Five star - Latest Top Rated Film Reviews from the Guardian

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat review – superb study of how jazz got caught between the cold war and the CIA
Johan Grimonprez’s fascinating documentary uses the assassination of DRC prime minister Patrice Lumumba to launch a dizzying look into the politics of jazz in the 1950s and 60s - Wendy Ide
Anora review – Sean Baker’s screwball Cinderella tale vaults him towards greatness
Mikey Madison is outstanding as an exotic dancer who marries an oligarch’s son in Baker’s fiery and profane Palme d’Or-winning comedy drama - Xan Brooks
Mediha review – remarkable Yazidi victim of Islamic State’s sexual slavery tells her own story
After her village was destroyed, Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad was sold aged 10 by IS. With determination and charm she navigates a difficult aftermath - Peter Bradshaw
Wicked review – Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are a blast in sugar-rush Wizard of Oz fantasy
Stephen Schwartz’s musical prequel has been brought to the big screen, with Erivo’s charismatic Elphaba exerting a planetary pull over a star-studded cast - Peter Bradshaw
C’est Pas Moi review – Holy Motors director Leos Carax pays witty homage to himself
You might need to be a fan of Carax’s oeuvre to enjoy this act of indulgence but this short autobiography is full of his grandiose whimsy and personal melancholy - Peter Bradshaw
Don’t Let Them Shoot the Kite review – Turkish kid-in-prison tale is touching and urgent
This gentle but energised piece of work has a rather amazing performance from its five-year-old star at its emotional core - Peter Bradshaw
Memories of a Burning Body review – Costa Rican older women talk about sex and desire in deft docudrama
The vivid recollections of three women who grew up in the repressive 1950s and 60s are elegantly re-enacted in Antonella Sudasassi’s prize-winning drama - Wendy Ide
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat review – finger-popping theory of the conspiracy to kill Congo’s leader
Johan Grimonprez’s fascinating documentary suggests that the US used jazz legend Louis Armstrong in a ‘cool war’ offensive to assassinate Patrice Lumumba - Peter Bradshaw
Union review – fighting for your rights under the Amazon corporate jackboot
This documentary follows the formation of the Amazon Labor Union, showing how difficult it is for workers working for a company determined to efface their rights - Peter Bradshaw
Hyper: The Stevie Hyper D Story review – massively entertaining portrait of legendary MC
Even those unfamiliar with 90s drum’n’bass will feel invited in and educated by an impeccably crafted account of this charismatic and vibrant pioneer - Leslie Felperin
The Last Dance review – Chinese funeral business is backdrop for arresting, life-affirming drama
An irascible priest loses his patience with a newcomer to Hong Kong’s funeral traditions in punchy melodrama of a film - Phil Hoad
Gladiator II review – Paul Mescal slays in Ridley Scott’s gobsmacking reboot
Scott’s return to the Roman arena is something of a repeat, but it’s still a thrilling spectacle and Mescal a formidable lead. We are entertained - Peter Bradshaw
Magpie review – Daisy Ridley shines in tense, compelling portrait of a toxic relationship
Fantastic performances from the leads – you can practically hear the eggshells cracking as Ridley tiptoes around the vanities and insecurities of husband Shazad Latif - Catherine Bray
Bird review – Andrea Arnold’s wild, joyous coming-of-age drama
Arnold’s feral, fantastical drama set in the rundown Kent of her childhood stars remarkable newcomer Nykiya Adams as a marginalised child who makes a strange new friend - Wendy Ide
No Other Land review – stark, unflinching West Bank documentary
This award-winning account by Palestinian and Israeli film-makers of the brutal expulsion of Palestinian villagers by the Israeli army is essential viewing - Wendy Ide
Point Break review – Keanu and Swayze ride the waves with freaky, genre-hopping style
Kathryn Bigelow’s action-bromance about bank-robbing surfer dudes is an enduring cult gem, thanks to its joining of tropes and tones - Peter Bradshaw
No Other Land review – an Israeli and Palestinian’s remarkable relationship
When Palestinian villages were bulldozed to make way for the Israeli military, it brought together a film-maker and a journalist from across the divide - Peter Bradshaw
Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story review – electrifying film details violent abuse and remarkable resilience
The former tennis champion is candid about her father’s abuse in this visceral and often sad documentary - Luke Buckmaster
Heretic review – Hugh Grant’s move to the dark side is a triumph
Two young missionaries get more than they bargained for in this taut horror menaced by Grant’s devil disguised in comfortable knitwear - Xan Brooks
