Somehow less than the sum of its very impressive parts. Massy Tadjedin brings out the best of her strong cast but all the eyeball-melting beautyon display and the highly polished treatment of the story could have done with a touch of authentic grit.

All you'd expect from an X-Men film (or spin-off, or prequel), but not all you'd hope for. It smacks of rush and compromise, but there's thankfully enough to make you feel optimistic about the series' future once more.

According to Phillips, the 'Part II' in the title is a nod to the second "Godfather," which matched the genius of its forerunner. Ironically, his own sequel offer is one you should refuse.

A beautiful but slow moving celebration of life, stunningly photographed.

Hardly hard-hitting but a thoughtful and spirited look at a man at the top of his game and a moment in time that refused to fade.

Funny, agreeable and thoroughly enjoyable, if a little bit too neat and fortuitous in sorting out its entangled strands.

An overly complicated plot and poorly thought-out characters detract from the flashes of charm that Cap'n Jack still emits. Despite quality set-pieces and the best efforts of the cast, this is dull and crossbones.

Passionate and expertly crafted, this black-and-white opus is well worth seeking out.

Familiar but enjoyable. Not being funny, the elephant (Rosie, played by nine-foot enchantress Tai) is the real star as the most moving and only joyful presence in sight.

A delightful animation for adults, its lack of sentiment makes it an anti-Marley.

Controversial and contended it may be in France, but whatever your stance this is another thrilling and thoughtful slice of history from the "Days Of Glory" director.

A decent historical drama, with one of the best extended battle scenes (a full half of the movie is the face-off in the 'village of death') in recent memory.

An absurd-sounding concept rendered wholly believable and thrilling by a fearless young actress and a director at the top of his game.

Turn off the snark-o-meter, and this is a return to form for Marvel, introducing a new hero we'll be happy to see again in, oh, about a year or so.

A typically quixotic documentary in which great unknown artists from 35,000 years ago collaborate with one in 2011. Profound, mysterious and utterly absorbing.

Moving, bold, unconventional and impeccably staged, The Arbor is a worthy tribute to a powerfully artistic voice.

One of those sunny-natured indie comedies that comes out of nowhere to put a smile on your face.

Tough on nuance, tough on the causes of nuance, this episode has the highest velocity and lowest IQ yet. See it on the biggest, loudest, dumbest screen you can find.

Brand fan? You'll likely enjoy his antics. But Russellophobics would be better off seeking out the original.

A desire to Know What You Did Last Installment is likely to be the biggest draw for Scream number four, but if this proves to be the last in the series, it's a bloody shame it ended not with a Scream but a whimper.

Moving, complex and brutal, it's an outstanding film about men at war.

This impressionist Western won't be everyone's slug of bourbon but it's a slow burn that will richly reward the patient.

As jolly as Tigger, as sweet as honey and as undemanding as a balloon ride, this will delight the wee'uns and put a smile on the face of animation fans of all ages.

A decent, affectionate, fitfully funny take on the fantasy genre, but this could have been so much more.

Oldman and Seyfried prove to be the big attractions, but Hardwicke's Riding Hood legend still lacks bite.

An offbeat comedy/drama elevated by another terrific Varmiga turn.

From his early days doing stand-up at the age of 15 in Houston, Texas, to his membership of the Texas Outlaws comedy collective, to his supremacy as a brilliant controversist, American tells the story of comedian Bill Hicks' tragically short life through the eyes of those who lived it with him.

Okay, so it's not exactly a groundbreaking advance from the team behind "Ice Age," but with its kaleidoscope of colour and heaps of humour, you'll be charmed.

An exciting, intellectually stimulating science-fiction thriller which also connects emotionally. Everyone involved earns a promotion to the premiership.

Ambitious and visually impressive as a pop-video mash-up, but, lacking a strong emotional core, it doesn't quite cohere as a fully satisfying movie.

Schnabel doesn't comes close to the quiet power of his last feature, "The Diving Bell And The Butterfly," delivering a story that can't match the scope or scale of Rula Jebreal's source material.

