Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die review: Clever, infectious and wildly original – AI be damned
Despite some final act issues, the first film from Gore Verbinski in almost a decade is audacious, fresh and a massive amount of fun.
If you only watch one movie this year featuring a CGI centaur with a cat’s head, that sprays glittery confetti from its undercarriage, then make it this one. Gore Verbinski’s hog-wild time travel tale is audacious, fresh and a massive amount of fun, even though it falls over in a confusing final act. Sam Rockwell has a blast as the unnamed revolutionary from the future trying to save the world from a nine-year-old child who is destined to invent a God-like AI that hates humans. To do so he must recruit a team of random strangers who happen to be eating at Norm’s diner on a particular night – the time traveller has tried multiple combinations before only to be thwarted by some outrageous obstacle each time. Could this bunch be the right one? What’s certain is they won’t all make it to the end. Good Luck is at its strongest in its first two thirds, where vignettes showing the backstories of some of the diners are intercut with the overarching mission. These play like micro episodes of Black Mirror, mixing dark humour with tech-terror. View Green Video on the source website Zazie Beetz and Michael Peña are school teachers, menaced by teen zombies mobilised by their phones. The White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson is a professional princess for children’s birthday parties who is allergic to cell phones and wi-fi. And in the very best one, Juno Temple’s bereaved mother is given the chance to reunite with her son who has been killed in a school shooting, via a cloning programme. This segment is genuinely sad and very troubling in terms of what America looks like now but also laugh-out-loud funny as she is asked to choose her resurrected son’s traits via the film’s equivalent of an Apple Store. Temple carries this segment with absolute commitment – she feels like a real person dealing with real trauma amidst a Stepford Wives-esque nightmare of hollow-eyed parents, many of whom have resurrected their massacred children multiple times. And to reiterate: it’s genuinely funny. Though Good Luck is horror/sci-fi/action/comedy, there’s certainly an underlying scream of frustration in the script, written by Matthew Robinson, who’s best known as the writer/director of Ricky Gervais comedy The Invention of Lying. The apocalypse is coming. It’s already started. No one cares and no one is doing anything about it. Kids are all morons in thrall to their phones. Adults are numbed to stupefaction by the horrors of the world. Attention spans are microscopic, and any creativity is being replaced by AI slop. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die enjoys playing with very meta elements of this, although that’s also where it ties itself in knots. For a film concerned with short attention spans it’s really long at 134 minutes. It also covers up some of its less coherent plot points by essentially jangling its keys at the audience via tech jargon and flashy CGI. Parts of the final act even feel like it’s playing with what a film would look like were it written by Chat GPT – a bold idea if not entirely successful. The final act trips over its own shoelaces, with several too many endings and some questionable logic. Like Verbinski’s latter two Pirates of the Caribbean movies and 2016’s A Cure for Wellness, it looks fantastic but doesn't entirely make sense by the end. Good Luck will draw comparisons to 2022’s Everything, Everywhere All at Once, though this film is unlikely to be bothering any mainstream awards ceremonies. In a way it’s all the better for it – it’s clever, unpretentious and packed with infectious energy. Crucially too, it’s wildly original – AI be damned! Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20 February 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Dracula review: Cynthia Erivo bites back at doubters but is let down by overproduction
Cynthia Erivo's one-woman show has landed at London's Noël Coward Theatre.
Now officially a legend of villainy, Cynthia Erivo proves her might and mettle in her one-woman production of Dracula, showing at London’s Noël Coward theatre from now until May. Bram Stoker's seminal gothic is brought to life in wicked – sometimes wonderful and sometimes woeful – fashion in this ultimately watchable but confused production. Made by the same creators as Sarah Snook's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Erivo plays all 23 characters in the show, including the infamous Count and the narrators best known by those of us who did A-Level English lit: Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray and John Seward. Focusing first on her performance, Erivo is five-star. Her ability to shift skins from Harker's clipped English lawyer, to the bright eyed Mina, to the doomed but delightful Lucy, was like watching the lead ballet dancer subtly change parts in Swan Lake. The first 20 minutes in particular, where Harker enters Castle Dracula, were an exemplar for how it should be done. Her seamless transitioning between tone, tenor and gender, was also beautifully aided by the costume department led by Claire Murphy and Rachel Morris. However I must now turn to production. From the outset, press releases have described this play as a piece of "cinetheatre", which I now see translates to a massive homogenous screen taking up half the stage the entire time. On this screen, several of Erivo's characters appear such as Van Helsing and Quincey Morris, delivering pre-recorded lines to each other, sometimes for minutes at a time. When this occurs, the on-stage actress suddenly shrinks to a supporting role and is diminished to the point I barely saw her moving about the stage. To complicate matters further, major moments such as the graveyard scene are hit by blaring music, split screens and choppy editing to the point it came across more as an emo music video à la Panic! At The Disco than a hefty Victorian text. Later on, this became even more pronounced as heavy synth pop and glittering set pieces joined the stage, although I did appreciate the noted symbolism of Dracula's bite being akin to sex. It seemed an unfortunate metaphor that as Erivo sometimes climbed across scenery and around the back of the screen, she was literally fighting for centre stage. If only production had got out her way, perhaps using simple voice-over for the other characters instead of constant visuals, the actress would have been allowed to actually shine through the fog. It’s testament to Erivo's skill that her performance still packed a punch throughout. However, by the law of averages a five-star performance and one-star production must equal three. Sadly like Dracula himself, this production sits stranded in the middle, not dead, not alive, but somewhere in between. How long is Dracula on at the West End? Dracula is running from now until 30th May 2026. Shows are on every Monday to Saturday, with two shows on Saturdays. Right now availability is low for February but you can still find tickets for March onwards. The show is running at Noël Coward Theatre, which sits just a short walk from Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern Line). How to see Cynthia Erivo in Dracula You can get Dracula tickets at the official website only, with prices starting from £30 and running up to £225. Make sure you also check out our interviews with Jay McGuiness on musicals vs boybands and Kevin Clifton on Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Plus, the best West End shows. Plus, AEW tickets, J Cole tickets and Jack Whitehall tickets.
Shadowlands review: Hugh Bonneville shimmers in tender exploration of love, faith and loss
Paddington star Hugh Bonneville is on stage from now until May.
Shadowlands at the Aldwych Theatre, written by William Nicholson and directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, tells the story of great English author CS Lewis and his relationship with American writer Joy Davidman. The story asks whether suffering is the price of love. Whether intellectual faith can survive lived grief. Largely, it succeeds in taking audiences on the emotional journey. Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Siff, unsurprisingly, deliver laudable performances, grounding the production in warmth and humour. Their connection feels sincere, and so the story’s message feels personal rather than an abstract concept. Where the relationship, and show at large, might have benefitted is from a sharper portrait of Lewis before Joy enters his life. A greater emphasis on his romantic isolation would have created a clearer contrast between the man who theorises about pain and the man who must endure it. As it stands, Lewis feels broadly consistent before and after meeting Joy, softening the emotional transformation he undergoes. For all its looming tragedy and theological debate though, Shadowlands is frequently and genuinely funny. The comedy never feels forced or tonally jarring; instead, it serves to deepen the emotional core of the play. The supporting cast, including Jeff Rawle, Timothy Watson and Tony Jayawardena, serve to orbit the central relationship. They often function as intellectual foils but do bring a texture to Lewis’s world outside of his relationship with Joy. Most frustrating is the handling of Joy’s son, whose storyline initially suggests a poignant thematic parallel; both to Lewis himself and to Digory in The Magician’s Nephew (the first of the Narnia books). Despite a confident presence from Ayrton English, the script doesn’t allow the character’s arc to fully develop. What begins with emotional promise ultimately feels underexplored and a potentially resonant thread is left flat. Shadowlands doesn’t shy away from grief, but neither does it wallow in it. Instead, it offers something gentler; the idea that love is worth the cost. That, supported by an exceptional cast, makes for a moving and often deeply affecting evening. When and where can I see Shadowlands? Shadowlands is playing at Aldwych Theatre until 9 May 2026. The Aldwych sits a short walk from Temple (District and Circle Line) and Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line). You can buy tickets now at TodayTix and LOVETheatre. Buy Shadowlands tickets at LOVETheatre Buy Shadowlands tickets at Today Tix Check out our round-up of the best immersive experiences in London. Plus, check out the new Winnie the Pooh Royal Mint coin and our Dracula review with Cynthia Erivo.
The Moment review: A perfect way to finally bang a nail in the Brat coffin
Charli xcx plays herself in this amusing-if-not-always-merciless mock-documentary.
"Are you doin' a Joaquin Phoenix-like thing?" With a handheld camera capturing her in uncomfortable close-up, it’s a question British dance-pop sensation Charli xcx is asked in The Moment, an amusing-if-not-always-merciless mock-documentary that never quite goes to the extremes of Phoenix's piss-taking 2010 film I’m Still Here, where he – fairly convincingly – fooled the world that he was having a meltdown. The Moment is all set around Brat, the album that sent Charli stratospheric, with its distinct slime-green branding and don’t-give-a-f**k attitude. "How do we keep this 'Brat' thing going?" asks Rosanna Arquette’s spiky record executive Tammy Pitman, surrounded by a phalanx of useless 'yes' men. It’s no doubt an echo of conversations Charli faced for real, as the corporate machine looked to squeeze every last bit of juice out of 2024’s 'Brat summer'. The answer to Pitman’s question is twofold. As Charli prepares for a huge O2 gig, she’s pushed into doing a concert film, directed by the slightly sketchy Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård), who immediately starts throwing "creative" ideas around – the worst of which sees Charli put inside a giant cigarette lighter on stage that shoots flames out of the top. At the same time, Charli’s endorsing a new green-coloured 'Brat' credit card aimed at the LGBTQ community. On Charli’s side, she has ineffectual manager Tim (Jamie Demetriou) and her stage designer Celeste (Hailey Benton Gates), but as the gig gets closer, tempers fray, egos swell and Charli's artistic juices run dry. "Everybody’s so desperate for me to be so f**king innovative," she cries. Maybe she should’ve paid more attention to the bird that is living in the rafters of the O2 and dropping excrement all over the floor – surly an omen if ever there was one. A particularly amusing segment sees her escape to a spa hotel, only to be left further frazzled after an encounter with Kylie Jenner, playing herself in a wince-inducing exchange of fake pleasantries. There are plenty of other cameo 'as herself' appearances, including Julia Fox and Rachel Sennott, although most are blink-and-you’ll-miss-them, as they pass through the vortex that is Charli's world of hedonistic parties and Instagram-fuelled promotions. View oEmbed on the source website Scripted by Bertie Brandes and co-written and directed by Scottish debutant Aidan Zamiri, The Moment aims to replicate the typical mock-doc style, with frantic, stomach-flipping handheld camerawork, coupled with brightly-coloured visuals that mirror the 'Brat' branding. That’s all very well, but it gets a little tiresome over the film’s slim 103 minutes. And there are segments, when Charli is enjoying some downtime, where it’s hard to imagine a documentary crew would intrude. Where the film scores is its skewering of the music industry, and the way artists are frequently forced to either compromise or repeat past successes for the sake of the bottom line. The outcome of the 'Brat' bank card debacle is particularly funny (as is the fact that sandwich chain Pret adopt a similar green colour for their rebranded logo). Turning away from Charli's music for the final scene, the choice of The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony feels very apt indeed. At its heart, Charli is an able performer, capable of playing herself without ever feeling self-conscious. It’s an impressive rendering of the craziness she knows all too well, when everyone wants a piece of you. Dangling from a wire and hovering high over the stage in one scene, you also suspect that she’s having a sly dig at her fellow performers – Taylor Swift being an obvious example – with the slickly produced shows and tour films cranked out to feed the fan frenzy. Whatever the case, The Moment feels a perfect way to finally bang a nail in the ‘Brat’ coffin. The Moment is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20 February 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Animol review: Adolescence star Ashley Walters makes an impressive, confident directorial debut
This prison drama exploring the hardcore complexities that come with incarceration is led by brilliant young star Tut Nyuot.
