Film Reviews

A murdered teenager keeps watch over her grieving family – and her killer – in this overcooked adaptation of the bestselling novel. more...

A mercenary soldier turns holy warrior when evil overruns seventeenth century England. A violent, atmospheric, enjoyably preposterous British fantasy. more...

Benecio Del Toro howls at the moon after being nibbled by a werewolf. This retro horror movie has all the ingredients of a thick Gothic stew, but little of the flavour. more...

A man and his son head for the coast in this starkly beautiful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's classic novel. If you ever worry about being too happy, this vision of a post-apocalypse world will soon cure that. more...

Come fly with George Clooney, as he criss-crosses America firing people for a living while totting up his air miles. This is the cinematic equivalent of flying first class: smooth, handsome and classy. Much like its star. more...

Yes, there's sex, drugs and rock & roll in this biopic of Ian Dury, but there's also energy, passion and fury in both the film and Andy Serkis's outstanding performance as the chief Blockhead. more...

Disaster movie specialist Roland Emmerich goes for broke by blowing up most of the world. A handful of decent actors try to look impressed by the CGI carnage. more...

Michael Caine gives another terrific performance as pensioner Harry Brown, taking justice to the hoodies in this violent urban western. more...

Or How To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse. Plenty of handy tips for dodging the undead in this terrifically funny zom-com. Laugh now, before it happens… more...

Bruce Willis plays an idealised android version of himself, sporting a floppy blond wig. That wig is one of the more credible elements in this minor science fiction thriller. more...

Tarantino goes to war with a murderous squad of Nazi-hunting Jews. With its western overtones, the film is good, bad and ugly in equal measures, but for all its faults it's a helluva ride. more...

John Travolta takes a metro train hostage and demands $10million through company man Denzel Washington. Notice how TV shows the original movie when a remake comes out? Watch that again and save £7. more...

Johnny Depp plays 1930s gangster John Dillinger, one of the FBI's most wanted, in a typically macho drama from director Michael Mann. more...

The war against the machines finally takes centre stage in a well-mounted but self-defeating sequel. Good action, stupid plot. more...

A bank clerk crosses an old woman, who curses her with three days to live before being dragged to hell. Sam Raimi returns to his splatter roots with mixed results. more...

A lonely young girl discovers a dreamlike alternate reality where life appears perfect – although everybody having buttons for eyes is weird… A beautiful animation from the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas. more...

The first X-Men spin-off fills in the history of hairy, clawed mutant Wolverine. Hugh Jackman snarls and flexes his way through a glossy superhero movie. more...

Old fogey Michael Caine strikes up a friendship with a young boy fascinated by death in this gentle, 80s-set drama about age and mortality. more...

Comedy set aboard a fictional pirate radio station ship in 1966, broadcasting classic rock and roll even though the government are trying to shut them down. Great soundtrack, so-so movie. more...

The story of Queen Victoria's accession, turned into a handsomely staged costume drama stuffed with great British actors. One for fans of the monarchy. more...

A thriller for the recession, The International has gruff Interpol agent Clive Owen uncovering corruption and murder in one of the world's most powerful banks. more...

A high school student is haunted by images of a boy who may be her unborn twin… or something even more sinister. A po-faced horror movie taking a rollercoaster ride through the genre's clichés. more...

Two FBI agents hunting a pair of serial killers struggle to get the truth from a series of unreliable witnesses. A strange, violent thriller strong on atmosphere but weak on plot. more...

Two young American women in Spain become entangled with a passionate painter – and his crazy ex-wife. Woody Allen's first film in Spain is his best in years. more...

Tom Cruise plays the good German in this recreation of the 20 July plot to kill Hitler. No prize for guessing the ending, but the real surprise is how the director of X-Men could make this story so lacklustre. more...

A has-been wrestler is given one last shot at glory – if his ailing health can take it. Don't let the hype surrounding Mickey Rourke's excellent performance overshadow the superb direction. more...

Uptight English lady Nicole Kidman and Aussie ruffian Hugh Jackman fall in love in an Australia on the verge of war. A spectacular, healthily preposterous epic from the director of Romeo + Juliet. more...

Andy chooses his top ten films from 2008, and looks back over a year in local cinema that saw the triumph of the first Branchage, but the second loss of The Forum. more...

Keanu Reeves is the alien come to warn us Earthlings that the end is nigh in this remake of the 1950s classic. Can one plucky woman and her boy convince him to ignore the evidence and save us? more...

Robert De Niro plays a Hollywood producer with his career in the balance as he butts heads with everybody in sight. Amusing but soft satire that won't have anybody in Tinsel Town losing sleep. more...

Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe play CIA agents at loggerheads whilst hunting a terrorist leader in the Middle East. A political action thriller that is less about the politics, more about the action. more...

A young aristocrat returns to his family home with his brash American wife, horrifying the snobs. A drawing room comedy adapted from Noël Coward's play, this cocktail quickly loses its fizz. more...

A mysterious woman's voice on his mobile phone involves regular bozo Shia LaBeouf in a conspiracy threatening the entire US government. An intriguing premise for a sci-fi thriller that gets sillier by the second. more...

