It doesn’t get much more primal than that.

In Heart of the Beast, A-list Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt and acclaimed action filmmaker David Ayer venture deep into the Alaskan wilderness for a tale of courage, survival and companionship that becomes one of the year’s most affecting cinematic experiences.

After a harrowing plane crash, retired U.S. Special Forces Staff Sergeant James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Injured, isolated and with no rescue coming, the pair are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements — relying on instinct, military training and, above all else, one another.

It is a simple premise, but in Ayer’s hands, Heart of the Beast becomes something far more elemental.

Back Into the Fire

The reunion of Brad Pitt and David Ayer carries some serious cinematic pedigree.

The pair previously collaborated on Fury, Ayer’s brutal and uncompromising World War II epic, with Pitt leading a tank crew through the final days of the European conflict. Here, the battlefield has changed dramatically, but the filmmaker’s fascination with soldiers, trauma and brotherhood remains firmly intact.

This time, the war is against the wilderness.

Recently retired Special Forces Staff Sergeant James Belmont has already witnessed the darkest corners of humanity during his years of service. Now, alongside Odin, his German Shepherd combat companion, he finds himself facing an entirely different enemy — one without a face, motive or mercy.

The cold doesn’t negotiate. The terrain doesn’t surrender. Injury doesn’t wait.

And there is nobody coming to save them.

Ayer Goes Quiet

For David Ayer, Heart of the Beast allows the filmmaker to explore a more restrained and dramatic register than the bullet-driven action fare for which he is perhaps best known.

This is a quieter film.

Ayer doesn’t bury the story beneath exposition or endless dialogue. Instead, Heart of the Beast has an almost Hemingway-esque quality to it, stripping its characters back to their most fundamental instincts. Belmont is a man of few words, while Odin communicates through movement, loyalty and action.

The environment becomes another character.

New Zealand’s rugged landscapes provide the visual foundation for a wilderness that feels both beautiful and hostile, giving Ayer a spectacular canvas on which to explore the relationship between man and beast.

There is something almost mythic about it.

Two warriors, stripped of everything except their instincts, fighting their way home.

Brad Pitt’s Quiet Strength

Brad Pitt brings an enormous amount of gravitas to James Belmont.

Rather than playing Belmont as an invincible action hero, Pitt gives him the weary presence of a soldier who has already seen too much. His experience is written into every movement, every calculation and every decision.

When the wilderness begins tearing them apart, Belmont’s military training kicks in. Survival becomes the mission. Every step carries a cost. Every injury matters. Every decision could be the difference between getting home and never seeing civilisation again.

Pitt sells that physical and emotional exhaustion beautifully, giving Belmont a rugged determination that feels grounded rather than exaggerated. There is no easy victory here. Survival has to be earned.

Odin’s Tale

But Heart of the Beast doesn’t belong solely to James Belmont. This is Odin’s story too.

The film places tremendous emphasis on the relationship between Belmont and his combat companion, and it is here that Heart of the Beast finds its emotional core.

Played by Uber, Odin is far more than a conventional cinematic dog. He is Belmont’s partner, protector and closest friend — a fellow operator who has experienced the horrors of war alongside him. That bond is what gives the film its emotional punch.

The connection between Pitt and Uber is remarkably affecting, with the two forming a partnership that often says more through a look or gesture than an entire conversation could.

There are certainly plenty of warm-and-fuzzy moments for dog lovers, but Ayer goes deeper than simple sentimentality. Heart of the Beast pays tribute to the courage and sacrifice of working combat dogs while also examining the psychological scars left by warfare — and the reality that the trauma of combat isn’t exclusively experienced by humans.

The Ultimate Mission

At its heart, Heart of the Beast is a story about loyalty.

It is about a soldier who refuses to abandon his partner and a dog who refuses to abandon his master.

Together, Belmont and Odin are pushed to the absolute limits of endurance, confronting injury, exhaustion, fear and an unforgiving wilderness that seems determined to break them.

And yet, they keep moving.

There is something beautifully old-fashioned about Heart of the Beast. It is a stripped-back survival story built around courage, companionship and the refusal to give up — a film where the relationship between its two central characters becomes more powerful than any grand speech could ever be.

Final Verdict: Courage of Man and Dog

Beautifully moving and packed with emotional weight, Heart of the Beast is a stirring reminder that sometimes the strongest bond forged in battle isn’t between soldiers. Sometimes, it’s between a man and his dog.