Small Things Like These review – Cillian Murphy shines as quiet hero in powerful 80s Ireland morality tale
Claire Keegan’s acclaimed Magdalene laundries novella reaches the big screen in director Tim Mielant’s atmospheric adaptation - Xan Brooks
Heretic review – religious horror with a suave, dapper and evil Hugh Grant
Two young missionaries visit a man at his cavernous house to discuss Mormon doctrines but get drawn into a psychological game of terror and manipulation - Peter Bradshaw
Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color review – magnificent monster in mono
Black and white re-release of one of the fire-breathing lizard’s best outings looks terrific and has an intriguingly ambiguous human lead actor - Catherine Bray
Turn Me On review – dystopia’s kindly new manners
Michael Tyburski’s intelligent and funny film features a young couple seduced by an apparently bland regime promising to tidy away messy emotions - Catherine Bray
Slingshot review – Casey Affleck is impeccable in solid sci-fi saga
An unexplained impact leaves a mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan, in catastrophic danger, with Affleck and a skeleton crew struggling to keep a grip on reality - Phil Hoad
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl review – first they came for the trousers. Then they came for the robot gnome
Feathers McGraw is back and implacably frightening as ever in Aardman’s latest, belated outing for everyone’s favourite cheese eating duo - Catherine Shoard
Dahomey review – Mati Diop’s exquisite tale of repatriation
In this lyrical hybrid documentary, the French director brings to life 26 stolen artefacts as they make their way from Paris back to Benin - Wendy Ide
Layla review – heartbreak looms in coming-of-age yarn of a secret affair and queer identity
A drag artist from a strict Muslim family embarks on a relationship with a strait-laced executive in Amrou Al-Kadhi’s strong feature debut - Peter Bradshaw
The Man With a Thousand Faces review – triumphant takedown of international dating scammer
There are some jaw-dropping moments in this story of a man who conned numerous women, but this quietly lo-thrills documentary lets the victims tell their stories - Cath Clarke
The Flight of Bryan review – magnificent nerds and their remarkable flying machines
This documentary about a 1977 prize for human-powered flight uses archive footage, interviews and reconstructions to cobble together a fun celebration of human endeavour - Leslie Felperin
BAM! review – smart gig-economy comedy is a rollicking modern-day farce
Director Jordan Tragash marks himself out as one to watch with these interlocking stories of a vibrant group of 20-somethings all hustling for money - Phuong Le
Pimpinero: Blood and Oil review – road thrills with South American border smugglers
The brutal petrol trade between Venezuela and Colombia in 2012 is the backdrop to Andrés Baiz’s starry if slow-paced tale of brothers navigating the future - Cath Clarke
Silent Men review – man puts himself on the spot as he dives into his big emotions
Film-maker Duncan Cowles braves the discomfort of putting himself in front of the camera to address men’s inability to talk about their problems - Phil Hoad
Monster Summer review – Mel Gibson finds berth in teens v supernatural forces throwback
Gibson is one of a recognisable adult cast slumming it in this toothless 80s-style tale of kids duking it out with evil menaces - Catherine Bray
The Bilbaos review – soulful study of a tough guy boxer dealing with emotional baggage
Pedro Speroni’s documentary follows Iván Bilbao’s return from prison to a family full of troubles and tenderness - Phuong Le
The Last Dance review – the Chinese funeral home comedy you’ve been waiting for
A wedding planner turned undertaker struggles to win over a Taoist priest in writer-director Anselm Chan’s drama with hidden depths - Wendy Ide
Joy review – Jack Thorne-penned IVF drama captures the intense pressure its inventors faced
James Norton, Thomasin McKenzie and Bill Nighy star in a solid study of the trio behind the first test-tube baby - Wendy Ide
Gladiator II review – Paul Mescal fends off sharks, rhinos and a scenery-chewing Denzel Washington
Tapping into just the kind of bloodlust that thrills in ancient Rome, Ridley Scott’s violent, spectacular sequel so resembles the original it could be a remake - Wendy Ide
Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound review – Glasgow postrockers let the music do the talking
Mogwai have been making their beautiful noise for nearly three decades, and while this film is sketchy on the details, it truly soars when capturing them live - Phil Hoad
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story review – a pleasure of a film about an unlikely bond
Beautifully shot among Shetland’s epic scenery, Charlie Hamilton James’s documentary follows Billy and wife Susan, as Molly changes their lives in the most uplifting way - Cath Clarke
