Avengers: Age of Ultron: Joss Whedon’s stamp is all over this comic book sequel with witty one-liners, frenetic action and an underlying sense of dread as the superheroes unleash a supervillain on the world. **** TS
A View from the Bridge (NT Live): Mark Strong leads a stellar cast in this intense production of an Arthur Miller play presented on London’s West End. **** HR
Dear White People: Cleverly scripted film about the state of race relations in the US, using a fictitious Ivy League university as the flashpoint. **** TS
French Toast: Afrikaans rom-com that hits all the clichés we associate with Paris being the city of love. Beautifully shot, but the storyline is muddled. ** TS
The Book of Life: brightly animated children’s film which introduces the idea that death is but a journey, using Mexican folklore and history with heavy emphasis on Santa Muerte art. *** TS
American Sniper: With well-choreographed fight sequences and hyper-real sets this film resembles a role-playing video game featuring a sniper out to kill people. Bradley Cooper bulks up and turns off the charm, but this is not about the US’ fight on terror, it is about one person’s perspective. *** TS
Birdman: Alejandro González Iñárritu directs an ambitious technical showcase powered by a layered story and outstanding performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. **** WP
Cinderella: Kenneth Branagh gives the Disney fairytale a lush real-life makeover, even if it does drag at times. *** WP
Danny Collins: A solid cast supports Al Pacino as a loveable rogue of an ageing rocker, who wants a do-over because maybe being rich and famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. *** TS
Focus: Though it has too many twists and turns, this one almost skates by on the glamourous setting and effortless charm of actors Will Smith and Margo Robbie. ** IND
Furious 7: This latest sequel is a sentimental last hurrah for Paul Walker, filled with fast cars and impossible stunts. *** TS
Gunman: Sean Penn’s amazing physique overshadows the rote plot in yet another chapter in the saga known as action for over 50s. ** WP
Hear Me Move: A high-energy South African dance film set against the backdrop of a dramatic coming-of-age story that is bound to be a hit with dance flick fans. **** LN
Home: Issues around friendship, compassion, family and loyalty are relayed in the light-hearted and funny story of Oh and Tip and their adventure into friendship. *** LN
Inherent Vice: Frustrating to anyone looking for a coherent plotline, this 70s crime drama will appeal to fans of director Paul Thomas Anderson and the original novel by Thomas Pynchon. *** TS
Insurgent: The sequel to Divergent dives right in and Shailene Woodley gives it a good old try, which is just as well, since she’s in almost every frame. YA fans will love it. *** TS
Kingsman: The Secret Service: Smart, funny and super-stylish, this is both spy movie spoof and homage to the genre that gave us James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer. Except it’s Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Michael Caine, with ab-tastic Taron Egerton to boot. **** TS
Nightcrawler: Restless and visually sleek, this dark, thought-provoking and pulse-pounding thriller features a star performance from Jake Gyllenhaal. **** IND
Project Almanac: The wit and original idea are swept away by the irritating found-footage camera work and pedestrian story. ** HR
Run All Night: Liam Neeson is in great form, but the plot is convoluted and everyone is dialling in their performances. *** HR
Saint Laurent: Really long, filled with gorgeous costumes, posing models and lots of smoke, this biopic of Yves Saint Laurent is flamboyant in look, but tedious in feel. ** TS
Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge out of Water: Once Spongebob and co leave the water they also leave behind the surreal silliness that we love. Luckily that happens late on in the otherwise zany yet sweet, mostly animated, kiddies movie. *** TS
Still Alice: Heroic yet harrowing tale of a woman whose life and livelihood depend on her love of language, but Alzheimers is stripping away her mind and therefore her very self. Julianne Moore is scarily sublime with an extraordinary supporting cast. **** DdB
Strikdas: Afrikaans universiteit romcom in which an eccentric boy is taken home by a manipulative girl intent on rubbing her father up the wrong way. Clichéd storyline, but oh so beautifully shot. *** TS
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them: Led by strong performances from Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, this is a haunting rumination on love and loss. *** HR
The Imitation Game: Benedict Cumberbatch is compelling in this haunting biopic about Alan Turing, the mathematician widely credited as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. **** TS
The Longest Ride: It may be less manipulative than previous films based on Nicholas Sparks novels, but it is still contrived and saccharine. Still, Sparks fans won’t mind. ** WP
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: The star-studded cast from the original are back in India in a humorous, poignant take on life that will lift your spirits. **** LdM
The Theory of Everything: It’s all about the performances of Eddie Redmayne (who was rewarded with an Oscar) and Felicity Jones as Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane on whose book it is based. A story of love rather than science. **** DdB