Big Hero 6

(PG) ★★★★

Director: Don Hall & Chris Williams.

Cast: (voices of) Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Daniel Henney, TJ Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr, Genesis Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk.

Sometimes you just need a big goalie, not necessarily a good goalie.

DISNEY is on a roll with its computer animated films.

Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, and Frozen have helped put the House of Mouse back on the animation map after more than a decade of so-so releases.

You can add the name Big Hero 6 to that Pixar-like run of excellent adventures, and while it you're at it you can put the name "Baymax" on the lengthy list of memorable and lovable Disney characters.

Based very, very loosely on a little-known Marvel comic, Big Hero 6 is the tale of Hiro Hamada (Potter), a 14-year-old robotics genius who lives in the quasi-futuristic city of San Fransokyo and spends most of his time gambling on (and winning) illegal streetbot fights.

His older brother Tadashi (Henney), concerned that Hiro is wasting his talents, introduces Hiro to the robotics lab where Tadashi works at university and gets the younger Hamada excited about using his skills for a greater purpose.

But when tragedy strikes, Hiro and his friends must team up to solve a mystery, catch a bad guy and save the day.

It may sound fairly formulaic and, as a superhero story, Big Hero 6 certainly hits all the notes we've come to expect from those kind of origin tales. However, there is much more to this film than hyper-powered individuals belting seven shades of snot out of each other.

At its heart, it's a story about grief and loss - there's an interesting juxtaposition between how the good guy and bad guy wander into the grey areas between right and wrong as they each struggle to deal with the death of a loved one. There's also a nice spin on the old "with great power comes great responsibility" line - in this case there's a bit of "with great intelligence comes great responsibility" thrown into the mix.

But as much as Big Hero 6 is a celebration of the mind (most of the main characters are self-confessed "nerds"), there is a lot of heart to go with the head. There are a couple of really sweet moments here, including some tearjerkers, and Hiro is a relatable and endearing (ahem) hero.

But the stand-out character is Baymax (Adsit), the inflatable robot built by Tadashi as a medical assistant, who serves as audience surrogate, comic relief, moral compass, straight man, action centrepiece, and even emotional core to the movie.

Whether he's taping up his punctures, losing power, doing karate, helping the sick and injured, or simply trying to walk around a room, Baymax is a scene-stealing sidekick who pretty much runs off with the whole movie.

In terms of family fun, Big Hero 6 is a real winner. There are laughs, great set-pieces, and deeper layers beneath the fast-moving bright colours to ensure this is ideal for all ages.

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

(M) ★★★

Director: Peter Jackson.

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom.

"And I say, let us all cut off our hands and replace them pointy objects, damn the consequences."

It's finally over. Thirteen years since Peter Jackson first took us to Middle Earth, his role as tour guide through Tolkien's fantastical lands has come to an end.

Because of this massive journey there and back again, The Battle Of The Five Armies is a film that not only follows on from the two previous (surprisingly solid) Hobbit movies, bringing that trilogy to its conclusion, but which also serves as a farewell to a six-film saga that's raked in almost $5 billion (and counting) at the box office and 17 Oscars.

It also serves as a lead-in to The Fellowship Of The Rings (The Hobbit is a prequel trilogy after all).

That's a lot to put onto the shoulders of one film, and The Battle Of The Five Armies unfortunately is not the momentous masterpiece required to meet these expectations and obligations, making it a slightly disappointing note to finish on.

But this is really only by comparison because let's face it - The Hobbit trilogy was always going to be measured against the feats of The Lord Of The Rings films, ie. The One Trilogy To Rule Them All, and The Battle Of The Five Armies must stand in the shadow of its predecessor's conclusion, The Return Of The King.

Taking all this into account, ...Five Armies falls short but still manages to be a rollicking good ride and a decent-enough farewell to the world of hobbits, orcs, elves and dwarves, mixing good humour and heart to balance the over-the-top ridiculousness that creeps in as Jackson and co attempt to meet the lofty duties thrust upon this closing chapter.

While the eponymous battle takes up the majority of the two-hours-plus running time, the film also concerns itself with Thorin (Armitage) descending into treasure-induced madness AKA "dragon sickness", Bard (Evans) assuming the mantle of Laketown leader, Gandalf (McKellan) dealing with the growing evil that is playing a hand in the battle and pointing towards the rise of Sauron, and the weird subplot of elf-dwarf love between Tauriel (Lilly) and Kili (Aidan Turner).

But really its all about the battle, which unfolds in an escalating series of set-pieces, charges, rallies, sacrifices, and last-ditch displays of bravery that are a largely impressive combination of special effects and solid performances.

The opening sequence, which sees Laketown set aflame by the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), unfortunately sets the tone for the aforementioned over-the-top ridiculousness. It's only Jackson's knack for deftly sliding in a moment of comic relief that brings things back to (middle) earth, allowing the audience to settle back into the tone and groove of life in Tolkien's realm.

The biggest issue here is the very criticism levelled at Jackson since he announced Tolkien's slight children's book would be made into three films - there's not enough material to go around.

While he and fellow writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro stretched An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation Of Smaug comfortably, ...Five Armies almost reaches breaking point as the battle rages on and on (interestingly, ...Five Armies is the shortest Middle Earth movie to date).

This leaves us with a film that is only for the devoted Tolkienites. Beyond the battle itself, the padding includes plenty of nods to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and information dug from Tolkien's lengthy appendices. If you've never seen any of these films, let alone the two previous Hobbit films, this movie is not for you.

For the fans, ...Five Armies will leave you with mixed feelings. It's a sad farewell to a wondrous world that is always worth visiting, but it's ultimately the weakest of the six films.

Exodus: Gods & Kings

(M) ★★★★

Director: Ridley Scott.

Cast: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, John Turturro, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver.

Elton John's Oscars after-party was off its tits.

With the arrival of Noah and Exodus this year, it's tempting to see 2014 as the year of the biblical epic.

But two films doesn't count as a trend. However, it does give us an interesting point of comparison.

Whereas Darren Aronofksy took a largely secular route in his animal-packed ark, Ridley Scott mostly takes the Bible as gospel (pardon the pun) in his retelling of Moses leading the Hebrews out of slavery.

After an opening battle scene that's more like a chapter of Wilbur Smith than a verse of the Old Testament, we get to know Moses (Bale) and Ramesses II (Edgerton) - brothers in arms in the Egyptian military as well as princes of Egypt.

But Moses soon learns he is adopted and that his real mother was a Hebrew - a group of people enslaved by the Egyptians - causing friction between Moses and Ramesses II and leading to Moses being exiled.

After wandering through the desert, getting married and raising a son, Moses suffers a severe head injury, leading him to believe God has instructed him to return to Egypt, free the slaves and lead the hundreds of thousands of Hebrews home to the promised land of Canaan (Israel).

Unlike Aronofsky, who took the "this could have happened" approach with Noah, Scott revels in the grand myth-making of the Exodus story, seeing no need to find a rational explanation for what goes on, instead embracing the fantastical elements as if he was adapting Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter (it's worth pointing out that the historical and archaeological consensus is that there is a distinct lack of evidence of the exodus actually happening).

With the full arsenal of computer wizardry at his disposal, Scott parts the Red Seas and unleashes an onslaught of plagues in suitably epic fashion. They are the dramatic and visual high points of the film - never before has the wrath of God been rendered so vividly and spectacularly.

Speaking of the Almighty, God is portrayed in fascinating fashion. I won't spoil it but there are many discussions to be had focusing on how the Supreme Being is depicted in this film, including the non-spoilerific fact that Old Testament God was, it has to be said, kind of a jerk (and that might be putting it mildly).

The other highlight is the performances. Bale's Moses, like Russell Crowe's Noah, is portrayed in the grey areas between mad man and prophet, but Bale's typical intensity really takes it up a notch, helping make Moses a complex man dealing with something he doesn't fully understand (and which may indeed be largely in his head).

