There is a glimmer of hope with the upcoming Australian release of its sequel in June, The Three Musketeers: Milady, which may shed some light on the lacklustre narrative decisions in Part One, but as it stands D’Artagnan’s best is too fleeting, and settles itself far into the saturated market of generic blockbusters.

Long-time fans of the franchise will be happy to know that Kingdom serves as a serviceable yet clunky inaugural instalment for a new trilogy – teasing a slew of new concepts which will undoubtedly enrich the mythos of this long standing series in the future.

While Metal Skin may be uncomfortable or even unenjoyable viewing, it is a compelling, edge of your seat story of Australia’s male-dominated, rev-head culture, where burnt rubber and women who love fast cars are drivers of the male fantasy.

The Fall Guy is the rare blockbuster studio film that feels simultaneously old school and fresh in execution. It is incredibly funny, fast-paced and deeply romantic. At its core, however, the film is a love letter to the stunt community and the incredible work they do to entertain audiences.

Making sure to cater to both returning fans and new fans alike Code: White is by no means a perfect movie, but for what it is, it remains exemplary of good old fashion family fun.

Monkey Man tells the story of a nameless young man, referred to in the credits as “Kid” and using the self-applied alias “Bobby”, a fighter at an underground boxing ring in Yatana, as he attempts to infiltrate the ranks of the powerful upper class to enact violent revenge for the massacre of his village - a story that mirrors the Hindu epic of Hanuman, the white monkey. 

Behind the flashing neon lights, Mars Express’ messy and complicated core is a delight to unpack and crucially, is without the comfort of easy answers. While it’s not exactly reinventing the wheel, its entangled approach to familiar concepts positions it uniquely, and is well worth the price of admission.

While The New Empire may not be exactly treading new ground, it does succeed at something that few modern blockbusters do - being fun. GxK delivers on a monster mashup of epic proportions, with a few little surprises up its sleeve and just enough creativity to inspire hope for the franchise ahead.

As it is, Kung Fu Panda 4 is a worthy sequel and enjoyable film, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

I had quite a good time watching Madame Web. It's just the right blend of bad and confusing filmmaking, never quite finding a happy medium between corporate meddling and the naïve misguidedness of a first time director.

For fans and newcomers alike, I can see Godzilla Minus One being a decent watch, thanks to its impressive visuals and action, but for me, it's not particularly memorable.

Despite being overstuffed, The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes still manages to fight for its place in The Hunger Games series as it is filled with great performances, effective world building and entertainment value. 

Blue Beetle is peak escapism and enjoyment, setting an interesting tone for where James Gunn and Peter Safran take the DC universe next.

Few things in cinema are as certain as the Liam Neeson action movies released at least once or twice a year for the past decade and a half.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is made with passion and love for the franchise, offering a familiar but modern perspective about a group of kids who just want to fit in and throw ninja stars.

Gran Turismo is a video game film that has a great universal message: no matter how impossible your dreams may be, they can still be achieved - and the first step to that dream is buying a PS5.

Offering up a gold rush of entertaining action and ridiculous predicaments for its masochistically macho protagonist to fight through, Sisu mostly sticks the landing in delivering a satisfying and fist-pumping cinematic experience.

The sheer joy of that formula, of this character, with every possible disadvantage stacked against him, saving the entire world through a motorbike cliff jump – that’s the magic of these movies.

All-in-all, there have been ten stand-alone Spider-Man movies since 2002. They’ve all been pretty good, but Across the Spider-Verse is the most ambitious, most beautiful, and most satisfying one yet.

Where weirdness can often lose out in action films, the chaos, vibrancy, and fast-pace of Polite Society breathes new life into the genre, and serves as an excellent tone setter for what the rest of FFFA 2023 has to offer.