Five star - Latest Top Rated Film Reviews from the Guardian

Lynn + Lucy review – a devastating tale of friends disunited
Two former schoolmates are turned against each other in this terrific working-class drama from debut feature director Fyzal Boulifa - Mark Kermode
Hamilton review – Broadway hit is now a breathtaking screen sensation
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical is smart, witty, funky and leaves us reflecting on America’s past and future - Arifa Akbar
Da 5 Bloods review – Spike Lee ignites a Vietnam cocktail of fire and fury
Four war veterans return to south-east Asia to confront a ghost from their past in a shocking, incendiary blend of searing satire and action-movie drama - Peter Bradshaw
Pass Over review – Spike Lee directs Antoinette Nwandu’s masterful tragedy
Lee’s 2018 film of Nwandu’s powerful play, written as a response to the shooting of Trayvon Martin, resonates after the George Floyd killing - Arifa Akbar
Wilkie Branson: TOM review – a sublime, slow-burn study of isolation
Part dance performance, part film, this solo show is a note-perfect portrayal of the all-consuming nature of loneliness - Lyndsey Winship
Relic review – a film that gorges on the terror of forgetting in a feast of dread
There are jump-scares in this creepy creaky thriller, but nothing in this film was slapped together by genre algorithm - Luke Buckmaster
Spaceship Earth review – 90s Arizona eco-experiment looks like reality TV
This absorbing documentary tracks how participants in the Biosphere 2 project lived, grew food and disagreed in giant biodomes - Peter Bradshaw
Litigante review – tender tale of private lives and public scandal
A quirk of fate pitches a professionally stressed single mother into an unlikely love affair in an affecting drama from Colombia - Peter Bradshaw
A White, White Day review – a tender Icelandic thriller
A widower and his young daughter are all at sea in Hlynur Pálmason’s existential drama - Simran Hans
Family Romance, LLC review – Werner Herzog's moving rent-a-family tale
Herzog tells the story of a Tokyo company that offers stand-ins for absent family and admirers in this thought-provoking tragicomedy shot like a documentary - Simran Hans
A White, White Day review – spiralling rage and stunning force
A recently bereaved policeman suspects a friend of adultery with his now-dead wife in this edge-of-seat psychological drama-thriller - Peter Bradshaw
Lynn + Lucy review – gruelling tragedy with a batsqueak of horror
In Fyzal Boulifa’s fiercely impressive feature debut, set on an Essex housing estate, two childhood friends try to navigate adult lives that turn toxic - Peter Bradshaw
On the Record review – #MeToo music doc is essential viewing
Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s intersectional approach to exploring sexual abuse in the music industry is candid and empathetic - Wendy Ide
The Girl With a Bracelet review – classy courtroom drama
This elegant remake, about a teenage girl accused of murder, poses intriguing questions about judgment versus justice - Wendy Ide
Carmine Street Guitars review – pure uncut music-geek erotica
Dewy-eyed chatter meets master craftsmanship in this loving behind-the-scenes look at a treasured New York emporium - Leslie Felperin
On the Record review – chilling exposé on #MeToo and the music industry
Misogyny, hip-hop culture and the silencing of women of colour are delicately unpicked in a devastating documentary - Peter Bradshaw
White Riot review – whistle-stop tour of a 70s London uprising
Rubika Shah’s spirited documentary about the Rock Against Racism movement still resonates more than 40 years later - Simran Hans
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo review – punchy portrait of a real-life tough guy
This impressive documentary traces the career of the actor who left behind a life of crime to win roles in a string of Hollywood action movies - Peter Bradshaw
The Ground Beneath My Feet review – creepy phone calls dial up the fear
An executive’s important business trip is threatened by unnerving family news in an eerie, elegant psychological drama - Peter Bradshaw
The Dead and the Others review – shimmering story of tribal culture
In this mysterious docudrama about a village in north-eastern Brazil, a young man hears the voice of his dead father at a moonlit jungle waterfall - Peter Bradshaw
The Ground Beneath My Feet review – taut Austrian sibling psychodrama
High-flying Lola finds she has more in common with her mentally fragile sister than she’d thought in Marie Kreutzer’s atmospheric thriller - Wendy Ide
The King of Staten Island review – Apatow trades gags for hard truths
Drawing on his own experiences of childhood bereavement, co-writer Pete Davidson carries this soulful New York story - Wendy Ide
Tamar-kali: Shirley Original Soundtrack review – fascinatingly eerie and claustrophobic
This incredibly effective score for a new psychodrama provides vocal dissonance and invention without sacrificing an air of terror - John Lewis
Virus Tropical review – energetic, dazzling animated rite of passage
With nods to telenovelas and Persepolis, this animation, a film of Power Paola’s vivid graphic novel memoir of growing up in South America, is truly beautiful - Phil Hoad
The Skin of Others review – Balang Tom E Lewis's final film is a fascinating look at the life of Douglas Grant
Tom Murray’s movie is a living, breathing investigation into the human rights activist’s life and a tribute to Lewis, who died while it was being made - Luke Buckmaster
The King of Staten Island review – Pete Davidson winning in freewheeling comedy
Davidson plays a would-be tattoo artist whose firefighter dad died in the line of duty in Judd Apatow’s charming, New York-set tale - Peter Bradshaw
Days of the Bagnold Summer review – bittersweet tale of family strife
Simon Bird’s debut feature captures the comedy and tragedy in the lives of a single mother and her stroppy teenage son - Mark Kermode Observer film critic
Days of the Bagnold Summer review – sweet tale of a metalhead and his mum
Earl Cave and Monica Dolan are a delight in this charming comedy directed by The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird - Peter Bradshaw
The Vast of Night review – mesmerising retro sci-fi
Full of knowing nods to space invasions past, debut director Andrew Patterson delivers a perfectly paced B-movie-style mystery - Mark Kermode Observer film critic
Only the Animals – slippery, satisfying French-African mystery
Dominik Moll keeps the surprises coming in this twisting tale of a woman’s disappearance that unwinds between France and the Ivory Coast - Wendy Ide
The Uncertain Kingdom review – short film anthology takes Britain's pulse
Tumbleweed blows on the Irish border and the grim reaper is out of work in these small-scale studies of the state of the UK - Peter Bradshaw
Only the Animals review – audacious web of love and strangeness
Dominik Moll’s thriller charts an unhappily married woman’s terrifying fate and her mysterious connections to five other people - Peter Bradshaw
Olla review – mail-order bride ruffles feathers in French suburbia
Romanna Lobach is the magnetic protagonist of this half-hour short about a mum-and-son household rocked by a new arrival - Phil Hoad
Arkansas review – buddy crime caper with 90s flavour and 70s clobber
Clark Duke and Liam Hemsworth climb the sticky drug-trafficking ladder in this meandering drama, graced with superb menswear - Ellen E Jones
Love Sarah review – Celia Imrie stars in warm-hearted Notting Hill drama
There are echoes of Fleabag and Richard Curtis in this tale of a mother’s attempt to run a bakery that her late daughter was about to open - Cath Clarke
Above Suspicion review – stranger than fiction weirdness of FBI murder
Jack Huston and Emilia Clarke star in this brash true-crime melodrama about the killing of an informant by a bureau agent - Peter Bradshaw
Palm Springs review – goofy time-loop romcom recycles reckless pleasures
A scrappy final act stops this Groundhog Day-esque Sundance record-breaker from being a showstopper, but there’s plenty of fun to be had on the way - Benjamin Lee
Greyhound review – Tom Hanks goes to war on the high seas
Hanks plays a ship’s captain under attack from a wolf pack of Nazi U-boats in a tense and poignant second world war drama - Peter Bradshaw
Desperados review – hit-and-miss Netflix comedy offers throwaway summer fun
