Film Roundup 26/03/2026

Hello, and welcome to the Geeky Brummie Film Roundup! Each week we take you through the biggest new cinema releases and why you should be excited for them. This week: plumbers, fairies, cultists, lawyers and an iconic author…

Usual disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, I haven’t seen these movies yet so all of my opinions are based on trailers, early reviews and other rumours and buzz.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Out next Wednesday (just to be mildly awkward for my usual Thursday Film Roundup timetable), the Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the sequel to the wildly successful Super Mario Bros. Movie from 2023. Following the events of that film, Bowser (Jack Black) has been shrunk to the size of a mouse and is living in a mini castle with Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), using art to get over his anger issues. But when his son Bowser Jr (Benny Safdie) attacks and rescues him, the plumbers and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor Joy) will have to venture out into the stars to find new allies, including Rosalina (Brie Larson) and Yoshi (Donald Glover, believe it or not).

One of the biggest appeals of the first film was its nods to the Mario games, from niche references to his 80s arcade and NES origins (Jumpman! Spike!) to overt pastiches of games that are still played regularly today (Rainbow Road!). The sequel continues that approach, taking most of its more obvious cues from the Super Mario Galaxy game it’s named after – but fans of the franchise will no doubt spot many more from across the many, many Mario games.

Again like the first one, this has a galaxy of stars in its voice cast and a bright, colourful palette that will flood the senses of every kid in the audience. If you enjoyed the first film, or if you’re a fan of the games, you will undoubtedly love this too. I haven’t seen any reviews yet but it will be hard for Illumination to get this wrong if they stick to the formula that worked so well before.

• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on IMDB
• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

The Magic Faraway Tree

Based on the classic children’s book by Enid Blyton, The Magic Faraway Tree sees the Thompson family – dad Tim (Andrew Garfield), mum Polly (Claire Foy) and kids Fran (Billie Gadson), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) – relocate to the countryside to start a new pasta business. The children find a tree in the nearby woods populated by a range of magical beings, including Silky (Nicola Coughlan), Moonface (Nonso Anozie) and Saucepan Man (Daniel Demri-Burns). The tree is connected to various fantastical worlds, and the children are taken on adventures while their parents try to make their new lives work.

This adaptation was written by Simon Farnaby, who also wrote the screenplays for Paddington 2 and Wonka (as well as episodes of Ghosts and Yonderland), and it looks like it will have all the good-natured wit and charm of his other works. And the cast is full of great British comic and character actors – as well as Garfield and Foy who are both always very watchable, there’s Jennifer Saunders, Michael Palin, Rebecca Ferguson, Mark Heap and Lenny Henry. In short, both behind and in front of the camera, this has everyone you need to adapt a beloved children’s fantasy book. And although they have acknowledged that some of the film is a little on the twee side, the reviews have all been positive overall – the film currently has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus basically being that it’s just a lovely, sweet family film.

If you need to entertain the kids this Easter holiday with a film about siblings exploring some strange worlds and meeting a load of colourful characters, but you want something more wholesome and less sugar-rush than Mario, this will be the one to bring them to.

• The Magic Faraway Tree on IMDB
• The Magic Faraway Tree on Rotten Tomatoes

They Will Kill You

At the opposite end of literally every scale you can think of to the Magic Faraway Tree, They Will Kill You is a furious action horror about a young woman (Zazie Beetz) fighting back against a group of satanic cultists in a New York apartment building designed for ritual sacrifice. Armed with some brawling experience from her time in prison, can she escape before the title becomes true?

I recently read Rosemary’s Baby, so watching this trailer the idea of an apartment block in New York built for and populated by devil-worshippers felt instantly familiar – Russian director Kirill Sokolov has said that he was inspired to make this film when watching Rosemary’s Baby shortly after moving into a high-rise apartment. But where Ira Levin’s book is a insidious slow-burn reveal, this leaps quickly into some visceral and gory violence. Much like last week’s Ready Or Not 2, there is a comedic element to the killing here – the action is so over-the-top and cartoonish that you can’t help but laugh when the eyeballs are bouncing around and axes are set on fire for no apparent reason other than to look cool. Among the cultists getting cut up are Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Heather Graham and Paterson Joseph.