It’s a good year for fans of the British prison drama. Hot on the heels of Wasteman – due out in UK cinemas this week – we have Animol. Receiving its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, in the Perspectives strand, this tense tale marks the feature directorial debut of Ashley Walters. The star of shows like Top Boy and, more recently, Adolescence and A Thousand Blows, of which he directed three episodes, Walters showcases some serious young talent here, notably Tut Nyuot, who previously featured in The Long Walk, and Netflix drama Steve, alongside Cillian Murphy. Here, he plays Troy, brought into a young offender institution on remand as he faces grave charges: conspiracy to commit murder. Arriving the same day as the Polish-born Krystian (Vladislav Baliuk), with whom he soon forms a tight bond, he also runs into the very dangerous Dion (Sekou Diaby). Either Troy smuggles in a phone or D – as he calls himself – is going to make life very difficult for him. Thankfully, Krystian causes a distraction to help Troy sneak the burner past the guards, but it won’t be the last time D calls upon him. Placed in a cell with the highly unstable Mason (Ryan Dean), Troy is soon told by D to cut his cellmate, using a homemade weapon, a razor blade implanted in a toothbrush head. “It’s either you or it's him,” he’s told. After confronting Mason in front of others, he can’t bring himself to deliver this most vicious of warning signs. He’s not a violent lad by nature; all he’s trying to do is survive any way he can, something the script shows very well, as it ticks off the days he’s inside. Scripted by Nick Love, with whom Walters collaborated on TV show Bulletproof, this feels like a million miles away from the excessive, boyish tone of Love’s own movies as a director (most recently, the Danny Dyer-starring Marching Powder). Of course, Animol comes nowhere near the brutal nature of Alan Clarke’s Scum – still the Daddy of all Brit prison flicks – but, like Wasteman, it shows a very real side to modern-day prison life. From drones used by unseen outsiders to drop contraband over the walls to the way drugs and violence are commonplace, it paints a grim-but-convincing picture. View oEmbed on the source website Crucially, it also has a strong and moving emotional arc, as the vulnerable Troy finds pockets of support – whether it be his recovering addict mother (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), a regular visitor desperate to repair their relationship, or a prison official (Walters’ Adolescence and A Thousand Blows co-star Stephen Graham, in a small but potent role), who yearns to steer Troy on a path towards a better life. Graham’s character Claypole even provides one of the most surprising moments, when he convinces the inmates to drop their egos and join him in a bit of free-form dance. It might look a bit like the ‘Rainbow Rhythms’ episode of sitcom Peep Show, but it’s a touching scene, and one that helps Animol stand out from other prison films, which are so frequently filled with relentless and unforgiving despair. Slivers of humour also worm their way into the story (like the inmates being taught how to iron shirts). But largely, it’s a film that explores the hardcore complexities that come with incarceration. “You are not an animol,” reads some misspelt graffiti, courtesy of Dion, on the wall. But in the jungle that is prison, you have no choice but to act like one. Survival of the toughest is, sadly, often the only option, in a world where showing even the slightest weakness leaves you exposed. An impressive, confident debut from Walters. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
High on Life 2 review: Silly sci-fi sequel is perfect for Xbox Game Pass
Launching today, High on Life 2 might just be the perfect Xbox Game Pass game. Sure, it’s not the greatest game of all time, but it’s ideal if you’re already a member of the service and want to have some dumb fun over the Valentine’s Day weekend. If you played 2022’s High on Life, you'll know roughly what to expect - talking guns, linear missions, and the exact brand of silly humour that Rick and Morty fans revel in (although the sci-fi show's creator, Justin Roiland, is not involved in this one). The story picks up some time after the first game left off. The unseen, voiceless player character has become a legendary figure in the bounty hunting world after bringing down the G3 cartel, but a fun montage at the start of the game reveals that this life of super-stardom wasn’t exactly all it was cracked up to be. In classic video game sequel fashion, you’re stripped of a lot of your previous weapons at the start of this second adventure (the way they write Lezduit out of the main story is particularly funny). This is a little frustrating, but it does pave the way for some fun new guns to be added instead. Casting is one of the great strengths of this game, with Ralph Ineson delivering some note-perfect grumpiness as Sheath (basically a Halo battle rifle with shades of Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy) and Ken Marino bringing his downtrodden best to Travis (a divorcee that is introduced in such a funny way). Building on the strengths of the first game, these new guns combine with the returning old ones for some really fun combos and special effects, both in the battle scenarios and the puzzling segments (an underrated element of the franchise in this writer’s opinion). View Green Video on the source website Another fun new addition is the skateboarding. A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one, as it adds a very flow-state vibe to the traversal and also plays into combat and those underrated puzzles to boot. The overarching story and the structure isn’t the greatest strength of this game, with one of the most memorable missions actually having nothing to do with the main plot. There are even points in the game where there is basically nothing to do but go to sleep and wait for the next mission to arrive, which does take the pace out of proceedings a bit and slightly kills the vibe. There’s just enough intrigue here from the game to hang its hat on, with a couple of twists and surprises along the way, but it feels like more effort has been put into the moment-to-moment dialogue than the bigger beats of the story. It feels like, as long as we have a vague reason to hunt someone down, that’s basically enough. That moment-to-moment dialogue will be music to the ears of hardcore Rick and Morty/High on Life fans, but I did find myself tempted to turn down the chatter settings at some points. At times, it felt like puzzles were being explained to me immediately after discovering them, and context was constantly being reiterated by constant dialogue. There were even characters talking over each other about totally different things at points. There were also a couple of glitches and niggles along the way. I had one hard crash, and a couple of moments where I had to reload the previous checkpoint to get out of a broken-seeming situation. Nothing major that put me off in that respect, though, I always wanted to keep playing, even past my bedtime (which is saying something for someone as lazy as me). One other thing that did slightly get on my nerves was the larger open world segments. Clearly an effort had been made to make some big areas and show off some nice graphics (again there was a Halo nod in one of these bits), but I found the environments themselves to be a little underpopulated with meaningful things to do. Sure, there’s stuff to collect and see, with a number of collectable retro games in the mix, as well as the returning novelty of full-length movies showing in theatres, but I found myself a couple of times just whizzing about on my skateboard and struggling to find anything to actually do in these areas. All of that said, there is so much fun to be had in this game, particularly in the main levels. Each one is basically a self-contained bounty hunting mission, and you can tell these have been crafted to engineer the silliest situations possible and really surprise the player holding the controller. I don’t want to describe any specific beats too much, for fear of spoilers, but I’d say these stupendous moments — the payoff and the punchlines that punctuate each main quest — are worth the price of admission on their own, especially if you already have Game Pass! High on Life 2 launches today on Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS5 and Xbox Game Pass. We reviewed on Xbox Series X. You can order your copy now. Read more game reviews: Reanimal review: A beautiful and twisted experience Romeo Is a Dead Man review: Suda51 and co let their baffling brilliance shine Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
What is the Mundo Pixar Experience? Our honest review of the immersive Pixar experience in Wembley
The Mundo Pixar Experience allows you to step into the worlds of 11 of Pixar’s most popular films.
After enjoying highly successful stints in major cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona and Brussels, the Mundo Pixar Experience has finally landed in the UK capital. Located right by Wembley Stadium in a purpose-built venue, this is the world’s largest immersive Pixar exhibition, featuring 14 separate rooms dedicated to some of Pixar’s most beloved films and characters. With plenty of anticipation about the release of this immersive experience in the UK, we headed over to Wembley to check out what the Mundo Pixar Experience had to offer. From the cinematic universes explored to the cost of tickets, here’s everything you need to know about Mundo Pixar Experience. Buy Mundo Pixar Experience tickets For more of our thoughts, check out our Man and Boy review, as well as our Into the Woods review. Jump to: What is the Mundo Pixar Experience? What films are included in the Mundo Pixar Experience? What age is the Mundo Pixar Experience suitable for? How much is the Mundo Pixar Experience? Is the Mundo Pixar Experience worth it? How to get the Mundo Pixar Experience tickets What is the Mundo Pixar Experience? The Mundo Pixar Experience is the world’s largest immersive exhibition focused entirely on Pixar animations. The 14 rooms in the exhibition focus on popular Pixar films and contain life-size sculptures of characters including Carl from Up, Mike and Sulley from Monsters Inc, and the emotions from Inside Out. You’ll also find plenty of fun props and recognisable elements from the films, including Boo’s door from Monster's Inc and cooking ingredients from Ratatouille. Each room is also full of special hidden details, so make sure you interact with the objects in the room to uncover some surprises – don’t forget to push buttons, try doorknobs and lift up some interesting looking objects. There’s also an additional challenge within the Mundo Pixar Experience, as guests are tasked with finding the hidden Pixar ball (the iconic yellow ball with the red star) in each room. The venue is wheelchair accessible and includes a quiet area for those who require it. Buy Mundo Pixar Experience tickets What films are included in the Mundo Pixar Experience? Pixar has a long list of popular films to choose from. Here’s a full list of the universes that are included in this exhibition: Up Monster’s Inc Toy Story Toy Story 3 Elemental Inside Out Ratatouille Coco Luca Cars Finding Nemo Our personal favourite had to be the Toy Story room, where Andy’s bedroom is laid out to scale as if you yourself were the same size as Woody, Buzz and the gang. What age is the Mundo Pixar Experience suitable for? On the official website, the experience is listed as suitable for all ages. Guests under 2 do not require a ticket. We would say that it’s most suitable for ages 3-12. How much do Mundo Pixar Experience tickets cost? Ticket prices for the experience are as follows: Adults: £34 Children (3-15): £22 Family (2 adults, 2 children): £28 per person Is the Mundo Pixar Experience worth it? During our trip to Mundo Pixar Experience, there were plenty of children who were thrilled by what was on offer. We heard screams of delight upon entering rooms to find their favourite characters, including Lightning McQueen and Lotso the bear from Toy Story 3. Many of the children were also enthralled by the challenge of finding the Pixar ball in each room, adding an extra element to their experience. If you have any young Pixar fans in your life, giving them the chance to enter the world of their favourite films will be an unforgettable experience for them and is, in our opinion, worth the money. However, if you’re an adult Pixar fan, be aware that emphasis is placed on the word experience, with "exhibitions" focusing on life-size recreations of family favourite films. If you’re interested in learning more about Pixar’s history, the development of their animation style, or seeing memorabilia from Pixar history, this is not the exhibition for you. Buy Mundo Pixar Experience tickets How to get Mundo Pixar Experience tickets Tickets are currently available to purchase on the Ticketmaster website. Buy Mundo Pixar Experience tickets Family and group tickets are also available to purchase at experience sites such as Red Letter Days and Buy a Gift. Buy Mundo Pixar Experience tickets at Buy a Gift Buy Mundo Pixar Experience tickets at Red Letter Days Check out our roundup of the best immersive experiences in London. Plus, check out the new Winnie the Pooh Royal Mint coin and our Dracula review with Cynthia Erivo.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry review: Gut-wrenchingly gorgeous
A heart-shattering and hopeful journey of love, loss, and letting go, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry goes straight to the heart.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a gut-wrenchingly gorgeous story of guilt, grief and redemption. The story follows Harold who is leaving his wife, not out of malice, but because he’s drowning in guilt for not being able to save his son, and for the kindness he never repaid to Queenie Hennessy, who once took the blame for him at work. When he learns Queenie is dying in a hospice, Harold sets off on a walk across England not to save her, but to prove something to himself, to find peace, and to finally say thank you and goodbye. We learn that Harold and his wife Maureen’s son faced serious struggles after returning from university which included problems with drugs. Harold, in his fear and frustration, shamed his son instead of helping him. What came from love and desperation ended in a devastating fallout. Harold only wanted to push his son toward stability, a job, and routine, not watch him spiral, and this guilt drives every step of his journey. The show’s in-the-round staging feels intimate with atmospheric dreamcatchers hanging above the circular set, while projections transform the space into ever-changing skies and landscapes. Live instruments add warmth and immediacy, while the gentle folk-pop score ties everything together beautifully. Act One runs for around 1 hour 10 minutes, followed by a 20-minute interval, then a 1-hour second act approximately 2 hours 30 minutes in total. Overall, the show is paced beautifully, balancing humour and heartbreak throughout. The “On the Road” sequence captures the spirit of YOLO (“you only live once”) perfectly, and “Believe” is as uplifting as it sounds. A highlight is the hilariously honest “You’re F***ed,” performed as Harold battles blisters and bruises a much-needed moment of levity. The puppet dog companion is a lovely touch too. Jenna Russell is outstanding as Maureen Fry, especially in her heart-breaking performance of Tin of Soup for One. Mark Addy’s Harold is deeply vulnerable and full of quiet humanity — you feel every step of his emotional and physical journey. Maggie Service brings versatility and warmth as Queenie, and newcomer Noah Mullins , as The Balladeer and Harold’s son, shines in their West End debut. By Act Two, you’ll need tissues it’s devastating and hopeful all at once. The final moments left the audience floored, a rare silence before the standing ovation. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a production that wears its heart entirely on its sleeve, showcasing Passenger’s emotive song writing and the cast’s extraordinary ability to tell a story through music. With its mix of pop-folk, humour, grief, and stunning design, Harold Fry sits somewhere between Fisherman’s Friends and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It’s moving, heartfelt, and yes, utterly gut-wrenching but you’ll leave reminded to keep on walking: a powerful metaphor for not giving up on life, to keep going no matter how heavy the burden— the lesson Harold learned through the tragic loss of his son. Buy The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry tickets at London Theatre Direct Buy The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry tickets at SeatPlan When and where can I see The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry? The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is running at Theatre Royal Haymarket in London's West End for a strictly limited season until 18th April. Buy The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry tickets at London Theatre Direct Buy The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry tickets at SeatPlan For the latest in London theatre, check out our review of Man and Boy at the National Theatre, as well as our Into the Woods review.
Reanimal review: A beautiful and twisted experience
From Little Nightmares to Big Nightmares.
As I used my crowbar to bat away a faceless man from the side of a speeding ice cream van, which I had to quickly jump into after human skin suits had slithered with gusto towards me, I realised I still had no idea what was going on in Reanimal and how I actually quite like it this way. Horror as a genre in the gaming space has become a wide umbrella that delivers so many unique experiences and deeply unsettling stories to tell. Tarsier Studios' games one hundred per cent fall into this abstract sphere of horror. While yes, there’s a jump scare or two – what is horror without that in moderation? – what they do so well is play in the space of creeping discomfort, slow dread and quiet confusion. Moving away from the Little Nightmares series, Tarsier has come at this new concept with everything in its toolkit. The visuals are twisted and cold, almost like a Hieronymus Bosch painting crafted into a living diorama. The monsters appear like a distorted vision of the real world, as if AI had generated one of those images that look real on first blush, but on closer inspection, you can’t actually name a single item within its frame. (To be clear, Tarsier Studios hasn’t used AI in the making of Reanimal to the best of our knowledge – a fact we’re always happy to hear.) Whether you choose to play by yourself or experience Reanimal with a friend, you’ll go on a starkly weird adventure with Girl and Boy, in a bid to find and free their friends from the grip of monsters within the crumbling world around them. If you’ve played Little Nightmares before, you’ll get to grips with how Reanimal plays fairly quickly, as on the surface level, it shares so much of its DNA. Where Reanimal changes the formula somewhat is in how you interact with the world itself. Firstly, it has a somewhat open-world sandbox feel to it, with a large amount of the chapters allowing you to freely wander back and forth through the map; there’s even a boat you’ll use for a large chapter to explore. Masks can be found and swapped out, should you want to bring a little fashion into the nightmare, from Tim Burton-esque fish heads to a simple bucket; there’s something for everyone’s taste. More interestingly, however, is the chance to fight back with some light combat mechanics. We’re not talking prompted quick time events either. A wrench or crowbar comes in handy for taking swings at smaller enemies or seagulls. If you’re not a seagull fan in real life, Reanimal won’t do much to change your mind about them. You’ll also get your hands on some harpoons to launch at landmines and bloated corpses looking for their next meal. Without spoiling too much, as you venture deeper into the world of Reanimal, the moments of combat get slightly more intense and grander in scale as you head towards the tale's conclusion, and this scope creep is true in all of the game's facets. The art design and world get bigger, almost swallowing the game's characters whole as the music swells and haunts you – pushing you into abandoned orphanages, dilapidated towns and across bleak war-torn landscapes. As mentioned earlier, a big point of Reanimal is its focus on co-op. You can experience it solo, with the game's AI taking over as Girl and giving you the means to ask for some help holding a switch in place or pulling a lever in tandem. But while it’s competent, we had a few struggles from time to time with Girl not remembering to follow despite being called multiple times, or glitching on a ladder. The worst case resulted in a mild game lock state as we’d dropped down from a large cliff, and Girl hadn’t followed, leaving us unable to move forward or back to save her with a push. View Green Video on the source website Usually, a quick reload of the last checkpoint got us unstuck, but it definitely cemented for us that this really is built to be experienced with a friend. Not just from a technical relief standpoint, but the way some of the puzzles are designed, it seems like they’d be elevated from a sometimes frustrating foil to a fun challenge for friends to unpick, with one rather tricky floor puzzle you navigate while tied together springing to mind. By this point, I’ve still probably not explained even half of what I saw or felt playing Reanimal, and I think it speaks to the Lynchian style of narrative Tarsier has delivered. It’s stuck with me. I want to and will experience it more times, but it’s clear that while it's created something to chew on mentally, it doesn’t wish to explain things any plainer than that. And how can I not love that? Reanimal is a beautiful and twisted experience that any horror fan should enjoy, be it alone or with a friend for the ride. Reanimal Launches Friday 13th February for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Man and Boy review: Terence Rattigan's forgotten play is buoyed by a stellar cast
This is the first London revival of Man and Boy since 2005 and marks director Anthony Lau's debut at the National Theatre.
