Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 55 minutes, Director – Richard Linklater

When not playing the part of a university professor, Gary (Glen Powell) works for the police, luring in criminals by pretending to be a hit man, however his worlds begin to collide when he starts a relationship with a woman (Adria Arjona) who tries to hire him.

Amongst his more comedic work Richard Linklater rarely seems to have neared the territory of an out-and-out comedy. He’s long held his humour in a restrained indie vein, School Of Rock aside, coming through in a more natural or dead-pan nature depending on the tone of the film. His latest, Hit Man, which sees Linklater return to Netflix, who let his previous film Apollo 10 1/2 go unseen with no marketing or push whatsoever, frequently feels just a dash of wackiness away from being a broader comedy from the writer-director.

As it is there are a good handful of chuckles throughout the almost 2-hour run-time as the various lives and identities of Gary Johnson (Glen Powell – who serves as co-writer alongside Linklater) begin to clash right in front of him. Yet, as the bird-watching university professor moonlighting as a fake hit man luring in suspects for the police falls in with a woman who tries to hire him, Adria Arjona’s Madison, you can feel the comedy wanting to stretch out more and simply be louder, and perhaps more frequent. Particularly when we see Powell running through the various identities that Gary presumes when working for the police, analysing the Facebook profiles of those who believe they’re hiring him for a hit job and working out which characters would suit them best.

When taking a glimpse at multiple personas the sequences are faster than the otherwise extended conversational scenes set in diners where Gary gains the trust of the soon-to-be-arrested suspect, he just needs them to hand the money over. There’s a good deal to like about these brief montage-like moments, particularly Powell’s performance helping to bring the humour, and occasional satirical edges to the personas Gary puts across, through. Yet, the figure he plays into most is that of suave and romantic Ron, the person Madison believes him to be during their various hook-ups and eventual dates.

While avoiding feeling overstuffed, the general outline of Hit Man is effectively simplistic, there’s no denying that it feels overlong at just under 2 hours. It’s as the relationship arc truly takes form, before more elements from Gary’s worlds truly come crashing in to it and he risks having to tell Madison the truth about who he really is, and not just the fact that he drives an old Honda Civic. When humour does arise from these scenarios it often feels restrained and held back from what it could be, as if the joke could be taken further, despite the strength of Powell’s performance bringing through a good deal in the patches that we do get.

Instead, dialogue to push character and then narrative appears to be the focus, and Linklater certainly provides some wonderfully written scenes here. The opening stages in particular bring forward just how the central character adapts almost immediately to a situation on his first job as we see his first time playing hit man unfold in almost real time when he’s subbed in at the last minute. While not everything quite takes off or has the engaging nature of these more detailed moments for the central character there’s an overall likable nature to the film as a whole, even if you do wish that it would push itself a bit more and play into the laughs a bit more, like it seems to want to do.

While there are some really well written character-based scenes, and Glen Powell helps push the humour with a strong performance for each of the central character’s personas, Hit Man suffers from holding itself back when it comes to the comedy which it feels it wants to have more of, but feels consistently restrained.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 42 minutes, Director – Ishana Night Shyamalan

Confined to a small box in the middle of a never-ending forest a group of strangers (Dakota Fanning, Olwen Fouéré, Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan) plan to escape the unseen creatures known only as The Watchers.

It’s difficult to be confined to a small box with a group of unlikable people, with no sign of escape. The Watched deals with two out of three of these ideas, leaving the being stuck with unlikable characters part for the audience to deal with. The main course at hand for the central quartet (Dakota Fanning, Olwen Fouéré, Georgina Campbell and Oliver Finnegan) is escaping the never-ending forest they’ve all been trapped in for an indeterminate amount of time. However, escape is only possible during the day, amongst a seemingly repeating and daze-inducing landscape, or else a group of unseen creatures known as The Watchers will take the lives of those still outside. The only safety is in the almost empty concrete hut known as ‘The Coop’ where the four are watched through a giant two-way mirror each night by the creatures.

Our main introduction is to Fanning’s Mina, spending her evenings pretending to be someone else, her day job is in a pet shop. Sent to take a bird to a zoo, her car breaks down on a long journey and it’s not long until night begins to fall and she’s brought into The Coop for safety. We find out little about the three figures she’s stuck with. While Fouéré’s Madeline has some detail as the rule-enforcer (and frequent breaker in forgetting not to turn her back on The Watchers) who has been trapped the longest, whereas Clara (Campbell) and Daniel (Finnegan) have barely any detail and therefore little to connect with.

