Must-see movies: the 12 biggest films of Autumn 2019
Our critics pick the essential new films of the season, from Brad Pitt's new sci-fi epic to Shaun the Sheep
It: Chapter Two
The saga adapted from Stephen King’s horror doorstop concludes, reuniting the survivors of childhood trauma to combat the evil clown once and for all. Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and an outstanding Bill Hader star.15 cert, 169 min. In cinemas from Sept 11.
Downton Abbey
Four years is a long time to wait between Dowager Countess zingers, so expect an extra-tart new batch in this feature-length adjunct, in which the Crawleys are honoured with a royal visit.PG cert, 122 min. In cinemas from Sept 13.
Ad Astra
Brad Pitt is an astronaut scouring outer space for his missing father in James Gray’s far-reaching cosmological epic, which splashes down in the UK with the blast shield still hot from its Venice world premiere. Cert TBC, 124 min. In cinemas from Sept 18. Read our five-star review
Judy
Renée Zellweger stages a comeback – call it the Renéesaince – with her angular star turn as a ravaged, pill-popping Judy Garland, fending off bankruptcy in 1964 with a legendary run at the London Palladium. 12A cert, 118 min. In cinemas from Oct 4.
Joker
In this Batman prequel, pop culture’s most durable supervillain is re-spun by Joaquin Phoenix into a King of Comedy-style loose-cannon narcissist, festering in the cracks of an Eighties Scorsese-esque Gotham. Todd Phillips (The Hangover) directs. Cert TBC, 122 min. In cinemas from Oct 4.
Farmageddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie
Aardman Animations has turned its gaze heavenwards for this adorable-looking pastoral sci-fi, in which Shaun and his flock befriend a glittery extraterrestrial with an appetite for pick-and-mix. U cert, 86 min. In cinemas from Oct 18.
Le Mans ’66
The long-standing rivalry between Ford and Ferrari at the venerable endurance motor race comes to a peak in this retro-gear head biopic, with Matt Damon and Christian Bale as an American and a Brit taking on the Italians. Cert TBC, 152 min. In cinemas from Nov 15.
Last Christmas
A gift-wrapped seasonal romcom, dusted with Cliff Richard songs, which melds the sensibilities of director Paul (Bridesmaids) Feig with a script by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise. Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding are the leading couple. Cert TBC, time TBC. In cinemas from Nov 15.
Frozen II
Six long years of Let it Go singalongs finally come to an end, as Disney come good with a follow-up to the animated hit, new songs and a story uniting Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) on a quest to their kingdom’s northern reaches. It’s guaranteed to make a fortune: let’s hope it deserves to. Cert TBC, time TBC. In cinemas from Nov 22.
Knives Out
Writer-director Rian Johnson (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi) mounts a whodunit in the Gosford Park vein, asking Daniel Craig’s chief detective to solve the murder of a wealthy crime writer (Christopher Plummer) on his 85th birthday, with his entire family present as suspects. Nov 29 Cert TBC, 130 min
Charlie’s Angels
The famous crime-fighting trio gets woke in this latest film iteration of the famously perky Seventies and Eighties TV show, with Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as heroines. Nov 29 Cert TBC, time TBC
Motherless Brooklyn
Edward Norton directs himself in this jazz-suffused Manhattan noir, loosely based on the Jonathan Lethem novel about a private investigator with Tourette’s. Nov 29 Cert 15, 144 min