Hot Frosty review – Netflix’s sexy snowman romance is as silly as expected
Lacey Chabert falls for a snowman with abs in streamer’s latest cheap, cheerful foray into Hallmark territory - Adrian Horton
The Lost Children review – extraordinary story of missing kids in the Colombian rainforest
Account of the search for the young siblings after their plane crashed and how the eldest, Lesly – just 13 years old and injured – kept them alive for 40 days - Cath Clarke
India’s 1st Best Trans Model Agency review – rocky and emotional journey for acceptance
Documentary about India’s ‘hijras’ highlights the harmony within the community and prejudice against it, but shies away from anything too political - Phuong Le
Joy review – warm and intensely English portrayal of the birth of IVF
Bill Nighy, James Norton and Thomasin McKenzie form the unlikely trio who doggedly, quietly and courageously made the discovery that would change lives around the world - Peter Bradshaw
Memories of a Burning Body review – tenderly conceived docudrama about the enduring sexuality of women
This well-acted film is distilled from the experiences of three women in their 60s and 70s who speak with wit and warmth - Peter Bradshaw
What We Find on the Road review – American road trip in the low-key indie odyssey style
A journey across the US in a convertible that holds some secrets – like a coffin welded into the boot – as a teenager seeks out his father - Catherine Bray
No Place for You in Our Town review – uncomfortably up close with Bulgarian football hooligans
Nikolay Stefanov’s documentary, which follows fans of FC Minyor Pernik, reveals much about what is behind this toxic masculinity - Phuong Le
Piece by Piece review – Pharrell Williams biopic told in Lego is a bit of plastic fun
Morgan Neville’s novel animated documentary, featuring interviews with the US musician, captures his artistic process, if not the whole story… - Wendy Ide
The Piano Lesson review – handsome if stagey August Wilson adaptation
Danielle Deadwyler and Samuel L Jackson shine in Malcolm Washington’s debut feature - Wendy Ide
Paddington in Peru review – hard stares at all involved
Our furry hero goes in search of his Aunt Lucy in a high-action jungle sequel that’s perfectly enjoyable but lacks the wit and magic of its predecessors - Wendy Ide
The Piano Lesson review – Washington family get stuck into August Wilson’s powerful play
This beautifully acted film version of Wilson’s play set in 1930s Pittsburgh is powerful enough without the gothic trimmings it gets here - Peter Bradshaw
Skincare review – Elizabeth Banks horror thriller is a thing of beauty
An LA salon-owner gets involved in an escalating feud with a rival facialist in this blackly comic thriller with a pleasing female focus - Leslie Felperin
Bird review – Andrea Arnold’s untamed Barry Keoghan tale is a curate’s egg
Toads who sweat hallucinogens, lonely pre-teens and a sudden German in a kilt: Arnold’s pick’n’mix latest dives as much as it soars - Peter Bradshaw
A Sudden Case of Christmas review – Danny DeVito plays it safe in mushy festive fare
The comedy veteran is wasted as a grandad hosting Christmas early to keep his family from falling apart - Catherine Bray
Meet Me Next Christmas review – Netflix kicks off season with passable romcom
Christina Milian is a charming lead in the streamer’s first festive offering of the year which is watchable enough given the low bar - Benjamin Lee
I’m Charlie Walker review – stereotype-busting sort-of true story of a trucker and an oil spill
An entrepreneur’s struggles with obstructive business and endemic racism are refreshingly free of preconceptions - Leslie Felperin
Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers review – blockbuster portrait of a thoughtful master
Exhibition on Screen’s latest gallery documentary offers a walkthrough of the National Gallery’s winter show, complete with extras - Andrew Pulver
Bookworm review – father-daughter heartwarmer casts a spell on failed magician Elijah Wood
Though the story is only going one way after a disappointed Vegas conjuror returns to New Zealand to look after the child he’s never met, it’s a fun ride - Cath Clarke
True Chronicles of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital in the Last Century, when Dr Frantz Fanon Was Head of the Fifth Ward between 1953 and 1956 – review
This sober but compelling study of the man who radically transformed treatment at an Algerian hospital explores the link between mental illness and imperialist violence - Phuong Le
One Mother review – poignant memoir grapples with trauma of foster care
Mickaël Bandela’s documentary reflects on the events that left him in care as a child, and the generational losses that came before - Phuong Le
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom review - intriguing fantasy franchise is far from your average anime
