This week's cultural landscape offers a thrilling mix of high-stakes drama, musical nostalgia, and poignant documentary storytelling, as highlighted in The Guardian's best-rated reviews. From the claustrophobic tension of a Berlin metro hijacking to a pop star's reflective journey and a raw portrait of boxing royalty, there is plenty to capture the imagination.
Television: Thrills, Tension, and Family Drama
The small screen delivers powerful narratives, led by the return of a major thriller franchise. Idris Elba reprises his role in the second series of "Hijack" on Apple TV+, this time finding himself trapped on a Berlin underground train seized by terrorists. Critic Lucy Mangan has described the show as offering "another rollicking ride," promising the same tense, real-time suspense that defined its first season.
Meanwhile, BBC iPlayer hosts a surprisingly emotional sporting story. "The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son" is a documentary that delves into the complex and strained relationship between boxing legend Chris Eubank and his son, Chris Eubank Jr. The film captures their dynamic ahead of the younger Eubank's fight with Conor Benn, son of his father's great rival, Nigel Benn. Mangan noted the film's moving quality, observing how the camera "unobtrusively captures these men so loved by each other trying to connect."
Also on iPlayer, Dennis Kelly's prison drama "Waiting for the Out" has been praised for its gripping and vulnerable storytelling. The series focuses on a teacher in prison, with critic Phil Harrison commending its "thoroughly well-written and performed characters."
Film: Zombies, Documentaries, and Sci-Fi Intrigue
Cinema offerings this week span horror, provocative docufiction, and cerebral science fiction. "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" marks the fourth chapter in the popular zombie franchise, directed by Nia DaCosta. The film features Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell confronting a murderous gang in a post-apocalyptic world, with Peter Bradshaw praising its "pure death-metal craziness" and energetic drama.
In a starkly different vein, "The Voice of Hind Rajab" is a powerful and provocative docufiction from director Kaouther Ben Hania. It reconstructs the final hours of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, using the real audio recording of her voice. Bradshaw highlighted the film's "startling audacity" in blending real testimony with fictionalised reconstruction.
Other notable releases include "Escape," Masao Adachi's chamber piece about Japan's most wanted criminal, and Ben Wheatley's "Bulk," an engaging sci-fi tale starring Sam Riley as a reporter investigating a reclusive oligarch's "Brain Collider" invention.
Music: Nostalgia, Fury, and Orchestral Light
The music scene is dominated by a major pop figure looking back. Robbie Williams has released "Britpop," an album that explores the sound he initially wanted to pursue after leaving Take That. The record, which includes what reviewer Alexis Petridis calls a "homoerotic paean to Morrissey," is described as having a "swagger and sparkle" that makes it hugely enjoyable rather than mere pastiche.
Punk duo Sleaford Mods return with their 13th album, "The Demise of Planet X," featuring vocalist Jason Williamson's trademark fury at the state of the world, aided by unlikely collaborators like actor Gwendoline Christie. In the classical realm, "Igor Stravinsky: Late Works" sees the Noord Nederlands Orkest and Cappella Amsterdam bringing colour to the composer's austere final period.
On tour, Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro are commanding stages across the UK, delivering what critic Daniel Dylan Wray calls a "singular mix of pop, rock and metal." The band's current shows are noted for their explosive energy and a sense of reconnection following a difficult period.
Books: AI Love, Friendship, and a Prize-Winning Tale
The literary world presents thoughtful explorations of modern relationships and identity. James Muldoon's "Love Machines" offers a serious look inside the strange world of AI relationships, examining why people seek intimacy with synthetic personas. Meanwhile, Madeleine Gray's novel "Chosen Family" delves into the complexities of a life-changing friendship between two women, described as a "brilliantly sharp and readable" exploration of love and self-deception.
Non-fiction highlights include Aimee Donnellan's "Off the Scales," which charts the remarkable story behind the development of the weight-loss drug Ozempic. In fiction, Benjamin Wood's "Seascraper," winner of the Nero award, is an atmospheric tale of a shrimp fisher whose world is changed by a stranger's arrival, praised for its "visceral and evocative descriptions of the natural world."