It’s difficult to connect with any of the few characters partly down to their initial actions and behaviours which may be in place to create an initial distance between them, but also pushes back the audience as well. However, the lack of detail, and in some ways development, also acts as a key factor in a lack of connection and proper engagement with their attempts to leave.

There may be occasional sparks of hope and interest when hinting at the workings of the forest, however these are rare with focus being more on mystery and just what The Watchers might be. 10 Cloverfield Lane feels like a touchstone, however The Watched lacks that film’s sense of mystery and paranoia. Instead we simply see a cycle of night into day with mentions of previous escape attempts and The Watchers apparently getting angrier before things start to develop more in the second half.

Developments which seem to arrive quickly before revealing a more drawn out set of events as the actual ending. Jumping back in to a more mainstream-leaning feel; just like where things start out before, once in the forest, leaning into a more specific indie vibe. In the end it starts to feel as if there’s a lack of uncertainty as to where to truly pitch the film as it starts to go back and forth between two different styles depending on how much it wants to deal with the, in some places titular, Watchers. Even with this being the case the various elements of the film still feel familiar and as if we’ve seen them done better before; and with more detail.

There’s a chance for interest within the figures of the Watchers, but the expansion and detail that goes into them comes late in the day with little impact. If worked more into the narrative there’s chance for a fantastical horror and a stronger sense of eeriness to the confines which the characters must remain in each night. As it stands, there’s a lack of detail within The Watched, particularly surrounding the difficult-to-connect-with characters and their hostilities, which prevents it from properly exploring its ideas and making for a more fleshed-out and interesting horror which rises above a couple of brief sparks of creepiness.

If The Watched brought its thematic developments in earlier and crafted the narrative around those there might be a more effective horror playing out, however what we get is a film lacking in creeps and detail, unhelped by a set of bland characters.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 55 minutes, Directors – Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah

When their former captain (Joe Pantoliano) is accused of assisting the cartel Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) set out on a trail to clear his name and uncover the real corrupt officials.

Bad Boys is perhaps one of the only 90s-early-2000s franchises where the central characters wouldn’t hold back if told that their humour and attitudes feel outdated. Even Stifler, who remained largely the same in 2012’s American Reunion, would likely be somewhat toned down and told his behaviour needs a shift. When it comes to their humour officers Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) are very much still in the 90s. The first two instalments of the franchise have had many accusations of misogyny and homophobia, and those elements have certainly been dialled back here as they were in 2020’s tired-feeling Bad Boys For Life.

Yet, the humour of the buddy dynamic – with Smith and Lawrence seemingly in two different films during comedically-focused scenes – frequently feels like it needs a few tweaks just so it feels less stuck in the past, so the characters feel more like their ages. Where the performances flourish and feel more on the same level is during the action and drama based sequences. Moments packed with more energy thanks to the stylish direction of For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (credited as Adil and Bilall). Getting across just how much is happening in the scene by matching the fluid nature of the fights and shootouts by moving the camera through them, avoiding an unfocused feel.

The drama takes over from the initial re-establishing of our now-both-family-men-cops once the titular bad boys discover that their late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) has been accused of assisting drug cartels when he was in a position of power. The film leans into the mystery well as the pair set out to clear their former boss’ name and find the real corrupt officials. It’s the initial spark that truly sets things off and brings about an increasingly enjoyable nature to this fourth instalment in now another no-signs-of-slowing-down franchise.

The new burst of style in the ways in which Adil and Bilall capture the proceedings helps to capture the energy that the film needs to truly propel itself. There’s an air of seriousness that the drama needs, while still understanding the entertainment factor needed from a buddy cop movie. This is shown in no better place than the tension of a key set of events set in an abandoned alligator-themed amusement park. A setting that wouldn’t feel out of place in an out-and-out comedy and manages to work here without being questioned once.

