Mr Peabody & Sherman (out Mar 27) is a spin-off from the 1960s cartoon show Rocky & Bullwinkle and centers on an intelligent dog and his adopted son who regularly travel back in time. I like the idea but I'm not convinced on the execution. Many of their adventures felt rushed and while there are many attempts at humour, a lot of jokes don't hit their mark. Grade: B-.

Pompeii (out now) is the story of a child who became an orphan who became a slave who became a gladiator who became a hero. There are parts in this film that aren't too bad (dialogue excluded) but the action finale, which looks like it was made entirely on a computer, doesn't generate the excitement it should. Grade: B-.

Wadjda (out Mar 20) is the first film to have been entirely made in Saudi Arabia and explores the country's oppression of women through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl looking to buy her first bike. It's an important movie that will also be an eye-opener for many. Grade: A-.

Cuban Fury (out Mar 20) stars Nick Frost as a middle-aged guy who is trying to rediscover his love for salsa dancing. His motives are to impress a girl (Rashida Jones) but he'll be hindered by a nasty, sleazy, disgusting co-worker (Chris O'Dowd). There's only so much humour you can extract from his limited scenario... but it's still an entertaining crowd pleaser. Grade: B.

Rise Of The Eco-Warriors (out Mar 13) is a documentary that follows a young group of people who travel to Borneo to help locals protect their forests and wildlife. It's an eye-opener but it does feel a little self-serving. Too much time is spent patting these eco-warriors on the back and as opposed to getting to know the locals and getting to the heart of the problem. Grade: B-.

Need For Speed (out Mar 13) is about a group of street racers who love to endanger the lives of others. The cinematography & stunts are terrific but the screenwriters have framed this as a “good versus bad” story when it should have been a “bad versus bad story”. It doesn't work. We're left with a film that has no moral compass. Grade: C.

Monuments Men (out Mar 13) is based on the true story of a group of soldiers who helped recover stolen art from the Germans near the end of World War II. It's an interesting tale... but it's not told particularly well. There are too many characters, too many subplots. The film's tone also feels overly light. Great cast though. Grade: B-.

300: Rise Of An Empire (out Mar 6) is hard to get excited about. After a messy opening half hour (where the story is introduced), it becomes a standard action film complete with obvious special effects, tiring slow-mo camerawork, and several kilolitres of fake blood. Grade: C+.

Vampire Academy (out Mar 6) has good vampires, bad vampires and some kind of college thingy. The opening is ridiculously rushed. It's as if the editor was given 3 hours of footage and asked to cut 50% from each individual scene. The film starts to hit its stride in the second half but the distance is too far to make up. Grade: C+.

Tracks (out Mar 6) is the interesting true story of Australian Robyn Davidson and her 1977 trek from Alice Springs to the west coast of Australia. It’s a touch sluggish and it’s not easy getting inside Robyn’s head but there are some key sequences (such as her interaction with an Indigenous elder) that will connect with audiences. Grade: B+.