Sci-Fi Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Sci-Fi

Two chimpanzees with dark fur and expressive faces touching heads.
Review

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes review – stop, I want to get off!

by Adam Woodward

The lat­est instal­ment in the simi­an cin­e­ma canon is a weak fol­low-up to the nar­ra­tive estab­lished in its pre­de­ces­sors, as mon­key in-fight­ing devel­ops between var­i­ous tribes.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Massive, fur-covered creature with large, fierce expression in a misty, mountainous landscape.
Review

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire review – big, goofy fun

by David Jenkins

A sur­pris­ing­ly enter­tain­ing show­down sequel which opts for no fun­ny stuff and doing the sim­ple things well.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Close-up image of a man's face with a beard and intense, brooding expression.
Review

Spaceman review – a moving voyage to the far beyond

by Hannah Strong

Adam San­dler stars as a lone­ly cos­mo­naut who befriends a giant, benev­o­lent spi­der at the edge of the uni­verse in Johan Renck­’s spir­i­tu­al odyssey.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, with intense expressions, facing each other closely.
Review

Dune: Part Two – a rousing and stylish hard sci-fi sequel

by David Jenkins

Tim­o­th­ée Cha­la­met and Zen­daya shine as mys­ti­cal free­dom fight­ers in this grandiose and often-breath­tak­ing blockbuster.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Woman with long dark hair in a white tank top surrounded by green foliage.
Review

Madame Web review – did anyone involved in this film actually want to be there?

by Hannah Strong

Dako­ta John­son deliv­ers a remark­ably dis­in­ter­est­ed per­for­mance as a clair­voy­ant super­hero in this shod­dy Spi­der-Man spin-off.

2
Anticipation
1
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Two men, one riding a dark-coloured motorcycle, the other standing on the pavement, in front of a building with glass windows.
Review

The Kitchen review – vindicating and explosive

by Rógan Graham

Daniel Kalu­uya and Kib­we Tavares’ fea­ture debut is a kinet­ic, pre­scient thriller about gen­tri­fi­ca­tion and iso­la­tion in a near-future ver­sion of London.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a woman with red hair and a man, conversing in a dimly lit room.
Review

Fingernails review – lightly effective despite a flawed premise

by David Jenkins

The bar­room love-tester is God in this gen­tle sci-fi com­e­dy with Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buck­ley as work­ing stiffs at a sci­en­tif­ic insti­tute for love.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A man leans over a woman as they lie on a bed, their bodies partially obscured by bedding.
Review

Foe review – bewitching and terrifyingly plausible

by Leila Latif

Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal and Aaron Pierre star in Garth Davies’ unnerv­ing sci-fi dra­ma, based on Iain Rei­d’s nov­el about a cou­ple’s dis­turbed exis­tence in an Amer­i­ca rav­aged by cli­mate change.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Armoured humanoid figure in dark suit with glowing blue lines, poised for action.
Review

Blue Beetle review – a fairly decent time at the movies

by David Jenkins

DC plun­ders the musty vaults for mate­r­i­al and comes up with a pop­py Lati­no riff on the boil­er­plate super­hero yarn.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Group of blue-clad humanoid figures in a forested setting.
Review

Smoking Causes Coughing

by Saskia Lloyd Gaiger

Eccen­tric French direc­tor Quentin Dupieux is total­ly dégagé about the ludi­crous lame­ness of his lat­est comedy.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect