Release Date – 26th August 2025, Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 44 minutes, Directors – Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

After losing their father, brother and sister Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) are taken in by foster mother Laura (Sally Hawkins), however their arrival may be part of a dark plan linking to Laura’s own grief.

I didn’t know it was possible for your teeth to feel tense, however since seeing Bring Her Back a few days ago my upper fronts have been on consistent edge. The moment in question that spawns this, or rather moments, are undoubtedly behind the 18 rating given to the film by the BBFC for strong bloody violence and injury detail. Yet, much of what brings an effect to the Philippou brothers’ follow up to 2022’s Talk To Me is from what we don’t see.

One of the aforementioned moments involving an improperly used knife is built up to first in sound only as another character searches the lower shelves behind the kitchen counter. We know something has gone wrong, and can fear where things are going, but the visuals are eventually much more shocking. But, the clicks and scrapes of the build up are already enough to create a sense of tense dread for what we’ll see when 17-year-old Andy (Billy Barratt) turns around and the camera pans back up and along.

As Andy explores the home of new foster mother Laura (Sally Hawkins), having been welcomed in alongside his partially-sighted younger sister Piper (Sora Wong) after the loss of their father (Stephen Phillips), sinister forces appear to be at play. However, they might be darker than he could imagine. Laura’s behaviour towards the pair fluctuates and Hawkins unveils herself as the anti-Mrs Brown as we see glimpses of her seemingly recreating rituals she watches on a video tape.

The other presence in the house, young foster child Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), said to be selectively mute after the tragic lost of his birth family, successfully avoids the generic ‘creepy child’ clichés as his actions eventually take him into quite different directions which provide some of the most unsettling images and details over the course of the run-time. Yet, the bloodshed and grisly images are still somewhat rare in terms of everything we see in the film. Much of the film focuses on the psychological and delves into the sinister. It brings out the darkness and a sense of suspense as Andy, and in turn Piper, find themselves more involved in Laura’s world and a plan that she may have be hatching.

Laura’s behaviour grows into gaslighting and manipulation of Andy, especially when it comes to his relationship with his sister. When entering this territory heated emotions began to emit from the film and myself, partly from the frenzy of shouts and actions happening in these individual moments as characters emotions and hidden intentions begin to come to the fore. Yet, still not everything is clear which adds to the haze of these scenes. Writers Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, alongside the siblings in the directors chairs, give us enough to go on to maximise the fear of the worst in our minds, and only give us the necessary details instead of getting bogged down in unnecessary context or backstory for the cult video clips we see.

Again, much of what works about the film is what we don’t see and how things stem from that. Hawkins performance, while a highlight in a film with a number of great performances, is excellently twisted and sets up much of the sinister and eventually disturbing events, yet she isn’t where everything stems from. Instead, successfully Laura is where much of what we see branches off from, with her own grief at the loss of her 12-year-old daughter Cathy (played in flashbacks by Mischa Underwood), who she claims Piper reminds her of.

Bring Her Back may be a film that holds back its details and focuses on what isn’t seen by the characters, but eventually that all comes to the fore in pools of blood and a good deal of effective gore. Keeping a consistent hold on the strong performances and the dark forces at work, it’s a twisted and occasionally disturbing watch that really gets under the skin in a number of scenes as more comes to light, often for the viewer before it comes close to the characters. Much of which revolving around Sally Hawkins’ brilliant, increasingly mad, and at times maddening, performance.

Visually and narratively Bring Her Back holds off on a lot of details, providing the necessary details for a suspenseful build up that grows into a dark, disturbing and bloody burst with a set of great performances, particularly a brilliantly twisted Sally Hawkins.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours, Director – David Cronenberg

Karsh Relikh (Vincent Cassel) owns a technology which allows you to see your lost ones inside their burial, however his connection to his late wife (Diane Kruger) twists when the software is hacked.

In a recent interview with Mark Kermode for Kermode And Mayo’s Take, David Cronenberg stated that he doesn’t view art or filmmaking as a form of therapy. While inspired by his grief in the wake of his wife’s passing in 2017, grief is given little time and space in his latest film, The Shrouds. A dialogue-heavy thriller every conversation, especially in the early stages, appears to intentionally skirt around the subject.

