TOP 5 OF 2012

[WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW]

Well, I've not posted here in a while, and as 2012 was absolutely the best year for movies that I can remember, I thought I'd post my top 5 films of last year, along with why I thought they were better than the rest.

5 - Looper
The time travel thriller I reviewed at the time of its release comes in at my number five spot. The clever take on time travel, the fantastic characters and the dark and gritty (as much as I'm starting to hate that phrase) world created within this single story has earned it its place in my top five. It's a film set in a world you entirely buy into and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis both bring their A-game. Atmosphere is rich, as are the questions of morality that the wonderfully flawed protagonist starts to bring up. But there are four bigger flicks for me to get through, so let's not dwell on Looper for too long!


4 - The Dark Knight Rises
Chris Nolan's third and final Bat-film was a brilliant end to the series, even if it wasn't quite at the level of 2008's The Dark Knight. Bane provided a fantastic villain in the form of a truly unstoppable opponent for Batman and a terrorist that brought a satisfyingly thought-provoking political edge to the film. There were a couple of moments I was unsure of at first, but have come round to liking. The first was when, during Bruce's escape from the pit, a flurry of bats flew out and surrounded him. While it seemed a little cheesy to me when I first saw it, I now think it is a beautiful moment - the bats were the symbol of fear that inspired Bruce to become Batman and in his escape it is fear once again that is inspiring him to protect the people of Gotham. The bats show that, perhaps for the first time in the movie, the Batman is truly back. The other moment it took me a bit of time to come round to liking was seeing Bruce in the café after his supposed death. Initially, I thought it was making things too obvious - we could have just seen Alfred nod and had it left to us to infer Bruce's survival. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that this wasn't the right time for enigmas to be left hanging. This was the end - the actual, final definitive end - to The Dark Knight series. It feels better seeing Bruce and knowing he's alive (sorry, mad internet theorists, but that's not up for debate in any way). It felt good to have everything wrapped up properly and without any mysteries left unsolved. Though having said that, I would have liked to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the batsuit...


3 - The Amazing Spider-Man
I feel like this is the 'controversial' choice. Not only have I brought up the superhero film that has divided opinion like no other, but I've said its better than The Dark Knight Rises. Please, don't sharpen your pitchforks just yet! Let me explain! First and foremost, I am a massive Spidey fan. Like, a really, really massive Spidey fan. He is my all-time favourite superhero and one of my all-time favourite characters. Nobody is as easy to relate to as Peter Parker, the ordinary kid with ordinary problems (y'know, not an angry billionaire playboy) and this film captured that perfectly. This is why I find it shocking any human being can honestly claim to prefer Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films. People might say Peter Parker was nerdier in them and more like he was in the comics, but:
a) Yes, he was nerdier, but he was a two-dimensional stereotype of a nerd. He had no real character and was such a cliché that you couldn't really believe in him as a character. And...
b) No, he was not more like he was in the comics. In Amazing he still has that essential nerdiness, but he's more human and that's exactly who he was in the comic books. That was what made him brilliant. His conversations with Gwen, Connors and his family, his quiet, withdrawn nature, and his actual intelligence (that didn't exist in Raimi's films) are all signs that Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield have created a far better realisation of Peter Parker.
Okay, now why I preferred it to The Dark Knight Rises. TDKR had too many problems, for a start. Batman still used his Batman voice when nobody else was around... why??? There's no explanation as to how Bruce got back into Gotham; shares transactions that happened during an armed attack on the stock exchange aren't questioned at all; Batman's magic knee-brace broke the believability of the film and Batman quite knowingly killed a man (the lorry driver in the final chase across Gotham). The Amazing Spider-Man had a protagonist it was much easier to relate to and who you genuinely care about, a human story with real heart to it, some incredible action sequences (such as Peter's rooftop fight as he searches for Uncle Ben's killer and the film's finale involving Spidey, the police and the Lizard), a great new costume for Spider-Man that you believed Peter Parker could actually make, the big-screen debut of web-shooters, the best Stan Lee cameo to date and an absolutely stunning cast. The only way this film could have been improved was if some of the deleted scenes had been left in (in the deleted footage, there's actually a reason for the Lizard fleeing from the school fight!).