Its Game of Thronesian intrigue, benevolent Skeletor protagonist and surprising lack of gratuitous violence sets this series apart - Phil Hoad
Pedro Páramo review – Mexican magic realism is full of time slippages and perspective shifts
Adapted from Juan Rulfo’s influential novel, Rodrigo Prieto’s fractured drama of a son’s return home is confusing but powerful - Phil Hoad
Paddington in Peru review – you can take the bear out of South America, but think twice before taking him back
The third instalment in the film adventures of the furry marmalade addict may boast Olivia Colman as a singing nun but it lacks home comforts - Peter Bradshaw
The Problem with People review – old-country lark takes on blarney-fuelled family feud
Paul Reiser and Colm Meaney go into cliche mode when an Irish patriarch wills half his legacy to his son’s unknown American cousin - Cath Clarke
Blitz review – Saoirse Ronan stars in Steve McQueen’s sturdy wartime London drama
A boy and his mother search for each other as German bombs rain down in the Oscar-winning director’s straightforward period drama - Xan Brooks
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story review – respectful documentary gives the full picture
From his breakthrough roles to his life-changing accident, this rounded film portrays the courage and resilience of the late film star - Xan Brooks
Juror #2 review – you want far-fetched? Try Clint Eastwood’s 12 Angry Men remake
Nicholas Hoult plays a murder trial jury member who knows more than he should in the veteran director’s dogged courtroom drama - Xan Brooks
The Delights review – in-depth look at rural schoolboys reveals a hidden Argentina
An agro-technical boarding school is the subject of this striking documentary, which offers vignettes of growing pains and childlike wonder - Phuong Le
Listen Up! review – tonally jarring comedy on multicultural integration and teenage trans identity
This curate’s egg of a film’s crude humour feels somewhat at odds with the big issues it’s exploring, even if doing so more or less sympathetically - Catherine Bray
Juror #2 review – Clint Eastwood puts Nicholas Hoult in court … and an unusual pickle
The 94-year-old director has delivered a courtroom thriller that pits justice against self-preservation - Ryan Gilbey
Martha review – sharp if spotty Netflix retrospective on Martha Stewart
The ‘doyenne of domesticity’ proves a blunt and at times frustratingly opaque yet always compelling subject in a new documentary - Adrian Horton
The Moogai review – Stolen Generations trauma feeds a haunting horror film
Jon Bell’s bold and daring film about a mother who is stalked by a child-stealing bogeyman is a little underdeveloped - Luke Buckmaster
Music by John Williams review – the man behind the soundtracks, from Star Wars to Superman
Steven Spielberg, Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Martin contribute to this fascinating if fleeting glimpse into a remarkable career that also encompasses Jaws, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter - Imogen Tilden
This Search for Meaning review – slick reminder of radical rockers Placebo
Eye-opening archive footage and a Bowie appearance are the highlights in an otherwise polite but bland documentary - Cath Clarke
Midas Man review – Jacob Fortune-Lloyd is heartfelt as Beatles’ kingmaker
As the ‘fifth Beatle’ Brian Epstein, Fortune-Lloyd’s performance holds an otherwise sanitised narrative together in well-meaning biopic - Leslie Felperin
Dr Strangelove review – Steve Coogan scores a quadruple cold war coup
Adding a fourth role to Peter Sellers’ three turns in the classic film, the comic excels in a fun yet unadventurous adaptation - Arifa Akbar
Freedom (Libre) review – Lucas Bravo oozes charisma as gentleman robber
This frothy film tells the true-crime story of the so-called polite bandit Bruno Sulak, who goes on a crime spree in 1980s France, but insists his gang never fire their guns - Leslie Felperin
The Divided Island review – emotional stories from all sides of the Cyprus conflict
Cey Sesiguzel’s documentary covers a lot of history – and not always in the most dynamic way. But the testimony of survivors of war forms its powerful core - Phuong Le
Matt and Mara review – freewheeling Canadian romance
Small moments speak volumes as a poetry professor and a novelist rekindle their friendship in Anne at 13,000ft director Kazik Radwanski’s latest - Wendy Ide
The World of Tim Burton review – a tour around a singular creative mind
The director is the subject of an immersive touring show that ranges from his drawings since childhood to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman outfit - Rowan Moore
Blink review – family’s poignant bucket list trip turns into glossy travelogue
A couple who discover that three of their four children have a degenerative eye disease go on a round-the-world family holiday in this beautifully shot but saccharine documentary - Leslie Felperin
