PICK OF THIS WEEK’S FILMS

THE EQUALIZER 2 (15) THE FESTIVAL (15)

Crime and punishment trade furious blows and bludgeon us into wearying submission in The Equalizer 2, a blood-spattered sequel to the 2014 action thriller, which reunited director Antoine Fuqua with Training Day leading man Denzel Washington. Both return to active duty alongside scriptwriter Richard Wenk for a revenge mission, which doles out rough justice on home soil in breathlessly staged and gratuitously violent fight sequences. Fuqua justifies each adrenaline-fuelled bout of fisticuffs by suggesting that everyone is stained by sin. “There are no good and bad people anymore. No enemies, just unfortunates,” opines a CIA operative. Ultimately, we’re the unfortunates because The Equalizer 2 squanders its Oscar-winning star and builds to a final showdown battered by hurricane-force winds that is overblown in every sense.

The Bafta-winning creators of The Inbetweeners continue to suckle on the teat of puerile, laddish humour in The Festival – a filthy-minded comedy of awkward sex, recreational drugs and rock’n’roll. Shot on location at last year’s Leeds Festival in Bramham Park, Iain Morris’ sporadically hilarious film trades in humiliation, body piercings and bestiality with one hand down its trousers and a goofy grin on its face. Subtlety isn’t invited to the party and scriptwriters Keith Akushie and Joe Parham would rather go big than go home with contrived setpieces including a striptease for a hen party and a medical emergency involving an epi-pen. Some gags squarely hit their target and Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords is a deadpan delight as an uncool stepfather with an idiosyncratic appreciation for “house music”. However, once you sluice away the filth, the hastily sketched characters are largely unsympathetic and it’s hard to care when Lady Luck slaps them repeatedly in the face.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (PG)

Towards the conclusion of Marc Forster’s fantasy, Winnie-the-Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) stares adoringly at a grown-up Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor), who has forgotten the joy of his childhood spent romping around the Hundred Acre Wood. “It’s always a sunny day when Christopher Robin comes to play,” coos the honey-guzzling bear. Alas, that sunshine doesn’t always penetrate the clouds that linger over this cinematic namesake, which shamelessly milks our affection for beloved characters created by AA Milne and EH Shepard. Credited to three screenwriters, Christopher Robin relies heavily on the quirks and naive charm of Pooh and his companions, who are convincingly brought to life through digital trickery. An emotionally manipulative final act, hung on an action setpiece in post-war London, is signposted as clearly as the fearsome Heffalumps and Woozels.