Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez, Dean Scott Vazquez
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Rating: M
Synopsis: Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ’90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback.
Reviews
“The hapless humans do the best they can to lift this supremely dumb seventh instalment in the alien robot series.”
The Guardian
“Five years after the last movie, coming back to the world of robots in disguise, the bar is basically “Please don’t suck.” And we’re happy to report that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts does not suck. It’s actually quite entertaining, especially for a Transformers movie.”
gizmodo.com.au
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas
Director: James Mangold
Rating: M
Synopsis: Get ready for the return of the legendary hero, Indiana Jones, in the fifth instalment of this beloved swashbuckling series of films. Finding himself in a new era, approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artefact doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Reviews
“There’s still much to dig about the octogenarian archeologist as he teams up with Phoebe Waller-Bridge to re-defeat the Nazis.”
The Guardian
“And, you’ve likely never cried before in an Indiana Jones movie, but Dial of Destiny might very well be the one where you do.”
Cinemablend
Elemental
Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen
Director: Peter Sohn
Rating: PG
Synopsis: The film journeys alongside an unlikely pair, Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The fiery young woman and the go-with-the-flow bloke are about to discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.
Reviews
“Decent family entertainment set in the city of four elements, with a message of acceptance in bricks of colour and concepts as if originated via algorithm.”
The Guardian
“The movie begs for a kaleidoscope of colour and duly delivers big time. The picture is glorious to look at. The animators have done a fabulous job bringing Element City to life. More than that, the film has charm, pizzazz and spirit. It’s a good one for parents to take their little ones to.”
The Blurb
No Hard Feelings
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Rating: MA15+
Synopsis: Lawrence’s character portrays the “no-good” who answers a Gumtree ad that was placed to hire a date for an introverted and socially awkward teen bloke, by his mum and dad, who also just so happens to be preparing for uni soon.
Reviews
It’s not the most groundbreaking film you’ll see this year, and it’s certainly not the best rom-com ever. But I can guarantee you’ll laugh a lot. It delivers the gags at a good pace, keeps you guessing on the plot, and then it hits you, if you’ll forgive the millennial expression, ‘right in the feels’.”
ScreenHub Australia
“It might a gross-out comedy but No Hard Feelings is stealthily emotional and answers the question of what is Jennifer Lawrence doing here.”
news.com.au
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Rating: PG
Synopsis: Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.
Reviews
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is at once an emotionally complex character study, whilst serving as affectionate tribute to the visual ingenuity that has been put forth in creating the comic series over the years. It’s so optically fascinating that, even at 140 minutes, you’ll never be lost for sumptuousness.”
The AU Review
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse does not compromise or dilute its soul. It leans full-tilt into its zaniness.”
news.com.au
The Flash
Cast: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle
Director: Andy Muschietti
Rating: M
Synopsis: Barry Allen gets struck by a bolt of lightning, mate, and thus, an extraordinary power is born inside him: The Speed Force. When he uses this power to run back in time and save his mother, he creates a world without heroes and General Zod has returned. To defeat him, his only hope rests in the hands of a retired Batman, another Barry, and an imprisoned Kryptonian.
Reviews
“Succeeding in spite of its own imperfections, The Flash conjures enough awe, emotion, humour and visual wonder to earn its place amongst the upper echelons of its genre.”
The AU Review
“That emotional journey with a handful of authentically affecting scenes elevates The Flash above its many compatriots.”
news.com.au
The Little Mermaid
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Rob Marshall
Rating: PG
Synopsis: The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, Ariel is a beaut and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. Longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea, Ariel visits the surface and falls for the dashing Prince Eric. Following her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land.
Reviews
“Sure, the waterworks are impressive but it’s Bailey’s presence and voice that steals the show in this Disney live-action remake.”
ScreenHub Australia
“If you’re a fan of the animated Little Mermaid, this remake isn’t about to replace the original in your affection. But – and I know this might come as a shock – not everything is made for you. For some kids, it may just be their new favourite thing, and a film that opens them up to a world of cinema, music, and fantasy.”
ABC News
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day
Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc
Rating: G
Synopsis: A Brooklyn plumber named Mario travels through the Mushroom Kingdom with a princess named Peach and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad to find Mario’s brother, Luigi, and to save the world from a ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser.
Reviews
“If you thought Chris Pratt’s voice performance was going to be the weak link, you might be surprised to discover there’s a lot of competition.”
news.com.au
“It doesn’t really have anything to say about Super Mario, or even about video games or video game adaptations, for that matter. Instead, it rolls out well-trodden animation tropes like Never Giving Up, Not Listening To Your Parents, and Being Nice To Your Little Brother.”
The Kotaku Australia Review
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Cast: Jim Broadbent, Penelope Wilton, Earl Cave
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Rating: M
Synopsis: Harold is an ordinary bloke who has passed through life, living on the sidelines, until he goes to post a letter one day… and just keeps walkin’.
Reviews
“As I can’t recall being that charmed by the novel, this may even be one of those rare instances where the film is better than the book.”
The Spectator Australia
“In a world of superhero blockbusters and other mega-productions that come at you fast and furiously, there’s still room for the opposite: movies that go slow, centre on ordinary people, and promote the appreciation of life’s simple pleasures.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Cast: Chris Pratt, Chukwudi Iwuji, Bradley Cooper
Director: James Gunn
Rating: M
Synopsis: Still reelin’ from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his mob to defend the universe and one of their own – a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.
Reviews
“It might seem hard to square the mushy climax, which proclaims that “everyone deserves a second chance”, with the gleeful cruelty that permeates the trilogy from one end to the other. But in another way, the upshot is the same: overkill in every sense.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
“Gunn gets all the ingredients just right this time: The comedy is genuinely funny rather than merely mean-spirited for its own sake, with the prior films’ noisy, occasionally witless bickering elevated by looser, more idiosyncratic writing infused with big emotional stakes.”
ABC News