The young son of a Nazi death camp commandant secretly befriends a Jewish boy through a barbed wire fence. A powerful, moving story of terrible events seen through a child's eyes. more...

A group of actors starring in a Vietnam war movie find themselves fighting for real when they become lost in the jungle. Broad, scattershot Hollywood satire from Ben Stiller. more...

A dope-dealing loser tries to sort his life out, only to find that his shrink is an even bigger mess. A slacker comedy-drama with a funny, atypical performance from Ben Kingsley as the stoned doctor. more...

A defrocked priest has psychic visions providing clues to the whereabouts of an abducted FBI agent. This could be a case for Mulder and Scully… more...

On a future ruined Earth, a lone robot valiantly cleans up the mess left by the long-departed human race. Pixar's latest animated marvel takes this accidental hero into deep space and a slapstick satire on consumer society. more...

A Mediterranean party on a luxury yacht ends in a violent battle for survival after an accidental death. A British horror movie that goes for broke in sex and violence, but forgets that horror should also be scary. more...

The Pevensie children return to the magical kingdom of Narnia to find that 1,300 years have passed and the place is a mess. Decent fantasy fun that will please fans of the first film by basically repeating the same story. more...

Will Smith is a lonely, drunk superhero, fighting crime with the finesse of a bull in a china shop. Enjoy the crash bang wallop, because the script between the explosions makes no sense whatsoever. more...

Wince-inducing horror-comedy about an American teenager who has a second set of teeth somewhere personal, as unlucky men discover to their very high cost. more...

Cinema's favourite archaeologist digs up a fabled crystal skull and the long dead bones of Spielberg's action series. Perhaps this is one relic that should have been left well alone. more...

Billionaire playboy/weapons manufacturer Tony Stark escapes from Afghan terrorists by building a mechanical suit – and a new superhero is born. Amongst the effects, Downey Jr steals the movie with ease. more...

A young boy forbidden by his religious family from watching TV or films sees First Blood and becomes “son of Rambow” in this sweet, funny nostalgic 80s comedy. more...

Daniel Day-Lewis on grand, Oscar-winning form dominates this vast, strange tale of oil prospecting in early twentieth-century California. more...

A Texan average Joe takes $2million from the site of drug deal gone wrong and runs. Adapting Cormac McCarthy's novel, the Coen brothers have made their best film in years. more...

Brad Pitt is the outlaw, Casey Affleck his killer in this beautiful, moving western. more...

Ratings are out of 5, with 2 as the average.

5 = Excellent - don't miss
4 = Very good - well worth a trip to the cinema
3 = Good - a decent movie but has its flaws
2 = Average - okay if you like that sort of thing, but you could wait for the DVD
1 = Poor - whether near miss or total stinker, this isn't worth the price of a ticket

The original detective returns in the twitchy guise of Robert Downey Jr to save London from a dastardly black magician. Guy Ritchie finally proves that he can make a movie without sweary mockney gangsters. more...

Greedy humans wage war on the primitive natives of an alien world rich in valuable minerals. Ignore the dim story and crass moralising; take a trip to the most lavish alien world ever created in a movie. more...

Denzel Washington wanders the wasteland of post-apocalypse America, guarding a secret that nasty Gary Oldman will kill to have. A handsome, violent movie designed to divide audiences – in a good way. more...

Would you push a button that killed a stranger if it meant receiving a million dollars? That dilemma turns out to be the least of a couple's worries in this bonkers science fiction thriller. more...

Stunning animation? Check. Beautiful images? Check. Original story, great characters, terrific entertainment for all the family? Check, check and check. Must be the new Pixar movie. more...

Salvaged from the death of star Heath Ledger, Terry Gilliam's lunatic fantasia blasts some ancient magic into the shadows of modern London. more...

Human authorities try to evict alien refugees from Johannesburg, only for one dorky official to become an unlikely hero. An instant classic of the action/horror/comedy/drama/science fiction/mock-documentary genre. more...

A bomb disposal squad in Iraq live on the edge in this stunning war film, part action movie, part powerful insight into life during wartime. This ain't no party, this ain't no disco... more...

The Potter saga gets back on track with this enjoyable instalment, enlivened by a star turn from guest tutor Jim Broadbent. It plays to the series' strengths, but hasn't managed to iron out its flaws. more...

Sacha Baron Cohen minces around America in the guise of a gay Austrian fashion reporter, outraging and annoying people for our amusement. It's virtually a repeat of the Borat formula, and not as funny second time round. more...

More robots, more action, more explosions, more effects, more, more, more! Michael Bay brings the noise in a sequel for which too much is never enough. more...

Tom Hanks is back, minus mullet, as Professor Robert Langdon in the superior sequel to The Da Vinci Code. It's Catholicism does 24 as Langdon races to save four papal candidates form being murdered on the hour. more...

Back to the future with the classic crew, as Kirk, Spock and the gang team up for their first mission – gunning for the alien that killed Kirk's dad. Great characters, terrific action – who knew Star Trek could still be fun? more...

