Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 56 minutes, Director – David Ayer

When his boss’s (Michael Peña) daughter (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped, construction leader Levon Cade (Jason Statham) brings out his former royal marine skills to find her amongst Chicago’s organised crime scene.

Jason Statham has a pickaxe, and a sack of gravel, and a bucket of nails, and a gun. All of this applies to the first proper scrap in the opening ten minutes of A Working Man, Statham’s second team-up with director David Ayer following last year’s The Beekeeper. Unfortunately, none of it applies to the remaining 106-minutes as any form of creativity when it comes to fights and kills is thrown out of the window in exchange for near-impossible-to-follow punches and shootouts.

Levon Clade (Statham) may seem like a financially-struggling construction leader, however his past lies as a former royal marine. His work is quickly pushed aside, alongside any opportunity it has to add some fun to the action scenes throughout, as his past takes centre stage in the search for the kidnapped daughter (Arianna Rivas) of his bosses (Michael Peña, Noemi Gonzalez). However, in order to find Jenny, Levon must make his way through the shady world of Chicago’s organised crime scene. But why has Jenny been taken, and by who? Was she specifically targeted, mistaken for someone else? Is she going to be trafficked, held for ransom? And who actually wants her? It seems that Ayer’s screenplay, co-written with Sylvester Stallone – there are a number of action scenes and dialogue throughout which clunkily scream later-Stallone, think Rambo: Last Blood, as if the actor was envisioning himself in the lead role at some point or another – doesn’t actually know and is coming up with answers as it goes along.

It makes for a long near-two-hour run-time, which feels closer to three. We jump from location to location, gangster to gangster to mobster without any full idea of what’s going on. Yet, the framework still feels entirely familiar. Of course, Taken and its various copycat flicks come to mind. Yet, A Working Man seems to want to add even more layers to the maze-like hierarchy which Levon has to shoot his way through in order to find Jenny – wanting to keep a family together, whilst we see him early on struggling with custody of his young daughter (Isla Gie) after the death of his wife, with his violent past being used against him. Every times someone who seems like a key figure is taken down, at least two more crop up in their place. It leads to a scramble for screen-time amongst multiple villains without it always being clear how they link together.

It leads to an unnecessarily bulky film which becomes as frantic as the editing itself. The way the action in particular is cut means that almost none of it can be properly seen, so we’re simply watching a series of dimly-lit flashes with a barrage soundtrack of bullets, thuds and glass shattering. Yet, somehow it combines to increase the blandness of the film due to its overfamiliarity. We’ve seen all the characters, not helped here by a series of overexaggerated performances, and situations countless times before.

The entertainment factor of The Beekeeper isn’t present because A Working Man appears to not be aware of the potential it has for some madness, or simply fun. It treats itself with thorough seriousness and a stony-faced expression from start to finish, creating almost a barrier between it and the audience. The film simply forms itself early on as an overfamiliar slog confused as to quite where it stands with its many antagonists and in serious need of some self-awareness and just a simple sense of fun.

There’s little excitement of fun to be found in A Working Man’s too-serious-for-its-own-good demeanour. An overfamiliar slog with far too many antagonists to keep track of it leads to a bland jumble in need of some self-awareness and humour.

Release Date – 28th March 2025, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 50 minutes, Directors – Robert Olsen, Dan Berk

Assistant bank manger Nathan (Jack Quaid) has a medical condition which means he can’t feel pain, when robbers take the girl he likes (Amber Midthunder) hostage, he goes in pursuit.

The idea of action sequences revolving around the idea that the central character can’t feel pain could easily wear thin. While they play a key part in the bloody fights which happen throughout Novocaine, the main source of humour within them comes more from assistant bank manager Nathan’s (Jack Quaid) constant apologies when he strikes, stabs and slashes his opponent, and at times his own awkwardness. He doesn’t want to fight, or kill, but in order to save himself and the girl he likes he may have to, even if sometimes accidentally.

