This week, in cinemas: dystopian action in The Divergent Series: Allegiant; utopian martial arts in Kung Fu Panda 3; and no-hope-ian human angst in Anomalisa.
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
★★
What it’s about: The snappily-titled Young Adult franchise continues apace with its third film in as many years. Nobody above the age of 21 seems much to like these films, but they have grossed over half a billion dollars, so we look forward to 2019’s Allergic and 2096’s Detergent.
What we thought: “Competent but neither Consistent nor particularly Coherent.”
Kung Fu Panda 3
★★★★
What it’s about: Jack Black is back to voice the cuddly giant panda and master of martial arts for a third outing. If you’re the sort of person that has always wanted to see Jean-Claude Van Damme as a crocodile, this is the film you’ve been waiting for.
What we thought: “Rather than the cynical ‘one last grab’ of the series, Kung Fu Panda 3 might actually be the best.”
The Witch
★★★★
What it’s about: Finchy from The Office has taken a brief break from repping paper merchants in the Berkshire area to live a life of religious fervour in this powerfully disturbing medieval horror. Features the year’s best appearance by a goat actor.
What we thought: “Rarely has a film this oppressive been so impressive.”
Anomalisa
★★★★★
What it’s about: Charlie Kaufman’s demented mind returns for more surreal, pessimistic contemplations on life. This animated movie features a fantastically human sex scene that took three months to make.
What we thought: “It is a minor miracle of a movie, the most beautiful, haunting, empathetic, tender, funny 90 minutes of the year so far.”
[Read Empire’s review of Anomalisa.](http://www.empireonline.com/movies/anomalisa/review/
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