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Movie Review

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3″ pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds.  When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible.  With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him.  As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him, does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Phase 2 of Marvel Studios set of movies begins with the awesome Iron Man 3 and instead of making it bigger and better than the Avengers, they went totally the other way and made it a personal story for Tony.  After the alien invasion in the last film, Tony is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and instead of talking about it, he does what he does best and makes more and more Iron Man suits and tech for them.

There is a new foe in the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and he strikes a near fatal blow right into the heart of Tony’s world.  This strips him of everything except his intellect which brings a new dimension to the story and his character.  Director Shane Black, making his first big budget film, takes the reigns of this franchise and injects new life into it with his own flair for sardonic wit alongside pulsing action which makes the flick breath-taking to behold.

The cast are superb with Downey Jr. on flying form as always, his quick wit and comic timing is of huge pulling power for the audience to like his character and sympathise with him.  There is a buddy cop element too with Stark teaming up with his buddy, James Rhodes/ War Machine (Don Cheadle), in some of the action scenes, these add much needed dimension to both roles.  Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) has an even bigger role than the last two films and even gets to don the suit.  Newcomers Guy Pierce and Rebecca Hall give good support while Ben Kingsley is utterly mesmerising as the Mandarin but to say any more about any of these new characters would ruin the movie.

There is so much to love in this movie with some genuinely attention-grabbing and original twists that you’ll never see coming, the action builds to a breathless peak that will see fans jumping in the seats with joy.  I did have one major issue with the film which took me out of the film for about 10/15 minutes but it regained its footing and blew the roof off the cinema with its geek pleasing eye candy, also don’t forget, like all Marvel movies, to stay till the end of the credits.

Kudos to Marvel for taking a different take on the character, for hiring a director with no proven track record in these types of movies but knew he’d pull it off and the fans would agree but overall thanks to Marvel for continuing to bring the comic book experience to the big screen, let’s just hope they can get Robert Downey Jr. back for more.

‘Iron Man 3′ is out in cinemas now.

James Stevenson, Insomniac’s Senior Community Manager wrote:

“One of the biggest questions we’ve gotten in the last few years is “When are you going to make a Ratchet & Clank movie?” The truth is, we’ve wanted to do a movie for a long time! Ratchet & Clank’s action, humor and galaxy-spanning adventures have really been the basis for a fantastic game series, and we think it’d translate perfectly to the big screen.”

The script will be penned by the same writer behind the videogames, T.J. Fixman, so you can expect the same high level of storytelling that the series is known for.

The announcement came with the following first-glimpse trailer:

Movie Review

Four twenty-something’s try to get their friend off drugs by going cold turkey out in a remote cabin.  When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.

The horror remake bandwagon continues with this updating of the Sam Raimi classic from 1982.  Thankfully Raimi decided to oversee this effort and handed the reigns over to first time feature director Fede Alvarez, after he pitched a unique twist on the original.  That twist, for the most part, is that the person who is possessed is going through cold turkey and the others thing it’s just part of what happens.  It is a subtle change which brings added gravity to the situation and brings it up to date as well.

Once the book of the dead is opened and its passage read, the movie kicks into high gear, it ratchets up the tension and gore to new levels of gruesomeness.  Faces are cut, limbs are amputated and blood is everywhere, literally, which is what most people will be going to see this movie for anyway.

The cast are passable at best but the central character of Mia, played by Jane Levy, is absolutely superb as the addict who gets more than she bargained for when she tries to kick the habit.  She is relentless in the movie, bringing sweetness and malice to a solid role.  While first time director Fede Alvarez shows that he can play with the big boys and deliver a stunningly visual and genuinely gory flick.

Things that i disliked were the utter stupidity of some of the characters actions, one of them keeps coming back after a good few deathly encounters which is a little beyond belief, even for horror movies.  The sound mix and music are very muddled throughout, I’ve listen to the score on its own and it’s a chilling listen but it is practically inaudible in the movie.