Image: Paramount Pictures

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When a fake-dating experiment between a PhD candidate Olive (Lili Reinhart) and a notoriously intimidating professor (Tom Bateman) sparks unexpected chemistry, their carefully calculated arrangement begins to feel anything but theoretical.

A Love Story Written In The Stars — And Science

Prime Video continues to prove itself as the place to be for BookTok lovers, and its latest must-watch release, the feature adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis, fully embraces the genre to deliver the kind of romantic comedy devoted fans will fall head over heels for.

When a fake-dating experiment between a PhD candidate and a notoriously intimidating professor sparks unexpected chemistry, their carefully calculated arrangement begins to feel anything but theoretical.

What began for author Ali Hazelwood as Reylo fan fiction, an untapped romance between Star Wars’ Rey and Kylo Ren, would eventually transform into The Love Hypothesis, becoming a TikTok sensation as readers devoured its combination of enemies-to-lovers drama, academic rivalry and undeniable passion.

Now, under the direction of Claire Scanlon, The Love Hypothesis finally arrives on Prime Video, and this is the adaptation BookTok has been waiting for.

Following plucky PhD candidate Olive Smith (Lili Reinhart), who finds herself caught in a fake-dating experiment with the brooding and intimidating Dr Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman), The Love Hypothesis embraces everything that makes the romantic comedy such a beloved genre; from hilarious hijinks and awkward encounters to genuine emotional drama and plenty of heat.

Enemies To Lovers, With Plenty Of Chemistry

While The Love Hypothesis unabashedly leans into its genre tropes, it never attempts to hide them. Instead, Scanlon understands exactly what her audience wants and delivers the full romantic-comedy package with confidence.

There is the heavy will-they-won’t-they drama, the wonderfully timed comedy and the escalating complications that come when a supposedly simple fake relationship begins to feel anything but fake. Best of all, the film is genuinely funny in all the right places.

Even with its full BookTok trappings, Scanlon keeps the story grounded and relatable. Olive and Adam’s trials, tribulations and increasingly complicated arrangement feel recognisable beneath all the romantic fantasy, making the film an easy one to fall into.

A Perfectly Matched Pair

Better described as atomically aligned rather than star-crossed, Olive and Adam, and performers Reinhart and Bateman, make for a terrific screen pairing.

Reinhart brings a natural warmth to Olive, a doe-eyed but uncertain young scientist determined to make her mark while navigating the complicated world of academia. Her unexpected arrangement with the terrifying Dr Carlsen soon proves that there may be considerably more beneath his intimidating exterior.

Bateman, meanwhile, is perfectly cast as the tall, dark and handsome academic tyrant. Adam is essentially Heathcliff in a lab coat, brooding, imposing and seemingly impossible to reach, but beneath that tough exterior lies a man of integrity, passion and a deeply complicated past.

Together, Reinhart and Bateman spark beautifully, particularly as their fake-dating arrangement begins to evolve into something considerably more genuine. Once those pheromones start buzzing, the screen begins to sizzle.

Final Verdict: A BookTok Romance Worth Falling For

The Love Hypothesis is exactly the kind of romantic-comedy escape its audience has been craving: funny, sexy, charming and overflowing with all the right feels. For BookTok romantics, this one is ready to be obsessively bookmarked.

To celebrate the release of The Love Hypothesis on September 23 on Prime Video, Enamoured Books are holding a week long series of events to spark the chemistry and let BookGirlies embrace everything they love about this genre and narrative. Learn more about what’s happening here.

Image: Prime Video

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Now, after years of longing, Practical Magic 2 has finally arrived, bringing Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman back as Sally and Gillian Owens for another spellbinding chapter of the family saga. And yes, the magic is still there.

Set twenty-five years after the events of the first film, the story follows the Owens family as they face a new crisis when a discovery regarding the family’s history and the origins of their magic comes to light. When Sally’s daughter (Joey King) begins to uncover hidden family secrets and develops her own dark abilities, the family is plunged into a multi-generational struggle to finally break the curse that has haunted their lineage for centuries. The Owens women (Sally, Gillian, and their aunts) must once again unite, traveling from their home in Massachusetts to the United Kingdom to confront the source of their magic and save the next generation of their family.

Back To The Magic

Practical Magic 2 is a gloriously nostalgic return to the kind of 1990s cinema that could effortlessly blend romance, fantasy, horror, comedy and heartfelt family drama into one wonderfully escapist package. It feels familiar without being trapped in the past, giving audiences the warm embrace of a beloved classic while adding a modern twist to the Owens family mythology.

