Action, adventure, musical fantasy and audacious comedy offer a feast of fun
THE festive season wouldn’t be in full swing without a stack of new movies to keep us entertained as many enjoy a welldeserved break.
Christmas has come early for Star Wars fans, with The Rise of Skywalker, director J.J. Abrams’ epic conclusion to the Skywalker Saga – George Lucas’s trilogy of trilogies – hitting cinemas before Santa had even finished packing his sleigh.
It may not be a slam dunk according to the critics, but fans will still flock to the movie theatre to see the space opera’s stunning visuals on the big screen one last time.
This year’s Boxing Day offerings are a mixed bag of action-adventure, musical fantasy and audacious comedy.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s megamusical Cats is finally getting a big-screen adaptation, but the look and feel of Tom Hooper’s cutting-edge visuals – in which digital fur was added to the actors using CGI in post-production – are already dividing fans.
Even after some last-minute tweaks, it’s a strange two hours at the cinema.
The Dwayne Johnsonhelmed Jumanji sequel is much more likely to be Star Wars’ biggest box office competitor.
A reboot of the beloved 1995 film starring the late Robin Williams, Jumanji’s new team of video game warriors returns to “level up”. Crazy Rich Asians favourite Awkwafina is a welcome addition to the cast.
Finally, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi stars in
Jojo Rabbit, one of this year’s boldest big-screen offerings.
The filmmaker manages to make Adolf Hitler, or an imaginary version of him, his comic foil in this deeply affecting satire.
ANDREW Lloyd Webber’s beloved musical Cats, based on T.S. Elliot’s poems, finally gets the big-screen treatment.
Director Tom Hooper is the man for the job after his ambitious adaptation of Les Miserables, which starred our own Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean.
Cats is a very different beast, though. Set in a fantasy world, the story centres on a tribe of cats called the Jellicles who must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
Groundbreaking technology was used to add digital fur to the performers in post-production, but the lifelike effect might be too bizarre for some.
Jennifer Hudson singing Memories should be a highlight. There’s also a new original song by Taylor Swift. Stars: Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Francesca Hayward
Director: Tom Hooper
Best for: Adults
In cinemas: Boxing Day
WHEN news of a Jumanji reboot was announced, it was dismissed as just another rehash. But thanks to its inventive reimagining of the deadly boardgame as a video game, and the chemistry of leads