SHAZAM! (12A)
Three stars

Since Marvel Comics launched its ever-expanding cinematic universe with the muscular blockbuster Iron Man, rival DC Comics has largely played catch-up.

Were it not for Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning Dark Knight trilogy and Gal Gadot's gravity-defying acrobatics as Wonder Woman, a stable of superheroes including Superman, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg could have flatlined past the point of reinvention.

David F Sandberg's hugely entertaining romp marks a welcome shift in tone for the DC Comics brand, swaggering away from dark, brooding seriousness into the irreverent territory of Deadpool, albeit with family-friendly humour and a nostalgia for body swap fantasies including Big.

Scripted with tongue wedged in cheek by Henry Gayden, Shazam! plays to the strength of leading man Zachary Levi, who channels the naivete and nervous energy of a 14-year-old boy trapped inside the hulking frame of a spandex-clad saviour of the universe who initially goes by the moniker Captain Sparklefingers.

There are plenty of in-jokes for comic book aficionados and a crowd-pleasing reveal towards the end, plus two additional scenes fashionably concealed during end credits that tease future instalments.

Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is placed into care as a young boy after he becomes separated from his mother in crowds at a state fair.

The teenager is resolved to reunite with his birth parent and steadfastly rejects the love of foster guardians in six counties, adamant that "families are for people who can't take care of themselves".

After his latest brush with the law, Billy is relocated to the loving home of Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans), who already have five children under their roof: Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), Mary (Grace Fulton), Pedro (Jovan Armand), Eugene (Ian Chen) and Darla (Faithe Herman).

Billy closes his heart to the Vasquez clan but he is compelled to intervene when Freddy is attacked by bullies outside the school gates.

This uncharacteristic act of selflessness leads Billy to the lair of an ancient wizard called Shazam (Djimon Hounsou), who is searching for a human champion to inherit his powers.

"Lay your hands on my staff," instructs Shazam.

The lad complies with the innuendo-laden request and transforms into a musclebound hunk (Levi), whose abilities could prove decisive in mankind's battle with power-crazed archvillain Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).

Shazam! is engineered to delight in broad strokes, poking fun at conventions of comic book origin stories without sacrificing emotional connections to the tormented characters.

Laughs are plentiful and digital effects-heavy action sequences retain a light touch even when multiple lives hang in the balance.

Some choice language and one memorable scene of a demonic creature biting a male victim's head necessitate a 12A certificate.

Strong's nemesis is emotionally underpowered when it matters but his antagonist's childhood-driven menace contrasts pleasingly with Levi's goofy, boyish charm.

PET SEMATARY (15)
Two stars

Blame it on It. After the critical and commercial success of director Andy Muschietti's 2017 horror thriller, skilfully adapted from Stephen King's novel, there was a pungent air of inevitability to filmmakers plundering the writer's vast back catalogue.

Penned in 1983, Pet Sematary is one of King's most unsettling works of fiction, exploring the devastating consequences of life after death for a family of four, whose home borders burial ground once used by indigenous peoples.

A bloodthirsty 1989 film version was a disappointment, reducing morally complex and chilling text to a succession of jump scares.

Thirty years later, Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer co-direct a remake that remains largely faithful to the source material but lacks the verve, creativity and imagination to completely justify its reanimation.

The ending of this Pet Sematary diverges from its predecessor, leaving a narrative door ajar for a sequel, and screenwriter Jeff Buhler sacrifices the family's eight-year-old daughter in a centrepiece road accident rather than a cherubic toddler son.

In most other respects, the revamp stumbles down a familiar path, enlivened by a twinkly-eyed supporting performance from John Lithgow as a wise old coot, who counsels against playing god.

"Sometimes, dead is better," he growls.

If only directors Kolsch and Widmyer had heeded these sage words and left their plans on a mortuary slab.

Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) accepts a teaching position at the University of Maine so he can spend quality time with his emotionally brittle wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their children Ellie (Jete Laurence) and Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie).

The family relocate from Boston to the sleepy rural community of Ludlow, moving into a property surrounded by acres of lush forest.

This sprawling backyard includes a spooky burial site for the town's pets.

When Ellie's beloved cat Church is killed by a passing juggernaut, Louis accompanies elderly neighbour Jud Crandall (Lithgow) into the forest to bury the animal.

They venture off the beaten track into mystical swampland where Louis places Church's lifeless body in the ground.

Later that night, the pet slinks back into Ellie's closet.

However, the feline possesses a mean, vindictive spirit and threatens to harm the family.

When a second tragedy befalls the Creeds, Louis faces an agonising moral dilemma.

"Once you feel the pull of that place, you make the sweetest sounding reasons to go back," warns Jud.

Pet Sematary leaches dramatic momentum in copious flashbacks to Rachel's nightmarish childhood.

Ellie's unfortunate demise is orchestrated with aplomb in agonising slow-motion but directors Kolsch and Widmyer fail to orchestrate satisfying shocks to whiten their audiences' knuckles.

