This week, in cinemas: Leo aims for Oscar glory in The Revenant; Michael B. Jordan aims his right hook in Creed; and Brie Larson aims to just get out of her room in Room.
The Revenant
★★★★★
What it’s about: Telling the true story of legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass, The Revenant’s notoriously tough film shoot has become almost as legendary as its subject. What will it take for Leo to win an Oscar? If he doesn’t win this year, what will his next film be? Will it just be two hours of Leo setting himself on fire until someone gives him a statuette?
What we thought: “an astonishing sensory experience, one that plunges the viewer into a sub-zero hell that often looks like heaven.”
Creed
★★★★
What it’s about: Rocky Balboa is back, and this time he’s a mentor to Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, his former boxing rival and friend. Michael B. Jordan is the new great hope, with Sly gaining all sorts of awards buzz. This one flies like Rocky IV but stings like Rocky II.
What we thought: “The best Rocky film since the original, honouring the Stallone legacy while setting it in a different direction.”
Room
★★★★
What it’s about: This adaptation of the best-selling novel by Emma Donaghue is a traumatic fairy tale, told through the eyes of a five-year-old boy (a remarkable Jacob Tremblay). To say more would be giving too much away - go in blind for the best experience.
What we thought: “Tough, but resilience is amply rewarded.”