I Am Legend (2007)
Most impressively realized of the adaptations, especially empty NY landscapes, and Will Smith is empathetic, peeling away the fragility of isolation. Yet the Darkseekers are pure CGI constructs and thematic concerns (science and faith) muddy the final stretch.
I Am Mother (2019)
Smartly made film of design and ideas, with a confident pace and a twisting narrative that elevates the tension and allows for some bracing, visual scenes. Though the three characters lack character detail, future world questions on sinister AI remain potent.
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017)
Purposefully uneven mix of offbeat comedy, crime drama and social commentary, propelled by Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood's accidental protagonists. Surprisingly violent, the tone doesn't quite jell, though the details persuade.
I Give It A Year (2013)
Game cast enlivens slim characters as whirlwind marriage for polished Rose Byrne and casual Rafe Spall struggles to last first anniversary. Generous Anna Faris and smooth Simon Baker provide amorous distractions. Regular laughs even if emotion remains elusive.
I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
There's a genuine rush embodied by Wendy Hiller's independent heroine who collides with the poetry of Scottish legend in bursts of humour, emotion and music. Beautifully shot, packed with memorable characters, an enduring fable that never dates.
I See A Dark Stranger (1945)
Surprising and intelligent comedy thriller that for the most part maintains a precarious tonal balance and keeps its focus through a spirited, committed star turn from Deborah Kerr. Terrific fun, beautifully crafted.
I Walked With A Zombie (1942)
Imbued with foreboding conjured by elegantly composed visuals and sure sense of pace and design, a play on Jane Eyre sees determined nurse Frances Dee travel to a Caribbean island where the shadows of slavery and voodoo linger. Intensity builds to horror.
I Want You Back (2022)
Hook of dumped strangers bonding over ruining exes new relationships provides fertile comic situations for edgily desperate Jenny Slate and Charlie Day, even if narrative wrinkles don't match romantic third act aspirations. Fluidly made with inviting cast.
I Was A Male War Bride (1949)
Told with a frenetically stylish pace, with as much verbal play as visual gags, superior French captain Cary Grant needs to maneuver army red tape when marrying US lieutenant Anne Sheridan. Despite uneven structure, leads spar with engaging spirit and laughs are bright.
I, Tonya (2017)
Absorbing tale that dances between a dark comedy on the troubled life of figure skater Tonya Harding and social commentary on her desperate, abused character. Defiantly grainy visual style and faux documentary interludes anchor the outlandish, though breaking the fourth wall is less comfortable.
Ice Cold In Alex (1958)
Tense and sweaty survival tale as edgy John Mills and stoic Harry Andrews, along with suspicious Anthony Quayle and tenacious nurse Sylvia Syms, struggle with the dangers of Germans and the desert to get to British safety. Cleverly subverts conventions and delivers an iconic ending.
The Ice Road (2021)
Chiseled Liam Neeson is part of a team driving trucks on impossibly dangerous titular highway in order to get help to trapped miners. Despite ticking clock and growling vehicles, characters, surprises and suspense kept to a minimum. Occasional bursts of action engage.
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
Stoic submarine captain Rock Hudson is sent to rescue stranded scientists at North Pole as well as deliver secretive agents Patrick McGoohan and Ernest Borgnine before Russians arrive. Amid claustrophobia and frigid expanse, polished production and solid structure builds suspense aided by demonstrative Michel Legrand score.
The Idea Of You (2024)
Easy chemistry between divorced art gallery owner Anne Hathaway and insecure boy band star Nicholas Galitzine as instinctive romance gives way to societal, family and celebrity pressures. Light comic touch and solid production values aid predictably satisfying resolve.
La ignorancia de la sangre (The Ignorance of Blood) (2014)
Separate story strands never really come together or build thriller momentum, as intense Juan Diego Botto deals with an Islamic terrorist cell as well as the kidnapping of resolute Paz Vega's son. Fine Federico Jusid score.
I'll Follow You Down (2013)
Low key sci-fi drama sees intuitive genius Haley Joel Osment discover that father Rufus Sewell's disappearance years before was due to time travel. Potential emotional resonance undercut by unnecessary exposition despite agreeable cast and satisfying conclusion.
Ill Met By Moonlight (1957)
Luminous, evocative visuals conjure ragged landscapes for Dirk Bogarde's daring kidnap of German commander Marius Goring and escape across Crete. Stilted characterization and static drama undermines suspense, though some vibrant detail is more persuasive.
Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018)
Propulsive opening of dystopian near future and blistering final section attempt to compensate for long, meandering chase after stoic Gang Dong-won and enigmatic Han Hyo-joo. Background geopolitics of Korean reunification and area power struggles quickly forgotten.
I'm Your Woman (2020)
Controlled approach carefully builds situation and character, visual design allied to developing layers for fleeing Rachel Brosnahan with her baby when shady husband disturbs gangster politics. Sporadic bouts of violence and threat swirl amid growing, emotional resilience.
