The big screen is back! The best films to watch as cinemas reopen

Cinemas are finally opening their doors - here’s our pick of the best films to book now...
Daniel Kaluuya stars in Judas and the Black Messiah
Warner Bros

Lockdown has taught us that it’s pretty much impossible to recreate the magic of the big screen at home: making do on a dusty telly or laptop screen just doesn’t cut it, so thank god cinemas are finally opening their doors across England as part of the latest stage of the Covid road map.

From the awards season hits you might have missed to some family-friendly cartoon fare, here’s what you can watch now. Popcorn at the ready…

Nomadland

Now’s your chance to catch this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner on the big screen. Chloe Zhao’s modern spin on the Western follows Fern (Frances McDormand, who picked up her third Academy Award for the role), a 60-something woman who roams the US in a campervan after losing her home, picking up seasonal work and befriending a bunch of fellow itinerants (some of whom are played by real-life nomads). Read our review here.

Judas & The Black Messiah

Daniel Kaluuya swept awards season with his portrayal of Fred Hampton, leader of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party; he’s joined by LaKeith Stanfield, who plays William O’Neal, who was used by the FBI to infiltrate Hampton’s inner circle and eventually assist in his assassination. Read our review here.

Ammonite

God’s Own Country director Francis Lee’s second feature is another atmospheric love story, this time starring Kate Winslet as the pioneering Victorian palaeontologist Mary Anning, whose life is turned upside down when a fellow fossil hunter leaves his grieving wife Charlotte (played by Saoirse Ronan) in her care. Read our review here.

Sound of Metal

Riz Ahmed stars as a heavy metal drummer and ex-addict whose life changes drastically when he suddenly loses his hearing in this awards season favourite. The film earned Ahmed his first Oscar nomination, and though it landed on Amazon last month, you’ll get a better sense of the incredible, innovative sound design by watching at the cinema. Read our review here.

Godzilla vs Kong

Two of cinema’s most famous super-sized creatures slog it out in this larger-than-life monster movie, which debuted on streaming platforms earlier this year but deserves the big screen treatment.

Those Who Wish Me Dead

This action thriller starring Angelina Jolie is absurd but plenty of fun. Jolie stars as a ‘smoke jumper’ (that’s someone who steps in to fight forest fires in hard-to-reach locations) tasked with looking after a teenage boy on the run from a pair of assassins. As you do. Read our review here.

Peter Rabbit 2

This second cinematic outing for Peter Rabbit (voiced by James Corden) and his CGI pals is a hoot, complete with children’s literature’s preeminent hedgehog Mrs Tiggy-Winkle going full ninja (surely that alone is worth the ticket price). Read our review here.

Minari

It feels like everyone’s been talking about this meditative, semi-autobiographical drama from director Lee Isaac Chung for months and months, but it’s now finally showing at UK cinemas. Steven Yeun stars as Jacob, a Korean immigrant trying to put down roots for his family in Arkansas. Read our review here.

Raya and the Last Dragon

Disney’s first original animated feature in five years is worth the wait, boasting a fantastic voice cast including Star Wars’ Kelly Marie Tran, Killing Eve’s Sandra Oh, The Farewell’s Awkwafina and Crazy Rich Asians’ Gemma Chan. Raya (Tran) awakens 500-year-old dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) to enlist her help in saving the world from a terrible plague. Read our review here.

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