It is May, 1940, and the old ‘Warhorse’ Winston Churchill has just become British Prime Minister.

In the midst of WWII, the British and French armies are falling back to Dunkirk, and the French Army has no reserves. President Roosevelt has declined Churchill’s call for help. At the same time, defeatists and appeasers in Parliament, and his own Cabinet, are calling for a peace deal with Hitler. It is – for Churchill, Britain, and its Commonwealth – their darkest hour.

In my opinion far superior to last year’s historically dubious Churchill, Darkest Hour stands apart, capturing both the exceptional nature of the times, and of the people forced to contend with them. Churchill saw the essential truth about the Nazis, and the absolute necessity and immense difficulty of destroying them. The film plays like a thriller, as time ticks down to the momentous decisions made to determine the fate of the world.

In a film dense with dialogue, Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Churchill, the brilliant orator in full-flight, is superb. The excellent Kristin Scott Thomas plays the key role of the often acerbic Clementine, his wife and essential backstop; and Lily James as Churchill’s oft put-upon loyal personal secretary, Elizabeth, soldiers on.

Every morning when university student, Tree Gelman (Rothe) wakes up, she experiences the same day over and over again. Yet, there's a twist: at the end of each day, no matter where she is or how much she prepares, the same masked killer arrives to murder her in a violent fashion. Subsequently, Tree, with the help of her new friend Carter (Broussard), must desperately work to discover who her killer is in the hopes of ending the time loop.

Happy Death Day is a fast-paced ride from the moment it begins. Effectively Groundhog Day meets Scream, it may just be one of the most fun slasher films you’ll ever see.

Tree is depicted at the start of the film as a stereotypical sorority girl who cares more about the way that she looks than the way she treats people, but as the film progresses, you realise just how smart and fearless she is, and this shift makes for excellent viewing. Made on a $4.8 million budget, the film achieved even more success than expected by surpassing $115 million at the global box office. Come see it and find out why!