wit.

Renner’s solid performance anchors a formidable ensemble in the type of well-intentioned docudrama more likely to leave your head shaking than your pulse pounding.

Julianne Moore gives the performance of her career (no mean feat, given the strength of her previous work) in this heartbreaking yet life-affirming tale of a woman determined to hold onto her identity while under attack from a debilitating mental disease.

This is maximum-gloss entertainment with its fair share of tricksy rug-pulls. But, like one of the neon-coloured cocktails Smith drinks in it, it’s more of an immediate rush than something you’ll remember in a year.

A bold and uncompromising debut feature from a bright new directing team. There’s a question over whether it justifies its own misery, but if you care about homegrown cinema then you have to see it.

Superbly acted allegorical drama with a climax that is not only breathtakingly exciting but flawlessly handled.

A first-rate horror movie, It Follows adds a new monster to the pantheon expect pranksters to imitate the Follower for cheap shocks soon — and has a refreshing, unpretentious sense that a meaningful subtext doesn’t undercut spookiness.

An entirely charming extension of the most unlikely franchise, gently handling big themes and dissolving cynicism with laughter. Maggie Smith is superb.

Courageous and indelible account and an invaluable perspective of the protests.

Rinko Kikuchi's superb core performance and some striking photography stand out in the latest feature from the Zellner Brothers.

A funny, affecting, twisted tale, which demands you pay close attention to every throwaway detail.

Jennifer Aniston lifts an addiction drama with a committed but never showy performance. It’s a pity the rest of the film can’t cut as deep.

A competent procedural rather than the ground-breaking cybersaga we’d hoped for. But as with Miami Vice, Mann’s boundless style does a remarkable job of disguising the lack of substance.

Of course, this is a film you have to meet half-way. If you’re willing to enter its world, it’s an immensely rewarding, amusing, wise, melancholy and involving experience.

Charming performances from both leads and insightful vignettes makes up for occasional clumsy writing and plot developments.

Exasperatingly trite, but also rather sweet.

An ambitious physics and time-bending, relationship drama with solid performances from the two main characters.

Like too much filmed space opera, this is wonderfully imaginative when it comes to costume, art direction, special effects, spaceships and incidental alien creatures but stuck with old-hat character types and a resolutely unspecial storyline. It’s frequently entertaining, but as much for its terrible moments as its inspired touches.

A daring, dark satire strewn with allusions to modern times.

Beautifully crafted and exquisitely observed with an outstanding performance from Eddie Marsan in the lead.

Elevated from nice to beautifully memorable by wonderful performances and thoughtful direction of perfect small moments.

A Lower key than Wallace and Gromit or Pirates, but tightly packed with charm

Considering how its inflammatory ambition and scattershot execution put it closer to Spies Like Us than The Great Dictator on the political comedy spectrum, The Interview should ultimately stand as the boastfully juvenile lightning rod that modern American culture deserved — no butts about it.

It’s not a perfect film by any means, but it’s incredibly powerful and often moving, anchored by an awards-worthy performance from Oyelowo.

Son Of A Gun has the gritty, rough feel of 1970s heist/hit picture

An insightful examination of racism, homophobia and identity in Latin America.

Another winner from Daldry, this is an unexpectedly gritty crime drama set in the teeming favelas and grimy backstreets of Rio. A cracking script from Richard Curtis, with roughly 80 per cent of the dialogue in street patois, is brilliantly served by the three leads.

The Scooby-Doo-ish central plot is forgivable in a movie with so much visual verve, energetic action and a character so wondrously designed as Baymax.

Take it from us — ignorance is bliss. The less you try to figure out Anderson’s rambling, mesmerising mystery, the better. Just relax and let this beautiful, haunting, hilarious, chaotic, irritating and possibly profound tragicomedy wash over you. There is nothing else out there like it.

Sloppily structured, indifferently played and unbearably smug.