Once in the swing of things and bringing in its developments, helped by video clues left by Howard for in the case of his death, it doesn’t take long to fully ease into Bad Boys: Ride Or Die and simply have a good time. Smith and Lawrence, when on the same level, work just as well as you could hope together and really help to push things forward, with help from the supporting cast around them who are put into good effect here. Once away from its struggling opening stages, and brief instances of trying to bring the characters fully up to date with uncertain discussions and experiences of panic attacks, this makes for the best Bad Boys film so far. An enjoyable action flick, with some chuckles in the later stages, where the strengths lie in the consistent action and drama.

While it might struggle on the comedic side, Adil and Bilall bring a new, fluid energy to the action and drama of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, creating an entertaining action flick with Smith and Lawrence helping to build up the tension and well-handled mystery.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 32 minutes, Director – Kiah Roache-Turner

After keeping a spider she finds in her apartment building, 12-year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne) and the other residents face the threat of a creature that grows every time it eats living flesh.

Sting is a film made with a sense of fun and humour. It comes across most in the moments where characters encounter the eventually giant spider face-to-face. Relishing in the up-close practical effects, courtesy of masters Wētā Workshop, and hinting a self-awareness at how the protagonists are planning to attack the nods to classic horrors ate notable throughout.

While not held within the narrative, Arachnophobia aside, there are a good deal of shots and moments which reference titles from The Evil Dead to Gremlins. It’s just a shame that the energy of these films doesn’t entirely leak their way into more of Sting.

Chills, particularly one very effective, drawn out kill to make the skin of even the most comfortable around spiders crawl, and laughs are scattered throughout the 92 minute run-time to keep things flowing towards the third act. These are the moments which work the best and portray a lighter, more comedically influenced, nature to the proceedings that matches the idea of a spider from space growing increasingly large as it eats pets, and eventually residents, of an apartment block that it starts to threaten.

Where things feel less solid is in the dramatic surroundings of 12-year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne). Trying to have her voice heard by her mum (Penelope Mitchell) and stepdad, Ethan (Ryan Corr), as they look after her six-month-old brother while also experiencing fluctuations in how close her relationship is with Ethan. There’s familiarity throughout the film, but it’s most distracting when it feels as if it’s not embracing it with a sense of awareness. 

Such feelings often bring about thoughts that a film would work better as a short, and certainly that comes to mind around the midpoint of Sting, which just about manages to get itself to feature length. However, once the titular arachnid grows big enough to open the jar it’s placed in and cause a noise when running through the vents the pace properly picks up. Yes, the drama rears its head again every now and then just before the laughs and amusement of climactic decisions.

Fans of schlocky B-movie creature features should be sufficiently amused by what Sting has to offer. It may not be bringing anything new to the table, but it manages to make for likable enough viewing whilst its on. When leaning into more comedic moments to contrast with the threat at hand, Jermaine Fowler acts as comic relief with limited screen-time as an exterminator called in to deal with a noise in the walls, the film is at its best. It takes some time, and slightly exaggerated drama to get there, but overall there’s a giant spider flick that knows its audience and holds enough creeps and chuckles to keep things moving for the short duration.

Using its horror inspirations in shots rather than infusing them into the narrative, Sting knows its audience and provides them with a likable, if not entirely original, 92 minutes of spider-based chills and occasional chuckles.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 28 minutes, Director – George Miller

Kidnapped as a child (Alyla Browne), Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) seeks vengeance on Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), who risks destroying what remains in the wasteland.

We’ve visited the wasteland of George Miller’s Mad Max franchise a number of times before. However, in the two-hour car chase that was Fury Road it was given a new visually rich and chaotic energy. Now acquainted with this iteration of the wasteland Miller’s prequel for Charlize Theron’s Furiosa (now portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy) allows for more close-up detail.

The mould of Fury Road may very well have made for a 12 certificate, Miller aimed for an American PG-13. However, its intensity gained a rightful 15/ R. Furiosa is a film made for the latter ratings. The close-ups emphasise the darkness of the wasteland, the grisly fight for survival faced in the empty land of sand dunes. Yet, it also brings further personality to the once briefly seen locations; such as the Citadel, the Bullet Farm and Gas Town. Each brought to life with the same technical details which made Fury Road such an intense, immersive experience. A number of creatives return here to create equally detailed costumes, vehicles and more.