2 - The Avengers
So, while Spidey scoops the title for best single-superhero film of the year, the teaming up of Marvel's big-timers takes the title of overall best superhero flick of 2012. Why? Because it was The Avengers, that's why. It may not have had all the complexity and intelligence of The Dark Knight Rises, but that doesn't always make for a better movie. We may not have had characters we could relate to as easily as Peter Parker, but what we did have was a range of incredible characters - particularly Tony Stark and Bruce Banner - with their own strengths and flaws. The film knew what it was more than TDKR did - its tone was consistent and just right. Character is (as you've probably guessed by now) a big deal for me and seeing Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Bruce Banner, Nick Fury and Loki all thrown into the mix together was fantastic. The dialogues that emerged were just brilliant. And the film certainly didn't disappoint when it came to action and big, bold moments that made you want to cheer (Banner's "I'm always angry" moment being one of the most notable). Everything you could want from a superhero blockbuster is in here - brilliant exchanges between characters, size and scale, some truly heroic moments, amazing sets, a great villain, a fast pace, a healthy helping of humour and some fantastic action sequences.
So, what tops this? What has defeated all other films of 2012 to snatch the number one spot on my list? What had what it takes to beat Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt twice, Batman, Spider-Man and the Avengers? Well, while the USA has proved it makes most of the best and biggest pictures, it was proven in 2012 that in film, even more than in sport (let's be honest, who actually cared about the Olympics?), the very best comes from Britain...


1 - SKYFALL
Bond. James Bond. (And yes, he actually said it in this one!) 50 years of Bond to be precise, and what a way to celebrate! It was really only towards the end of 2011 that I started to become a big Bond fan (getting into the films as me and my friends started to make our own Bond fanfilm) and I, like any decent human being, had come to the conclusion that Goldfinger was to forever be the best Bond film. I was wrong. Skyfall is the best Bond has ever been. Not only is Daniel Craig utterly fantastic in the role (okay, he doesn't quite take the title of best Bond from Mr Connery), but the return of Q, the casting of Javier Bardem as the best Bond villain to date, the brilliant re-appearance of the Aston Martin DB5, two incredible Bond girls (one of whom will have any Bond fan grinning from ear to ear by the end of the film), Ralph Fiennes's Mallory, Thomas Newman's utterly 'Bond' soundtrack, a great story, some incredible action sequences and Judi Dench's best ever performance as M, all make this not only an unbeatable Bond film, but an utterly amazing film all round. It's almost impossible to believe that this is the follow-up to 2008 failure, Quantum of Solace. Skyfall brings back the eccentric, yet still believable, action you expect from Bond - Bond's leap from a digger into a train carriage is not a stunt likely to be forgotten any time soon and his encounter with some Komodo Dragons is a nice little nod to the Roger Moore era. Ben Whishaw is a perfect choice for Q, giving Bond some more down-to-earth gadgets ("What were you expecting, an exploding pen? We don't really go in for those anymore") and thank goodness he did - the last time we saw Q it was the Aston Martin "Vanish", something we'd all rather forget. Adele's theme tune is also the best we have had in a Bond film, set to a beautiful opening title sequence following the film's stunning first scene in Istanbul. Skyfall never lets up, taking us through the incredible sites of Shanghai, London (both over- and underground) and Bond's ancestral home, Skyfall manor, in Scotland. The film's closing scene is also just perfect as we see a return to the classic 1960s era of Bond and the gun barrel sequence comes in as the theme tune blares out. What's more, it doesn't feel wrong not having the gun barrel at the start of the film - the opening shot, set to a sting of the Bond theme, makes up for it perfectly. Aside from all these utterly Bond-esque features, Skyfall has a great story, filled with rich layers of character and depth, mixed with some utterly breathtaking action sequences, giving it the perfect blend of brains and brawn. It is, totally and utterly, the best film of 2012 and one of my favourite films of all time.


Roll on, 2013...

Dum Dum Dum Duhm D'dum Duhm D'dum

Here it is. The last of the new trilogy. The final prequel. Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

I couldn't review the last two without covering this one as well. It just wouldn't have been fair, and not least because Episode III is by far the best of the prequels. I'd even go so far as to say (and children of the 70s will want my blood for this) it's on the same level as the originals. Yes, that's right, I've just said one of the Star Wars prequels is as good as the originals! What has brought about my turn to the Dark Side? Well, it was... Anakin's turn to the Dark Side.

