What’s it about?
A new media letch with a poorly calibrated moral compass gets abducted. He is to be the subject of experiments to see if his humanity can be stripped from him if he is surgically transformed into a walrus.

What did we think?
Dan Beeston says: I’ve never seen a film where a fifth of the audience walked out and two fifths stayed right through the credits. This film is nothing if not divisive. Kevin Smith creates an eclectic parody of a horror film. It’s never scary but is appreciatively grotesque.

Justin Long is denied lines of dialogue as his character transforms – it’s probably a good thing as his character is neither likeable nor charismatically detestable. The Québécois detective is boring and pales in comparision to Michael Parks’ stellar performance.

Smith has re-embraced his independent beginnings and I’m glad this film exists but I think that he also needs a slightly firmer guiding hand.

What’s it about?
Nick Dunne’s wife Amy disappears suddenly one morning, with signs suggesting she has been abducted, possibly murdered. As the hunt for her begins and the story of their marriage unfolds, police and media suspicion falls on Nick.

What did we think?
Francesca Percy says: How well do you know your spouse? This is the central question of Gone Girl, based on the acclaimed novel and screenplay by Gillian Flynn, cleverly directed by David Fincher and featuring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, brilliantly cast as the central couple, too cool to be true. It’s a suspenseful treasure hunt that draws you in further with every clue, twist and revelation about Ben and Amy, from the first time they meet to the day of their fifth anniversary. Honestly, the less you know about the plot, the better. It’s thrilling, chilling, occasionally funny, and well worth your time.

What it’s about?
Vlad the Impaler (Luke Evans), prince of Transylvania, risks eternal damnation by gaining demonic superpowers in order to save his people from the invading Turkish hordes.

What did we think?
Andrew Stewart says: Action hero flick meets comic-book thriller meets PG13 horror film and it’s not a winning combination. Evans carries the film through a suspenseful but ultimately jumbled Dracula origins tale. Battle scenes don’t reach any epic heights (they’re mostly just full of bats, and not the kind you hit people with) and for a vamp story there’s not a great deal of horror here either. This one didn’t totally suck (get it? Vampires!) but it wasn’t bloody good either.

What’s it about?
An everyday insomniac turns out to be more than he seems when the scum of the earth floats to the top of his little pond. He quickly goes about adding ventilation holes to those who would do harm to the innocent in his life.

What did we think?
Dan says: This modern reimagining of the eighties TV show of the same name is a beautiful demonstration of the ‘Justice Porn’ genre of film. Denzil Washington is a calm and calculating avenging angel. Apparently invincible he separates each two dimensional bad guy from his insides on route to make calmly psychopathic speeches to his main adversary.

The film doesn’t really challenge the viewer unless the viewer’s stomach for visceral violence is weak. No big surprises but a well-made piece of cinema that would have wooed Edward Woodward if Edward Woodward could be wooed.

What’s it about?
More intertwining stories from Basin ‘sin’ City. In black and white. With OTT violence and sexual themes.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: The sequel is almost exactly the same as the first in both style and general narrative technique. In fact, while some would say it should embrace what set it apart, you’re left feeling it’s actually far too similar and instead of a fresh continuation it’s almost a rehash. It’s certainly still enjoyable but Miller and Rodrigues seem to have sacrificed the grit for some average one liners and far more two-dimensional characters.

Fans of the original will still have fun with this romp but it ends up running 20 minutes too long and there actually may be a bit too much nudity (something I thought I’d never write – but it’s probably a reflection of the sameness of it) though it has to be said Eva Green yet again steals the show. Missing sparkle.

What’s it about?
A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator. Based on the children’s novel ‘Here Be Monsters’ by Alan Snow.

What did we think?
Despite delightfully quirky animation and a genuinely rich story the Boxtrolls is an odd film. It’s a bit too scary for kids under six and anyone over 14 would be left feeling it’s too much of a kids movie. That’s quite a small niche market and the movie would have been stronger if they’d committed to either adults or kids.

The storyline is flat, the creatures are only sort of loveable and while the animation is a marvel its dirty feel isn’t quite appealing. The movie is itself like a cardboard box – so much potential until you open it and discover there wasn’t much in it.