5 Star Films

In the golden age of 1970s disaster films—where ordinary people faced extraordinary circumstances—Skyjacked (1972) soared into theatres as one of the earlier examples of aviation thrillers that would culminate in genre landmarks like Airport (1970) and Airport '75.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier stands as a fascinating case in the history of the Star Trek franchise. Released in 1989 and directed by William Shatner, who also stars as Captain Kirk, it followed the massive success of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), which had revitalized the franchise with humour, warmth, and mass appeal. The fifth entry in the series aimed higher—tackling metaphysical questions, religious themes, and internal conflicts among the crew.

Superman III is the third entry in the original Superman film series, and by far the most divisive. Released in 1983 and directed solely by Richard Lester—who had completed the second film after Richard Donner's departure—it steers sharply into comedic territory, diluting the mythic and emotional tone of the earlier films in favour of slapstick, satire, and an awkward tech-paranoia subplot.

My Son John (1952) is an American film that brings the political tensions of the early Cold War era directly into the domestic sphere. Directed by Leo McCarey, a filmmaker known for both his comedy and dramatic sensibilities, the film tackles the sensitive subject of communism, its threat to American values, and the personal cost of ideological betrayal.

Earthquake (1974) was released at the peak of the 1970s disaster movie craze, a trend kicked off by Airport (1970) and further fuelled by The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (also 1974). But Earthquake distinguished itself not only through its large-scale urban devastation but also through the innovative use of "Sensurround", a then-revolutionary theatre sound system designed to simulate the rumble of an actual quake.

In the heyday of the historical epic—when widescreen spectacles like Ben-Hur, Spartacus, and The Ten Commandments drew vast audiences into cinemas—Hannibal (1959) offered a somewhat lesser-known, though no less ambitious, contribution to the genre

Alexander the Great (1956) aspired to be a sweeping chronicle of one of the most extraordinary lives in antiquity.

Review of Richard Donner breakout Horror film "The Omen".