He’s in pursuit of the people who robbed the bank he works at, but more importantly for him took colleague Sherry (Amber Midthunder) hostage when the police show up early. With back-up ages away, he chooses to take a gun and a police car and chase after the criminals himself, however when they split up he needs to find a way to track them down, and save Sherry. Things move from location to location breezily, with plenty to like about the action and indeed the gags about Nathan’s condition bring about a good few laughs along the way.

Quaid leads with a likable presence, bringing out plenty of amusement in the uncertainty of his character in the frantic search that will hopefully continue the happiness he’s finally found in his life – the one person who brought meaning into it and stopped him from shutting himself away from the world. He leads the film with an energy that matches the overall style of a simply entertaining actioner. One with plenty of impactful punches and splatters, even if the main character can’t feel them.

There’s an energetic flow that connects things without feeling chaptered. Things might start to feel a little bit drawn out in the third acts multiple stages which start to push things with each extension. Particularly as fights get more brutal, and to some extent more unbelievable; even in the confines of a film such as this that leans into comedy and ridiculousness. There’s still an entertainment factor in just how far the film pushes itself, but what it’s missing is the same overall slight-anxious charm of the central character as he becomes more of a straightforward action hero. There’s still an element of Nathan as he was, but not quite to the same comedic extent as in the entertainingly thrilling fights of the bloody, search-based build-up.

A funny, entertaining actioner that wants to be just that, Novocaine is led by a likable central performance by Jack Quaid who brings about a number of laughs in bloody fight sequences which manage to not fall into a set of one-note gags.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 3 minutes, Director – Barry Levinson

Childhood friends Frank Costello (Robert De Niro) and Vito Genovese (De Niro) find their relationship growing tense over the decades as their ways of controlling New York City and fellow crime bosses differ.

The comparisons to Goodfellas and crime classics have been many for director Barry Levinson’s latest, The Alto Knights, so far. With writer Nicholas Pileggi behind the screenplay, and indeed Levinson’s past credits such as Bugsy, a throwback to the mafia movies of the 90s seems to have been expected. However, The Alto Knights is something of a quieter affair less about the upfront crime and more about the relationship between two crime bosses in the 50s, both with very different ways of getting things done.

We see much of the film’s events through the eyes of Frank Costello (Robert De Niro), trying to live his life peacefully as he fills the pockets of police and politicians. This is his business and he deals with things in a largely straightforward way. Meanwhile, Vito Genovese’s (also De Niro) business is violence. Often surrounded by gang members and henchmen, the film opens with a hit job he orders against Frank. The two grew up together as childhood friends, however over the decades tensions have grown in their relationship, particularly in a bid for control of New York City, and more importantly other crime families.

De Niro isn’t quite playing two leads, more a lead and key support. We see less of Vito than might be expected, and the two only really appear in two scenes together – handled well without the feeling of a gimmicky push of ‘look, it’s the same actor!’ The actor, who has suggested multiple times in the past that he’s done with crime movies, puts in a pair of good performances which in many ways the film rests on. While there may not be many differences, aside from the fact that Vito often wears a hat and glasses and appears to be inspired by Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, there’s enough to sell these as two separate figures and move the narrative along with them as their lives crossover multiple times, with some cases being more conflicting than others.

As the third act unfolds we see two different perspectives of a journey to a key meet-up, it’s a simple drive, but Levinson brings in a layer of growing tension, particularly for Frank, as the destination gets closer. It’s an extended sequence which while causing the run-time to be felt a little bit, acts as one of the most engaging points of the film. There’s a good deal to like throughout the subdued nature of the narrative, largely in scenes where we see the different behaviours and responses of the two bosses – as Frank testifies to congress Vito watches on TV, shouting at the screen and forming a highlight at the same time. Again, much of The Alto Knights seems to rest on the decision to bring De Niro in to play both roles and his performances, and luckily they’re effective turns which help to move things along and create a rift between the characters which still holds the impression of childhood friends who grew up together.