Karsh Relikh (Vincent Cassel – made to look somewhat like Cronenberg in hair and dress) has accepted the passing of his own wife (seen in visions in the increasingly dismembered form of Diane Kruger), but still has a series of connections with her. Through a software he owns, GraveTech, he can see her decomposing body inside the grave through a special 3D camera. Meanwhile, he gently talks to an AI system called Hunny made by a friend (Guy Pearce), designed to look and sound like Becca, while also experiencing a fluctuating relationship with her twin sister (also Kruger).

When GraveTech is hacked, and a series of graves, including Becca’s, destroyed Karsh’s search for the culprits leads to twists in his relationships. Cronenberg’s film is one about our relationship with the body being just as strong as that with the soul and mind. With the sense of distance that comes in the relationships there’s a coldness, too. The writer-director’s recent batch of films have each had an aesthetic coldness to them, in the case of The Shrouds helped by cinematographer Douglas Koch, but his latest appears to have an extra layer.

There’s something almost sinister and off-kilter about the aspects of Karsh’s interactions with people. Cronenberg sets the tone almost immediately with the opening line of the film as a dentist tells the protagonist “grief is rotting your teeth.” These feelings are heightened by the coldness on display, the way in which it feels that Karsh simply hasn’t been allowed the time to grieve, whether that be by himself or those around him. The dialogue is heavy but muted, the score sparingly used, it creates this feeling of withheld emotion. As if Karsh is still floating in his emotion, but having pushed it back in order to put himself into maintaining the physical and emotional connections with Becca in the forms she takes for him since her passing.

Morbid can often be seen as a negative term, but there’s a sense of it within The Shrouds that helps to push the interest there is to be found within the themes being played with. Even more so when it comes to the open admittance that this is a subject for which there may not entirely be ‘answers’, or even questions. It makes for an interesting and engaging watch, although one that’ll surely prove divisive, pushed by its untherapeutic attitude and demeanour.

A cold view of held-off, internalised grief, The Shrouds’ tone and style creates an interest in the various elements and meanings of the central character’s twisting relationships in a thriller led by withheld feelings and emotions.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 13 minutes, Director – Gareth Edwards

A research team heads on a deadly mission to an island populated by dinosaurs, some mutated, to find a cure for heart disease, joined by a family they find stranded in the ocean.

18 months ago we didn’t know we would be getting a new instalment in the Jurassic Park/ World franchise. While having been worked on shortly after the release of 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, based on an idea from Steven Spielberg and developed by screenwriter David Koepp, you could jump to accusing the film of having been made in a rush. However, while one or two slight instances might provide this feeling knowing the somewhat quick turnaround for the film, the main rush provided by Jurassic World Rebirth is a theme park style surge of excitement in its various sequences of dinosaur action.

Returning to a humans-in-a-dinosaur-environment basis, Rebirth sees a research team heading to an island near the equator where dinosaurs thrive, with the rest of the world seeing a decline in numbers having become bored and more inconvenienced by them than anything else, in the hope of finding DNA that could help create a life-saving cure for heart disease. However on the way the team (featuring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend and Jonathan Bailey) pick up a family (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, Audrina Miranda and David Iacono) who are left stranded in the middle of the ocean after a mosasaur attacks their small sailboat.

It takes a bit of time to actually get to the island with all the build-up, and it’s not long until both parties are quickly separated after their brief uniting, when crashing into the location. From there we’re treated to a handful of sequences building up to the big finale, each involving a different dinosaur. The structuring is certainly somewhat simplistic, and can sometimes feel as if it’s putting a bit too much focus on the dinosaurs, but there’s no denying that they still have an effect.

Director Gareth Edwards clearly has a love for the creatures, and working with the visual effects in this regard after what was achieved with a mid-budget sci-fi such as The Creator. Plus, the T-Rex remains just as cool as it ever did and the river-side chase involving the creature is successful largely because of its presence. Yet, much like the film as a whole there’s a good bit of build up to it. It seems that each scene in Rebirth either has to build up to its point or stretches the point out a bit too much – causing the film to feel ever so slightly too long, perhaps fitting better closer to two-hours rather than two-and-a-quarter.

