An engaging new direction for Eli Roth, who offsets the odd tonal hiccup with plenty of ghoulish delights.

With largely improvised dialogue and a cast including genuine ex-offenders, Chapiron captures a powerful stench of authenticity.

A visually inventive, deliciously dark fairytale reheat. The story's far from the stuff of legend, but Theron makes for a ferocious meanie, helping to flush away "Mirror Mirror's" sugary aftertaste.

Tom Hanks, his dog and a robot charm in a post-apocalyptic road movie assembled with care and a light touch.

Director Erik Poppe’s worthy intentions are nearly undone by an undisciplined screenplay. Still, he marshals two strong performances.

Loaded with flashbacks, it’s unevenly mounted but kept watchable by the lively script and classy cast.

Exciting, in places, though a stranger to subtlety, it ticks all the genre boxes, but there’s something about its knowing noirisms that feels superficial rather than soaked-in.

Like E.T. gone wrong, director Kiah Roache-Turner’s underdeveloped but briskly suspenseful, suggestive arachno-shocker sees a kid with family issues find solace in alien company. Only this spidery E.T. will gobble you up before it phones home…

Entertaining, engrossing and at times genuinely unnerving, Bruckner’s bad trip is one for horror fans to relish.

Well-crafted, well-intentioned and well, just a tad dull.

A vital, visceral antidote to Trump's slick PR machine.

A solid outing for a re-Bourne hero that could, with a few key tweaks, generate another round of vehicles for the Clancy cash cow.

You’ll flinch, yes, but you’ll forget it just as quickly.

It’s impossible to hate a film where the cast is so game, but you may struggle to remember it the morning after.

This was the Mamma Mia! of its day, a nostalgic blast of popular Irving Berlin showtunes gift-wrapped in new-fangled VistaVision that danced its way to the top of the 1954 box office.

Set pieces play saviour in Netflix and Chris Hemworth's generic kidnap thriller.

It's no Hakuna Matata, that's for sure. And it's far from Jenkins' best work, but in any other hands, a lot of Mufasa's intentions would have completely misfired. Thankfully there are some stellar vocal performances and VFX – but it could have been so much better.

A solid if far-fetched thriller that still entertains, even as it goes off the rails.

Die Another Day simply blows the competition away. If you want excitement, laughs and pure sex appeal, remember one thing: Bond's really do have more fun.

The film’s cryptic style obscures insight; just as the condition provides a scapegoat for neglecting Abby’s motives, so it prevents Passon from developing a sustained dramatic network. Satisfaction is fleeting.

The sheer volume of potential readings eventually stalls on reductive soundbites about a faithless generation, but the set-pieces sizzle with style.

Filmed in garish colours like an explosion in a paint factory, it’s more style than content, but diverting all the same.

Far too many characters are vying for screen time in this predictably plotted sequel, but thankfully a weird, wild, and utterly brilliant central performance from Jim Carrey makes this a fun watch. A fine, wheel-turning instalment in a continually burgeoning franchise that will no doubt continue for many years to come.

It may lose its way on occasions, but thanks to a committed cast and a script that captures the Kerouac vibe, Salles' adaptation never ends up on the road to nowhere.

Completely stripping the bold premise back, Nightbitch is one of the year's most disappointing releases, wasting the talents of the usually brilliant Amy Adams. This dark thriller is all bark and no bite.

The MCU’s self-appointed messiah might not have pulled off a complete course correction, but he delivers an action-packed, gag-stuffed crowdpleaser that gives the franchise a much needed lift. Jackman is worth his weight in adamantium.

With the story fit to burst with an Ocean's trilogy worth of hustles, tricks and grifts (some of them smart, others groan-inducing), at least Robbie is the genuine article – sharing playful chemistry with Smith, but ultimately stealing the movie from right under his nose.

If the imagery is less racy than TOF fans may be used to, Pekka Strang’s quiet turn as Laaksonen has a simmering power.

Hyena may be grim, but it’s also grimly engrossing in a way that gets under the skin.

A very big, exceedingly dumb thrill ride.

A nifty lift-off and a tense first hour lead us, disappointingly, to a very bumpy landing. While Neeson and co. do their best, the script just doesn’t deliver where it really matters.

Within the first half-hour, all suspense has been punctured. Not only do you find out who the two men are, and why they and their jiggly testicles are galloping through New York, but you learn exactly who's chasing them and why. Worse still, like a flabby episode of Columbo, you get to know whodunnit right at the start of the film.

Ethan Coen strikes out on his own with a frivolous frolic that wears its slightness like a badge of honour.