A trio of friends head to Mexico to delete a drunken email in a mostly entertaining if a little scattershot comedy - Benjamin Lee
Film Title Poem review – scratched, dancing, scrunched-up celluloid
Jennifer West’s experimental piece is a strange reverie on disposability in which analogue footage of film title cards is physically distressed - Peter Bradshaw
Homemade review – Kristen Stewart leads Netflix's lockdown short films
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paolo Sorrentino and Natalia Beristáin contribute to a diverting but indulgent anthology about lockdown life - Peter Bradshaw
Irresistible review – subtle satire from Jon Stewart
Steve Carell is a political strategist lost in backwoods America in a Capra-esque satire from ex-Daily Show host Jon Stewart - Mark Kermode, Observer fim critic
Ride Like a Girl review – Michelle Payne biopic is a feelgood victory lap
Rachel Griffiths’ film about the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup is an underdog story that clears every hurdle - Peter Bradshaw
The Booksellers review – warm study of a fast-shifting subculture
New York’s bibliophiles provide the contents of a documentary about a once-cherished trade caught in a bind by the digital age - Peter Bradshaw
The Girl With a Bracelet review – daringly cryptic murder mystery
Enigma trumps excitement in this engrossing courtroom drama about a teenage girl on trial for killing her best friend - Peter Bradshaw
Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream review – strangely moving movie-memoir
A depressed man catalogues his five-a-day film habit in this grandiose but unflinching collation of narrated clips - Cath Clarke
The Spy review – a showbiz star goes undercover in the Third Reich
A little-known slice of history is given a rousing retelling in this thriller about a Scandinavian film star’s infiltration mission - Ellen E Jones
Shepherd: The Hero Dog review – Nazi-era drama strikes the right tone
A family of German Jews are separated from their pet by Nuremburg laws in this honest, unsentimental film - Leslie Felperin
7500 review – cockpit drama reaches for new heights
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an airline pilot in peril in a claustrophobic hijack movie that unfolds in near-real time - Mark Kermode
On a Magical Night review – spotlight on a very Parisian marriage
An adulterous wife is taught a lesson by the ghosts of lovers past in Christophe Honoré’s impish morality play - Simran Hans
Dads review – stars report from the frontline of fatherhood
Actor Bryce Dallas Howard’s documentary mixes the platitudinous with the genuinely moving as she grills Hollywood celebrities and other fathers - Cath Clarke
To Kid Or Not to Kid review – why women choose to be childless
Director Maxine Trump’s heartfelt documentary explores the pressures and prejudices facing women who do not want to be mothers - Leslie Felperin
On a Magical Night review – peppy portrait of a crumbling marriage
When a serial adulterer decamps to a hotel opposite her marital home, she is visited by a string of lovers and others from the past - Phil Hoad
The Day After I'm Gone review – stylish study of a grieving father and daughter
A bereaved vet takes his daughter on a healing road trip after she tries to kill herself, in Nimrod Eldar’s intelligent drama - Peter Bradshaw
Radioactive review – Marie Curie biopic fast-forwards to Hiroshima
Rosamund Pike plays the physicist with dignity and froideur in this respectful drama that shows her brilliant discoveries – and their effects - Peter Bradshaw
Da 5 Bloods review – Spike Lee goes all out in Vietnam
Four Vietnam vets reunite in a search for their fallen comrade – and some gold bullion – in Lee’s inventive, action-packed but disjointed all-star adventure - Mark Kermode
This Is Not a Movie review – the drama and tragedy of the Middle East
The veteran war reporter Robert Fisk poses painful and profound questions about conflict and humanity in this engaging biographical documentary - Cath Clarke
You Don't Nomi – the curious allure of Showgirls
The perverse critical power of Paul Verhoeven’s outrageous 1995 melodrama is dissected in this affectionate documentary - Peter Bradshaw
Citizens of the World review – Bulgaria here we come! Or not ...
