Unbroken (15)

Directed by Angelina Jolie

3/5

THIS is an extraordinary story of survival, resilience and redemption and a reminder of how heinous and cruel humans can be.

It’s based on Laura Hillenbrand’s biopic of Olympic runner and war hero Louie Zamperini who, having survived in a raft for 47 days when his plane crashed during WWII, was then caught by the Japanese navy and spent more than two years in a series of prisoner of war camps

Produced and directed by Angelina Jolie and written by the Coen brothers ,the film pulls no punches in showing the torture and suffering Zamperini sustained at the hands of the merciless and ruthless camp guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe, played chillingly by Japanese rock star Miyavi.

Jack O’Connell, impressive in ’71 and Starred Up, gives another formidable performance as Zamperini, who refused to be broken by his Japanese captors.

The torture scenes are excruciating to watch and have been criticised by the Japanese and reportedly described as sheer fabrication.

The film itself doesn’t shed any new light on the treatment of POWs at their hands but it is an incredibly inspiring story about the resilience of the human spirit. 

Released December 26.

Exodus: Gods and Kings (12A)

Directed by Ridley Scott

3/5

IF YOU’RE expecting an insightful and thought-provoking retelling of the story of Moses then you may well be disappointed, because this Exodus is a 3D-led, special-effects biblical epic. In the skilful hands of director Ridley Scott it is visually stunning but Christians may baulk at some of the details, particularly God appearing to Moses (Christian Bale) as a precocious and moody 11-year-old British schoolboy with a vengeful streak. 

It’s inferred too that he may have hallucinated all his encounters, having hit his head on a rock during a storm.

Bale, uber-earnest and troubled, is the reluctant leader who rises up against his brother, the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton), to set 600,000 Hebrew slaves free and lead them out of Egypt.

The portrayal of the seven plagues is spectacular but the parting of the Red Sea is — no pun intended — a bit of a damp squib.

The main problem with Exodus is that it lacks the emotion, passion and fervour of Cecil B DeMille’s The Ten Commandments.

It does, however, ape DeMille’s penchant for casting white stars in major ethnic roles, an unthinkable policy in this day and age.

Worthy and intense, by the end you feel numbed and crushed by the relentless 3D and CGI.

Big Eyes (12A)

Directed by Tim Burton

3/5

TIM BURTON’S latest work is a fascinating and surreal film centred on the unbelievable story of 1950s artist Margaret Keane who became known for her paintings of waif-like kids with big eyes.

After she met and married her second husband Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), a fellow artist and salesman, he started selling her work and passing it off as his. As a result, he became an artistic phenomenon.

Hated by the critics, who felt his work was kitsch, he was nevertheless loved by the masses as he turned the mass marketing of art into an art form.

But the film’s focus is on the awakening of Margaret, played superbly by Amy Adams, as an artist who finally stands up to her husband and reveals the truth to the world.

It also analyses why a woman who embodied the beginning of the women’s movement — she’s a housewife who left her first husband with her daughter in tow in the ’50s — would succumb and be dominated by another man in this way.

Waltz oozes charm and charisma while Adams, constrained by the rules of society at the time, comes across as naively earnest.

Even so, it’s a riveting and inspiring film.

Released December 26.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (PG)

Directed by Shawn Levy

3/5

THIS draws a highly enjoyable franchise to an end and it’s a fitting tribute to the late Robin Williams whose character has been the heart and soul of these films.

In this third adventure night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and his team of exhibits head to London’s British Museum in London to save the magic tablet. 

There they team up with Dan Stevens as Lancelot in a fun and entertaining romp.

But it’s terribly poignant as Stiller bids a final farewell to Williams as Teddy Roosevelt. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.