What Fantastic Beasts lacks in wonderment it almost makes up for in scares and subtext.

Uplifting it isn’t, but there’s poetry to be found in these desperate lives, and Riccobono never judges or sensationalises his subjects. Sensitive, if slightly unfocused.

Thoughtfully shot by first-time director Karl Markovics, the only warmth comes from the stiffening cadavers.

This is the rare comedy sequel that doesn’t just equal the original: it betters it, with bells and ball-sacks on.

Gleeks and Glee-haters alike should rally around this raucous musical comedy. Rebel Wilson is hilarious, Anna Kendrick is terrific and there are as many gross-out gags as there are singing numbers.

A sweet, evocative throwback that delivers all the feels – in the most delightful way.

Tapping into the same rich vein of British folk horror the likes of 2015’s The Witch and 2022’s Enys Men mined so productively, Starve Acre roots its dread in a gloomy past that is mundane, real and tangible.

Some overripe dialogue and a well-worn plot are tempered by an admirable reluctance to humanise the terrorist.

Funny and tense, rather than hilarious and terrifying, You’re Next doesn’t rip up the rulebook but it’s definitely read it. If all horror comedies were this good we’d be laughing – and squirming.

From the texture of the underground havens to the idea that our leads have to – literally – cling to each other lest gravity tears them apart, it’s a wonder of detail and ingenuity.

Fine turns from Streep and Jones bedrock this compassionate, quietly subversive drama.

Rogue One might trade heavily in nostalgia but it's bold enough to take risks, and will leave you stirred, fired up and raring for more. Now, if only there was a follow-up we could go away and watch immediately…

A lot of thrilling, dazzling, sometimes frightening fun.

Antonio Banderas chews scenery with varying results but Olivia Colman is pitch-perfect as the all-singing all-dancing Reverend Mother. Paddington's latest adventure may be the weakest of the films so far but it remains a total delight.

The farce is infectiously fun and visually joyous.

Unlike the stock teenagers of Ouija, the Zander family are likeable and convincing. Scares are still rudimentary, but rooted in a sharper script.

It may skip so quickly through historic events that it can feel rushed and flimsy, but excellent performances elevate it to serious Oscar contender.

A brief cameo from producer Benedict Cumberbatch provides some additional mid-film star wattage. Yet who needs it when you have Comer, a force of nature to rival any city-swamping deluge?

As Johnson enters Columbine-style turf, a clearer slant on our modern mindset is required than the one he offers.

There’s an undeniable charm here that, allied with the picturesque locations, results in a nostalgic throwback to a gentler age.

There’s a neat final twist up [Attila Till’s] sleeve – and by casting paraplegics, he avoids the easy sentimentality that subjects such as this often invite.

Like Pacino’s Shakespeare rumination Looking For Richard (1996), Wilde Salomé is passionate and absorbing, though the insertion of lengthy clips from the film might irk viewers who’ve just watched it.

All prologue and no pay-off, but compelling all the same, this curio plays out like Diary Of The Dead with more diaries and fewer dead.

A last, cheering hurrah from two dudes.

The burgeoning bond between man and monster hits soaring emotional heights, even if the new world feels a little under-developed.

Cruise is on top form in a based-on-fact thriller that overcomes its familiar trappings with audacious details and flat-out pacing.

A salty road trip tinged with sadness, sensitively handled by Linklater and his cast. Unfocused in places, but never less than diverting.

This furiously bizarre follow-up deserves full marks for throw-everything-at-the-screen entertainment value, but none for execution.