When looking at the originals, and even the other prequels, "dark" would probably be the last word anyone would use to describe the Star Wars films. They were fun, action-packed, sci-fi adventures. Ominous at times, perhaps, but never really dark. Until now. It was inevitable, knowing we had to make the leap from the Jedi-filled democratic galaxy of Episodes I and II to the tyrannous empire with the Jedi wiped out of Episodes IV-VI, that eventually we would experience the darkest Star Wars film. The one that saw the heroic Jedi eliminated, the Republic dismantled and - the one everyone was waiting for - Anakin Skywalker's transformation to Darth Vader.

The film opens without a sign of this darkness, as Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi lead a battle in space and through the depths of a vast command ship under the control of new villain, part droid/part alien, General Grievous. The opening sequence is full of the usual lively adventure and fun that is to be expected of a Star Wars film, save for a moment of darkness in Anakin's character as he kills the unarmed Count Dooku. After a daring battle and a crash landing, Anakin and Obi-Wan have returned to the city-covered planet of Coruscant, where Anakin is approached by Padmé, now his wife, having married in secret, and she reveals she is pregnant. It is nice to have our first reminder of where this story is going! Even in Anakin's happiness at the news, we can start to feel a little sad here - this reminder of the future is enough to jog the memory (almost forgotten in the excitement of the opening sequence) that the warm, brave, loving young hero before us is doomed to a dark fate before the end credits roll.

As the film goes on, the gradual temptation of Anakin away from the Jedi and towards the Dark Side is played out wonderfully. His frustration as he is appointed to the Jedi Council - on the request of shady Chancellor Palpatine - but not granted the rank of Jedi Master; his distrust of the council as they ask him to spy on Palpatine; and ultimately his fear of Padmé's death in childbirth, which he foresees in a dream, met with Palpatine's tale of a Dark Lord of the Sith who became so powerful he could stop people from dying. Here we start to see why we had to endure Episodes I and II - as bad as they were, they did manage to establish Anakin's character. His constantly emotional nature, his belief in his own supremacy and his love for Padmé all come into play here in creating the ultimate sci-fi Tragedy. And all the while, in the background, Palpatine is pulling each and every string in Anakin's fall to the Dark Side with magnificently sinister precision.

The moment we see Anakin turn his back on the Jedi is truly heartbreaking. Having learnt that Palpatine is Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord the Jedi have been looking for - something the audience realised as early as Episode I - Anakin  heads back to the Jedi Temple, where he tells Mace Windu - head of the council, played by the legendary Samuel L Jackson - the Chancellor's true identity. Windu orders Anakin to stay at the temple as a team of Jedi go to capture Palpatine. Alone in the Jedi Temple, Anakin realises that without Palpatine, he may lose all hope of saving Padmé. He needs the Dark Lord's help to master the power of preventing death. There is a beautiful and utterly harrowing sequence where Anakin goes to the window of the council chamber as Padmé goes to the window of her apartment, the sunset's dim golden glow lighting both of them as they look at each other across the vast distance. In this short scene, silent except for John Williams' touching score, we see the conflict in Anakin, his loyalties torn between Padmé and the Jedi, Palpatine and the Council. When he finally leaves, resolved to helping Palpatine, his fate is sealed and the movie just starts getting darker and darker. Palpatine, in conflict with the Jedi, has already killed three Council members and is locked in battle with Mace Windu. Upon his arrival, Anakin is faced with a choice between saving Windu or saving Palpatine. In his desperate need for the power Palpatine has spoken of, Anakin disarms Windu, allowing Palpatine to kill him. Now believing that he needs Palpatine to save Padmé and that the Jedi are attempting to overthrow the Republic, Anakin pledges himself to the Dark Side, under the teaching of Palpatine. Anakin is given the new name of Darth Vader.

The fall to the Dark Side is used to signify the start of the oncoming darkness - Jedi across the galaxy are killed as a secret order is given to their once loyal supporters, the Clone Troopers. We see Jedi after Jedi on far-flung planets and missions, believing they have the support of the clones, being helplessly overpowered and gunned down - another heartbreaking moment, as we witness the fall of the keepers of the peace in the Galaxy and witness a great and fair power crumble. It is even more painful to see Anakin himself not only lead the attack on the Jedi Temple, but to be the one to kill the children training to become Jedi. The deaths of the Jedi are seen not only as brutal, but overpowering - none of them had ever stood a chance, so thorough was the power Palpatine had created to destroy them.

