https://www.scmp.com/rss/318764/feed Hollywood blockbusters, local greats, European movies, Japanese and Korean dramas, animation, art house films, you can find them all here. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com James Mottram James Mottram 3.5/5 stars “Villains are always the most interesting,” remarks Kenneth Branagh’s character in this sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. The villain is – or rather was – Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of fashion magazine Runway, brilliantly played by Meryl Streep in the 2006 movie. Said to be inspired by Vogue’s Anna Wintour, Streep’s Oscar-nominated turn arguably deserved the prize – such was her pitch-perfect take on a nightmare boss who would regularly toss her coat and expect her... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351636/devil-wears-prada-2-movie-review-iconic-fashion-comedy-gets-slick-muted-update?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351636/devil-wears-prada-2-movie-review-iconic-fashion-comedy-gets-slick-muted-update?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:00:10 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3.5/5 stars The blockbuster prequel Cold War 1994 delivers exactly what it promised. Viewers come for the ridiculously overstuffed cast but stay for the relentlessly – almost ostentatiously – convoluted tale of power, corruption and betrayal. While you may not find its plot realistic, it is undeniably entertaining throughout. The new release opens with a quick recap of Cold War (2012) and Cold War 2 (2016), before moving six months forward to Hong Kong in 2017. Louis Koo Tin-lok’s new character,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351833/cold-war-1994-movie-review-hong-kong-crime-thriller-prequel-star-studded-blast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351833/cold-war-1994-movie-review-hong-kong-crime-thriller-prequel-star-studded-blast?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:19:14 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2/5 stars There is a huge elephant in the room with Michael, the slick but insubstantial new biopic about the “King of Pop”. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and made in cooperation with the Michael Jackson estate, the film features all the singer’s mega-hits, from “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” to “Thriller” and “Bad”. But it shirks the controversies that dogged the music star in his later years – when he was accused of child molestation, something he always denied. Originally expected a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350859/michael-movie-review-michael-jackson-biopic-features-all-hits-none-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350859/michael-movie-review-michael-jackson-biopic-features-all-hits-none-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:00:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars After winning the Cristal for a Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, French filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu’s directorial debut Arco went on to be nominated at every major awards ceremony this past season, only to be eclipsed by Netflix’s cultural juggernaut, KPop Demon Hunters. While the latter’s success is undeniable, Arco is more than worthy of recognition, emerging as a charming and delicately handled sci-fi fable with a powerful ecological message. In the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349216/arco-movie-review-annecy-cristal-winner-peter-pan-esque-sci-fi-tale-our-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349216/arco-movie-review-annecy-cristal-winner-peter-pan-esque-sci-fi-tale-our-times?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars Shifting gears between careers as a writer, entrepreneur, rally driver and filmmaker, post-80s poster boy Han Han adds another accolade to his cluttered trophy cabinet, scoring the biggest hit of 2026 so far with the motor-racing sequel Pegasus 3. Having clocked up more than 4.3 billion yuan (US$625 million) at China’s box office since its Chinese New Year release, the blockbuster sequel finally brings the continuing exploits of former champion Zhang Chi (Shen Teng) roaring into Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349140/pegasus-3-movie-review-shen-teng-roars-back-han-hans-blockbuster-racing-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349140/pegasus-3-movie-review-shen-teng-roars-back-han-hans-blockbuster-racing-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars A bus blast on Valentine’s Day in 1998 that killed 16 and injured dozens in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei province, provides the blueprint for We’re Nothing at All, a trenchant drama that marks a rare rekindling of Herman Yau Lai-to’s passion for socially conscious storytelling after the veteran Hong Kong filmmaker’s mostly bombastic action blockbusters over the past decade. Anchored by visceral performances from a pair of singer-actors, who play the misanthropic gay couple at the heart of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348613/were-nothing-all-movie-review-herman-yaus-grim-social-critique-too-heavy-handed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348613/were-nothing-all-movie-review-herman-yaus-grim-social-critique-too-heavy-handed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2/5 