Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 23 minutes, Director – Gorō Miyazaki

A young orphan (Taylor Henderson) finds herself adopted by, and forced to work for, a witch (Vanessa Marshall)

Gorō Miyazaki is perhaps behind some of the bolder entries on Studio Ghibli’s slate. While his debut Tales From Earthsea might not be the best of the master-studio’s animations it certainly stands out as something adventurous and different from the many classic features that they’ve produced. It, including the animation style, feels inspired by a number of American fantasies of the 80’s. Now, the younger Miyazaki introduces a new animation style to the Ghibli roster in the form of their first fully 3D CG animated feature. Adapted from the Diana Wynne Jones children’s book of the same name (the studio previously adapted one of her works for, what is for my money their best feature to date, Howl’s Moving Castle), the story follows young orphan Erica (Taylor Henderson). She’s grown up, almost her entire life, in an orphanage, trying her best not to be adopted, making herself seem as unattractive a choice as possible – not knowing that she was left on the doorstep with instructions not to allow her to be adopted, the mother claiming she’ll be back one day when she’s away from a group of witches.

This final point comes back when Erica (real name Earwig) finds herself taken in by witch, Bella Yaga (Vanessa Marshall). Quickly Earwig is put to work, cleaning the grimy work area and prepping obscure ingredients for spells and potions. As this all-work treatment continues Earwig is determined to escape from the magical environment, although it’s not as easy as walking out the door – mostly due to the fact that it vanishes and moves when it comes whenever Bella Yaga wishes it to. In many ways this is as far as the plot extends, Earwig’s multiple attempts to escape, or at least learn some magic herself. With this in mind it’s not much of a surprise that the film only just reaches 83 minutes total run-time; including opening and closing credits. There’s not a great deal to grip onto within the rather simplistic narrative, and at times it’s even difficult to connect with Earwig who at times can prove to be quite an annoying protagonist.

Generally the film feels rather underdone. Admittedly it appears to be aiming for a much younger audience of children than many other Ghibli films, the general tone and style feels quite different to anything the studio has made before (even Earthsea had a fairly Ghibli tone to it). This particular film feels almost inspired by a number of smaller animations by some European groups – almost the kind we get from France and Spain with occasionally mildly starry casts for the English dub. The biggest name present within the cast for this particular film is undeniably Richard E. Grant, having great fun playing the growling voice of The Mandrake – a crochety, towering creature fond of nearby food, books and a good newspaper. Grant is certainly the most enjoyable thing about the film, and perhaps it is the fun you can hear him having that causes this.

Unfortunately it’s not enough to lift up the rest of the film – The Mandrake gets little screen-time, particularly within the first half to two-thirds of the film. The loose nature of the plot and simplicity of the film overall is a bit too much. Meaning that the film lacks in overall detail or escapist ability. Even the animation doesn’t feel completely best at times throughout. It’s no bad thing that at times it sometimes feels or looks a bit like stop-motion, however this is only in brief bursts and in general the look of the CG animation doesn’t always help with connecting with the film and feeling immersed within the limited boundaries of the world that it creates. Overall Earwig And The Witch unfortunately falls flat due to its lack of detail within the narrative, and to some extent its characters, luckily meaning that it only clocks in at 83 minutes.

While certainly something different from Ghibli, which is no bad thing, Earwig And The Witch unfortunately falters because of its general lack of detail making it feel underdone and hard to engage with.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 52 minutes, Director – Michael Chaves

The Warrens (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) try to prove that a young man (Ruairi O’Connor) accused of murder was possessed by the devil.

The devil made me do it is an excuse that for some people might simply call back to Bart Simpson’s fame-leading “I didn’t do it”. However, it’s (close to) a genuine claim made in a US court in the early 80’s, when a young man said that he was possessed by the devil when accused of murder. This leads the Warrens (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) to investigate before Arne Cheyenne-Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) is sent to prison, and possibly given the death sentence, for murder. There’s a race against time brought into this latest instalment into the Conjuring franchise, playing more dramatic or light-thriller related territory than horror. Of course, the traditional Conjuring jump scares are present, you can certainly tick of quiet, quiet, bang. But, this addition to the series – and third in the main line of Conjuring films – ticks off less of the boxes in Horror Movie Cliché Bingo than a handful of the other entries.

