Empire Slough

• 2019
• US
• 2h 8min
• PG

• Directed by: Guy Ritchie
• Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Numan Acar, Billy Magnussen, Alan Tudyk, Frank Welker

Disney’s live-action version of 1992’s Aladdin features a fun, fast-talking and scene-stealing Smith and terrific work from Massoud and Scott as Aladdin and Jasmine, but against that there’s some weird VFX, odd directorial choices and a well-intentioned but clunky female empowerment number. Enjoyable and entertaining nevertheless.

• 74%
• 53%

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• 2019
• India

• Directed by: Ali Abbas Zafar
• Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani

Adaptation of Korean film Ode to My Father.

• 59%

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• 2019
• US

• Directed by: David Yarovesky
• Cast: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A Dunn

Brandon (Dunn) is a small boy born in a small Texas town who develops superhuman powers; unfortunately, he then uses them to terrorise the locals. Despite some eye-catching effects, it’s a tired and middling effort. Banks, who brings real intensity as Brandon’s mother, is wasted.

• 65%
• 45%

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• 2018
• UK
• 1h 52min
• 12A

• Directed by: Chris Foggin
• Cast: Tuppence Middleton, James Purefoy, Daniel Mays, David Hayman

Danny (Mays) is a music industry talent handler who arrives in Cornwall on a stag night, and discovers the titular (real-life) folk singers and signs them. Mays is a watchable lead and generates rom-com chemistry with Middleton, the daughter of the group’s grouchy Jim (Purefoy). An undemanding yarn with nevertheless the power to do some cockle-warming.

• 70%

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• 2019
• US
• 2h 11min
• 12A

• Directed by: Michael Dougherty
• Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ken Watanabe, Zhang Ziyi

Long-awaited sequel to 2014's Godzilla reboot.

• 66%
• 48%

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• 2019
• US

• Directed by: F. Gary Gray
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Les Twins, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson

Molly (T. Thompson) is a wannabe MIB agent who’s given a chance by Agent O (E. Thompson) and teamed up with golden boy Agent H (Hemsworth). It’s not so much that it’s bad, more that the franchise wasn’t much to begin with: here, a CGI-heavy story relies far too much on Hemsworth’s insouciant charm. A high-budget non-event.

• 56%
• 38%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 35min
• PG

• Directed by: Chris Butler
• Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Timothy Olyphant, Emma Thompson

Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Jackman) travels to the Pacific Northwest to find the sasquatch, and finds Mr Link (Galifianakis), who wants to travel to the Himalayas to meet his yeti relatives. It looks beautiful, the action sequences are impressive and the story and voice acting are fun. A charming family adventure.

• 70%
• 68%

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• 2019
• Japan / US
• 1h 44min
• PG

• Directed by: Rob Letterman
• Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy

Tim (Smith) is a former Pokémon trainer who teams up with Pikachu (voiced by Reynolds) to solve a mysterious car accident which leaves his detective father presumed dead. Reynolds’ voice skills are incredible, you don’t need to know about the franchise to get what’s going on and it’s a quirky and lovingly crafted surreal comedy thriller.

• 68%
• 53%

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• 2019
• USA / Japan / France

• Directed by: Chris Renaud, Jonathan del Val
• Cast: Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart

Max (Oswalt) lives with owner Katie (Kemper) in apartment with other pets Gidget (Slate), Chloe (Bell) and Snowball (Hart); then Max becomes worried about Katie’s new baby Max. There’s not enough humour, charm or sense to win over parents, but kids will enjoy the vivid animation and animal antics.

• 66%
• 55%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 40min
• U

• Directed by: Josh Cooley
• Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Joan Cusack, Blake Clark, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Jodi Benson, Michael Keaton, Jeff Pidgeon, Kristen Schaal, Bonnie Hunt, Timothy Dalton, Jeff Garlin, Laurie Metcalf, Lori Alan

Woody (Hanks) joins new owner Bonnie at kindergarten where he finds a new purpose in protecting her improvised toy Forky (Hale). Pixar manages to further the story with fine new characters and a satisfyingly teary conclusion, for a fine last chapter in the saga.

• 90%
• 84%

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• 2019
• Spain / US
• PG

• Cast: Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell

June (Mali and Denski) is faced with being shipped off to math camp while her mother (Garner) seeks medical assistance; then she finds herself in a parallel universe where she has to save a theme park. An animated film with big ideas and some notable omissions, ultimately a slight but rewardingly bittersweet experience.

• 57%
• 45%

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• 2019
• US
• 1h 53min
• 12A

• Directed by: Simon Kinberg
• Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, Jessica Chastain

When Jean Grey (Turner) is involved in a space rescue that goes awry, her malevolent alter ego Dark Phoenix is let out of the box. There’s real heft to the plot and characterisation, and Turner lives up to her growing maturity, but then it’s like it runs out of time and ideas, relapsing into routine, effects-drive action.

• 61%
• 43%

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