Nondenominational religious flourishes and an emphasis on the value of family offset occasionally intense showdowns and some unsavoury vocabulary in F9: The Fast Saga (Universal).

“Impossible” is taken off the table in Manifest when an aircraft harbouring 191 souls bound for New York mysteriously disappears before re-emerging five-and-a-half years later.

An inspirational story of making the right decisions in life, taking responsibility, forgiveness, and the importance of both having and being a father. After years of searching for his father, a young man, on the run from the law, finds his way into the life of a secluded old man in the woods. As the days go by and secrets about their past are revealed, they realize they may not have been looking for each other but they were brought together for a reason. By Sister Hosea Rupprecht, CNS.

Adults who want nothing more than to watch two gifted actresses camp it up will likely be satisfied with director Craig Gillespie’s glossy romp Cruella. Parents on the lookout for safe family fare, not so much.

Spirit Untamed takes viewers back to the era when wild horses still roamed the West. This time, however, the humans who interact with them experience healing from their own hurts even as they try to rescue the majestic creatures from a set of bad-guy wranglers. By Sister Rupprecht/CNS.

A Quiet Place Part II drains away the suspense, analogies and underlying message about family bonds from the 2018 original in order to set up a franchise reminiscent of an immersive dystopian theme-park ride.

This ninth instalment in the “Saw” franchise of horror films, is based on the victims’ past wrongdoing or lack of appreciation of the lives they have led, the purported agenda of the new killer is to achieve reform of the police force by slaughtering rogue cops. The result is yet another perverse celebration of sadism. A vengeance theme, pervasive gory violence, including hideous torture, frequent profanities, much rough language. By Kurt Jensen/CNS.

Finley, a talented aspiring violinist, meets Beckett, a famous young movie star, on the way to her college semester abroad program in a small coastal village in Ireland. An unexpected romance emerges as the heartthrob Beckett leads the uptight Finley on an adventurous reawakening, and she emboldens him to take charge of his future, until the pressures of his stardom get in the way. By Sister Hosea Rupprecht.

Set during the sixties civil rights movement, Son of the South is based on the true story of Bob Zellner (Lucas Till), a Klansman’s grandson, who is forced to face the rampant racism of his own culture.

The problems with “Mortal Kombat” (Warner Bros.) go well beyond off-kilter spelling.