Although not overly well-received at the time, Terence Rattigan's Man and Boy is packed full of themes that eerily resonate today. The play follows the Antonescu family, a powerful and crooked financier father and his estranged son living in Greenwich Village in 1934. Gregor Antonescu reappears unexpectedly in his son Basil's life five years after their estrangement, with a "small" favour to ask. What Basil doesn't realise is that his father is planning to offer him up as a sexual reward as part of a crooked business deal. The play explores the power dynamics in the central father-son relationship, as well as pondering the larger concepts of conscience and morality. Perhaps even more relevant today is the theme of casual and brazen exploitation with no fear of consequences, making Man and Boy a timely choice for Indhu Rubasingham’s first piece of programming for the National Theatre. Rattigan is a master of subtext, which truly shines in this claustrophobic work. However, at times Man and Boy feels slightly laborious, due to intense sections poring over the intricacies of financial crimes and its slightly predictable and drawn-out ending. This production, however, manages to effectively gloss over these issues thanks to the sheer strength of the cast. Laurie Kynaston shines as the troubled and conflicted Basil, especially in moments of emotional breaking point which allow him to show his range. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2026/02/Ben-Daniels-Gregor-Antonescu-and-Malcolm-Sinclair-Mark-Herries-in-Man-and-Boy-at-the-National-Theatre-c-Manuel-Harlan-0142-3eb419b.jpg" width="7407" height="4938" alt="Ben Daniels (Gregor Antonescu) and Malcolm Sinclair (Mark Herries) in Man and Boy at the National Theatre drinking whiskey on stage" title="Ben Daniels (Gregor Antonescu) and Malcolm Sinclair (Mark Herries) in Man and Boy at the National Theatre (c) Manuel Harlan 0142" /> Excellent comic relief is provided by Nick Fletcher, Leo Wao and Isabella Laughland, who should pride themselves on their comedic timing and expert delivery. Of course, it's impossible to talk about this production without examining Ben Daniels's fascinating performance. In the first act, Daniels plays a caricature of the cunning financial don; a catlike, at times pantomime-esque performance that leaves no doubt to his acting prowess, but at times feels a out of place in this production. Come the second act however, Daniels's Antonescu has transformed into a mentally and physically shattered man, in a raw and vulnerable performance. His physicality transforms from prowling and predatory to frail, in a devastating turn. Several interesting choices have been made by the creative team, effectively adding to the creeping tension built up in Rattigan's dialogue. An off-stage drummer accompanies much of the drama, building and flowing in line with the events unfolding on-stage. The set features a large old Hollywood-esque cinema sign, displaying the names of the characters and the actor they were played by, which lit up when the character was on stage. This means that surprise arrivals of characters later on, specifically the Countess Antonescu, were waited for in suspense. Speaking of the set, props must be given (no pun intended) to set and costume designer Georgia Lowe for the fluid space created on the sparse stage, using tables to add depth to the oeuvre, acting as physical reminders of power dynamics. Overall, Man and Boy is certainly a timely piece and what the play itself lacks in propulsion, the cast and creative team of this production make up for in skill and delivery. Buy Man and Boy tickets at TodayTix For more of the Radio Times Going Out section's teams thoughts on the latest theatre shows, check out our Into the Woods review and Paddington the Musical review. When and where can I see Man and Boy? Man and Boy is currently playing in the Dorfman Theatre at the National Theatre, located on Southbank near Waterloo Station. The production is ongoing, and will be running until 14th March 2026. Buy Man and Boy tickets at TodayTix How to get Man and Boy tickets There are still tickets available to see Man and Boy at TodayTix. We would recommend buying sooner rather than later, as tickets appear to be selling very quickly. Buy Man and Boy tickets at TodayTix Check out our roundup of the best West End shows and our Dracula review with Cynthia Erivo.
Crime 101 review: Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo reunite in thriller with echoes of crime classic Heat
Director Bart Layton delivers an impressive slow-burn that erupts with a nerve-jangling, edge-of-your-seat climax.
Criminal deception is a common denominator in English director Bart Layton’s only other feature films. Whether it’s a French conman pretending to be a missing American teenager in the excellent Bafta-nominated documentary The Imposter (2012), or students pulling off an audacious rare-book heist dressed as elderly businessmen in unbelievable-but-true 2018 docudrama American Animals, Layton is clearly interested in what it takes to become a criminal. For his third film, Layton takes on another heist story, only here it’s a fictional one based on a novella by private-investigator-turned-crime writer Don Winslow. Chris Hemsworth heads a quality cast as professional jewel thief Mike Davis, whose ability to carry out a series of robberies without using violence or leaving any DNA evidence or clues to his identity is foxing the Los Angeles police. However, dogged detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo, going for the crumpled Columbo look) sees a pattern: these meticulously executed heists all take place in the vicinity of California’s elongated 101 freeway. Not that his sceptical superiors or even his partner (Corey Hawkins) buy into this, with his team preferring him to simply "play the game" and close cases. Meanwhile, Davis wants out of crime after a previous robbery nearly cost him his life. Yet, he doesn't realising that his handler (the ever-gravelly Nick Nolte) has secretly enlisted young thug Orman (Barry Keoghan, star of American Animals) to take the spoils from his last job, worth a cool $11 million. The difference between the pair is immediately clear, with Orman being a dirt-bike-riding loose cannon in comparison to the calm, composure of Davis, a precise professional who drives only the sportiest of cars. No moment better illustrates this than Orman's shambolic attempt to rob a jewellery store, which nearly goes catastrophically wrong. And where does Halle Berry’s disillusioned 50-something insurance broker, Sharon Colvin, fit into this increasingly tangled web? As she sees her career stalling thanks to an ageist boss and ambitious younger women eager to take her wealthy clients, will she be persuaded to help Davis fulfil his final felonious mission? Or can the hot-on-his-trail Lubesnick convince her to stay on the right side of the law? The urban thriller milieu, night-time neon landscape and heist narrative will inevitably conjure up echoes of Michael Mann's 1995 classic Heat. However, Hemsworth’s enigmatic mystery man is no ruthless killer (like De Niro’s Neil McCauley) while Ruffalo’s dishevelled but dedicated cop is no match for Pacino’s slick Vincent Hanna, although they do both share crumbling marriages. View Green Video on the source website Hemsworth oozes cool but there’s vulnerability, too, especially in his halting attempts to forge a relationship with Monica Barbaro’s Maya. Of course, Hemsworth and Ruffalo are no strangers to each other on screen, having built up chemistry as original members of the Avengers, Thor and the Hulk, in a raft of hit Marvel movies, and the pair deliver some snappy patter here, not least when discussing their favourite Steve McQueen movie during their first face-to-face encounter. Indeed, Winslow’s original story was actually dedicated to cinema’s King of Cool. Halle Berry (a big-screen Marvel superhero herself when she played Storm in the X-Men franchise) matches her co-stars every step of the way as a woman struggling to navigate a workplace where her age, experience and talent count for little. Well, until Hemsworth’s smooth operator comes into her life. Meanwhile, Layton sustains the slow-burning tension, punctuated occasionally by some riveting chases, as the quartet circle each other on the way to a nerve-jangling, edge-of-your-seat climax where the outcome is anything but predictable. Crime 101 is released in UK cinemas on Friday 13th February 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Wuthering Heights review: This radical revamp from Emerald Fennell will almost certainly provoke pearl-clutching
This is a sizzling, amusing and stormy new screen adaptation of Emily Brontë’s gothic romance – with an outrageous, often irresistible sense of fun.
★★★★☆ Wuthering Heights is in cinemas from 13 February. Add it to your watchlist Emily Brontë’s gothic romance gets a radical revamp in this sizzling, amusing and stormy new screen adaptation from Saltburn’s Emerald Fennell, who bagged an Original Screenplay Oscar for her attention-grabbing 2020 debut Promising Young Woman. Casting Hollywood’s hottest properties, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, as her leads, writer/director Fennell presents us with a version that’s unapologetically her own vision, lopping off the second half of the story and sexing things up to the max. We see how the young Heathcliff and Cathy (Adolescence’s Owen Cooper and Charlotte Mellington) are thrown together when Heathcliff is taken in by Cathy’s father Mr Earnshaw (Martin Clunes), who saves him from being savaged in the street by a man who may or may not be Heathcliff’s own father. It’s not long before the drunken Earnshaw is treating the boy roughly, but Heathcliff and Cathy become thick as thieves, a bond which grows into something all-consumingly romantic as they age. This connection is severed, apparently for good, when the adult Cathy (now played by Robbie) opts to marry the Earnshaws' affluent new neighbour Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), to rescue the family from financial ruin. In response, a heartbroken, shaggy locked Heathcliff (Elordi) runs away. Cathy is bereft, but slowly finds happiness in her new situation as her adoring husband and his sweet but somewhat stalker-esque sister Isabella (Alison Oliver) shower her with gifts and affection. When Heathcliff returns five years later as a suave, absurdly sexy and mysteriously moneyed gentleman, sporting a haircut, earring and a tan, Cathy just can’t help herself. Housemaid Nelly is no longer the story’s narrator, as she is in the book, but remains its witness, with Heathcliff and Cathy’s relationship often judged through her eyes. A woman of colour here (played by the Oscar-nominated American actress Hong Chau) we are told she is the bastard child of a lord and she is initially installed as Cathy’s companion. However, Nelly is spurned by Cathy on Heathcliff’s arrival and is reduced to the role of servant, slave to her mistress’s wild and unpredictable moods. These changes to the character of Nelly and the suggestion that her background has dictated her ignominious fate go some way to allaying concerns about the whitewashing of Heathcliff’s own character. Described as a “gipsy” amongst other possible ethnicities in the novel, Heathcliff’s ambiguous racial identity undoubtedly plays a part in his mistreatment and romantic rejection. If this aspect of the character gets lost in translation given the casting of the Caucasian Elordi, the presence of another actor of colour, Latif, as Heathcliff’s rival, the societally superior figure of Edgar confuses things further. Such lapses of judgement and inconsistencies aside, Fennell’s Wuthering Heights boasts an outrageous, often irresistible sense of fun. Charli xcx soars on the soundtrack and there’s Saltburn-esque parody of upper-class twits in its portrayal of the Lintons (Oliver in particular is a hoot). View Green Video on the source website And the whole thing is a visual riot, with Suzie Davies’s lavish production design going into overdrive once Cathy relocates from Wuthering Heights to Thrushcross Grange, as the film love-bombs the screen with reds, pinks and whites, like Valentine’s Day on steroids. It also takes a far less restrained approach to the romance than the book (throwing in some BDSM no less, while Cathy and Heathcliff get stuck into a full-throttle affair). But the sincerity with which the love story is told and performed speaks volumes about Fennell’s own affection for the material. It’s a retelling that captures the depth, passion and destructiveness of Heathcliff and Cathy’s bond and that really stirs things up on screen, while Robbie and Elordi are superbly matched. Elordi makes a decent fist of Heathcliff’s gruff Yorkshire accent, channelling Lady Chatterley and Sharpe-era Sean Bean, and Robbie brings the sparkling charisma and impeccable judgement she showed in Barbie, giving a fully fleshed, bratty yet tragic turn, amidst the sometimes distractingly fantastical sets. While, as Nelly, Chau is the model of actorly restraint in a simmering performance that sometimes threatens to steal the show. On one hand the cinematic equivalent of "go big or go home", on the other an emotionally impactful adaptation for the ages, Wuthering Heights is wonderfully flamboyant filmmaking, that will almost certainly provoke pearl-clutching amongst the purists.
Romeo Is a Dead Man review: Suda51 and co let their baffling brilliance shine
A Grasshopper Manufacture game through and through.