The Ultimate Girlhood

The real magic, however, comes from seeing Bullock and Kidman back together.

Returning as Sally and Gillian, the pair slip effortlessly back into the roles as though they had never left them behind. Their chemistry remains the beating heart of the film, with the sisters’ affectionate banter and comic timing providing plenty of laughs while the story delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the Owens lineage.

There is something genuinely charming about watching Practical Magic 2 funnel its fantasy elements through a story about family, sisterhood and inheritance. Ancient curses, lost lineages and generations of witchy secrets all become part of a much bigger story about where we come from — and what we inherit from those who came before us.

Joey King as Kylie Owens and Maisie Williams as Antonia Owens also make their mark, bringing a fresh generation of Owens women into the fold while complementing the irresistible Bullock-Kidman pairing.

And then there is Lee Pace as hunky academic Ian Wright, who arrives with an abundance of charm and sex appeal and promptly threatens to steal every scene he enters. Consider the spell officially cast.

Final Verdict: A Wickedly Good Time

The chemistry of the ensemble is pitch-perfect, while the film’s wicked soundtrack and irresistible escapist atmosphere help complete the experience. There is a wonderfully nostalgic quality to the whole affair, like stepping back into the magic of 1990s cinema through a contemporary lens.

Practical Magic 2 is a film for the girls: magical, charming, romantic, funny and completely committed to having a wickedly good time. So gather your coven, grab the margaritas and make it a girls’ night out.

The Owens sisters are back — and the magic is worth believing in.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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A legendary figure in New Zealand sporting history, Lomu’s life was tragically cut short, leaving behind a career, playing style and promise that still make us wonder what might have been. Now, directors Gavin Fitzgerald and Vea Mafile’o deliver an intimate and deeply affecting portrait of the man behind the legend in LOMU; an intriguing, poignant and complex examination of an athlete, a son and a man.

It is an experience you will deeply feel.

An intimate and heartfelt character study about legendary All Black Jonah Lomu, tracing his Tongan upbringing, meteoric rise to fame, and the complicated personal and health battles he faced at the pinnacle of world rugby.

The Making of a Legend

No stranger to gripping documentary portraits of fascinating figures, Irish filmmaker Gavin Fitzgerald, whose previous work has explored subjects including Conor McGregor and Liam Gallagher, finds an utterly compelling subject in Lomu.

Driven by his own passion for rugby and memories of watching the sport’s first global superstar, Fitzgerald, alongside co-director Vea Mafile’o, sets out to understand the man beneath the phenomenon.

And what makes LOMU so compelling is the decision to wind the clock back.

Rather than beginning with the superstar who bulldozed his way through international defences, the filmmakers return to the origins of Jonah Lomu, exploring a complex and at times traumatic childhood spent between Tonga and New Zealand. His difficult relationship with his father and the profound love and connection he shared with his mother Hepi become essential pieces of the puzzle.

It is here that LOMU begins to reveal the person behind the sporting icon.

That early life eventually leads Lomu to the rugby pitch, where audiences witness his transformation into a gifted and award-winning player at Wesley College before his extraordinary rise to the All Blacks. At just 19 years and 45 days, Lomu became the youngest All Black Test player in history.

The filmmakers give considerable attention to this formative period, complemented by previously unseen home-video footage that offers an intimate window into Jonah’s early life and the experiences that helped shape the man he would become.

When Rugby Met Jonah Lomu

Lomu’s rise coincided almost perfectly with rugby’s transition into the professional era, and there could scarcely have been a more perfect player to become its first global superstar.

LOMU captures the sheer scale of his impact, particularly during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when the 20-year-old winger announced himself to the world with a series of performances that remain etched into sporting history.

The image of Lomu charging through England’s Mike Catt became one of the defining moments of the tournament, and one of the most enduring images in rugby history.

But the documentary is just as interested in what happened away from the pitch.

As Lomu’s profile exploded, so too did the attention. Money, women, fame and a jet-setting lifestyle suddenly surrounded a young man who had become one of the most recognisable athletes on the planet. Rugby had never seen a star quite like him.

The Tragedy Behind the Greatness

Yet just as Lomu’s star was reaching extraordinary heights, tragedy began to close in.

His battle with kidney disease would severely impact his playing career, robbing him of years that could have seen him reach even greater heights. He would return for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, but the World Cup glory he so desperately wanted would continue to elude him.

Interviews with family, friends and acquaintances, alongside some of the biggest names from that era, including former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick and All Blacks coach John Hart, provide crucial context for this period of Lomu’s life.