While it lacks a memorable villain, and the central pairing fizzes but never sparks, the film gets by on its vintage charm and a third act upswing.

The breakout stars of the Despicable Me franchise seize the spotlight in an enjoyably demented off-shoot that is guaranteed to send their young fans bananas.

With McAvoy acting as if his life depends on it, Filth is the Irvine Welsh film we’ve been waiting years for. Tastier than a deep-fried Mars Bar.

OK, so enough time is spent on the fairways to put some viewers off, but Tommy’s Honour scores a hole in one with its unpacking of the class wars at play.

With a massive ensemble to play with and new characters to introduce, it’s inevitable that some cast members (Brie Larson’s Agency operative Tess among them) get a little shortchanged. But with Fast XI on the cards for 2025, there’s still time to shine as brightly as John Cena does here as Brian’s genially protective uncle: a retooled part that fits him far better than the nefarious one he took in 2021’s F9.

Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize a muddled, poorly paced ride with thinly drawn characters and an inconsistent world that wastes its abundant potential.

Director Dominik Moll makes some odd style choices – like Looney Tunes-style ‘iris wipes’ – and it’s a while before Cassel fully embraces his dark side, yet his customary charisma is what seals The Monk’s redemption.

Not without glitches but an energetic study of one woman’s refusal to settle for anything less than her share of the American Dream.

Shepard’s film is fun but forgettable in the first hour, then disappointing in the final third. But Law’s raucous turn keeps you watching.

This is an impactful and at times profound film, with a hauntingly lovely turn from Sandler.

Full of fizz, filth and fun, I’m So Excited! is like an ’80s retro-blast. Its scattershot comedy may not impress latecomers to Almodóvar’s career, but old-school fans will love it.

Smart dialogue, a gifted ensemble and good intentions from Jennifer Westfeldt, but her grown-up romcom can't quite escape feeling like a sitcom on the big screen.

A bracing attempt to bring the legend back into contention that successfully separates itself from other Super-movies but misses some of their warmth and charm. But given the craft and class, this could be the start of something special

Director Isabelle Doval’s relentlessly upbeat take is warm and fluffy, but leaves the sugary sentiments for the tear-jerking final reel.

All right, it's not up there with "Bridesmaids" but, thanks to a game Graynor (here channelling a young Bette Midler), a revolving door of cameos and some gloriously smutty pillow talk, For A Good Time delivers, yes, exactly that.

At two hours and change Hunt definitely outstays its welcome, while it’s disappointing Lee has room for only two notable female characters. If you are up for some robust, relentless, blood-splattered mayhem, though, it’s well worth hunting down when it makes its way into cinemas.

Robert Pattinson delivers another film-stealing supporting turn.

A grand folly that makes the Wachowskis’ "The Matrix" trilogy look prosaic, Cloud Atlas is a fascinating if flawed work that will leave you gasping one minute and gagging the next.

As impressive as [Berry] is, though, it’s the kids who shine brightest in a drama whose iron hold on the audience’s attention can withstand the odd dip into credulity-stretching implausibility.

More a "King's Speech" footnote than a sequel, Park only flies when Bill's centre stage. We're curious to see how it fares against "Lincoln," the award season's other presidential hopeful.

An intriguing concept is executed frustratingly poorly. On the Shyamalan spectrum, it’s more The Happening than Unbreakable.

One of the strangest mainstream releases of recent times, Dark Shadows' demented gothic melodrama/fish-out-of-water comedy/creature feature feels like you've slipped into a Burton fever-dream.

It’s a bonkers, ballistic, brain-numbing ride.

Solid casting and scares mix with thin plotting and middling monster moves in Savage’s King riff.

Washington and Wahlberg are an effective double act in an intermittently exciting thriller with more twists than it needs. We’d love to see them partnered again, though perhaps as characters.

It’s flawed, yes – Frances is frustratingly underwritten, her psychological fault lines spoken of but never shown – but it’s also swaggeringly cinematic. And it has Tom Hardy vs Tom Hardy.

With Yakin's all-action plot operating like clockwork, an on-song Statham proves anything but expendable in a genre he dominates. Predictable, sure, but equally pleasurable.

From overblown sci-fi concepts to incest and erections, Megalopolis is a comedy of errors in a more literal sense than may have been intended, despite its many Shakespeare references.

Overlong, but Momoa’s charisma, plus first-class fishy FX, keep it afloat.

Wahlberg finds his most interesting role since The Departed in a film that’s heavy on atmosphere and suspense but shy of a full deck when it comes to characterisation.

Muschietti directs confidently, notably in an opening sequence that betters both Justice Leagues for fun. What’s less persuasive is the CGI, an eyesore that’s particularly gaudy when the finale’s ‘secrets’ drop.

