PICK OF THIS WEEK’S FILMS

BUMBLEBEE (PG) HOLMES AND WATSON (15)

Bumblebee unfolds before events of the original Transformers

The robots in disguise receive a welcome and sweetly sentimental reboot in the sixth instalment of the Transformers franchise. Travis Knight, Oscar nominee for the exquisite stop-motion animation Kubo and the Two Strings, replaces Michael Bay in the director’s chair for a family-friendly origin story cast in the mould of The Iron Giant. Bumblebee unfolds before events of the original Transformers and services a softly beating heart beneath gleaming metal through the touching friendship of the titular autobot and a grief-stricken girl played by Pitch Perfect alumnus Hailee Steinfeld. The 22-year-old actress delivers a beautifully calibrated and sincere performance, capturing the awkwardness of a teenager, who hears her pain echoed in the songs of The Smiths. Every war has casualties and, for once in this fantastical universe, compelling character development and heartfelt emotion aren’t among the fallen.

Etan Cohen, director of the 2015 comedy Get Hard, reunites with leading man Will Ferrell for a rumbustious romp based on the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes (Ferrell) is a consulting detective in Victorian London who tackles the most fiendish cases with the help of trusted companion Dr John Watson (John C Reilly). The men’s methods are unconventional, to say the least, but somehow they unmask criminal masterminds before Inspector Lestrade (Rob Brydon). During a visit to Buckingham Palace, Holmes and Watson witness a murder. A note left at the scene, purportedly from Sherlock’s great rival Professor Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes), challenges the detective and his sidekick to solve the case within four days or Queen Victoria (Pam Ferris) will be next to die.

THE FAVOURITE (15)

Courtly intrigue pits two resourceful women against each other in director Yorgos Lanthimos’s wicked comedy, which is co-written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is somewhat removed from the machinations of the government, allowing her secret lover Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) to effectively rule 18th-century Britain. While Sarah has the monarch’s ear, Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult) challenges her from his seat of power in Westminster, doing everything he can to protect state taxes, which are financing the war effort against France. In the midst of this battle of wits and words, Sarah’s lowly cousin Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) arrives unceremoniously at court, seeking employment as a scullery maid. She recognises the key to bettering her positioning is winning the Queen’s fickle favour. Consequently Abigail launches a charm offensive to catch Anne’s eye and undermine Sarah’s influence. Once Sarah discovers her cousin’s Machiavellian scheme, she retaliates in venomous kind.