Part of this feeling may also come from the fact there there are effectively two stories being told with the separated group of characters, and perhaps the film could do without the presence of the Delgado family, despite the characters being involved in some good sequences. Their introduction feels like something of a tangent and each of their appearances as they try to make their way to a village they’ve been told about on the other side of the island make for a clear subplot which provides a bookend leaning into the main narrative arc, before the introduction proper of the D-Rex.

While having been featured in toy promotions and some marketing, if possible, the D-Rex is a creature that’s best witnessed for the first time in the film. A mutation straight from a shudder-inducing body horror, designed on the island as a way to bring back interest in dinosaurs around the world, the towering beast certainly provides a creeping sense of fear in the latter stages, while prior dinosaurs manage to create a sense of tension in their up-close moments.

The sense of wonder around some of the sights isn’t quite present, no matter how much Alexandre Desplat uses John Williams’ iconic Jurassic Park theme – only one time really feeling as if it’s been earned. But, there’s still a tension and excitement to be found within the individual moments which make up most of Jurassic World Rebirth’s slightly stretched run-time.

While the run-time might be stretched with drawn out or overly built up points, the individual sequences of dinosaur action that make up most of Jurassic World Rebirth have a thrill and tension that helps keep things going for the most part. There may not quite be wonder, but there is a fearful edge in the latter stages.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours, Director – Gerard Johnstone

Advocating for AI regulation, Gemma (Allison Williams) is forced to reluctantly rebuild M3GAN (Jenna Davis/ Amie Donald) to take on a more advanced robot (Ivanna Sakhno) planning a takeover of the US and beyond.

M3GAN 2.0 is less a sequel to M3GAN and more a sequel to the response to that film’s viral marketing campaign. Leaning away from horror and more towards action bursts of dialogue in the sequel mirror the trailers and taglines for the robotic-doll-gone-wrong’s return as a sassier, ever so slightly more self aware outing. Although, these bursts are largely all featured in the marketing as the rest of the film doesn’t feel quite so heightened, likely knowing that too much would make an overblown, forceful film crafted by the internet.

Instead, sole writer Gerard Johnstone, also returning to the director’s chair and receiving a story credit alongside M3GAN screenwriter Akela Cooper – the pair also shared story credit’s on that first film – tackles a safer tone and style in the aforementioned action vein. Many have mentioned the Terminator 2 feelings of the narrative, which are certainly present, as Allison Williams’ Gemma, now advocating for AI regulation in the wake of the deadly toy-gone-wrong she built in the first film, is forced to rebuild M3GAN (voice by Jenna Davis with Amie Donald providing the physical performance) when a more advanced military robot (Ivanna Sakhno’s AMELIA) using her technology plans a tech takeover of the US.

As the first film had occasional comedic beats the sequel tries to also, perhaps in a less darker vein though. Not ever gag gets a laugh, but there’s enough that gain even a mild response to help the film through its 2-hour run-time as it builds up towards the bigger action sequences. It’s in these moments where the film finds its best sense of flow, and confidence. As the two robots chase and duel either with each other or those trying to stop them there’s a rise in energy from Johnstone and in turn the film he’s directing as the action that it wants to make more of a point of properly steps into focus.

While conventions are still very much present and you can see most of the directions the film is going to go M3GAN 2.0 still feels like an improvement from the first instalment, which itself was also fine. It helps that the central cast all seem to actually want to be here instead of being there for the paycheque – and Violet McGraw’s Cady isn’t treated as the same age as she was two years prior in the film’s world and is treated by everyone still as a child but one who has grown up a bit.

As a whole, M3GAN 2.0 moves along well enough. Not all of it lands as it might hope, and it can sometimes feel like it’s playing itself a bit safe to get away with the genre change from the first film, but for the most part there’s a film that works and provides enough amusement here for two hours. While it may not end up being the most memorable there are a good few chuckles and some successful punches, fights and left-to-the-imagination injuries (while a 15 in the UK the film achieves a PG-13 in America) to help see it through.

With a genre switch which brings some punchy action to the proceedings, not everything about M3GAN 2.0 lands, but there’s enough here amongst the slight safe-playing to provide a likable kick for two hours.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 36 minutes, Director – Joseph Kosinski

To stop himself from being ousted from the Formula One team he’s recently bought, Ruben (Javier Bardem) recruits former teammate and thrill-seeking driver Sonny (Brad Pitt) to help put some points on the board.

