ALSO SHOWING
DON’T TELL (M) A middling courtroom drama based on the true story of a sexual abuse case that took place at a prestigious Toowoomba boarding school — and the Anglican Church hierarchy unwilling to acknowledge there was even an issue. A little too polite in its scripting.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TALL NO TALES (M) Number five in the Pirates saga, this is little more than an incoherent rehash of everything you liked about the first one all those years ago, plus most of what you wished you’d forgotten about all the others. Depp seems half-arsed throughout, as a motley crew of characters go on the hunt for the Trident of Poseidon, which can reverse seafaring curses.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (MA15+) If you thought the first John Wick outing was a fluke, think again. Keanu Reeves’s return as the black-suited, blank-faced assassin is a trashy triumph. This picks up were John Wick left off, and John is forced back into the termination game at the behest of a fellow assassin to whom he owes a favour.
KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (MA15+) Guy Ritchie remixes the Arthurian legend and, although it can be enjoyable, this fails to hit the mark. Old school purists will miss Merlin the wizard and the Round Table, and when things go a bit Game of Thrones- y it’s not a good thing.
ALIEN: COVENANT (MA15+) Almost 80, Ridley Scott is set to end his career with a trilogy of Alien movies, and the first is a corker. The ship Covenant is several years into a journey to Origae-6, with 2000 frozen settlers on board. A galactic pulse wave causes damage to the ship and everyone must be woken up, with some fatalities. A new captain thinks it’s a good idea to make an unscheduled stop at a planet that looks hospitable. It isn’t.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2 (M) Not as good as the original, which was a tough act to follow, but there is plenty of irresistible escapism on offer here — although things can coast along on cruise control a bit too often. The story centres on unmasking the true parentage of Guardians spearhead Peter Quill.