The games of Suda51 and his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, are unlike any others. The auteur behind cult classics such as The Silver Case and Killer7 has never held back with his creative vision, flooding his games with anything and everything he can conjure from the corners of his imagination. Now, as Grasshopper prepares to ship its first ever self-published game, Suda has unleashed his staff with that same limitless freedom to do what they do best, resulting in a mishmash of game mechanics, art styles, narrative arcs and music that has no right to work together, but does so with aplomb. Romeo Is a Dead Man stars the titular Romeo Stargazer. Straddling the line between life and death as a 'Dead Man' after his mad scientist grandfather pulls him back from the brink, he is enlisted in the FBI Space-Time Police, sent off to slice up interdimensional criminals and find his missing girlfriend Juliet. It's a characteristically 'Suda' setup, and I promise it makes more sense when you're actually playing. The first hour or so of Romeo in which this premise is set up does feel clunky, but it the job, serving more as a vehicle to teach you the mechanics first and story second. Once you have a grasp on the concept – a tough ask in and of itself for any Suda51 title – things pick up and begin snaking out in typically fascinating directions. One moment you're fighting a time-travelling slave owner in an abandoned mall draped in 1980s Americana. A couple of hours later, you're crawling through an asylum, hunting a mad doctor who is rather heavily implied to be the Pied Piper of Hamlin in a section that genuinely rivals the some of the best horrors in the atmosphere it creates and the blood-curdling lore it peppers in. The beauty of Grasshopper's games is that they can be easily enjoyed on the surface as flashy, stylish, gruesome adventures, but for those who want to delve deeper, there are entire worlds of subtext to uncover. Romeo delves into themes of slavery, authoritarianism, medical ethics, and of course, life and death. Like modern art, Romeo can seem impenetrable at first, but the more effort you put in to engage with it on a deeper level, the more it reacts to you, offering up some fascinating insights into Suda's view of the world. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2026/02/romeo-is-a-dead-man-review-subspace-tv-8191c8e-e1770726379851.jpg" width="3245" height="2160" alt="Romeo Stargazer from Romeo is a Dead Man with his grandfather embroidered on the back of his gold jacket, looking towards a floating television showing a pixelated image of a man eating a meal." title="romeo-is-a-dead-man-review-subspace-tv" /> On the gameplay front, Romeo bears similarity of Travis Touchdown's antics in No More Heroes, though adds plenty of new mechanics to make it its own. The combat takes that hack and slash angle, providing you with a combination of melee weapons and guns to turn your enemies into red mist. A summoning system allows you to call forth zombified 'Bastards' to serve all sorts of functions, from shooting enemies and restoring your health to providing you a barrier and blowing themselves up in your enemies' faces. The focal point of your kit is Bloody Summer, a powerful attack that charges with the damage you deal, and is capable of wiping out entire groups of enemies at once, refilling your health bar in the process. Overall, I wouldn't say that this aspect of the game is anything special, though this is not necessarily a bad thing. It serves its purpose as the style that lets you proceed to the substance of the story, and is, of course, great fun. Where Romeo's gameplay excels, however, is in the little things. Levels regularly take you through an alternate dimension known as subspace, via a seemingly sentient television set – it all feels a bit Twin Peaks, in a way. Mapped onto the real world, travelling in and out of subspace in certain locations can let you bypass real-world obstacles, and serves as a kind of simple spatial puzzle. View oEmbed on the source website The variety of mechanics skyrockets once you get on board the spaceship that serves as your hub, and the Space-Time Police's spacefaring HQ. Here, you can take part in minigames to do, well, basically everything. Upgrading your weapons and stats? There's a minigame for that. Planting Bastard seeds to grow new Bastards to use in combat, all of whom are given a randomised name and personality? There's a minigame for that, too. There's even a minigame wherein you fry a katsu cutlet, the tier of which influences the strengths of the buffs you get for consuming your katsu curry in combat, a concept I loved so much that I quite literally cooked Suda51 a katsu curry in real life. This variety doesn't stop at the gameplay, either. After everything we've already talked about, Romeo's greatest variety lies in its presentation. The game shifts art styles non-stop, between the more realistic style of its exploration and combat sections to the pixel art hub world, comic book exposition, rotoscoped animated sequences and more. I mentioned in the beginning that Romeo felt as if Suda had let his staff loose to do what they do best, resulting in every aspect of the game being so vastly varied. Normally, a game trying to cram in every idea under the sun like this would feel like an unfocused mess, but, with Romeo, unfocused it may be, the quality of the individual parts is finely tuned enough that somehow, someway, it just works. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2026/02/romeo-is-a-dead-man-review-art-styles-1fa7d56-e1770726443998.jpg" width="3245" height="2160" alt="Three images side to side in a grid, showing two characters coloured in green in an old, comic-style scene, Romeo Stargazer from Romeo is a Dead Man looking downwards at his empty hand, and a futuristic, pixel-art bedroom with Romeo lying in his bed in the corner." title="romeo-is-a-dead-man-review-art-styles" /> At a time when so many studios are chasing the always-online, live service dragon, putting out games aimed at everyone and appealing to no-one, Romeo is evidence of why soul is so important in game development. This is game where, around every corner, I can feel the heart put into it by Suda and his army of developers in Tokyo. Romeo Is a Dead Man is far from a perfect game, all things considered, but that isn't what Suda is aiming for. When I spoke to him last August, Suda told me that what he aims for in his games is for players "to remember it once in a while and feel something." There's nothing punk about perfection, and there's nothing perfect about Romeo Is a Dead Man. Instead, it's genre-bending, it's bloody, it's corny, it's messy, it's serious, silly and often incomprehensible all at the same time. It's these things that make it a Grasshopper Manufacture game, an unmistakably Suda51 game, and most importantly of all, an unapologetic blast from start to finish. Perfect it is not, but why be perfect when you can be unforgettable? Romeo Is a Dead Man launches 11th February for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Wuthering Heights review: Emerald Fennell's radical revamp will almost certainly provoke pearl-clutching
Emily Brontë’s gothic romance gets a radical revamp in this sizzling, amusing and stormy new screen adaptation from Saltburn’s Emerald Fennell, who bagged an Original Screenplay Oscar for her attention-grabbing 2020 debut Promising Young Woman. Casting Hollywood’s hottest properties, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, as her leads, writer/director Fennell presents us with a version that’s unapologetically her own vision, lopping off the second half of the story and sexing things up to the max. We see how the young Heathcliff and Cathy (Adolescence’s Owen Cooper and Charlotte Mellington) are thrown together when Heathcliff is taken in by Cathy’s father Mr Earnshaw (Martin Clunes), who saves him from being savaged in the street by a man who may or may not be Heathcliff’s own father. It’s not long before the drunken Earnshaw is treating the boy roughly, but Heathcliff and Cathy become thick as thieves, a bond which grows into something all-consumingly romantic as they age. This connection is severed, apparently for good, when the adult Cathy (now played by Robbie) opts to marry the Earnshaws' affluent new neighbour Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), to rescue the family from financial ruin. In response, a heartbroken, shaggy locked Heathcliff (Elordi) runs away. Cathy is bereft, but slowly finds happiness in her new situation as her adoring husband and his sweet but somewhat stalker-esque sister Isabella (Alison Oliver) shower her with gifts and affection. When Heathcliff returns five years later as a suave, absurdly sexy and mysteriously moneyed gentleman, sporting a haircut, earring and a tan, Cathy just can’t help herself. Housemaid Nelly is no longer the story’s narrator, as she is in the book, but remains its witness, with Heathcliff and Cathy’s relationship often judged through her eyes. A woman of colour here (played by the Oscar-nominated American actress Hong Chau) we are told she is the bastard child of a lord and she is initially installed as Cathy’s companion. However, Nelly is spurned by Cathy on Heathcliff’s arrival and is reduced to the role of servant, slave to her mistress’s wild and unpredictable moods. These changes to the character of Nelly and the suggestion that her background has dictated her ignominious fate go some way to allaying concerns about the whitewashing of Heathcliff’s own character. Described as a “gipsy” amongst other possible ethnicities in the novel, Heathcliff’s ambiguous racial identity undoubtedly plays a part in his mistreatment and romantic rejection. If this aspect of the character gets lost in translation given the casting of the Caucasian Elordi, the presence of another actor of colour, Latif, as Heathcliff’s rival, the societally superior figure of Edgar confuses things further. Such lapses of judgement and inconsistencies aside, Fennell’s Wuthering Heights boasts an outrageous, often irresistible sense of fun. Charli xcx soars on the soundtrack and there’s Saltburn-esque parody of upper-class twits in its portrayal of the Lintons (Oliver in particular is a hoot). View Green Video on the source website And the whole thing is a visual riot, with Suzie Davies’s lavish production design going into overdrive once Cathy relocates from Wuthering Heights to Thrushcross Grange, as the film love-bombs the screen with reds, pinks and whites, like Valentine’s Day on steroids. It also takes a far less restrained approach to the romance than the book (throwing in some BDSM no less, while Cathy and Heathcliff get stuck into a full-throttle affair). But the sincerity with which the love story is told and performed speaks volumes about Fennell’s own affection for the material. It’s a retelling that captures the depth, passion and destructiveness of Heathcliff and Cathy’s bond and that really stirs things up on screen, while Robbie and Elordi are superbly matched. Elordi makes a decent fist of Heathcliff’s gruff Yorkshire accent, channelling Lady Chatterley and Sharpe-era Sean Bean, and Robbie brings the sparkling charisma and impeccable judgement she showed in Barbie, giving a fully fleshed, bratty yet tragic turn, amidst the sometimes distractingly fantastical sets. While, as Nelly, Chau is the model of actorly restraint in a simmering performance that sometimes threatens to steal the show. On one hand the cinematic equivalent of ‘go big or go home’, on the other an emotionally impactful adaptation for the ages, Wuthering Heights is wonderfully flamboyant filmmaking, that will almost certainly provoke pearl-clutching amongst the purists. Wuthering Heights will be released in cinemas on 13th February 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Lord of the Flies review: Jack Thorne's BBC adaptation is a glorious reminder of the novel's power
Thorne sticks closely to William Golding's text in this visually arresting four-parter.
If I say Lord of the Flies, most of you will think of school. I certainly do. The book is a staple on the English Literature GCSE syllabus, meaning many find their first experience of the story there. Personally, I was in a school production of it. I played one of the twins, Eric, despite not having a twin. I was told that I had a "generic face", meaning there would be plenty of other potential cast members who could be matched up with me. Putting that aside – given that it's probably something I should deal with in my own time – there's a reason why the story is so widely read and performed on stage in schools, but it also means that many may bristle at the idea of watching it on TV on a Sunday night. Dissecting every sentence of a book isn't always the best way to find enjoyment, even if it makes sense from an academic standpoint. My hope is that viewers will put any reticence they have towards approaching the story again to one side, and tune into this four-part drama – the first ever TV adaptation of William Golding's novel. If they do, they will not only find a compelling piece of television in its own right, but be reminded of why the novel is so iconic in the first place. For those who don't know the story, Lord of the Flies takes place in the 1950s, in the midst of a fictional war clearly inspired by the very real geopolitical tensions of the time, and the prevailing memory of the Second World War. A group of children of varying ages are on a plane, seemingly being evacuated from England, when it crashes on an unknown tropical island, leaving the pilot dead. Left alone, the children decide they need to appoint a leader. That ends up being Ralph, a generally well-intentioned, confident boy from a military background. He is guided by another boy, an intellectual who shares that he was previously bullied, and given the nickname Piggy. To his annoyance, the name catches on with this new group, too. While Ralph is full of good intentions, he faces repeated challenges to his rule from Jack, the leader of a choir of boys. At first, he convinces Jack to appoint him as head of the hunters, to find food on the island. Then, he wishes to be in charge of keeping a signal fire going, to alert passing ships to their situation, and eventually get them saved. As some of the others grow disillusioned with Ralph and his insistence on rules, Jack's popularity, and power, grows – leading, eventually, to chaos and tragedy descending. On one level, it's surprising how few on-screen adaptations there have been of Lord of the Flies – one American film, one Filipino film, one British film, and now this series. On another level, it's not surprising at all. Making a film or series with a cast almost entirely made up of children is difficult enough, but putting them all in a tropical island setting is an almost absurd ask. It should therefore be noted right up top just how impressive this production is from a technical standpoint, meaning huge props should go to director Marc Munden. Not just because he has managed to wrangle such a production together at all, in a stunning Malaysian location, but because he has also made this a truly visually distinct work. The use of colour, the choice of shots and the frenetic energy of many sequences are all slightly hypnotic, lending it a dream-like yet disconcerting edge. There is a real sense of innovation on display here, buoyed by the addition of a phenomenal soundtrack by Cristobal Tapia de Veer, and a haunting theme from Hans Zimmer and Kara Talve. Then, we've got the bringing together of this cast – again, no mean feat. The team behind the drama scoured the country to put together this cast, and have no doubt found some future stars in the making. Perhaps the two most immediately impressive among them are David McKenna as Piggy and Lox Pratt as Jack. While the former has a naturalism, a comic timing and an impressive sense of world-weariness beyond his years, Pratt brings a dynamism to his role, but also an interiority that many may not be expecting. His Jack has the right amount of swagger and self-certainty to be believable as an attractive leader, but also the petulance and aggression to make him at times chilling. Beyond all that, he also has an internal hollowness and loneliness that even he can't fully comprehend. For an actor of Pratt's age to encompass all that is remarkable. The rest of the cast are strong too - whether that be Winston Sawyers in the difficult role of the slightly self-serious Ralph, Ike Talbut as the oft-mocked Simon, or Thomas Connor as the sadistic Roger. Thorne has been at pains to stress that this is a faithful adaptation, guided entirely by Golding's work. In the vast majority of ways, that is the case. There are some slight deviations that are made to the story, particularly in the second and fourth episodes, but for the most part literally – and I would argue entirely in spirit – it follows Golding to the letter. It was the right direction to take this. There are times at which looser adaptations are warranted, but we have already seen plenty of modern projects which have quite clearly been inspired by Golding's tale, so if we're going back to the source material, we might as well really do so. There is also genuinely no need to stray. Golding's novel has lost none of its bite or relevancy since its 1954 publication – in fact, it feels remarkably contemporary in so many ways. The themes of clashing visions of society, populism, barbarism and anti-intellectualism all feel scarily prescient and poignant. Meanwhile, Thorne's decision to tell each of the episodes from the perspective of one central character – first Piggy, then Jack, then Simon, then Ralph – proves to be a masterful take. It's never heavy-handed or overwhelming, but simply helps to imbue each chapter with a different energy, and give each of the central characters a more thorough examination than might otherwise be afforded. It's not perfect. The final episode has areas where it surprisingly drags, despite the action nominally being at its height, while the moments of greatest despair and horror at times feel slightly less horrific than they should. As is clearly intentional within the story itself, there's a line to be found between the chaos of the boys' descent into savagery and the stillness required to reflect on what's just happened at any given time, particularly when major, Earth-shaking events occur. The very end of the series finds this and finds it effectively, with a sobering final sequence which sticks rigidly to the novel and is presented with just the right tone. There are sequences earlier where it feels like the mark is slightly missed, and either not enough time, or too much, is spent pondering over preceding, harrowing events. Still, there's no doubt this is a phenomenal feat, one which can be enjoyed thoroughly by those coming fresh to the story and those returning to it alike. Personally, aside from it giving me flashbacks to a disconcerting memory of school, I found that when I wasn't mesmerised by the visuals and the technical feat on display, I was being reminded of why this story is so powerful. The complexity of the characters, the simplicity of the story and the speed at which the descent occurs all ring true. As we grapple with what it means to be a child growing up in the modern world – something Thorne is clearly fascinated and troubled by from his work on Adolescence – the story also poses plenty of questions for us as adults. Why do societies crumble? How do we co-exist with those whose only interest is power? And is evil inherent in man? There you go, GCSE students – you can have those ones for free. Lord of the Flies will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Sunday 8th February 2026. 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Nioh 3 review: Sharper, shrewder, shinobi-er
Team Ninja lives up to its name in style.