And it is here that LOMU becomes increasingly heartbreaking.

Lomu was, in many ways, an unknowable figure. His personal life was complicated and often turbulent, while his deteriorating health placed an enormous burden on both his career and his life away from rugby.

The sadness of Jonah’s story is unavoidable, but Fitzgerald and Mafile’o never attempt to shy away from it.
Instead, they embrace it.

Because to remove the tragedy from Lomu’s story would ultimately be to diminish the truth of the man himself. This is not a documentary interested in simply celebrating the legend; it wants to understand the human being who lived beneath it.

Who Does Jonah Lomu Belong To?

What emerges is a remarkably complete portrait of Jonah Lomu — rugby player, son, cultural figure and man.
At its heart, LOMU asks audiences to consider the complicated question of Lomu’s legacy, his identity and, ultimately, who he belonged to.

Was he Tongan? Was he a New Zealander? Was he an All Black? Or did he belong to the millions of people around the world who watched him and were utterly captivated by what they saw?

There are no easy answers.

And that is precisely what makes LOMU so powerful.

Final Verdict: The Definitive Portrait of a Sporting Icon

Made with genuine love, sincerity and an obvious reverence for its subject, LOMU holds nothing back in its portrait of one of rugby’s most extraordinary figures. It celebrates the giant who changed the game, while never forgetting the vulnerable human being underneath the jersey.

Jonah Lomu may have left the rugby field decades ago, but his shadow remains enormous. LOMU is a fitting, moving and deeply human reminder of why.

Image: MadMan Films

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A notorious mafia hitman (Mark Wahlberg) and a young African American FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) team up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in Mississippi in 1966.

A De-Classified History Lesson

Mid-1960s America was a powder keg of social justice, with the Civil Rights movement taking hold as the battle for equal opportunities and protection under the law raged as protestors were caught in the crosshairs of racial hatred in America’s Deep South. With growing violence, sometimes an even harsher form of law enforcement is needed to deliver justice. This is exactly the place that director Elegance Bratton takes audiences with By Any Means, as he presents the now de-classified investigation into the death of Civil Rights leader Vernon Dahmer (Giancarlo Esposito) which was faciliated by untested FBI agent Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), and bore the presence of violent mob enforcer Gregory ‘The Grim Reaper’ Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), who the FBI brought in to extract justice by any means necessary, and the result is a picture boiling with intensity, and which hits with the ferocity of a baseball bat on bone.

As a historical portrait, By Any Means unearths the previously hidden, now-revealed cloak-and-dagger history of the FBI under its suspicious and Machiavellian leader, J. Edgar Hoover, and brings it to life with heavy drama and a hell of a wallop. While the darker side of the civil rights movement has been well documented, By Any Means is a distinctive call to arms, urging audiences not to forget the fight for social justice, which, in 2026, is even more pressing. Still, this film also draws attention to how sometimes a different path must be taken to get there. The presence of Strider and Scarpa makes for an arresting and incredibly intense watch of a previously buried side of dark history. With By Any Means, Bratton gets to tell both a story of the fight for civil rights, the dark response necessary when justice failed, and an interesting character study of two unique characters operating on two very different sides of the law, who despite their differences find themselves fighting for a cause bigger than each of them.

A Combustible Double Act

By Any Means might be an explosive true-crime thriller, but its unconventional, wild true story shapes it, and, as a character study and double act, it makes for a very interesting watch. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II once again cements his position as one of the most intriguing rising A-lister talents to watch as he takes on by-the-book and untested FBI Special Agent Wayne Strider, who, returning to the racial boiling point of his home of Mississippi, finds himself drawn into the investigation of Vernon Dahmer’s death and finds his beliefs and ethics tested at every level. Abdul-Mateen II delivers a layered performance as a good man of principle and integrity, who is forced to go to extremes and soon learns that sometimes the gun is the only way to justice. He’s incredibly compelling in the part and matches Wahlberg’s charisma and star power at every level throughout the picture.

As for Hollywood A-lister Mark Wahlberg, he goes to town with his all-swagger and heavy-hitting presence as infamous mafia enforcer and hitman Gregory Scarpa, aka The Grim Reaper. Suspected in more than 60 murders, Scarpa was a fearsome killer and noted FBI informant who was instrumental in providing ‘assistance’ in solving the Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, is brought in by the FBI once more to help solve Dahmer’s murder, as only he can. And there are no rules where Scarpa walks. The presence of Scarpa gives Wahlberg a definitive character to play. He really steps into the character’s badass, mobbed-up aura and is utterly fearsome and terrifying on screen. In the course of the narrative’s events, he develops a grudging respect for Strider and showcases his own warped sense of justice to close out the case. It’s a winning performance for Wahlberg, and he pulls no punches.