We then come to the climax. The stunning battle on the volcanic planet of Mustafar between Anakin and Obi-Wan. The epic nature of the scene - the biggest and most impressive battle of the whole Star Wars saga - is matched only by the pain of knowing these two characters, now fighting to the death, were as close as brothers at the start of the film. The result of the fight is, of course, inevitable. It is here that Anakin is left for dead, his legs and arm severed by Obi-Wan's lightsaber. His body ignites as it is caught by the lava that fills the planet. One of the biggest emotional impacts of the film comes here, as Obi-Wan tells Anakin "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you" as Anakin is left screaming in pain and hatred on the volcanic surface.

The rest, we already know, because it has to complete the circle and bring things up to the point they are in at the start of Episode IV. But this foreknowledge does not make the impact any less emotional. Padmé dies in childbirth, telling Obi-Wan "There is still good in him". This final determination makes it so much more heartbreaking as she dies, leaving her twin children - Luke and Leia. Anakin is rebuilt, imprisoned in the black metal of Darth Vader's iconic armour. His first metallic breaths are enough to send a shiver down the spine of any fan, as is hearing Vader's deep robotic voice once again. But it's the final shot of the film that delivers the strongest emotional punch. A lonely Obi-Wan Kenobi has given Luke to his aunt and uncle on Tatooine and set off to begin a life in solitude. As Owen and Beru take the child, they stand atop the small mound outside their home and look out across the desert landscape at the setting twin suns. The shot is, of course, a beautiful mirroring of the iconic shot in Episode IV, where Luke stands in the same spot looking at the same suns setting.

Roll end credits. Cue the biggest struggle not to cry at the end of a film I have ever faced. Episode III was the first Star Wars film I saw in a cinema and when I was sat there, watching the credits roll, knowing it was the end of an era that had spanned mine and my parents' generations, it was one of the most emotional cinematic moments I had ever experienced. The sad - yet happy, with the knowledge of what was to come - ending only added to the impact. So, despite Episodes I and II and the endless and pointless remastering of the originals, with Episode III I feel I really must say thank you, George Lucas for creating the most incredible sci-fi film saga the world has ever known.

10/10 and a place as one of my all-time favourite films.

Send In The Clones

After last week's review of Star Wars Episode I, I made myself promise it would be a one-off Star Wars review and I wouldn't start going through all of them. So, naturally, here is my review of Star Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones (but I promise I won't do another title-crawl-style review, in fear the novelty of that will wear off as quickly as the novelty of Jarjar Binks).

Naturally, we enter this film full of hope. Not the "Oh boy, this has to be amazing" sort of hope, but more hoping and praying it's better than the last film. And, while still nowhere near the level of the original trilogy, what we get is definitely an improvement on The Phantom Menace. The dull space-tax quarrels are gone, replaced by a political side that is altogether more... well, political. Some people would already be crying out against politics playing a role in a Star Wars film, but I'm all for it. While more subtle, it was always there in the originals and there's definitely always been political symbolism in the films - the Empire's soldiers wore uniforms based on those of the Nazis. And the galactic politics of Episode II isn't really there for the sake of politics anyway - this is the set-up for war! Separatist star systems are breaking away from the Galactic Republic, leading to fears an army of the Republic may need to be created to aid the Jedi. It brings a welcome complexity and intelligence to the film, something that was missing from Episode I - apparently when making his first prequel, Lucas had decided that mundane money problems were an adequate substitute for a genuinely intelligent plot element.

So - plans on creating an army to aid the Jedi... the Jedi! The keepers of the peace in the old Republic, the force-using, lightsaber-wielding, fantasy heroes in a sci-fi universe are back en force and they are fantastic here! This is the first film to feature a CGI Yoda, rather than a puppet, the whole way through (unless you count Lucas's less-than-lovingly remastered 3D edition of Episode I) and they do truly make the most of it. For the first time, we see the little green Jedi Master wielding his own mini-lightsaber, and a good job he does of it too. There's something hilarious and yet thoroughly satisfying about seeing Yoda leaping through the air, yelling out and proving a competent foe for Christopher Lee's Count Dookula... sorry, Count Dooku.

Our heroes Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker return too, Obi-Wan still played fantastically by Ewan McGregor and Anakin - now 19 - played by Hayden Christensen. Christensen's acting can be a little below-par and is one of the let-downs of the film, which does heavily rely on him, though he does have his good moments, such as his anger at himself after killing Tusken Raiders. Natalie Portman returns as Padmé Amidala and has definitely improved in the role since Episode I. She seems more human, more believable here, and often steals the show in her scenes with Christensen.

There's more here for fans of the originals as well. No longer is it just fleeting references, but we're starting to see the emergence of the story that will unfold into that of Episodes IV, V and VI. The clones of the title are the first of the iconic stormtroopers from the original trilogy, and the man they have been cloned from is bounty hunter Jango Fett whose clone "son" has been named Bobba... We also see the first signs of the Empire emerging within the Republic, as the slightly-shady-and-almost-definitely-a-Sith-Lord-but-we-don't-know-that-yet Chanellor Palpatine is given emergency powers by - and I still can't quite believe this - Jarjar. It is, of course, these emergency powers that will enable the Chancellor to turn the Republic into the Empire and form the tyrannous dictatorship that will dominate and terrorise the galaxy. And now we start to realise that all of this was made possible by... Jarjar Binks.

There are still a few smaller, more fun, references to the original films - Obi-Wan asks Anakin "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" - and the film is generally successful in being more fun than Episode I, though perhaps not quite as much as IV, V and VI. There are certain sequences that only get worse with time - the speeder chase, which I loved when I first saw as a child, but is now spoilt by some bad acting and general stupidity; and the sequence inside the droid factory on Geonosis - the more you watch it, the more ridiculous and pointless the machinery starts to look. But you'd have to be utterly heartless not to love the epic battle that breaks out between hundreds of Jedi against even more battle droids in the Geonosis arena, with Jango Fett and some giant beasts joining the fray.

John Williams's score is - as ever - absolutely wonderful. No matter which Star Wars film you watch, you can be sure of an incredible soundtrack, thanks to Williams. I honestly believe the Star Wars films have the best music in cinema history and that's not just the theme tune. Here, in Episode II, we have the tremendous track Across the Stars accompanying the growing romance between Anakin and Padmé and hints of Darth Vader's iconic theme tune The Imperial March as Palpatine overlooks his new clone army and when Anakin starts to show signs of anger and hatred. Any fan of the originals will feel a shiver down their spine and a smile on their face at the sound of this tune.

Overall then, the film is a vast improvement on The Phantom Menace, but is still let down by some bad acting, the poor construction of some major scenes, and the presence - and apparently enormous significance - of Jarjar Binks (I mean, really, Lucas? JARJAR - the creator of the Galactic Empire?! You can't even say his name without your sentence losing all credibility!). The film's not great, but it is a bit of fun and perhaps part of its failure is merely down to having such high standards to live up to from the original trilogy. Still, it leaves the field set for Episode III, which we know is to be the last Star Wars film. And we know it is going to be big...

An Even Longer Time Ago...

A slightly longer time ago in a galaxy that's still far, far away...

Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic republic. Unfortunately, it has also engulfed the Star Wars films in the form of a menacing new evil - the prequels.

The GALACTIC EMPEROR George Lucas, in a desperate bid to make more money from what was the greatest sci-fi film series of all time, has decided to revisit the series and bring us the story of the dark lord Darth Vader's rise to power and fall to the Dark Side. While this shocking move may add a whole new level of depth to the Sith Lord, Emperor Lucas has delivered it in a style that is sure to disappoint fans of the originals everywhere.

With this first chapter in the new saga, we meet Anakin Skywalker - the soon-to-be Vader - as a child on the planet of Tatooine. Unfortunately, we also meet Jarjar Binks, an irritating CGI alien with the terrifying power to take away credibility from all who surround him. Even Liam Neeson. The situation worsens as we also meet Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala, yet we fail to meet a single sign of her acting talent.

A plot revolving heavily around taxes in space, rather than focussing on the story of young Skywalker, does little to help to the already desperate situation - what little we are given of Skywalker's story seems rushed and shoe-horned in. The Jedi Council's prophecy of a Chosen One remains cloaked in mystery, as Emperor Lucas entirely fails to explain what it means.

But all is not lost and the film still has its redeeming features. The two Jedi Knights, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor (Qui Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi respectively), do a fantastic job here, their abundance of talent coming to the daring rescue of the general lack of talent elsewhere in this film. The red-and-black faced, horn-headed, Sith apprentice Darth Maul is also a welcome feature, providing a savage, menacing and stony-faced villain to our excellent heroes. The appearance of familiar characters R2-D2, C3PO and Jabba the Hutt, also promise to offer some salvation to despairing fans.

Following this film, you would be forgiven for wanting two Jedi Knights secretly dispatched to remove Emperor Lucas, but fear not! While this film is truly the Dark Side of the Star Wars franchise, it's all up-hill from here. Episode III actually turns out to be quite good...

The Future's Dark...

Looper is the new sci-fi crime thriller with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) and yesteryear's action star, Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Armageddon). The central ingredient to the film's plot is time travel, so you all know what that means - anybody who complained about not understanding The Terminator, Back to the Future, or any of the recent series of Doctor Who, please leave now!

One of the fantastic things about time travel in Looper, however, is that the film uses the idea that if time travel will ever exist, we would already know - someone would have come back in time to tell us. The film opens with a voice-over from Levitt's Joe, telling us that "time travel hasn't been invented yet, but 30 years from now it will be." His job as a looper is to kill the mob's victims, sent back from the future using outlawed time travel. The mob in the future don't have to worry about the (nearly impossible) task of disposing of the body and the loopers in the film's 'present day' (the year 2044) can't be tried for murder because the people they kill are technically still alive. The job, however, comes with a catch. When it's decided a looper's contract is to be closed, they have to "close the loop" - kill their own future self. This concept is explored in beautifully dark tones in the film. Closing their loop gets a looper a golden pay-day, which is enough to help them set up a new life, and this is treated as a reason for celebration in the city's nightclubs. We see a montage of party after party celebrating loops being closed with rounds of drinks, and you can't help but feel a little sick at the sight of people so uncaring for themselves, so money-hungry, that they see the day of their own death - their own suicide, in a weird, time-travelling way - as a cause for unrefined celebration, filling themselves with drugs and alcohol.

Drug abuse is one of the topics touched on lightly in the film, with the use of a futuristic substance administered through eye-drops. There's a cleverness to this - drugs distort the user's perception of reality, so it seems fitting to have them taken directly into the eyes, literally changing characters' vision of the world. There's a sequence - unsettling, though fantastic - where we see the world as Levitt's character experiences it when under the influence. The effect is created through mixing standard shots with those captured on a wide-angle lens, combining POV shots with close-ups of a wide-eyed Levitt and muffling and distorting ambient sounds. The final result is to create a sense of disconnection from the reality of the film, trapping us inside the same drug-induced prison that the character of Joe is in.

Things start to go awry when Joe's friend and fellow-looper Seth has to close his loop. Victims have their heads bagged and are usually killed instantly, so there's no chance of knowing when your loop has been closed until you collect your payment and find it in plates of gold rather than silver. Seth's victim, however, appears singing a song that he recognises from childhood. Knowing the man he is meant to kill is himself, Seth allows his future self to escape (called "letting your loop run"). The film's most horrific moment comes when we find out what happens to Loopers who refuse to close their loop - and it's far more horrific for their future selves...

A few days later, Joe's latest target arrives. But, unlike most victims, he's unbound and his head is un-bagged. He escapes, leaving behind a few golden plates - Joe's future self (played by Willis) was the target and his escape puts Joe on the run from the mob. After we see his daring escape from the men sent to kill him, we see Joe's last assignment again. And this is where things get strange...

This time, the victim is bound in the usual manner. Joe kills him, collects the golden payment that's attached to the body and, realising he has killed his future self, goes about living his life. We see a montage, going through the years of his life as he grows into his future self (involving a painful shot of Bruce Willis in the most terrible black wig you will ever see) and eventually we come to the day when he is sent back to be killed by his past self. Keeping up? He overpowers his captors and, hoping to change the past to save his wife - killed by the men who captured him - goes back in time of his own accord. This leads to the first sequence we saw, where he arrives unbound and escapes his past self's attempt to kill him.

Levitt's Joe and Willis's Joe don't exactly hit it off when they meet - Joe from 2044 is angry at Joe from 2074 for forcing him to go on the run. He doesn't view his future self as the same person as himself and doesn't care about meeting the woman who he is told will become his wife. He's quite happy to give up the life he is told he will love and create a new future. Joe 2074, however, is determined to stop his wife being killed, which means stopping his own bosses coming after him. To do that, he's hoping to kill the child who will become 'the Rainmaker' - the mob boss of the future who is closing all the loops.

The film might seem like a bit of complicated sci-fi action on the surface then, but it does go deeper than that. A range of ethical and moral issues are explored here - are we really the same people our whole lives if we progress and change with time? If you knew a child would grow into someone terrible, could you bring yourself to kill that child? How far is anyone willing to go to protect a loved one?

The film is deliciously complex, which I personally adore - it requires the audience to think and work things out rather than just sit back and watch. It's a hard-hitter as well, dealing with some very graphic and some very difficult themes, creating a wonderfully dark and gritty atmosphere with an overall tone that feels like a fantastic blend of blockbuster and indie movie. The ending is a little predictable, though powerful nonetheless, and there are times when you think it would have been fun to explore the possibilities of time travel a bit more, but overall the film is stunning and a satisfying look into the darkest parts of a Dystopian future - 9/10.

Absolutely Marvel-ous!

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative."

Ever since Samuel L Jackson first appeared as Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, and spoke those words after the credits of Iron Man, Marvel fans had been buzzing for the arrival of The Avengers. No longer was the film just a fantastical rumour on the internet - it was official, it was happening and it had been announced through the absolutely perfect casting of Samuel L Jackson as his comic book doppelganger, Nick Fury.

The wait was a long one - for the next four years the film was merely hinted at in the endings to The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man 2. Then came Captain America: The First Avenger, which ended with a trailer for the upcoming Avengers movie. Even from this early glimpse, the signs were promising.

Then 2012 arrived and in April, The Avengers (released as Avengers Assemble in the UK) finally hit cinema screens. Fans were not disappointed.

The big shots at Marvel and Disney went all out on this one. Anyone who thought Disney's purchase of Marvel Studios would spell disaster for the superhero films was instantly silenced in the opening sequence. We open in deep space on an impressive floating complex of asteroids, which house a sleek space-age throne room, lit by an ominous electric blue glow. On top of this, the voice-over of an alien foretelling the destruction that is about to befall Earth. From this, we cut to an establishing shot of SHIELD's vast base set into a mountainous landscape, a helicopter flying overhead. Jackson's Nick Fury is quick to come marching onto the scene and into the towering chamber that houses the Tesseract - an alien cube used to open a gateway to the other end of the universe. It is in this chamber that Loki - god of mischief and villain of the piece, first seen in 2011's Thor - makes his first dramatic appearance, stealing the cube and taking over the minds of several SHIELD members, including expert archer and Avenger-to-be Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye. The opening sequence ends with a dramatic explosion, destroying the entire SHIELD base. The film is off to a high-octane start of epic proportions. And it just keeps getting better.

Following the titles we start to meet our Avengers - Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, making an action-packed escape from an interrogation; Bruce Banner (AKA the Hulk), now played by Mark Ruffalo, the third man to take on the role since 2003's Hulk and by far the best; the first Avenger himself, Steve Rogers/Captain America, played once again by Chris Evans; and the genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark (AKA Iron Man), played by the legendary Robert Downey Jr.  These first Avengers are gathered, all but Stark making it to SHIELD's impressive floating Helicarrier base. We later meet Thor, god of thunder and brother of Loki, in an intense forest battle against Iron Man. Here we see sci-fi pitted against fantasy in a fight that sets the boundary-breaking all-out superheroic tone of the film.

All of the Avengers are finally united, though a little uneasily, back on SHIELD's Helicarrier. The heroes distrust of SHIELD eventually turns to distrust of each other and it is in a heated argument between them that Loki's brainwashed soldiers attack the flying SHIELD base. We are treated to the first truly epic battle of the  film as Thor takes on the Hulk - who is far more powerful and destructive here than we have ever seen the jolly jade giant before - Black Widow takes on the possessed Hawkeye, and Iron Man and Captain America work together to save the damaged Helicarrier and fight off Loki's forces. Here we see the less-than-assembled Avengers in action, as we intercut between each of the individual battles making up the larger conflict. The result of this fight (other than leaving the audience utterly blown away) is a fractured team, separated and hurt by the loss of a friend at SHIELD...

But the heroes' A-game is still to come. As Loki uses the Tesseract to unleash his alien army, the Chitauri, upon Earth, the Avengers assemble in New York. The unveiling of Iron Man's new armour - the 'Mark Seven' - is an impressive opening to the film's battle royale, but even more impressive is Banner's entrance. The good doctor has just arrived and is walking towards one of the Chitauri's giant flying metal monsters, as he reveals his secret to the rest of the team  - he's "always angry". With this revelation, he turns back into his muscle-bound green alter-ego and, with a single punch, brings down the 50ft metal beast. After this, we have the hero shot of the Avengers, all together at last, the camera tracking around the gathered superheroes. This defining shot is typical of Joss Whedon's amazing directing throughout - the camera is rarely kept still, dynamic shots often in use to emphasise the constant movement and action within them as well as to make the audience feel as though they are present in the world of the film.

The Avengers then is the definitive superhero movie. The genre has been increasingly popular over the last few years and in this epic, bringing together four of Earth's mightiest heroes (and two not-so-mighty ones!), the superhero film has found its peak. So does this mean superhero movies from now on will forever be living in The Avengers' shadow? Will another film of this scale ever grace our cinema screens? I certainly believe the only way would be for Marvel's best and bravest to unite once again. And if you're wondering about the chances of that happening, just stick around after the credits start to roll...

Oh, grow up, 007...

"The name's Bond - James Bond." The immortal line uttered, in this instance, by Pierce Brosnan for the last time. Die Another Day was the twentieth film in the official Eon Productions James Bond series and Brosnan's fourth and final. Looking back now, it seems it was the perfect time for Brosnan to bow out and to take the series' ever-growing silliness with him. Whilst Die Another Day is still largely an enjoyable film, it was edging dangerously on the ridiculous. The film contained several outlandish sci-fi elements that, although would have been welcome in a film that had placed itself firmly in the sci-fi genre, seem painfully out of place here in Bond - particularly when comparing D.A.D to the origins of the series in both Fleming's novels and Connery's early films. Dr No and From Russia With Love were films set solidly in the real world of espionage. Even when the plots became more fantastical in Goldfinger and Thunderball, the technology used (yes, even the giant laser!) was real. So it is no wonder that many a Bond fan has cringed at the sight (or lack of it, perhaps) of the invisible Aston Martin that features in Die Another Day.

"Aston Martin called it the Vanquish, we call it the Vanish" explains Q. If only the filmmakers could go back and make that car vanish completely. But the invisible Vanquish was by no means the most ridiculous part of this film and so I find it odd that it's the one that is most scrutinised by the fans. The idea of using tiny cameras to create the illusion of invisibility was almost (though not quite) believable -unlike the electrocuting robo-suit worn by the film's villain, Graves. There is a place in cinema for cyborg-style armour, and James Bond is not it. This wasn't helped by the fact that the suit seemed to have little purpose in the plot, other than controlling Graves's satellite - something that could perhaps more easily and more believably been done by a computer.

But other than seeing 007 vs the Metal Man and not seeing 007's car for half the time it was in use, the film remains thoroughly entertaining. The infamous one-liners of the series are here in force, as we see Bond reacting to a pursuer knocked out by a clock tower bell with "Saved by the bell". Later, when meeting Mr Kil, Bond tells him he has "a name to die for". Fans of Fleming's novels will enjoy Bond adopting cover as an ornithologist - Fleming took the name James Bond from a real life ornithologist. And for the first time we see Q not played by Desmond Llewelyn (who had played the role since 1963's From Russia With Love), but by the incredible talent that is former Monty Python member John Cleese. Though Cleese had made his debut in The World Is Not Enough (the last Bond flick before D.A.D) as Q's assistant, this was his first time going solo in the role. And it is truly a disappointment not to see him returning for next month's Skyfall, even if his Q wouldn't have been the best match for Daniel Craig's more serious Bond. Cleese's Q is sharp-witted, irritable and immensely entertaining. Bond's line to him about "a flesh wound" is almost certainly a reference to Cleese's famous performance as the Black Knight in his Python film, The Holy Grail and one that's as sure to put a smile on fans' faces as Q's retort - "There's always an excuse, isn't there, Double-O-Zero!"

So all in all Die Another Day is a fun Bond film and probably one of Brosnan's best, if you can overlook some of its more ridiculous features. The move to the more serious tone that came with 2006's Casino Royale was perfectly timed, seeing Brosnan out on a high before the film's increasingly unbelievable sci-fi elements could take over the franchise. Madonna's awful attempt at a theme tune and almost equally awful attempt at acting also took the shine off a bit, but for some stunning action sequences and Brosnan's fantastic final performance, I would give this film a 007/10.

Dismissed, Mr Brosnan.