It would be easy to dismiss this as a plastic Hugh Grant rom-com but it has enough smarts, laughs and feel for its likeable characters to make it worth your while.

A rare grown up thriller, full of interesting bits and a strong turn from Wahlberg. But as a whole Wyatt’s film doesn’t grip as it might.

Stylish, sophisticated, simmering crime and character drama with Shakespearean dimension and bravura performances. Who knew heating oil could be a sexy subject?

Stylish, elegant, tense, cerebral, satirical and creepy. Garland’s directorial debut is his best work yet, while Vikander’s bold performance will short your circuits.

May be contrived and overlong, but it is also technically distinctive and utterly compelling in its analysis of Swedish attitudes towards race.

A challenging and intelligent Swedish drama that still raises laughs.

A strange story that's no less disturbing for its unbalanced telling.

A quietly moving coming of age story that resists formula or easy redemption, driven by a strong, unvarnished performance from Witherspoon, who deserves huge credit as both star and producer.

There are familiar moments in Vera Brittain’s stirring story, though the Kent's craft and Vikander’s exquisite talent will ensure that the author’s memories live in the minds of a fresh generation...

Oscar heralds will no doubt dub it "The Hurt Locker" for snipers, but the fitting combo of Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper have created a thrilling Iraq war story that manages to both honour the necessities of heroism and ruminate on what heroism might cost a man.

Sum up the plot and it sounds interminable. Watch the film and it will spit you out elated, exhausted and cheering for an encore.

Handsome, well-mounted but dull, dull, dull.

Megaton’s choppy editing barely disguises his star’s hatred of running, while a brutal 12A neutering lessens what limited fun remains in seeing Oscar Schindler creakily throw a Russian bad ‘un into some supermarket shelves.

There are brilliant, bewitching moments allied to hilarious and touching ones. Just not enough of them in what veers, at length, between the clever, the terrifying and the bit tiring.

Another dramatic triumph for Bennett Miller, though it is his toughest and least glamorous outing yet. A sad and horrible story, expertly and compellingly told.

A compassionate and inspiring look at an extraordinary life, anchored by two of the best performances of the year.

A much bolder, braver horror sequel than most. Except for a wispy ending, it’s a match for the first.

The doppelgänger trope may sound well worn but Enemy finds fresh, deeply unnerving ground. And Jake Gyllenhaal gives two spellbinding performances.

Birdman is everything you want movies to be: vital, challenging, intellectually alive, visually stunning, emotionally affecting. And welcome back to the big time, Mr. Keaton; you have been sorely missed.

Perhaps the riskiest mainstream movie in years, Vaughn’s love letter to spy movies may be uneven in places, but it’s ultra-violent, envelope-pushing, and fun enough to overcome the flaws.

Against the odds, perhaps, but part three injects a tiring franchise with new life and some surprisingly dark jokes. Some fun cameos and another winning Dan Stevens turn also add much needed unpredictability to the miniature goings-on.

A mushy mix of sentiment and some off-key singing lets the air out of this beloved musical's limo tires.

Tim Burton’s return to real-life storytelling is entertaining but flawed. See it for a fascinating true story and a fantastic Amy Adams. Beware the uneven tone, a lack of depth and Christoph Waltz’s monumental mugging.

Overlong and underpopulated with gags that really land, there's still moments of mirth for devotees of the original.

A solid telling that spans several fascinating periods of 20th century life.

A soapy but stirring romance with two committed leads.

As spectacular and surprising as you would expect from Scott. Its spiritual uncertainty – and lack of triumphalism – perhaps robs it of a truly satisfying, cathartic conclusion, but also makes for a truly modern, thoughtful biblical blockbuster.

Although lacking specific context and fussily presented, this is a harrowing account of the Arab Spring as witnessed by seven reluctant and committed activists in Libya, Syria and Bahrain. The footage of the violence inflicted upon civilians is truly terrifying.

Worse than being buried alive in an actual pyramid, if mercifully less time-consuming.

