Film review archive

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O — 377 results

• One Million Years BC (1966)

  Review preview for One Million Years BC

  Mario Nascimbene's score is stunning, somehow turning squalid domestic drama into an epic tale of the birth of humanity.

  The adventures of some cavemen, with added dinosaurs!
• One Night In Miami (2020)

  Review preview for One Night In Miami

  There are no weak links in the performances here, but Ben-Adir is the standout, communicating most in the moments when he doesn't say a word.

  In the aftermath of Cassius Clay’s defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964, the young boxer meets with friends Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown to decide the course of his life, and possibly that of civil rights history.
• One Shot (2021)

  Review preview for One Shot

  Whilst the set-up may in many ways resemble a video game, with long sequences staged around twisty corridors and an improbable number of outbuildings, the tension is real.

  An elite squad of Navy SEALs, on a covert mission to transport a prisoner off a CIA black site island prison, are trapped when insurgents attack.
• One Taxi Ride (2019)

  Review preview for One Taxi Ride

  This is an extraordinarily intimate film.

  A documentary following a man's journey to recovery years after he was sexually assaulted in a taxi in Mexico City.
• One Way To Denmark (2019)

  Review preview for One Way To Denmark

  Writer Jeff Murphy and director Adrian Shergold use the comedic pretext to explore themes around mental illness and the damage done to people in poverty by a system obsessed with meting out punishment.

  An unemployed Welshman with no hot water travels to Denmark in an attempt to get arrested because he believes that his life will be better in prison there.
• Onibaba (1964)

  Review preview for Onibaba

  A stark portrayal of lust, jealousy and raw hunger.

  An impoverished mother turns to murder as a method of survival at a time of civil war.
• Only The Animals (2019)

  Review preview for Only The Animals

  An enjoyably constructed puzzle box of a genre film.

  Thriller centring on the disappearance of a woman.
• Only The River Flows (2023)

  Review preview for Only The River Flows

  No matter that the plot development is deliberately murky, it’s the mood that catches you in its tides.

  A detective on the trail of a serial killer begins to lose his mind.
• Only You (2018)

  Review preview for Only You

  A seriously intelligent script.

  A couple who fall in love at first sight face problems when they try to conceive.
• Onoda: 10,000 Nights In The Jungle (2021)

  Review preview for Onoda: 10,000 Nights In The Jungle

  Harari and his co-writers Bernard Cendron and Vincent Poymiro, show how the war propaganda becomes internalised in these men, so that even when they are given signs that the conflict may be over, they rationalise that it must be some sort of 'fake news' designed to trick them.

  It's the end of 1944. Japan is losing the war. Hiroo Onoda is sent to an island in the Philippines just before the American landing. The handful of soldiers that he takes with him into the jungle keep fighting, not realising the war is over.
• Onward (2020)

  Review preview for Onward

  Maybe its Disney/Pixar have set such a high bar for themselves, but the latest outing, despite all its fairy tale creatures, lacks some of the studio's usual magic.

  Two teenage elf brothers rediscover a bit of magic as they go on a quest to spend a last day with their dad.
• Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls (2023)

  Review preview for Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls

  Crucially, there is enough here that doesn’t depend on in-jokes to give it some broader entertainment value.

  Onyx joins a group of fellow occultists to attend a dark ritual at the mansion of their idol, Bartok. Suspecting Bartok's nefarious intentions, Onyx is suddenly immersed in a world of monsters, mystery, and mayhem.
• On A Magical Night (2019)

  Review preview for On A Magical Night

  Deliciously and deliberately theatrical

  After 20 years of marriage, Maria decides to leave her husband. She moves into room 212 at the hotel across the street, with a bird’s-eye view of her apartment, her husband and the life she shared with him.
• On A String (2025)

  Review preview for On A String

  There is no grand adventure, no melodramatic pathos, no broad comedy, just life as an eternal struggle for survival and for the chance of thriving, but also with a sense of warmth.

  Fresh out of Juilliard, a young violist returns home to live with her parents in the heart of New York City. Now it’s time to play gigs in the homes of strangers and make art with friends - nothing can go wrong, right?
• On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (2024)

  Review preview for On Becoming A Guinea Fowl

  Nyoni expertly controls her narrative so that it glides effortlessly between the reality of the funeral preparations to the more surreal psychological trauma Shula is working through.

  Absurdist drama sees family secrets gradually revealed during the preparations for a funeral.
• On Body And Soul (2017)

  Review preview for On Body And Soul

  There is a fragility and brittleness to this but also an underlying warm sweetness that might just melt your heart.