It doesn’t seem like Levinson is trying to go for Goodfellas, or those other notable throwback titles. Yes, there may be some shared elements and nods here and there, but as a whole this isn’t a film with the same darkness or bite. It has its moments of tension, largely after a good deal of build-up in the relationship and quiet feud between the two De Niro roles, and that feud is the central focus. The ways in which its organised and gone about, and the differences between the two figures responses. There’s an interest to be found in it and while the run-time could do with a slight trim, for the most part there’s an engaging and competently made crime boss drama at play.

Not the throwback to the likes of Goodfellas that some may be expecting, The Alto Knights is a more subdued affair that rests on the shoulders of Robert De Niro’s engaging central performances, making for a well made film with enough interest to see it through.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 49 minutes, Director – Marc Webb

After escaping from the kingdom ruled by her evil stepmother (Gal Gadot), Snow White (Rachel Zegler) plans to free her home and restore it to the caring community it once was.

The design of the dwarfs in Disney’s milestone 1937 take on Snow White was specifically sculpted to show off just how expressive animation could be. When the same physical characteristics are wiped across squat, CG replications, with imitated human flesh and skin, the effect from their first appearance marching one by one round a corner in a mine, towards the camera, is somewhat unsettling. With their introductory number of Heigh Ho being stretched out to almost five minutes and each figure being given some form of musical introduction each time the details seem to have settled down another is thrown directly into a close-up to try and capture a cartoon sensibility but simply adding to the horror-inducing nature of the number.

It’s a sequence that feels as if it was approved heavily by multiple studio executives after much back-and-forth between the ranks. While not the most present characters, when the likes of Doc, Sneezy and Dopey are on screen they just feel completely out of place with the various CG backdrops. Their scenes are largely confined to the familiar Snow White story which makes up much of the first half of Disney’s latest live-action remake – the first to be presented by them in the title.

The studio influence seems clear as, once again, the original segments in a remake are the strongest and somewhat save the film – although here there’s a lot of lifting to be done. Like with Guy Richie’s darker sections of Aladdin, often feeling the studio reins pulling it in, or David Lowery’s underrated take on Pete’s Dragon, Marc Webb’s film succeeds in the moments which take a step away from the familiar mould. As Rachel Zegler’s Snow White (more than holding up a tune or two throughout and bringing some life to some of the more lacking numbers – Disney have, somewhat understandably, tried to push character ballad Waiting On A Wish despite the presence of better songs from Pasek and Paul on the soundtrack) gets to know bandit and freedom fighter Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) a brighter, more energetic form comes to the narrative.

Kicking off with the film’s best song, Princess Problems, there’s a likable bounce back and forth between the pair. Zegler’s allowed to bring more to her character while still displaying the same through-and-through good-heartedness, and as a whole the film seems to shift and change. It becomes more wholly likable to give the lead star’s shoulders a break from carrying much of the weight. There’s just a brighter burst as Webb can play around with new material instead of the familiar beats of the original story as told by Disney all those decades ago, and watched by plenty of people young and old since. All by doing something different, and indeed giving the director that bit more freedom.

While we have to jump back to some familiarity by going back to Gal Gadot’s take on the Evil Queen, Gadot seems to be trying to replicate a panto villain but can’t quite muster the campness or energy. Yet, thanks to the mid-section there’s at least more of an original angle to things once the final key story beats have been ticked off. Zegler has discussed in many interviews in the build-up to the film’s release about the more empowering side to this film, the title character’s journey to becoming a leader and spreading fairness in her home kingdom, taken away by her stepmother who shut her away from the rest of the world as a servant for years. While the film itself might not go into this as hard as these interviews might suggest there’s still something more present which helps to move things along. Helped by the lead performance at the heart of much of the film’s events, and creating that initial spark of engagement when things are wandering around in what we’ve seen before.

These moments are generally fine, albeit while including the nightmare-creating sight of the dwarfs, but it’s very clear to see the elements that are holding things up, and the want to be more creative with this take on Disney’s oldest feature property. It means that Snow White is a largely amiable film which certainly has its standout moments but leans on two or three key elements to hold the weight of the heavily studio-influenced surroundings.

