Film review archive

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

S — 1578 results

• Southbound (2015)

  Review preview for Southbound

  Unusually coherent for a film of this type and well structured so that the different directors' styles complement one another rather than clashing.

  Five interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares - and darkest secrets - over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.
• Southpaw (2015)

  Review preview for Southpaw

  Ever since Donnie Darko it's been clear that Gyllenhaal is something special, and here he really gets the chance to shine.

  Boxer Billy Hope turns to trainer Tick Willis to help him get his life back on track after losing his wife.
• South Park - Bigger, Longer And Uncut (1999)

  Review preview for South Park - Bigger, Longer And Uncut

  Trey Parker (director, producer, writer and voice of half a dozen characters) does not simply debunk institutional humbug, he twists its pigtail and stomps on its rhetoric.

  America goes to war with Canada, while the potty-mouthed youngsters form a resistance!
• South - Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic (1919)

  Review preview for South - Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic

  Hurley has a keen eye for a good picture and often put himself in dangerous situations just to get the image he wanted.

  Footage from Shackleton's expedition.
• The Souvenir (2019)

  Review preview for The Souvenir

  The costumes in The Souvenir speak volumes about female and male desire and the search for identity that garments can encompass.

  A quiet film student begins finding her voice as an artist while navigating a turbulent courtship with a charismatic but untrustworthy man.
• The Souvenir: Part II (2021)

  Review preview for The Souvenir: Part II

  Hogg has always had an eye for architectural as well as emotional spaces and we see it here, as she floods the large rooms of Julie's parents' home with light, so that she almost seems to be paling out of them, which, coupled with her often silent reactions as others babble around her makes it seem as though she is the one who might be the ghost.

  In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with a charismatic and manipulative older man, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction.
• Soylent Green (1973)

  Review preview for Soylent Green

  With such a powerful story and a charismatic lead like Heston, it's hard to go wrong.

  On an overheated, overcrowded future Earth, a detective investigates the death of a wealthy corporate mogul.
• Spaceman (2024)

  Review preview for Spaceman

  While the lo-fi production design on the spaceship - with its man-made webbing and items from food tins to tools strapped down left right and centre - is absorbing in its detail, there's only so long it can distract you from the film's bloated running time.

  An astronaut, has been on a space mission for months. He realises that his wife might not be waiting for him once he returns to Earth. In his desperation, he turns for help to a mysterious creature lurking deep in the bowels of his spaceship.
• The Space Between The Lines (2019)

  Review preview for The Space Between The Lines

  Jopp teases us with little connections which create visual and narrative consistency, whilst fleshing out a full existence for each character.

  An accidental meeting online turns into a lengthy correspondence that comes to feel more and more important to the two people involved.
• Space Cadet

  Review preview for Space Cadet

  A film that gently tackles adult themes including grief, being an empty nester and memory but in ways that make it accessible to all ages.

  Robot’s sole purpose has always been to nurture Celeste into the brilliant scientist she has now become. But as the young astronaut sets off on her first interstellar mission, Robot is left behind.
• Space Cowboys (2000)

  Review preview for Space Cowboys

  A geriatric adventure yarn that creaks with rusty sentiment and is as predictable as Meg Ryan.

  Ancient astronauts go back into orbit to repair Russian satellite.
• Space Dogs (2019)

  Review preview for Space Dogs

  As in much Russian science fiction, the tone here is darker and yet vastly more alert to the wonders of the universe than is usual in the Western equivalent.

  According to myth, Laika, the first dog sent to space, returned to earth as a ghost that has roamed Moscow since... this film is told from the perspective of her descendants, two street dogs in today's city.
• Space Journey (2019)

  Review preview for Space Journey

  The documentarian finds a rhythm along with a gradually building theme concerning travellers and migres in these liminal spaces.

  Observational documentary captures snapshots of bus stops across Chile and the people who wait there.
• Space Monster Wangmagwi (1967)

  Review preview for Space Monster Wangmagwi

  From silver-painted cardboard alien spacesuits to the vague puffs of smoke which stand in for a death ray, there’s a good deal in this film that will endear it to genre fans with a fondness for the era.

  Aliens arrive from another world, seeking the conquest of Earth. They unleash a gigantic monster who destroys everything in his path with a powerful death ray.
• The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

  Review preview for The Spanish Prisoner

  The puzzle's in the pleasure.

