ALSO SHOWING
MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL (12A)
★★★★★
IN the lyrics to Will
Smith’s Grammy Award-winning song
Men In Black, the Fresh
Prince raps, “We’re your first, last and only line of defence against the worst scum of the universe. So don’t fear us, cheer us...”
Regrettably, there’s little to fear and almost nothing to cheer in the faltering fourth instalment of a franchise which has lain dormant since Smith and Tommy Lee Jones relinquished their neutralisers as Agents J and K in 2012.
Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson – Thor and Valkyrie in Avengers: Endgame – take over as our sharply-suited protectors.
Screenwriting duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway could have eased their path by providing some snappy one-liners to trade with a colourful cast of aliens, pictured above. Instead, Men In Black: International repeatedly shoots blanks.
DIEGO MARADONA (12A)
★★★★★
LONDON-BORN film-maker Asif Kapadia collected a Bafta and an Academy Award for his deeply moving account of the rise and fall of Amy Winehouse, which candidly addressed the singer’s battle with drug and alcohol addiction.
In his impeccably constructed new documentary, Kapadia focuses on a deeply divisive figure, who emerged from the rubble of his spectacular self-destruction and has continued to make headlines off the football pitch.
Diego Maradona begins with the footballer’s record-breaking 1984 transfer from Barcelona to SSC Napoli and spares few blushes as it chronicles the souring relationship between Maradona and fans.
However, on this occasion, Kapadia’s film fails to emulate its charismatic subject and score in front of open goal.
X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX (12A)
★★★★★
DON’T be afraid of the Dark Phoenix (Sophie Turner, pictured). The 12th film in the sprawling X-Men series is a disjointed gallop through genre’s plot tropes.
There are plenty of tears on screen, but not from us, as super-powered characters make bold sacrifices and writer-director Simon Kinberg unleashes a blitzkrieg of soulless action sequences.
Two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain is squandered in a pivotal but thankless supporting role as an otherworldly puppet master, who intends to eradicate mankind.
Digital effects run riot in a bloated second act that delivers carnage with almost no emotional payoff.