Vue Birmingham

• 2017
• 1h 29min
• 15

• Directed by: Johannes Roberts
• Cast: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine

Two sisters on holiday in Mexico find themselves trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the sea. To make matters worse, they've less than an hour's oxygen left and the great whites look hungry. As the film wears on and the women run out of air supply so too does Roberts run out of ideas, turning to unnecessary hallucination sequences to draw out Lisa's ordeal.

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• 2017
• US
• 2h 9min
• 15

• Directed by: Benny Boom
• Cast: Demetrius Shipp Jr, Danai Gurira, Kat Graham

Biopic of Tupac Shakur (Shipp Jr), which entirely fails to illuminate the life story of the hip-hop legend. Every time it threatens to get thought-provoking, it jumps to the next scene; the concert scenes are mostly tepid, the dialogue is platitudinous and the whole thing lacks flair, energy and rhythm.

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Legendary annual Maastricht concert which features the maestro in his element, along with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra, sopranos, tenors and very special guests.

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• 2017
• UK/US
• 1h 53min
• 15

• Directed by: Edgar Wright
• Written by: Edgar Wright
• Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx

Baby (Elgort) is an Atlanta getaway driver, forced by his boss Doc (Spacey) into doing one last heist. Exuberant crime caper full of stonking music; the story is hardly original, but Wright’s snappy dialogue and zesty direction reinvigorates the genre clichés, and the stars revel in it. Great fun.

• 87%
• 81%

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 56min
• 15

• Directed by: Seth Gordon
• Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera

Mitch (Johnson) is a devoted life-saver who reluctantly recruits Matt (Efron), a disgraced champion who’s only doing it as a kind of community service. Plenty of good jokes, but minor characters almost drowning doesn’t make for good cinema, and the relentless formulaism makes it long outstay its welcome.

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• 2017
• 1h 58min
• 12A

• Cast: Satinder Sartaaj, Jason Flemyng, Shabana Azmi

A period drama exploring a controversial chapter of shared British Indian colonial history. Following the death of his father, the ruler of Punjab, five-year-old Duleep Singh is taken to Britain and brought up as a Christian under the personal care of Queen Victoria. In early adulthood he meets his real mother and sets out to challenge the British Raj and free his people.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 29min
• PG

• Directed by: David Soren
• Cast: Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Ed Helms

Animated superhero comedy based on the bestselling book series by Dav Pilkey. This is a film that sides with the kids, right down to its sly jabs at uncaring, cash-starved school systems and loose message about the value of laughing at yourself; and, of course, at the mere existence of a planet called Uranus.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 42min
• U

• Directed by: Brian Fee
• Cast: Armie Hammer, Nathan Fillion, Owen Wilson, Kerry Washington

Lightning (Wilson) is challenged by new car on the block, Jackson Storm (Hammer). The least interesting Pixar franchise rumbles on in a rudimentary cash-grab which is basically a training montage in search of a story, and Randy Newman’s score can’t save it from being a dull lunge for the finish line.

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• 2017
• 1h 45min
• PG

• Directed by: Jonathan Teplitzky
• Written by: Alex von Tunzelmann
• Cast: Brian Cox, Miranda Richardson, John Slattery

The story of how Churchill (Cox) was vehemently opposed to the Normandy landings of 1944. Intelligent, sometimes moving drama with an exceptional cast (especially Purefoy as a touching George VI) but not notably cinematic, stringing together a series of confrontations with shots of Churchill being driven from one place to another.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 30min
• U

• Directed by: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
• Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel, Steve Coogan, Julie Andrews, Jenny Slate, Pierre Coffin

Gru (Carell) and new wife and fellow agent Lucy (Wiig) are ensconced with their adorable adopted daughters when supervillain Balthazar Bratt (Parker) decides to take revenge on Hollywood for neglecting him. It’s all a bit familiar but it skilfully balances kid and adult appeal with its madcap approach and embarrassment of mischievous energy.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 40min
• PG

• Directed by: Lasse Hallström
• Cast: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton

A wild puppy named Toby (Gad) is euthanised and reborn as a farm dog in the 60s, and then dies only to come back as a police dog, which then takes a bullet…and so on. Painfully manipulative cornball drama with laboured slapstick, romantic clichés and heavy-handed lessons, a high-cholesterol dog’s dinner.

• 61%
• 43%

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• 2017
• 1h 46min
• 12A

• Directed by: Christopher Nolan
• Written by: Christopher Nolan
• Cast: Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Harry Styles

Survival story set during the battle of Dunkirk in WWII. The younger cast members acquit themselves admirably, including pop star Harry Styles; and, in its uncomfortable depiction of frightened men looking to save their own skin, this is far from straightforwardly patriotic fare. As he delivers non-stop visual audacity, once again Nolan shows himself to be a master of pure cinema.