It’s the latter location which Chris Hemsworth’s power-hungry Dementus takes over and threatens to destroy what remains in the wasteland from. With other wasteland leaders needing to take him down, Furiosa is ready to be the one to do it – seeking revenge for the death of her mother (Charlee Fraser) at the hands of Dementus, who kidnapped her as a child (Alyla Browne).

In this prequel Furiosa’s vengeance is her drive. Trapped in a meticulously designed world of hopelessness she’s trying to reach the path where she can create her hopeful future. Taylor-Joy says very little over the course of the film, she doesn’t appear for over an hour. Although, unlike Tom Hardy’s Max Rockatansky this is eventually proves to very much be Furiosa’s film; particularly as action sequences grow.

While a much more narratively driven film there’s still room for a number of extended action sequences. Capturing a similar car chase catharsis with plenty of practical stunt-work and breathless tension. We may not be thrown head-first into this world again, but we are into the explosive stretches of action full of as much detail as the more dialogue-drive scenes. Heightened by them as each shows the threat which Hemsworth’s crazed villain and his cohorts demonstrate.

Starting as background for Charlize Theron to deepen her brilliant performance in Fury Road, Furiosa now arrives on the big screen with just as much stunning detail and plenty of thrills. More narratively focused, there’s a good deal to like about the details shown and discussed in the once briefly-glimpsed locations in this struggling dystopia.

In nine years George Miller and his creative team have lost no energy or flair. Fleshing out the wasteland in a slightly different style without feeling like exclusively world-building or fan service. This is an action-packed, visually-immense tale that knows it needs to tell its story and does with great strength from its interconnected world and characters.

Just as visually rich as Fury Road, Furiosa’s more narrative heavy style allows deeper glimpses of the wasteland, a land of hopelessness in which the protagonist is seeking vengeance in order to regain hope. A roaring success from start to finish, there’s still nothing quite like the intensity of Miller’s vision.

Release Date – 17th May 2024, Cert – U, Run-time – 1 hour 44 minutes, Director – John Krasinski

Grieving her mother, and with her father (John Krasinski) awaiting surgery, 12-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) discovers a world of imaginary friends looking for new children after theirs have grown up and forgotten them.

After viewing the changing corridors of the home for retired imaginary friends (IFs) a group of characters of all shapes, sizes and colours rush onto a stage for a big dance number. 12-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) has, for a brief second, forgotten her worries as a huge smile spreads across her face, one which passes on to the audience in a moment of pure joy – and perhaps the highlight of writer-director John Krasinski’s latest film, taking a step away from the world of A Quiet Place.

Bea is introduced to this world by Ryan Reynolds’ Cal – Reynolds providing another refreshing performance after 2022’s Spirited where he drops the Deadpool persona. Living at the top of the apartment complex where Bea’s grandmother (Fiona Shaw) lives, taking her granddaughter in after the loss of her mother (Catharine Daddario) and her father (Krasinski) is in hospital for what is promised to be a simple surgery, Bea discovers Cal and their shared ability to see otherwise invisible IFs after encountering excitable furry purple giant Blue (Steve Carrell) and cartoon butterfly-like figure Blossom (a really gentle vocal turn from Phoebe Waller-Bridge).

A whole world is uncovered of IFs who have been forgotten by their kids, all in need of new homes or else they may fade away. Bea soon sets out to do her best to help out, cue an amusing audition sequence where the film really starts to bring out the humour, by seeing if any of the children at the hospital, primarily Alan Kim’s multi-plaster-casted Benjamin, can see and connect with any of the chosen IFs. From here it’s evident that Krasinski’s film has a lot of ideas bouncing around and wants to get them in in under 2 hours. Clocking in at 1 hour and 44 minutes the need for possibly bridges scenes from one idea to another seems to have been taken out with things just moving from one to the other. While generally there may be a pacey nature there is occasionally some near-whiplash due to just how quickly the narrative seems to shift focus. Like some of the bubblier characters it never quite seems to settle.

It’s in these characters that the film best succeeds due to allowing itself to flesh out the imagination on display. Even if just in the design and personalities of certain, brief-appearing characters there’s humour to be found in some of them – a detective, called Cosmo (voiced by Christopher Meloni) in the form of a trench coat, hat and pair of eyes providing a number of good laughs in his frantic cartoonish search for clues and answers. During such moments, like the aforementioned audition montage, the film appears to let loose the most and appears most welcoming.