As with a number of Disney remakes, Snow White is at its best when leaning into originality. The bounce and energy of these sections, alongside Rachel Zegler’s central performance, lifts up the heavily studio-manufactured surroundings which while watchable have clear issues, and truly unsettling CG dwarfs.

Release Date – 21st March 2025, Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 24 minutes, Director – Yu Yang

In order to get their respective bodies back for good, Ne Zha (Yanting Lü) and Ao Bing (Mo Han) must inhabit the same body in order to complete deadly tasks to obtain a life-bringing elixir, however past battles may be incomplete and catching up.

Ne Zha 2 currently sits as the fifth biggest film of all time, the biggest animated film of all time and boasting multiple opening weekend records, including topping China’s chart. Yet, outside of its home country the release of the film, up until its various records and box office receipts, may be a quieter affair – although in recent weeks it’s also done well in the US. However, success has perhaps meant a bigger push for the film, including time on IMAX screens – where it’s surely to be best experienced.

In the climactic stages of the extensive third act there are some truly spectacular visuals. Waves of gold and black armies fly through the sky, colliding in a swirling paint-like mixture as they collide in battle. It may be part of a drawn out set of events which increase the run-time of the film, while staying afloat and keeping up engagement there’s still the feeling that this sequel is about 20 minutes too long. It’s a much more serious exchange, on a grander scale, to the fights and battles we see in the build-up – which tend to have a lighter tone with more humour mixed in – but never feels like it’s from a different film altogether.

The fights beforehand are largely centred around tests that feisty protagonist Ne Zha (Yanting Lü) is put through in order to obtain an elixir which will restore both his spirit to his body, and the same for friend Ao Bing (Mo Han) who inhabits the same body after an attack on Ne Zha’s home city means that the restoration doesn’t go as planned. While this is the general gist of the film’s opening stages so much happens in the first half hour that it could be easy to become lost in all the set-up. Multiple strands and villains are introduced after a short prologue recapping the first film, and much of it seems to happen all at once against the backdrop of a battle causing fiery havoc throughout the city.

Yet, from here things somewhat calm down narratively as the various tests begin to unfold. Ne Zha is a wonderfully entertaining character brimming with energy who carries much of the emotional journey of the film, and indeed its tonal shifts. These are handled effectively as they both add to and stem from his character. From successful fart and toilet gags – there’s only really one of each but they both raised a good laugh from me – to enraged jumps to seek revenge the way the film is told through him is somewhat quiet but knowingly done; and indeed increases the overall effect.

As things develop humour is still present and helps to bring a lighter sense to certain events, while still being balanced with the seriousness of certain instances and the drama at hand within the central character’s life, and that of his friend’s. Forced from their past, largely the previous film, are still active and threatening to catch up at any turn while they could themselves be walking into something much more sinister on the way to the elixir. It’s not a force that quite hangs over the events of the film but is more built-up to through the side-plots and actions of the villains throughout the film, all eventually coming together rather effectively for the climactic clash.

During this battle there’s a brief moment where a shot switches to a different animation style, just for a handful of frames, before going back to the one used throughout most of the film. It’s an amazing visual moment, pushing me back in my seat uttering a quiet “wow.” The tonal shifts in Ne Zha 2 are handled just as fluidly and with a good deal of impact, too. This is a visually and narratively richer film than the first entry, which while likable falters under familiarity, and an overall more entertaining experience with a good deal of spectacle held in the animation. Yes, it might feel overlong, but it still manages to fill that time with a good deal to keep you engaged and at times thrilled. Much stemming from the titular character who is a fiery bubble of enraged and playful energy.

While it might be overlong there’s plenty of strength to the visuals and tonal shifts within Ne Zha 2, with a good balance of action, drama and humour there’s a lot to like about a film that, much like its title character, hits hard and often knocks it out of the park.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 8 minutes, Directors – Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

When a robot arrives at her home possibly containing the consciousness of her late brother (Woody Norman), orphaned teenager Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) enters a robot exclusion zone looking for answers, with a tech billionaire (Stanley Tucci) trying to stop them.

