WHAT’S ON

THE UNMISSABLE NEW RELEASES

THE BAT IS BACK

THE BATMAN

IN CINEMAS 4 MARCH

Director Matt Reeves / Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano / Genre Action, Crime, Thriller

Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman, striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies – Alfred Pennyworth and Lt James Gordon – amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.

When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the city’s underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle, Oswald Cobblepot, Carmine Falcone, and Edward Nashton. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham.

Robert Pattinson stars in the dual role of Gotham’s vigilante and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne, and leads an all-star ensemble cast. Co-starring as Gotham’s famous and infamous characters are Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

IN CINEMAS 1 APRIL

Director Jeff Fowler / Starring Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba / Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy

After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr Robotnik returns with a new partner, Knuckles, in search of an emerald that has the power to destroy civilisations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. Everyone’s favourite bright blue hedgehog, Jim Carrey’s Dr Robotnik, and the rest of the cast are back for a nextlevel adventure that adds Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the voice of Tails and Idris Elba as the voice of Knuckles.

GOOD IS NO FUN AT ALL

THE BAD GUYS

IN CINEMAS 26 MARCH

Director Pierre Perifel / Starring Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade / Genre Animation, Action, Comedy

Nobody has ever failed so hard at trying to be good as The Bad Guys.

DreamWorks Animation’s all-new action comedy, based on the best-selling book series, follows a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws who are about to attempt their most challenging con yet: becoming model citizens.

Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guys – dashing pickpocket Mr Wolf, seen-it-all safecracker Mr Snake, chill master-of-disguise Mr Shark, short-fused “muscle” Mr Piranha, and sharp-tongued expert hacker Ms Tarantula, aka “Webs.”

But when, after years of countless heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Mr Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good.

Under the tutelage of their mentor Professor Marmalade, an arrogant (but adorable!) guinea pig, The Bad Guys set out to fool the world that they’ve been transformed. Along the way, though, Mr Wolf begins to suspect that doing good for real may give him what he’s always secretly longed for. So when a new villain threatens the city, can Mr Wolf persuade the rest of the gang to become…The Good Guys?

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris

IN CINEMAS 29 APRIL

Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, and Jason Isaacs star in the story of a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own. After she works, starves, and gambles to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris which will change not only her own outlook, but the very future of the House of Dior.

The Nan Movie

IN CINEMAS 18 MARCH

The beloved television character is back and heading to the big screen as Catherine Tate returns to her role as Joannie Taylor aka Nan for a film based on the backstory of the famously foul-mouthed pensioner.

65

IN CINEMAS 29 APRIL

Adam Driver stars as an astronaut who crash lands on a mysterious planet and soon discovers that he’s not alone in an original new sci-fi thriller from the writers of A Quiet Place and producer Sam Raimi.

The Lost City

IN CINEMAS 22 APRIL

Directors Aaron Nee, Adam Nee / Starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe / Genre Comedy

While on tour promoting her new book, author Loretta Sage is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to the lost city’s treasure from her latest story. Intent on proving he can be a hero in real life, Loretta’s handsome cover model Alan sets off to rescue her. Thrust into an epic jungle adventure, the unlikely pair must work together to survive the elements and find the ancient treasure before it’s lost forever.

Ambulance

IN CINEMAS 25 MARCH

Director Michael Bay / Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González / Genre Action, Crime, Thriller

When their attempt at the biggest heist in LA history goes spectacularly wrong, adoptive brothers Will and Danny hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop and paramedic still on board and are thrust into a high-speed pursuit across the city. Now, they must evade a massive law enforcement response, keep their hostages alive, and somehow avoid killing each other in the explosive new action-thriller from director Michael Bay.

Morbius

IN CINEMAS 1 APRIL

Director Daniel Espinosa / Starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Jared Harris / Genre Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe unleashes its latest conflicted character as Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, Dr Michael Morbius attempts a desperate gamble to save himself and others suffering his same fate. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is soon unleashed.

RETURN TO THE MAGIC

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore

IN CINEMAS 8 APRIL

Director David Yates / Starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen / Genre Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches, and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines? The newest adventure in the Wizarding World features an ensemble cast including Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, and Mads Mikkelsen.