Cracking Skulls and Looking Cool

By Any Means is by no means a PG-rated movie, and audiences had better be prepared for a cinema experience that is utterly skull-cracking; the violence is certainly maxed out with this one. But the violence on screen is all in service of the narrative it serves. For such a savage and violent crime, only justice delivered at the end of a gun is deserved, and there comes a point where the line between Strider and Scarpa no longer exists, and it’s justly deserved and delivered. By Any Means is a film that also drips with 1960s swagger, and it’s one of the coolest and classiest pictures you’re likely to see all year.

Final Verdict: A Worthy and Heavy Fight for Justice

By Any Means delivers an untold dark chapter of the FBI’s secret history to the big screen with intensity and flair. For audiences seeking a solid police procedural with character and bravado, they’ll find it with this one.

Image: Municipal Pictures

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Nineteen-year-old Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that shapes the course of his life.

A Life Takes Shapes

Directed by Matt Johnson and starring Dominic Sessa as the young Anthony ‘Tony’ Bourdain, A24’s biographical drama Tony is a revealing portrait of a young man standing at the precipice of adulthood. Set largely around Bourdain’s formative experiences in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the film explores where the rock ’n’ roll energy, rebellious spirit and fascination with the kitchen that would ultimately define his life first began to take shape.

A Talent Unleashed

Dominic Sessa is superb. There is an inherent cockiness to his portrayal, but beneath the bravado lies a deeply insecure young man desperately trying to figure himself out. He captures Bourdain’s neurosis, narcissism and vulnerability with remarkable precision, creating a performance that feels less like an impersonation and more like an excavation of the person beneath the persona.

This is, ultimately, a coming-of-age story. Tony stumbles through failures, young love, an unrelenting mother and the messy realities of growing up, slowly discovering that the kitchen might offer him something he cannot find anywhere else: purpose. His eventual breakthrough at the Culinary Institute of America feels less like the beginning of his career than the first glimpse of the man he will become.

Adding in the Flavour

The supporting cast is equally strong. Antonio Banderas steals virtually every scene as José Vatel, the charismatic restaurant owner who gives young Tony an opportunity, bringing a wonderfully comic and endearing energy to the role. Leo Woodall, meanwhile, delivers a suitably belligerent and cocky performance as young chef Sal, and then there’s the kitchen itself which becomes a character; volatile, testosterone-fuelled and filled with the kind of frenetic chef antics that make restaurant life feel simultaneously exhilarating and utterly exhausting.

Turning up the Tempo

There is a wicked rhythm to Tony. Johnson gives the film a restless pulse, while the soundtrack does much of the heavy lifting in transporting us into the atmosphere of the mid-1970s. It crackles with the energy of a young man who has no idea where he is going, but knows he needs to go somewhere.

Final Verdict: Finding Purpose in the Heat of the Kitchen

Interestingly, Tony is quite different from what I expected. This isn’t really a film about cooking. It is about the man before Anthony Bourdain became Anthony Bourdain. And that makes it all the more fascinating. Tony is a scrappy, intimate and occasionally bruising portrait of creative potential in its infancy, and it’s a film that leaves you wanting more. A second chapter exploring the man who emerged from this formative period would be very welcome indeed, and for true cinema aficionados there’s a lot to love here in Tony.

Image: A24 Films

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Set in 1982, aspiring novelist Denise Platt (Anne Hathaway) and her husband Greg (Ewan McGregor) are already navigating the rocky waters of a strained marriage when their family nightmare takes a turn into the completely inexplicable. Alongside their two children, Audrey and Brian, and the family dog, Starbuck, they suddenly find themselves transported back to the Jurassic period, trapped in a hostile environment with seemingly no way home; and dinosaurs are making a very unwelcome resurgence. It is, quite literally, the stuff of nightmares.

Embracing the Mystery

Directed by David Robert Mitchell, The End of Oak Street doesn’t necessarily concern itself with explaining every single detail of its premise. And, frankly, that is part of the fun. How did this happen? Why them? What exactly is going on? There are questions aplenty, but not every cinematic mystery needs a tidy answer. Sometimes the sheer thrill of the ride is enough.

And what a ride this is.