As a series, Nioh has developed a rather passionate cult following who lavish the first two games with praise, especially when it comes to combat. And while I certainly enjoyed Nioh 1 and 2, I can't say that I ever felt that same reverence. It's fast, it's varied, and the dearth of mechanics, skills and more make its combat deeper than most Souls-like games. That is still true of Nioh 3, and while many longtime fans may feel that Team Ninja's many changes to the formula may dilute that, Nioh and I have finally begun to click. Nioh 3's story begins with Shōgun-to-be Tokugawa Takechiyo. When his jealous brother Tokugawa Kunimatsu leads an army of yōkai against Edo Castle, Takechiyo is whisked back in time by the guardian spirit Kusanagi, forced to battle his way across medieval Japanese history in a bid to save his present. Beyond the novelty of Nioh 1 effectively being a knock-off of James Clavell's Shōgun, I have never taken much interest in Nioh's stories, and while this is the one I enjoyed the most, it still never truly grabbed my attention. I imagine that will be the same for many, because the Nioh experience is not about the tales it tells, but about the myriad different ways you can find to eviscerate demons, and Nioh 3 has plenty of changes and additions to this series' combat. Perhaps the biggest tweak is the separation of samurai and ninja into two separate play styles. With a press of R2, you flip between the two, automatically swapping out your weapons and armour, the speed of which gives you a new dimension of combat to play with – it almost feels reminiscent of a mix-up in a fighting game. Players are more than welcome to go all in on either play style, and indeed, the further I progressed, the more I leaned towards my shinobi sensibilities. However, Nioh 3 has an ingenious mechanic that encourages regularly swapping between the two, and in a way that has real combat benefits. When faced with an unblockable attack, telegraphed by a crimson aura, pressing R2 performs a Burst Counter, instantly switching to your second play style, parrying the attack and setting your enemy on the back-foot, allowing you to instantly launch into a storm of attacks. This is one of those simple but brilliant mechanics that is just as satisfying the thousandth time as the first. As someone who loves a parry, I was excited to see that the samurai would be getting its own parry mechanic. Unfortunately for me, it's not the parry I was hoping for, being simply another tool in your defensive arsenal instead of the stance-melting in-your-face nature of the Sekiro parry, for example. I will concede, however, that it is probably for the best that this is the case, as it means the mechanic by no means overshadows what makes Nioh's combat unique. Instead, I found myself surprisingly drawn towards the ninja's Ninjutsu. This is a mechanic that was present in previous Nioh games, but one I often ignored until later in the game. In Nioh 3, your Ninjutsu are not tied to stock that needs to be replenished at Shrines, but are replenished by dealing damage. This simple change meant I was hurling kunai and fireballs non-stop in a way that I hadn't before, often replenishing them on weaker enemies to use on stronger ones. Another simple but exceedingly effective change. Of course, Nioh 3 still offers the exceedingly convoluted upgrade system of Niohs past, with each weapon type boasting a veritable web of skills to slice people up with. That being said, they feel somewhat smaller in Nioh 3, something I imagine was required as a result of the samurai-ninja divorce, and while this is something that doesn't particularly bother me, I imagine plenty of die-hard Nioh players will be unhappy to see that variety curtailed. Another of Nioh 3's big changes is to its world. Replacing the individual, linear missions of 1 and 2, Nioh 3 gives us a proper open world, full of bandit camps, valuables, secrets and side quests to find of your own accord. There are still linear elements, at points. The Crucibles, which are enormous, yōkai-infested areas you will traverse as part of the story, are laid out in the same way as the old Nioh missions, with a linear path leading to a final boss. Outside of this, however, it really is an open world, and while I had my doubts as to how well Team Ninja would be able to pull this off, given my and many others' recent tiring of open world games, the developer has done a bang up job. In many ways, I felt during my exploration of Nioh 3 much as I did the first time I explored Elden Ring's Limgrave. Not with regard to its world and lore – there was never a point at which I found myself beelining towards interesting landmarks on the horizon as Elden Ring so masterfully encourages – but in the sense that I felt almost railroaded into it, and that I am glad I had been. Upon being deleted by Margit near the start of Elden Ring, you are encouraged to return to Limgrave where your exploration yields higher levels, weapons and armour, and a vivid world full of deep lore. While Nioh 3's lore comes nowhere near, levels and gear are plentiful, and perhaps more importantly – so was the fun. Once I started properly exploring Nioh 3's first area after getting my head kicked in by the boss of the first major Crucible, I didn't stop once until I had cleared the whole map. I don't want to give anything away about later areas, but this was a pattern that continued throughout the game. The system in Nioh 1 and 2 in which you would leave a level because you were too underlevelled to finish it, go into another separate level, complete that and then return to the first level, was never satisfying, and I found myself rarely engaging with the side content. Being able to roam around the world, happening upon quests and mini-bosses in the wild, and being able to complete them there and then is a huge improvement, and is one of the best-implemented open worlds I've encountered in the last few years. While still as desperately challenging as its predecessors, Nioh 3 is certainly the most approachable game in the series thus far. Many of its mechanics are still convoluted, and you are oppressed with text boxes early on, but everything is at least a touch simpler. As someone who has neither the time nor will to put in the hundreds of hours it takes to truly master Nioh's combat, this is a big boon. But, as mentioned in my opening, Nioh is a series with a tremendously dedicated player base. For every Alex that won't spend the time delving into the minutiae of each weapon, there are plenty of players who relish that opportunity, and I imagine many will be disappointed by this change. Nioh 1 and 2 were deep oceans that dedicated players could get lost in. Nioh 3's ocean may not be quite as deep, but its shores are more welcoming to those who found its predecessors overly daunting. For me, Nioh 3 represents a series that has matured, honing its edges and expanding into a true, modern ARPG experience. Some may disagree, but for me, Nioh 3 is this series at its blood-soaked peak. View Green Video on the source website Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Is This Thing On? review: Bradley Cooper turns John Bishop's life into sweet but indulgent comedy-drama
This is a good exercise for Cooper in creating something more low-key than his previous directorial efforts, even if it doesn’t quite come off.
★★★☆☆ Is This Thing On? is in cinemas on Friday 30 January. Did you hear the one about the lonely husband who went into a bar? That’s the set up for Bradley Cooper’s third film as director, Is This Thing On?, a shaggy-dog movie that feels a world away from his musically-themed, Oscar-nominated earlier directorial efforts, the A Star Is Born remake and Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. Those films played out on a grand scale – featuring concerts where the world was watching. Here, the feeling is more intimate. A man on stage, alone, with a mic, pouring his heart out. Scripted by Cooper, star Will Arnett and British writer Mark Chappell (who penned the delightful murder-mystery from 2022, See How They Run), the film comes loosely inspired by the life of comedian John Bishop. The Scouser stand-up, so the story goes, got into comedy after being at a low-ebb in his personal life. Cooper et al simply transpose this idea to New York. Father-of-two Alex (Arnett) has quietly separated from his wife Tess (Laura Dern), a former volleyball player who gave up her dreams to raise kids. The couple are still socialising with mutual friends, long-term husband and wife Christine (Andra Day) and Balls (Cooper), and gay newlyweds Stephen (Sean Hayes) and Geoffrey (Scott Icenogle). But they no longer live together, a fact that has spun Alex out. One night, unwilling to go home to his empty apartment, he walks into a bar in the West Village. Rather than pay for the $15 cover charge to get in, he signs up for an open mic stand-up night in the basement downstairs. At first, it’s excruciating as he stands there, like a rabbit in the headlights. But then he starts talking about his impending divorce, poignant material that gets unexpected laughs. It’s a brave and exposing act, one that offers him a much-needed catharsis, so it’s no surprise when he returns for another bash. Around him are experienced comics (played by real strand-ups, including Chloe Radcliffe), willing to offer him advice and a bit of a roasting because, hey, that’s what they do. View Green Video on the source website Gradually, as he finds his feet on stage, Alex regains equilibrium, but it’s always going to be a danger, pulling your act from real life. Arnett delivers his lines with a hangdog face that treads a fine line between pain and humour, dialling down the more outlandish comic stylings he’s known for in shows like Arrested Development and even his lead turn in The LEGO Batman Movie. It’s a rare sidestep into drama for the actor, albeit with a syringe-injected shot of comedy, but a pleasing one. Meanwhile, Dern yet again offers up a very real, fully fleshed-out and classy turn in a film that feels like a more low-key take on Marriage Story, the Noah Baumbach film that won her an Oscar for her shark-like divorce lawyer. Cooper, meanwhile, feels like a distraction in his role, an oafish character who causes mayhem in the very first scene due to his clumsiness. It never quite works as a bit of casting, even if there must’ve been the temptation to self-cast in the way Woody Allen once did. Certainly, Is This Thing On? feels like an early Allen movie, a rambling, slightly indulgent but nevertheless sweet New York story. With some fine actors fleshing out the cast, including Ciarán Hinds, who plays Alex’s father, it’s a good exercise for Cooper in creating something more low-key, even if it doesn’t quite come off. Still, in the days where adult-skewing dramas are becoming an endangered species in movie theatres, this should be applauded for attempting the subject of divorce with a level head.
Under Salt Marsh review: Flood-stricken crime drama continues the rise of Welsh noir
A top-tier largely native cast, weather-beaten setting and sense of local community brings a Cymru sensibility to the murder mystery.
Following on from Mudtown, The One That Got Away and Keeping Faith, Under Salt Marsh is the latest Welsh crime drama to take its cues from the woolly jumpers and windswept landscapes of Scandi noir. And it might well be the most noirish of the lot. The original miniseries certainly isn’t the kind of escapist Harlan Coben-esque potboiler you watch to banish the winter blues, that’s for sure. From its 'every parents' worst nightmare' mystery to its flood-drenched, eternally grey aesthetics, this is a whodunit which revels in the bleak. Had its fictional town of Morfa Halen (the Welsh for ‘salt marsh’) been real, then its tourist board would undoubtedly have had cause for complaint. Having made her name with 2019’s Make Up, a blend of kitchen sink realism and psychological horror set entirely within an out-of-season Cornish caravan park, creator Claire Oakley is no stranger to such darkness. But here, she proves she can maintain a palpable sense of unease across six hour-long episodes of TV. Although very much a slow burner, Under Salt Marsh doesn’t waste any time establishing its ominous tone. In fact, distraught primary school teacher Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly with a steeliness similar to her display in Yellowstone) discovers the lifeless body of eight-year-old pupil Cefin (Jack Thomas-Humphreys) amid pitch-black marshlands in the opening shot. Is this simply a tragic accident? Or, as one would suspect, is there something more nefarious at play? And why, as revealed in a chilling flashback to earlier that same day, did the young victim continually dream of being chased into water and drowning? As a former detective, Jackie takes it upon herself to find the answers, immediately ingratiating herself further into the case by breaking the news to Cefin’s parents Shell (Kimberley Nixon) and Danny (Mark Stanley) before the police get the chance: it’s one of several harrowing scenes – see the family’s uncontrollable wails while visiting Cefin’s final resting place or Danny’s sudden breakdown at his butcher’s shop – which pack a truly emotional gut punch. Jackie’s interference isn’t appreciated, however, by Eric Bull (Rafe Spall, for some reason adopting a wayward Black Country accent), her former partner-in-crime who’s returned to his old stomping ground to help piece the puzzle together. Things appear to have ended acrimoniously judging by how she deliberately hides from him on first sight. And a heated tete-a-tete later confirms their still-unsolved last case together three years earlier – the disappearance of Jackie’s nine-year-old niece which may or may not be connected to Cefin’s death – left their working relationship damaged beyond repair. “Still no apology,” she queries in disbelief about a betrayal from the man she "trusted with my entire life". As the story patiently unfolds, it becomes clear both parties have other skeletons in their closet too. When not potentially tampering with official police business, Jackie is arranging clandestine meetings with tattooed bad boy Dylan (Harry Lawtey, worlds apart from his disillusioned posh boy in Industry) behind sheds like a naughty schoolgirl. Then there’s the fact she’s encouraged by various locals, including her dad, for “doing so well,” hinting at another problem from her past. Eric, on the other hand, is more of an enigma, although the hostile reception he receives from much of the tight-knit community (“You’ve already destroyed one family”) suggests he left on bad terms. The awkward conversations with slightly familiar face Gareth (Dino Fetscher), an environmental researcher whose knowledge of the area’s rising waters proves invaluable to the investigation, raises questions about his personal life too. Indeed, there’s much more to Under Salt Marsh than its murder. Like recent ITV returnee After the Flood, it reflects upon the small-town impact of climate change, whether Gareth’s attempts to evacuate the area (“you cannot win a war against water”) ahead of a great storm to the stubborn response from the long-time residents determined to stay put. There’s also a paternity dispute which very nearly leads to another tragedy. And while hardly a laugh-a-minute affair, it’s not entirely without a sense of humour either. On heading back to his pub lodgings in waterlogged clothes, Eric is only allowed access by his houseproud landlady when he strips to his vest and pants. Come for the whodunit, stay for the sight of Spall nearly auditioning for Magic Mike. Of course, Under Salt Marsh most compels when it focuses on its two possibly interlinked cases, drawing up an intriguing suspect list which includes everyone from the local conspiracy theorist to the mysterious beekeeper figure sketched by both ill-fated kids. Don’t expect obvious answers: the why, who and how is still as much of a mystery at the end of the second of the two episodes available for review as it is the lengthy cold open. Yet thanks to a first-class cast (Welsh royalty Jonathan Pryce also shows up as Cefin's grieving grandfather), some immersive, if resolutely desolate, cinematography and a script which allows the characters to feel entirely lived-in, you’ll remain hooked no matter your skills as an amateur armchair sleuth. It might not always look it, but the future of Cymru noir is bright. Read more: Where was Under Salt Marsh filmed? Who is in the cast of Under Salt Marsh? Under Salt Marsh's Jonathan Pryce explains why thriller is "much deeper" than your average murder mystery Slow Horses' Jonathan Pryce on returning to his Welsh roots with new drama: "I left it physically, but emotionally, I've never left" The first two episodes of Under Salt Marsh will premiere on Sky Atlantic and NOW on January 30th with a new episode following the next four Fridays. Add Under Salt Marsh to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Wrecking Crew review: Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa's action comedy has mega body count but no real peril
The Prime Video original is inspired by buddy movies like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs, but doesn’t have the thrills or charm of those classics.