The Imitation Game (2014)
Clean, evocative visuals and restrained approach elevate tension as oddball Benedict Cumberbatch and undeterred Keira Knightly leads efforts to break Germany's enigma code. Triumph of outsiders is crowd pleasing, the eventual tragedy provides more substantive.
The Immigrant (2013)
Seeking refuge in 20s New York, Marion Cotillard provides a compelling and compassionate center as she develops steely resolve to survive Joaquin Phoenix's seedy exploitation. Immaculate, burnished visuals and dense melodrama never quite harmonize to deliver potent emotion.
Lo imposible (2012)
Technique and visceral imagery pummel senses with powerful sequences relentless in depicting Thai tsunami of 2004 and aftereffects seen through eyes of Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor's family. Sustain of single note eventually stifling, sledge-hammer emotion unavoidable.
In My Dreams (2014)
The allure of William Ross' swooning, thematic music score elevates the romantic stirrings of lonely, disappointed Katherine McPhee and Mike Vogel who only see each other in their dreams while fate prevents them meeting. Entirely predictable, the tone and performers are winning.
In Secret (2013)
Finely textured, oppressively designed, a committed cast is consumed by studied film making, murky lighting and dry tone. Elizabeth Olsen and Oscar Isaac's Parisienne affair ends in murder and suffocating guilt, a Thérèse Raquin adaptation lacking in passion and satiric resonance.
In The Heights (2021)
Good natured spirit of storytelling in music and visuals carries slim narrative of community dreamers with impressive scale and fluid rhythm. Personable performers and individual numbers provide an emotional impact, even if the overall lacks a cathartic finale.
In Which We Serve (1942)
The German sinking of a British ship provides the survivors to reflect on their lives and the war, a patchwork of scenes held together by the strong ensemble and incisive, literate script. Powerful propaganda, full of grit and emotion, and still potent.
Indian Horse (2017)
Soberly told, cleanly visualized tale of survival from brutal Canadian residential school system sees Ajuawak Kapashesit on verge of making impact on NHL hockey only to be haunted by abusive echoes. Sparks of humanity give final hope. A carefully affecting and lasting testament.
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)
Melancholy air of retired Harrison Ford pervades return to adventure which features accomplished action set pieces and forced visuals while missing real vitality. Cluttered storyline centers on ancient time travel device, reaching for sentiment that never comes into focus.
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
Father and son adventurer scholars Sean Connery and Harrison Ford provide playful heart to quest for Holy Grail. Fluid pacing and exciting set pieces balance humor and thrills, including origins prolog, told with immaculate visuals and score.
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
From invigorating musical opening, through relentless action and chase set pieces, expertly staged, high gloss B-movie theatrics. Dark hues spice Harrison Ford's attempt to free slave children in Indian mines, driven by propulsive score.
Inferno (2016)
Overheated, convoluted, a blur of images in search of a plot with drugged Tom Hanks on the run and nurse Felicity Jones with her own secrets. Plot mechanics creak amid plush production values and expansive locations, a blunt series of puzzles lacking in tension.
Infinite Storm (2022)
Visceral telling of real-life survival sees rescue volunteer Naomi Watts attempt to get lost Billy Howle off the mountains as vicious storm closes in. Nature's beauty and threat skillfully, brutally conjured with committed leads; redemptive spirit of ordeal less certain.
Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)
Bipolar Mark Ruffalo is a striking and confounding presence as a father battling to care for two daughters while estranged wife Zoe Saldana studies to be a lawyer. Intensely personal, authentic, and emotional, an acute mix of comedy and drama, affectingly performed.
Ingrid Goes West (2018)
Aubrey Plaza just about keeps the story from spinning out of control as her obsessive, unwell social media addict pursues Elizabeth Olsen's empty lifestyle influencer. The dark humor is progressively more corrosive and the characters less empathetic, a cold view of modern society that remains coldly diverting rather than compelling.
The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness (1958)
Strikingly framed odyssey follows convinced Ingrid Bergman to fulfill missionary ideal at titular residence in 1930s China. Handsome production features expansive visuals and open performances, with tense, moving final act elevated by stirring Malcolm Arnold score.
Innocence (2014)
Teen melodrama collides with supernatural horror as withdrawn teenager Sophie Curtis finds herself plagued by nightmares and real-life suicides at her exclusive prep-school. Initially aiming for creepily believable before flying off the rails to reveal Kelly Reilly leads immortals who need virgin's blood.
Innocent (2011)
A fine cast keeps legal wheels involving even if the sequel story feels underwhelming and dramatic undertow less gripping. Bill Pullman is the judge accused by nemesis Richard Schiff of murdering unstable wife Marcia Gay Harden. The past reverberates darkly.
The Innocents (1961)
Masterful design and lighting conjure visuals that burrow deep into the fragile psychology of governess Deborah Kerr as ghosts of illicit lovers haunt the shadows and the children in her charge. Pacing is deliberate, while the sense of unease is expertly created.