Equally impressive is Edgerton, in what is hopefully a break-out role for the Aussie actor. His pharaoh is stubborn, dismissive and slightly vainglorious, but Edgerton keeps it all in check, never resorting to chewing the scenery.

The other standard performances come from youngster Isaac Andrews and Aussie Mendelsohn, with the latter stealing his scenes as an incompetent Egyptian viceroy.

Exodus takes itself very seriously but manages to stay on the right side of melodrama, thus avoiding the ever-present danger of tipping into "accidental Life Of Brian" territory.

There may be a sensation that the film is all noise and no heart, that its CG extravaganzas overwhelm the bigger moral issues, but there is plenty of food for thought in this tale of fanaticism, desperation, fear, and the greater good.

It also happens to be Scott's best film since Gladiator.

Serena

(M) ★★

Director: Susanne Bier.

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones, David Dencik, Sean Harris, Ana Ularu.

"To be honest, dear, I'm just as unimpressed by this shit as you are."

ON paper, Serena looks like it should be great.

Cooper and Lawrence reuniting for the third time, Academy Award-winning Danish director Susanne Bier at the helm, with Ron Rash's best-selling novel as the source material - what could possibly go wrong?

The answer is "the script".

Set in 1929, the titular Serena is a headstrong yet haunted young woman (brought to life by Lawrence with her usual skill) who marries fledgling timber baron George Pemberton (Cooper) and quickly asserts herself as his business partner.

But their logging company's niche in Carolina's Smoky Mountains is under threat from some progressive locals keen to establish a national park, while their marriage has to deal with the bastard child Pemberton fathered just prior to meeting and marrying Serena.

There are subplots aplenty here as well - Pemberton's quest to hunt a panther, his relationship with his off-sider Buchanan (Dencik), the dangers of logging (shown occasionally in graphic detail), the unnecessary attentions of the local sheriff (Jones) - but so many of the film's ideas are either rushed, undercooked or overdone.

For example, the whirlwind romance between Serena and Pemberton is so whirlwind, more time is spent later in the film dedicated to Pemberton bathing Serena than is actually spent on showing us how and why they fell in love.

Then there's the mysterious figure of Galloway (Ifans), a tracker hired to help Pemberton in his quest to kill a panther. The role of Galloway and the panther in the story are as idiotic as Pemberton's passion for killing the endangered feline.

I've not read Rash's book, but reading the way reviewers describe it, it seems like a completely different story, one filled with menace, strong themes and equally strong characters (who sound like an unlikeable pack of mongrels). None of that comes through in the film. The characters are blandly likeable despite doing terrible things, there is a real lack of tension or menace even as the movie builds to its bloody climax, and so many motifs go unexplored.

The film leaves the impression of being either a novel mangled in the screenwriting process or a film interfered with in the editing process (there are even a couple of scenes that feel like they are in the wrong place, like they were forgotten about and thrown in at the wrong moment).

The ending is fairly bonkers too, as if it jetted in from another film - at one point a character actually says "you've got 24 hours before I call the judge" and suddenly you feel like you're in an '80s cop movie instead of a drama set in 1929.

Lawrence, Cooper, Jones, Dencik and Ifans do their best and are the saving grace of the film, particularly the lead couple, even if Cooper does occasionally seem like he's channelling Pacino or De Niro rather than trying to do his own thing.

The film also looks gorgeous, with the Czech Republic standing in for the logging towns of North Caroline, and there are a couple of nice moments where Bier lets a look tell a thousand words.

So much goes begging given the talent on offer here but instead we're left with a largely forgettable melodrama based on a book that sounds like it would be far more enjoyable.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

(M) ★★★★

Director: Francis Lawrence.

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Jeffrey Wright, Donald Sutherland.

Pictured: A typical American school outing.

Diving back into the dystopian world of Panem and its arrow-firing heroine Katniss Everdeen continues to be a heady and exhilarating experience.

Three films into the four-film series (book three of the trilogy is being adapted into two movies) and the comparisons to Korean film Battle Royale are far behind us.

