CHRISTMAS WEEKEND IS coming up, and you might be planning a trip to the cinema before the big day.

There are a few movies out this week, but which is a must-watch, and are there any you should avoid?

We take a look.

Collateral Beauty

What we know

Will Smith plays an advertising exec whose life is totally changed when he loses his daughter. He starts writing letters to the universe, and the universe talks back.

What the critics say

• “… it takes the subject most likely to provoke an emotional response—the death of a child—and treats it cheaply, employing pseudobabble, chicken-soup-for-the-soul platitudes, and naked manipulation to tug at its audience’s heartstrings.” – The Atlantic
• “I left Collateral Beauty most reminded of The Truman Show, another film in which a man is routinely lied to by his closest friends, all in the name of selling beer and slicer-dicers.” – Vulture

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 3.6/10
• IMDB: 5.9/10

Passengers

What we know

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt star as two people sent into space for a journey to life on another planet. They wake up 90 years too early, and have to figure out how to survive.

What the critics say

• “It might be easier to forgive the cursory plotting and the underdeveloped characters of this lightweight sci-fi if the whole story wasn’t predicated on a single act of staggering selfishness.” – The Guardian
• “But “Passengers” increasingly succumbs to timidity and begins shrinking into a bland science-fiction adventure whose feats of daring and skill feel stale and secondhand.” – NY Times

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 5/10
• IMDB: 6.8/10

The Eagle Huntress

What we know

Aisholpan is 13, and wants to be an eagle huntress – but in her Kazakh culture, the skill is traditionally passed down from father to son. Here is Aisholpan’s amazing true story, narrated by Daisy Ridley.

What the critics say

• “Director Otto Bell has found himself in awe-inspiring territory. Aisholpan is a remarkable person interacting with majestic creatures, surrounded by staggering natural beauty. It’s easy to become entranced.” – The AV Club
• “A pervasive girl-power message underlined by the “You can do anything” refrain of Sia’s closing pop theme song, this entertaining slice of real-life inspirational adventure should appeal to family audiences not grossed out by brief animal butchery and a fox’s climactic fate.” - Variety

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 7.4/10
• IMDB: 7.6/10

Which one would you go see first?

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