This isn’t to say that there’s not other nice ideas scattered throughout, there’s a good deal of charm almost from start to finish, even when very clearly setting up some stumbling emotion in the early stages for development in the later stages of the film. It’s also just nice to see another live-action (IFs aside) family film, something which still feels as if it’s depleting in numbers, luckily this one succeeds for the most part and will hopefully show there is space and want for more in the future, it should certainly go down well with its target audience.

Not just because of the variety of imaginary friends and their various quirks and personalities, but because of the strength of the lead. Cailey Fleming is truly great in the lead role and the film makes sure to keep the focus on her at all times. It was a surprise to see Reynolds not taking centre stage, or appearing as much, as you might think. Yes, he’s in a number of scenes, but the camera, and indeed Reynolds himself, isn’t consistently drawing attention to him. Bea is the core and heart of this film and a point is made not to forget that. Not hammering away and feeling as if it’s a forced point, it’s something that’s largely remembered thanks to Fleming’s performance which strikes all the right chords and really sells much of what we see in the run-time. And perhaps best getting us through the jumpier patches as we leap almost instantly from one point to another.

While there’s a slightly dizzying nature to the way IF leaps from one point to another, cramming a lot into its run-time, there’s a good deal to like and be charmed by when it comes to the characters and some of the ideas it has, all led by a very likable Cailey Fleming who really captures the heart of the piece.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 26 minutes, Director – Wes Ball

When his village is attacked and destroyed, chimpanzee Noa (Owen Teague) sets out to find and free his tribe from an ape trying to unlock a secret which could give him control of the now planet of the apes.

When Disney bought 20th Century Fox one of the first things they set to action was working on new instalments of some of the studio’s biggest franchises. When it comes to the recent series of Planet Of The Apes films the right thing was done in moving things on from the days of Andy Serkis’ Caesar by over three hundred years. Now based in the 24th century we are well and truly in the planet of the apes. Apes live in various tribes amongst a new wilderness, growing over what were once skyscrapers and airports, almost all backdrops we see take the form of natural land.

We follow chimpanzee Noa (Owen Teague) who the night before a major ceremony which will see him develop in life sees his village attacked and burned down by a group of weapon-wielding apes. Presumed dead he takes it upon himself to travel to the once-forbidden area beyond his home to track down his friends and family and get revenge. As with the previous entries in this iteration of the franchise the visual effects, motion capture performances and human characters blend seamlessly. There’s no hint of uncanny valley in any of the visuals throughout the film and once again it’s easy to buy into the genuine nature of the characters and their surroundings.

Whilst travelling, Noa encounters various new faces including key figures orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) – the most likable presence of the film, recounting the words of Caesar which he claims have been forgotten and twisted over the years – and human Mae (Freya Allan), who appears to be hunted by those who attacked Noa’s village. There’s a lot of build-up before meeting these characters, and it even takes a while to progress further as they make progress towards Noa’s uncertain destination. At almost 2-and-a-half hours the run-time is certainly long, particularly during this first half where everything is still coming together.

Once in the second half we’re finally introduced to villain Proximus (Kevin Durand), an ape trying to unlock a secret which he believes could give him total control of the planet of the apes. It may be the case that things move quicker once everything has been set out or it might be that we simply spend less time here than it takes to get to the location, but the feeling is certainly that things pick up. The narrative might feel somewhat familiar, perhaps emphasised by the contrasting visuals and setting, but there’s luckily still some effective action here and there.

Early on a bit more context and insight might help when it comes to certain conflicts, and even the initial attacks by Proximus’ followers, but there’s still an engaging nature to things thanks to the effective way in which the ape characters come across and, now fully speaking, communicate, even if some introductions do feel a bit staggered as the world opens up.

Without Caesar this entry manages to find success, although its best successes lie in the moments that call back to the character and feel particularly inspired by him – especially as the central characters discover that man and ape once lived together in peace. Not a whole piece aimed at expanding a world and leading to more sequels, although the final stages are undoubtedly building up to more in the future, but interest is created in what might be the case in the wider world outside of what we see here, and just what the rest of the developing planet of the apes is like, and how apes interact with the almost silent human figures living in the wilderness in minimal numbers. As a continuation and potential new starting point this is an overall solid enough bridge-like new chapter in this particular saga.