It’s a bad week to be a faceless goon in this '80s-style action comedy with a mega body count but no real peril. Dave Baustisa and Jason Momoa star as estranged half-brothers James and Johnny reunited after the death of their father in an apparent hit and run. Bautista is a well-respected Navy Seal and family man living in Hawaii while Momoa is a disgraced cop and all-round wastrel living in Oklahoma, returning to Honolulu under duress. It’s not going to be an easy ride for the pair, who are being hunted by the Yakuza who are seeking a mysterious package, as well as Hawaiian gang the Syndicate, who have serious beef with Jonny and give him seven days to leave the island before they come for his head. Not that there’s much tension here – Bautista and Momoa are big lads (they look like “the Rock f***ed himself and gave birth to twins” according to one character) and in this they are virtually indestructible, swatting henchmen down like flies. Director Angel Manuel Soto, who made superhero movie Blue Beetle, understands the formula here but somehow misses the spirit of what made those ‘80s romps great, adopting a “more is better” mentality. More deaths, more punch ups, more car crashes, more bullets, more explosions and more baddies, doesn’t actually equal more fun, rather it equates to a bloated run time and action fatigue. At least it seems like the cast had fun. Bautista and Momoa have good chemistry and both get to do some outrageous scraps and stunts. The set pieces are certainly spectacular, including a bathroom brawl with Momoa vs the Yakuza and a corridor massacre which recalls a sequence from Oldboy and even finishes with Bautista staving someone’s head in with a hammer. Vehicular stunts are equally relentless – you wouldn’t want to be a random motorist in Hawaii either, with unseen casualties from exploding cars racking up the death toll. The comedy comes from fraternal banter (“You got old!” “You got fat!” etc), and some choice swearing from Jacob Batalon (best known as Spider-Man’s best buddy Ned in the MCU) as the brothers’ unwitting sidekick. Sadly more emotional scenes of the two bonding over past trauma don’t work at all, a shame since Bautista especially has proven himself an actor who can carry serious dramatic heft - he’s a big part of the beating heart of Blade Runner 2049. Though to be fair, The Wrecking Crew isn’t trying to be an awards-bothering tear-jerker. View oEmbed on the source website The plot, particularly the motives of the baddies, is convoluted as the boys uncover multiple conspiracies involving various different factions. Of the many antagonists who get at least some lines, the standouts are Claes Bang’s sleazeball millionaire and Miyavi as the stylish, coked-up Yakuza boss. Both get extended one-on-one scuffles that showcase different fighting styles, with Japanese/Korean musician and actor Miyavi’s lithe martial artist up against the ginormous former wrestler Bautista, a highlight. All the ingredients are here for a rollicking Friday night movie, though the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Inspired by buddy movies like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs, The Wrecking Crew just doesn’t have the thrills or charm of those classics, and doesn’t even live up to more recent efforts like Shane Black’s excellent The Nice Guys or surprisingly enjoyable The Hitman’s Bodyguard (but not its sequel, which is rubbish). But if you just want to see two massive blokes smashing the hell out of people, things and each other, with the odd decent one-liner, you could certainly do worse, and Amazon feels like the perfect home for this hunk of mindless man-candy. The Wrecking Crew is released on Prime Video on Wednesday 28th January. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Is This Thing On? review: Bradley Cooper turns John Bishop's life story into sweet but indulgent comedy-drama
Did you hear the one about the lonely husband who went into a bar? That’s the set up for Bradley Cooper’s third film as director, Is This Thing On?, a shaggy-dog movie that feels a world away from his musically-themed, Oscar-nominated earlier directorial efforts, the A Star Is Born remake and Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. Those films played out on a grand scale – featuring concerts where the world was watching. Here, the feeling is more intimate. A man on stage, alone, with a mic, pouring his heart out. Scripted by Cooper, star Will Arnett and British writer Mark Chappell (who penned the delightful murder-mystery from 2022, See How They Run), the film comes loosely inspired by the life of comedian John Bishop. The Scouser stand-up, so the story goes, got into comedy after being at a low-ebb in his personal life. Cooper et al simply transpose this idea to New York. Father-of-two Alex (Arnett) has quietly separated from his wife Tess (Laura Dern), a former volleyball player who gave up her dreams to raise kids. The couple are still socialising with mutual friends, long-term husband and wife Christine (Andra Day) and Balls (Cooper), and gay newlyweds Stephen (Sean Hayes) and Geoffrey (Scott Icenogle). But they no longer live together, a fact that has spun Alex out. One night, unwilling to go home to his empty apartment, he walks into a bar in the West Village. Rather than pay for the $15 cover charge to get in, he signs up for an open mic stand-up night in the basement downstairs. At first, it’s excruciating as he stands there, like a rabbit in the headlights. But then he starts talking about his impending divorce, poignant material that gets unexpected laughs. It’s a brave and exposing act, one that offers him a much-needed catharsis, so it’s no surprise when he returns for another bash. Around him are experienced comics (played by real strand-ups, including Chloe Radcliffe), willing to offer him advice and a bit of a roasting because, hey, that’s what they do. View Green Video on the source website Gradually, as he finds his feet on stage, Alex regains equilibrium, but it’s always going to be a danger, pulling your act from real life. Arnett delivers his lines with a hangdog face that treads a fine line between pain and humour, dialling down the more outlandish comic stylings he’s known for in shows like Arrested Development and even his lead turn in The LEGO Batman Movie. It’s a rare sidestep into drama for the actor, albeit with a syringe-injected shot of comedy, but a pleasing one. Meanwhile, Dern yet again offers up a very real, fully fleshed-out and classy turn in a film that feels like a more low-key take on Marriage Story, the Noah Baumbach film that won her an Oscar for her shark-like divorce lawyer. Cooper, meanwhile, feels like a distraction in his role, an oafish character who causes mayhem in the very first scene due to his clumsiness. It never quite works as a bit of casting, even if there must’ve been the temptation to self-cast in the way Woody Allen once did. Certainly, Is This Thing On? feels like an early Allen movie, a rambling, slightly indulgent but nevertheless sweet New York story. With some fine actors fleshing out the cast, including Ciarán Hinds, who plays Alex’s father, it’s a good exercise for Cooper in creating something more low-key, even if it doesn’t quite come off. Still, in the days where adult-skewing dramas are becoming an endangered species in movie theatres, this should be applauded for attempting the subject of divorce with a level head. Is This Thing On? is released in UK cinemas on Friday 30th January 2026. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
No Other Choice review: Park Chan-wook's killer comedy is more than paper thin
Director Park's latest is broader than many of his works, but still hugely inventive.
“Losing my job is not my choice.” It’s a phrase spoken more than once in Park Chan-wook’s latest film, No Other Choice, a black comedy set in the often dispiriting white-collar world of work. Premiering in competition at the Venice Film Festival, as anyone familiar with the South Korean Park’s ‘vengeance trilogy’, including the acclaimed Oldboy, will know, his movies are not for the feint-hearted. Even when they’re ostensibly comedies. In this case, there’s plenty of moments that’ll make you squirm, especially if you’re squeamish when it comes to oral hygiene. There’s even a very grim way of disposing a body, one that seemingly comes inspired by techniques for tying up plants in the garden. The ‘killer’ in question is Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a father-of-two who has worked for Solar Paper as a speciality paper manager for the past quarter-century. “Paper has fed me for 25 years,” he says, sounding rather like The Office’s Michael Scott. When he gets let go, he’s left to find a new job in his middle years, with economic pressures meaning he might need to sell the family home. His wife (Son Ye-jin) is already trying to economise – no more Netflix, kids! – as all non-essentials are cut back on. Only their youngest daughter’s cello lessons will continue, as Man-su desperately keeps searching for a gig in this increasingly tough economy. But with paper his life (he was 2019’s ‘Pulp Man of the Year’, after all), all he wants to do is find work in the same industry. View oEmbed on the source website Adapted from Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax, Man-su takes a novel approach to finding work, and it doesn’t involve updating your LinkedIn profile. Rather than take his chances in an interview, he decides to kill off all those who might stand a chance. Of course, he’s no murderer; his hand shakes every time he picks up a gun, taken from the wall of his family home. His first target is Lee Sung-min’s engineer, a married man who has succumbed to drink while his actress wife tries (and fails) to audition for roles. As Man-su spies on his home, it’s all rather farcical. Some of it’s funny, some of it isn’t. Humour doesn’t always travel well across cultures, and Park’s earlier forays into comedy, such as 2006’s I’m a Cyborg But It’s OK, were a little wayward. But even if No Other Choice will leave you stone-faced, you can’t help but admire the invention on display, especially in later scenes, where Park dips into the surreal. What does hit home in No Other Choice is the employment crisis we are all facing, with workplace environments becoming increasingly automated. Soon, it’ll just be a handful of callous executives and empty warehouses, with huge machines creating products, and only one employee needed to oversee everything. It’s a soul-destroying notion, especially with the execs simply shrugging that they have “no other choice” but to dump the bulk of their workforce. No question, No Other Choice is broader than many Park films, and certainly less subtle than his last film, 2019’s masterful procedural Decision To Leave. But led by the highly watchable Lee Byung-hun, whose working relationship with Park goes all the way back to the director’s 2000 debut Joint Security Area, it’s still a rambunctious ride (if slightly overlong, at 139 minutes). With some lovely lines, like “slay them all”, innocently spoken by Man-su’s wife when he’s off for an interview, it’s more than paper-thin. No Other Choice is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The History of Sound review: Tender love story will deepen Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal's fanbases
This decade-spanning tale is exquisitely told by director Oliver Hermanus.
A tender, decade-spanning love story, exquisitely told by director Oliver Hermanus, The History of Sound is yet another wonderful showcase for the considerable talents of Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal. The British actor O’Connor, best known for his work as Prince Charles on The Crown, and the Irish-born Mescal, famed for Normal People and, more recently, Gladiator II, are already dizzyingly popular; this first collaboration is only likely to deepen their fanbases. Premiering in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, The History of Sound begins, briefly, in 1910, as Mescal’s Lionel narrates about his unique appreciation of music. “I thought everyone could see sound,” he intones. But it won’t be for another seven years that he meets a man who is similarly in tune with sound. In a bar one night, David (O’Connor) is playing a piano. They will soon become firm friends and more. David, we learn, grew up in Newport, then London, and comes from a wealthier background than Lionel, who was raised up on a poor farm in Kentucky (one he still is expected to help out on). His poor eyesight means that he avoided the draft, to fight in the trenches of the First World War. But David heads to what he wryly calls his “walking tour of Europe”, thankfully returning unscathed. Sponsored by Vue Save up to 30% on the latest releases at Vue in 2025 Are you a movie lover who always wants to be up to date with the latest releases? Then you're in luck, as RadioTimes.com readers can enjoy new films at Vue Cinemas for less. Customers will receive up to 30% off films with Vue Pass, as long as they have a RadioTimes.com account. It's a great time for new releases, with films such as Wicked, Nosferatu, The Brutalist and Moana 2 taking UK cinemas by storm. Head to your nearest Vue to catch these movies and more for up to 30% less if you're signed up as a RadioTimes.com member. Save up to 30% with Vue Pass When he does, these two young men reunite in Maine and decide to venture cross-country, recording folk songs for the preservation of America’s heritage. The college where David works has bankrolled the project, and David decides that he needs Lionel to collect the songs on wax cylinders. Mescal’s Lionel also tutors young kids in the science of sound and vibration. At this point, as David and Lionel grow closer, you could be forgiven for thinking the film has the air of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain about it, a period gay romance (a ‘Folkback Mountain’, if you will). But, adapted by Ben Shattuck from his own short story, the film takes an intriguing turn when the two men separate and David no longer returns Lionel’s letters. The story continues on, with Lionel taking centre stage, even with a sojourn to England, where he meets a young lady from a welcoming, well-to-do family. Is he suppressing his real sexuality? Like so much of this film, it’s left unsaid, with the South African-born Hermanus adopting the same delicate approach that he deployed on Living, the 2022 film he made with an Oscar-nominated Bill Nighy about a bureaucrat who receives a terminal diagnosis. More reviews from the Cannes Film Festival: Die My Love review: Jennifer Lawrence is superb in this absorbing and quietly devastating drama The Phoenician Scheme review: Wes Anderson's latest is a quaint tale of industrial espionage Eddington review: Ari Aster's latest is thematically rich but overlong Mescal, who has already been a part one brilliant gay-themed drama (Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers), truly sinks into his role here as a man unable to forget the soul that touched his life so deeply. Hidden behind his ovular spectacles, he’s almost unrecognisable at first, until the character comes out of his shell. There’s also a lovely surprise in the end, as Chris Cooper (the marvellous actor of Adaptation fame) pops up to play Lionel in scenes set much later in his life, where it’s clear music has remained his passion. Hermanus accompanies this moment with Joy Division’s haunting song Atmosphere, a truly unusual choice following the folk songs that populate the earlier part of the movie. While this isn’t a film that’ll have you sobbing, it’s an increasingly touching love story, one that deserves its place at the heart of the LGBTQ+ cinematic canon. A movie that draws you in gradually, you may even quiz where its going at the halfway point. But Hermanus and Shattuck carefully layer the story with emotional bear-traps; by the end, you will be ensnared. The History of Sound is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Oscars completely snubbed the year's most daring film – and it doesn't make sense
Oscar nominations are out – there's just one problem...