With a much-mentioned $320 million budget, the Russo Brothers appear to have worried that the visual effects may be so distracting that everything else in The Electric State might not be seen or understood. Therefore, their direction appears to have largely been based around obviousness. Sure, we can understand how a character is feeling through a mixture of elements but can we see it spread across their face? It leads to exaggerated performances, particularly from lead Millie Bobby Brown, where characters feel as if they’re emphasising emotions in some form of pre-take exercise.

Maybe these performances are meant to contrast with the lack of emotion displayed by human faces on robot screens. As Stanley Tucci’s tech billionaire Ethan Skate, alongside robot hunter Colonel Marshall Bradbury (Giancarlo Esposito) follow Brown’s orphaned teenager Michelle into the robot exclusion zone we see their in-person exchanges and the robot forms that hunt down Michelle and shaggy-haired black market tech dealer Keats (Chris Pratt, leaning into a familiar Chris Pratt performance). Their faces appear on tiny screens in the heads of the robots and throughout these scenes appear to display almost no emotion, as if that’s just something that happens with this technology. It creates a real disconnect which echoes throughout the film as in general there’s little emotional connection with the unfolding events, largely due to the fact that the plot beats feel so familiar, and in some cases underwritten.

Michelle’s reasoning for entering the exclusion zone relates to a robot which arrives at her home, claiming to contain the consciousness of her late younger brother (Woody Norman), although only able to speak in catchphrases from an old cartoon. In order to find out what’s happening she must track down robot leader Mr Peanut (yes, the American brand mascot – voiced here by Woody Harrelson), who was at the fore of the fight, and resolution, of the war between humans and robots when worker bots began to demand more rights. And thus we have an alternate 90s landscape full of futuristic technology, as if looking at the past’s view of the future.

Again, the visuals themselves are good and clear effort has been put into making the robots fit into the world shown, although not quite making up for the lack of character they have. Whether the visuals were worth $320 million is a slightly different matter, however a good chunk of that also seems to have gone towards getting quite a starry cast (including Ke Huy Quan, Colman Domingo, Anthony Mackie, Jenny Slate, Brian Cox and Holly Hunter).

However, the cast themselves struggle to bring a proper core to the film. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s screenplay is full of clunky lines of dialogue which strike a similar vein of obviousness, or occasionally stick out as needing a couple of tweaks, as to the directions of the film itself. The Russos appear to be wanting to go for a Spielbergian vibe to both the world and overall feel of The Electric State. As if this could be their Jurassic Park, their AI, or perhaps their Ready Player One – of which there are echoes of in this film, particularly in the final stages. Where things will go feel somewhat obvious from the early stages of Michelle’s isolation and distance from technology, refusing to wear the big virtual reality helmets which are mandatory for school classes, choosing to read a book instead.

There’s a watchable nature to the film as a whole, the biggest issue is because of the fact we’ve seen so much of it before it feels bland. Lacking in a sense of wonder, adventure and exploration which feels as if it should be rooted in a family sci-fi adventure such as this. Instead we get an overfamiliar narrative and set of events which don’t quite capture the imagination, or general engagement. It passes by for 2-hours, but never fully grabs your interest, despite some nice ideas of moments here and there in the exclusion zone once surrounded by the different robots, but even this feels as if it could be reaching for more instead of playing it so safe.

Lacking a full creative drive the overfamiliar nature of The Electric State’s narrative adds to the overemphasised obviousness of some of the performances and dialogue. Watchable, but largely lacking in entertainment and engagement factor.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 34 minutes, Director – Steven Soderbergh

Veteran spy George (Michael Fassbender) is on the hunt for a traitor involved in the selling of a top-secret device which if used could create global nuclear disaster, however could the person responsible be his wife (Cate Blanchett)?

One of my favourite screenings that I’ve been to was the LFF press screening for Knives Out. After Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc details not just who the murderer is but how the executed the twists and turns of their scheme a round of applause and cheers spread throughout the screening room. As Black Bag nears its conclusion in much the same way as it started, a group of colleagues sat around a dinner table, the big reveal is deserving of the same reception.

