STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS ****
Dir : JJ Abrams ( 12A , 129 mins ) A tired sci-fi franchise haunted by the ghosts of William Shatner and Patrick Stewart , Star Trek had a superb rejuvenation in the hands of director and new Star Wars helmer JJ Abrams . The sequel ups the stakes , the spectacle and destruction and provides a fabulous baddie in the shape of Benedict Cumberbatch . Kirk , Spock , Bones and co have to face a threat from within Starfleet itself , with vengeance-fuelled nutter John Harrison . Their attempts to bring his reign of terror to an end lead the crew of the Starship Enterprise to a warzone world where many special effects will happen . Director Abrams managed to perfectly balance humour , jeopardy , character and spectacle in the first reboot , and it looks as if this will further that dynamic . To his credit , Chris Pine ’ s Captain Kirk still has traces of Shatner swagger , Zachary Quinto infuses Spock with logical gravitas , Simon Pegg adds humour as Scotty , and Zoe Saldana has a gritty smoulder as Uhura . Joining the cast is Alice Eve as Kirk ’ s potential love interest Dr Carol Marcus . There are nods to the history of Star Trek for the fanboys and deviations , the time travel element of the first film allowed this alternate Trek universe to exist . It ’ s a big , fun , event movie ; entertainment well done . Beam me up ! Opens May 17
FAST AND FURIOUS 6 ****
Dir : Justin Lin ( 12A , 120 mins ) The surprisingly resilient car chase franchise was lifted to a new level with its last instalment . Fast And Furious Five was a gloriously entertaining , over the top , ludicrous action movie , pumped up by the presence of The Rock battling with fellow meathead Vin Diesel and pulling a massive safe down Rio streets . Fast 6 offers more of the same stunt-fuelled hokum , this time in London . Diesel and his team are cash rich after their escapades in Rio but still on the run from the authorities . When The Rock offers them a chance at a pardon for past crimes if they stop nasty mercenaries led by Luke Evans , they jump at the chance . Diesel ’ s lost love , Michelle Rodriguez killed off in Fast 4 , is back too , apparently having turned to the dark side and aiding the mercenaries , thereby enabling some plot amidst the spectacular set pieces . MMA star Gina Carano adds her fists and feet to the team ensuring some sort of girl-on-girl fighting and there are chases through London landmarks , a tank pursuit and lots of growling from Diesel . Testosteronefuelled and relentless if hardly cerebral , Fast 6 is action-heavy car porn . Opens May 24
MUD ****
Dir : Jeff Nichols ( 12A , 130 mins ) The writer / director of the excellent Take Shelter returns with a coming-of-age story dripping in Southern drawl and mythical , mystical backdrops . Tye Sheridan plays Ellis , a 14-year-old who , with best friend Neckbone , goes on an adventure to find an island where a boat is said to rest high in a tree following a flood . They find the boat and outlaw , Mud ( Matthew McConaughey ), who lives in it hiding out from the authorities and pining for his lost love Juniper – played by Reese Witherspoon . Ellis becomes a go between for Mud and Juniper and discovers that the world of adults is full of disillusionment . A languorous pace and a richly drawn world and characters elevate Mud into something more than a by-the-numbers comingof-age story . There are great performances all round , especially from Sheridan and McConaughey , whose career resurgence shows no sign of stopping . Engrossing and affecting . Opens May 10
THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST ***
Dir : Mira Nair ( 15 , 128 mins ) Based on Mohsin Hamid ’ s excellent book about the thorny nature of the American Dream for a Pakistani Wall Street whiz , director Nair ’ s adaptation is occasionally gripping thanks to a superb central performance from Riz Ahmed . Ahmed plays Changez Khan , a Princeton graduate and Wall Street analyst who finds his life altered irrevocably by the events of September 11 . He ’ s grown disenchanted with America despite becoming an associate in a firm under the guidance of Kiefer Sutherland , and has a troubled girlfriend ( Kate Hudson ) who seems to offer him everything until the spectre of terrorism looms large . Racially profiled and persecuted in the USA , he returns to Pakistan where he no longer can feel at home either . A great many pertinent questions are raised before the film descends into thriller territory with unsatisfying results . Intelligent and intriguing for the most part and a great conflicted central performance from Ahmed that papers over the lapses into melodrama . Opens May 10
THE BIG WEDDING **
Dir : Justin Zackham ( 15 , 90 mins ) A star-studded formulaic remake of a successful French comedy that loses a lot in translation . Based on the 2006 film , Mon Frere Se Marie , which wasn ’ t hugely amusing in the first place , this has Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton playing a long divorced couple that have to pretend they are still married to appease the biological mother of their adopted son when she decides to come to his wedding . Phew . Susan Sarandon plays De Niro ’ s current wife , who has to be a part of this ridiculous pretence along with grown up kids Katherine Heigl , Topher Grace and the groom , Ben Barnes . Amanda Seyfried is the bride to be , and Robin Williams cameos as a priest in a deeply unsatisfying comedy that squanders the star power on show . The humour is forced , the set up deeply flawed and the life lessons learned thoroughly predictable . Opens May 31
in the London Underworld . There will be cockneys . THE LIABILITY ( 15 ) A hitman , Tim Roth , takes a rookie on a day-long trip of violent mayhem , sex trafficking and gritty scowling . EVERYBODY HAS A PLAN ( 15 ) Viggo Mortenson stars in an Argentinian thriller as he takes the identity of his dead twin with running about consequences . A HAUNTED HOUSE ( 15 ) Lame paranormal comedy from Marlon Wayan - part of the original Scary Movie team . Yes . NO ONE LIVES ( 18 ) Nasty killers kidnap a wealthy couple only to have the tables turned on them . Luke Evans stars in a predictable , mildly gripping thriller . Clue may be in the title .