External reviews
3912
in total
published by Empire
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What Men Want
A review by Helen O'Hara for Empire2019-03-14
The storytelling is a little loose, but as a workplace comedy with a side-line in romance, this earns its laughs thanks to the immensely game Henson and a stellar supporting cast.Read entire review on Empire -
Ben Is Back
A review for Empire2019-03-11
Ben Is Back begins with nuance but is let down by its familiar Drugs Are Hell tropes. Still, the pairing of the ever-excellent Roberts and Hedges keep it a largely compelling watch.Read entire review on Empire -
The Kindergarten Teacher
A review by Ian Freer for Empire2019-03-08
Small-scale and slow, The Kindergarten Teacher works best as a showcase for the brilliance of Maggie Gyllenhaal. Adding another complex character to her resume, it’s another reminder she is among the best actors working today.Read entire review on Empire -
Triple Frontier
A review by Ian Freer for Empire2019-03-06
Triple Frontier is engaging in parts with well-mounted action. But the characters lack definition and you can’t help but think an old timer like Howard Hawks or Sam Fuller might have done it better in half the time.Read entire review on Empire -
Captain Marvel
A review by Helen O'Hara for Empire2019-03-05
As a Nick Fury buddy comedy, it’s fun. As a feminist fable it’s essential. This takes a while to really get going, but when Carol Danvers takes off she is unstoppable.Read entire review on Empire -
Border
A review for Empire2019-03-04
Telling an age-old story in a singularly original way, Border is a compelling, sometimes excruciating fairy tale for our times — with a bizarre sex scene to rival Team America’s.Read entire review on Empire -
Serenity
A review by Ian Freer for Empire2019-03-01
Serenity is a genuine headscratcher, baffling on almost every level. Badly scripted, strangely acted and poorly pitched, there is so much to pick over it’s hard to know where to begin. Sometimes the best of bold intentions are just not enough.Read entire review on Empire -
Isn't It Romantic
A review by Ian Freer for Empire2019-03-01
Isn’t It Romantic had us at hello but loses its spell when it has to develop its plot. Not as smart or sharp as you’d hope, it still delivers a lot of fun for those who can’t resist a bad Katherine Heigl flick.Read entire review on Empire -
The Aftermath
A review by Helen O'Hara for Empire2019-02-26
The bones of the story have been played a million times, but a talented and committed cast make this swoonsome rather than samey.Read entire review on Empire -
Fighting with My Family
A review for Empire2019-02-26
Packed with plenty of heart and relatability — and a powerhouse performance from Jack Lowden — it never fully resolves the tension between the grit and glamour of the wrestling worlds the Knight family inhabit.Read entire review on Empire -
The Hole in the Ground
A review by Kim Newman for Empire2019-02-26
A soft-spoken yet chilling domestic horror film that tells its slightly overfamiliar tale effectively, with strong performances, quietly disturbing atmosphere, one or two friendly clichés, and good, old- fashioned scares.Read entire review on Empire -
Cold Pursuit
A review by Ian Freer for Empire2019-02-20
A typically taciturn turn from Neeson is surrounded by a colourful cast, gallows humour and complete disrespect for cinematic stereotypes. A little bloated, maybe, but deserves kudos for joining the road not Taken.Read entire review on Empire -
On the Basis of Sex
A review by Helen O'Hara for Empire2019-02-20
It’s not a hugely innovative biopic, covering just a short period of Bader Ginsburg’s extraordinary career, but this is still a vastly inspiring account of the fight for equality.Read entire review on Empire -
Capernaum
A review by Ian Freer for Empire2019-02-18
With two astonishing child performances, Capernaum is a real heart-breaker. It can make Ken Loach look happy-go-lucky but it’s a gripping, sympathetic cry for the dispossessed.Read entire review on Empire -
Instant Family
A review by Ian Freer for Empire2019-02-13
For all its formula, Instant Family is a winning confection, unafraid to go to unexpected dramatic places and elevated by Byrne’s gift as a comedy foil and Moner’s lively but subtle turn.Read entire review on Empire -
Happy Death Day 2U
A review for Empire2019-02-13
What could have been a simple retread or by-numbers continuation instead throws itself headfirst into time-twiddling absurdity. High art? No. A total blast? You bet.Read entire review on Empire -
A Private War
A review by Dan Jolin for Empire2019-02-11
A sometimes clunkily executed true-life story which at least has potency in its blend of subject matter and lead actor. Despite often being hard to watch, this is Rosamund Pike’s best work yet.Read entire review on Empire -
All Is True
A review by Helen O'Hara for Empire2019-02-06
A quiet and meditative portrait of the artist as a retiree, this lacks incident or high stakes but has an elegiac feeling of regret and reckoning that fits its subject’s twilight years.Read entire review on Empire -
The Kid Who Would Be King
A review by Nick de Semlyen for Empire2019-02-04
More proof that Cornish is a wizard at re-energising tired tropes.The characters are a delight, the action sequences thrum with invention, and when it’s funny, it’s very funny indeed.Read entire review on Empire -
If Beale Street Could Talk
A review by Helen O'Hara for Empire2019-02-04
A sort of Romeo And Juliet with systemic racism replacing the family feud, this is romantic and infuriating, hopeful and despairing. A sensory, desperately emotional experience for lovers and fighters alike.Read entire review on Empire