Every Oscars season, us film fans are met with the inevitable snubs: from films of certain genres not being considered serious enough, to quiet, brilliant performances being dropped in favour of louder ones that sit within the rigid framework of what the Academy considers 'worthy'. Of course, we’re also then often met by the rogue choices that leave everyone blinking in disbelief at their television screens. (I, for one, received a few surprised texts when one certain Best Picture nominee was read out this afternoon…). This year, however, one particular snub has stuck out like a sore thumb – Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee. And not only was Ann Lee snubbed – it was completely ignored from the nominations list, with its name not falling under a single category in this year’s slate. That’s right. Daniel Blumburg’s staggering, hypnotic score (which I actually have on in the background while writing this) was erased; Woman Clothed by the Sun, one of the most angelic original songs of the year (I challenge anyone to listen to it and try to tell me it’s inferior to any of the five nominees) was blanked, Fastvold’s writing and brilliant direction were both nowhere to be seen. Not even Best Actress, which once seemed the only category Ann Lee could get a look in, served plaudits. It is that latter snub for Best Actress that perhaps is the most shocking. Until about a month ago, Amanda Seyfried receiving an Oscar nomination for pouring her entire heart and soul into playing Mother Ann Lee felt almost inevitable. And yes, while the Best Actress category is undoubtedly stacked this year, Seyfried’s Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe nominations had me convinced that her flawless performance as the founding leader of the Shaker movement would get at least a small nod. To be clear, The Testament of Ann Lee isn’t some kind of niche, underground film that only four of your biggest cinephile friends have seen (not that obscurity would have made its snub acceptable, but you get my point). Instead, the film boasted a fantastic ensemble (with Seyfried joined by the likes of Lewis Pullman and Thomasin McKenzie), a respected director, and a career-best performance in Seyfried – a previous Oscar nominee, no less. Mona Fastvold herself is no stranger to the Oscars. In 2024, she left her creative fingerprints all over The Brutalist, which went on to be nominated for 10 awards at the Oscars the following year – including Best Picture. (Though admittedly, Brady Corbet was the director at the helm of The Brutalist, and the Oscars don’t have the best track record with celebrating female filmmakers). Ann Lee’s complete exclusion is even more surprising given its massive achievement. With such a small budget covering such an epic scope, the cinematography, music, performances and structure all work so deliberately and so uniquely together to create a film that is truly unlike any cinematic experience I have gone through – and it’s a magnificent shame that the Academy considers it unworthy of even the smallest recognition. View Green Video on the source website Of course, the Oscars have never been particularly intelligent in recognising work that does something completely new. Instead, they are so frequently occupied by films that repeat the same patterns, aesthetics and ideas over and over again, largely ignoring those that have the ability to reshape the way we see cinema. Because Ann Lee is billed as a musical about a religious leader, and it does take its risks, it therefore falls out of that comfort zone. But every risk the film takes pays off greatly – and in a cinematic landscape that is made up predominantly of regurgitated remakes and gratuitous sequels, each risk is more than welcome. The film’s huge ambition is what makes it so incredible. Ann Lee may truly be one of the most individual films I have ever seen. On my first watch, I found myself in desperate need to rewind and watch it all over again – and on my second watch, it made me sob – and honestly, even now, I struggle to articulate exactly why. There is just something so unflinchingly raw, strange and beautiful in its craft that it just goes straight through you. And while, yes, it may be less 'accessible' than films such as Hamnet and Frankenstein, such accessibility should not be a measure of its greatness. Now, I’m not saying that Ann Lee should completely sweep the awards board. As much as I’d personally welcome that, it’s an unrealistic expectation. A historical film so deeply concerned with female spirituality, leadership and music perhaps was never going to be an easy sell in an environment that prioritises films that do not favour those things. But to ignore the film completely – this year, the Academy have genuinely left me baffled. (In other, more Ann Lee-related terms, I Hunger and Thirst for the Academy to take this film seriously). The Testament of Ann Lee will be released in UK cinemas on 20th February. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Saipan review: Éanna Hardwicke is utterly magnetic as Roy Keane in dramatisation of infamous feud
Thanks to fabulous performances and a witty, perceptive script that’s more concerned with the game of life than the game itself, this has something for everybody – football fan or not.
The best-known true-story feature films about “the beautiful game” have put the lives of iconic football managers like Brian Clough (The Damned United) or brilliant players such as George Best (Best) at the heart of the drama. A manager (Mick McCarthy) and a player (Roy Keane) are also at the centre of events in Saipan, however, it’s a notorious falling-out between the men in the lead-up to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea around which events unfold in this enthralling fictionalisation from husband-and-wife directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn (Ordinary Love, Good Vibrations). Sporting spats are ten-a-penny these days, going viral almost immediately. But when Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane walked out of his team’s training camp on the island of Saipan on the eve of departure for the tournament, it created huge press headlines, knocking the status of English talisman David Beckham’s broken foot off both the front and back pages of tabloids and broadsheets. Meanwhile, the fallout in Ireland was seismic and polarising, not least because Keane was a bone fide world-class footballer — honed into a muscular midfield general by both Clough and his Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson — who was going to lead the team to glory. We return to those heady days when the Irish team, minus a then-injured Keane, managed to qualify for only their third World Cup at the end of 2001. And yet, it’s quickly apparent there’s tension between a permanently bristling Keane (played with sustained intensity by Éanna Hardwicke) and a seemingly unflappable McCarthy (the ever-versatile Steve Coogan), as the countdown to the competition ticks away. Although niftily paced over 90 minutes, there’s a fabulous, slow-burning quality to proceedings as the affable, Barnsley-born McCarthy strives to mediate between his star player’s uncompromising professional approach to diet, drinking and training and the rest of the team behaving as though they are on a tourist jolly. But as the effects of the hot, humid location and faulty air conditioning combine with a catalogue of organisational cock-ups — rock-strewn pitches, a lack of footballs or sun cream — you just know it’s going to end in tears, despite the two protagonists endeavouring to put aside their differences for the common good. View oEmbed on the source website The climactic team meeting, when old grievances, misunderstandings and even the definition of being Irish explode to the surface, may be cathartic but there’s a palpable sadness, too, with Paul Fraser’s perceptive script leaving you feeling sympathy for both McCarthy and Keane, especially since the latter never played in another World Cup. Hardwicke (a BAFTA winner for BBC TV drama The Sixth Commandment) is utterly magnetic, capturing the brooding aura of the Irish captain, while also revealing the human being beneath the fearsome reputation. An understated but effective Coogan is equally impressive and is surely now rivalling Michael Sheen for acclaimed film and TV portraits of the famous (Stan Laurel, Brian Walden) and the infamous (Saville). Meanwhile, Alice Lowe and Harriet Cains as the footballers’ wives are a joy, adding some welcome levity when their husbands start taking themselves too seriously. Of course, if you are not steeped in football lore or are no particular fan of the game, you might consider Saipan a film for sports enthusiasts only. However, thanks to fabulous performances and a witty, perceptive script that’s more concerned with the game of life than the game itself, it has something for everybody. Saipan is released in UK cinemas on Friday 23rd January. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Beauty review: Ryan Murphy's body horror thriller is stylish but surface-level
A wild premise leads to some entertaining and preposterous moments in this body horror thriller from Ryan Murphy, but the series ultimately lacks depth and subtlety.
This review is based on the first two episodes of The Beauty. Following 2025’s All’s Fair, the critically-panned legal drama starring Kim Kardashian, Ryan Murphy is back with another surface-level critique of social issues in his new series The Beauty, which takes loose aim at society’s obsession with physical perfection and the lengths people will go to achieve it. The show, based on a 2015 comic book by Jeremy Haun and Jason A Hurley, is set in a dystopian world and follows FBI agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall), who’ve been sent to Paris to investigate a series of puzzling deaths that are connected by two strands: all of them are newly signed models, and they’ve all died by a mysterious and bizarre process of overheating and exploding. What follows is a glossy, campy and satirical body horror thriller as their investigation soon leads them into the path of an organisation known as The Corporation, led by a tech billionaire (Ashton Kutcher), who has managed to engineer a beauty-enhancing drug. Its label guarantees “One shot makes you hot”, and while it does fulfil its promise, there are a couple of unpleasant side effects: a painful mutation into the new conventionally attractive body, and, yeah, inevitable death. Oh, and there’s another drawback: the injection has actually been engineered from an STD, which is also spreading among society. It’s a wild and ironic premise that looks at the horrors of our obsession with physical attractiveness – the more attractive you are, the more dangerous you are to others who desire you – while the injection element engages with current discussions around Ozempic. Murphy leans into the un-seriousness of it all, and there are plenty of delightfully preposterous and entertaining moments. Yet this approach also leaves the social commentary lacking depth and subtlety. Murphy’s sledgehammer approach is particularly evident in one clumsy discussion between Cooper and Jordan who are, funnily enough, sleeping together, in which Cooper bluntly points out that the reason behind people wanting to look good, and wanting to be attractive in the first place, always boils down to one thing: sex. The Beauty is part of a growing trend of shows and films that are using body horror to visualise the internal consequences of external pressures such as health and beauty standards, from Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance to Alice Birch’s TV adaptation of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers. Comparisons to The Substance, in which Demi Moore’s character reaches for a serum to transform her into the picture of youth that goes on to have side effects, in particular will be inevitable given the similarity of its premise. But while the likes of The Substance and Dead Ringers offer in-depth explorations of their character’s psychological struggles (through extended and escalating body horror), The Beauty pales in comparison, offering only surface-level insight into the interiority of the characters – a woman wants to to be a model, for example, or an incel wants to sleep with women. And while the first body horror transformation in the show is pretty wild and disturbing, once you’ve got the gist, it looks like the mutations are going to get quite predictable quite quickly (this is the case in the two episodes of the show that were available to review, anyway). Instead the focus is on story momentum and plot, which is certainly intriguing, and looks to be ramping up at the end of episode 2 as Cooper finds The Corporation on his tail. The series is also visually stunning – as fans will have come to expect from a Murphy production – and has a great cast. Hall and Peters in particular are terrific as sceptics of their image-obsessed society, while there are also some fun guest appearances from the likes of Bella Hadid. The Beauty will premiere Thursday 22nd January on Disney+ in the UK. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Rip review: Damon and Affleck's latest cinematic reunion is less than the sum of its parts
This Netflix crime thriller based on a true story is quite a ride – but the more things it tries to do, the less well it does them.
Collaborations between old pals Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are always worth watching, whether they result in classics like Good Will Hunting or could-have-beens like Air. Writer-director Joe Carnahan’s filmography has been similarly hit and miss, with bangers such as The Grey interspersed with clangers like The A-Team. So, a sense of cautious expectation greets this chewy cop thriller, which was “inspired by true events”, but feels very much like a product of the movies. Frankly, with a first act this exciting, who cares? When Miami cop Jackie Velez (Lina Esco) is gunned down in cold blood, it sends shockwaves through her unit, the TNT (Tactical Narcotics Team). New boss – and grieving father – Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Damon) wants the murder solved fast. His right-hand man, Detective Sergeant JD Byrne (Affleck), was Velez’s lover, and keeps her gun as the ultimate tribute. The rest of the team – played by Steven Yeun (TV’s Beef), Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) and Catalina Sandino Moreno (Ballerina) – close ranks as the FBI (headed by Scott Adkins, as Byrne’s younger brother) starts its interrogations. This may sound like an almighty info dump, but it’s so well-written and performed it plays out like sweary, high-stakes drama. Following an anonymous tip-off, the team head to a drug cartel safe house, where they find a young woman, Desi (Sasha Calle), with $20 million stashed in the attic. The question the film pivots on is: what should they do next? The cartel is coming to kill everyone, they don’t trust their superiors with the cash and, as Dumars notes, “It would be so much easier if we stole this money.” For those unaware of Miami PD vernacular, “The Rip” is slang for when cops do exactly that. But with the stage all set for an exhilarating Assault on Precinct 13 update, Carnahan drops the ball. Just as the tension should be ramping up, it begins to dissipate, with characters wandering off alone, making stupid decisions, and concealing so many secrets it gets tough to track their motivations, let alone stay emotionally involved. “The thing about lying,” says Dumars, “it becomes real hard to keep those timelines straight". The film has the same problem. Oddly, for what sets itself up as a siege movie, things improve when the main characters leave the house. There’s a terrifically thorny back-and-forth in an RV, before a generic action movie climax ushers in a far-too-mushy coda. Read more: Hamnet review: Jessie Buckley is superb in this masterly study of loss 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review – A supremely satisfying horror thrill ride with unexpected depth It’s great to see Damon and Affleck going at it after all these years, with the former torn and brooding, and latter showing, yet again, that he excels in bringing shade to secondary roles. The supporting cast is first-rate, particularly Calle in what could have been a thankless part. The title of Carnahan’s debut, Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane, seems to have informed the rest of his career. But his films are actually more interesting when they focus on moral dilemmas, as in the underrated Narc, then when they’re going hell for leather. In the case of The Rip, this can be boiled down to a tattoo Dumars has on his hand: “AWTGG”, or “Are we the good guys?” All in all, it’s quite a ride, yet the more things it tries to do, the less well it does them. As an adrenalised Friday night action flick it ticks all the right boxes, but it also feels like less than the sum of its – admittedly impressive – parts. Oscar-winning screenwriters Damon and Affleck served as producers. Couldn’t they have done a draft to pull all the threads together? Maybe next time. The Rip is now streaming on Netflix. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Agatha Christie's Seven Dials review: Netflix adaptation is formula-busting – and that’s a problem
The three-part series adapts one of Christie's lesser-known titles.