No longer focused on its child-versus-child death matches, The Hunger Games spreads its wings in this powerful and political third instalment that not only shifts the focus to the dictatorial machinations that have been simmering in the background, but showcases why these young adult novels have been so highly revered. They deal with mature themes in an intelligent way that never speaks down to its intended adolescent audience, and if you thought the first two movies were dark, then brace yourselves because this a whole other shade of black.

Mockingjay - Part 1 tells of civil war and the power of propaganda - far more worthy subject matter for inquisitive teenage minds than love triangles involving sparkly vampires - and it doesn't pull any punches in the process. There are executions, massacres, torture, and fields of blackened corpses. This is no walk in the park.

Watching the previous two films is a prerequisite as this one dives straight into where we left off at the end of Catching Fire. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), having been whisked away to the supposedly uninhabited District 13, finds herself at the centre of a rebel uprising against the government of President Snow (Sutherland) based in the opulent Capitol City.

Reluctant at first to be used as the symbol of the rebellion, Katniss soon learns what has been going on - about the destruction of her home district, about the government's suppression tactics, and what has happened to her beloved Peeta (Hutcherson) - and realises she can't stand by while the lower classes are crushed beneath the military's boot heel.

It's heavy stuff that invokes everything from the American Civil War and socialist iconography to the influence of the modern media and the work of journalists in war zones. Director Francis Lawrence keeps everything moving at a good pace and gives all the key players at least one moment to shine.

His biggest problem is grappling with the film's high level of emotions, which feel way over-the-top at the start of the film because we're coming in cold.

There is no easing your way in on this - Mockingjay - Part 1 throws you headlong into the storm of feelings left behind from Catching Fire and you're expected to keep up. As such, this is for the fans and certainly not the place to start your passion for The Hunger Games.

None of this would work without great actors, which the series has a surplus of. Newcomer Moore is a welcome addition, Banks and Harrelson have reduced roles but chime in nicely, Hemsworth has his biggest part in the series to date, and the film is dedicated to the memory of Hoffman, who is as effortless as he always was.

And at the centre of it all is Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen - the film's beating heart, its moral compass, and its sharpened arrow. When I reviewed Catching Fire, I noted that future lists of the greatest movie heroines should read "1. Ripley, 2. Katniss Everdeen ...". I'm seriously considering bumping Everdeen to #1.

As with Catching Fire, Mockingjay - Part 1 finds a weird note to end on, as is always the case of a story part-told. It's a bittersweet and slightly unbalanced finale, but one that tantalises the tastebuds ahead of the big finale due out 12 months from now.

Let's Be Cops

(MA15+) ★★

Director: Luke Greenfield.

Cast: Damon Wayans Jr, Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D'Arcy, Keegan-Michael Key, Andy Garcia.

These cops are getting hard on crime, if you know what I mean, wink wink nudge nudge ah forget it.

MOVIES often make it seem like being a police officer would be awesome fun, what with all the donuts and shooting bad guys and being lauded as heroes.

We all know the reality is far different and that these hard-working men and women have one of the toughest gigs there is.

But the reality of policing is about the furthest thing from the world of Let's Be Cops, an increasingly idiotic but sporadically humourous comedy about pretending to be policemen.

The faux fuzz are Justin (Wayans Jr) and Ryan (Johnson), two down-on-their-luck 30-year-olds who find that dressing up as boys in blue gives them a level of respect and self-confidence that has been lacking from their lives.

These two characters are the best thing in the film - better than the majority of the jokes, the entirety of the plot, and the terrible editing.

While the whole thing is a loose vehicle for the old "seize the day" theme, Justin and Ryan are more fleshed out and interesting than characters tend to be in these kind of trashy, forgettable comedies. Justin is rational yet cowardly, his talents as a video game designer held back by his lack of assertiveness, while Ryan is the directionless ex-jock, a victim of his own impulsiveness with his greatest accomplishments far behind them.

They're nothing new here, but at least in the hands of Johnson and Wayans Jr (both from TV comedy New Girl) and a semi-literate script Justin and Ryan seem like more than caricatures. The same can't be said for love interest Josie (Dobrev) or sadistic villain Mossi (D'Arcy), but Riggle, Garcia and Key lend good support.