From both a writing and directing perspective Joseph Kosinski seems to be aware that the thrills and focus are held in the action of the racing sequences. The screenplay for his follow-up to 2022’s smash-hit Top Gun: Maverick, co-written with Ehren Kruger, follows a conventional story that we’ve seen plenty of times before. An old-hand maverick, Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes, is called in by former racing teammate Ruben (Javier Bardem) when the Formula One team he’s purchased is consistently failing to earn any points in races. Needing to get some top ten placements, or else be ousted by the board of directors, he calls on his old friend who spends his time travelling across America in a van going from race to race. However, Sonny’s presence creates clashes with the APX GP team, especially young driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) – trying to not fall just as he’s starting to run in the sport.

There’s an element of the film that feels as if it perhaps wouldn’t work if it didn’t have a film star in the lead role. Pitt, as one of the last remaining, carries a number of scenes with that movie star energy, and slight swagger, and appears to acknowledge that much of the focus is on the races. While establishing themselves in the early stages once past the first two or so things properly kick into gear and speed up. Trading planes for lightning-speed cars Kosinski manages to get across the thrill of the race by putting you less into the vehicle and more onto it; without feeling gimmicky.

While I may have no clue about what any of the conversation about different tyres meant or various technical aspects, generally the idea of needing the best car, and having to give notice of specifications, etc before races is mentioned and enough to go on. In fact, what eventually ends up explaining the obvious is the overlaid TV commentary which appears more frequently in the final stages, eventually just being there to explain what we’ve just seen. There are instances of this every now and then in occasional moments of dialogue, largely just pointing out basic dramatic beats which we’ve seen before.

Occasionally these more basic moments that try to move the narrative along can hold the film back somewhat due to just how stuck in convention they are, but it all acts as build-up to the next extended race sequence. And there’s a sense of suspense to these sequences the more we see of them, making for a particularly thrilling finale which has fun with both its style and the familiar elements which have more of a wink to them as they unfold in brief bursts so we can cut back to the car footage which is made to be seen on the big screen.

Footage which certainly doesn’t feel like watching cars drive round and round in circles for 2-and-a-half-hours. In part down to just how the camera is used to capture the speed and feel of the battle for a placement that will earn the team points on the championship board. The speed of these sequences matches that of those reached by the cars in the races, meaning that the run-time certainly isn’t felt, especially with how these instances take up most of the run-time over the slower, dialogue-based scenes. And Kosinski and co appear to know that these are the main selling point and focus of the film, putting the most push and effort into them and making a narrative so conventional it surely couldn’t distract.

F1’s narrative is seemingly intentionally very conventional, the effort has clearly been put into the fast-paced thrills and tension of the cinematic racing sequences which place you both in and on the cars in what turns out to be something of a traditional movie star vehicle for Brad Pitt.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 38 minutes, Directors – Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi

11-year-old Elio’s (Yonas Kibreab) dream of being abducted by aliens comes true, however as Earth’s intergalactic representative he finds himself having to bargain with hostile species.

Pixar have had successful experiences of switching directors midway through production before. For Ratatouille, Brad Bird was brought in to replace Jan Pinkava, although somewhat early into the process to where Bird could get sole screenplay credit. With Elio original director Adrian Molina departed the project to work on Coco 2 with storyboard artist Madeline Sharafian and Turning Red co-writer and director Domee Shi stepping into the role (and all receiving credit). All three receive story credits alongside Julia Cho who is one of three credited screenwriters, not including two names listed for providing ‘additional screenplay contributions’. Unfortunately, with all these names involved in the production in this way Elio’s structured less like a full feature and more like a set of ideas bouncing from one to the next with thin lines drawn between them to hold things together.

11-year-old Elio (Yonas Kibreab) finds himself fulfilling his dream of being abducted by aliens, claiming to be leader of Earth and becoming the planet’s representative in what’s known as the Communiverse – a giant, brightly coloured ship where everything and everyone looks as if it’s slightly melted. However, those in the Communiverse wish to live in harmony, despite the push for greater weapons from rejected applicant Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett). In order to bargain with Grigon instead of fleeing once again the intergalactic council puts Elio in charge of conversing with the towering, heavily-armoured creature; eventually leading him to his son, Glordon (Remy Edgerly).