stars It will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Nintendo’s crown jewels, those lovable plumbers Mario and Luigi, are back. The Super Mario Bros Movie was a staggering hit in 2023, grossing US$1.36 billion and showing just how beloved these video game icons really are. Now comes the inevitable sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Loosely inspired by the 2007 video game Super Mario Galaxy and its 2010 follow-up, the film takes us back to the hallucinogenic Mushroom Kingdom and its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348483/super-mario-galaxy-movie-review-nintendo-sequel-looks-great-lacks-laughs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348483/super-mario-galaxy-movie-review-nintendo-sequel-looks-great-lacks-laughs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:00:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars The Russian city of Vladivostok provides the setting for Humint, the latest globe-trotting thriller from South Korean action specialist Ryoo Seung-wan. Set in the high-stakes world of international espionage, the film features Zo In-sung (Escape from Mogadishu) and Park Jeong-min (Uprising) as agents from South and North Korea, respectively, who attempt to foil a human trafficking ring. After opening in South Korean cinemas during the Lunar New Year holiday, Humint launches globally... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:00:09 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3.5/5 stars In a strange quirk of scheduling, They Will Kill You opens in the same week as Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Both are films about estranged sisters reunited and fighting for their lives as they are hunted by a group of murderous perpetrators looking to make a satanic sacrifice. Without a doubt, They Will Kill You is bloodier and funnier, easily leaving its rival in the dust. Zazie Beetz stars as Asia Reaves, an ex-con with a bleak past. After shooting her abusive father dead and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347659/they-will-kill-you-movie-review-zazie-beetz-leads-delicious-slice-midnight-madness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347659/they-will-kill-you-movie-review-zazie-beetz-leads-delicious-slice-midnight-madness?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:09 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2/5 stars Ready or Not injected some freshness into the horror genre back in 2019. Samara Weaving was terrific as Grace, the sacrificial spouse who survives a deadly game of hide-and-seek with her Satan-worshipping in-laws. Unfortunately, the sequel feels stale by comparison. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a follow-up devoid of original ideas and too reliant on bone-crunching violence. Picking up directly after the events of the original, with dead bodies aplenty, the story finds Grace in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347529/ready-or-not-2-here-i-come-movie-review-elijah-wood-joins-samara-weaving-gory-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347529/ready-or-not-2-here-i-come-movie-review-elijah-wood-joins-samara-weaving-gory-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 4/5 stars Life rarely turns out the way one may have hoped – that is the core idea behind Ciao UFO. The engrossing drama takes a sci-fi-tinged urban legend as its launch pad for a nostalgic trip through instantly recognisable scenes from recent Hong Kong history, as experienced by three former childhood friends who find their dreams slipping away as adults. Having premiered at the 2019 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, this delicate tale of longing and regret by director Patrick Leung Pak-kin... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347002/ciao-ufo-movie-review-charlene-choi-leads-nostalgic-trip-through-recent-hong-kong-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347002/ciao-ufo-movie-review-charlene-choi-leads-nostalgic-trip-through-recent-hong-kong-history?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:20:31 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3/5 stars One of the most beguiling aspects of Gamer Girls is that it never acknowledges its characters’ gaming addiction for what it is. Too distracted by the craving for just one more match to function at your day job? Never mind. Needing to grind out another 500 hours of playtime within weeks to qualify for tournament selection? No problem. Despite its casual treatment of the gruelling, burnout-inducing realities of esports, and its light-touch approach to the toxic misogyny that often... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346211/gamer-girls-movie-review-angela-yuen-leads-ensemble-beguiling-hong-kong-esports-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346211/gamer-girls-movie-review-angela-yuen-leads-ensemble-beguiling-hong-kong-esports-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2/5 stars Ryan Gosling flies almost entirely solo in Project Hail Mary, a disappointingly derivative sci-fi mash-up of Interstellar, The Martian and Tom Hanks’ desert island drama Cast Away. Gosling plays former teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spacecraft. Coming out of years of stasis, he is bleary-eyed and disoriented. With his two fellow crew members dead, he must figure out why he is on board. Gradually, flashbacks reveal the truth: the sun is being attacked by an organism and, within... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345942/project-hail-mary-movie-review-ryan-gosling-stranded-disappointing-martian-clone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345942/project-hail-mary-movie-review-ryan-gosling-stranded-disappointing-martian-clone?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3/5 stars Macau filmmaker Tracy Choi Ian-sin revisits the tender, nostalgic tone of her directorial debut, Sisterhood (2016), for this semi-autobiographical lesbian drama. Girlfriends charts a young woman’s coming-of-age experience and ongoing quest to find her place in the world through three episodes from separate periods of her life, unfolding in reverse chronological order and under different names. It opens in 2024 Hong Kong, where the Macau-born director Lok (Fish Liew Chi-yu) has been... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345395/girlfriends-movie-review-fish-liew-and-jennifer-yu-reunite-tender-lesbian-romance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345395/girlfriends-movie-review-fish-liew-and-jennifer-yu-reunite-tender-lesbian-romance?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2/5 stars Viewers who like their cops-and-robbers thrillers loud, frenetic and illogical are in for a blast – along with car chases, bruising one-on-one fights and all too many extended shoot-outs – with Ultimate Revenge, an unabashedly derivative addition to Hong Kong’s once-feted action cinema tradition. While its gritty approach to action might excite diehard fans of the genre, this latest effort by emerging director Terry Ng Ka-wai (The Unwavering Brotherhood, 2024) has presumably blown most... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345268/ultimate-revenge-movie-review-hong-kong-police-and-robbers-drama-all-brawn-and-no-brains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345268/ultimate-revenge-movie-review-hong-kong-police-and-robbers-drama-all-brawn-and-no-brains?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4/5 stars Bounding into cinemas just in time for spring, the latest Pixar animation is a pleasingly charming tale of man vs nature, with a bit of crazy robot tech thrown in. The star of Hoppers is Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a young animal-lover leading a one-girl protest over a freeway being built through the tranquil countryside near her hometown of Beaverton. Because the freeway is the pet project of the town’s popular mayor, Jerry (Jon Hamm), who is vying for re-election, Mabel’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345126/hoppers-movie-review-pixars-new-animation-hilarious-heartfelt-animal-avatar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345126/hoppers-movie-review-pixars-new-animation-hilarious-heartfelt-animal-avatar?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:00:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Produced under the guidance of China’s Ministry of State Security, Zhang Yimou’s hi-tech spy thriller Scare Out is the first contemporary Chinese film to tackle the issue of national security head-on. Slickly executed but narratively muddled, it stars Jackson Yee and Zhu Yilong as security agents who, while on the trail of stolen military secrets, learn there is a mole operating within their own unit. Shooting on location in the newly modernised metropolis of Shenzhen, Zhang seizes the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344534/scare-out-movie-review-zhang-yimou-tackles-national-security-chinese-spy-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344534/scare-out-movie-review-zhang-yimou-tackles-national-security-chinese-spy-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Few events in life are more stressful than planning your wedding day given the myriad details and complexities to consider, from simple logistics to traditions, superstitions and even financial expectations. Hosting two ceremonies simultaneously might seem foolish, but to attempt to keep each one secret from the other, while being the centre of attention at both, could drive any bride and groom to the brink of madness. Yet this is precisely the outrageous premise of Double Happiness,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344313/double-happiness-movie-review-liu-kuan-ting-jennifer-yu-delight-clever-wedding-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344313/double-happiness-movie-review-liu-kuan-ting-jennifer-yu-delight-clever-wedding-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2.5/5 stars Premiering in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, Japanese anime A New Dawn is a strange beast indeed. By turns baffling and beguiling, the 76-minute miniature blends issues of climate change and the cosmos, wrapping them up in a generational story that even touches on the pervasive powers of social media. Imaginative though it may be, whether the film is suitable for children or teenagers – despite the youth of the characters – is open to debate. Set in rural... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343958/berlin-2026-new-dawn-movie-review-climate-crisis-meets-fireworks-confusing-anime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343958/berlin-2026-new-dawn-movie-review-climate-crisis-meets-fireworks-confusing-anime?