Atomic Blonde (2017)
Genre: Espionage
Director: David Leitch
Starring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Sofia Boutella, James Faulkner, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones
Duration: 115 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Charlize Theron and James McAvoy star in this thriller set just before the Berlin Wall is about to fall.

David Leitch’s first solo directorial  debut is based on Antony Johnston’s and Sam Hart’s 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City.

The plot revolves around the sensual and savage Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), the most elite spy in M16 who is willing to use all of her lethal skills to stay alive.

With the Berlin Wall about to fall, she travels into the heart of the German capital to retrieve a priceless dossier and take down a ruthless espionage ring.

Once there, she teams up with a station chief (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadly game.

The film has received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Theron’s action sequences, but less so the plot.

Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media wrote: “Theron fights, punches, kicks and shoots her way through this beautifully choreographed, narratively complex, but slightly sluggish action movie from one of the makers of John Wick.”

David Sims of The Atlantic was of a similar idea: “The action in Atomic Blonde is top-shelf; but the plot that knits it together is a whole lot flimsier.”

While Manohla Dargis of The NY Times described the film as “little more than a series of artily violent, inventively choreographed fights glued together by nonsense and Charlize Theron.”

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Atomic Blonde gets enough mileage out of its stylish action sequences – and ever-magnetic star – to make up for a narrative that’s somewhat less hard-hitting than its protagonist.”

The $30 million production, which premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March, was released in the US on July 28, has so far made  $61 million in box office receipts worldwide.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Empire: 3 stars

47 Metres Down (2017)
Genre: Horror
Director: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine, Chris Johnson
Duration: 89 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Mandy Moore is trapped deep down in the ocean in 47 Metres Down.

The British survival horror film follows young sisters Kate (Claire Holt) and Lisa (Mandy Moore) as they travel to Mexico for a vacation filled with sun, fun and adventure.

Lisa needs some extra persuasion when Kate suggests that they go diving in shark-infested waters. Safe in their protective cage, the thrill-seeking siblings come face to face with a group of majestic great whites.

Their worst fears soon become a reality when the cage breaks away from their boat, sending them plummeting to the ocean floor with a dwindling supply of oxygen.

The film received mixed reviews, with some critics panning the dialogue and plot.

Jeannette Catsoulis of The NY Times, in fact, wrote: “The superlatively lame dialogue spoken by the heroines of 47 Metres Down threatens to turn this would-be horror movie into a hoot.”

Adam Holz of Plugged In was on the same wavelength. He said: “It's never a good sign when an audience laughs repeatedly at the plight of two terror-stricken women trapped at the bottom of the ocean.”

Other critics were, however, less harsh.

Chris Agar of Screen Rant was one of these. He wrote: “The film is a decent, yet unremarkable, survival thriller that’s little more than disposable summer entertainment.”

Dan Jolin of Empire  described the film as “a fiendishly effective holiday-gone-wrong thriller that’s better at cranking up the agraphobic action than fleshing out its characters”.

47 Metres Down has so far grossed $43 million.

Ratings
IMDB: 5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
Empire: 3 stars

The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature (2017)
Genre: Animation
Director: Cal Brunker
Voices of: Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph, Jackie Chan, Peter Stormare, Bobby Cannavale, Isabela Moner
Duration: 91 minutes
Class: U
KRS Releasing Ltd

Jackie Chan voices a cute kung fu master mouse in The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature.

The sequel to the 2014 film The Nut Job sees Surly the squirrel (voiced by Will Arnett) and his animal friends spring into action when the evil mayor of Oakton plans to bulldoze the park they live in. Surly thus enlists the help of kung fu master Mr Feng (Jackie Chan).

The animated tale was panned by critics and it recorded the worst all-time opening for a film. Critics complained that it is aimed squarely at the very young ones, leaving adults unentertained.

Mike McCahill of The Guardian concurred: “This unnecessary sequel may entertain younger family members but accompanying adults will be restless.”

While Owen Gleiberman of Variety magazine wrote: “The sequel is another carnival of animated momentum that tries to make up in slapstick zap what it lacks in character.”

Ratings
IMDB: 4.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 11%
Empire: 2 stars