Lavish and sporadically powerful, Jolie's POW biopic may have just enough gravity to entice the Academy, but struggles to bring truth to an unbelievable truth.

A fitting conclusion to Jackson’s prequel trilogy and a triumphant adieu to Middle-earth. Now complete, The Hobbit stands as a worthy successor to The Lord Of The Rings, albeit one that never quite emerges from its shadow.

A fun and insightful slice of Roman life. Next up, M25: The Movie?

Murray’s finest, funniest, meatiest performance since "Lost In Translation" — just a shame it’s contained in such a lightweight dramedy.

It may not be much more than six of the most imaginatively staged and filmed fight scenes in the cinema, but that’s almost certainly enough to recommend it.

Both heavy-handed and ham-fisted, this is a self-important morality tale where you can see everyone's uppance coming long before it arrives.

Though it perhaps inevitably lives in the shadow of some subgenre masterpieces, Black Sea is a superbly shot men-on-a-mission thriller with chest-tightening tension and a striking contemporary resonance.

A powerful and provoking take on a violent and volatile era.

The word 'icon' is overused but as this charming Muhammad Ali portrait shows, occasionally it's utterly warranted.

Marmaladen with gloriously silly jokes, pitch-perfect performances and incidental detail, this is a warm, witty and wondrously inventive great big bear-hug of a movie.

Your opinion of this unasked-for but likable comedy sequel depends entirely on whether your reaction to the statement “It’s better than the first one” is 1) “Dear God, it could hardly be worse” or 2) “Awesome!”

Farhadi’s gifted storytelling and direction is on show again in a damning look at Iranian society.

As startling and bleakly compelling as you'd expect from this rare combination of director and subject.

There’s beautiful visual and verbal comedy, and the film has the creative spontaneity of a dream, foreshadowing Spirited Away (it influenced Miyazaki). However, the lack of momentum and focus may end up boring children, while the English dub actors sound a little stilted.

Here it is at long last: a truly great vampire comedy. And also the funniest horror film to come out of New Zealand since Braindead.

The witty, loquacious Cocker is watchable as ever and the gig scenes will thrill Pulpers.

Elba's reunites with Luther director Sam Miller to lesser effect in a workaday home-invasion thriller.

Another solid directorial effort from the occasional filmmaker.

It will test your concentration, resolve and butt cheeks to the limit but Winter Sleep will reward your staying power: a perfectly played, beautiful-looking, exquisitely nuanced picture. Would make a great, if gruelling, decaying-wedlock double bill with "Gone Girl."

Energising, stylish and engrossing, although its scattershot chronology and egocentric approach might not be to everyone;s taste. Still, Boseman is brilliant - it would be madness if he isn't among the Oscar runners this season.

The drama and tone are powerful and effective and Lawrence makes an exceptionally charismatic heroine, but an almost total lack of action means this is less catching fire than treading water.

If "Crash" set your teeth on edge, book in at the dentist's before seeing this one.

A clear-eyed celebration of a giant of film writing. We’ll refrain from the thumb jokes, but consider this a hearty recommendation.

The cute puppy almost steals the show but Hardy is ace and quite the watchable chameleon in his surprising switch from lovable dumb ox to cannier-than-we-thought.

A superb thriller and a worthy biopic of a real hero. It’s also simultaneously an encouraging follow-up for Headhunters’ Morten Tyldum, an impressive debut for screenwriter Graham Moore, and a big-screen career highlight for Benedict Cumberbatch.

As passionate and wide-ranging as you'd hope, but disappointingly mistrusting of its audience's interest in the finer points of the case.

Like Paranormal Activity at a wedding - Paranuptial Activity? - this low-budget horror has its moment. Much, much better than Legion, although not as scary as the actual Book of Revelation.

Frustrating, funny at points, heartbreaking and quite magnificently shot throughout, Leviathan is one of the films of the year.

An engaging comedy drama lifted by two revelatory performances. Wiig in particular suggests an Academy Award-winner-in-waiting.