Skip to main content

Film review archive

You can also browse our DVD archive and short film archive.

S — 1578 results

  • Smooth Talk (1985)
    Review preview for Smooth Talk

    It is comforting to keep in mind that the devil cannot cross your threshold without an invitation.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
    A free-spirited teenager has an encounter with a dangerous man.
  • The Smurfs (2011)
    Review preview for The Smurfs

    There's a slew of awkward self-deprecating jokes that suggest the writers don't actually like smurfs in the first place, which leaves one wondering why anybody thought this film should be made.

    Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
    The smurfs are sucked through a portal into New York City, where they must fight the evil wizard Gargamel.
  • The Snake (2025)
    Review preview for The Snake

    Although it’s dealing with potentially grim situations – homelessness, codependency, petty crime – the film is consistently entertaining.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    When an ungovernable fortysomething wild child collides with her venomous mother, her life blows up spectacularly, leaving her evicted and single.
  • Snakes On A Plane (2006)
    Review preview for Snakes On A Plane

    Its confidence is beguiling.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Some snakes. On a plane. What more do you need to know?
  • Snake Eyes (2021)
    Review preview for Snake Eyes

    Hidden in this is a competent ninja flick.

    Andrew Robertson · 2.5 out of 5
    A GI Joe spin-off centered around the character of Snake Eyes.
  • Snake Outta Compton (2018)
    Review preview for Snake Outta Compton

    Snake Outta Compton has evidently been made by people who care.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A rap group on the verge of signing their first record deal is the city's only hope in a battle with a giant mutating snake monster.
  • Snatch (2000)
    Review preview for Snatch

    Snatch is way over the top, like Lock Stock was, only second time around it doesn't feel so fresh.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Diamond heist causes mayhem amongst London gangland hard men.
  • Snitch (2013)
    Review preview for Snitch

    A serious pile of nonsense.

    Max Crawford · 2 out of 5
    A father goes undercover for the DEA in exchange for the release of his wrongfully imprisoned son.
  • Snowpiercer (2013)
    Review preview for Snowpiercer

    The mix of action and satire also turns it into an absorbing hell of a ride.

    Sophie Charlotte Rieger · 4.5 out of 5
    In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.
  • The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (2011)
    Review preview for The Snows Of Kilimanjaro

    Guediguian takes a subtle and even-handed approach, well aware that the selflessness of the central characters will be construed as weakness and misplaced guilt.

    Jeff Robson · 3.5 out of 5
    Director Robert Guediguian returns to his old Marseilles stamping ground for an entertaining, politically passionate drama starring the director's ensemble regulars.
  • Snowtown (2011)
    Review preview for Snowtown

    Layer in the realisation that what you are seeing actually happened and the result takes you beyond disturbing into that place where your skin starts to creep and your brain crawls into the foetal position.

    Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
    A vulnerable boy is drawn into the crimes of a charismatic serial killer. Based on a true story.
  • Snow Day (2000)
    Review preview for Snow Day

    If you cared, you would weep. But you don't. You scream.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 1 out of 5
    Students take revenge when their school is snowed in.
  • Snow Flower And The Secret Fan (2011)
    Review preview for Snow Flower And The Secret Fan

    Despite all the lingering close ups, it's hard to feel anything for these women.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    Two present day women discover their connection to counterparts in Ancient China who could often communicate only through the secret code of the fan.
  • Snow Leopard Sisters (2025)
    Review preview for Snow Leopard Sisters

    The circumstances of women are central to the film.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A determined conservationist travels alone to her home in a remote corner of the Himalayas, vowing to end retaliatory killings of local snow leopards. To succeed, she must first convince her young apprentice to love the animals that have taken everything from her and her family.
  • Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)
    Review preview for Snow White And The Huntsman

    A gripping, exhilarating rollick through a medieval wasteland.

    Merlin Harries · 4 out of 5
    The huntsman ordered by a jealous queen to kill the young princess Snow White instead trains her as a warrior who can lead a rebel army.
  • Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
    Review preview for Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

    Snow White, the first full-length animated feature, shows a class that Disney has since run out of.

    Gator MacReady · 4 out of 5
    Disney classic about a wicked queen's attempts to slay "the fairest of them all".
  • The Social Dilemma (2020)
    Review preview for The Social Dilemma

    The Social Dilemma has so little to offer that's new that one wonders why anyone bothered to make it.

    Jennie Kermode · 1.5 out of 5
    Consideration of the downsides of social networking.
  • Social Hygiene (2021)
    Review preview for Social Hygiene

    Côté has often played with artifice, particularly in his documentaries, and here he pushes things to experimental extremes.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    Hedonistic philosopher-cum-delinquent, Antonin gets stuck between five women.
  • The Social Network (2010)
    Review preview for The Social Network

    Fincher's cautionary fable is way more riveting than anyone could reasonably have expected.

    David Graham · 4.5 out of 5
    The story behind the founding of Facebook.
  • The Social Ones (2019)
    Review preview for The Social Ones

    Thanks to a great ensemble cast...it gets away with delivering lines of utter absurdity with a deadpan seriousness that in lesser hands would fall flat.

    Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
    Mockumentary about the lives and anxieties of a group of social media “influencers”.
  • Society (1989)
    Review preview for Society

    The real stars of the show are Mad Screaming George's prosthetic effects.

    Keith Hennessey Brown · 3.5 out of 5
    A young man suspects that the reason his upper class neighbours avoid him is because he's adopted, but the truth is still more disturbing. Gore galore.
  • Society Of The Snow (2023)
    Review preview for Society Of The Snow

    The impact of the plane crash near the start of this retelling of the remarkable true survival story is shown in visceral detail with a sound design that slams right through you.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    Survival thriller taking place in the aftermath of a plane crash in the Andes.
  • Socks On Fire (2020)
    Review preview for Socks On Fire

    On its surface, it is slight - after all, this is a single family argument between a drag queen and the sister who disapproved of her brother's lifestyle - but McGuire is hunting for deeper resonances.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Bo McGuire returns home to rural Alabama to document the bitter property feud between his homophobic aunt and gay uncle.
  • Socrates (2018)
    Review preview for Socrates

    Not a huge amount may happen in terms of plot and Moratto keeps his storyline light on its feet, but the situation and emotions feel real and raw.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    After his mother’s sudden death, 15-year-old Socrates must learn how to fend for himself in São Paulo.
  • Sodankylä Forever: The Century Of Cinema (2010)
    Review preview for Sodankylä Forever: The Century Of Cinema

    The weight of history lies heavy on the shoulders of these filmmakers.

    Robert Munro · 4 out of 5
    The Century of Cinema is a documentary which focusses on World War II in relation to filmmaking.
  • Softie (2021)
    Review preview for Softie

    Theis approaches the coming-of-age formula in a refreshingly new way that focuses on the beauty of weakness.

    Stephanie Brown · 5 out of 5
    Things change for a sensitive youngster from a deprived area after a new teacher takes over his class.
  • Soft & Quiet (2022)
    Review preview for Soft & Quiet

    The easy flow of de Araújo’s film and the intensity of its characters makes it easy to miss just what an impressive achievement it is at a technical level.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    An afternoon in the life of Emily, a female white supremacist and elementary school teacher.
  • Solaris (2002)
    Review preview for Solaris

    Soderbergh's use of real time, old time, dream and memory is orchestrated with such delicacy that the meaning of truth dissolves into pure sensation.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    A bereaved man is sent to investigate a mysterious planet and the disaffected crew in orbit around it.
  • A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1997)
    Review preview for A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

    As a rites-of-passage, it suffers too wide a time frame.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Rites-of-passage drama about a writer's daughter.
  • Soledad (2018)
    Review preview for Soledad

    Spinetta turns in a valiant central performance, everything resting on her slender shoulders.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Two young people navigate romance while the government sees them as terrorists and the public as heroes. Based on true events.
  • Solidarity (2019)
    Review preview for Solidarity

    It’s when she interviews female members from activist groups and unions who formed relationships with undercover police that Solidarity acquires a deeper heft, its hitherto simmering threads now boiling to the surface.

    Sunil Chauhan · 3 out of 5
    Solidarity looks at blacklisting in the construction industry where thousands of workers were denied employment for involvement in trade union activism and workplace disputes.
  • Solis (2018)
    Review preview for Solis

    The pacing, like Holloway, is out of control, sometimes racing along but, more often, hanging about for no apparent reason.

    Amber Wilkinson · 2 out of 5
    An astronaut finds himself trapped in an escape pod heading towards the sun.
  • Solitary Fragments (2007)
    Review preview for Solitary Fragments

    La Soledad hinges on a central conceit that weighs heavily, but if it can be accepted it is the key to a work of staggering power.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    The lives of two women are changed forever by terrorist bombings in Madrid.
  • Solo (2023)
    Review preview for Solo

    Solo features wonderfully detailed sets which give depth and meaning to its characters’ lives, plus fantastic costume work both on and off the stage.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    The story of Simon, who must deal with the disappointment of two impossible loves: a passionate but destructive crush on Oliver and a distant and cold relationship with his mother Claire, who has just moved back in after a 15-year absence.
  • Solomamma (2025)
    Review preview for Solomamma

    Askevold’s refusal to offer easy answers is compelling.

    Saba Osanadze · 3 out of 5
    When a single mother discovers the identity of her sperm donor, her pursuit of truth blurs the boundaries between love, ethics, and self-deception.
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
    Review preview for Solo: A Star Wars Story

    Solo is an exercise in retroactive continuity, and its ability to create peril is itself imperilled by what we know to follow after.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian.
  • Somebody Up There Likes Me (2012)
    Review preview for Somebody Up There Likes Me

    A fast, furious and occasionally hilarious angster comedy.