LET THE SPY GAMES BEGIN

Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre

IN CINEMAS 18 MARCH

Director Guy Ritchie / Starring Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, Josh Hartnett / Genre Action, Comedy, Thriller

Super spy Orson Fortune must track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology wielded by billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds. Reluctantly teamed with some of the world’s best operatives, Fortune and his crew recruit Hollywood’s biggest movie star Danny Francesco to help them on their globe-trotting undercover mission to save the world. Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone, and Josh Hartnett star in the explosive new spy caper from the director of Snatch, Sherlock Holmes, and The Gentlemen.

EVERY DREAMER DESERVES A SHOT THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN

IN CINEMAS 18 MARCH

Director Craig Roberts / Starring Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, Rhys Ifans / Genre Biography, Comedy, Drama

Academy Award-winner Mark Rylance stars in a feelgood comedy-drama that tells the remarkable true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator and optimistic dreamer from Barrow-in-Furness who gains entry to the 1976 British Open qualifying, despite never playing a round of golf in his life. With pluckiness, unwavering self-belief, with the support of his family, Maurice pulls off a series of stunning, hilarious, and heartwarming attempts to compete at the highest level of professional golf, drawing the ire of the golfing elite but becoming a British folk hero in the process.

The Outfit

IN CINEMAS 8 APRIL

From the Academy Award-winning writer of The Imitation Game comes a gripping and masterful thriller in which an expert tailor must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night. The Outfit features an ensemble cast that includes Academy Award-winner Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O’Brien, and Simon Russell Beale.

The Contractor

IN CINEMAS 1 APRIL

Chris Pine stars as James Harper, who, after being involuntarily discharged from the special forces, joins a private contracting organisation in a desperate bid to support his family. During his first black ops mission, he finds himself betrayed and on the run in a foreign land. Now, he must evade those trying to kill him, make his way back home, and figure out who set him up.

Father Stu

IN CINEMAS 15 APRIL

God needed a fighter, and He found one. Mark Wahlberg stars as boxer-turned-priest whose journey from selfdestruction to redemption inspired countless people.

Operation Mincemeat

IN CINEMAS 22 APRIL

Director John Madden / Starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Johnny Flynn / Genre Drama, History, War

It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe and plan an all-out assault on Sicily, but they face an impossible challenge: how to protect a massive invasion force from massacre. It falls to two intelligence officers, Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley, to dream the most inspired and improbable disinformation strategy of the war; centred on the most unlikely of secret agents: a dead man.

The Northman

IN CINEMAS 15 APRIL

Director Robert Eggers / Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy / Genre Action, Thriller

From the visionary director of The Witch and The Lighthouse comes an actionfilled historical epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder and rescue his kidnapped mother. Set in 10th century Iceland, The Northman features an allstar ensemble that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Hafþór Björnsson, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

Downton Abbey: A New Era

IN CINEMAS 29 APRIL

Director Simon Curtis / Starring Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Dominic West / Genre Drama

Following their successful Royal visit from the King and Queen of England, the original principal cast reunite as a new era begins at Downton Abbey. Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, and Dominic West will join the returning cast in the new chapter of the story from Academy Award-winner and Downton creator Julian Fellowes and the director of My Week With Marilyn, Simon Curtis.

THE MOST NICOLAS CAGE MOVIE EVER INTO THE MULTIVERSE

The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent

IN CINEMAS 22 APRIL

Director Tom Gormican / Starring Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish / Genre Action, Comedy, Thriller

Nicolas Cage stars as...Nick Cage in an outrageous new action-comedy. Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalised version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of his biggest and most dangerous superfan. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative and forced to live up to his own legend, channelling his most iconic and beloved onscreen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor and icon must take on the role of a lifetime: Nick Cage.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

IN CINEMAS 6 MAY

Director Sam Raimi / Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong / Genre Action, Adventure

The MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before in the spellbinding new chapter of Phase 4. After casting a forbidden and dangerous spell that tampers with the stability of space-time, Doctor Strange seeks help from his trusted friend, Wong, and powerful Avenger, Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch, to restore a world where everything is changing. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, alongside mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending madness of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.

(Again!)

