What’s it about?
An escalating war between Caesar’s (Andy Serkis) apes and a renegade army colonel (Woody Harrelson) forces Caesar to choose between his desire for revenge and his quest for a better world for ape-kind.

What did we think?
Lisa Clifford says: For the first time in the new series, apes are unapologetically placed front-and-centre as protagonists, and Serkis is utterly brilliant in his third turn as the messianic ape leader. A stark and arresting study of morality in war and how it influences our actions, War for the Planet of the Apes is visually stunning with great action sequences, and a satisfying conclusion to Caesar’s story – forming an interesting bridge between the modern reboot and the original films.

What’s it about?
An intense depiction of WW2’s Battle of Dunkirk.

What did we think?
Amy Currie says: Two hours of pure tension. Dunkirk does away with preamble – there are no names, backstories or wistful talk of sweethearts back home. We barely even see the enemy. Instead, we’re plunged straight into urgent, up-close chaos. The strong performances (yes, even from that ‘one’ guy), minimal dialogue, and spectacular soundtrack moved my stoic companion to a masculine tear. See it.

What’s it about?
Charlize Theron goes bananas as an MI6 agent who investigates the death of a fellow agent in Berlin.

What did we think?
Nick says: Putting aside the possible John Wick comparisons, Atomic Blonde is driven by some truly kinetic action that won’t induce seizures, and a great performance from Charlize Theron who asserts herself as a total-badass action-movie star.

What’s it about?
Peter Parker juggles life as a teenager and wannabe Avenger. What could go wrong?

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: With great reboot comes great responsibility. So it’s quite a relief that this Marvel-Sony hybrid has successfully returned Spiderman to the MCU in a romp typical of that universe. Thankfully they left out the almost obligatory origin story (no offence Uncle Ben but we’ve seen you enough) and chose to utilise the traditional theme song (taking note Snyder/Nolan?). Sprinkle with well-written characters and a truly impressive performance from Michael Keaton and this reboot truly hits all the marks. Tom Holland captures teenage life well without becoming angsty, RDJ is simply RDJ and the action is just great fun. The only minor grumble is the AI that makes the spider suit more like Iron Man but amidst more than two hours of genuinely funny action, that’s a bit of a nitpick.

What’s it about?
A group of sheltered young ladies at a boarding school take in an injured enemy solider. Then there’s a whole lot of sexual tension, which apparently is pretty dangerous when lots of ladies and just one gent are all cooped up.

What did we think? 
Elizabeth Best says: All hail Sofia Coppola, mistress of the visceral slow burn for this tense, claustrophobic drama. The burning desires of the ladies simmer brilliantly beneath their genteel exterior, a testament to the performances of Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning. It’s like watching a masterful game of cat and mouse, with each party advancing their gameplay while trying to maintain the airs of a proper Southern lady. Politeness has never been so chilling.

What’s it about?
Really, it’s all about the music. But ostensibly it’s about a young guy who’s a demon behind the wheel stuck driving for a big-time heist boss. For him to drive at his best, his soundtrack has to be just right.

What we thought
Angela says: You don’t have to be a music nerd to appreciate the musical quality of this surprising little action-packed gem. You also don’t have to understand dance to appreciate Ryan Heffington’s outstanding choreography, seamlessly blending hops, skips, hand taps and explosions with lyrics and melody. Ansel Elgort brings a beautiful charm to Baby, getaway driver extraordinaire, while Jamie Foxx as unhinged bad guy Bats is genuinely terrifying. Jon Hamm’s Buddy is slightly OTT and Kevin Spacey’s Doc is only a monotone psychopath, nothing more, but this is a great little romp, with action, occasional belly laughs and, of course, that wonderful music.