  The creator of a formula that will make men rich is tempted to betray his firm.
• Spare My Bones, Coyote! (2025)

  Review preview for Spare My Bones, Coyote!

  A no-nonsense and non-sensationalist approach that is respectful of the dead.

  Observational documentary about the work of a search-and-rescue team in the US borderlands.
• The Sparks Brothers (2021)

  Review preview for The Sparks Brothers

  Wright doesn't try to reinvent the documentary form, but draws on the Maels' energy, matching their playfulness and incorporating both stop-motion and a decoupage styles of animation into their back story.

  How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band's favorite band.
• The Sparrow In The Chimney (2024)

  Review preview for The Sparrow In The Chimney

  As Zürcher explores his protagonist's psyche, straining the limits of a pervasive sense of turbulence, he steers the narrative into a dream-like realm of refreshing sincerity.

  A family gathering is triggering for everyone.
• Spartacus (1960)

  Review preview for Spartacus

  This is an iconic film which had a massive influence on popular culture.

  The epic tale of a gladiator in Ancient Rome who revolts and tries to lead a slave army to freedom.
• Spartan (2004)

  Review preview for Spartan

  Despite some dodgy plotholes and remarkable coincidences, the film is genuinely exciting.

  A military expert is called in to rescue the abducted daughter of a high-profile politician.
• Speak No Evil (2022)

  Review preview for Speak No Evil

  Tafdrup chooses to follow the more familiar route, carrying events to a natural extreme, but in a way this lets the Danish couple off the hook.

  A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness.
• Special Actors (2019)

  Review preview for Special Actors

  Special Actors is full of twists and turns but resolves everything nicely in the end.

  An amateur actor with a nervous condition that makes him faint at the slightest sign of stress joins an agency which employs actors to stage real-life situations. Being a stand-in at a wedding or a funeral is one thing, but soon he must infiltrate a cult.
• Special Delivery (2022)

  Review preview for Special Delivery

  Alongside the thrilling driving sequences, there are some great fight scenes of the variety which shun polish and show us characters who really look like they’re suffering.

  "I deliver everything that the post office service does not handle." Eun-ha, who is a normal junkyard employee, secretly works as a delivery clerk that deals with unusual delivery requests.
• Species (1995)

  Review preview for Species

  The plot has no tolerance for logic and the dialogue is of the 'She's frustrated' 'Who isn't?' variety.

  A test-tube sci-fi girl grows up into a man-eating centrefold nymphomaniac.
• Species (2026)

  Review preview for Species

  Le Coroller’s horror is at its best when it focuses on Margot’s psychological meltdown as she works against the clock.

  Margot dreams of becoming a life-saving doctor. But as an intern at the most competitive ER in the country, she has trouble keeping up. Soon, young burnt out patients come to her with unusual symptoms, just as she starts developing a strange metamorphosis…
• Species II (1998)

  Review preview for Species II

  The slimy creature effects package (guts explosion) is becoming increasingly yukky.

  Astronauts come a cropper with nymphomaniac aliens while on a trip to Mars.
• Speed (1994)

  Review preview for Speed

  A heart-in-your-mouth experience.

  A blackmailer places a bomb on a bus. The bomb will explode if the bus slows down.
• Speed Demon (2026)

  Review preview for Speed Demon

  Like many a familiar rail service, it suffers from delays and nothing quite works as it should – but hey, it’ll still get you from A to B.

  Aboard a runaway train, a nun struggling with her faith breaks Church rules to attempt an exorcism which just might save the day.
• Speed Racer (2008)

  Review preview for Speed Racer

  As the shiny roadsters perform death defying stunts to get to the chequered flag, I defy the greenest carphobe not to feel their pulse racing.

  Family values versus corporate dirty tricks in futuristic motor racing spectacular.
• Spencer (2021)

  Review preview for Spencer

  There are strong supporting performances from a relatively small cast, but they pale in comparison to Stewart.

  The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumours of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities, across which handful of days, the film is set.
• Spermageddon (2024)

  Review preview for Spermageddon

  Nothing short of an instant cult.

  Two awkward teens are having sex for the first time, while Simon the Semen and his friends are on a quest to reach the golden goal, the Egg.
• Spider-Man (2002)

  Review preview for Spider-Man

  The 12-certificate seems severe. This is a kids movie if ever there was one.