For the most part we focus on the the Warrens. The film takes time to explore their relationship, and the bond formed around their investigations into the supernatural and occult. While this mostly comes in the third act and in the final stages of the film for the film certainly focuses more on their relationship than previous entries may have done. All as they find themselves delving into a dark world beyond the normal possessions and hauntings that they’ve seen before. It’s perhaps these scenes of investigation and research that form the main source of engagement with the film. It certainly creates some interest within the characters and helps form a plot not overly reliant on weak scares. However, this does also cause the horror-leaning scenes to have little impact, the scares are for the most part fairly predictable and ineffective; as they commonly have been with this particular series.

Throughout director Michael Chaves (returning after one of the weakest entries into the series, The Curse Of La Llorona), alongside screenwriter David Leslie Gordon-McEldrick, seemingly pay homage to a number of classic films. It’s hard to not see in certain shots, and indeed scenes, references to The Exorcist and A Nightmare On Elm Street, although similarities can sometimes prove a bit much if they linger for too long. There’s also plenty here for fans of this franchise, of course the continuation of the Warrens is present, and the standard style of horror, but there’s also plenty of references – this wouldn’t be a Conjuring film without a reference to Anabelle, would it?

There’s plenty here to please fans of the franchise, of which there are clearly many, and perhaps even casual viewers too. The focus on the Warrens – Wilson and Farmiga both giving good performances – certainly adds something and allows for the plot to be followed with some ease, also preventing the film from feeling overly busy. It seems almost more restrained when compared to the previous entry in the main Conjuring trilogy – especially when it comes to the ending, a reveal with little impact is better than something over the top – and makes for something that’s easier to engage with and that certainly works well enough for most of its run-time. In many ways it’s testament to Ed and Lorraine as characters, how invested the writers and creators of the franchise are with them as characters – and of course Wilson and Farmiga are too. This click makes this latest entry into the Conjuring universe that bit more interesting, preventing it from simply coming across as cheap and lacking in scares.

By focusing more on the Warrens as characters The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It forms a more interesting, engaging storyline compared to previous entries in the franchise, and distracts from the mostly ineffective jump scares.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – Evan Spiliotopoulos

A struggling journalist (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) begins to feel spirits are stalking him in the wake of the Virgin Mary helping a once mute and deaf girl (Cricket Brown) perform healing miracles.

We’re all aware of the term ‘be careful what you wish for’, writer Evan Spiliotopoulos twists this adage for his directorial debut, The Unholy, to ‘be careful what you pray for’ – close to one of the taglines for the film. We follow struggling journalist Gerry Fenn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as he’s called to investigate strange goings on in a small town in Massachusetts, involving markings on a cow. When it turns out that the occurrence is nothing more than a prank Gerry does what he’s become famous within his industry for and twists stories and scenery to fake a better article. However, with the alteration he commits here Gerry unknowingly releases a restrained demon on the town of Banfield.

Initially things seem miraculous. A local mute and deaf girl, Alice (Cricket Brown), finds herself suddenly able to speak and hear. With what she claims is the help of the Virgin Mary, she begins to heal sick people in the are – helping a paralysed boy walk. It’s not long until discussion about a tree just outside the church being made a shrine crops up; with Boston based Bishop Gyles (Carey Elwes) and Monseigneur Delgarde (Diogo Morgado) visiting to observe the occurrences and decide for themselves if indeed what is happening, and attracting mass internet conversation, is miraculous. It’s such elements that the majority of the film revolves around, playing more as a drama than anything else – particularly for the majority of the first two acts.

For much of this time the most horror comes from brief glimpses of a grey-hooded figure stalking Gerry, mostly around his motel, only appearing more for brief unsuccessful jump scares. By the time the final 20 minutes comes along the film feels the need to catch up with not just horror but the plot that it’s been somewhat light on until now. Cramming in a rushed investigation into tackling the realised problem of the demon that’s waiting to be released wider into the world, with the help of unwitting Alice. The simplicity of the narrative that has come beforehand almost feels thrown out the window in exchange for constant rushing about. Giving physician Natalie something more to do than simply stand around and briefly talk to Morgan’s character about Alice, possibly providing him with more insight for the story he so craves to help him get back into the big time of journalism, already being attracted by a number of major publications.

As the horror pushes almost all at once the final handful of scenes remain with the supernatural element but never feel as if there’s any threat present. The lack of scares, chills or tension cause a sense of distance with the piece and almost feel out of character when compared to the simple drama of beforehand, albeit with some slightly demonic elements or glimpses; which also lack any proper impact. The Unholy’s final stages simply feel overblown, and as if the horror has arrived too late in the game to properly feel a part of the film, alongside not overly working in the first place. While what might have come beforehand was somewhat decent, even if the horror patches didn’t quite click, the rush to form a proper plot in the final half hour lets things down and makes for something that feels more messy than scary.