This is probably the best horror remake so far but that isn’t saying much with what has come before, i think horror fans will love it and Evil Dead fans will, at least, tolerate it but it is a step in the right direction.  Also Evil Dead fans should stay till the end of the credits for a little surprise too.

‘Evil Dead’ is out in cinemas now.

Movie Review

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.  Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage).  Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever, Gollum (Andy Serkis).  Here, alone with Gollum, he gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

This new trilogy of movies has had a treacherous time coming to the big screen, with legal wrangling, that went on for years, making original director Guillermo del Toro move on, it fell to Peter Jackson to jump back into the world of Middle-Earth and make these films a reality.  Then there was the backlash of shooting in 3D but not just any old 3D but a new technology which doubled the frame rate to 48, this was said to give a smoother image and to make the 3D not look as jarring.  Then there was the decision to split the book into two movies and then with only a few months before the first movies release it was decided that there’d be three films, making it a brand new trilogy.

So fans and moviegoers were excited but apprehensive to say the least, i seen the movie in both 48 and 24 frames per second 3D and both have their advantages and disadvantages but what it really comes down to is the movie any good.  The short answer is yes and no, it’s great to get back into middle-earth again but it stays too close to the ‘Fellowship of the Ring’s’ structure which makes the majority of the movie feel like a re-tread.  There also seems to be no definitive baddy or goal to attain, well there is one, but not on the scale of the previous trilogy.  This makes the movie feel trivial and not care about the characters as much.  Jackson seems to fall back into this world again quite easily but i think it suffers with its length, where some parts could have been trimmed and others feel rushed over.

All that being said there are some good aspects to the film, it looks stunning and the sound is breath-taking, Howard Shore returns to give another memorable score too.  The visual effects, as you would expect, are top notch and the production design is superb.  The cast, for the most part, are memorable with Martin Freeman being born to play this role, he brings new dimensions to an already well known character and it’s his journey that’ll bring me back for the next two movies.  Ian McKellen again is at home when playing Gandalf and it’s great that we get more of the playful wizard rather than the stoic Gandalf the White from the original trilogy.  The gang of dwarves are glossed over with only the leader, played by Richard Armitage, getting any kind of characterisation but he comes off as Aragon-lite, this band of grumpy fellows should come into their own though in the rest of the films.  Lastly, Andy Serkis is back as Gollum for an extended cameo and its in this scene, the best of the whole movie, where you see what’s great and terrible about it.  On one hand it’s a stunning scene but then it reminds you of what made the original trilogy so good, let’s hope the next two movies build upon this one and make it better.

Video Presentation

The ‘The Hobbit’ was shot at a high frame rate of 48fps, it was, and still is, quite the controversy.  Personally, i didn’t find it too irritating but had my concerns about how this new frame rate would translate to Blu-ray since it has to be converted to the traditional 24fps in order for home viewers to enjoy.  I’m happy to report though that I noticed little to no difference whatsoever than if it were shot at the standard frame rate, although I must say the video does seem slightly smoother.  In fact, the 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode looks utterly fantastic and rather remarkable in some areas.  Panning and action sequences are uniform and ultra-slick, not even the smallest hint of motion judder, which would be expected in such instances.  Filmed entirely on a Red Epic camera system, the 2.40:1 image also displays a dazzlingly bold and colorful palette, even if the cinematography seems to favor the teal & orange aesthetic.  Black levels are true and inky, penetrating deep into the screen with luxurious gradations, while shadow details remain plain and sharply delineated. It’s a splendid, demo-worthy high-def presentation fans will really enjoy.

Audio Presentation

The ‘Unexpected Journey’ also debuts with an explosive, reference-quality DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that will give any system a healthy workout.  Starting in the front soundstage, the mid-range is amazingly extensive and broad, exhibiting the smallest detail with superb, crystal-clear clarity.  In action sequences, the upper ranges are precise and distinct, giving each roaring yell and clash of metal upon metal extraordinary intelligibility.  The design also comes with a powerful and robust low-end that extends far back into the room and rattles walls on several occasions.  Rear activity is also filled with more excitement, as subtle ambient effects play almost non-stop throughout the film’s runtime.  Howard Shore’s music bleeds into the back channels and envelops viewers with exhilaration, making this a marvelous and highly-satisfying lossless mix audiophiles will absolutely love.