Alex Beaupain's songs effectively convey emotion, but Beloved doesn't scale the heights of the Truffaut and Demy films it pastiches.

Gore and guffaws go hand in weapon-wielding hand in a belated follow-up that struggles to replicate the original’s winning formula.

But for the most part it’s Neanderthal compared to the Pixar stable.

Rude, crude and packed with more laughs than Jay’s had lovers (6,004, apparently), Inbetweeners fans will lap this up. All this, and a killer twist at the end.

The result is poetic but unfocused.

Lovely animation evokes a world made from Fuzzy-Felt and Play-Doh.

Ultimately, though, the combination of handsome visuals and assemblage of sketchy moments leave it feeling more like a museum piece, offering impressions over a gratifying narrative experience.

Tots will enjoy, but there’s no denying the pieces don’t quite click together. Best giant moggy since The Goodies, mind.

The ’toon still rules when it comes to heart, but this shot-for-shot remake is an impressively mounted, visually breathtaking nostalgia rush.

An amusing, thoughtful romcom about love, literature and coming of age. Whatever age.

A slice of raggedy realism with ultra-naturalistic performances.

No Badlands, but the best of the recent minor Malicks. And it features Val Kilmer with a chainsaw.

Though ambitious and visually stunning (gorgeous cracked deserts, beautiful beaches, houses filled with sand), it’s willfully elusive and unwieldy to the point of frustrating.

Ripples in time create holes in the plot, but Reynolds and his younger self patch over the missing piece with incredibly watchable charisma.

Dreamworks’ sweet and cosy sci-fi comedy could have used more Oh-riginality but top-hole character design should ensure a Big Bang of Boov merchandise.

Gatsby fans will be unoffended yet untransported, but soundtracks will sell, DiCaprio will be on bedroom walls again and new readers may discover the book - which is no bad thing.

A rich, rewarding crime film, shot with real skill. Riz Ahmed confirms his status as one of the most exciting Brit actors of his generation.

It works hard, and the first half hour is textbook creepy, but the oldschool grab-bag of shocks struggles to jolt a dour script to life.

As a comedy creation, David Brent is still a masterwork, and the film works best when the pathos hits as hard as the punchlines. But Life on the Road should probably be the leaving party we all thought had been thrown a few times already.

Four trivial stories, forced laughs: don't expect much more from Allen's latest postcard from Europe.

The cinematography’s sumptuous, but pacing is very stop-start. Worse, there’s an aura of male entitlement, fuelled by the script’s uncritical reverence of its flawed philanderers.

Like most daydreams, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is funny, sad, weird and corny all at once – and you’ll probably only remember the good bits as soon as it’s finished. But it’s still a lot better than real life.

Bob has spawned multiple books, but what works on the page seems slight on screen. That’s not to say it isn’t life-affirming, it’s just not quite the cat’s pyjamas.

No huge surprises but finely tuned and fun, like the love-child of Gravity and Alien, with added popcorn.

Marvel’s man with the mallet does all that’s required of him in a breakneck sequel that’s never dark for long. Next time, though, we’ll have more Loki and fewer elves.

Not disastrous but disappointing all the same, The Conjuring: Late Rites commits the ultimate sin of not quite being bold or memorable enough for a final chapter.

Kim Jee-woon's riff on the western is an entertaining frolic back-loaded with gore and guffaws. Arnie's back!

Despite Gwynnie and her lingerie-clad lap-dancing, this sober, issue-based dramedy is preachy and a tad soapy, rather than provocative. Fine acting, though.

Though suffering from its own shortcomings, Zack Snyder’s gargantuan Justice League is a commendable improvement on the widely derided original. Stock up on snacks.

Intelligent, original and committed, it’s also a little meandering. But Records cuts a strikingly amoral figure, and the sight of Christopher Lloyd intoning poetry over dying embers reminds us what a wonderful actor he is.

The director paints a partisan picture, but offers an eloquent and effective challenge to orthodox eco-wisdom.

It never feels particularly different to what you’ve seen before, and doesn’t push any boundaries visually or narratively in the way its DWA stablemate Puss in Boots: The Last Wish did.

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep breathes fresh air into The Witcher's increasingly stale franchise. Anchored by a wonderful voice performance from Doug Cockle, small distracting details aren't enough to overwhelm a well-paced and enjoyable new adventure for Geralt of Rivia.

Richard Laxton’s painterly film combines the gothic shadows of Hitchcock’s Rebecca with the gut-wrenching romance of A Royal Affair. The result is dark and offbeat, but as a murky anti-romance, Gray is undeniably effective.