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• 2017
• 2h 2min
• 15

• Directed by: Malcolm D Lee
• Cast: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith

Four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival and rediscover their wild sides. The fact that peeing on a crowd of partygoers is depicted as a show of female solidarity and mega dance-offs are the way to recover from hallucinogenic absinthe freak-outs makes this an indecently refreshing tonic of a film.

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• 2017
• US
• 2h 17min
• 12A

• Directed by: James Gunn
• Written by: James Gunn
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Glenn Close, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Kurt Russell

The gang are back, with a rollicking plot involving stolen batteries and Ego (Russell) who may or may not be the long-lost dad of Peter Quill (Pratt). It’s very CGI-heavy, sometimes tiringly so, but the humour still charms and the finale picks it up after a sluggish second act.

• 82%
• 67%

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 28min
• 15

• Directed by: Andrew Jay Cohen
• Cast: Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Jason Mantzoukas, Nick Kroll

After losing their daughter's college fund Scott (Farrell) and Kate (Poehler) start an illegal casino in their basement. There are fleeting moments of interest in the screenplay but any such nuance is sacrificed at the altar of blunt-edged, lowest-common-denominator humour.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 31min
• 15

• Directed by: Trey Edward Shults
• Cast: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo

Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and teenage son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr) live according to a set of strict rules that keep them safe and give them a sense of comforting stability, until a stranger (Christopher Abbott) encroaches their land. Director Trey Edward Shults' sophomore feature is a masterclass in dramatic tension.

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• 2017
• 2h 35min
• 12A

• Directed by: Anurag Basu
• Written by: Anurag Basu
• Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Saswata Chatterjee

A teenage detective is on a mission to find his missing father.

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• 2017
• 2h 26min
• 15

• Directed by: Ravi Udyawar
• Cast: Sridevi, Akshaye Khanna, Adnan Siddiqui

A mother, Devki, must go to extreme lengths for her daughter's love.

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• 2017
• US
• 1h 50min
• 15

• Directed by: Alex Kurtzman
• Cast: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Marwan Kenzari, Russell Crowe

US soldier Nick Morton (Cruise) is collecting artefacts in the Middle East when he accidentally releases the murderous, mummified Ahmanet (Boutella). Boutella’s the best thing in this first of Universal’s monster movie revamp series, Dark Universe. Based on this turgid and not at all scary effort, more like Dull Universe.

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• 2017
• India
• 2h 20min
• 12A

• Directed by: Sabir Khan
• Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tiger Shroff, Chitrangda Singh

A Michael Jackson fan enters a dance contest.

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The second part of Tony Kushner’s multi-award winning play.

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• 2017
• US
• 2h 9min
• 12A

• Directed by: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
• Cast: Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom

Captain Jack (Depp) and friends are on a mission to obtain the trident of Poseidon before ghoulish Captain Salazar (Bardem) can get his hands on it. A partial return to form for the franchise, with Bardem vigorous as Jack’s nemesis and a winning performance from Scodelario as an astronomer. It’s all too crowded but it manages to stay afloat.

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• 2017
• US
• 2h 20min
• 12A

• Directed by: Matt Reeves
• Written by: Mark Bomback, Matt Reeves
• Cast: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer, Terry Notary

After the apes suffer massive losses, ape leader Caesar begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. Though war is waged in exhilarating style, it is the strength of the emotions the characters go through that will leave you well and truly shaken.

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• 2017
• USA
• 1h 29min
• U

• Directed by: Kelly Asbury
• Written by: Stacey Harman/Pamela Ribon
• Cast: Demi Lovato, Ariel Winter, Julia Roberts, Joe Manganiello

Smurfette (Lovato) and her friends go on a quest to help her find her place in the village, and the result is a series of chases, a few under-cooked girl-power nods and a lot of sappiness. Undemanding kids might have a good time; adults will have to grin and smurf it.

• 58%
• 40%

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• 2017
• US
• 2h 13min
• 12A

• Directed by: Jon Watts
• Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr.

The first collaboration between Sony and Marvel brings Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Holland is the third actor to play the web-slinger, delivering a performance that gives the character a new edge, helped along by Jon Watts' fine directing. A humorous and action-packed addition to the Spider-Man canon.

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• 2017
• US
• 2h 28min
• 12A

• Directed by: Michael Bay
• Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Anthony Hopkins

It turns out that the Transformers shape human history, as Oxford lecturer Viviane (Haddock), butch inventor Cade (Wahlberg) and an English Earl (Hopkins) charge about from action sequence to action sequence. Wahlberg and Haddock have zero chemistry and it’s a deadening pile-up of CGI carnage, grating quips and joyless pummelling.

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• 2017
• US
• 2h 13min
• 12A

• Directed by: Patty Jenkins
• Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright

Diana (Gadot) is a princess of the Amazons, who rescues WW1 pilot / secret agent interest Steve (Pine) and resolves to end the war. Stylish and exciting, with a top cast, touches of real humour and tragedy, and spiffing action sequences, anchored by a strong and highly likeable performance from Gadot.

• 
• 88%

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