What should be a likable tale of friendship, following on from Elio’s loneliness on Earth – a genuinely emotional opening scene sees him discover his passion for space following the loss of his parents, now looked after by his Aunt (Zoe Saldaña) – ends up feeling rushed and pushed aside for the various other elements that are introduced. There are worries about a clone replacement for Elio on Earth being more preferred to him, new plans being set out by Lord Grigon and course changes in the journey across the Communiverse. Yet, still somehow the overall narrative arc feels as if it could be condensed into a likable short film instead of stretched to 98-minutes.

There are some likable chuckles to be found here and there, but as a whole the further the film gets from the opening scene the more it feels like a Pixar imitation rather than just a Pixar film, even just a weaker one. Ideas feel scrappily linked and pieced together, with the feeling of multiple contributing voices coming through from moment to moment. Elio and Glordon get some occasional back-and-forth and quips in their conversations here and there, although this marks a case where the best moments have certainly been put in the trailer, but rarely do they feel as if they’re properly contributing to their bond and relationship.

Certain chunks and sequences within Elio move along with relatively little trouble, making for simple, watchable viewing. But the film doesn’t really lift up above this once things properly kick off and as a whole there’s a thin and conventional feel to things as a whole. Both playing with a number of different ideas in order to link things together while not quite having enough to flesh out the just over 90-minute run-time.

Despite an affecting opening, Elio suffers from a feeling of multiple voices throwing out multiple ideas, meaning that a short film narrative is stretched out with multiple loose connections, leading to only a few patches of proper engagement and amusement.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 55 minutes, Director – Danny Boyle

Safe from those infected by the Rage Virus on his home island, 12-year-old Spike’s (Alfie Williams) first trip to the mainland leads him to search for a rumoured doctor (Ralph Fiennes) who could help his mum (Jodie Comer).

It’s been 28 years since the first wave of the Rage Virus hit the UK (although 23 in real world time since returning director Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later). While mainland Europe has been able to tackle any outbreaks and move on with life Britain has been quarantined, nothing can leave and what gets in will never get out. There are few patches of safety such as Holy Island, the home of 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) who is about to make his first hunting trip with his dad, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) – despite reminders that 15 or 16 is usually the first age to go across the causeway to the mainland.

The trip seems to be to hunt infected – now largely living off of worms and animals – which raises the question of why risk it when you seem to be living a safe and quiet life where you are. Some have evolved into taller, stronger alphas while others have become fat, crawling creatures. Regardless, they’re now pretty much all in the buff and just as angry. Despite the dangers clearly shown and amount of times his life is on the edge during his visit Spike returns home and quickly wants to go back after hearing of a possible doctor (Ralph Fiennes) still living on the nearby mainland. Hoping that he can find help for his mum, Isla (Jodie Comer), who has been having increasingly frequent episodes and memory loss, the pair travel in search of a hopeful cure.

This journey is the core of 28 Years Later, written by original film writer Alex Garland who has penned this as a trilogy with the next instalment, The Bone Temple, due out in January and the third yet to be funded. And indeed the film feels like a first instalment. For the most part what we see is world building and a mass of glimpses of a world we’re eventually going to see more of with little narrative unfolding amongst it. Spike and Isla’s journey has the occasional moment of threat here and there but it seems brief and undetailed with the focus being more on what’s changed, and at times regressed, since the Rage Virus outbreak.

The knock-on effect of this ends up being that with so much wandering and world building when something does actually happen towards the end it feels a strange, sudden and rushed decision. One that seems to want an emotional response and yet is dealt with with such a dead-pan expression that there almost seems to be a slight disconnect in the world as it stands. It pushed me further away than I already had been by the thin narrative throughout the film. A narrative which could solidly construct a whole film but with all the build-up given and exploration presumably for events to come this all feels like a drawn out first act, or even just prologue, for what’s the come in a few months time.