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3.5/5 stars Fans of Chinese-language martial arts movies could hardly have asked for a more satisfying revival than this ferocious wuxia epic, directed by the legendary Yuen Woo-ping (Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy) and anchored by a visceral turn from superstar Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior 2) as a master swordsman haunted by his past. Adapted from a popular Chinese comics series of the same name by a quartet of screenwriters, Blades of the Guardians is, as expected, crammed with so many semi-developed... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343820/blades-guardians-movie-review-wu-jing-leads-star-studded-chinese-martial-arts-epic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343820/blades-guardians-movie-review-wu-jing-leads-star-studded-chinese-martial-arts-epic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 09:01:18 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars It has been just over a year since Jackie Chan unleashed upon us the execrable ordeal that was Panda Plan, an abysmal family-focused caper centring on his efforts to save a shoddily rendered CGI panda from a gang of incompetent terrorists. Since then, the 71-year-old action star has stumbled into a surprisingly rich vein of form, with Karate Kid: Legends, The Shadow’s Edge and Unexpected Family all outshining much of his recent output. Continuing this unexpected trend, Panda Plan: The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343714/panda-plan-magical-tribe-movie-review-jackie-chan-delivers-wholesome-family-fun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343714/panda-plan-magical-tribe-movie-review-jackie-chan-delivers-wholesome-family-fun?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4/5 stars Following his lacklustre English-language debut Drift (2023) starring Cynthia Erivo, filmmaker Anthony Chen returns to Singapore for the sprawling, surprising and spot on drama, We Are All Strangers. Playing in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, it completes Chen’s “Growing Up” trilogy that began with his debut, Ilo Ilo (2013), which won the Caméra d’Or award at that year’s Cannes, and continued with Wet Season (2019) – a trio of films that, he has stated, reflects... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343664/berlin-2026-we-are-all-strangers-movie-review-epic-look-fatherhood-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343664/berlin-2026-we-are-all-strangers-movie-review-epic-look-fatherhood-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:15:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3/5 stars You cannot blame Jack Ng Wai-lun for trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice. The veteran screenwriter made history as the first Hong Kong filmmaker to gross over HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) locally – with his directorial debut, A Guilty Conscience (2023) – and the temptation for an encore must have been irresistible. Ng’s strategy is to revisit the golden formula of his previous hit. He once again depicts Dayo Wong Tsz-wah as a slick professional losing his footing in a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343732/night-king-movie-review-dayo-wong-sammi-cheng-lead-enjoyably-fluffy-nightclub-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343732/night-king-movie-review-dayo-wong-sammi-cheng-lead-enjoyably-fluffy-nightclub-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:12:59 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3.5/5 stars A botched attempt to purchase a Mark Six ticket with the winning numbers snowballs into an emotional journey for a working-class family in The Snowball on a Sunny Day. Part sweet tear-jerker, part love letter to Hong Kong cinema and the craft of filmmaking, this Lunar New Year offering reveals an unexpectedly whimsical side of the writer-director Philip Yung Tsz-kwong. A radical departure from the gritty crime dramas that define his award-winning oeuvre to date (Papa, Port of Call),... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343193/snowball-sunny-day-movie-review-family-comedy-doubles-love-letter-cinema?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343193/snowball-sunny-day-movie-review-family-comedy-doubles-love-letter-cinema?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4/5 stars Released in time for Valentine’s Day, Emerald Fennell’s third film is being launched among a blitzkrieg of hype, focusing on Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, its highly photogenic stars. Usually, that is enough to make you wary. But Fennell’s take on Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights has the substance to back it up. Beautifully costumed, designed, shot and performed, the film is an impeccably made tale of doomed lovers, one that will bring a tear to the eye. Following... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342911/wuthering-heights-movie-review-margot-robbie-and-jacob-elordi-sizzle-modern-moorcore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342911/wuthering-heights-movie-review-margot-robbie-and-jacob-elordi-sizzle-modern-moorcore?