Oliver Reed is the best thing in this historical adventure from the Hammer studios, out-acting everyone else on screen by a mile. Aside from his performance, though, this film lacks the vigour and excitement of a good historical epic, and isn’t exaggerated enough to be fun as a bawdy period romp.

One winning performance and a couple of charming moments aside, Magic to Win is a derivative, slightly dull fantasy for a young audience. Dripping with familiar tropes and overbearing, syrupy music, Wilson Yip’s film is one you can afford to miss at the cinema.

New Year’s Eve gives you one final chance; a chance for hope, and a night for taking chances. For when love takes a chance, every day is like New Year’s Eve. On the eve of love, and chances, sometimes taking a chance on hope is the only hope that feels like new. Take a chance! Hope with love! Love your news! Time is running out! Time will never run out if you have love in your chances! GOD LET ME DIE, LET ME DIE LIKE I HOPE ALL THESE CHARACTERS DIE

A character who happens to be called Sherlock Holmes, a character who happens to be called Dr Watson and a man who happens to be allowed to direct films have once again stumbled together in a sequel to the least faithful adaptation of all time. Still, it’s not as bad as the last one. Quite.

The dearly departed Shrek franchise is given a welcome dose of prequel shock treatment in this high-octane and utterly shameless Zorro rip-off. THRILL to Puss’ mesmerising swordplay! GASP as Kitty Softpaws steals all of the things, all of the time! WONDER why nobody comments on the sudden plague of accented cats!

The third film in the Harold & Kumar franchise is – as expected – a mad, offensive, gross-out, hilarious piece of festive tat, sending up pretty much everything it can get its mucky paws on. It’s perhaps not as funny and boundary-pushing as the first two films, but its soft, creamy centre and winning performances from its leads make it impossible not to enjoy.

“Do you ever wonder where your dreams come from? Look around you; this is where they’re made.” Hugo allows an adult audience to experience the sheer childlike joy of solving a mystery, of keeping of a great big secret and, most importantly, of seeing a film for the very first time…

A prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World, The Thing should by all reasoning have been even more offensive than the thing you last picked from the sole of your shoe. In actual fact, Matthijs van Heijningen Jr’s film is an uninspired but grotesquely effective prelude to a genre classic. Or something.

What do the pink-footed goose, the snowy owl, Owen Wilson, the magpie, the greater spotted woodpecker, Jack Black, the skua, the great grey owl, Steve Martin and more than seven hundred other birds have in common? They’re all in The Big Year, a truly inexplicable film about more twitching than you’d get if you electrocuted a person who was already very twitchy. Somehow or other, it’s not that bad.

Penguins! Hilarious, adorable penguins! If there’s penguins, this must be a good film, right? Only…why do the penguins dance? And sing? What is it all in aid of? If Happy Feet Two was actually a good film, you’d probably be able to put up with its directionless, occasionally very odd tone. But, as things stand, well it’s all just a bit of a wet fish in the face.