C&W lovers will lap it up - look out for some stellar Nashville cameos - and there's big-lunged uplift to see you through the cornball plot turns.

Good fight scenes, but a confusion of plot, culture and accents make this a lesser example of the sword 'n' sandal epic.

A loopy joy from start to finish, Bradley Cooper proves that he's the real deal.

A solid thriller with McConaughey doing what he does best.

An auspicious debut for Scott, but one whose ingredients are too familiar to really fizz. Green is great, though, in a dark-tinged role that plays to her strengths.

Pretty much cardboard, down to the heroic patriotic speeches, and less distinctive even than last year's scarcely stellar "Skyline," which trashed the same city. Things blow up good and Eckhart is a classier actor than his role warrants, but we've all been here before.

Wells knows how to extract the goods from a great cast, but it's in service of a somewhat mundane story. Still, it'll make you think about the imbalance in the business world, even if the arguments and consequences are nothing all that revolutionary.

Not up there with the Farrelly brothers' classics, but still a worthwhile, farcical comedy.

An encouraging set-up soon descends into a grubby muddle, leaving you wishing you were just rewatching "The Name Of The Rose" instead.

Broader and more accessible than either "Shaun Of The Dead" or "Hot Fuzz," Paul is pure Pegg and Frost - clever, cheeky and very, very funny. You'll never look at E. T. in the same way again.

In the filmography of liberal-skewing, Bush-era true stories, this is a measured, persuasive item.

Taymor's winningly cast, imaginative take on Shakespeare passes the test of bringing the Bard to film. It may also be the only PG Disney film to contain the word "F---".

A certain percentage of the audience will instantly sieze on this as their favorite movie of all time, and a small, but not insignificant demographic will have nightmares. Verbinski and Depp probably like it that way.

This grungy anti-musical will offend just about everyone with its attitude towards women, gays, kids, and the elderly.

A gentle trance-out and the strangest Palme d'Or winner in a while.

By keeping the pace quick, the explanation light and the characters strong, Nolfi achieves the near-impossible: a film puzzle you won't mind leaving unexplained.

If you can make it through the bland schmaltz of the first half you'll be rewarded with a spectacular blast of sustained action and the promise of even better to come. This could be the start of something great.

A shambling, ponderous mess that aims to be a trashy cult classic and merely ends up in the trash - Fichtner aside. And, in the biggest disappointment of all, there's not even that much angry driving in it.

Compelling and vivid, it's another fine piece of work from an up-and-coming talent.

Not a bad premise, but material demanding a light touch is weighed down by a desperate desire to fit in, like a little kid swearing to impress the big boys.

With a frustrating format and poor animation, it's still worth it for Franco and the chance to engage with a key work of poetry.

Just don't walk in expecting to become a believer by the end.

A dark rites-of-passage story meets lethal Shakespearean drama, with low-key performances that artfully get under the skin.

Squeaky clean fun for the youngsters in the family. Everyone else hide.

Whoever demanded a third installment of Lawrence's mirthless mash-up of weak gags and cross-dressing horrors should be imprisoned and forced to watch it on repeat until they repent. Avoid.

Surely cinema's first Mexican social-realist cannibal horror drama, it's grimly funny and at times horribly effective stuff. Ickily excellent.

A sharp study of corporate greed for those who felt Michael Moore pulled too many punches.

Laurent's brushstrokes always feel a little too broad to capture the finer details of the legendary New Wavers, but some fascinating archive footage saves his documentary from missing the mark altogether.

The wee'uns may enjoy the forest-based capers but for adults this is no pickernick.

A beautifully realised adaptation of a profoundly affecting novel. Intelligent sci-fi provides the backdrop, while in the foreground is a trio of truly impressive performances from Mulligan, Knightley and Garfield.

Totally crackers but it gets powered by pure invention and eccentricity alone.

Terrific: tough, exciting, funny, gorgeous and bewitchingly acted, this is darn close to perfection.

Workmanlike suspenser, with plenty of cold water but sparse chills. When it comes to James Cameron scuba thrillers, "The Abyss" still has the edge.