Liverpool Story: Portrait of a City review – city symphony goes down the identity route
Daniel Draper’s ultra-fluid style, trailing his finger across the surface of the city’s life, loses its narrative path - Phil Hoad
I Want to Talk review – Abhishek Bachchan is Mad Men-style ad man who declares war on cancer
A greater degree of setup would have given this story of a Don Draper type’s determination to beat a terminal diagnosis more dramatic heft - Catherine Bray
The Merry Gentlemen review – more forgettable festive filler from Netflix
Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray go through the motions in the streamer’s latest cheapo Christmas comedy - Benjamin Lee
Listy do M 6 (Letters to Santa 6) review – pick ’n’ mix Christmas tales coast on a sugar high
While director Łukasz Jaworski gets spirited performances across the board in the sixth instalment of the hit Polish franchise, it leans heavily on familiarity with the characters - Phil Hoad
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point review – daringly dull Long Island family drama with nepo trimmings
Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg could be the draw in this tedium-rich tale of an Italian American festive gathering - Wendy Ide
Laurie Anderson: Ark: United States V review – portrait of America is a multimedia mess
A mix of beat poetry, opera, communal screaming, TikTok and tai chi, Anderson’s state-of-the-nation work is occasionally poignant but mostly baffling - Daniel Dylan Wray
Piper review – Elizabeth Hurley dances a merry tune in cheesy rat-based folk horror
Hurley arrives in Pied Piper territory with her daughter to take a teaching job at a creepy private school. Soon enough the town’s infamous rodent problem starts being an issue - Leslie Felperin
Red One review – charm-free festive caper with Dwayne Johnson
A strictly bodyguarded Santa is hijacked in this oddly pitched, CGI-heavy action-adventure - Wendy Ide
Piece By Piece review – heartfelt biopic of Pharrell Williams’s life … in Lego
The remarkable story of a brilliant musician and producer is told in this surreal but also strangely wrongheaded film - Peter Bradshaw
Pontypool review – scattershot horror with a shock jock but few frights
The 2008 Canadian film about zombie-like hordes spreading a verbal virus is given a Welsh update, with a radio host refusing to rein in his divisive rhetoric - Chris Wiegand
Singham Again – third time around for Ajay Devgn’s supercop leading selection box of star names
The big Diwali release is the latest entry in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Cop Universe’, once again featuring Devgn as the purveyor of supposed nation-saving cool - Mike McCahill
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story review – fascinating tribute undermined by bombast
The life of the actor who played Superman before becoming paralysed, told by his own children, is poignant enough so why the cod-mythic animations and pompous music? - Ryan Gilbey
Time Cut review – tinny time-travel Netflix slasher offers too much deja vu
The streamer’s gimmicky and over-familiar Halloween offering sees a teen going back to 2003 to save her sister from a masked killer - Benjamin Lee
The Last Front review – old fashioned first world war drama fights familiar battle
Iain Glen is a sturdy presence leading a Belgian village’s resistance to the German advance, but there are limp scenes and soggy cliches aplenty - Cath Clarke
Secrets of a Wallaby Boy review – low budget romp-com tracks delivery rider round his route
Nice performances from the leads aren’t enough to save this comedy about a bawdy bike courier from floundering in a slew of crass sex jokes - Cath Clarke
Venom: The Last Dance review – Tom Hardy’s jaded antihero carries messy Marvel finale
Alien parasites are only half the problem as Hardy’s Eddie Brock battles existential demons and an incoherent plot - Wendy Ide
Holiday Twist review – could this be the worst Christmas movie ever?
This tale of a female Scrooge discovering ‘the true meaning of Christmas’ will elicit copious tears … at the time you have wasted watching such drivel - Catherine Bray
Red One review – bronto-head Dwayne Johnson weighs down Santa kidnap comedy
Christmassy slush and gush smothers all attempts at comedy in this bland family film about Santa’s musclebound personal security guard - Peter Bradshaw
Here review – cursed Forrest Gump reunion is a total horror show
The director reunites with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for an ugly de-aged nightmare that boringly follows the same house throughout time - Benjamin Lee
Dark Feathers review – erotic hitwoman thriller approaches The Room levels of kitsch disaster
Star and co-director Crystal J Huang plays a ballroom-dancing geisha assassin in this preposterous LA melodrama - Phil Hoad