There are likable moments and beats here and there, including some tense action involving the infected, especially the strongest leaders of the pack – who pull off a particularly cool kill part way through which has a strong effect when shown in full gory detail. But by the end that’s largely what 28 Years Later feels like, a selection of moments forming a thin narrative that I found little connection with as it clearly just wants to assemble points, or at least characters, for the next stage of the journey. Let’s hope that that journey actually pays off and Nia DaCosta’s The Bone Temple isn’t just more build-up to the as-yet-unfunded events of the final part of this trilogy.

A thin narrative with little emotional connection is squashed down by world building for the next chapter in the 28 Years Later trilogy, meaning this first instalment feels like a weak prologue more than anything else, despite some likable infected action here and there.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 31 minutes, Director – John Maclean

Caught up in a hunt for stolen gold, a young woman (Kōki) finds herself fleeing from, and facing off against, an angered criminal (Tim Roth) and his gang, none of whom can wield a samurai sword like she can.

Tornado has somewhat been sold as a bloody, action-packed samurai flick. And while it certainly has some good action sequences they feel more subdued, as does the film as a whole. Much of the 91-minute run-time is spent in quieter scenes of upfront threat, largely from Tim Roth’s gang leader Sugarman, focusing on the dialogue of character’s processing events.

The titular Tornado (Kōki) finds herself caught up in Sugarman’s hunt for gold when fortunes that he obtained in a heist are subsequently stolen from him. While uninvolved, tracks lead back to Tornado and her puppeteer father (Takehiro Hira), leading to them being followed by Roth and co across the 1790s Scottish landscape, with the action eventually following; mostly in a well-executed, and effectively timed finale which really builds up its stages.

The cat-and-mouse journey which plays out for some of the film calls back to a number of classic western genre influences. Throughout the short 91-minute run-time we see the central character build up and realise her confidence and skills with a sword, even amongst the non-linear narrative. Writer-director John Maclean is just as interested in the drama, perhaps even more so, as he is with the swift bursts of action. He certainly frames them in much the same way in terms of Tornado’s development, with Kōki bringing a compelling nature to the different examples of quietness she carries herself with from the start.

Both quietly engaging and entertaining there’s a confidence in Tornado from the very start, but as that becomes more evident in the character of the same name that comes through with more style as things progress. Things are kept fairly simple, but there’s an effect to be found from there considering the time period things are set in and just how Maclean captures things; and indeed the threat that Roth poses.

He gives an enjoyable performance which captures the antagonist’s sneering greed and contempt; while acknowledging this is a supporting role and not upstaging Kōki. Sugarman and his gang help to bring in a tension when hot on Torando’s tail, or in the duels of the climactic stages. As a whole this is an effectively considered and restrained film that uses both of those elements to push character, confidence and engagement factor.

Slowly-paced yet short, Torando is a subdued samurai western featuring likable bursts of action which fit right into the tone and pacing, as tension is quietly built up throughout the central character’s battles and escapes.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 2 hours 5 minutes, Director – Dean DeBlois

Young Viking Hiccup (Mason Thames) is the son of the chief (Gerard Butler) and expected to one day be a great dragon slayer, however when he discovers an injured night fury he realises that maybe the creatures aren’t as dangerous as they’re made out to be.

Apparently when starting to put together a film Pixar used to, and perhaps still do, ask why the film was being made in the animated form. What was being done that couldn’t be done in live-action? Sometimes we can be more forgiving towards ideas in animation. In Lilo And Stitch, also recently given the live-action treatment, Stitch doesn’t really look anything like a dog, but we don’t really stop to think about that. In Dreamworks new take on How To Train Your Dragon, six years after the close of the animated trilogy and fifteen years after the first entry (with a remake of the second already greenlit months before the release of this instalment), the opening sequence centres around a night-time dragon attack on the island of Berk.

As characters run around shouting for different weapons to attack the creatures with, and protagonist Hiccup (Mason Thames – who seems to be trying to bring elements of the animated physicality into this film) tries to prove his skills with inventions to take down the dragons rather than dealing with them upfront, I sat thinking about the poor design of the various buildings throughout Berk. If you live near dragons who frequently attack, breathe fire and set your buildings alight, why would you make all of your buildings out of wood? And how are they all rebuilt and perfectly fine by the next morning?

