PLANNING ON HEADING to the cinema this weekend?

There are a few new movies out, but which is a must-watch, and are there any you should avoid? We take a look.

Which one would you go see first?

The First Purge

What we know

The latest in the Purge franchise goes back to the very first purge, and how it emerged in the USA: A night where crime is legalised for one night only.

What the critics say

• “The film basically says that all of America wants to purge — except for those in the inner city, who are too desperate, or goodhearted, or something to even bother.” – Variety
• “Instead of re-contextualizing these moments or presenting a new argument, The First Purge veers so forcefully towards exploitation that its message gets lost among all the “F— you”s to the Trump administration. I’m not fully convinced there was much of a message to begin with beyond playing out a revenge fantasy on the Trump regime.” – IGN

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes.com: 4.9/10
• IMDB: 5.7/10

Mary Shelley

What we know

Mary Shelley was just a teenager when she created the legendary Frankenstein, and this film looks at her life before and just after she married the poet Percy Blythe Shelley. During one summer in Switzerland, Mary is inspired to write Frankenstein during a ghost story challenge.

What the critics say

• “Mary had a morbid imagination, but she was not this bloodless blonde Fanning has conjured; she was almost constantly in a state of pregnancy or mourning for her ill-fated infants, the desperate sadness of her most famous novel comes from firsthand experience.” – Vulture
• “One could be mistaken when going into the movie for thinking that it would be centred on the writing of Mary’s book, but instead it focuses on her life before her writing, working hard to show the parallels between Frankenstein’s monster and her own feelings of despair and isolation.” – The Upcoming

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes.com: 5.3/10
• IMDB: 6.3/10

Whitney

What we know

Kevin Macdonald (Touching The Void)’s latest documentary is about the incredibly talented Whitney Houston, who died tragically aged just 48. Featuring interviews with family members and her ex-husband Bobby Brown, it tells unvarnished story of Whitney’s rise to fame, drug addiction, tumultuous marriage, and alleged abuse at the hands of a relative.

What the critics say

• “Footage from performance tapes and home video—much of it never before seen—will be most revelatory for those who only casually followed Whitney’s blazing trail.” – Elle
• “ It’s a film principally and poignantly focused on the absence of Whitney, an aching void felt as much in life as in death. Many of us missed Whitney even before she left; this imperfect documentary preys calmly and effectively on that longing.” – The Guardian

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes.com: 7.7/10
• IMDB: 5.9/10

Which one would you go see first?