Snow White: Disney+ Movie Review

Cast: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap

Director: Marc Webb

The 2025 remake of Disney's jewel in its animated crown is a curious beast, an uncanny valley of a movie that never really seems to dabble in much other than anti-climactic endings and aloof emotional edges.

But in among all the fury over the woke edges, and the truly unnerving CGI dwarf updates, there is a bright shining star to anchor it all.

Rachel Zegler's Snow White is a princess who takes control, but who has warmth, kindness, empathy and a great deal of charisma as the story whirls through the very familiar beats of the 200-year old story.

Sadly the same can't be said for Gal Gadot's woefully underwritten wicked witch, whose character is so poorly painted that even with big vampy Shirley Bassey-style musical numbers, she can't muster the menace of someone wracked with insecurity that someone else would be finer than she.

Despite shimmering in some slinky costume choices and trying her best, she pales into insignificance compared to Zegler, who musters through her part with ease.

Written through more with a Robin Hood-esque storyline, with Snow White playing Maid Marian to the troupe (feeling much like Baldrick actor Tony Robinson's Maid Marian and her Merry Men 80s TV series for children), Andrew Burnap's Jonathan does as well as he can with the updated prince motif. His and Zegler's bickering song Princess Problems is a new addition to the film is a joyous touch, a rare diamond in plenty of soulless updates.

Yet the film seems confused about what it wants to do. It hits every single original story beat without hitting any emotional high, giving a feeling of rushing through bizarrely. And the colour grade on Webb's film feels muted, more washed out than vibrant - even if the enchanted forest's twisted darkness and menace bristles with nightmare fuel.

As for the dwarves themselves, their Hi-Ho introudction is perfectly fine, a warm fuzzy blanket of nostalgia washing over viewers to take them back to when they first saw it. But the CGI proves to be distracting, and the fact there's even a person with dwarfism in Jonathan's band of merry men makes the Disney creative decision jarring in extremis.

Ultimately, while nowhere near as ghastly as early worries would suggest, the 2025 remake of Snow White works only because of Zegler - elsewhere throughout, thanks to underwritten edges and weak narrative beats where action happens simply because it should rather than organically, the film feels like it's sold the legacy short rather than enhanced it greatly.

Deep Cover: Movie Review

Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, Sean Bean, Paddy Considine, Ian McShane
Director: Tom Kingsley

Mixing a bit of comedy, a bit of action and a touch of Nick Mohammed mugging, Deep Cover presents a solid mix for a streaming film - even if it never quite erupts into the raucous laughs it promises early on.

A simple premise - two struggling improv wannabes and their tutor are asked by a cop to go undercover to break a counterfeit cigarettes ring. But before they know it, they've blundered into the underworld.

Deep Cover's simplicity is partially its strength, and its frantic nature is also a benefit. It works largely because the inept trio have a strong degree of chemistry. From Dallas Howard's Kat, who's followed by concerned friends who worry that she's throwing her life away as a comedian to Mohammed's patented brand of nebbish out of his depth deadpanning, the group gels in scenes that see their characters way deeper than they need to.

But it's Orlando Bloom's method improviser that proves the source of many laughs. Early on, he's dropped by his agent after being told he's "from the Cotswolds, you're not Al Pacino". Yet he finds plenty of laughs from moments of trying to be the hard guy when he's clueless.

There are moments when the amiable script throws in a few wordy laughs and patented silliness when it counts. It works when it should, and while it's not exactly Shakespeare, it's watchable enough fare for a mid-winter night.

Deep Cover is streaming from June 12 on Prime Video.

Materialists: Movie Review

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans
Director: Celine Song

Writer / director Celine Song's latest may have garnered a career best from an empathetic Dakota Johnson, a matchmaker who finds herself at sea, but its commitment to dialogue that feels of the page rather than the real world does much to destroy its intentions.

Sumptuously shot, the story finds Lucy professionally cruising on a high, but personally facing a disaster as she negotiates singleton life.

But her life is upended when she meets the suave Harry (Pascal in a stoic and earnest performance) and despite her protestations that he's not the one for her,she's won over by the financial accoutrements he offers her - from fancy meals dismissed with the flick of a pen to his multimillion dollar penthouse, Lucy has transactional access to the world she always wanted.

But things fall apart when she reencounters her ex John (Evans, grounded), a struggling bit part theatre actor who may have lost the one true love of his life on their fifth anniversary. 

And the situation gets worse for Lucy when a work issue causes her self doubt to kick in.

Ironically, Materialists may have worked better as a play, one where internal monologues were given effective voice,because on the big screen, the overly verbose language just feels stilted. Talk of transactions in relationships, business deals for matters of the heart just don't feel organic and real to land any emotional heft.

Plus, adding in a subplot about sexual assault that feels more like a dramatic crutch rather than a fully realised element makes the film tonally ajar.

It's little helped by the fact there's zero chemistry between Pascal and Johnson (though one wonders if that's a deliberate construct) this sophomore outing from the Past Lives director feels like it's not everything it could be.

While she deserves plaudits for sidestepping the traditional romcom tropes, perhaps Materialists doesn't quite hit what it wants to be. It lacks the subtle richness of Past Lives and while it's Johnson at the best she's been in a long time, it feels like the substance element has been dialled up too high for any lasting effect.