Clarke and Seimetz are poorly served by an emaciated script that plods on regardless, towards an inevitably grim conclusion for everyone and everything with a faint pulse.

THE SISTERS BROTHERS (15)
Three stars

The west was won with marksmanship, braggadocio and bold scientific endeavour in French writer-director Jacques Audiard's dark comedy.

Adapted from Patrick DeWitt's novel by Audiard and Thomas Bidegain, The Sisters Brothers is an offbeat caper set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush.

John C Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix deliver compelling performances as the eponymous siblings, who have grown weary of life on horseback and hunger for a return to home comforts.

The actors catalyse a convincing, fractious screen chemistry as their flawed gunslingers unholster vulnerability and black humour on a haphazard quest for redemption.

En route, there is a superfluous, skin-crawling interlude with a spider in search of a nest for the night (accomplished using slick digital effects) and a touching tete-a-tete with a saloon prostitute (Allison Tolman), who is moved to tears by unexpected tenderness.

"You're very kind and gentle, and I'm not used to it," she confides.

Audiard complements snappy verbal exchanges with moments of directorial brio, including a night-time gunfight which opens the picture, lit by the flashes from duelling revolvers.

An unexpectedly touching plot meanders in the hoof prints of the central duo, punctuated by scenes of graphic violence including an amputation and a runaway horse set on fire by the flaming timbers of a barn.

Eli Sisters (Reilly) and his scrawny younger brother Charlie (Phoenix) are assassins for hire in 1851 Oregon.

They agree to complete one final job for their powerful employer, The Commodore (Rutger Hauer), presuming that Eli can keep his hot-headed sibling out of trouble.

"Our father was stark raving mad and we got his foul blood in our veins," snarls Charlie by way of an explanation for his self-destructive behaviour.

The Commodore entreats the Sisters to kill gold prospector Hermann Warm (Riz Ahmed), who has invented a volatile chemical compound that reveals priceless nuggets of metal concealed in river beds.

A private detective named John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal) is already on Warm's trail and will lead the unsuspecting target into the brothers' clutches.

Charlie relays The Commodore's orders to apprehend Warm and "extract from him, by whatever violent means necessary, his formula".

"You mean torture him," summarises Eli.

Their assignment leads to the town of Mayfield, run with an iron fist by its statuesque namesake (Rebecca Root).

The Sisters Brothers stylishly evokes a volatile period in 19th-century American history, enriched by Audiard's outsider's perspective on western tradition.

Phoenix lassos the showier role but it's Reilly who repeatedly shoots to kill with his portrayal of a man of cool logic, who is prepared to sacrifice everything - including himself - to protect his kin.

"You're my little brother and I love you," he assures Charlie.

We hold Audiard's quirky picture in similarly high regard.

MISSING LINK (PG)
Four stars

Oregon-based stop-motion animation studio Laika came tantalisingly close to winning its first Oscar for the breathtaking rites-of-passage adventure Kubo And The Two Strings.

Director Chris Butler hopes to secure a coveted golden statuette with the studio's visually arresting fifth feature, which promotes acceptance and understanding in a world where mankind destroys the things it does not understand.

Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) and his trusty assistant Mr Lint (David Walliams) have a close encounter with the Loch Ness Monster in the hope of securing evidence of the creature's existence so Frost can gain admission to The Optimates Club.

Unfortunately, the Scottish expedition ends in disaster and Frost finds himself without a sidekick.

The gung-ho gentleman's resolve is stiffened by a mysterious letter, which beckons him to the west coast of America to learn the truth about the fabled Saskwatch.

Frost follows directions and encounters a talking creature called Mr Link (Zach Galifianakis), who is desperate to travel to the Himalayas to be united with the last of his kind, the yetis.

A feisty old acquaintance called Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana) joins Frost and Mr Link on an intrepid expedition but their movements are closely monitored by a gun-toting assassin called Stenk (Timothy Olyphant).

THE KEEPER (15)
Three stars

Marcus H Rosenmuller directs a rousing true story, which changed the course of footballing history.

Bernd Trautmann (David Kross) is captured by the British during the Second World War and becomes a prisoner of war in a camp run by Sergeant Smythe (Harry Melling).

During a penalty-scoring challenge, Bernd's talents as a goalkeeper pique the interest of Jack Friar (John Henshaw), who manages a struggling local football club.

He makes a deal with Sergeant Smythe to enlist Bernd as the club's new goalkeeper to help push for league glory.

At first, captain Bill Twist (Michael Socha) and team-mates are reluctant to welcome a German into their ranks, but Bernd's supreme athletic ability inspires unity.

Bernd also wins over Friar's spirited daughter Margaret (Freya Mavor), who develops romantic feelings for the prisoner.

Thanks to Bernd, the club pulls off a stunning victory on the football field and a scout for Manchester City approaches the prisoner.

His appointment catalyses outrage among fans, and local rabbi Alexander Altmann (Butz Ulrich Buse) calls into question the morality of City's president (Julian Sands) for fielding a German player.