The 10 best films out in UK cinemas and on streaming in March

Michael B Jordan and his rippling pecs are back in action in a boxing threequel that’s long bid farewell to its ‘Rocky’-homaging roots and become an epic saga of one man navigating the highs and lows of life. To add to the stakes, Jordan directs this instalment too. He’s able to call on the significant charisma of one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars in Jonathan Majors, who beefs up to the size of an industrial fridge to play Adonis Creed’s boyhood pal turned fierce rival Damian Anderson. 

In cinemas Mar 3

This gently heartbreaking coming-of-age tale from Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont (2018’s trans drama ‘Girl’) explores what happens when two boys’ intimate friendship is exposed to the glare of schoolyard teasing and homophobia. ‘Close’ was a Palme d'Or contender at last year’s Cannes (pipped by ‘Triangle of Sadness’) and it lives up to the festival hype, thanks to terrific performances and a warm undercurrent of soul and empathy.

In cinemas Mar 3

Thorny questions of ethics and exploitation are likely to bubble to the surface in this enthralling-sounding documentary that picks up where a handful of other landmark docs – ‘The Staircase’, ‘Hoop Dreams’, ‘The Wolfpack’, ‘Capturing the Friedmans’ and ‘The Square’ – left off. What happens when the cameras stopped rolling on the subjects of these films, and did they reap any of the same benefits as their often-awards-garlanded directors? It should be thinky and fascinating. 

In cinemas Mar 3

If you’ve seen its twist-spoiler trailer, you’ll probably already be in the queue to see this bonkers-looking sci-fi starring Adam Driver as a marooned astronaut surrounded by fearsome, astronaut-craving creatures. Because you’ll know that it involves Driver’s space jockey shooting up a lot of dinosaurs… ON EARTH. It’s a cross between the 1968 ‘Planet of the Apes’ and… well, really nothing, because no one has ever made a film before in which the hero slaughters tonnes of dinosaurs. We’re excited, and you should be too. 

In cinemas Mar 10

Anyone who’s had The Strokes or Yeah Yeah Yeahs on heavy rotation at any point over the past two decades will want to wig out to this document of New York’s early ’90s indie revival adapted from music journo Elizabeth Goodman’s book. ‘Shut Up and Play the Hits’ directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern adapt her account of a golden era where contagious riffs and coke-snorting scenesters burst out of the city’s musical underground and took over the world with rarely-seen archive footage and a jukebox of Pitchfork-friendly bangers.

In cinemas Mar 10

Move over Notting Hill, because Peckham is the new spiritual home of London romcoms. Raine Allen Miller’s sparky, feelgood love letter to SE15 pairs an initially wary pair of newly single Londoners (Vivian Oparah and ‘Industry's David Jonsson) for a tour of Peckham and Brixton hangouts as love gradually blooms and the LOLs come thick and fast. Look out for a film-star cameo for the ages, too. 

In cinemas Mar 17

Cinemagoers get two doses of one of the most exciting, singular actresses around this month, with Mia Goth starring in Brendan Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool’ and this slasher follow-up to last year’s ‘X’ from Ti West. And ‘doses’ is the operative word: there’s few people whose very presence on screen feels like such a headtrip these days. In ‘Pearl’ she plays a younger version of the villain she faces down in ‘X’, a meta set-up that will no doubt deliver plenty more gore and viscera. 

In cinemas Mar 17

Honestly, we’re not sure how John Wick can even stand up unassisted these days, let alone take another batch of assassins, psychopaths and assorted nutters in a fourth instalment. But the heroic Keanu Reeves hitman, who has now avenged that dog 600 times over, is stocking up on ice-packs for more all-timer fight scenes and fancy-dan knife business as Brummie man of action Scott Adkins and Hong Kong legend Donnie Yen join the pain party this time out.

In cinemas Mar 24

A chip-off-the-old-block crafter of maverick sci-fi visions, Brandon Cronenberg’s latest should have people dropping the whole ‘son of David’ qualifier once and for all. Set among the idle rich on holiday in a fictional country and playing like someone struck acid in ‘The White Lotus’s negroni, it lures Alexander Skarsgård’s author into a hedonistic rich people. It’s another standout turn from Mia Goth, all weirdy-sexy energy as she leads him deeper into a world of pain and pleasure. 

In cinemas Mar 24

Not two hours of ‘L’ shapes descending down a screen to the accompaniment of a Russian folk song, ‘Tetris’ is actually the origin story of the iconic Gameboy game. Taron Egerton plays Western entrepreneur Henk Rogers who crosses the Iron Curtain, teams up with Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov and takes the iconic game to the world. It’s billed as a Cold War thriller, so don’t expect too much coding.

In select cinemas and on Apple TV+ Mar 31