Yardie, Swimming with Men, The Festival, Disable/Enable, Ophelia: British Cinema and What To Look Out For: Best UK Film Releases in 2018

Photo by Geralt / CC0 

We all love a bit of British film. As a counterpoint to the often glitzy and expensive films that stream out of Hollywood each year, British film is usually noted for it's grit: the harsh characters with even harsher accents.

Think Guy Ritchie and well... any Guy Ritchie film. That being said, the UK film scene is diverse and caters to many tastes. Here, we take a look at some of the best releases from all genres for 2018. It's worth mentioning that this list isn't exhaustive, there's plenty of pristine cinema that has not been mentioned that is still worth a watch. Go on, get the popcorn ready.

Yardie

Photo by Harald Krichel/ CC BY-SA 4.0
Image caption: Director Idris Elba at the Berlinale 2018
Directed by well known actor and professional suave man, Idis Elba, Yardie is based on the novel of the same name by author Victor Headly. The film was released in January 2018. Having watched his brother's shooting when he was a child, Dennis Campbell (Aml Ameen) is hired by Jamaican crimelord King Fox to travel to London and deliver a package of cocaine, however he finds out that the man who killed his brother is also living in England and is torn between revenge and the job he was hired to do. With high scoring reviews and critical acclaim, this film is well worth a watch.

Swimming with Men
In this light hearted comedy Rob Brydon plays an accountant who during a midlife crisis joins an all male, mostly middle aged, synchronised swimming team. What follows is just as ludicrous as you would expect, with plenty of hilariously embarrassing moments and laugh out loud jokes. Joined by the excellent Charlotte Riley, and Rupert Graves of BBC Sherlock fame, this film is a feel good watch with a happy climax.

The Festival

Photo by Paul Bird/ CC BY 2.0
Caption: Joe Thomas at the BAFTA awards
Get messy with The Festival, a film that shows all the glory, mud and hedonism that comes with the three day UK music festival. Starring Joe Thomas, from The Inbetweeners, as a university student who has just been dumped by his girlfiend. In an effort to help him get over the heartbreak, best friend Shane (Hammed Animashaun) suggests a music festival. This film follows the same comedic vein of the Inbetweeners, with large helpings of side-splitting awkwardness followed by embarrassing hijinks that will make you giggle.

Disable/Enable
Not much is known about this release, apart from the fact that it is currently in post production and is due to be released later this year. What we do know, however, is that leading man in this sci-fi short film, Charles Venn, has appeared in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, as well as The Bourne Ultimatum. He also happens to be a contestant on the new season of Strictly Come Dancing with pretty good odds to win.

Ophelia

Photo by Gage Skidmore/ CC BY-SA 3.0
Image caption – Daisey Ridley at 2015 San Diego Comic Con International
No list of British film would be complete without a hat tip to the Bard. This film attempts to show a classic Shakespeare tale, Hamlet, from the perspective of Ophelia. In this historic reimagining, Ophelia, played by Daisey Ridley (Star Wars), is a lady in waiting to the Queen who soon captures the attention of Prince Hamlet. Expect drama and character exposition in classic Shakespearean style.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
The most recent blockbuster from the J.K. Rowling's wizarding franchise, and the second instalment in the Fantastic Beasts series, this film is undoubtedly the most anticipated of the year for Harry Potter fans. Starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander - a magizoologist - this follows the return of Grindlewald (Johnny Depp), who Newt and a young Albus Dumbledore must unite to prevent from unfolding his nefarious plans to control and rule all non-magical beings. Namely, us, muggles. Thanks Newt. Fantastic Beasts is due for release in November 2018. One to watch out for.

There's something in this list for everyone, even for the most devout and discerning of film fans. 2018 has been an excellent year for Cinema all round, and it's worth mentioning this list only covers a few of the major and most interesting releases from the UK. Thanks for reading, and here's to 2019 being even better still.

Photo by annca/ CC0