Three Italian men plot a move to the east to eke out meagre pensions in Gianni Di Gregorio’s sad, sweet and slightly flimsy drama - Peter Bradshaw
Dating Amber review – witty Irish coming-of-age yarn
A lesbian teen and her gay friend couple up for cover in 1990s Kildare in David Freyne’s comedy-drama - Simran Hans
Artificial Things review – Sophie Fiennes directs slow journey towards joy
Stopgap Dance Company’s disabled and non-disabled dancers create a mood of quiet suspension in an abandoned shopping centre - Lyndsey Winship
Spelling the Dream review – slight but charming Netflix documentary
The success of Indian Americans within the US spelling bee is explored in a sweet-natured film that gently touches upon issues of assimilation - Benjamin Lee
The High Note review – a pleasant diversion
A PA with dreams and her diva of a boss stray from the standard female dynamic in this sunny comedy - Wendy Ide
Mike Wallace Is Here review – rose-tinted chronicle of a journalistic giant
The tough-talking newsman is the subject of a doc that rattles out the greatest hits while overlooking his murkier moments - Peter Bradshaw
Screened Out review – screentime doc knows how to press your buttons
Parents of locked-down kids might be advised to steer clear of this compulsive look at the smartphone and its ruinous effects - Cath Clarke
The Last Full Measure review – half-hearted salute to an American hero
Samuel L Jackson and Peter Fonda add heft to this by-the-numbers story of a Vietnam medic’s posthumous appreciation - Cath Clarke
To the Stars review – a charmingly old-fashioned tale of teen entanglements
A shy Oklahoma girl has her life transformed by a charismatic newcomer in this comfortingly formulaic coming-of-age drama - Leslie Felperin
Krabi, 2562 review – mystery and mysticism in the Thai tropics
Cinemas, cavemen and a missing woman all form parts of the plot in this surreal sojourn between the real and spiritual worlds - Peter Bradshaw
I Am Vengeance: Retaliation review – Stu Bennett cries foul and tackles Vinnie Jones
Ross Boyask’s sequel John Gold military payback movie is post-pub fare that displays a pure-hearted passion for movie-making - Ellen E Jones
Unraveling Athena review – a frank serving of women's lives in tennis
Sentimentality, cheerleading and a blur of talking heads mar this otherwise interesting portfolio of reflections - Leslie Felperin
In Her Hands review – all about the musical boy genius, again
A sulky young pianist is talent-spotted at a Paris station in this dull drama that is enlivened by Kristin Scott Thomas and the charismatic Karidja Touré - Leslie Felperin
Black Water: Abyss review – PG-style croc horror is fit for a paddling pool
It’s hard to muster more than a frisson of fear in this reptilian survival encounter set around a caving trip - Cath Clarke
The Old Guard review – Netflix immortality thriller won't live long in the memory
Not even Charlize Theron can save an action movie crying out for a comic touch to match the silliness of its premise - Peter Bradshaw
Think Like a Dog review – Feds bark as pet wisdom melts into syrup
A tech-whiz schoolboy discovers how to communicate with wisecracking the family hound in this lightweight adventure - Cath Clarke
Infamous review – a gonzo shot at radical outlaw glamour
A wannabe Bonnie and Clyde for the social-media age team up to find fame as travelling armed robbers in this patchy romp - Peter Bradshaw
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga review – too timid for satire
Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams hit a flat note in Netflix’s brand-approved ‘spoof’ of the much-loved carnival of kitsch - Peter Bradshaw
You Should Have Left review – Kevin Bacon v evil house in flat horror
An adaptation of Daniel Kehlmann’s eerie novella about an otherworldly house smooths out the cracks and loses much of its haunting power - Benjamin Lee
The Wishmas Tree review – dull eco-adventure animation
A new ice age threatens the world in this family film featuring cute creatures and a perplexing environmental message - Cath Clarke
Resistance review – mime star Marcel Marceau's wartime heroics
Jesse Eisenberg plays the legendary performer who helped thousands of Jews escape the Nazis, in a well-meaning but cliche-ridden biopic - Peter Bradshaw
