Clarisse Loughrey

Chief film critic@clarisselou

Clarisse Loughrey is the chief film critic for The Independent. She also co-hosts The Big Screen Book Club and Fade to Black podcasts.

<p>Disney’s ‘Wish’, starring Ariana DeBose as sharp-witted idealist Asha</p>

Disney celebrates itself in the sweet, minor animated musical Wish

Chris Pine voices a vainglorious, singing sorcerer in this rote children’s film designed to celebrate Disney’s centenary

<p>Barry Keoghan in ‘Saltburn’, which has drwan comparrisons to ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ and ‘Brideshead Revisited’ </p>

Saltburn is nasty enough to make up for its inconclusive politics

<p>Joaquin Phoenix is reliably brilliant as the all-conquering Bonaparte in ‘Napoleon’ </p>

Joaquin Phoenix is perversely watchable in the thrilling epic Napoleon

<p>Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’</p>

The Hunger Games prequel is a limp, dystopian spin on Romeo & Juliet

<p>There’s a limit to what you can do with celebrity faces like the former Labour Party leader and on-the-nose references</p>

Jeremy Corbyn (briefly) turns movie star in overstuffed Sumotherhood

The bromance comedy also sees cameos from Ed Sheeran and Jennifer Saunders – but it’s the central duo of Adam Deacon and Jazzie Zonzolo who make the film worth the ticket

<p>Sense of loss: Laura Linney and Maggie Smith in ‘The Miracle Club’</p>

Maggie Smith can’t salvage the superficial, sentimental Miracle Club

<p>Olivia Marcum in ‘The Exorcist: Believer'</p>

The Exorcist: Believer is boring and parched from a lack of scares

Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor in ‘Fair Play’

Ugly, sexy drama Fair Play goes inside Wall Street boys club

Mawkish patriotism lets down Michael Caine in The Great Escaper

Mawkish patriotism lets down Michael Caine in The Great Escaper

<p>Ebla Mari as Yara in ‘The Old Oak’ </p>

The Old Oak isn’t classic Ken Loach, but it’d be a solid send-off

<p>Take a bow: ‘Saw X’ brings back some much-needed tongue-in-cheek mischief to the horror franchise</p>

Saw X brings back some much-needed mischief to the franchise

<p>Taissa Farmiga in ‘The Nun II’ </p>

The Nun II is too scattered to be a M3GAN-esque thrill ride

Yes, a scary nun repeatedly chases French people down corridors here, but there’s also a whole lot of Conjuring Universe hooey to get through, too

<p>Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in ‘Past Lives’ </p>

Past Lives is a lovelorn drama about thirtysomething melancholy

<p>Franz Rogowski and Adèle Exarchopoulos in ‘Passages’ </p>

The highly publicised sex scenes are just one small part of Passages

<p>Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3’ </p>

Denzel Washington shoots his way through Italy in the gory Equalizer 3

<p>Ben Platt and Molly Gordon in ‘Theater Camp’ </p>

The pitch-perfect satire Theater Camp pokes fun at stage dreams

<p>Ben Platt and Molly Gordon in ‘Theater Camp’ </p>

The pitch-perfect satire Theater Camp pokes fun at stage dreams

<p>Lola Campbell and Harris Dickinson in ‘Scrapper'</p>

Scrapper is the kind of British film we need to champion

<p>Will Ferrell voices Reggie in ‘Strays’ </p>

Dogs have sex and do drugs in the unfunny comedy Strays

<p>Cillian Murphy in ‘Oppenheimer’ </p>

Oppenheimer is clever, imaginative and Christopher Nolan at his best

Cillian Murphy allows the light to dim from his eyes in every subsequent scene, but it is Robert Downey Jr who is titanic here

<p>Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ </p>

Barbie is a near-miraculous achievement

<p>John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx in ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ </p>

Jamie Foxx returns in Netflix’s stylish, alluring They Cloned Tyrone

<p>Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ </p>

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is as extravagant and old school as its star

<p>Ember (Leah Lewis) and Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) in Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ </p>

Pixar’s culture clash allegory Elemental overcomplicates itself

<p>Ember (Leah Lewis) and Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) in Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ </p>

Pixar’s culture clash allegory Elemental overcomplicates itself

<p>Lana Condor’s Ruby in ‘Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken’ </p>

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is lost at sea

<p>Sarah Snook in ‘Run Rabbit Run’ </p>

Sarah Snook is pestered by a creepy kid in the familiar Run Rabbit Run