All this helps keep you vaguely interested in a plot that quickly spirals into stupidity as the two pretend policemen find themselves increasingly caught up in their own lie, which starts to be believed by Russian mobsters (who want to kill them) and real police officers (who want to help them).

Given the efforts of Johnson and Wayans Jr, it's a shame the film isn't funnier and didn't have to rely on tired scenarios - women beating up a man, someone being sat on by a naked fat man, the obligatory drug-taking sequence - for what are unfortunately the funniest bits in the film.

Let's Be Cops ends up being mildly chuckle-worthy but inevitably forgettable because the biggest laughs feel like they've come from any of a hundred other pre-existing comedies.

Interstellar

(M) ★★★½

Director: Christopher Nolan.

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, David Gyasi, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow.

McConaughey took a wrong turn in the produce aisle.

FILM-MAKERS have long tried to predict the future.

One of the most intriguing of these sci-fi predictions is 2001: A Space Odyssey - a film that's now confusingly set in the past - and it is the obvious reference point for Christopher Nolan's own attempt at prophetic cinema.

Just as 2001 wanted to explore the possibilities of space and beyond, Interstellar aims to go to the final frontier and further, all the while exploring the nature of humanity and the unknowns of the universe.

Even the structures of the two films are similar, which makes it even harder to avoid these comparisons - it's impossible not to think of Interstellar as Nolan's Space Odyssey.

As such, this film is incredibly ambitious, even for the director who took us into a dream inside a dream inside a dream with relative ease. However, this might be a starbridge too far.

As fascinating and scientifically intriguing as it is, Interstellar asks a lot of the viewer in terms of endurance (it's almost three hours long) and whether you will buy into the plot twists that come with its cosmic destination. And after just one viewing it's not immediately obvious how successful it is.

The film spends the first hour on Earth sometime in the possibly not-too-distant future, where climate change has wiped out billions of people and ruined most of the world's crops, leaving the planet a dusty husk of its former self.

Among the farmers struggling to keep the world's mouths fed is Cooper (McConaughey), a former test pilot who turns to corn farming after the government shuts down non-essential programs, and while he still secretly yearns for the adventures of his youth, Cooper is mostly content to raise his two kids.

That is until some weird happenings in the family home inadvertently lead him into space as part of a mission to find a new home on a new planet in order to save what remains of humanity.

Obviously there are some major plot points removed from this synopsis, but you're better off not knowing them and just enjoying the surprises. Nolan's typical secrecy meant the trailers gave away little about this film in the lead up other than "McConaughey goes to space to save dusty world" and that's one thing of the key things Interstellar has going for it - it's a journey into the unknown for the characters and audience alike.

But is it an enjoyable one? That's the question you might find yourself asking as you walk out of the cinema after three bum-numbing hours.

Interstellar is definitely fascinating. It's filled with amazing ideas, stunning visuals, great performances, and what is apparently a level of scientific theory that's interesting if you're so inclined.

But after all this brain fodder and some genuinely awe-inspiring moments we finally reach the third act - and it's a long time coming - the story takes a turn that will either leave you tearing up your ticket or glued to your seat.

My initial reaction was the former but the more the film went on and the more I think about the film in the hours since watching it, the more I am willing to forgive it. Maybe. To be honest I'm still undecided.

And that's the general feeling I'm left with after seeing Interstellar - a sensation of indecision.

Large parts of the film are stunning, such as the depictions of blackholes, wormholes and space travel, but other bits are not so great, such as some of the dialogue, the lack of characterisation, and that plot twist. There are questions unanswered - some deliberately so but some seemingly ignored - and while this does make me want to watch it again to dig a little deeper into the film, its length is kind of off-putting. At the same time, the fact that I'm still thinking about it so much is probably a positive.

Interstellar is ambitious, perhaps overly so, and it's engaging and intriguing, perhaps at the expense of being truly entertaining. For now, the best I can say is that, yeah, it's pretty cool and particularly impressive on the big screen but not quite the five-star classic that Inception or 2001: A Space Odyssey is.