Dir: Jon Favreau
Writ: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway. Based on characters created by Stan Lee , Don Heck, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby

• Robert Downey Jr. … Tony Stark
• Terrence Howard … Jim Rhodes
• Jeff Bridges … Obadiah Stane
• Gwyneth Paltrow … Pepper Potts
• Leslie Bibb … Christine Everhart
• Faran Tahir … Raza
• Sayed Badreya … Abu Bakaar

Ever since Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang I’ve loved Robert Downey Jr. and that is the main reason I wanted to go see this film. Sure, I enjoy superhero films, but I know nothing at all about Iron Man, so it wasn’t any grá for that character that made me go. For those of you who share this non-knowledge Iron Man is Tony Stark, a genius of a weapons-dealer. When things go wrong for him in Afghanistan he ends up thinking that the only route forward is to give up the whole destruction business, obviously enough his share-holders object slightly.

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Tags: 7 Stars, Art Marcum, based on comic, Don Heck, Faran Tahir, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hawk Ostby, Iron Man, Jack Kirby, Jeff Bridges, Jon Favreau, Larry Lieber, Leslie Bibb, Mark Fergus, Matt Hollowat, R12A, Robert Downey Jr., Sayed Badreya, sff, Stan Lee, superheroes, Terrence Howard

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Dir: David Slade
Writ: Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie, Brian Nelson. Based on the comic by Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith

• Josh Hartnett … Eben Oleson
• Melissa George … Stella Oleson
• Danny Huston … Marlow (Head Vamp)
• Ben Foster … The Stranger
• Mark Boone Junior … Beau Brower
• Mark Rendall … Jake Oleson

I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed that when IFCO’s rating came up this was only a 16. From the trailers I was hoping for a total blood and gore fest. Still, despite not making the 18s cut there was plenty of violence and a high body count. Not to mention plenty of blood. Blood every where. And then more blood.

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Tags: 30 Days of Night, 7 Stars, based on comic, Ben Foster, bloody, Brian Nelson, Danny Huston, David Slade, gore, horror, Josh Hartnett, Mark Boone Junior, Mark Rendall, Melissa George, R16, Steve Nils, Stuart Beattie, vampires, violence

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Dir: Tim Story
Writ: Don Payne, Mark Frost, John Turman. Characters created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.

1. Ioan Gruffudd … Reed Richards
2. Jessica Alba … Sue Storm
3. Chris Evans … Johnny Storm
4. Michael Chiklis … Ben Grimm
5. Julian McMahon … Victor Von Doom
6. Doug Jones … The Silver Surfer
7. Laurence Fishburne … The Silver Surfer (voice)

This was pants. Complete pants. Not even bad enough to be enjoyed.
Harsh? Maybe, but true. I wasn’t overly fond of the first film but it did the job of light entertainment. This one though was boring. An unforgivable flaw in an action-hero flick. Everything was ultra predictable, and nothing sparkled. Not even McMahon as the ebil Von Doom. And I can’t be the only one who is totally Fishburne’s supposedly gravitas filled delivery of lines. Yes, it worked in the first of the Matrix films, but it seems as though ever since then he has been called upon whenever a “serious voice” is needed. Enough already. Especially when the Silver Surfer was probably the only thing about this film that I liked.

There isn’t really that much more to say about this. I wasn’t impressed. I was bored. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

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Tags: 3 Stars, action, based on comic, Bored Now!, Chris Evans, complete pants, Don Payne, Doug Jones, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silvr Surfer, Ioan Gruffudd, Jack Kirby, Jessica Alba, John Turman, Julian MacMahon, Laurence Fishbourne, Mark Frost, Michael Chiklis, sff, silly, Stan Lee, Tim Story

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Dir: Sam Raimi
Writ: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, & Alvin Sargent. Based on the comic by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

• Tobey Maguire … Spider-Man/Peter Parker
• Kirsten Dunst … Mary Jane Watson
• James Franco … New Goblin/Harry Osborn
• Thomas Haden Church … Sandman/Flint Marko
• Topher Grace … Venom/Eddie Brock
• Bryce Dallas Howard … Gwen Stacy
• James Cromwell … Captain Stacy
• Bruce Campbell … Maître d’

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first two spiderman films; I enjoyed them but didn’t LOVE them. They were good, solid entertainment. Two was probably a little better, though I may feel that way because I recently rewatched it when it was shown on the telly a few weeks ago. This one isn’t so good. It is too long. There are too many characters. And worst of all, unlike the second, it has no heart to it.

It felt stop-start, as though they had too many characters and story-lines and couldn’t figure out to make then all work together properly, nothing seemed to fit.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Spiderman, or of Peter Parker for that matter, and in this film I just couldn’t care less what happened him. James Franco was more interesting as Harry. There was nothing to grip the viewer, and while the special effects were excellent you really need a good story to hang them on. This was all pretty curtains and no foundation.

And the cocky version of Peter Parker? That was just weird and stupid. Yes at first it was a little entertaining to see him strut, but after 2 seconds it became creepyfing, and disturbing. And the dancing! wtf!

There is nothing hideous and terrible about the film. You’ll watch, you’ll be entertained and maybe a little bored, I do recall checking my watch and thinking with a sinking heart that there was still an hour to go, but it picked up a little, so I wasn’t eyeing the exit all the way through. Totally worthy of a meh. Too many storyiideas with not enough development

I also took issue with the amount of time Parker wandered about in his Spidey outfit, only with the mask off. Either he has a secret identity or he doesn’t. Half the city should know who he really is if he has as little care as that.

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Tags: 4 Stars, Alvin Sargent, based on comic, Bored Now!, Bruce Campbell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ivan Raimi, James Cromwell, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Raimi, sff, silly, Spiderman, Spiderman 3, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, stop-start, superheroes, Thomas Haden Church, Tobey Maguire, too much plot, Topher Grace

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Dir: Zack Snyder
Writ: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnston, Michael Gordon and based on the graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley

• Gerard Butler - King Leonidas
• Lena Headey - Queen Gorgo
• Dominic West - Theron
• David Wenham - Dilios
• Vincent Regan - Captain
• Michael Fassbender - Stelios
• Tom Wisdom - Astinos
• Rodrigo Santoro - Xerxes

I have a feeling that how you feel at the end of seeing this film will be hugely coloured by your mindset before the film began. Personally I loved it. Wonderful visuals and a great story. Wasn’t overly impressed with the characterisation, but you can’t have everything.

The film begins with a voice-over, and this narrator pipes up throughout the film, sometimes describing the action that we are watching on screen. I have no doubt that some will find this redundant, but, given the ending and who the narrator is I think this device actually works really well. Plus he does add to the melodramatic, over the top atmosphere that make this such a good film.

Overblown and over the top, almost pompous in its grand vision. And yet it just works. Somehow they’ve managed to draw the viewer in, using dialogue and visuals that could so easily have done nothing but remind you that this is a highly stylised film. The visuals are often lacking in realism. The characters are larger than life, the action is brutal, the culture hugely strange. And it is great.

There were one or two instances when I did find myself thinking that the constant references to freedom and the evil tyrant were overdone and not a little incorrect given the fact that if you were a slave in Spartan society then life back then was pretty far from easy. But this isn’t really historical fiction, it is an action film, and as such it is almost perfect. I also loved the soundtrack. So much so that I did just try and buy it online, but the official website wants you to use iTunes, I don’t, so I was forced into borrowing it.

Top marks all around for a violent, visceral, blood-splattered film, and I can’t finish my review without saying, my god, did you see those abs?

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Tags: 10 Stars, 300, action, Ancient Greece - Sparta, based on comic, bloody, brilliant, David Wenham, death, Dominic West, Frank Miller, Gerard Butler, great story, historical fiction, historical inaccuracies, Kurt Johnston, Lena Headey, loved it, Lynn Varley, melodramatic, Michael Fassbender, Michael Gordon, poor characterisation, Rodrigo Santoro, soldier, Tom Wisdom, Vincent Regan, visually stunning, War, Zack Snyder

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Dir: Brett Ratner
Writ: Simon Kinberg & Zak Penn

• Hugh Jackman - Logan/Wolverine
• Halle Berry - Ororo Munroe/Storm
• Ian McKellen - Eric Lensherr/Magneto
• Famke Janssen - Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix
• Anna Paquin - Marie/Rogue

In this, the third X-Men film, there are two main plotlines. One concerns Jean Grey and her return from death in the form of the ultra powerful Dark Phoenix. The other revolves around a cure for the mutant gene, and what this will mean for the X-Men, and for mutants everywhere.

Only trouble is, this film is such a mess that neither story gets the treatment it deserves. We get a cursory look at what such a cure might mean to the likes of Rogue, after all her gift is much more of a burden than many. And then it is straight back into the fight. In the other story line we get exposition dumps and sudden information that makes no real sense in connection with earlier films.

Add to that the desire to stick in as many other mutants from the comics as can be seen on the big screen and you end up with a rubbish film. And such a disapointment after the previous two films which I really enjoyed.

Of course, it isn’t all bad. There are some elements that work; that quick glance at Rogue’s problem being one. And it all looks great, costumes, explosions, stunts. All great. But this merely serves to highlight how lacking in any sort of depth this film really is, and so makes it even worse. And then there is all that clunky dialogue, which not even Ian McKellan can make believable. Plus, plotholes.

All in all this seems more like the writers wanted to stick everything up on the big screen, to show how great the X-Men universe is, but instead managed to throw a lot of elements together and create a disapointment

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Tags: 5 Stars, Anna Paquin, based on comic, Brett Ratner, clunky dialogue, disappointing, Famke Janssen, Hallie Berry, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, mutants, plotholes, sff, Simon Kinberg, X-Men, X-Men: the Last Stand, Zak Penn

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