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:00:19 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars The 91st feature film from veteran Japanese director Yoji Yamada is a typically nostalgic affair, in which screen icon Chieko Baisho plays an elderly woman who bonds with her taxi driver (Takuya Kimura) while reminiscing about her eventful life. A remake of the 2022 French film Driving Madeleine, this beautifully pitched drama was produced as part of Shochiku Studios’ 130th anniversary celebrations. Baisho, a prolific singer and actress who has appeared in well over a hundred films,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342354/tokyo-taxi-movie-review-takuya-kimura-and-chieko-baisho-star-moving-yoji-yamada-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342354/tokyo-taxi-movie-review-takuya-kimura-and-chieko-baisho-star-moving-yoji-yamada-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:15:37 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars A young woman is forced to live the last day of her life on repeat in the animated sci-fi thriller All You Need Is Kill, which is adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 light novel, best known as the inspiration for the Tom Cruise action film Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Marking the feature directing debut of Kenichiro Akimoto, All You Need Is Kill unfolds in the wake of an alien invasion. It follows a plucky heroine who must hone her combat skills and study the otherworldly aggressors... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342213/all-you-need-kill-movie-review-japanese-novel-behind-edge-tomorrow-gets-animated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342213/all-you-need-kill-movie-review-japanese-novel-behind-edge-tomorrow-gets-animated?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:15:36 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3/5 stars When Sam Raimi smashes the glass ceiling, you know that shards of blood-splattered glass are going to come raining down. The director may be best known for his Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire, but he began his career with the Evil Dead films and returned to horror in 2009 with Drag Me to Hell. His latest work, Send Help, is not strictly in the realm of the supernatural, but there are moments where he cannot resist a jump scare or two. Rachel McAdams plays Linda Liddle, a geeky... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341198/send-help-movie-review-rachel-mcadams-leads-sam-raimis-bloody-island-survival-satire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341198/send-help-movie-review-rachel-mcadams-leads-sam-raimis-bloody-island-survival-satire?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:00:10 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars In the wartime action drama Gezhi Town, set in a remote mountainous region of China, a group of desperate commoners and untrained soldiers band together to fend off a platoon of heavily armed Japanese forces . By championing the heroism and sacrifices of ordinary civilians, and shifting focus away from patriotic rhetoric to intimate character dynamics, the film proves surprisingly entertaining. The increasingly ubiquitous Peng Yuchang, who can also be seen on Hong Kong screens right... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341252/gezhi-town-movie-review-chinese-war-drama-xiao-zhan-dares-entertain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341252/gezhi-town-movie-review-chinese-war-drama-xiao-zhan-dares-entertain?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:15:09 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3/5 stars Chris Pratt stars in this slice of AI hokum set in a near-future world where defendants face a virtual judge, jury and executioner, all rolled into one. Set in Los Angeles in 2029, the film follows Detective Chris Raven (Pratt), an early adopter of Mercy – a fully autonomous courtroom and the ultimate crime deterrent. However, he is the one facing the death penalty, after his wife was found murdered in their home, with just 90 minutes to clear his name before the chair he is strapped... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340627/mercy-movie-review-chris-pratt-battles-virtual-judge-flawed-ai-courtroom-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340627/mercy-movie-review-chris-pratt-battles-virtual-judge-flawed-ai-courtroom-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:00:11 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars A rabid chimpanzee runs rampant through a secluded Hawaiian mansion in the no-frills gorefest Primate. Set almost entirely within the confines of a palatial private estate built into a sheer rock face, the latest animal-attack film from 47 Meters Down director Johannes Roberts knows precisely how to appease the bloodthirsty horror crowd. Unleashing 89 minutes of gooey, gnarly action, propped up by the flimsiest of narratives and the bare minimum of character development, Primate... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340400/primate-movie-review-47-meters-down-director-back-bloody-killer-ape-slasher?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340400/primate-movie-review-47-meters-down-director-back-bloody-killer-ape-slasher?