This looks like great fun, but definitely not one for the kids on the Easter holidays. And if bad-ass women killing satanists in a humorous way is your cup of tea, this would make a great double-bill with Ready Or Not 2.

• They Will Kill You on IMDB
• They Will Kill You on Rotten Tomatoes

Two Prosecutors

Set in 1937, Two Prosecutors follows one prosecutor, Kornev (Alexander Kuznetsov) who receives a letter from a prisoner in a Russian cell. Somehow, the letter made it out of the prison when all other letters were destroyed by the guards, and it reveals a world of corruption in the Russian secret police (the NKVD). Kornev decides to seek the truth, but it makes him some dangerous enemies.

This is a procedural thriller that feels pretty timely given the political state of Russia under Putin. It looks really tense, with absolutely no sense that Kornev’s status will protect him from quietly going missing at any moment. Any film that pits one man against a powerful and corrupt institution is going to be exciting, and Kuznetsov (despite his distractingly broken nose) plays him with the calm intensity of someone who might be able to pull it off. The trailer also refers to the film as an absurdist satire, suggesting there is humour among the harrowing drama. One to watch if you fancy something grown up and grounded.

• Two Prosecutors on IMDB
• Two Prosecutors on Rotten Tomatoes

Orwell: 2+2=5

In this documentary by director Raoul Peck, the life and work of George Orwell is used to examine the concept of truth and corruption of power in modern society. Drawing parallels between the likes of Animal Farm and 1984 with social media, political rhetoric and state-sanctioned violence, Peck shines a light on everything that’s wrong with today’s world and how it was all predicted by a writer in the ’40s.

The film uses clips from adaptations of Orwell’s stories, as well as extracts from his essays (with Orwell’s voice provided by Damien Lewis), interspersed with present-day newsreel footage and broadcasts. The result looks depressingly accurate, and although it looks fascinating this might not be one to watch if the world is getting you down.

• Orwell: 2+2=5 on IMDB
• Orwell: 2+2=5 on Rotten Tomatoes

If you only see one film this week…

It’s a tough choice this week as there are some very different films out, but I think I’m going for the wholesome family fantasy fun of the Magic Faraway Tree (mostly because of Simon Farnaby).

Still in cinemas and worth a watch

• Project Hail Mary – A funny, touching sci-fi movie with a great central performance from Ryan Gosling and excellent support from Sandra Hüller, not to mention the wonderful alien creation that is Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz). It takes the time to explain some quite weighty scientific concepts in a perfectly accessible way but keeps the focus on the story and characters, with half of the narrative told through flashbacks to keep up the pace and momentum. A standout scene in which Gosling’s Ryland Grace and Rocky go fishing for data is particularly gripping. Hats off too to composer Daniel Pemberton, whose use of choral vocals reminded me a little of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings soundtrack in places (which I mean as the highest of compliments). Overall this was a brilliant film and deserves to be watched on the big screen while you can.
• Ready or Not 2: Here I Come – Just as daft and entertaining as its predecessor, with Elijah Wood in particular looking like he was having a great time. Funny and shocking when it needed to be, and Samara Weaving continues to be a very willing and engaging leading lady. If you enjoy your horrors schlocky and cartoonish then you’ll definitely enjoy this (and it probably makes for a good double-bill with They Will Kill You).
• Hoppers

Trailer of the Week

There’s been several exciting trailers for established IP this week, including the live action take on a certain Polynesian not-princess and the small screen adaptation of a certain bespectacled wiz-kid. But my pick for Trailer of the Week is an original story from producer JJ Abrams and director David Robert Mitchell. The End of Oak Street sees a quiet American suburban street mysteriously transported to a jungle populated by dinosaurs. That’s all this teaser really tells us, which is fine because that’s all it needs to say. The film stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, plus Christian Convery (from Sweet Tooth), and will be released on 14 August.