Five star - Latest Top Rated Film Reviews from the Guardian

Ordinary Love review – Manville and Neeson excel in joyous heartbreaker
Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson are note-perfect in Owen McCafferty’s profoundly moving drama - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
So Long, My Son review – a gorgeous, melancholy masterpiece
Three decades of Chinese history are told through the lives of two couples linked by tragedy - Wendy Ide
So Long, My Son review – exquisite, agonising Chinese family saga
The epic story of two married couples enduring personal tragedy and state-imposed suffering is an almost unbearably poignant, profound masterpiece - Peter Bradshaw
1917 review – Sam Mendes turns western front horror into a single-shot masterpiece
This phantasmagoric first world war nightmare from the British director is ambitious and unshakeable storytelling - Peter Bradshaw
Little Women review – sisters are writin' it for themselves in Greta Gerwig's festive treat
Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson head a terrific all-star cast in a wonderfully warm, funny and heartfelt version of Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age classic - Peter Bradshaw
Marriage Story review – Noah Baumbach’s best film yet
Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver excel in Baumbach’s bittersweet heartbreaker - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
Marriage Story review – everything you always wanted to know about divorce
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are terrific as a couple facing the awful aftermath of their relationship in Noah Baumbach’s heartfelt drama - Peter Bradshaw
Honey Boy review – painful honesty from Shia LaBeouf
An effectively raw account of the maverick actor’s dysfunctional upbringing - Wendy Ide
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg review – delightful Deneuve reigns supreme
Catherine Deneuve brings an unworldly, subtly erotic charm to Jacques Demy’s rereleased pastel rainbow of a musical - Peter Bradshaw
Gremlins review – Spielbergian satire still has bite
Like some evil twin of its producer’s earlier film ET, this sharp and wacky 1984 kids’ horror movie makes fun of American materialism and Christmastime commercialism - Peter Bradshaw
The Cave review – horror and hope in a Syrian hospital battered by war
This powerful, immensely moving documentary follows the courageous medical staff who must treat injured children as bombs fall around them - Cath Clarke
Honey Boy review – the Shia LaBeouf renaissance begins here
LaBeouf writes and co-stars in this heartfelt, well-performed film based on his own personal history as a troubled young actor and addict - Peter Bradshaw
Buddies review – poignant return to the dawn of HIV
A gay New Yorker is spurred to befriend a hospital patient who has Aids in this heartbreaking rereleased drama from 1985 - Leslie Felperin
Human Nature review – quiet revolution that began in a yoghurt pot
An engrossing documentary about Crispr, a breakthrough in molecular biology with enormous implications for treating genetic diseases - Peter Bradshaw
The Street review – poignant stroll through a disappearing world
The human cost of unfettered gentrification - Wendy Ide
Knives Out review – a deliciously entertaining whodunnit
Rian Johnson’s homage to Agatha Christie delivers laughs, twists and thrills with aplomb - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
The Nightingale review – a whole new level of horror from Babadook director
A young Irish ex-convict seeking retribution joins forces with an aboriginal tracker in Jennifer Kent’s harrowing drama set in 19th-century Tasmania - Wendy Ide
Eyes Wide Shut review – chilling secrecy, quaintly soft-porn sex
Stanley Kubrick’s last film, starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise as a warring, sexually obsessed couple, is fascinating and disquieting - Peter Bradshaw
The Nightingale review – gut-churning colonial rape-revenge drama
In Jennifer Kent’s follow-up to The Babadook, set in 19th-century Tasmania, an Irishwoman seeks payback after being brutally gang-raped by British troops - Peter Bradshaw
The Dirty War on the National Health Service review – fierce and necessary diatribe
John Pilger’s passionate film addresses threats to the NHS, from the burgeoning presence of private healthcare companies to the invasion of bureaucrats - Peter Bradshaw
Shooting the Mafia review – heroic photographer who exposed Italy's nightmare
The shocking, transgressive images of dead bodies shot by photojournalist Letizia Battaglia are the stars of this revealing documentary - Peter Bradshaw
The Street review – quietly enraging portrait of Hoxton lives on the brink
Zed Nelson’s powerful documentary focuses on an east London street reeling from the advance of craft beer shops, art galleries and property developers - Cath Clarke
21 Bridges review – a pulpy crowd-pleaser
Chadwick Boseman oozes charisma as a New York detective on the trail of cop killers - Simran Hans
Blue Story review – south London boys in the hood
Two friends from rival postcodes are caught in a feud in this familiar but convincing tale of corrupted innocence - Simran Hans
I Lost My Body review – hand on heart, you’ll love this…
A disembodied hand searches for its former owner in this haunting French gem that signals the arrival of a major new talent in animation - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
Harriet review – thrilling drama about the abolitionist Harriet Tubman
Cynthia Erivo stars in this belated but thrilling biopic of the abolitionist Harriet Tubman - Simran Hans
Frozen II review – magical journey into the unknown with Elsa and Anna
Disney sequel touches on climate change and boasts at least one great song - Simran Hans
Tommy review – Ken Russell's mad rock opera pinballs back into cinemas
Russell’s adaptation of the Who’s concept album about a blind pinball wizard is a fascinating time capsule featuring Oliver Reed, Elton John, Jack Nicholson, Tina Turner and Eric Clapton - Peter Bradshaw
The Amber Light review – warming treatise on whisky's liquid gold
This agreeable documentary combines the social history of drinking whisky with a tour of Scotland - Mike McCahill
I Lost My Body review – severed-hand animation is tenderly brilliant
The amputated appendage tries to find its beloved owner in Jérémy Clapin’s wonderful, tender movie, the most daring animation of 2019 - Cath Clarke
Judy & Punch review – brutal and brilliantly bizarre #MeToo fairytale
Mirrah Foulkes’s 17th-century-set debut feature is a mouth-puckeringly tart treatise on mob mentality and male aggression - Cath Clarke
Le Mans ‘66 review – road race biopic fires on all cylinders
Matt Damon and Christian Bale are on sparky form - Wendy Ide
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order review – the force is strong in this one
With its satisfyingly challenging lightsaber combat and on-brand recreation of the Star Wars galaxy, this is the game fans have been waiting for - Oliver Holmes
He Dreams of Giants review – Terry Gilliam's inspiring La Mancha sequel
Keith Fulton and Lou Pepe have made a compelling follow-up to their 2002 look at the disastrous production of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote - Jordan Hoffman
The Irishman review – Scorsese’s sweeping tale of crime and politics
The years roll back for De Niro, Pacino and Pesci in Scorsese’s epic tale of fading mob glamour - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
Luce review - provocative examination of race in America
A young black man is lauded by his school as a model student - Wendy Ide
The Good Liar review – Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen are irresistible
The veteran pair duel hypnotically in a mystery thriller whose occasional silliness is masked by storytelling gusto - Peter Bradshaw
Extra Ordinary review – devilishly funny exorcism horror
A driving instructor with a gift for banishing demons comes to the aid of a troubled widower in this horribly enjoyable tale - Peter Bradshaw
Motherless Brooklyn review – over-egged hardboiled noir
Edward Norton tries too hard in an atmospheric but overambitious detective thriller - Wendy Ide
The Wolf's Call review – lots of sweaty sub-on-sub action
This French mashup of Dr Strangelove and The Hunt for Red October features lots of tense silence, sweaty faces and all the other tropes of submarine movies - Peter Bradshaw
Solid Gold review – sluggish Polish crime thriller
A tough-nut ex-cop is lured back to her old job to help bring down a drug baron in this overlong and unengaging drama - Phil Hoad
The Last Right review – comfortably contrived Irish Rain Man
This Christmas homecoming story about a lawyer and his autistic brother is predictable but fits like a well-worn onesie - Mike McCahill
Undocument review – dogged journey along the migration trail
Desperate asylum-seekers confront people smugglers and border officials in this laudable but hesitant drama - Phil Hoad
Koko: A Red Dog Story review – meta-mockumentary is maddening, but hard to resist
What should be a delightful romp about a famous dog blends fact and fiction so thoroughly it may end up breaking your brain - Luke Buckmaster
Atlantics review – poetic Dakar love story
A prosaic script lets down Mati Diop’s visually arresting, ghostly first feature - Wendy Ide
Charlie’s Angels – a weaponised feminist frenzy
Slick action and genuine laughs abound in this latest franchise reboot – if you can spot them amid the hyperactive editing - Wendy Ide
The Two Popes review – Hopkins and Pryce make one holy alliance
Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce excel - Wendy Ide
Knives Out review – Daniel Craig goes Columbo in Cluedo whodunnit
Craig grills an all-star lineup of suspects when a wealthy novelist is found dead in Rian Johnson’s sharp, country-house murder mystery - Peter Bradshaw
The Party’s Just Beginning review – Karen Gillan's dark days in the depths of grief
Gillan is writer, director and star of this compelling tale of a hedonistic young woman dealing with the death of a friend - Cath Clarke
The Biggest Little Farm review – The Good Life, California style
A lovingly made documentary about a couple who move out of LA to farm the land using traditional, environmentally friendly methods - Leslie Felperin
21 Bridges review – Chadwick Boseman takes Manhattan
A New York detective pursues a deadly hunt for cop killers, in a slick crime thriller that teams the Black Panther star with a fierce Sienna Miller - Peter Bradshaw
Blue Story review – inner-city drama told with rap, rhythm and confidence
This carefully told morality story about life in the shadow of gang violence in south-east London is a strong debut for Andrew Onwubolu, AKA Rapman - Mike McCahill
Heimat Is a Space in Time review – epic journey into Germany's dark past
Thomas Heise’s four-hour documentary draws on the journals of his own family to construct a powerful, agonising history - Peter Bradshaw
Queen & Slim review – stylish lovers on the run drama is hit and miss
A first date goes horribly wrong in a visually arresting romance, starring a charismatic Daniel Kaluuya, that can’t quite make it to the finish line - Benjamin Lee
Permission review – female footballer pays penalty in Iran
The husband of a woman due to play a match abroad refuses her permission to travel in a fictionalised version of a true story - Peter Bradshaw
Dark Waters review – Mark Ruffalo v big business in enraging drama
The shocking true story of how corporate corruption infected the water of a small town is brought to the screen in a mostly effective drama from Todd Haynes - Benjamin Lee
Bilched review – coming-of-age teen dramedy with authentic attitude
19-year-old Hal Cumpston’s punchy film depicts a universe of scallywags in which the acquisition of alcohol and pot are tasks of monumental significance - Luke Buckmaster
The Amazing Johnathan Documentary review – an enjoyably shambolic doc
Benjamin Berman is hopelessly out of his depth following a death-defying, meth-addicted comedian - Wendy Ide
The Report review – claustrophobic tale of CIA interrogation failures
This fact-based thriller on a US Senate probe gets caught up in the detail - Wendy Ide
Frozen II review – a charming return but the thaw's setting in
Beloved heroine Elsa has a great new song as she heads into the enchanted forest in this funny, likable but underpowered sequel. Is it time to let her go? - Peter Bradshaw
The Report review – Adam Driver's battle to expose CIA torture
Driver stars as the real-life researcher who struggled to publish his study of ‘extreme interrogation techniques’ in this cool, dry look at the facts - Peter Bradshaw
Little Monsters review – school-trip kids teach zombies a lesson
A bunch of children led by teacher Lupita Nyong’o tackle a marauding army of the undead in this enjoyably silly zomcom - Peter Bradshaw
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil review – pulpy thriller packs a punch
A maverick cop and underworld boss join forces to catch a killer in this gripping mix of carnage and car chases in Korea - Leslie Felperin
Someone, Somewhere review – slow-burn Parisian therapy romance
The meet-cute is neatly postponed in this entertaining story of two next-door neighbours, both seeing therapists and looking for love - Cath Clarke
Gabriel review – plucky boxing story pulls its punches
The tale of a desperate young fighter in Lisbon features a soulful performance but is dogged by boxing movie cliches - Cath Clarke
Charlie's Angels review – ramshackle action reboot goes at half throttle
There’s intermittent fun to be had in this throwaway relaunch of the female secret agent franchise but the party is cut short by incoherent action and a clunky script - Benjamin Lee
Lady and the Tramp review – Disney's lovestruck dogs come to half-life
A slick, serviceable, streaming-only remake updates the technology but can’t quite recreate the magic of the 1955 original - Benjamin Lee
The Good Liar review – the unlikely couple
Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren star in a sparky drama steeped in deception - Wendy Ide
Meeting Gorbachev review – Werner Herzog pulls his punches
The great director quizzes the former USSR leader in a grandly presented documentary that fails to address the Putin question - Peter Bradshaw
Busby review – Manchester United's great manager remains an enigma
This profile of Matt Busby deals well with the horror of the Munich air disaster – but fails to reveal much about its subject - Andrew Pulver
Let It Snow review – festive Netflix teen comedy is a charming surprise
A tale of small town teens falling in and out of love on Christmas Eve hits familiar beats but thanks to a likable cast, it’s a gift that’s worth unwrapping - Benjamin Lee
Driven review – stranger-than-fiction tale of drugs and DeLoreans
Jason Sudeikis and Lee Pace star in a flashy thriller about the dealings of a drug-running FBI informant and the car-maker John DeLorean - Peter Bradshaw
2040 review – an optimist's guide to saving the world
Damon Gameau’s likable documentary charts the ways we tackle a climate emergency, from solar power to progressive farming - Peter Bradshaw
Polar Squad review – John Cleese dials it up for lukewarm anti-fracking fable
Jeremy Renner’s arctic fox takes on an evil entrepreneur in this wryly funny but politically toothless environmental tale - Leslie Felperin
Klaus review – animated arctic adventure with a warm heart
A postman despatched to a faraway frozen outpost befriends a vaguely familiar bearded toymaker in this festive origins story - Mike McCahill
After the Wedding review – soapy saga of privilege and philanthropy
Michelle Williams’s free-spirited fundraiser runs into trouble in New York society - Simran Hans
Brittany Runs a Marathon – fluffy, fudged feelgood flick
This indie film can’t quite square its transformative weight-loss narrative with its empowering intentions - Simran Hans
Lucy in the Sky review – earthbound tale of an obsessed astronaut
Natalie Portman shines but Noah Hawley’s fact-based drama lacks the right stuff - Wendy Ide
StarDog and TurboCat review – laboured time-travel animation
A canine astronaut crashes back to Earth 50 years into the future in this relentless, sentimental adventure for younger kids - Cath Clarke
The Whistleblower review – mining industry thriller stuck in a hole
This energetic, pan-Pacific adventure lurches from one exotic location to another, jettisoning logic at every turn - Mike McCahill
Invasion Planet Earth review – ludicrously ambitious low-cost sci-fi
A suburban London psychiatrist and his patients are kidnapped by aliens in this clunky, on-a-budget adventure - Leslie Felperin
The Wolf of Wall Street review – how can criminal decadence be this bland?
In this immersive show we are promised a globetrotting night of drugs and sex … but are left loitering in a living room - Kate Wyver
Proceder review – the life and crimes of a Polish rap star
This biopic of the late Tomasz Chada recreates his onstage charisma effectively but his relentless bad behaviour makes him hard to like - Leslie Felperin
Into the Mirror review – conflicted coming-out story reflects badly
This film seems unable to decide whether it is a hallucinatory exploration of queer culture or a naturalistic rite-of-passage drama - Cath Clarke
La Belle Époque review – overegged French time-travel comedy
Daniel Auteuil is a man disillusioned with life and marriage who gets a chance to go back in time in this Charlie Kaufman-lite saccharine comedy-drama - Peter Bradshaw
Cattle Hill review – udderly bewildering rock'n'roll cows
A heifer with dreams of stardom turns to her retired rock star dad for advice in this strange, candy-coloured family animation - Leslie Felperin
Here for Life review – Artangel's odd odyssey through the city streets
Part documentary, part drama, this uncompromising film blurs the boundaries between fake and real, truth and fiction - Leslie Felperin
The Amazing Johnathan Documentary review – less than amazing
The cult stage magician – who may or may not have been faking a heart condition – proves an evasive subject in this tiresome film - Peter Bradshaw
The Mandalorian review – splashy Star Wars show is a dusty disappointment
Jon Favreau’s foray into the Star Wars universe for Disney+ fails to impress in a first episode that aims to be a ‘spaghetti western in space’ - Charles Bramesco
A Dog Called Money review – PJ Harvey suffers for her art...
The singer’s visit to war zones for musical inspiration feels ill-judged - Wendy Ide
Midway review – sinks like a depth charge
Impressive aerial battle scenes haven’t a hope of rescuing this jaw-jutting, second world war tosh - Wendy Ide
Rise of the Footsoldier 4: Marbella review – another round of cheery nastiness
The fourth instalment of the franchise presents a further unedifying parade of guns, geezers and gore - Leslie Felperin
A Dog Called Money review – globetrotting PJ Harvey keeps her distance
This documentary about the making of the singer-songwriter’s album The Hope Six Demolition Project provides few insights - Cath Clarke
Midway review – a long, loud and tedious history lesson
Roland Emmerich’s version of the second world war Pacific battle is a drearily earnest monument to CGI mayhem - Cath Clarke
Luce review – hard lessons for a high-school star
In this strange and muddled drama, Octavia Spencer plays a teacher who makes an unsettling discovery about one of her pupils - Peter Bradshaw
Last Christmas review – Emma Thompson's romcom is an overstuffed turkey
An attempt to pay tribute to the music of George Michael and the fandom of Love Actually fails on both counts and at many more things along the way - Benjamin Lee
Charlie's Angels review – a pointless, unfunny, brain-deadening dud
This new reboot of the 70s TV series, with Kristen Stewart as one of the ass-kicking agents, fatally lacks style – and laughs - Peter Bradshaw
Last Christmas review – cliched festive failure
George Michael’s music is wasted in Paul Feig’s comedy of excruciating life lessons - Wendy Ide
Last Christmas review – a grisly, sub-Richard Curtis festive pudding
This shameless attempt by screenwriter Emma Thompson to siphon off the eggnog flavour from Love Actually is clunky and weird - Peter Bradshaw
Red Devil review – sex, drugs and far from droll
A lamentable dearth of laughs infects this comedy-fantasy set in a nightmarish dystopia where everyone is high on something - Leslie Felperin