ATTACK THE BLOCK (15)
TRAINEE nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is mugged on her way home by wayward lads Moses (John Boyega), Pest (Alex Esmail), Dennis (Franz Drameh), Jerome (Leeon Jones) and Biggz (Simon Howard). The assault is thankfully cut short by a meteor shower and when the youths investigate, they come face to snout with a creature from another world. The kids slay the snarling beastie and drag its lifeless, furry carcass to the top-floor drug den run by Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter) and his lay-about door man, Ron (Nick Frost). A second downpour of meteors heralds more creatures and the lads gleefully grab weapons to attack the aliens which have descended on the unsuspecting south London council estate.
STAR RATING: ****
FAST & FURIOUS 5 (12A)
FORMER cop Detective Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and lover Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) spring her brother Dominic (Vin Diesel) from a prison bus then criss-cross borders, eventually hiding out in Rio with Dom’s childhood friend, Vince (Matt Schulze). The fugitives are double-crossed by drug lord Reyes (Joaquim De Almeida) and they vow revenge by plotting to steal 100 million dollars of the corrupt businessman’s ill-gotten gains. On their trail is federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who flouts the rules but always gets results. He amasses a top crew to bring Brian, Dominic and Mia to justice.
STAR RATING: ***
INSIDIOUS (15)
JOSH Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) move into a new house with sons Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and Foster (Andrew Astor). Late one night, Dalton hears a strange sound in the attic and foolishly goes to investigate. He glimpses a shadow and lets out a blood-curdling scream. The next morning, Foster tries to wake his brother but the boy has slipped into a coma. Three months Renai senses something terribly wrong in the home and Foster adds to Renai’s discomfort when he whimpers about an intruder. So Josh’s mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) invites her supernaturally gifted friend Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) to survey the property.
STAR RATING: ***
THOR (12A)
IN THE fantastic realm of Asgard, ruled by Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Frigga (Rene Russo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is an arrogant heir to the throne. He acts first and thinks later, endangering the lives of his trusty companions Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) and Fandral (Joshua Dallas) by launching a suicidal attack on the Frost Giants led by the menacing Laufey (Colm Feore). Odin strips his son of his powers and his legendary war hammer, and dispatches him to Earth as punishment, where the fallen god befriends scientist Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), protegee Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and intern Darcy (Kat Dennings). The spark of attraction between Thor and Jane is palpable but without his powers, the fallen god must face the same trials as any other mortal.
STAR RATING: ***
THE WAY (12A)
TOM (Martin Sheen) is an American optometrist, whose perfect round of golf with his country club chums is ruined by news that his son Daniel (Emilio Estevez) has been killed in the Pyrenees in a storm. The medic flies to France to collect his son’s ashes and discovers that Daniel perished on the first leg of the El Camino de Santiago: a 800-kilometre spiritual pilgrimage. Tom grabs his son’s backpack and guidebook and decides to complete the pilgrimage in Daniel’s honour. Down the path, the medic meets overweight Dutchman Joost (Yorick van Wageningen).
STAR RATING: **
