As the July school holidays head into their second week, and with rain due to return to the Hunter, check out these fun family-friendly flicks at your local cinema.

Thor: Love and Thunder

• Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
• Director: Taika Waititi
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Matt Damon, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale
• Duration: 119 mins

The film finds Thor (Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But, his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Thompson), Korg (Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Top Gun: Maverick

• Distributor: Paramount Pictures
• Director: Joseph Kosinski
• Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell
• Duration: 130 mins

After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”. Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

Elvis

• Distributor: Warner Brothers
• Director: Baz Luhrmann
• Cast: Tom Hanks, Xavier Samuel, Dacre Montgomery, Olivia DeJonge, Austin Butler, Alton Mason
• Duration: 159 mins

From Oscar-nominated visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann comes Elvis, starring Butler and Oscar winner Hanks. The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (DeJonge).

Minions: The Rise of Gru

• Distributor: Universal Pictures
• Directors: Kyle Balda, Jonathan Del Val, Brad Ableson
• Cast: Steve Carrell, Dolph Lundgren, Alan Arkin, Lucy Lawless, Danny Trejo, Taraji P. Henson, Julie Andrews, Russell Brand, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme, RZA
• Duration: 87 mins

In the heart of the 1970s, amidst a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making back-up from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto – a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please – deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons, and pull off their first missions. When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn’t go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knickles, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

Lightyear

• Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
• Director: Angus MacLane
• Cast: Chris Evans, James Brolin, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Keke Palmer, Efren Ramirez
• Duration: 105 mins

The sci-fi action-adventure presents the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear – the hero who inspired the toy – introducing the legendary Space Ranger who would win generations of fans.