The Unholy works best when it works as a, even if simplistic, drama with some supernatural elements. By the time the horror is properly introduced things feel too rushed and messy to have any proper impact.

Cert – U, Run-time – 1 hour 33 minutes, Director – Will Gluck

After being marketed as ‘the bad seed’ Peter Rabbit (James Corden) runs away from the McGregor’s (Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson) garden and falls in with a group of heist-planning animals.

Perhaps one of the last things to be fully expected from Peter Rabbit 2 is a somewhat self-aware nature. The point where the film begins to welcome the viewer in is as it pokes fun at a charming, innocent book series being turned into something more mass-market to make money, removing all British identity with an American at the helm. In fact, it’s roughly this idea that Peter Rabbit 2 revolves around. After penning her hit childrens story Peter Rabbit. Bea (Rose Byrne) is receiving interest from a big time publisher, Nigel Basil-Jones (David Oyelowo – who it’s always nice to see). However, Nigel has views to adapt Peter Rabbit for a bigger market, giving similar treatment to that he gave a picture book about insects – giving them skateboards and cartoon faces to make them more appealing to modern readers. Through this he displays potential character posters for the cast of rabbits, pitching Peter (James Corden) as ‘the bad seed’.

Fed up of getting into constant trouble, often through misunderstandings or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and being pitched as the villain Peter decides to run away. It’s not long until he bumps into an old friend of his father’s Barnabas (Lennie James), think a more family-friendly stereotypical Ray Winstone character. Peter finds himself joining Barnabas’ crew and leaving his old life in the McGregor’s garden behind. Instead planning a dried fruit heist at the local farmer’s market, rat Whiskers (Rupert Degas) being a highlight with his occasional sidetracks and regularly interrupted, romanticised flashbacks and plan walkthroughs. During some of the more heist orientated moments the film goes for a less in-your-face approach to that which the first had. There’s a lot less ‘unsubtle’ comedy present and it allows for an easier, more enjoyable watch – particularly when it comes to the final 20-25 minutes when the general plot comes more together and the film stretches out a bit more.

Still present are some of the general wisecracks of Corden’s titular figure and Domhnall Gleeson’s effects-assisted slapstick, however even these seem toned down in the sequel. Once the more self-aware, and slightly deprecating, nature comes through there’s a more enjoyable time to be had here than that of the first film. It might only be some lines here and there to start with, but as the film embraces such styles more and more and carries along through its fairly simplistic plot there’s enough present to fill the brief 93 minute run-time of the piece. There’s a consistency that helps things along even more and manages to help keep the pacing of the piece the same way – as it goes back and forth between two or three rural locations. For the most part there’s enough in Peter Rabbit 2; especially when it focuses more on slightly self-aware comedy and not cramming it in as much humour as possible, to make it an enjoyable watch that keeps you amused for most of its short run-time.

Peter Rabbit 2 succeeds by not only lessening some of the weaker elements of the first film, but also by managing to make jokes at such elements too. The plot and a number of gags throughout provide enough amusement to make for an easy enough, worthwhile viewing.

Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 33 minutes, Director – Darren Lynn Bousman

A copycat Jigsaw killer begins to target a police department one by one, getting closer to solo-working Detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock).

It’s odd to think that after almost 20 years, and on the ninth film, the Saw franchise has only just reached the idea of a copycat killer. The Jigsaw killer has been dead for years. John Kramer is simply mentioned in this way, Tobin Bell only appearing in old photos being scanned over for potential evidence. Alongside the change in killer so has the change in targets, subjected to similar Jigsaw-style ‘games’. This new Spiral killer – after the sign left behind as a potential clue near each crime scene – appears to be specifically targeting a local police department, picking off the officers one by one. Starting with an off-duty detective who’s been known to lie under oath, in front of a jury, this very much seems like a film targeting, and inspired by, news stories of the past few years relating to police corruption and brutality.

In this vein the film – from veteran Saw director Darren Lynn Bousman and Jigsaw writers Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger; apparently with touch-ups from Saw fan Chris Rock – certainly travels more along the lines of police drama/ thriller than a conventional Saw film. For fans of the franchise’s traps, branded by many as torture porn, there’s very little to see here. Three or four brief scenes placed in-between investigation is all that’s really present. The main Saw related content that we get is in the final stages of the piece, although such elements begin to feel rushed and when compared with the rest of the film appear to have come out of nowhere and change the tone dramatically.

