Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12A)
(JJ Abrams, 2015, US) Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. 135 mins
A slightly shorter time ago in a galaxy far, far away… The year’s most
anticipated movie is finally here and by and large, it was worth the
wait. Abrams revives and honours the spirit of the original Star Wars
movies (and roundly trashes the memory of Episodes I to III) with
loving design, pacy action and familiar faces (Harrison Ford, Carrie
Fisher, Chewbacca, even Admiral Akbar’s here). He also revives a few
too many familiar plotlines for those who were hoping for a brand new
story, especially in the second half, but this still introduces an
exciting new generation of characters (Ridley, Boyega and Driver
especially), and will doubtless hook a new generation of younger
viewers.
Sherpa (15)
(Jennifer Peedom, 2015, Aus/Nep) 96 mins
After the big-screen Everest earlier this year, here’s the story of mountaineering’s real heroes: the Nepalese locals who do most of the legwork for the wealthy tourists. The cultural interest and crystal-clear photography are enough in themselves, but this documentary also happens to be on hand during one of the worst climbing disasters in Himalayan history, which brings the Sherpas’ growing dissatisfaction into focus.
Sparks And Embers (15)
(Gavin Boyter, 2015, UK) Kris Marshall, Annelise Hesme, Waleed Akhtar. 86 mins
A low-budget romance structured around an Anglo-French couple’s first and (potentially) last encounters. The former is an implausible stuck-in-an-elevator experience; the latter a Thames-side adieu before Hesme departs for France. Or does she?
Belle And Sebastian – The Adventure Continues (PG)
(Christian Duguay, 2015, Fra) Félix Bossuet, Tchéky Karyo, Margaux Châtelier. 97 mins
Cast away thoughts of Scottish indie bands; this is the French original, dealing with the exploits of an Alpine boy and his big white dog. A sequel to 2013’s Belle And Sebastian – in which the pair did their bit against the Nazis – it follows the friends as they hunt down a missing plane.
Bajirao Mastani (12A)
(Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2015, Ind) Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra. 156 mins
The saga of 18th-century Maratha ruler Bajirao has come under fire for playing fast and loose with history, but if that means a dance-off between Padukone and Chopra (playing Bajirao’s two wives, who actually barely met), viewers are unlikely to complain.
Dilwale (12A)
(Rohit Shetty, 2015, Ind) Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan. 158 mins
Khan and Kajol – one of Bollywood’s most bankable on-screen couples – lead a movie that promises top-flight car chases, shootouts and exotic locations.
Surprise: Journey To The West (NC) (Yi Xiaoxing, 2015, China) Bai Ke, Bolin Chen, Mike D Angelo. 120 mins
Chinese fantasy, based on the story that inspired the 70s cult TV show Monkey.
Out from Boxing Day
Snoopy And Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie Apart from the colourful computer animation, this update barely changes a squiggly forelock of Charles Schulz’s original comic strip. Out on Mon
In The Heart Of The Sea A salty sea epic that relates the ostensibly true story that inspired Moby Dick, as narrated to Whishaw’s Herman Melville decades later by Gleeson, the last survivor of a whaling expedition undone by a smart sperm whale with a long memory.
Daddy’s Home It’s a “good old-fashioned dad-off” when neurotic stepdad Will Ferrell comes up against his ripped biological-dad rival. Cue escalating paternal warfare.
Out from New Year’s Day
Joy Jennifer Lawrence leads another David O Russell drama, playing a mop entrepreneur with a houseful of troubles.
The Danish Girl Eddie Redmayne portrays a transgender woman in Tom Hooper’s lavish 1930s melodrama.
Sleeping With Other People Two incorrigible philanderers get together and try to be friends.
At Any Price Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron in a farming/car-racing father-son saga aimed at the heart of America.
Le Mépris Reissue for Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 love/hate flirtation with mainstream cinema.
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride A new, feature-length mystery for Benedict Cumberbatch’s TV sleuth, with cinema-only extras. New Year’s Day only
Fall Of The Krays Sequel to the true-crime British gangster flick.
