What’s it about?
The ‘big one’ – the overdue earthquake that has threatened California for over 100 years – finally hits. Cue special effects. And The Rock.

What did we think?
I grew up on disaster movies (Towering Inferno is seared into my brain) so have a special place in my heart for them. So I enjoy Hollywood revisiting them every few years despite the fact that most of them are quite poor. But there’s still something ‘fun’ about watching mayhem and carnage on the big screen and for special effects San Andreas is incredible despite the fact you’ve seen most of the best ones in the trailer. The rippling of the earth is almost worth the price of the ticket alone although how they spend so much on FX and still have have one of the worst photoshopped family pictures is beyond me. Plotwise it’s incredibly predictable and the fact a decorated war hero stole a government helicopter to save two family members over the thousands of people he is paid to save is completely overlooked. The science is woeful (don’t start me on the tsunami) and the aftermath is heavily sanitised. I still enjoyed it as a mindless popcorn movie but my wait for a new smart disaster flick continues.

What’s it about?
A headstrong teenage science enthusiast (Britt Robertson) teams up with a bitter inventor (George Clooney) to re-enter a trans-dimensional utopia and save the world from destruction.

What did we think?
Director Brad Bird has made dazzlingly fun movies such as The Incredibles and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and while Tomorrowland isn’t as good as his past work, it’s definitely in the same spirit. The visuals are very creative, and the main characters are endearing, with Robertson being an especially lively presence. The plot (co-written with Lost and Prometheus writer Damon Lindelof) is a bit hard to follow and sort of unsatisfying, but it’s still charming enough to be worth the ride.

What’s it about?
An Austrian woman born into privilege has her life overturned by a political revolt that targets the bourgeois but then rapidly spins into the systematic destruction of entire creeds. In an attempt to reconnect with those she has lost in the past she commits to reclaiming an important and valuable painting that was stolen from her family.

What did we think?
Dan says: This is a film that tries to stand on the emotional shoulders of the horrific acts of World War 2. If you have a strong connection to the tale this may well be enough to ignore the haphazard story-telling and scattershot tonal shifts.

Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds spend over two hours telling of the emotional weight and not enough time showing it. If you’re going to tell a true story that’s important, find the important parts of it to tell.

What’s it about?
When a little girl is stolen away by malevolent spirits, her family must band together to rescue her.

What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: This remake of the 1982 film has all the modern bells and whistles you’d expect, with computer-generated effects and new technology being used to try to ramp up the spook factor. The cast, including Sam Rockwell as the little girl’s father and Jared Harris as a grizzled paranormal investigator, deliver solidly amusing performances. But amusing isn’t really what horror is going for. On the whole, however, this flick is written and shot too blandly to be especially frightening or fun. Why remake a film if you can’t improve on the original?

What’s it about?
Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is a desk-bound CIA operative constantly in the ear of suave and in-the-field Bradley Fine (Jude Law). When he disappears, she gets in on the action to save the world from global disaster at the hands of a nasty Russian arms dealer.

What did we think?
Angela Young says: Let’s face it, McCarthy can do no wrong in comedy – especially when she’s permitted to swear outrageously. And there’s plenty here – it had me spitting out my drink on more than one occasion. F-bombs and even c-bombs rain down from above (some might say too many). Guffaw! The storyline’s the same American, crass crap, but it’s hilariously well done with superb one liner scattered throughout. Rose Byrne’s pretty good as a Russian bitch, and it’s fantastic to see loveable Brit Miranda Hart playing her typical endearing role. Allison Janney as the boss is a genius stroke of casting, too. Explosive laughs out loud virtually guaranteed.

What’s it about?
In this Oscar-nominated anthology of six darkly funny short stories, ordinary people carry out violent acts of revenge.

What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: Szifrón has created a compelling feature-length experience out of very different and surprising short films. Each one steadily increases in length and scale, but is also completely self-contained, so the whole film flies by but you’ll be picking your favourites as you leave the theatre. It’s a fun, classy and bloody affair that you should go into knowing as little about as possible.

What’s it about?
Max escapes a post-apocalyptic cult and ends up unlikely allies with a group of fellow escapees. Explosions and car chases ensue.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Gloriously insane or  insanely glorious? To be honest it’s both. I am gobsmacked. In a quite simplistic plot, Miller has taken some huge risks but they have all paid off. Females who are strong characters in their own right. Over-the-top interpretations of religion and in-movie soundtrack guitars and drums. Very little dialogue. Any and all of these could have gone wrong but it’s all part of an escalation of action and adrenalin that leaves you breathless. It’s brutal, unrelenting and so much fun. Are there some problems? Yes. Do I care? No.

If all movies were like this I would never sleep again.

What’s it about?
On VE night, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret actually managed to escape Buckingham Palace for a night of incognito celebration.  A Royal Night Out tells how the evening might have unfolded.

What did we think?
Amy Currie says:  Too soon.  No, really.  I’m embarrassingly fond of the Queen, and I hope she lives forever.  On the offchance that she doesn’t, though, they should remake this film in about 30 years.  Perhaps then they could actually commit to a silly, caricatured romp instead of a confused series of mishaps surrounding a saintly, duty-bound Princess entirely devoid of character flaw.  It’s certainly a fun premise, but the painfully respectful depiction of Her Maj just doesn’t gel with the otherwise broad-strokes approach.  It’s ridiculously incongruous – Princess Margaret (Bel Powley, an absolute standout) is mistaken for a prostitute and bundled into a wheelbarrow, but when Elizabeth chastely kisses a new friend goodbye the camera discretely pans away as if director Julian Jarrold was afraid of being hung for treason.  Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) does her best with what she’s given, but A Royal Night Out would have been miles better for a little affectionate teasing.