7500 review – Amazon hijacking thriller can't get off the ground
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a co-pilot dealing with a nightmarish scenario in a front-loaded exercise in suspense that quickly loses altitude - Benjamin Lee
Gulabo Sitabo review - mildewed mansion drama bustles and crumbles
Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana star in Shoojit Sircar’s puzzling tale of class and property management - Mike McCahill
Artemis Fowl review – Judi Dench gruffs it out amid rogue fairies
Kenneth Branagh directs this family-fantasy-by-numbers adapted from Eoin Colfer’s bestselling teen novels - Peter Bradshaw
Steven Berkoff's Tell Tale Heart review – voraciously hammy gothic
There are fine grisly moments and a creepy score, but Berkoff’s lurid performance stymies the horror of Poe’s murder tale - Cath Clarke
Back Roads review – sombre yet camp family incest drama
Alex Pettyfer directs this sturdy adaptation of Tawni O’Dell’s dated and faintly prurient tale of desire and abuse - Leslie Felperin
A Rainy Day in New York review – misogyny bathed in nostalgia
Woody Allen’s romantic comedy starring Elle Fanning is the work of a director who has lost touch with reality - Simran Hans
Echo in the Canyon review – hopelessly lazy LA rock doc
Brian Wilson, Beck and Eric Clapton are among the star contributors, but the story of Laurel Canyon’s folk-rock scene remains a mystery – and where’s Joni? - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Guest of Honour review – tangled melodrama of guilt and shame
Only David Thewlis’s committed portrayal of a father haunted by the past saves Atom Egoyan’s strained tale of poisoned lives - Peter Bradshaw
A Rainy Day in New York review – Woody Allen romance is a washout
Bad weather leads to adventure as young lovers Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning take a trip to Manhattan - Peter Bradshaw
Trick or Treat review – gangsters, sushi and Blackpool hallucinations
Seaside shenanigans ensue after an apparent hit-and-run accident in this slapdash, mildly amusing thriller - Leslie Felperin
Hooking Up review – sex addict on the road to nowhere
A sex-obsessed writer reveals her many erotic encounters to a complete stranger in this shallow, unfunny comedy - Cath Clarke
Banana Split review – muddled high-school romcom
Two love rivals secretly become best friends in an implausible and oddly solemn comedy-drama - Peter Bradshaw
Dating Amber review – gay teenagers' pretend love fails to blossom
Two high-school students embark on a fake affair to combat prejudice in 90s Ireland in a well-meaning but derivative drama - Peter Bradshaw
MS Slavic 7 review – passionless portrait of a poetic affair
Sofia Bohdanowicz’s account of her great-grandmother’s correspondence with another Polish writer is bafflingly dull - Peter Bradshaw
Intuition review – cliches run wild in Argentinian Netflix thriller
A laughably maverick detective may or may not be a killer in this pedestrian prequel to 2018 crime thriller Perdida - Benjamin Lee
Around the World When You Were My Age review – going nowhere fast
A father’s travel photos form the basis of an anodyne trip down memory lane in Aya Koretzky’s meandering essay-film - Peter Bradshaw
Finding the Way Back review – Ben Affleck redemption drama is far from a slam dunk
Affleck plays a depressed drinker whose life is rescued by becoming a basketball coach in this flat, uninspired fable - Peter Bradshaw
Inheritance review – preposterous and paper-thin New York thriller
The daughter of a dead tycoon is cheated of her rightful millions and bequeathed a mysterious inhabited bunker in this implausible caper - Ellen E Jones
Irresistible review – Jon Stewart’s political non-satire for liberals is as dull as it gets
Steve Carell is lacklustre as a political strategist for the Democrats in this flaccid film that sits on the fence - Peter Bradshaw
The Fanatic review – John Travolta plumbs the depths in grisly stalker flick
Travolta plays an isolated obsessive who tracks down his movie hero in this nasty drama, directed by former Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst - Leslie Felperin
The High Note review – a romantic comedy without romance or comedy
Young love has never seemed more lifeless than it does as this dreary drama lurches towards its nauseating finale - Peter Bradshaw