While the run-time is felt due to a lengthy first half, and familiar narrative, there’s likable action and characters within Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, helped by the consistently brilliant visual effects and motion capture performances which bring much of what we see to life.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 44 minutes, Director – Rose Glass

Gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) finds her distant family’s shady activities reaching back to her after she meets competitive bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian).

Rose Glass’ sophomore feature is drenched in sweat. From the grime of a gym workout to the heat of a night of passion to that induced by fear, worry and panic, it constantly takes new meaning as tensions rise, and bodies twist and pulse, throughout this thriller.

It’s 1989, the world has been graced by Die Hard and guests at Louville Shooting Range have increased, especially when it comes to trying out the guns seen in the film. The weapons are small, powerful and sensitive. Passing through town and needing to make some money before heading to Vegas for a competition, bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) tells owner Lou Sr. (Ed Harris) that she likes to feel and know that she’s powerful. 

Jackie quickly proves her strength that night when putting some guys in their place outside a gym, leading her to properly meet manager Lou (Kristen Stewart). The pair quickly hit it off and a relationship begins to blossom, one which might see Lou leave the small town in which she grew up, having stayed to protect her sister (Jena Malone) from her abusive husband (Dave Franco), to travel with Jackie.

However, the shady familial relations which Lou has tried to push to the side and ignore for years suddenly come to the fore, with the FBI beginning to inquire. Plans to leave become much more difficult, especially when natural strength begins to mix with steroids and both Lou and Jackie – whose body we see, and hear with pulses and cracks rippling across the speakers, growing stronger – find themselves mixing blood and sweat as rage and long-building emotions begin to take control.

Glass captures an intensely stylish small-town world where the real fear comes through the idea that everyone may well know each other, and could pull a consequential string at any time for their own gain. The production design is often sparse, a set of locations giving the impression of people just getting by with what they’ve had for years; items which they could easily leave at any moment if they want, or rather need, to leave. Often featuring a good coating of dirt, dust and grime. Add in the work of cinematographer Ben Fordesman and that idea of a sweat-drenched world truly kicks in.

Go in to Love Lies Bleeding knowing little about the narrative and allow it to take its course. Let the tension rise as the central relationship, which thanks to Stewart and O’Brian who are both powerful forces here feels genuine even in such a short space of time, faces strain from the shady goings on of Lou’s family. Only slightly detailed in red-tinted close-up flashbacks, but we know from Stewart’s reactions and distance to her character’s father that he’s still a major threat while she stays around – an almost silent threat who could dispose of someone or something quite easily and move on with his day with noone questioning anything.

With each new development the film packs a new punch and, like Jackie’s body, takes something of a new form. Building the tension, and blood and sweat, for an investing thriller full of suspenseful details and relationships.

Love Lies Bleeding creates a genuine feeling to its central relationship leading to a growing tension in the tonal shifts and fits of rage which grow and burst throughout the stylishly presented, sweat-drenched run-time.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 6 minutes, Director – David Leitch

Track down the missing star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), try to make up with the ex-girlfriend director (Emily Blunt), evade thugs after discovering a dead body and be on set in time to cannon roll a car, just the return to work stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) didn’t want.

The Fall Guy’s ode to stunt workers is somewhat what causes the film to shoot itself in the foot. Opening with various stunts from other films, including behind the scenes elements, a narration detailing the work of stunt people and later scenes showing some of the tricks of the film set; I subsequently spent a good number of the ensuing action sequences looking for the cuts where these figures were on screen instead of the leading cast. It’s only as I was experiencing a proper sense of tension during a fight in a skip being dragged along the road by a vehicle full of thugs, cut with the karaoke evening at the bar where the main character should be, that I realised I’d not been properly caught in the flow of these big, but brief, sequence until this point.

Perhaps it’s the better establishing of stakes, and reminder in the moment of all that protagonist Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is trying to achieve, that makes this particular sequence, and the third act spectacles, that creates the tension. A reminder that while his life may be at risk, he’s largely doing this to save the sci-fi blockbuster he’s been called in to work on at the last minute. Back after a serious back injury he sees Metal Storm – the kind of exaggerated film-within-a-film that you think likely wouldn’t exist until you see the fake trailer – as a chance to make amends with ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), a camera operator making her directorial debut.