Extras

The extras on this set are great but unfortunately they’ve been available for months on the internet so i’ve had to mark it down a bit.  They are extensive but if you’ve seen them already like i had then they’re redundant, hopefully the inevitable extended edition will boast a more extensive and exhaustive set of extras.

New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth — Travel with Peter Jackson and his crew through the various shooting locations across the New Zealand landscape and hear how they were transformed to represent Middle-earth.

Video Blogs — A collection of ten production videos which were originally made available through the internet.  Mostly hosted by director Peter Jackson, each featurette covers various aspects of the production with tons of BTS footage and interviews with cast and crew.  One video touches on the decision to film in 3D, a few focuses on shooting locations, another provides a tour of the production stage, and it all finishes with a red-carpet premiers in Wellington.

Trailers — Along with six theatrical previews, fans can enjoy three more trailers for videogames based on the mythology and film series.

This film feels more like a part 1 rather than a stand alone movie, which is how the ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ felt to me, so is harder to get into and see where it is going.  I’m still excited to see what the next two films bring as i hope they’ll give us a totally different story rather than a retread which is how this film felt.

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ is out on Blu-Ray 3D, Blu-Ray and DVD now.

Hilco CEO Paul McGowan said:

“We have spent a number of weeks negotiating revised terms with landlords and the key suppliers to the business, all of whom have been supportive of our plans to maintain an entertainment retailer on the High Street.

“We hope to replicate some of the success we have had in the Canadian market with the HMV Canada business which we acquired almost two years ago and which is now trading strongly. The structural differences in the markets and the higher level of competition in the UK will prove additional challenges for the UK business but we believe it has a successful future ahead of it.”

HMV closed its Irish operations in February, making 300 employees redundant. The press release also mentions plans to acquire some of those stores:

“Hilco has also confirmed that it is in negotiations with a number of landlords with a view to re-establishing an HMV business in the Republic of Ireland after Receivers there closed the business shortly after their appointment.”

]]> http://www.techtv101.com/games-reviews_hilco-acquires-hmv-uk/feed 0 http://www.techtv101.com/movies_21-and-over-trailer http://www.techtv101.com/movies_21-and-over-trailer#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:15:00 +0000 Bonzothebuzz http://www.techtv101.com/?p=22345

On the eve of an important medical school interview, straight-A college student Jeff Chang (JUSTIN CHON) is surprised by his two best friends, ambitious Casey (SKYLAR AUSTIN) and party-loving Miller (MILES TELLER), who take him out to celebrate his 21st birthday. What was supposed to be a quick beer becomes a night of humiliation, chaos, over indulgence and utter debauchery.

’21 And Over’ is out in cinemas on May 3rd.

This Is The End

Starring James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson, this one is shaping up to be another hilarious hit from the makers of Pineapple Express.

Here’s the Red Band trailer:

An official second trailer for Iron Man 3 was released yesterday. Although trailers can often be misleading the movie seems to be moving in a much darker direction than the previous two films. From the trailer, we gather that Tony Stark faces some sort of dilemma that has his private life at odds with his life as the super-hero, Iron Man. He then faces his toughest foe yet: The Madarin.

Robert Downey Jr. returns to the roll of Tony Stark/Iron Man, of course, along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine. New stars include Guy Pearce who takes on the roll of nano-technology scientist, Aldrich Killian, and Ben Kingsley who portrays The Madarin.

Iron Man 3 goes on general release in Ireland on April 25th. The first trailer, from October, can be viewed below.

Adam Hamdy, the creator of Pulp, told the BBC:

“Where they would have been released straight to DVD, the opportunities for doing that have really declined. Retailers have gone out of business because of the threat of piracy and because of legitimate digital downloading. There has been a decline in the middle to lower budget tier of films that used to get made.”

