Though the magical tale of Aladdin is centuries old, it’s probably best known to contemporary audiences through two relatively recent products of pop culture: the 1992 animated film with Robin Williams and the Broadway musical derived from it, which continues a run that began in 2014.

“Life is suffering,” declares a character in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (Lionsgate). While that may or may not hold true as a general principle, for the two hours-plus that this slick but nasty action picture lasts it certainly seems accurate enough.

The Hustle (MGM) suffers from being a mechanical ride, punctuated by occasional attempts at crass humour, through a plot based on outdated notions of cleverness and sophistication.

Devotees of the global media juggernaut that takes its name from the Japanese for pocket monsters will no doubt welcome Pokémon Detective Pikachu (Warner Bros), the first live-action feature in the franchise that began with video games in the 1990s.

By John Mulderig Family life is exalted over egotistical self-reliance in Shazam! (Warner Bros), director David Sandberg's DC Comics-based origin story. Though there's a warm tone to the proceedings overall, screenwriter Henry Gayden's script dabbles in a bit of dodgy humour about teen mischief that makes the film questionable fare even for older adolescents. An ancient wizard (Djimon Houn...

By John Mulderig Aficionados of the Marvel Comics universe are likely to be thrilled by the sweeping epic Avengers: Endgame (Disney). Even moviegoers less committed to that imaginary realm can hardly fail to be impressed as directors (and brothers) Anthony and Joe Russo's grand finale deftly weaves together whole franchises spanning 21 previous films. With its action mayhem mostly stylised...

The sight of a cuddly baby elephant taking to the skies is clearly meant to send spirits soaring in Dumbo (Disney), director Tim Burton’s live-action reimagining of the 1941 animated classic.

Baby boomers and those of a similar age may recall that comedian Jay Leno used to joke about “evil twin-ism”, based on the frequent use of malignant doppelgangers in the plots of sloppily written movies and TV shows.

The hard-hitting, fact-based drama Unplanned (Pure Flix) dares its viewers to confront the reality of what happens when a baby is aborted.

You can’t judge a book by its cover – or, in this case, a film by its title.