On one level, Agatha Christie's staying power and the continuing cultural dominance of her works is remarkable. On another it really isn't. Christie is the best-selling fiction author of all time for a reason, the same reason her works are also so frequently adapted - her stories are just that good. Since 2020 alone, there have been six English-language on screen adaptations of her work - The Pale Horse, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, Murder is Easy and Towards Zero on TV, alongside Death on the Nile and A Haunting in Venice on the big screen. These adaptations have admittedly been of varying quality but its notable that, at least on the small screen, efforts are being made of late to take on some of Christie's lesser-known works, rather than returning again and again to the old favourites. There is certainly method behind this, but having now watched the latest addition to the on-screen Christie canon, Netflix's Seven Dials, one does start to wonder whether some of these stories are lesser-known for a reason. Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, which has been adapted by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, stars Mia McKenna-Bruce as Lady Eileen 'Bundle' Brent, a young, rebellious socialite in 1920s England. As with many Christie novels, this one is all about death, suspicion and back-stabbing, with this one ticking into action the morning after a country house party where one of the guests is found to have died. A prank appears to have been played on the deceased, with seven alarm clocks being set to go off one after the other, but their death is deemed to be unsuspicious and unrelated to the crime, according to the majority of the guests, that is apart from Bundle. Looking to get justice, she springs into action, but uncovers a conspiracy far bigger than she could have imagined. As with so many Christie adaptations, this one features a stacked cast, including the likes of Martin Freeman, Helena Bonham Carter and Alex Macqueen in central roles. It's glossy and filled with sumptuous locations and visual flair. It's also fast-paced and filled with fun, committed performances and delightful period detail. It's the sort of thing you can absolutely stick on and enjoy, in a sort of 'passing you by' kind of way. Yet... there's an issue here. Something stops Seven Dials from becoming top-tier, on-screen Christie and being properly engaging with on a deeper level - and it has to do with the mystery itself. Christie's back catalogue runs the gamut in terms of style, structure and tone of mystery, but many of the most acclaimed and beloved stick to a relatively simple whodunnit formula, just in a variety of different, fiendishly clever contexts. First, you introduce a host of suspects, and start to outline some of their interpersonal relationships. They're often all in the same place, meaning that it's easy to track them, and opportunity is established for all of them at once. Then, you have the murder - a crime for which we quickly realise a number of the suspects had a surefire motive. What follows is the investigation, either by an amateur or professional sleuth. In the end, the suspects are rounded up, the perpetrator unmasked and justice restored. But this well-rehearsed formula is only half-heartedly followed by Seven Dials. There are suspects, but they're a diffuse bunch who are difficult to intimately understand, particularly as the plot darts around without giving any of them a proper look in. Formulas can become tired, there's no doubt about that. But as already established, people love Christie's stories, and the formula is a large part of that. There's something comforting and engrossing about it, like watching an effortless well-oiled machine at work. While watching Seven Dials, I have to admit that I never really cared who had done the murder. I was aware there was a mystery to solve, but I didn't know any of these characters enough, or have a firm enough grasp of who the suspects actually were. Characters also kept popping up at random moments and there was so many elements to question that it was hard to keep track of anything. Neither Bundle nor Freeman's Superintendent Battle felt like they were helping the audience along with this, as is the case with all the best on-screen sleuths. All this being said, the show's denouement is still relatively effective, being delivered during a fun, thrilling sequence. Genuine surprises are delivered, too, even if the detail surrounding motives or specific aspects of the crime felt oddly superfluous to proceedings. However, it all does feel like too little too late. A cursory bit of research will tell you that The Seven Dials Mystery was not one of Christie's more successful novels. In fact, it was largely considered a bit of a dud upon the time of its release, and there doesn't appear to have been any major re-evaluation since then. One therefore wonders, perhaps, whether this was always just a novel less in need of an adaptation. Wanting to keep things fresh for an audience is understandable, but to do so by taking on lesser material isn't necessarily going to yield the the best results. In the end, Agatha Christie's Seven Dials is entirely fine. In many ways, it feels like a perfectly designed pairing between Christie and Netflix. It has carried over all of the surface level elements of Christie, enough so that subscribers will surely allow the episodes to keep rolling into each other, but has done away with the compelling mystery element, which may prove too difficult to follow when doing so-called 'second-screen viewing'. It's a passable few hours of entertainment, with a gloss and level of performance above the norm, but it's not a mystery on the level of even the middling Christie adaptations - making the ticking clock metaphor surprisingly apt. Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials is available to watch on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. Add Agatha Christie's Seven Dials to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" class="x_OWAAutoLink" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review – A supremely satisfying horror thrill ride with unexpected depth
Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell go head-to-head in Nia DaCosta's entry in the post-apocalyptic franchise.
The shift in tone in the final few minutes of 2025’s first film in the 28 Years Later trilogy wrong-footed viewers of Danny Boyle's return to celebrated horror franchise. As the sombre narrative of a young family’s struggles in a world long ravaged by apocalyptic disease came to a close, the director chose to bookend the tale with a blackly comic wave of terror propagated by a maniacal gang who bizarrely resembled something in-between the Teletubbies and a certain disgraced broadcaster. It was a compelling twist to the saga which begun back in 2002 with 28 Days Later, hinting that the fourth entry in the franchise would be a very different kettle of fish – not necessarily played for full-on laughs, but certainly less ponderous than the perpetually grim bulk of its predecessor. And so it proves, because this is the point where writer Alex Garland’s three-screenplay arc gains considerable momentum, courtesy of a deeper delve into its lead characters, a heightened sense of jeopardy and consequences, and inventively choreographed gore peppered with the some surprisingly decent gags. At its centre, The Bone Temple is a battle between good and evil, with Ralph Fiennes’ returning maverick medic Dr Ian Kelson seeking a cure to the virus that laid waste to the nation, and Jack O’Connell’s 'Sir' Jimmy Crystal peddling slaughter as the bedrock of his quasi-religious cult. Director Nia DaCosta, taking over from Danny Boyle, makes us wait for the battle proper, though, as the Fiennes and O’Connell characters don’t come face to face until past the halfway mark in proceedings, by which time the motivations of both have been firmly established. We open on Alfie Williams’ plucky but troubled pre-teen Spike from the previous chapter, now a reluctant member of the 'Jimmies'. Forced to earn his spurs in a fight-to-the-death initiation against another O’Connell acolyte, Spike likely regrets the direction his life has taken as he learns more about Jimmy Crystal’s belief system and his declaration that he is the true Satanic son of “Old Nick.” Read more: Hamnet review: Jessie Buckley is superb in this masterly study of loss Marty Supreme review: Timothée Chalamet hits new heights in breathless and brilliant ping pong drama Fiennes, meanwhile, is following a more scientific path, attempting to domesticate one of the most physically imposing infected "Alphas" he names Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). He does this not through intense one-to-one therapy, but instead via drug-filled darts and a steady stream of bygone Duran Duran hits - an endearing variation on Professor Henry Higgins and flower girl Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. It occasionally feels like DaCosta’s vision of dystopia is being filtered through the lens of an ‘80s music video, especially so when a pivotal scene is played out to a soundtrack of Iron Maiden’s heavy metal banger The Number Of The Beast, but it’s an allowable level of gloss that enriches the spectacle without distracting from Fiennes’s or O’Connell’s end games. Williams, the beating human heart of the first instalment in the trilogy, has less to do this time around, although his anxious reactions to the Jimmies’ relentless mayhem still impress as the film’s moral compass of sorts. View Green Video on the source website It’s a toss-up as to who grabs the attention most gloriously; Fiennes as the man-of-medicine survivalist routinely capable of savagery but with a ready quip and a glint in his eye, or O’Connell as the persuasive opportunist manipulating his disciples into unspeakable violence. Both actors imbue events with personality, bringing rich textures to the story that have been largely missing since 28 Days Later, resulting in a supremely satisfying horror thrill ride with unexpected depth. There are loose ends to the narrative, the fate of supporting characters unresolved, but there’s a third Garland script to come (with Boyle confirmed as returning to the director’s chair) before anyone starts thinking of filing a missing persons report. That third film’s contents are teased in the epilogue to The Bone Temple, with another juicy twist to proceedings that promises one last frenzied feast with (hopefully) plenty of crowd-pleasing flavour. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 review: Game of Thrones spin-off is best visit to Westeros in nearly a decade
It's time to return to Westeros for a rather different adventure.
Game of Thrones fans have long been used to mixed fortunes - even more so if you’re a book reader. Arguably the biggest show of the 21st century, Game of Thrones took the world by storm in 2011 with its adaptation of George R.R. Martin's game-changing fantasy book series. With dramatic backstabbing, bloody battles and political intrigue, it gripped pop-culture in its first six seasons, providing absolutely exhilarating television. Sadly, when the show truly ran out of source material to adapt, the writing quality took a nosedive. Indeed, the final two truncated seasons often worked with strange logic (don’t talk about the episode Beyond the Wall) and what resembled a rushed summary of events without proper build up to make the bolder plot swings work. Thankfully, fans were soon treated to a strong prequel series, House of the Dragon, which adapted Martin’s history book of the Targaryen Dynasty, Fire and Blood. A truly Shakespearean series with an excellent cast of characters and amazing dialogue, the first season was great television, and despite some inconsistent pacing, it gave a strong conclusion. However, the much-anticipated second season proved even stranger with sluggish pacing in its second half and something of a damp squib finale. There were also some questionable adaptational choices which neutered some of Martin’s most explosive work, including some which the author himself was unhappy with. So, anticipation has lessened somewhat for its return. So, it is in this context that HBO delivers A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on Martin’s prequel novella series of the Tales of Dunk and Egg. Set 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones, this lean six-episode season is based on the first novella, The Hedge Knight, and begins with the hulking squire "Dunk"(Peter Clauffey) mourning his late master Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). Dunk decides to honour his mentor by heading to compete for glory in a tourney, along the way acquiring a squire of his own in the enigmatic bald child "Egg" (Dexter Sol Ansell). Thus begins a truly wonderful pairing in a tale of violence, family rivalries, and an exploration of what true honour means. The show very clearly sets out its stall with a lighter comedic tone in episode one, with the much-recognised Game of Thrones theme tune swelling as Dunk buries his master before heading off on his journey - but this abruptly cuts away to the much less glamorous toilet humour of Dunk defecating by a tree. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is very funny, and Dunk makes for a sweet but dim hero for the series, with Bad Sisters’ Peter Claffey offering immense likability, strong timing, and, of course, the imposing frame of a former professional rugby player. Despite the initial toilet humour, the majority of the laughs lie in the central partnership, with Dunk and Egg bouncing off each other in a hilarious and, often, moving manner resembling the best of the original series' odd couples. Child star Dexter Sol Ansell is a true young talent too, as Egg, providing precociousness, sensitivity and whip-smart instincts. The series peels away at Egg’s layers over the episodes, providing a truly textured figure among the best in the Westeros canon. The show very much belongs to this duo, but we are offered some wonderful supporting performances from the cast, most notably from those portraying members of the royal House Targaryen. The Crown’s Bertie Carvel is regal, serene and a truly believable leader as Prince Baelor Targaryen, while Sam Spurell makes the perfect gruff and gritty brother to Baelor, Prince Maekar Targaryen. True Detective: Night Country star Finn Bennett, however, shines as the utterly loathsome villain of the piece, Maekar’s sadistic son, Prince Aerion Targaryen. Other standouts include I Hate Suzie’s Daniel Ings as the boisterous reveller Ser Lyonel Baratheon and former Emmerdale actor Shaun Thomas as the loyal but opinionated Raymun Fossoway. If there is one area where the series falls, it is in the lack of textured female characters, which is something no one could accuse Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon of. However, the series very faithfully follows its source material, and future instalments shall hopefully offer us better representation in season 2. Speaking of faithfulness to the source material, the season makes very few changes to the novella and honours the characters and events on the page, with additions providing further texture to characters, just as it did in Game of Thrones’ superior early seasons. It’s clear that the HBO adaptations truly thrive when they stick to honouring or expanding on what Martin’s words provide. A buddy comedy. A medieval smash-up. A much lighter touch on fantasy elements. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is charming, disarming, and - sometimes - even calming, particularly with its folksy score from Dan Romer. This is truly the best visit to Westeros in nearly a decade - certainly since Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor anyway. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on 19th January 2026 on Sky Atlantic and NOW and airs in the US on HBO. Game of Thrones seasons 1 to 8 and House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Sky and NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 review: Anime A-lister returns to cull the competition
The first two episodes of season 3 amp up everything we love most about Jujutsu Kaisen.
This review is based on Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 episodes 1-2. Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 kicks off with an uncharacteristically quiet moment for the teen sorcerer at the heart of this show. Yuji Itadori is washing blood off his hands, but there's just too much of it. Red stains spiral into the sink, stubbornly refusing to come clean. Endless torrents of blood are par for the course in both the series and the Gege Akutami-penned manga this story is based on, but this isn't just the aftermath of any old battle. Season 2 ended with The Shibuya Incident, Jujutsu Kaisen's most devastating arc yet. Friends died at the hands of demons and countless more perished at the hands of Yuji himself once the power of Ryomen Sukuna took over. In the fallout from this, the blood on Yuji's hands carries something far heavier, and the overarching mood is thick with despair as well. Survivor's guilt coupled with guilt over the carnage he technically wreaked shapes everything here, visually warping Tokyo itself with a bleary pink sunrise stained like the blood on his hands. A giant, grotesque monster claws at Yuji all of a sudden, throwing us into battle, but you can feel that Yuji's heart isn't in it. Even at his most impressive, jumping and spinning and hurtling through the air mid-fight, Yuji's body language speaks to a broken man far removed from the protagonist we were first introduced to in season one. Dread infuses every frame, every lingering shot of an empty staircase or demolished building. It's eerie and atmospheric in ways that speak to the show's movie-level animation and how the team at MAPPA are capable of stunning beyond Jujutsu Kaisen's signature fights. These too are just as elaborate as ever, first when Yuji tears into Cronenbergian demons, and then when Yuta Okkotsu arrives to kill him on orders from the Jujutsu Council. We've only seen glimpses of Yuta in the main show before now, but here, the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is finally unleashed in full, pitting the franchise's two heroes against each other in a battle to the death. The fan-favourite sorcerer is also one of the most powerful, and you can feel it in every blow. This long-awaited confrontation between them is as visceral as it is balletic, practically operatic in its gravity-defying athleticism. Note how the pair's different fighting styles bring a new kind of energy to the show as well, paired with Jujutsu Kaisen's usual chaotic framing and sharp camera movements. View oEmbed on the source website Between every cursed punch and kick, it's also gratifying to see how Yuta carries himself now, no longer the timid student we met back in the prequel film. His self-assured arrival further shifts Jujutsu Kaisen into new territory along with the addition of other characters including Naoya Zenin, a potential clan leader who has Megumi Fushiguro in his sights. Beyond each individual fight, power struggles in the wider world of Jujutsu Kaisen ebb and flow to form new enemies and alliances at every turn across these first two episodes. The writing speedruns some of this set-up, moving faster than even our battling sorcerers, as season three hurtles towards The Culling Game. As fans of the manga know, the longest arc in the series (spanning 63 chapters) is a game-changer that might even top the Shibuya Incident in terms of impact. That's assuming the show can navigate this arc and condense it where needed without losing too much of the original story. With less room to maneuver here, season three runs the risk of mishandling the pace, a problem that can already be felt a bit in these first two episodes. Jujutsu Kaisen has never been the easiest show to follow, rushing through convoluted setups and ever-changing rules, but nowhere has this been felt more keenly than at the end of episode two when The Culling Game rules are first explained. Well, "explained" is generous given how quickly huge swathes of text are plastered across the screen, only to be removed seconds later. Exposition is often dense in this show, but usually we're given at least a fighting chance to catch up and understand. Other character beats beyond Yuji's despair in the opening also land quickly, although you might not realise that initially thanks to the sheer spectacle of everything that unfolds. Fans hyped for the show's return probably won't mind too much though. By and large, the first two episodes of season 3 amp up everything we love most about Jujutsu Kaisen. Every frame, every note in the score, goes harder than ever. This is apocalyptic aura farming at its most effortless, which makes it easier to overlook occasional issues with the writing. Even without our blue-eyed boy Satoru Gojo on hand, season 3 has loudly announced itself as the A-lister to beat once again. Everything from the soundtrack to the voice-acting is next level, and with something as big as The Culling Game looming so close, blood will pour for anyone who stands in the way of Yuji and Jujutsu Kaisen alike. Jujutsu Kaisen is streaming weekly on Crunchyroll. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.