    Michael Pattison · 3 out of 5
    Dark comedy tracks happy-go-lucky slacker Max across three decades.
  • Someone's Daughter (2026)
    Review preview for Someone's Daughter

    Charismatic yet nuanced performances from both leads keep the film in balance, and though most of the dialogue is simply conversational, the subtext goes deep.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A lawyer and a client she once successfully defended against rape are kidnapped and stranded in the Canadian wilderness together.
  • Somersault (2004)
    Review preview for Somersault

    Almost everything about the film just feels right.

    Keith Hennessey Brown · 4 out of 5
    Sexually awakened 15-year-old escapes to an Australian ski resort and lives off her wits.
  • Somers Town (2008)
    Review preview for Somers Town

    Meadows' film oozes quality. The scripting feels natural and, thanks to long takes, Meadows is able to get the best performances from his young leads.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    A boy heads to London to seek his fortune and finds friendship.
  • Something (2018)
    Review preview for Something

    There are the bones here of a fantastic twisty little thriller but sadly they are not very successfully fleshed out.

    Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
    A man and woman are struggling to adjust to life with their new baby. But their situation begins to unravel when they suspect a menacing stranger could be lurking, watching, even entering their home.
  • Something In The Dirt (2022)
    Review preview for Something In The Dirt

    What matters here is not so much the phenomenon itself, but the way that the characters become obsessed with it.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    When neighbours John and Levi witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building, they realise documenting the paranormal could inject some fame and fortune into their wasted lives. An ever-deeper, darker rabbit hole, their friendship frays as they uncover the dangers of the phenomena, the city, and each other.
  • Something In The Water (2024)
    Review preview for Something In The Water

    Something In The Water satisfies in unexpected ways.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Five young women visiting the tropics for a wedding find themselves in deep water, with hungry sharks on the prowl.
  • Something You Said Last Night (2022)
    Review preview for Something You Said Last Night

    De Filippis understands the value of the small stuff.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    After being fired from her job, Ren, an aspiring writer and mid-twenty-something, accompanies her Canadian-Italian family on vacation.
  • Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023)
    Review preview for Sometimes I Think About Dying

    The film wonderfully captures the dynamics of workplace small talk.

    Jeremy Mathews · 4 out of 5
    Fran likes to think about dying. It brings sensation to her quiet life. When she makes the new guy at work laugh, it leads to more: a date, a slice of pie, a conversation, a spark. The only thing standing in their way is Fran herself.
  • Some Beasts (2019)
    Review preview for Some Beasts

    A chiller of displaced domesticity

    Anton Bitel · 4 out of 5
    A family enthusiastically disembarks on a deserted island on Chile’s southern coast with the dream of building a tourist hotel. When the man who brought them across from the continent disappears, the family is trapped.
  • Some Came Running (1958)
    Review preview for Some Came Running

    This film doesn’t have a single nude scene or four-letter word in it, but it’s still one of the sexiest bits of celluloid you’ll ever see.

    Jeff Robson · 4 out of 5
    A failed writer returns to his home town after leaving the Army, and finds himself torn between two very different women.
  • Some Kind Of Heaven (2020)
    Review preview for Some Kind Of Heaven

    Sympathies increasingly lie with the women.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Behind the gates of a palm tree-lined fantasyland, four residents of America’s largest retirement community, The Villages, FL, strive to find happiness and meaning.
  • Some Like It Hot (1959)
    Review preview for Some Like It Hot

    This is possibly the raciest picture ever to get a U-rating.

    Scott Macdonald · 5 out of 5
    Classic cross-dressing comedy as two unemployed musicians go on the run from gangsters in an all-girl band.
  • Some Like It Rare (2021)
    Review preview for Some Like It Rare

    Foïs is perfectly cast in the sort of villain role that’s rare these days, clearly relishing the viciousness of it.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Sophie and Vincent Pascal have run the family butcher shop for a decade, but business is bad. So grim it’s on the brink of bankruptcy and so is their marriage. But then Vincent kills a vegan activist who had vandalised their shop. When he butchers the body and his wife accidentally sells it, customers can’t stop lining up for the tender cuts.

News and features

Paul Rowley on moving to New York, the Pulse massacre, and Gays Against Guns

Going ape Antonin Niclass on character creation, empathy and animated short Into The Forest

Freeform Will Niava on grief, new immigrant experiences and Jazz Infernal

In silence Emir Kumova on child marriage in Türkiye, moral challenges and making The Witness

Taking a ride into liminal spaces Katharine Round on making documentary Ghost Town

Flying blind Michael Woloson and Scott Tinkham on improvisation, experimental writing and Littermates

In deep water Dominic Curran on internet overexposure and A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing

More news and features

Festival coverage

Festivals
Cannes festival coverage, 2026

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the Cheltenham International Film Festival, the Leeds International Film Festival, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and Tallinn Black Nights.



We're looking forward to the French Film Festival and DOC NYC.



We've recently brought you coverage of the Belfast Film Festival, Halloween Frightfest, the Scottish Queer International Film Festival, Newfest, the London Film Festival, the New York Film Festival and Grimmfest.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.