There’s a long build-up as the pair reunite and make the tensions of their relationship clear for the cast and crew around them. Colt is thrown head first – sometimes literally – into the moviemaking process as Jody has him set on fire multiple times and begin with a major cannon roll car stunt; making up for the missing leading man, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). It’s here that the narrative properly kicks in as Colt is sent by producer Gail (Hannah Waddingham) to track down Ryder, leading him to the discovery of a dead body and a gang of gun-wielding thugs on his tail.

As the film brings together its elements its biggest successes lie perhaps in its humour. While not everything may land there’s a ZAZ-style quality to a number of the gags, although here the humour is somewhat recognised rather than played straight or away from, which helps establish a funnier film than some may be expecting. There’s a good deal of comedy within The Fall Guy and it helps to keep things moving until the bigger bursts of action, outside of the Metal Storm set, start to unfold. Moments which, while the opening scenes of the film might remove something from them, do have an enjoyable nature when it comes to some of the ideas within them. Ideas which are occasionally few due to the brief nature of the earlier sequences.

When it’s combining its elements and reminding us of what’s at stake – particularly for Colt – The Fall Guy is at its best. Tension begins to rise up, and a bigger entertainment factor is created. Particularly in the latter half of the film, the third act in particular brings things together and rounds them off in explosive and entertaining fashion. When one style or element dominates as a thematic priority it creates a slower pace, even during fights and action scenes which grow in scale as the film goes on, and has you looking for the spots where the key stunt performers are present – which doesn’t happen when you’re given more to focus on and think about, as is the case for Gosling’s central figure. The Fall Guy generally sticks the landing, but it does occasionally meet some obstacles on the way to the airbag, although dodges them well enough.

ZAZ-style humour and some good ideas help the lengthy build-up of The Fall Guy to pass by with more ease before it escalates to deal with bigger action sequences and character strands at once, leading you to stop thinking about where the stunt performers are in certain shots.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 11 minutes, Director – Luca Guadagnino

The lives and loves of three tennis prodigies (Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor) unwind on the court when the two men meet after many years in the final of a low-level pro tournament.

The opening stages of Challengers frantically bat back and forth between times like a tennis ball being ricocheted from one side of a court to another. It’s a style which gets off on the wrong foot as we see the start of the first and most interactions between the central trio of characters play out at the same time. The former being 13 years prior where they show themselves to be tennis prodigies, the latter seeing former best friends Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) reunited in the final of a low-level pro tournament.

Sat in the crowd is Art’s wife, and Patricks’ ex-girlfriend Tashi (Zendaya), a former prodigy who after an injury became her husband’s coach. It’s as the three properly begin to talk at a Junior US Open party that Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay begins to calm down and give them a bit more time and space to breath. Yet, perhaps the biggest sign of this is in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score. Working more alongside the film instead of randomly cropping up as a burst of a nightclub-ready dance track to close each scene.

As the central rivalry comes to a true clash in the final match glimpsed throughout we continue to cut back to the growth and developments in the central love triangle. While at times true feelings may be difficult to truly understand due to it seeming like there are no true feelings in either set of romantic relationships – and at some times verge on a thick air of dislike – there are still a good set of performances to lead the film, particularly when getting more dialogue-heavy scenes to sink in to.

Many have already proclaimed Challengers as a turning point in Zendaya’s career – almost a second coming – however, the film further cements the dramatic chops of all three of its leads. While the pacing of the bookends may cause a slight stumble – despite there being a good deal of investment, and some tension, as the final set plays out – there’s plenty of interest to be found in the rise and fall of the relationships. Although, sometimes thinking about the real thoughts and intentions that are a part of them is brought up a bit more than director Luca Guadagnino perhaps intends.

More is added to the drama as rivalries spark and eventually flare up. Colliding with the varying career trajectories, and struggles, that the trio individually face. What holds them back and what they put themselves into in the face of that. It all leads them to the eventual finale and the different perspectives from which they watch, or participate in, it from. There may be some bumps along the way, but after the cluttered opening stages there’s a well-performed, gradually building love triangle drama at play.

After a frantic setup Challengers eventually settles to form an interesting and effectively performed love triangle drama, with the sporting elements well wound in to bring out a further competitive streak in the film and its occasionally veiled characters.