  A slaughterhouse becomes an unlikely setting for romance.
• On Chesil Beach (2017)

  Review preview for On Chesil Beach

  The attempted act of consummation has a theatrical element to it. She is too passive, he is too angry.

  A honeymoon couple struggle to physically and emotionally connect in 1962
• On Falling (2024)

  Review preview for On Falling

  Carreira shows how quiet desperation can be eroding

  Trapped between the confines of her workplace and the solitude of her flat-share, a Portuguese warehouse picker in Scotland seeks to resist the loneliness, alienation and ensuing small talk which begin to threaten her sense of self.
• On Fire (2023)

  Review preview for On Fire

  The fire effects are handled well and it’s really this monstrous inferno which dominates the screen.

  A family living in a woodland trailer home is suddenly threatened by wildfire.
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

  Review preview for On Her Majesty's Secret Service

  The romance might turn some fans away, but seeing our hero so vulnerable refreshingly humanises him.

  Bond tackles the threat of a biological plague being planned by Blofeld.
• On Her Shoulders (2018)

  Review preview for On Her Shoulders

  The film follows Nadia at a time when support for her cause is growing, though she still has very little in the way of personal support.

  A Yazidi genocide and ISIS sexual slavery survivor, 23-year-old Nadia Murad is determined to tell the world her story. As her journey leads down paths of advocacy and fame, she becomes the voice of her people and their best hope to spur the world to action.
• On The 3rd Day (2021)

  Review preview for On The 3rd Day

  Weirdly, this spectacular mess of a film delivers, for those patient enough to get to them, a few moments of brilliance.

  After a car crash which damages her memory, a woman desperate to find her son goes looking for answers.
• On The Basis Of Sex (2018)

  Review preview for On The Basis Of Sex

  What could have been preachy is fascinating.

  Biopic of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
• On The Count Of Three (2021)

  Review preview for On The Count Of Three

  On the whole, it's episodic and uneven although both men have serious acting chops and there's a studied bleakness to the mood, as though the grey weather has seeped into its soul.

  Two guns. Two best friends. And a pact to end their lives when the day is done.
• On The Line: The Richard Williams Story (2022)

  Review preview for On The Line: The Richard Williams Story

  Something is most certainly gained from the presence of Richard himself, who has a vulnerability about him that you might not expect from a man who refused to be cowed by a largely middle-class, white establishment that stood in the way of his girls’ rise to fame.

  This film follows the outspoken patriarch of the Williams family who beat impossible odds to help daughters Venus and Serena become two of the greatest athletes of our time.
• On The President's Orders (2019)

  Review preview for On The President's Orders

  James Jones and Olivier Sarbil's documentary is not the first film to explore this subject but it is remarkable in that it manages to tell the story from the point of view of police officers as well as addicts and civilian observers.

  Expose of Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte's single-minded war on drugs.
• On The Rocks (2020)

  Review preview for On The Rocks

  We lack emotional investment in the underlying situation, possibly because Coppola is aiming to play almost everything for laughs.

  When a woman suspects her husband of an affair, her dad encourages her to join him on a mission to uncover the truth.
• On The Sea (2025)

  Review preview for On The Sea

  Finds its strength in the subtlety of the writing and the power of the understated performances.

  A love story about a married mussel farmer who falls in love with a handsome newcomer.
• On The Way Home (2024)

  Review preview for On The Way Home

  The Georgian filmmaker beautifully focuses on familial resilience, capturing the enduring capacity of relatives to help each other in drastic situations.

  Documentary observing the life of Georgian refugees uprooted by conflict as they navigate life in a deserted Soviet-era sanatorium.
• On The Way To School (2008)

  Review preview for On The Way To School

  The cameras are always at a respectful distance, which results in a verite feel, with the children and adults alike seemingly unaware they are being captured on film.

  A year in the life of a Turkish teacher sent to a rural Kurdish area.
• Open 24 Hours (2018)

  Review preview for Open 24 Hours

  Much of what follows is routine horror movie stuff but it's given additional weight by writer/director Padraig Reynolds' understanding of the after-effects of trauma.

  After setting her serial killer boyfriend on fire, a paranoid, delusional woman gets a job at an all-night gas station.
• Open Endings (2025)

  Review preview for Open Endings

  Director Nigel Santos intentionally plunges us into the middle of things.