Michael Fassbender’s stony-faced and analytical spy George Woodhouse is hunting down a traitor within his close circle. Someone who has sold a top-secret device which could lead to tens of thousands of deaths in a nuclear disaster, increasing global tensions in the wake of it. After an extended opener seeing the potential suspects quizzed about their lives, relationships and resolves the elements are all in place for the game of suspicion to truly take shape. Yet, the person George most reluctantly suspects seems to be his wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), also a spy and flying out on a secret mission in a couple of days. But, when lying is not just a part of the job but also the relationships at the core of the film how many layers have to be peeled back to find the truth?

Fassbender and Blanchett are fantastic in their respective roles, capturing a flirtatious wink within the central relationship which could be filled with deception. Back-and-forths and mistrust appear to be key to their years-long marriage, one noted by many in the organisation, but what they’re not showing isn’t a matter for either figure but the audience. George’s search is kept to those close to him, kept refined by the ways in which other figures are connected, whether it be romantically or through workplace shrink Dr Zoe Vaughn (Naomie Harris). With the refinement comes consistent links and developments which hold each other up and allow for the supporting cast (also including Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela and Pierce Brosnan, all on entertaining form) to each have chances to shine and be a major suspect.

Fittingly for the execution of the conclusion the developments begin to play out like a murder-mystery. There’s a delicious nature to the entertainment factor of the film and how slickly it cruises through its events, backed by David Holmes’ bouncing, jazz-inspired score. David Koepp’s screenplay is tight and focused, as is the final edited cut of the film, clocking in at a breezy 94-minutes. So much is contained in that time which grows from the key sequence towards the start, with a scene of table-based chat avoiding a stage-like feel as Steven Soderbergh’s camera remains focused throughout. Growing our interest in the arguments and tensions at hand from the initial quiet spark.

Once engaged, which happens quickly as the characters are clearly laid out from the early stages, the spy thriller narrative develops quickly with plenty of intrigue to be found in the possible yet uncertain layers of lies and deception. All leading to an applause-worthy reveal worthy of a fine murder-mystery.

Tightly told, Black Bag is a deliciously slick spy thriller which plays out with the entertainment factor and layered nature of a great murder-mystery, pushed by a starry ensemble who match the focus of the camera and bounce of the score.

Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 36 minutes, Director – Nick Love

45-year-old Jack (Danny Dyer) is given six weeks by the court to fix his life, marriage and find work – however his cocaine addiction and love of a footie-based punch-up threaten to send him to prison.

While there may not have been many people in the audience for the screening of Marching Powder I was at there was a clear split amongst them. That split being me and pretty much everyone else. I’ll acknowledge that I’m not the target audience for Marching Powder, and that those who are likely to see and enjoy it probably, and rightfully, won’t be unswayed; if you liked the look of the trailers you’ll probably enjoy the film.

While gags relating to the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Andrew Tate and the sexual experience of nuns may have been met with a mixed response, those relating more to scattered political jabs, or those towards British towns, got a chuckle out of me even if noone else. The bluer, c-bomb filled – the leading reason for the film’s 18 rating over the unmentioned drug use in the BBFC description for the film – material, however, seemed to get a better response from others in the screening who the film perhaps played more to. It’s all part of the laddish character of 45-year-old Jack Jones (Danny Dyer), who has been told by a court judge that he has six weeks to get his life together or else he’ll face up to five years in prison.

While telling himself that cocaine and drink are out the door, and repairing his marriage, with wife Dani (Stephanie Leonidas) – whose sole purpose largely seems to be just for Jack to win back, yet when she seems most pivotal her character is largely pushed to one side – is a priority. However, temptation frequently calls him back, especially in the heat of a football-rivalry scrap. Addiction in these cases seems less a big dramatic point with serious consequences and more just a point of Jack’s life, and those of his dealer friends; largely played for laughs when the use of cocaine is at the centre of a scene. At times you can feel the film wanting to make a more serious point about addiction and drug use, but it shies away not wanting to break out of the mould that it’s provided for itself.

