Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson shake off their clean-cut images in Spring Breakers, an audacious film from art house director Harmony Korine.

Along with Korine’s young wife Rachel, they play bikini-clad college friends on a mission to go wild on their Spring Break vacation.

Cue sun-soaked raves and drinking games galore – until a run-in with a local gangster, Alien (James Franco), splits the group.

Teen movie, thriller, pastiche, crime flick, dramatised pop video - Spring Breakers is a lot of things, all of them entertaining.

Franco is darkly funny as the gold-toothed rapper, frolicking around on his bed with guns and money, unaware that the girls are about to play him at his own game.

Hudgens and Benson give it their all, embracing Korine’s ironic portrayal of hollow hedonism, while Gomez puts in a layered performance as the conflicted Faith.

Spring Breakers is challenging, original, even ridiculous in parts. But it’s never less than fun.

Spring Breakers is in cinemas now

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