The film veers effortlessly between genuine tension, dark comedy and moments that simply make you sit back and think, What the actual hell? There is an infectious sense of unpredictability running through the entire film, with Mitchell embracing the kind of grand, imaginative storytelling that feels increasingly rare in modern cinema.

A Throwbock Blockbuster Event

There is also a distinctly Spielbergian, Amblin-esque quality to the film. The 1980s setting, terrific period fashion and vintage production design give the movie an unmistakable retro character, while the science-fiction premise pushes it firmly into stranger territory.

Interestingly, The End of Oak Street feels so much like the adaptation of some long-lost cult science-fiction novel that it comes as a genuine surprise to discover it is an original cinematic story. The film has the scale and imagination of a sprawling genre adventure, yet it retains an unusual sense of personality throughout.

Strong Performances at the Centre

Anne Hathaway is particularly impressive as Denise, bringing a believable maternal ferocity to a woman desperately trying to protect her children while simultaneously attempting to find a way home. Her performance gives the film an emotional anchor, ensuring that the family’s predicament never becomes merely a vehicle for spectacle.

Ewan McGregor provides a strong counterpoint to Hathaway as Denise’s husband Greg, with their fractured marriage adding a surprisingly human dimension beneath all the prehistoric chaos. Their strained relationship adds an additional layer of tension, as the family must confront both external danger and problems that existed before their extraordinary displacement.

Dinosaurs That Mean Business

And then there are the dinosaurs.

These aren’t cute, family-friendly theme-park dinosaurs. These things are terrifying. Ferocious, vicious and utterly relentless, Mitchell’s prehistoric beasts feel genuinely dangerous, with plenty of blood, gore and gruesome collateral damage along the way.

At times, Jurassic Park feels positively like Saturday-morning television by comparison. The dinosaurs are not simply background attractions; they are constant, unpredictable threats that make every jungle, clearing and shadow feel potentially lethal.

A Visually Striking Nightmare

Michael Gioulakis’ cinematography is another standout, giving the film an expansive, cinematic scale while maintaining a sense of claustrophobic danger.

The visual style also complements the film’s unusual blend of retro adventure and nightmarish science fiction. The world feels both recognisable and completely unknown, creating an atmosphere in which the characters, and the audience, are never allowed to feel entirely safe.

Final Verdict: Pure Blockbuster Fun

Ultimately, The End of Oak Street is pure blockbuster entertainment. Strange, stylish, occasionally absurd and gloriously fun.

Most importantly, it is different. At a time when cinemas could use a little more creative risk-taking, David Robert Mitchell has delivered a film that feels genuinely original. It may not answer every question, but it delivers something arguably more valuable: the feeling of discovering something you’ve never quite seen before. And sometimes, that’s exactly what going to the movies should be about.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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The Odyssey follows Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, on his long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War, chronicling his encounters with mythical beings such as the Cyclops Polyphemus, sirens, and the nymph Calypso, while attempting to reunite with his wife, Penelope.

Nolan’s Complete Vision

As a filmmaker, Christopher Nolan is a force of nature who redefined the blockbuster movie experience beginning with 2005’s Batman Begins, and who has successfully tread the line between high-end action blockbuster filmmaking and more intriguing, thought-provoking arthouse work; in my mind, The Odyssey sits there. Interpreting the nearly 3000 year old work of Homer’s in his own vision, audiences find themselves watching a production that is filtered deliberating through Nolan’s own mind, and you almost feel like he’s exploring further ideas he previously explored in Oppenheimer with man’s unique take on both creativity leading to triumph or destruction, and it all makes for a very interesting realm on which to explore this ancient work.

Told with a structure that moves back and forth across time, itself a fabled Nolan trope, we come to see a disjointed and lost Odysseus who following the fall of Troy searches for a way to get back to his ancient home of Ithica, and tis narrative is juxtaposed with his loyal wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) who wait holding out hope in Ithica for Odysseus return all while a vile group of suitors, led by the cruel and sadistic Antinous (Robert Pattinson) scheme and vie for Penelope’s hand in marriage, and total control of Ithica. With such a sprawling canvas, Nolan’s The Odyssey approaches its subject matter through a lens of memory, rage, and the passage of time, and it is less your standard action-adventure picture and more a thinking man’s blockbuster. Violence and action abound, but all of it is in service to Nolan’s study of the figure of Odysseus, and this work almost feels like a character study of a classical character, with all the veneer and polish stripped away so only the man is left.

