Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

This sophomore outing for Thompson's titular snaggle-toothed caregiver always had a lot to live up to. The original was one of the brightest, charming and downright fun kids movies of the past decade. And while this is no Babe: Pig in the City, a little of the magic has gone from this wartime-set Blyton-esque ramble.

Maybe it is the lack of romance with Colin Firth instead replaced by blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos from Ewan McGregor and Ralph Fiennes, or perhaps it just seems a little formulaic the second-time around (the kids once again have to learn key disciplinary and manner-based lessons). Then there are the strange anachronisms that cause you to wonder if this really is set in the 1940s.

But we should celebrate the fact that this cross between Wallace and Gromit, The Railway Children and a British panto is that rare thing - a kids movie for kids. There are plenty of physical hijinks, Heath Robinson-style inventions and even a gaseous bird.

And while Thompson is once again a powerful presence, this is a tale of two Maggies – a wild-haired Gyllenhaal deploys her British accent with aplomb, while Smith is a delight as a dotty shop owner.