For the most part we follow Detective Zeke Banks (Rock). Having never been able to live up to previous career heights and cases 12 years ago, and living in the shadow of his former police chief father, Marcus (Samuel L. Jackson – feeling rather out of place here, when sporting a moustache in flashbacks he looks as if he’d be more at home in a Steve Harvey biopic), he feels undermined by his fellow detectives and officers. Preferring to work solo he finds it difficult to adjust to being partnered with newbie Detective William Schenk (Max Minghella), let alone with others who have been in the department for years. Early on there are a handful of seemingly needless conversations between Banks and Schnek simply to show them going from one place to another. And while these die down the more the film goes on it still feels as if some time is wasted with some of these earlier interactions, potentially just there to build-up the relationship between the two characters; with their different outlooks on their work and those they do it with.

As the investigation increases, and more senior figures within the department are found bloodied and dismembered in all sorts of twisted contraptions, Zeke finds each new target growing closer and closer to him. Seeing most of the film from his perspective leads to more of the by-the-numbers investigation being witnessed, as he, alongside his colleagues, tries to hunt down a copycat killer who leaves behind cryptic videos with real production value. This does mean that when the more common Saw elements come along there’s a somewhat staggered effect as the film shifts from one tone and style to another, and the same for when switching back again. It dampens any potential effect on the viewer from both genre styles, not helped by the general lack of subtlety that runs throughout the narrative.

There’s unlikely enough here to prove enjoyable to most Saw fans, and the unsubtle, generic nature of the crime drama receives just as much of a cold reception. At times it feels as if this latest entry into the franchise is aiming for a mixture of different audiences – the soundtrack hints at an attempt to bring in a new group of modern fans alongside the different potential audiences for the various tones and genre elements of the film. And yet, this isn’t the biggest issue of the film, it doesn’t quite feel like an unsteady jumble. Instead what we get is a rather lacklustre police thriller with some unimpactful Saw elements dotted throughout too.

Tone changes stagger between Saw horror and by-the-books police drama/thriller make it harder to engage with the lacklustre nature and lack of subtlety of Spiral: From The Book Of Saw.

Cert – 18, Run-time – 2 hours 27 minutes, Director – Zack Snyder

A group of specialists and survivors head into a zombie infested Las Vegas to retrieve $200 million from a casino vault before the city is blown up.

There are plenty of ideas in Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead that are undeniably cool. By now we’ve all likely seen some form of marketing involving the zombie tiger. There are a number of elements throughout the film that feel as if the screenwriters thought of what ideas would be cool and haven’t overly been seen before and tried to put them into the film. While some are pulled off better than others – there’s a reason the zombie tiger has been talked about so much – many feel at home in the hybrid plot of the film. Dawn Of The Dead meets Shaun Of The Dead meets Ocean’s Eleven as a group of specialists and survivors of a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas are recruited to go back into the infested city to get $200 million from a casino vault before the city is blown up the next day to prevent the further zombie spread.

We’re introduced to a handful of this gang in the early stages of the film – particularly watching them fight for survival in an extended slow-motion montage showing the initial spread of zombies throughout Las Vegas. Set to a slow rendition of Viva Las Vegas it’s the first of a number of lengthy ideas throughout the film. At almost two and a half hours this is a long film. Many scenes, particularly early on in the film, feel as if they build up to their point instead of getting to it, losing the attention of the viewer and adding to the feeling of the run-time. Things do pick up in the second half of the piece, particularly as the stakes raise and the heist truly comes into form.

Zombies enclose in, some of which are evolved, smarter, faster and stronger than the regular flesh-eaters. As the goal seems closer to being achieved the undead pose a stronger threat, added to by the looming bomb drop, and the attempts to create comic relief don’t appear to be as present anymore. This final point isn’t necessarily a bad thing, most attempts come through German safecracker Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer) and don’t have the best success rate at properly landing. It allows for less stalling and pausing as bigger action moments begin to emerge. While not all of the early chases and attacks gain an effective response from the viewer Snyder certainly pans out an engaging casino shootout, demonstrating well his advanced zombies and the mutations that make them an even stronger force to face. Although nothing quite seems to be as much of a challenge for any of the, sometimes busy, ensemble cast than a mattress poses for Dave Bautista – very much the leader of the pack, the character whose eyes we see most of the film’s events through.