A Cast of Titans

For Matt Damon, The Odyssey feels like an interesting choice for studying a hero stripped of his power and forced to contend with the reactive forces of fate and the will of the gods. Damon cuts a striking figure as the powerful Odysseus, but here Nolan really shows us him as an ordinary, if not gifted man, who is tested by the gods, must contend with forces beyond his control, and which test his will to its very limit. Damon delivers a man wrestling with the past and the consequences of his choices, making for a nuanced portrait of the legendary hero.

Juxtaposed with him are Anne Hathaway as his great love, Penelope, and Tom Holland as his loyal son, Telemachus, both of whom serve key roles in the production. For Anne Hathaway’s Penelope, we find a woman wrestling with the pain of longing, holding on by a very thin thread; she sees the bigger plan at play in Ithaca. Immense emotional power drives her performance as Penelope, and we see her holding on to her husband’s memory for dear life. Holland as Telemachus is a young man with everything to prove, but who is not schooled in the art of palace politics, and who must suffer the viper-like motions of the suitors who sit in his father’s hall. Seeking a chance to prove himself, he ventures out into the unknown, desperate for answers, and has to follow a path that will finally turn him into a man without his father’s presence.

Nolan’s The Odyssey also features a large cast of supporting characters, with some key standouts. Robert Pattinson’s Antinous, the leading suitor to Penelope, is a vicious and vile character who moves like a viper through Odysseus’ hall in Ithaca, seeking a way to claim what we view as his, and he’s incredibly frosty and repellent and again plays into Pattinson’s wheelhouse of delivering characters who can truly stand out. John. Bernthal also makes a solid presence as Menelaus, King of Sparta and husband to Helen, whose rage incites the Trojan war, and he delivers a hulking, muscular presence to the film, which is tinged by arrogance and power, but whose adherence to honour and loyalty leaves its mark on Telemachus. But the film’s scene-stealer is, hands down, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Odysseus’s faithful servant and blind swineherd, who holds to his master’s return and utterly seizes the audience’s attention with his performance.

Sheer Spectacle

In terms of the experience of Nolan’s The Odyssey, this is a picture where the fantasy is made real, and Nolan brings to life the famous moments that have defined Homer’s epic, from the Cyclops to the Sirens to the witchcraft of Circe, and all of it is presented in a way that feels mythical yet entirely practical and real. And all of it is captured in IMAX, making for a profound and exciting sight. Watching Nolan’s The Odyssey in IMAX is an experience unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed before.

The scale and scope only serve to magnify this gigantic story, and all of it is captured in pristine detail, with a grand attention to detail, and it utterly washes over you. Production design and the total ambience of the picture also ground the audience in the Bronze Age, and you feel like you’re watching a picture that is both ancient and also weirdly contemporary at the same time, or a legend that exists outside of time and place where mysticism and the real clash side by side, and where gods and ghosts walk amongst us. Academy Award-winning Ludwig Göransson’s soundtrack is also tempered by sounds of a time long passed, echoing with the chimes or strikings of bronze, and heavy percussion riffs that echo throughout the theatre, and again it elevates the experience of the picture.

But if The Odyssey does have a moment where its heightened feeling comes to a cataclysm then its definitely the fall of Troy, when Odysseus and Greeks creep from the Horse, and ignite a trap that sees Troy sacked and left to fiery ruin, and not only does its heat and fire and flame quench the very limits of the IMAX screen, but this moment is where the film cements its thematic moment. Told in flashbacks that move back and forth across the narrative, it is Odysseus’s revelation in the powerful third act, where both his genius and fury are visited upon the Trojans, and where Nolan’s exploration of time, memory, regret, and consequence comes into play. This third-act moment is where the whole film comes together, and its presentation of the grand theme will truly affect the audience who witness it.

Final Verdict: Nolan’s Vision

The Odyssey is a vision of cinema fully shaped by the mind of Christopher Nolan, and he takes audiences into the size and scale of this story through the immense spectacle of IMAX and delivers a narrative that is his definitive take on the subject matter of the original text.

Image: Universal Pictures

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A Symphony of Freedom

Adapted from Tiziano Scarpa’s acclaimed novel Stabat Mater, Primavera transports audiences to 18th-century Venice and the famed Ospedale della Pietà, the orphanage where abandoned girls were transformed into extraordinary musicians. Among them is Cecilia (Tecla Insolia), a gifted young violinist whose life changes forever when she comes under the mentorship of legendary composer Antonio Vivaldi (Michele Riondino). As her remarkable talent blossoms, Cecilia finds herself confronting the rigid expectations placed upon her while discovering that music may offer the freedom she has long dreamed of.