To some extent this means that Jack actually seems to have little development over the course of the film. By the time we get to the final stages there’s almost a sense of disappointment in him that after what’s been shown and how we’re apparently meant to feel about his relationship with Dani there’s just sympathy for there as he almost arrogantly seems to have shunned any change of progress, and we’re meant to cheer that. Dyer himself is good and Leonidas puts in a solid turn with what she’s given, but their characters find themselves caught in a cyclical mix which begins to feel like a set of mixed messages.

Jack’s brother-in-law Kenny Boy (Calum McNab) has just been released from a psychiatric hospital, with Jack often looking after him. We’re told that he might be bipolar or schizophrenic, often he’s played for laughs before causing trouble by attacking people involved in drug deals like a low-level, unmasked, back-alley vigilante. However, the back-and-forth nature of his behaviour and the way the film presents it comes with an air of uncertainty – similar to that surrounding certainly lines of dialogue such as a randomly thrown in “does that mean you’re woke?” when someone says they’re from Woking – the switches feel harsh and sudden, as do certain elements of the character in general, and, once again, largely seem to be present to back the actions and experience of the main character’s journey.

Yet, perhaps the most prominent issue throughout Marching Powder is the fact that much of the time the laughs simply fail to appear. The style of humour is clear and it may well work for the target audience and, again, those who liked the look of the trailers, but often the barrage of f-bombs, and frankly overuse of c-bombs, mixed with exaggerated laddish phrases and humour fail to take off and get a response, although the joke is clear to see. There’s a good deal of the film which simply feels uncertain and in need of delving a bit deeper, but gets side-tracked by the eventual unevenness and back-and-forth of both its narrative treatment and central character.

Those who like the look of Marching Powder will almost certainly have a good time, for those unsure of it, it’s best to avoid its uneven nature when it comes to its presentation of more dramatic elements, while comedic beats often fail to get a response, despite the efforts of the two solid central performances.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 17 minutes, Director – Bong Joon-ho

Needing to get off of Earth, Mickey (Robert Pattinson) becomes an expendable on a colonisation mission, when he dies a new version is printed off. However, when one version of him is presumed dead a case of multiples causes problems on the ship.

Whilst a big budget film with the backing of a major American studio, Bong Joon-ho’s latest, his first since Parasite took home four Oscars, feels just as much at home with the rest of his genre-meshing filmography. Stylistically his direction and treatment of his characters and the situations they find themselves in feels familiar to his previous works, although this time launching them into space.

In the case of Mickey (Robert Pattinson) he finds himself launched into space in a number of different ways after fleeing Earth to escape a gangster he owes a debt to. Signing up to the last mission to leave for the season he becomes an expendable, his memories are regularly saved and installed in a newly-printed version of him whenever the previous version dies. However, returning to the ship after surviving a fall which leaves him presumed dead he crashes into bed to discover an 18th version of him already lying there. With multiples being forbidden either one has to be killed or their existence has to be kept a secret, otherwise both could be killed and Mickey deleted as a whole.

Pattinson puts in a good job with his dual cartoon-inspired performances, he’s stated that the voices were slightly inspired by Ren and Stimpy with the physical side stemming from Jim Carrey in Dumb And Dumber. He helps to bring out the more comic beats which lie in a handful of scenes leaning into the frantic and hungry nature of least Mickey 17, with 18 being much more confident and angered by Mark Ruffalo’s egotistical colony leader Kenneth Marshall, launching the mission to another planet to create the perfect civilisation after losing two congressional elections on Earth. After receiving an Oscar nomination for his gloriously hammy performance in Poor Things, Ruffalo once again ramps up the theatrics with a character that – while writer-director Bong has claimed isn’t inspired by the President – you can’t help but think is inspired by Donald Trump in both the phrases he uses and some of his attitudes and gestures.