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 13:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars Jackie Chan strives to paint himself as a respectable father figure yet again in his new comedy drama Unexpected Family, playing an elderly man struggling with Alzheimer’s disease who mistakes a young loner for his own estranged son. Short on action but long on ham-fisted life lessons, the debut feature from writer-director Li Taiyan – credited simply as “Tai” – seems tailor-made for the Chinese holiday season, with its fast-paced blend of slapstick humour, domestic squabbles and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339862/unexpected-family-movie-review-jackie-chan-trades-kicks-tears-sentimental-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339862/unexpected-family-movie-review-jackie-chan-trades-kicks-tears-sentimental-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 02:47:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars The Hong Kong diaspora in Canada is subjected to an exercise in classic miserabilism in Finch & Midland, a delicately acted but loosely scripted portrait of ageing and loneliness that revolves around the uniformly depressing lives of four immigrants who arrived in the 1990s. Although the title references a Toronto intersection synonymous with the city’s Hong Kong community, this character drama – the first feature of Canada-born writer-director Timothy Yeung – shows scant interest in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339815/finch-midland-movie-review-anthony-wong-and-patrick-tam-cant-save-grim-diaspora-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339815/finch-midland-movie-review-anthony-wong-and-patrick-tam-cant-save-grim-diaspora-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 07:30:14 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4/5 stars Shot virtually back-to-back with 28 Years Later, last year’s hit revival of the zombie horror franchise that began with 2002’s 28 Days Later, this stomach-churning sequel is a deeply unsettling ride, although not for the reasons you might think. Here, the enemy is not those infected with the so-called Rage virus. Rather, the true threat comes from the uninfected – those left to survive who have lost their moral compass. Picking up immediately where the previous film ended, The Bone... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339724/28-years-later-bone-temple-movie-review-ralph-fiennes-leads-savage-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339724/28-years-later-bone-temple-movie-review-ralph-fiennes-leads-savage-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 21:00:12 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3/5 stars The terrible burden of grief is laid bare in The Thing with Feathers, a gloomy but undeniably touching drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The celebrated source is Max Porter’s prize-winning 2015 debut novella, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, which was previously turned into a play by Enda Walsh that Cillian Murphy headlined in 2019 at London’s Barbican. Here, the story is adapted by Dylan Southern, a first-time feature director whose previous work includes No Distance Left to Run... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338911/thing-feathers-movie-review-benedict-cumberbatch-carries-moving-tale-grief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338911/thing-feathers-movie-review-benedict-cumberbatch-carries-moving-tale-grief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:15:09 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3/5 stars A film does not need to be a masterpiece to become a megahit, provided it strikes the perfect chord. Few contemporary Hong Kong releases prove this better than Back to the Past, a subpar historical sci-fi fantasy that is saved – and arguably even transcended – by the potent wave of nostalgia it inspires in its target audience. An effects-driven action adventure that picks up where the 2001 TVB drama series A Step into the Past left off, this long-gestating sequel co-directed by Ng... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338164/back-past-movie-review-louis-koo-raymond-lam-lead-nostalgic-sequel-tvb-series?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338164/back-past-movie-review-louis-koo-raymond-lam-lead-nostalgic-sequel-tvb-series?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:00:08 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3.5/5 stars The prospect of Pass and Goal is not immediately appealing. A football-themed comedy with an old-fashioned premise about staying true to oneself, it features a modest cast that includes several inexperienced child actors and is directed by the filmmaker behind abysmal comedies like Lucky Fat Man (2017) and Love Detective (2015). Yet, to echo a key message from Jil Wong Pak-kei’s latest film, a match is seldom won or lost in the first half. And so it proves here, as this feel-good,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337075/pass-and-goal-movie-review-gigi-leung-leads-wholesome-football-themed-family-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337075/pass-and-goal-movie-review-gigi-leung-leads-wholesome-football-themed-family-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 09:40:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars Two years after its premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival, first-time director Chen Shizhong’s rural drama Good Autumn, Mommy finally makes it to Hong Kong screens, arriving at an auspicious time for leading lady Shu Qi. The year 2025 has proven to be a banner one for the beloved Taiwanese actress, who earlier made her directorial debut with the semi-autobiographical Girl. She also starred in