A Moving Celebration of Artistry and Ambition

Michieletto proves an assured storyteller, crafting a deeply emotional drama that explores far more than historical spectacle. At its core, Primavera is an intimate story of mentorship, creativity and self-discovery, examining how art possesses the power to liberate both the individual and the soul.

The relationship between Cecilia and Vivaldi forms the emotional heartbeat of the film. Their connection transcends that of teacher and student, becoming one of mutual understanding between two individuals whose lives are defined by music. Through their shared devotion to artistic expression, Primavera beautifully explores the sacrifices demanded by genius, the loneliness of ambition, and the courage required to pursue one’s true calling despite the barriers imposed by society.

Rather than rushing its emotional beats, Michieletto allows each relationship and revelation to unfold with graceful patience, resulting in a story that feels both intimate and profoundly moving.

Tecla Insolia Delivers a Remarkable Breakthrough Performance

Much of the film’s emotional power rests upon Tecla Insolia, who is nothing short of magnificent as Cecilia. Her performance radiates vulnerability, intelligence and quiet determination, capturing the longing of a young woman who has never known unconditional love but discovers purpose through music.

Insolia imbues Cecilia with extraordinary humanity, making every triumph and setback feel deeply personal. As her confidence grows under Vivaldi’s guidance, audiences witness a young woman slowly discovering both her voice and her identity.

Opposite her, Michele Riondino delivers a wonderfully nuanced interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi. Rather than portraying the celebrated composer as an untouchable genius, Riondino reveals a man driven by relentless creative obsession, whose recognition of Cecilia’s extraordinary gift becomes one of the most affecting aspects of the narrative. Together, the pair share a wonderfully authentic chemistry that elevates every scene they inhabit.

A Feast for the Senses

Visually, Primavera is nothing short of breathtaking. Michieletto’s operatic instincts shine throughout, transforming Baroque Venice into a living masterpiece of colour, architecture and texture.

The production design, costumes, hair and make-up vividly recreate the era’s grandeur while reinforcing the stark divide between privilege and poverty. The muted greys and worn fabrics of the orphanage contrast beautifully against the opulence of Venetian society, while the foundling orchestra’s striking crimson cloaks and black masks create some of the film’s most unforgettable imagery.

Daria D’Antonio’s sumptuous cinematography captures every detail with painterly elegance, while Vivaldi’s timeless compositions sweep through the film with extraordinary emotional force. Together, the visuals and music become inseparable, creating moments that feel almost transcendent.

Final Verdict: An Unforgettable Journey into the Heart of Baroque Venice

Primavera is a magnificent celebration of music, resilience and artistic freedom. Rich in emotion, stunning in its craftsmanship and anchored by an exceptional lead performance, Damiano Michieletto’s feature debut announces him as an exciting new cinematic voice. This is historical filmmaking at its most stirring; a deeply soulful experience that deserves to be savoured on the biggest screen possible.

Image: Rialto Distribution

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Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang come face-to-face with Lilypad, a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?

A Story of Dear Joy for Everyone

From its opening moments through to an emotionally rewarding finale, Toy Story 5 is the kind of film that takes audiences on a genuine rollercoaster. It finds the perfect balance between laughter and tears, earning every emotional beat through sincere storytelling and characters we’ve loved for generations.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is its decision to place Jessie at the heart of the story. Her journey is filled with warmth, vulnerability, and hope, giving one of Pixar’s most beloved characters the spotlight she has long deserved. It’s a story that resonates just as strongly with adults as it does with younger viewers.

Pushing the Narrative Forward

The film’s central “toy versus technology” premise also proves to be one of Pixar’s smartest ideas in years. Rather than delivering a heavy-handed message, Toy Story 5 thoughtfully explores the value of imagination in an increasingly digital world, encouraging audiences to reflect on the importance of play, creativity, and human connection without ever losing its sense of fun.

Adding to the charm is a delightful collection of new characters who fit seamlessly alongside Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang. They’re instantly likeable and leave you wanting to spend even more time with them long after the credits roll.

Final Verdict: Pure Pixar Magic

Warm, witty, and wonderfully moving, Toy Story 5 captures everything that has made this franchise a cultural touchstone for three decades. It’s another reminder that when Pixar is at its very best, few studios can match its ability to tell stories that speak to audiences of every generation. Toy Story 5 is a joyful triumph and an absolute must-watch

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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