While we have Bautista as the figure with whom we spend the most time we get little time to form a connection with anyone else. Leading to a lack of tension in certain high-stakes scenes when close action with the undead is involved. Boosted by the fact that a lot of the time the decision has been made for the majority of the screen to be out of focus. Often only one character or detail is in focus, likely to draw attention to just this and allow for the detail to be further recognised. However, instead it’s the largely out of focus areas that draw attention and somehow to prove an oddly distracting visual choice – particularly in the exterior scenes. The overall distanced connection causes some of the more emotional and personal beats of the film to fall flat, and therefore adds to the feeling of the run-time in the scenes between the core heist and action set-pieces. Moments which stand out as well-executed big budget B-movie style pieces of entertainment in an otherwise uneven mixture of less direct, lengthy scenes.

While it has a number of good ideas, and certainly some engaging action and heist sequences, Army Of The Dead is overall too long and busy to be an overall satisfying watch, even one where you can properly turn off to embrace it.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 30 minutes, Director – Billie Piper

Single mother Mandy (Billie Piper) finds her life crumbling around her as she continues a relationship with misogynistic co-worker Pete (Leo Bill).

It feels unlikely that we’ll see a bigger, more punchable villain than Pete (Leo Bill) this year. For much of Rare Beasts’ run-time the audience, alongside Billie Piper’s central figure Mandy, are subjected to his misogynistic tirades that are passed off as traditionalist views. Evidence that this is a major understatement appears in the opening scene where he spits, as if he’s just been wrongfully attacked “women these days have got more testosterone coursing through their veins than blood”. Piper’s film, her directorial debut, pitches this opening scene like a first date gone wrong. Pete speaks his mind openly and it makes for plenty of unbelievable and awkward moments that pitch two totally opposite characters. However, the relationship doesn’t stop here. Mandy continues to see Pete and is continuously held back by him.

Alongside the repression she experiences from her relationship Mandy finds herself silenced, alongside the other women she works with, in her TV pitch think-group job. At home she tries to balance looking after her potentially autistic young son Larch (Toby Woolf) with dealing with the distant, feuding, relationship between her parents (Kerry Fox and David Thewlis). It’s apparent that her life is crumbling around her. Yet, Piper finds ways to integrate elements of fantasy within the film. Fantasy that still feels real and fits within the world of the film. It’s present as Mandy is herself, away from the toxic spoutings of Bill’s, although brilliantly performed, utterly obnoxious chauvinist.

When walking through the streets of London Mandy occasionally passes stressed individuals repeating to themselves assurances that despite their worries “I still love and respect myself”. It’s something she finds herself mentally repeating to herself, however more in terms of the relationship that she finds herself uncertain as to how she still remains there, or perhaps unsure as to how to leave it. As the film proceeds Piper’s character changes, and not exactly for the better. Her stresses are brought to the fore and she finds herself juggling multiple elements of her personal life while being told by the person who is supposed to be her ‘romantic’ partner that she has “terrible energy” – there are points where the relationship feels reminiscent of that in Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir. Her life is spiralling, pulled backwards and forwards, upwards and downwards. Growing in confidence, challenging toxicity within her workplace while making little progress in talking to her alcoholic father and the “classic male bullsh!t” that surrounds her. It’s apparent that the fantasy is draining from her life, gradually bit by bit, well managed by Piper’s direction.

Through and through this is Piper’s film. She leads us into fantasy that’s grounded in the real world and prepares us for crashing back to the realisation that this is indeed where we are. And more so just who we’re with at that point. Hope comes with struggle which gradually turns into pain and anger before that translates into passionate outbursts for freedom. It blends together to form a fine character piece, observing a disastrous relationship that you, like Mandy, feel stuck in. It’s more than a lingering bad date and the film puts that feeling across well. There’s plenty present to engage with and there are certainly plenty of emotional responses from scene to scene that truly take you on the course that the central figure travels and develops across throughout the short 90 minute run-time of the film. It establishes a new voice in British writing (adding to the success of her co-created, with Lucy Prebble, hit show I Hate Suzie) and directing. One who knows just how to craft characters and place you right next to them on their personal journeys and formations.

Billie Piper’s directorial debut is a strong piece of character work, helped by two strong central performances that truly capture the toxic repression that her character faces. Blended with additional real world fantasy Rare Beasts is a fine observation of character unlocking.