Bi Gan’s ambitious avant-garde epic, Resurrection, as well as spearheading the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336637/good-autumn-mommy-movie-review-shu-qi-anchors-gritty-chinese-rural-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336637/good-autumn-mommy-movie-review-shu-qi-anchors-gritty-chinese-rural-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 10:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4/5 stars James Cameron is back, and so is Pandora. The director’s 2009 megahit Avatar and its 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way of Water remain two of the highest-grossing films of all time, both gargantuan 3D-rendered sci-fi epics that transport audiences to the forests and oceans of a faraway planet. How you will react to Avatar: Fire and Ash (also known as Avatar 3) is very much dependent on your feelings towards its predecessors. In this beautiful bioluminescent land that is a wonder of visual... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336567/avatar-fire-and-ash-movie-review-stunning-visuals-carry-breathless-third-instalment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336567/avatar-fire-and-ash-movie-review-stunning-visuals-carry-breathless-third-instalment?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:00:18 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4/5 stars Winner of the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, the latest film by All the Long Nights director Sho Miyake is a beautifully staged and delicately poised rumination on the parallels between writing and travel. Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung stars as Li, a screenwriter living in Japan, who is searching for inspiration for her latest project. The perpetual clash between her desire for solitude and sense of isolation in a foreign land both fuels her own writing and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336476/two-seasons-two-strangers-movie-review-sho-miyakes-hypnotic-ode-writing-and-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:15:08 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars Under Current is a quintessential example of the Hong Kong crime film in its present, transitional state. While it paints a mostly watchable portrait of greed and corruption, the film’s story also happens to be thoroughly detached from reality – music to the ears of censors, perhaps. Directed by Alan Mak Siu-fai (Infernal Affairs) from a screenplay he co-scripted with Lam Fung, this thematic follow-up to Mak’s 2019 anti-corruption drama Integrity again takes a distinctly convoluted... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335349/under-current-movie-review-aaron-kwok-francis-ng-seek-justice-fun-silly-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335349/under-current-movie-review-aaron-kwok-francis-ng-seek-justice-fun-silly-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 10:15:09 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars As one of the most handsome faces to emerge from Hong Kong’s latest generation of film actors, Jeffrey Ngai Tsun-sang’s ascent to a leading role was inevitable. After playing several supporting parts, including two rather silly ones (in the comedies Everything Under Control and Table for Six 2), he is finally getting the chance. Road to Vendetta, a violent, John Wick-inspired action thriller co-produced by Hong Kong and Japan, delivers as a pop idol vehicle with its ample visual... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334515/road-vendetta-movie-review-jeffrey-ngai-plays-assassin-illogical-lead-role-debut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334515/road-vendetta-movie-review-jeffrey-ngai-plays-assassin-illogical-lead-role-debut?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3.5/5 stars It would be fair to say that Zootopia was a surprise hit. The 2016 Walt Disney animation grossed over US$1 billion at the box office and won an Academy Award, making stars of its animal protagonists – the rabbit police officer Judy Hopps and the con-artist fox Nick Wilde. Now they’re back for Zootopia 2, a fun, if formulaic, follow-up that plunges us back into this urban jungle populated solely by animals. Now partners at the ZPD, Nick (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy (Ginnifer... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334029/zootopia-2-movie-review-disneys-formulaic-animated-sequel-delights-visual-wit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334029/zootopia-2-movie-review-disneys-formulaic-animated-sequel-delights-visual-wit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 17:00:12 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3/5 stars Even with just two films under her belt, Tam Wai-ching may already be the closest thing to an emerging auteur that Hong Kong cinema has to offer – for better or for worse. Seven years after her debut, In Your Dreams, Tam returns with another sensual critique of societal norms. Her first film, an unabashedly artful drama, holds the dubious distinction of being the lowest-grossing title in the first decade of the government’s First Feature Film Initiative. Her latest effort may face a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334079/someone-me-movie-review-fish-liew-stars-disabled-woman-hoping-experience-sex?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334079/someone-me-movie-review-fish-liew-stars-disabled-woman-hoping-experience-sex?