  Four queer women in their 30s who are exes-turned-best-friends navigate adulthood, love, friendship, chosen families, and everything in between.
• Open Range (2003)

  Review preview for Open Range

  For the second time, Costner has bet the farm and found his strength in cattle country.

  Kevin Costner returns to the wide open spaces of cattle country.
• Open Water (2003)

  Review preview for Open Water

  A thrilling example of the power of digital video.

  A young couple are left stranded in shark-infested waters.
• Open Your Eyes (1997)

  Review preview for Open Your Eyes

  The audacity of Open Your Eyes matches its imagination.

  A love rat tries to cope after being disfigured in an accident.
• Operation Mincemeat (2021)

  Review preview for Operation Mincemeat

  Elegant and gripping but perhaps just a little genteel.

  Drama based on the true story of how the British intelligence services fooled the Nazis.
• Oppenheimer (2023)

  Review preview for Oppenheimer

  God might play dice, but Nolan is a watchmaker.

  The story of American scientist J Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
• Opponent (2023)

  Review preview for Opponent

  It’s a tremendously challenging role, in which Maadi excels.

  Iman, an Iranian, lives with his family in Sweden in an ever-changing succession of refugee hostels. To increase his chances of obtaining residence permits for them all, he resumes his career as a wrestler – and is confronted with the reason he had to flee.
• Opus Of An Angel (2017)

  Review preview for Opus Of An Angel

  Shot close up on crowded streets, often with a handheld camera, Opus Of An Angel perfectly captures the atmosphere of a busy urban space.

  When a suicidal man finds a blind girl lost and wandering the streets of LA, he is torn between getting her home safely and keeping his appointment with death.
• The Orator (2011)

  Review preview for The Orator

  Like Saili himself, this proves to be a thoughtful little gem.

  A Samoan farmer defends his land and family while coming to terms with himself.
• Orca - The Killer Whale (1977)

  Review preview for Orca - The Killer Whale

  There may be moments when it's truly awful, but it's also strangely compelling.

  After his partner and unborn child are killed, a killer whale seeks revenge on the humans responsible.
• Orchestra Seats (2006)

  Review preview for Orchestra Seats

  Daniele Thompson has enticed delightful performances from a diverse cast.

  Life in the theatre has repercussions outside in a style that is perfectly Paris.
• The Order (2024)

  Review preview for The Order

  The Order might not be too original, both in the plot and the character department, but it is very effective, functional movie fun.

  An FBI agent comes to believe a series of violent crimes are the work of domestic terrorists.
• The Order Of Myths (2008)

  Review preview for The Order Of Myths

  The Order of Myths is more than a look at the celebration of Mardi Gras, it's a deep gaze into the history and the people of Mobile.

  Using dual Mardi Gras parades, The Order of Myths delves into cultural exploration and integration in a community still stuck in tradition.
• The Ordinaries (2021)

  Review preview for The Ordinaries

  Dazzles from the opening song and dance number to the final credits.

  Paula is a supporting role aspiring to become a main character. Yet, just before her final exams, her emotive music generator suddenly starts playing up, which presents a major problem for her. No starring role can survive without a heartrending accompaniment from the strings.
• Origin (2023)

  Review preview for Origin

  [DuVernay is] not here to tell people what to think – rather, she’s presenting them with the tools to start thinking for themselves and making their own discoveries.

  An exploration of the roots of racism as experienced in the US.
• Original Sin (2018)

  Review preview for Original Sin

  There's an unexpected tenderness at the heart of this snappy little comedy that gives it more than just superficial charm.

  A frustrated housewife, her uptight husband, and a freewheeling artist form an unlikely triangle with explosive results.
• The Origin Of Ultraman (2026)

  Review preview for The Origin Of Ultraman

  The unfussy format suits the clarity and minimalism of the Ultraman design and narratives.

  A celebration of the superhero from Nebula M78 and his appearances in films, on television, and in wider Japanese culture.
• Orlando (1992)

  Review preview for Orlando

  A film which flatters to deceive, teasing the viewer with a fluttering of aesthetically-pleasing eyelids before dashing off in pursuit of another suitor.

  Young nobleman Orlando is commanded by Queen Elizabeth I to stay forever young. Miraculously, he does just that...
• Orlando, My Political Biography (2023)

  Review preview for Orlando, My Political Biography

  Capturing the experience of living in a world where one’s gender doesn’t fit better than almost any other film to date, Preciado’s work is all about claiming space and present day narrative.

  Docufiction interpretation of Virginia Woolf's novel.