Innocents In Paris (1953)
A curiosity featuring a diverse and eccentric array of British talent, including Alastair Sim and Margaret Rutherford, who fly across the Channel for the weekend. Narratively slim, a generous, amiable view of parochial prejudice broken by French freedoms.
Interlude (1957)
Enjoyably ripe melodrama, rendered with expansive visuals and lush classical highlights, sees reticent June Allyson swept away by needy conductor Rossano Brazzi and struggle with his disturbed wife Marianne Koch. Gradual intensity infuses meandering narrative, before balance returns.
Into The Blue (2005)
Luxuriating in bronzed locations and characters, story of sunken treasure, submerged drugs and irritable sharks moves at languid pace, occasionally attempting moments of suspense. Jessica Alba and Paul Walker swim attractively through crystal Bahamas waters.
Into The Wild (2007)
Soulful and reflective, a careful, artful journey to the Alaskan wilderness as lost Emile Hirsch strips away his privilege and future to enter romantic unknown. Generosity of spirit from strangers encountered emphasizes enveloping sense of doomed poignancy.
Invaders From Mars (1953)
Some arresting visuals and design combat budget limitations which incorporates plenty of archive army footage, ropey effects and stiff performances. Dream-like atmosphere permeates alien takeover of human bodies, a fairy tale structure of youthful paranoia.
Invaders From Mars (1986)
Curiously flat remake that squanders talent, imagination in as short supply as obviously strained budget. A young boy suspects aliens are taking over human bodies. Army blasts away. Monsters stumble. Style never achieves balance of potential comedy and thrills.
The Invasion (2007)
After alien infection is brought to earth by crashed space shuttle, gradual buildup of paranoia rapidly disintegrates into superficial chase thriller as Nicole Kidman attempts to protect her son. Sleek visuals can't compensate for lack of story and character.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
Small town California faces hysteria of belief family and friends are being replaced until practical doctor Kevin McCarthy discovers alien invasion. Off-kilter atmosphere adds to unnerving paranoia, bleakly resonant ending undercut by wrap-up.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Finely crafted adaptation takes pod invasion to urban San Francisco, as health inspectors Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams flee alien takeover. Visuals and editing keep characters on edge, creeping anxiety and horror maintained until final image.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Sleek, edgy reimagining, as much psychological as visceral. Elizabeth Moss is convincingly damaged by her abusive husband, and increasingly isolated by his 'invisible' torture, before finding cathartic strength. Visually arresting, enjoyable tense.
The Invisible Woman (2013)
Artful, thoughtful love story, as hopeful actress Felicity Jones loses herself in a 13-year affair with Ralph Fiennes' inquisitive, powerful Charles Dickens. Sumptuous production values create an intoxicating atmosphere. A film of sly looks and subtle moments.
The Invitation (2022)
Smoothly set up and inititially intriguing, Gothic sense of threat and desire evaporates with vampiric revelations as willful Nathalie Emmanuel discovers origins of her British relations. Touches on themes of race and elitism, without delivering on effective visceral or metaphorical horrors.
Irma la Douce (1963)
Loose structure and style creates generous atmosphere amid evocative Parisienne set for sharp, hopeful prostitute Shirley Maclaine and besotted, conflicted policeman Jack Lemmon. Broad, bawdy humor bubbles over confused identity and romantic confusions.
The Iron Curtain (1948)
Told with unfussy visuals, by the book Russian spy Dana Andrews is sent to wartime Ottawa but starts to see a better future when wife Gene Tierney opens their minds to Western values. Thick of anti-communist propaganda, with solid use of locations.
Ishtar (1987)
Part genial farce of two untalented singer-songwriters, part political satire of Charles Grodin's CIA interference and incompetence in the Middle East, bickering friends Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty are at center of coup instigated by impulsive Isabelle Adjani. Often very funny, until runs out of steam in the desert.
The Island (1980)
Violent thriller spiked with dark humor sees casual reporter Michael Caine discover disheveled Caribbean community of inbred pirates led by imperious David Warner and assorted British character actors. Captivating Ennio Morricone score highlights atmospheric visuals and eccentrically effective brutality.
Istanbul (1957)
Mild intrigue follows beaten pilot Errol Flynn's plan to avoid criminals and retrieve hidden diamonds in title city where he also encounters lost love Cornell Borchers. Accent equally on romantic especially with extensive use of song When I Fall In Love and performances from Nat King Cole.
It Came From Outer Space (1953)
Desert meteor crash is revealed as alien spaceship to curious Richard Carlson, though nobody will believe even when locals mysteriously change personality. Light tension is sustained with economic visuals, bright pacing and intriguing development.
It Follows (2014)
Elegantly and tensely framed, a scary, edgy tale of sexual angst that creates metaphorical and literal demons. Eerie and unsettling, individual sequences work on their own and as a connected narrative, creating a gnawing sense of dread and horror that never relents.