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:15:09 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3/5 stars It has been a bizarre few years for Hong Kong cinema, with the Covid-19 pandemic warping its film release schedule and causing long-announced projects to re-emerge like tectonic artefacts from an alternate timeline. Golden Boy is the latest case in point. The film, a mildly entertaining boxing drama anchored by an eye-catching central performance, was first earmarked to kick-start the then-stuttering career of Louis Cheung Kai-chung years earlier. As it happens, the singer-actor proves... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3333389/golden-boy-movie-review-louis-cheung-anchors-hot-blooded-yet-generic-boxing-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3333389/golden-boy-movie-review-louis-cheung-anchors-hot-blooded-yet-generic-boxing-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:15:09 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 4/5 stars Jon M. Chu’s Wicked returns for its concluding part, following the sensational box office, 10 Oscar nominations and two wins of last year’s prequel. It is hard not to predict similar results for Wicked: For Good, a dazzlingly colourful extravaganza adapted from the stage show smash and led by two powerful performances from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. While it does not quite have the novelty element of part one – or the emotional heft – Wicked: For Good is a fiercely inventive work... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3333066/wicked-good-movie-review-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivo-dazzle-part-2?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3333066/wicked-good-movie-review-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivo-dazzle-part-2?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:00:11 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars Set in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong towards the end of World War II, Against All Odds sees the attempted rescue of an American pilot intersecting with an assassination plot to eliminate a top Japanese official. Written and directed by Lau Ho-leung (Caught in Time) and boasting a mostly Hong Kong crew, this mainland-produced wartime thriller may lack the epic scale flaunted by so many of its contemporaries, but spins an entertaining yarn that should nonetheless capture the attention of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332576/against-all-odds-movie-review-plucky-hong-kong-set-wwii-thriller-punches-above-its-weight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332576/against-all-odds-movie-review-plucky-hong-kong-set-wwii-thriller-punches-above-its-weight?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 03:45:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 5/5 stars Anchored by an astonishing central performance from Ryo Yoshizawa and a fastidious devotion to the traditional art of kabuki theatre, Lee Sang-il’s sumptuous saga Kokuho emerges as the finest Japanese film of the year. Spanning five decades in the life of a celebrated onnagata – a male performer who specialises in female roles – the film chronicles the endless dedication and heart-wrenching sacrifices required to reach the pinnacle of this bewitching art form, and the toll it takes on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332265/kokuho-movie-review-ryo-yoshizawa-stuns-mesmerising-epic-japans-kabuki-theatre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332265/kokuho-movie-review-ryo-yoshizawa-stuns-mesmerising-epic-japans-kabuki-theatre?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2.5/5 stars The greatest illusion of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t was probably convincing the studio to greenlight a third movie in this forgettable series. Nine years on from Now You See Me 2, Ruben Fleischer’s action comedy introduces a brand new cast of wannabe magicians: Bosco (Dominic Sessa), June (Ariana Greenblatt) and Charlie (Justice Smith). In the opening, this trio impersonates the now-disbanded troupe of heist-pulling conjurors known as the Horsemen, redistributing crypto money... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332312/now-you-see-me-now-you-dont-movie-review-action-comedys-third-outing-needs-more-magic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332312/now-you-see-me-now-you-dont-movie-review-action-comedys-third-outing-needs-more-magic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 2/5 stars Guilt proves to be a powerful trigger for a retired bomb disposal expert in the Taiwanese action thriller 96 Minutes, when his past mistakes prove every bit as deadly as a bomb planted on board a cross-country express train. Austin Lin Po-hung stars as Kang-ren, still haunted by his failure to prevent a deadly department store bomb attack three years earlier, whose past catches up with him at high speed after attending a memorial service for the victims. Travelling back to the capital... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3330567/96-minutes-movie-review-emotions-run-high-clumsy-taiwanese-train-bomb-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3330567/96-minutes-movie-review-emotions-run-high-clumsy-taiwanese-train-bomb-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:15:10 +0000