Washington journalist Russell Crowe uncovers a huge conspiracy behind a murder case in this nimble adaptation of the BBC series. more...

Jason Statham returns as Chev Chelios, charging his way round LA in search of the gangsters who literally stole his heart. An insane, brutal action-comedy that gets away with more than it deserves. more...

A retired war veteran confronts the gangs invading his neighbourhood, and his own racism. Clint Eastwood is on top form for what may be his swansong. more...

Nicolas Cage deciphers a series of mysterious numbers predicting major disasters. What starts as a supernatural thriller turns into something much more interesting. It's still fluff, but enjoyable fluff. more...

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are corporate spies and lovers planning to steal millions. A glossy caper that doesn't quite spark into life. more...

An alternate history. Nuclear crisis. Outlawed vigilantes. Sleazebags for heroes. A real superman. Welcome to the brave, mad attempt to film Alan Moore's epic graphic novel. more...

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite for this cruel drama about a couple's shattered dreams in 50s suburban America. Not a film to take a date to. more...

A young man from the Mumbai slums is one question away from winning Who Wants to be a Millionaire – has he cheated, or is this destiny? A dazzlingly filmed modern fairytale. more...

Brad Pitt stars as a man aging backwards, his romance with Tilda Swinton doomed by his growing younger as she grows old. I felt much older after sitting through this test of both endurance and patience. more...

The behind-the-scenes story of the 1977 interviews conducted by David Frost, in which Richard Nixon finally said sorry. A fascinating story recreated by a superb ensemble cast. more...

A band of Jews hide from the Nazis in Byelorussian forests – for several years. Daniel Craig at his poutiest leads the fugitives in an extraordinary story given the rousing Hollywood treatment. more...

Young German student Michael begins an affair with an older woman, but it's only 13 years after the end of the war and she harbours a terrible secret. Award-winning Kate Winslet stars in this thoughtful drama. more...

Two families celebrating Christmas in a remote house fall victim to the increasingly vicious behaviour of the children. Cracking British horror movie that is by turns chilling, weird and outrageously nasty. more...

Angelina Jolie stars as a woman whose kidnapped son is returned to her – only for her to insist that it's a different boy. Powerful drama directed by the reliable Clint Eastwood. more...

Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are broke flatmates who try to make some money with an amateur blue movie. Some fine filthy gags give way to a flaccid rom-com. more...

Ricky Gervais makes his Hollywood debut as a grouchy dentist caught up in a love triangle where one of the men is a ghost only he can see. He's funny, the film not so much. more...

James Bond's revenge for the death of his girlfriend Vesper leads him to a conspiracy to steal one of South America's most precious resources. Can the Bond series maintain the quality level set by Casino Royale? more...

The unpublished memoirs of an ex-CIA agent fall in to the hands of two gym workers who try to blackmail him. The Coen brothers direct a star cast in a tightly-plotted farce that doesn't quite catch fire. more...

In the near future, prisoners race armed cars to earn their freedom – or die. Jason Statham growls his way through the lame script, but the film comes to life when the pedal hits the metal. more...

New York police officers Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are hunting a serial killer – but is De Niro's shady cop the number one suspect? Nice cast, shame about the script. more...

Two suburbanites on a lakeside camping holiday are threatened by a group of chavvy teenagers. A clip round the ear only makes things worse in this vicious Brit horror. Bring back National Service. more...

A spy spoof based on a 60s TV show that is an excuse for Steve Carell to play a bumbling secret agent. I like Carell, but this is another flop for him, neither exciting nor funny. more...

This fantasy action sequel has the friendly demon battling an evil elf trying to start a war with mankind whilst dealing with domestic and career problems. It never rains but it pours. more...

Batman v The Joker in the second instalment of Christopher Nolan's dark, intelligent reworking of the best superhero in the comic book business. more...

A dense mist descends on a small American town, hiding monsters that terrorise a group of people trapped inside the local supermarket. Slow building and audaciously mean, this is a superior horror movie. more...

Office worker James McAvoy discovers that he has the superhuman abilities to be a crack assassin, and is recruited by a secret Fraternity for mayhem, carnage and extreme violence. Job done. more...

A sudden toxin attack causes a rash of suicides across the American northeast. Can Marky Mark escape this invisible, omnipresent killer? I couldn't have cared less, and neither will you. more...

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play two hitmen lying low in Belgium in a very funny, very twisted black comedy. more...

After 20 years in sulky retirement, John Rambo straps on the bandana again. Stallone's brain-dead approach to the action movie is stuck in the 80s, but he seriously delivers on the violence. more...

Sixteen year-old Juno gets pregnant and decides to have the baby for a yuppie couple. Ellen Page gives a standout performance in this smart, funny, Oscar-nominated indie comedy. more...

A Manhattan party is interrupted by a gigantic monster laying waste to the city. Four friends embark on a rescue mission armed only with a camcorder. This is their footage. It beats your wedding video any day. more...

A young woman in Japanese-occupied Shanghai poses as a wealthy businessman's wife to infiltrate the household of a powerful collaborator. Their affair forms the core of this potent, erotic wartime thriller. more...