In addition to these questions there’s also the point of what is the live-action bringing to this particular film? And the answer seems to be very little. Written and directed by the original film’s co-writer-director Dean DeBlois the exact same beats are here, just without the same visual flair. The animated films had Roger Deakins as a visual consultant, and so of course had some great shots, but this film feels weighed down by the CGI. There are some good shots here and there, courtesy of Bill Pope, and flight sequences manage to capture some imagination as Hiccup connects with injured night fury dragon Toothless – learning that while he’s being trained to be a dragon slayer maybe the creatures aren’t as dangerous as legend, and his father (Gerard Butler, returning form his voice role), says.

Multiple shots and jokes are repeated without the same impact. There’s enough here that still manages to work and move things along but it still feels very familiar and like there’s very little new brought to this film. As if things are in some form of safe cruise control. But by not wanting to change too much almost nothing is changed. John Powell returns to do the score and on a number of occasions its his music which helps to lift things and bring more of an effect to them, making it perhaps the strongest player in the film; especially considering the lack of detail given to a number of supporting characters, including Toothless. Even love-interest and presumed-future-dragon-slater Astrid (Nico Parker) comes across as one of the most wholly unlikable figures I’ve seen for quite some time, with a complete 180-degree flip which just makes her feel like a narcissist.

Yet, even amongst all of this there’s still an adequate film at hand. And likely that’s because of just how little has been changed, and so for the most part the remake is playing along lines that it knows works, or at least have worked in the past. But, it’s not enough to create anything other than a generally fine, if patchy, film. For when the sequel inevitably comes round, I hope it takes a few more swings towards originality and doing something different.

Perfectly fine, but largely because it relies too much on being a near copy of the original animated film, this live-action take on How To Train Your Dragon is watchable but has a number of bumps along the way as it struggles to find its own identity.

Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 26 minutes, Director – Dan Trachtenberg

Three fighters in different ages find themselves facing an advanced alien hunter, but what happens after it’s defeated?

While I may have been lukewarm on it, there’s no denying that with 2022’s Prey director Dan Trachtenberg brought new life into the Predator franchise. The prequel, focusing on a Comanche warrior, and upcoming future-set Predator: Badlands explore newer territory for the franchise in their settings and the opportunities they create. Seemingly inspired by these and Dark Horse comics which did much the same, animated Predator: Killer Of Killers has been quietly released on Disney+.

Following Viking (Lindsay LaVanchy) and samurai (Louis Ozawa) warriors, and a World War II fighter pilot (Rick Gonzalez), the animation allows for the film’s segments to explore bloodier territory than they perhaps would in live-action; and indeed develop ideas they perhaps couldn’t with this budget in that form. The fates and consequences that certain characters face fit right in with the animation style, which feels like an upgraded continuation of classic adult animation fantasy styles.

It’s the second of these stories which truly brought me into the unfolding events. Almost entirely dialogue free the central fight grows into battle as samurai warriors face an invisible enemy, in slightly more advanced form since the previous Viking-era segment. The action spreads through different locations, effectively tracked and paced so that the characters’ desperation to survive against the mysterious force, and the ways in which they fight, match the growth of the location and environment.

This is something which is caught in each segment, which eventually come together for an exciting finale involving the three central weapons the film bases itself around (shield, sword and bullet). The more the short run-time moves along the more thrilling it becomes, especially in the directions it takes the action. Using the animation the propel that without ever allowing for a sense of disbelief or ridiculousness to override the tension.

While dropping onto Disney+, intended as a largely secret film, there’s hope that Killer Of Killers will allow for further exploration into the worlds of the Predator and those who face it. Such ideas have fuelled multiple fan films and comics over the years, and now finally being embraced on screen; so far under the watchful eye of Dan Trachtenberg who clearly has a knack for bringing something new to franchises while keeping key elements in place so they feel at home – see 10 Cloverfield Lane. And perhaps it could show a want for more dramatic adult animation; as Arcane on Netflix has apparently been doing recently.

There’s certainly something brought out by it in the action. The style that the film carries itself with in a bright yet deadly world which feels layered and detailed while still largely based around the central fights faced against a threatening, in skills and design, evolving Predator. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but was more than pleasantly surprised by the level of tense and bloody thrills throughout.

Holding plenty of layered and well-developed action, Predator: Killer Of Killers is a bloody expansion of the creature’s evolution, slotting it into different time periods with thrilling effect.