A captivating, and sometimes alarming, exposé of the business end of nuclear power. Watch as part of a behind-the-sofa double bill with Countdown To Zero.

A gently moving film that's always thought-provoking if at times a little slow going.

Kidman, in particular, hasn't been this good since "To Die For" and maybe not even then.

An exhilarating fight-flick that, like its scrappy central character, is impossible not to root for.

Better than "The Transporter" but not as much fun as "Crank".

Josh Fox puts a fresh spin on a well-drilled - if continually relevant - story.

While perhaps a touch overlong and with plot strands that don't hang together as well as they might, this is remains a triumph, illuminated by a terrific leading man turn from Paul Giamatti.

Iñárritu has made a modern classical tragedy and, in Javier Bardem, he has found his first authentic hero; a character caught up in an intricate web of events he cannot extricate himself from.

Slow, ponderous and as shallow as it thinks it is deep, lifted only by an impressive opening and fine work from Damon and Howard.

Not just a pretty face; there's meat on its bones and a song in its heart besides. This deserves a place up there with the best of Disney's previous fairy tales.

Grubby and yet vital, it stays with you.

Hit-and-miss for Howard. The tone flits, sometimes uncomfortably, from Vaughn-fuelled laugh-fest to relationship drama, but it's a winner compared to many of the clunkly comedies out there.

Every one of its cues might be tele-prompted, but this is an assured, likable comedy. Ford is as good as he's been in ages, but the stand-out is McAdams. If there were any justice, the movie would send her stellar.

An extraordinary, intoxicating movie. Its hard, twisted edges may turn off some, but there's no faulting either Aronofsky's technical mastery or Portman's flawless performance.

Weir couldn't make a boring film if his life depended on it, and for any other director The Way Back would be laudable. It's good, but from this director we have come to expect great.

High hopes of magic from the Gondry-Rogen pairing are dashed. Some neat touches aside, this isn't so much eternal sunshine, more superbad.

Does to the medieval era what Cage's Wicker Man did to Anthony Shaffer. Hokum and not in a good way.

A touching and insightful black comedy that gracefully spans sixty years.

A raw but beautiful picture of love uniting and dividing: tender, real and heartfelt.

Not for everyone, but fans of Dario Argento will find plenty to like about this otherworldly study of sex and sensuality.

A surprisingly fun, effervescent against-the-odds drama that offers an upbeat moral without the usual punishing survival-story clichés. Not for the faint-hearted, mind.

Okay, but it lacks conviction.

Measured in pace, yet thoroughly gripping and completely accessible. The title soft-sells the picture, but it's among the best of this or any year. And Manville should clear some shelf space for well-deserved awards.

A low-grade comedy that'll have Jonathan Swift turning in his grave.

With all these folks in the same movie, there are inevitably moments when Hoffman or Wilson get a laugh, but on the whole it's the same again but weaker and with fewer good jokes. We're too tired of the gag even to think of a 'focker' line to sign off the review.

Like his plans, Megamind verges on greatness but has flaws. But it's fun, energetic and at times dazzling. Expect a stronger sequel - unlikely to be 'darker and grittier', though.

Another "Hangover" was too much to hope for, especially as this was scripted by committee. It's a bit funny but also quite a bit nasty.

Some days a runaway train movie just hits the spot.

There are a scattering of infallibly cringe-making horrors, but on the whole Saw 3D could do with more depth.

Claire Denis' drama is an overly fastidious but insight-filled look at post-colonial Africa.

Well above the standards of your average romantic comedy, it's funny, sexy and smart. It's just not smart enough to stick to its guns to the end.

An amazing achievement for a 'first-time' filmmaker, which measures up to the finest indies for performance and character-work, and the biggest blockbusters for jaw-dropping effects. And it has the year's best sex scene, too.

Intentionally or not, it might be the comedy of the year. The music and dance are thrilling and the costumes saucy enough to satisfy, but the whole is so camp and clichéd that it must be deliberate. Right?

Effective jump-shocks and a strong turn from Eddie Marsan mask an over-complicated last act.