Everybody’s favourite blue blur is called back into action when Dr Robotnik returns. But this time, everyone’s upping their game as Tails and Knuckles enter the chaos. WORDS AARON POTTER

TAILS

SPECIES: Fox VOICE: Colleen O’Shaughnessey ABILITIES: Twin tails that allow flight when spun, IQ of 300 FUN FACT: Tails’ real name is a pun on “miles per hour”.

IN CINEMAS 1 APRIL

Director Jeff Fowler / Starring Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba / Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy

Against all expectations, Sonic The Hedgehog broke the video game movie curse and ended up winning as big at the box office as it did with audiences. It’s no surprise, therefore, to see Sega’s speedy hedgehog rush in for another race against time. Only now, he isn’t alone.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 marks the first true cinematic appearance of Miles “Tails” Prower, Sonic’s equallyiconic fox buddy whose ability to fly should help them get the drop on Robotnik. Together, they embark on a globe-trotting adventure in an attempt to keep the incredibly dangerous Chaos Emerald out of their arch nemesis’ hands. Unfortunately, Jim Carrey’s Robotnik is meaner, madder, and more moustachioed than ever, and also armed with an ally of his own. Another classic Sonic character comes to life as Knuckles the Echidna smashes in with a hardedged attitude and powerful punch.

Jeff Fowler resumes directorial duties and is joined by returning human cast members James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, with Ben Schwartz again bringing his wise-cracking wit as the voice of Sonic. The most notable new addition is Idris Elba, whose menacing gravitas is a perfect match for Knuckles’ imposing threat.

Get ready to take antics and adventure to the next level.

KNUCKLES

SPECIES: Echidna VOICE: Idris Elba ABILITIES: Superstrength, maximised physical durability FUN FACT: The pointy spikes located on Knuckles’ knuckles makes climbing over vertical surfaces a breeze.

SONIC

SPECIES: Hedgehog VOICE: Ben Schwartz ABILITIES: Super speed, wisecracking attitude FUN FACT: Sonic’s top speed has been recorded at 767 mph.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2

▼ CLICK ME ▼

DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES

▼ CLICK ME ▼

▲ SCAN ME ▲

The stakes are high as the Allies attempt an audacious deception to trick the enemy and turn the tide of World War 2, but will they believe the story of a dead man? WORDS ADAM MATULEWICZ

IN CINEMAS 22 APRIL

Director John Madden / Starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Johnny Flynn / Genre Drama, War

Ahead of their strike on the shores of Sicily in 1943, the Allies had one major concern: the Nazis knew they were coming. To throw the odds in their favour, the only thing for it was to deceive the minds behind the greatest threat the world had ever seen.

Colin Firth is intelligence officer Ewen Montagu in the retelling of this extraordinary story that shows a different side of war. With one hundred thousand British lives on the line, and the prospect of more should they fail, Montagu and his fellow officer Charles Cholmondeley, played by Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen, must take the fight to the shadows. But instead of boats and guns, they’re armed with a corpse and false papers.

Their plan is to obtain a dead body, dress it up as a British soldier, plant “top secret” documents on it, and float it into enemy territory so they will take the bait and believe Greece is the intended target, not Sicily.

With perhaps the most important mission of the Second World War on their shoulders, and no guarantee of success, Montagu and Cholmondeley have their work cut out with Jason Isaacs’ Admiral John Godfrey to convince, Simon Russell Beale’s Winston Churchill to please, and many lives at risk.

Director John Madden sheds a light on the shady side of the Second World War with a stranger-than-fiction spy story with a license for thrills, tension, surprises and even some romance along the way.

Operation Mincemeat must not fail!

NO TIME TO DIE

Operation Mincemeat required great minds to make it work and had to be expertly written. From working with the country’s best spies to writing about everyone’s fictional favourite, Operation Mincemeat owes its success to the man who wrote the mission plans in the first place: Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming. Operation Mincemeat reveals his role in the extraordinary story, with Johnny Flynn starring. After the war, Fleming introduced the world to his deadliest weapon yet: a fictional intelligence MI6 agent best known as Bond, James Bond. Based on individuals he met during his military days, 007 has heroically saved the world many times over. Only last year did he arguably save cinema with the release of No Time To Die; a lifeline for the industry with a record-breaking British box-office return.