Reviews

Features

Reviews

Dark underground chamber with red glowing cylindrical structure, bronze machinery, stone carvings on walls, and figure standing on tiled floor.

Frankenstein review – Jacob Elordi is a revelation

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Guillermo del Toro handles Mary Shelley’s canonical text with the tenderness of a butterfly, exulting in the author’s wisdom and sense of high tragedy while bringing his own steampunk spin to the material.

Woman in grey blazer speaking on phone in high-tech control room with multiple monitors displaying maps and data screens.

A House of Dynamite review – a skilful and timely affair

by Yasmine Kandil

Kathryn Bigelow’s taut political thriller sees the US government race to respond to an impending nuclear threat.

Brown dog with white chest markings sits in dimly lit room with bright blue light source in background window or doorway.

Good Boy review – a pooch perfect ghostly tale

by Billie Walker

Ben Leonberg casts his own dog Indy in a surprisingly novel and effective horror film.

Woman with blonde hair and glasses in dark jacket laughing beside man in teal jumper, both standing outdoors with green foliage.

I Swear review – a well-meaning, overly sentimental biog

by David Jenkins

This lightly comic portrait of Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson is driven by an impressive central performance.

Plainclothes review – ninety minutes of flaccid angst

by Alexander Mooney

An undercover cop on assignment to arrest men cruising in public falls for one of his targets in Carmen Emmi’s underwhelming erotic drama.

Curly-haired person with glasses leaning over large audio mixing console with multiple faders and controls in recording studio.

Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird review – an honest, self-critical music profile

by David Jenkins

Nicolas Jack Davies captures the decades-old bromance and creative partnership between Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (aka At the Drive-In, aka The Mars Volta).

Digital illustration of armoured figure in cockpit with glowing orange curved panels and red lighting throughout interior space.

Tron: Ares review – plays like a vapid, neon-spangled album promo

by Kambole Campbell

Jared Leto cool-poses his way through this high style / low substance sci-fi threequel.

Muscular male figure in a boxing stance, shirtless, with intense facial expression.

The Smashing Machine review – a moving portrait of masculinity in flux

by Hannah Strong

Benny Safdie delivers a knock-out with Dwayne Johnson starring as UFC pioneer Mark Kerr.

Two men in dark athletic shirts against green and white geometric patterned ceiling, one shouting with mouth open.

Him review – not quite a touchdown

by Leila Latif

An ambitious college football player finds himself drawn into a cult in Justin Tipping’s sports horror.

Two people inside a vehicle at night, man with beard and cap driving whilst speaking on phone, woman passenger visible on left.

The Lost Bus review – a decent if hardly original eco-thriller

by David Jenkins

Paul Greengrass teams up with Matthew McConaughey to deliver a serviceable retelling of the 2018 California wildfires.