Rewatching The Phantom Menace sent me far beyond the realms of good or bad; I left with an admiration for a deeply strange film, and a slight cynicism that we may never quite see the likes of it again.

Not so much applying brakes to the franchise as it is shifting gears, Furiosa is a triumphantly Aussie blockbuster.

Just a month after the release of Dev Patel’s Monkey Man we get yet another thrilling directorial debut entering into the action subgenre - putting emphasis on crazy fight choreography - in Moritz Mohr’s brand new sci-fi bonanza Boy Kills World.

Long-time fans of the franchise will be happy to know that Kingdom serves as a serviceable yet clunky inaugural instalment for a new trilogy – teasing a slew of new concepts which will undoubtedly enrich the mythos of this long standing series in the future.

In Divinity, writer-director Eddie Alcazar seems to have crafted a readymade cult object. A film completely furnished with textual references, grotesque violence, hyper-stylised visuals, and mixed media experimentation, seemingly destined to attract a small coterie of like-minded fans and repeat viewers. The only issue is that I can’t imagine anyone sitting through this twice.

Behind the flashing neon lights, Mars Express’ messy and complicated core is a delight to unpack and crucially, is without the comfort of easy answers. While it’s not exactly reinventing the wheel, its entangled approach to familiar concepts positions it uniquely, and is well worth the price of admission.

Lyd, which recently played at Melbourne's Palestinian Film Festival, is a cinematic exploration of the city formerly known as Lyd, a place with a rich and tumultuous history that has been shaped by its many inhabitants and the broader geopolitical forces at play.

While The New Empire may not be exactly treading new ground, it does succeed at something that few modern blockbusters do - being fun. GxK delivers on a monster mashup of epic proportions, with a few little surprises up its sleeve and just enough creativity to inspire hope for the franchise ahead.

With its sweeping visual scope and grand approach to world building and action, Dune: Part Two is an absolutely monumental piece of sci-fi cinema. This is the kind of cinematic event that doesn't come around often, and I'd highly recommend checking it out in the biggest, loudest cinema possible.

I had quite a good time watching Madame Web. It's just the right blend of bad and confusing filmmaking, never quite finding a happy medium between corporate meddling and the naïve misguidedness of a first time director.

Liberating in all the right ways, Poor Things is a heartwarming oddball of a film, matching the gorgeous with the grotesque, showing that even in life's most dire circumstances there is still so much joy to be found.

For fans and newcomers alike, I can see Godzilla Minus One being a decent watch, thanks to its impressive visuals and action, but for me, it's not particularly memorable.

Despite being overstuffed, The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes still manages to fight for its place in The Hunger Games series as it is filled with great performances, effective world building and entertainment value. 

Blue Beetle is peak escapism and enjoyment, setting an interesting tone for where James Gunn and Peter Safran take the DC universe next.

For all of its idiosyncrasies, Asteroid City is an out-of-this-world homerun for its director, ranking up there with Wes' very best.

Grab your popcorn folks, 'cos the Ezra express is about to hit the speed force.

All-in-all, there have been ten stand-alone Spider-Man movies since 2002. They’ve all been pretty good, but Across the Spider-Verse is the most ambitious, most beautiful, and most satisfying one yet.

We Are Still Here is aptly described by the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” as it doesn’t particularly stand out for its technical or creative proficiencies, but rather because the message it manages is profound.

This is the way Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe starts — not with a bang, but with a family dramedy shrouded in visual effects and charming absurdity.

Dome House Six scared me for the first time in a long time, and I didn’t even realise I was terrified until I felt the sweat built across my forehead.