Sci-Fi Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Sci-Fi

Young boy in a blue shirt sitting in a blue, glowing boat on a dark, shadowy lake, with a small white creature floating nearby.
Review

Elio review – a touching treaty on the search for belonging

by Yasmine Kandil

A social­ly awk­ward young boy dis­cov­ers alien life in Pixar’s sweet new inter­galac­tic adventure.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Black dragon-like creature with horns and green eyes resting on sandy ground.
Review

How To Train Your Dragon review – never quite catches the updraft needed to soar to uncharted heights

by Yasmine Kandil

Dream­works’ first for­ay into the world of live-action remakes is fair­ly unre­mark­able despite occa­sion­al sparks of magic.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two individuals, a woman with dark skin and hair, and a man with lighter skin and short hair, looking at the camera with neutral expressions.
Review

Mickey 17 review – gross and heartwarming in equal measure

by Hannah Strong

Robert Pat­tin­son stars as a so-called expend­able in Bong Joon Ho’s hot­ly antic­i­pat­ed fol­low-up to Par­a­site, fac­ing off against per­ma-tanned mega­lo­ma­ni­acs and crois­sant-shaped creatures.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Close-up of a woman with dark hair and pensive expression, set against a dark background.
Review

Companion review – no thrills, only spills in this AI apologia

by Hannah Strong

Sophie Thatch­er and Jack Quaid star as a young cou­ple whose week­end away uncov­ers dif­fi­cult truths about their rela­tion­ship in Drew Han­cock­’s sci-fi thriller.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Close-up of a bearded man with a weathered face, wearing a dark, wet jacket, standing in a dark, rainy environment.
Review

Venom: The Last Dance review – air-headed escapism

by David Jenkins

Tom Hardy seems tired and con­fused in this com­ic book sci-fi sequel that hasn’t got an orig­i­nal bone in its alien sym­biote body.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Illustration of a grey robot with large, expressive eyes against a vibrant purple background with sparkles.
Review

The Wild Robot review – a moving ecological parable

by Kambole Campbell

Chris Sanders crafts an expres­sive, visu­al­ly strik­ing fable about a robot forced to adapt to the envi­ron­ment of an unin­hab­it­ed island.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Man in a suit pointing a gun at the camera in a dramatic, cinematic setting with yellow lighting.
Review

Megalopolis review – scintillating, absurd and violently original

by David Jenkins

Ignore the haters – this is the kalei­do­scop­ic, enrich­ing, Well­sian vision of a grand old mas­ter with noth­ing to lose.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Person blowing out candles on birthday cake in a kitchen setting.
Festivals

The End – first-look review

by Mark Asch

Joshua Oppen­heimer returns with an ambi­tious, post-apoc­a­lyp­tic musi­cal whose the­mat­ic flights of fan­cy are always just a lit­tle too strident.

2
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A dark, ominous creature looming over a person's terrified face in a dimly lit setting.
Review

Alien: Romulus review – does enough to get a passing mark

by David Jenkins

The Xenomorphs are allowed to run amok once more in this pass­able fran­chise offshoot.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A man wearing a white vest stands in a dimly lit street at night, looking pensive.
Review

Sky Peals review – the most moving film about the British highway ever made

by Hannah Strong

A man who feels dis­con­nect­ed from the world around him receives shock­ing news about his absent father in Moin Hus­sain’s mov­ing fea­ture debut.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A superhero character in a red and black costume with weapons strapped to their body, standing in front of a weathered concrete wall.
Review

Deadpool & Wolverine review – a mixed (ball) bag

by David Jenkins

The MCU serves up a two-hour dick joke slam in the guise of a meta­tex­tu­al super­hero three­quel. Results may vary.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two individuals in formal attire, a woman with curly hair in a green dress and a man in a tuxedo, standing together.
Review

The Beast review – a mind-boggling, sprawling romantic epic

by Hannah Strong

Across three time­lines, a pair of lovers find each oth­er again and again in Bertrand Bonel­lo’s ambi­tious, genre-defy­ing latest.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect