What’s it about?
Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction who has declared war on Starfleet.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Traditionally Star Trek movies (and episodes) have explored ideas and philosophies present in the world as they were made. As such they’ve always been weighted in favour of thought over action scenes. This was even true of the reboot. Into Darkness however flips the ratio and focuses on almost non-stop action. It’s an awesome thrill ride that pays respect to past Trek lore and features a homage with a twist.

Scotty (Simon Pegg) gets more screen time but every other character falls well into the background except, of course, for Kirk and Spock (Zachery Quinto). But the humour and characterisation of these three combine well with the impressive sociopathic turn from Benedict Cumberbatch to provide a depth to match the effects and speed of a film that will be embraced by long-time fans.

3.75/5

What’s it about?
Five friends seek the solitude and peace of a cabin in the woods to help their friend overcome her drug addiction, but end up in a by-the-numbers reworking of an iconic cult classic.

What did we think?
Stewart says: The unexplainably delayed and ridiculously limited Australian release of this remake has finally arrived. By now all the reviews and spoilers and even camera shot bootlegs, have been available online to ruin the experience for you for weeks. Despite that I’ve been desperate to see Evil Dead since the first ‘red band’ trailer hit the net and blew my mind with its intensity.

Sadly Evil Dead doesn’t live up to its source materials legend. It’s nicely put together (aside from a few instances of confusing editing), solidly performed and has some great cringe worthy violence (having a hypodermic needle phobia is a big disadvantage). However Evil Dead suffers greatly from a confusing (although anticipated) protagonist change 3/4 of the way through, that left the final act without much-needed resonance. The swooping ‘evil force’ camera work that really defined the original trilogy is almost non-existent and I think ultimately the film’s biggest failing is feeling like it belongs to the world of its famous namesake. The much touted ‘all practical effects’ was very obviously not in one or two instances.

I didn’t like the score by Roque Baños. Often heaping on unwanted schmaltz in key emotional/character moments.

Evil Dead works as a fun time at the movies, but I feel ultimately fails as an Evil Dead film.

What’s it about?
After a 911 phone operator (Halle Berry)  takes a call that spirals out of control, she questions her ability to do her job, until a co-worker urges her back for a similar call that forces her to face her fears and her past.

What did we think?
Hilary says: Halle Berry is excellent as the 911 operator, refusing to let her ridiculous wig steal the spotlight. Berry’s performance, a suspenseful score, tight direction and sharp editing were what kept the audience on the edge of our seats (with a few folks even sprinting out of the theatre!) But the gasps of fear quickly turned to groans and laughter as The Call took an odd final turn that tainted everything that came before it. An A-grade thriller with a C-grade ending.

Note: Avoid the massive spoiler that is this film’s trailer.

What’s it about?
Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President (Aaron Eckhart) from his kidnappers.

What did we think?
Anthony says: This is what Die Hard 5 SHOULD have been. In fact they even steal a few scenes from the original Die Hard pretty unashamedely. Which is apt as really this is basically a big-budget version of an 80s action flick. Silly, flimsy at bits, predictable and with a few plotholes, it would be easy to bag the film but to be quite honest it’s just a lot of unpretentious fun.

No surprises in this suspense but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

What’s it about?
Picking up in the aftermath of The Avengers, Tony Stark is dealing with his brush with death by ignoring the world until a terrorist called The Mandarin brings the battle to Stark’s doorstep.

What did we think?
Anthony says: If you’ve seen the trailers you’ve seen most of the twists and a good deal of the action already. But you’ve not quite seen it all and there’s enough to keep even the rabid fans happy. There are lots of explosions, snarky dialogue and a stunt scene that has to be seen to be believed. The plot is a tad clunky at times but it’s clever, humorous and – most importantly of all – big. Spectacular in parts, even.

It’s not a great movie but it is great fun.

3.75/5.