Anora: 4K Blu Ray Review

Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, Yura Borisov, Vache Tovmasyan
Director: Sean Baker

Sean Baker continues his predilection for characters in industries or lifestyles usually vilified by outsiders in this entertaining, if occasionally unwieldly, film about a Cinderella tale.

Russian-American exotic dancer Anora (Madison, a breakout performance), who prefers to be known as Ani, is working in a local club in New York, when she's asked to "look after" the young Vanya (Eydelshteyn) for the night.

Seemingly drowning in cash, Vanya asks Ani to be exclusive to him for a week during New Year's and whisks her away to a luxurious mansion, endless drinks and continual parties. One thing leads to another, and the pair end up in a whirlwind marriage in Vegas. But when Vanya's absentee Russian parents find out, they send a group to ensure the nuptials are annulled.

Elements of Keystone Cops and general broad stereotyped comedy follow in Anora, and while it's perhaps here the movie begins to feel some of its bloat and sag as the belittled Ani and her "captors" traipse round Brooklyn at night looking for the errant Vanya, it never settles for anything less from its protagonist.

Madison delivers the kind of performance that you can't look away from here. Equal parts spiky, vitriolic, angry and vulnerable as the girl whose dream is slipping away from her, she could easily have made the role the kind of cliche one would expect from a sex worker. But crafting the role with Baker's eye for humanism in such circumstances and also giving plenty of heart and humanity to her plight, Madison's anything but a wide-eyed naif as she tackles everything that's thrown in her way. 

And while some of the comedy of the goons trying to find their lost charge grates occasionally, Baker manages to keep things on the right side of unexpectedly funny as he winds his way through some gorgeously shot nighttime vistas.

There's heartbreak and hope in equal measure through this, much like many of Baker's other films such as The Florida Project and Red Rocket. But what's most prominent about Anora is its lead actress. Make no mistake, Madison's destined for greater things.

How To Train Your Dragon: Movie Review

Cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost
Director: Dean DuBlois

Some 15 years after the original animated film wowed audiences with its mix of heart and humour, the live-action version of the perennially popular first How To Train Your Dragon has a lot to live upto.

And while it's occasionally in love with its own montages of soaring dragons and rousing orchestral moments, this faithful adaptation will leave family audiences satisfied - even if it has added 30 minutes on to the original's run time for no discernable reason.

For those unfamiliar with the tale, it's set in the Viking-run village of Berk which finds itself constantly at war with marauding dragons. Among the villagers is Hiccup (Thames, a reasonable version of the rugged nasal charm of the original's Jay Baruchel) whose faither is the village's chief (Butler, reprising his role and clearly at home doing so). 

Only while the villagers prefer to attack the dragons with swords and strength, Hiccup takes a more inventive approach, setting him at odds with his father and his aspirations for him. But one day, when he downs a hitherto-unseen Night Fury dragon, he finds a new friend in the wounded creature - and a secret that could change Berk's future forever.

The 2025 version of How To Train Your Dragon does remarkably well at hitting the same beats as before - and while the film hasn't played around with Toothless's cat-like look and behaviour, the film's clearly not wanting to try anything radically different either.

It makes for an amiable and recognisably enjoyable night out at the cinema, which families will enjoy more due to generational watching habits. A great story is still a great story, no matter what format it's presented in - and this one about destiny, friendship, forging your own path and the bonds with animals still hits the highs it wants to.

It's not all good news though.

The relationship between Hiccup and Astrid feels somewhat rote and flaccid and the extra 30 minutes can largely be put down to the filmmakers wanting to show off the mix of CGI flying and music - not all of the CGI hangs together with some moments showing very minor creaks.

But at its heart, the tale of Toothless and Hiccup is wonderfully intact and comfortably familiar. Given the missteps Disney has made with its live-action films, this is to be applauded for improving on the original without massively changing it. And it's to be hoped the studios won't insist on the other films in the franchise being trotted out for box office's sake.

Dangerous Animals: Movie Review

Cast: Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison, Josh Heuston
Director: Sean Byrne

An unashamed B-movie that knows exactly what it wants to do and does it with a degree of glee, The Loved Ones' director Sean Byrne's latest is all about twisting the norm.

A swaggering Courtney plays Tucker, the owner of a swim with sharks boat who hides a deadly secret. However, when Harrison's surfer drifter Zephyr crosses his path, she's suddenly in a fight for survival.

Courtney's rarely been better, mixing charisma with menace in the opening scenes with equal aplomb. It helps that he's clearly decided to throw caution to the wind and embrace everything that's asked of him - from espousing speeches that drip with sarcasm to dancing around in underpants and kimono, he burns up the screen, keeping things on just the right side of what's needed.

But it's not just his film - Harrison's Zephyr is a "final girl" who does more than what's needed for her arc, where she goes from having nothing to live for to someone fighting for survival. The script keeps things on the right side of grounded as well, and while there are a few moments where there are lulls given the fact it's a four hander film, there's much to keep audiences invested.

There are also some beautifully shot sequences of sharks as well - Byrne's clearly got an eye for what works in the water. And while the peril's largely on the boat, this film's barely at sea at all - it does exactly what it needs to do and does it with its eye squarely on the prize.

Watch: Xbox Games Showcase

It's finally here - the chance to watch the XBox Games Showcase!

Featuring a raft of day one GamePass exclusives as well as a preview of The Outer Worlds 2.

Watch the Xbox Games Showcase below.