  Bitten by a spider in a museum, a shy youth begins to develop strange abilities.
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)

  Review preview for Spider-Man 2

  The effects are eye-popping and the look of the film is exquisite.

  Spidey reluctantly returns to save New York from a mad scientist.
• Spider-Man 3 (2007)

  Review preview for Spider-Man 3

  Whooshing between buildings at high speed over and over again feels like an overdose of Ritalin. The three-way baddie climax is nauseating, unexciting and full of contrivances.

  Spider-Man fights three villains, and himself.
• Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023)

  Review preview for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

  There are some astonishing sequences that leverage the freedom animation has to move perspective.

  Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-people charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

  Review preview for Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  I had to step aside to try to enjoy it as a thing itself and I'm not convinced I succeeded.

  A forgotten Peter Parker lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

  Review preview for Spider-Man: Homecoming

  The balance between the individual and the bigger picture is perhaps the greatest strength of Homecoming.

  Peter returns home to live with his Aunt May, but the emergence of new villain the Vulture changes everything.
• Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

  Review preview for Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse

  The drawing is good as the story scatters.

  A teenager bitten by a radioactive spider realises he's not the only one with super powers.
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

  Review preview for Spider-Man: No Way Home

  The film maintains an excellent blend of the domestic and the dramatic

  Peter's attempts to make the world forget him help villains fall into his world from elsewhere in the Multiverse.
• The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

  Review preview for The Spiderwick Chronicles

  One of the best children's films for years.

  Moving to a creepy old house after their parents split up, three children encounter a dangerous but enchanting supernatural world.
• Spider Island (2026)

  Review preview for Spider Island

  Although it follows the standard script in terms of its basic outline, Spider Island is more than usually likeable and more than usually fun.

  On a secluded private tropical island, The Oceania Pearl Hotel invites a group of famous social media influencers to its opening party to help solidify its place as the world’s most luxurious new resort destination. But the hotel hides a nightmarish secret… the subterranean caves disturbed during construction have awakened a horde of deadly spiders
• Spilt Milk (2024)

  Review preview for Spilt Milk

  There isn’t an ornament that feels out of place and you can almost smell the kitchen chip fat and butterfly bun icing as you gaze around Bobby’s home, with its orange pine and associated shades of brown.

  A wannabe detective's hunt for his older brother reveals a dangerous side of Eighties Dublin.
• The Spin (2024)

  Review preview for The Spin

  The warmth between the two leads keeps us rooting for them as everything seems to be going against them, often due to their own poor decisions.

  Two men go on a road trip across Ireland in search of a priceless record.
• The Spine Of Night (2021)

  Review preview for The Spine Of Night

  The central problem here is a common one in fantasy epics: it does go on a bit.

  In this ultra-violent fantasy epic, ancient dark magic falls into sinister hands and unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind. A group of heroes from different eras and cultures must band together in order to defeat it at all costs
• Spiral (2019)

  Review preview for Spiral

  Bowyer-Chapman is superb.

  A same-sex couple move to a small town so they can enjoy a better quality of life and raise their 16-year-old daughter with the best social values. But nothing is as it seems in their picturesque neighbourhood, and when Malik sees the folks next door throwing a very strange party, something has got to give.
• Spiral (2020)

  Review preview for Spiral

  Elemental imagery is to the fore, while Gábor Császár's sound design adds to the sense of unease, with buzzing flies and maggots noisily squirming in a bucket before Bence tips them into the lake.

  Tensions rise for a couple who have moved to a fishing lake.
• The Spiral (2026)

  Review preview for The Spiral

  Up until the end laced with cheap pseudo-biblical references, this horror-drama serves as a fun and thrilling ride.

  A woman unexpectedly shows up at her daughter’s home to reveal the truth about their family.
• The Spiral Staircase (1946)

  Review preview for The Spiral Staircase

  Although dated, the film retains a tension throughout.

  A serial killer of disabled women stalks a mute girl in a gothic mansion during a thunder storm.
• The Spirit (2008)

  Review preview for The Spirit

  Incomplete, inchoate, incompetent.

  Reimagining of the classic superhero detective comic.
• Spirited Away (2001)

  Review preview for Spirited Away

  The power of invention is strong and the visual imagery matches the plot's unique vision, defining all logic of storytelling.

  Animated Japanese adventure of a 10-year-old girl in a magic world of ghosts and unquiet gods.