It takes a bit of time for the two figures to properly come together, and for the case of multiples to be unveiled to the rest of the ship. A good deal of the first half feels like a good deal of build-up for the world and narrative. As if it’s going to branch out further eventually and broaden the story instead of keeping itself as a generally contained narrative, set within the confines of the ship and the nearby reaches of the ice planet – populated with woodlouse-mammoth hybrid creatures with simple yet creepy details.

Due to the feeling that the film is going to branch out a bit more a good deal of it continues to feel like build-up. What’s there is entertaining, with a couple of chuckles here and there and some likable observations in regards to Mickey’s views on life and mortality, but there are a handful of instances where scenes feel slightly overlong, as does the film as a whole, despite picking up and rattling along well in the third act. While Bong has stated that he had final cut of the film there are certain moments where you can feel a slight hint of the studio providing notes, or at least having a hand of some sort in the project and how it goes about some of its themes, which because of this feeling don’t always fully come through or have the chance to flourish amongst the sci-fi caper that’s unfolding at the fore.

For the most part, though, there’s an engaging and likable time to be found within Mickey 17. As it grows its narrative without quite stretching itself in the way it might build itself up to do so Pattinson’s performances create effective leads as the two Mickey personalities clash and begin to create chaos throughout the central ship, and for those in charge. When these elements come together the film is at its best and most consistent in the way that things move along. There may be some slower moments in the build-up but once through them and things have come together there’s a solid sci-fi dramedy here.

You can feel Mickey 17 wanting to be more existential, and wish it were, however while the gradual build-up might have its slow moments, once things come together and Robert Pattinson’s lead performances are allowed to clash and run rampant there’s a consistently flowing and enjoyable time to be had.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 28 minutes, Director – Gia Coppola 

Shelley (Pamela Anderson) has been a Las Vegas showgirl her whole adult life, when her show gets a closure notice the life she left behind, and her family, begins to catch up with her.

It seems there are four groups of people when it comes to Pamela Anderson. Those who know her for Baywatch, those who know her for Borat, those who know her for what Pam And Tommy was about and those who don’t know her at all. In The Last Showgirl she delivers a revelatory performance which will hopefully lead to more offers and dramatic roles in the future.

Without her hopefully career-changing turn, The Last Showgirl perhaps wouldn’t have the same strength or hit as we see Las Vegas Showgirl Shelley coming to terms with the imminent closure of Le Razzle Dazzle, a last-of-its-kind show which she’s spent all her adult life performing in. However, with the closure the life she left behind, including now-adult daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd) begins to catch up with her, alongside her age being just one factor in being unlikely to get further work performing on the strip.

Vegas is made to seem like a dried-up, deserted landscape, one holding the hopes and dreams of a long-gone era. The look and feel of the buildings calls back to Sean Baker’s The Florida Project – the bright purple motel next door to Disneyworld – Baker receives a special thanks in the credits. Shelley tries to work out what she can do now her life performing seems to be over. Auditions don’t go well, she could become a casino waitress like her friend Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis) – who performs an almost tragic dance to a nearly empty casino full of passersby ignoring her – but her calling still says that she’s born to be on the stage, it’s what she set out to spend her whole life doing in tasteful shows, not like the modern nude circus which is taking over the theatre she performs in to sell-out crowds.

Much of The Last Showgirl is a character piece for Shelley, led by her emotions rather than a full narrative. And Anderson sells that brilliantly as she fully invests herself in a character whose life was put to one side in exchange for her dreams and now is facing the effects of that. Desperation begins to come in as she continues to represent shows of another era, “I’m not old, I’m older” she tells the younger performers (led by Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka) around her early on.

The character study which plays out comes together to make for an interesting drama that without its leads performance would perhaps feel much more middle-of-the-road or familiar. There are familiar moments here and there and sometimes scenes which feel on the slow side, but at just 88-minutes The Last Showgirl keeps its ideas generally concise and moves forward with the developments, regrets and admissions of its central figure as everything appears to suddenly hit her at once.

Without Pamela Anderson’s fantastic lead performance there may not be as many layers relating to the life put aside for the pursuit of dreams in a fading landscape as there are in The Last Showgirl’s echoes of The Florida Project.