Tangled * * * *
Cert PG, 100 mins
From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938, Walt Disney Studios have made 50 animated films.

Producing such classics as Bambi, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and The Lion King, they have set the standard for quality movies for all the family.

So the pressure was on to come up with something decent with which to mark their half century.

Fortunately, Tangled meets the grade, although it’s a little more forgettable than the Disney greats. It may not quite stand the test of time in the same way as, say, Pinocchio.

It’s their take on the Rapunzel fairytale. She’s a beautiful princess, stolen as a baby by evil witch Gothel (Donna Murphy) for her magical long hair, which has youth-giving and healing properties.

She is kept in a tower, having no contact with the outside world, which Gothel, who she thinks is her mother, convinces her is a dangerous place she must avoid.

But Rapunzel (the voice of Mandy Moore) isn’t a terrified, cowering girl. She’s naive but plucky, and handy with a frying pan which she uses to knock out an intruder.

The man who dares to climb up her tower is Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), a handsome rogue and thief on the run from the law.

When he comes round from her attack, Flynn manages to charm Rapunzel and agrees to help her escape, as she wants to see the hundreds of lanterns released every year on her birthday.

It’s a traditional Disney animation, sticking firmly to the fairytale genre and not trying to include popular culture references.

The action works well in 3D, and there are some magical and rather touching scenes.

The songs are OK – the lyrics to I’ve Got A Dream are witty – but they’re a little superfluous.

What really makes the film fun and entertaining are a cute chameleon and, in particular, a very clever and amusing horse. He’s the best cartoon animal sidekick since Shrek’s Puss in Boots.  RL

Barney’s Version * * *
Cert 15, 133 mins
There are two new releases this week which are overlong and drawn out and in which not a great deal happens, but which are saved by mesmerising lead performances.

While Javier Bardem is the reason to watch Biutiful (see below), Barney’s Version is all about Paul Giamatti.He won a Golden Globe for playing 35 years in the life of Barney Panofsky.

Starting in the present day, we see flashbacks to key moments in his life, from his first tragic marriage in Rome in the 1970s to his second union with Minnie Driver, who’s rich and educated but doesn’t stand a chance. That’s because he falls in love for the first time on his wedding day – with another woman.

He is instantly smitten by Miriam (Rosamund Pike) and goes all out to woo her.

Along the way there’s a mystery involving the death of his best friend Boogie (Scott Speedman), who detective Mark Addy believes has been murdered by Barney.

There is quite a lot to enjoy in this film, from the convincing way in which the characters age (the Oscar-nominated make-up effects are impressive) to the great casting of Dustin Hoffman as Barney’s father. He lights up every scene he’s in.

It is, however, lacking in suspense, as we know right from the beginning that he will lose Miriam to another man, and it could be more emotionally involving.

Giamatti does his best with a character who is, essentially, a bit of an idiot. It’s hard to see why all these beautiful women keep falling for him.  RL

Biutiful * * * *
Cert 15, 147 mins
You’d probably have to be an art house cinephile to want to embrace this movie.

But the good news for those tempted by Javier Bardem’s Oscar nomination but put off by 147 minutes of subtitles is that the film genuinely transcends its own running time.

While reading the verbal text is not a chore, the potentially depressing subject matter is another question to consider altogether.

Directed by Mexico-born Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel), Bardem’s character Uxbal is not a well man for reasons which will terrify alpha males.

But in the underbelly of Barcelona, life has to go on. Especially with two children to support.

In order to continue his existence, Uxbal is involved with the black market, illegal African immigrants and a sweatshop packed with Chinese workers.

Relations with his ex-wife Marambra (Maricel Alvarez) are poor, but their children remain a focal point.

Inarritu directs the film like it’s a hybrid of Steve Knight’s Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises crossed with a bipolar family drama that could have been written by another Brit, Mike Leigh.

Biutiful can be a touch laboured and it didn’t need its mirror image bookends, but it does have some astonishing, indelible images including bodies in the sea.

It has characters whose dirt will end up beneath your fingernails.

And, above all, it has Bardem giving the performance of his life in a story which many actors would not have touched with the proverbial barge pole. GY

Hubble 3D * * * * *
Cert U, 44 mins
There are some scenes during current release The Green Hornet when the cumbersome 2D-converted-into-3D-during-post-production effect is so bad you actually have to close your eyes.

Then there are world class experiences like Hubble 3D, a science documentary purposely shot for the IMAX screen. This is so jaw-dropping in terms of both content and quality that you won’t want to miss a single second by blinking.

Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s the story of a NASA mission to repair the Hubble space telescope.

After spending more than a decade in space unable to outperform traditional Earthbound equivalents, the technicalities of trying to repair the telescope are mind boggling.

Imagine trying to park your car at 170,000 miles per hour in a weightless environment where the sun rises and sets every 90 minutes – and then having to service a neighbouring vehicle in conditions which are like “performing brain surgery with oven mitts”.

Assuming, of course, you remain tethered to your craft and your suit doesn’t get ripped.

The script’s facts and figures include mind-boggling phrases like “100 billion galaxies”, “90 trillion miles across” and “five million mile per hour winds”.

But the images subsequently captured by the fit-again Hubble are even more impressive and like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Just watching the Space Shuttle Atlantis taking off from close quarters on a screen that’s five storeys high is probably just as good as seeing the real thing.

And without the worry of a last-minute cancellation you can just sit back and enjoy the ride of your life – with repeat missions surely to be a must for amateur and professional astronomers alike.

* Screening at the IMAX, at Millennium Point, Birmingham, is from February 1. Tickets are £9.60 for adults and £7.60 for children/concessions.

Don’t forget the IMAX also has its own Planetarium, too. Details from www.imax.ac or call 0121 202 2222.    GY