The large costs of releasing a movie in the cinema, including marketing, was also a key factor in why they chose to release via Xbox Live instead.

Pulp is available now in High Definition from 1090 MSP or in Standard Definition from 1000 MSP.

Sources: BBC, Joystiq, Pulp Official Website

Hilco, the UK company that owns the Canadian branches of HMV, has put forward a second offer for the UK operations of the company. This follows rumours over the last few weeks that Hilco was going to make a move to save what remains of HMV after it went into adminstration last month closing it’s Irish stores and making 300 staff redundant.

However, if Hilco is successful in it’s acquisition and takes over the 130 or so remaining UK outlets, it will still face having to pay off the crippling rental costs that are due soon with many of it’s landlords refusing to give HMV room to maneuver on payments.

Whether or not Hilco is successful in bringing the company back from the brink in the UK remains to be seen but we’ve our fingers crossed for the Irish stores as well.

Source: MCV UK

Movie Review

After R (Nicholas Hoult), a highly unusual zombie, saves Julie (Teresa Palmer) from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.

Taking its lead from ‘Shaun of the Dead’, this romantic zombie comedy for the Twilight generation is a delight from start to finish.  This flick is not just for the boys as the romance is as good as any other romantic comedy, a perfect date movie if ever i saw one.  It starts slow bringing us into this world, never telling us how most people became zombies, but once R takes Julie it springboards the film into gear. Their affection for eachother is never forced and feels genuinely touching.  It also speaks to the high tech relience we have in today’s society and that we are the zombies of today, which is an interesting insight.

Writer/Director Jonathan Levine (50/50) is a brings alot of new ideas to the tired zombie film and is a talent we sohuld watch out for in the future.  The soundtrack is a glorious listen too, pumping out classic tunes for Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Guns N’Roses, it will definitley be one to buy when it is released.

The cast are superb, no one does a bad job with Nicholas Hoult falling nicely into the leading mad role after starting off in ‘About A Boy’ and a supporting role in ‘X-Men: First Class’, he is going from strength to strength here, also watch out for him in ‘Jack The Giant Slayer’ in March.  Teresa Palmer is another young up and coming star in the making and is great as the woman of R’s affections.  John Malkovich and Rob Corddry round out the supporting cast and asre also excellent.

This is a fun, imaginative and heartwarming film that is a must see for anyone who enjoys these two genres, a perfect film for Valentine’s too.

‘Warm Bodies’ is out in cinemas now.

Movie Review

A hit man (Sylvester Stallone) and a New York cop team up to get revenge on the killers who murdered their partners, and uncover a lucrative conspiracy while blasting their way through the New Orleans underworld.

This is the start of the 80′s movie star comeback which is happening in the next few weeks at the cinemas, both Arnold and Bruce care back too.  First out of the gates though is this total 80′s action movie throw back.  Its story of revenge and redemption is a long standing one and here it stays just the right side of cheese.

Director Walter Hill can do this type of movie in his sleep; thankfully he kept his eyes open this time around.  His direction is subtle in its movement and look but exaggerated in its dialogue and action.  It’s a slow burner of a movie which takes its time setting up the characters and has punctuations of ultra-violence, finishing off with a stunning mano-a-mano fight between Stallone and Jason Momoa.

Stallone is in his element as the no nonsense James Bonomo, great 80′s action character name too.  Sung Kang plays his partner of sorts and has some good scenes but he never really convinces as the character as his acting is sub-par throughout.  Adewale  Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays the villain who has a bad guy limp and cane plus he spits venomous dialogue at every opportunity.  Christian Slater has a great cameo as the money man but it’s Jason Momoa from ‘Game of Thrones’ fame who is the biggest revelation, he is genuinely menacing and can act too.

The only bad points are the above mention acting from Sung Kang but there’s also the constant cityscape shots between scenes with a Jazz saxophone wailing which gets repetitive very fast, other than that though this is a solid action flick which all Stallone fans will like.

‘Bullet to the Head’ is out in cinemas now.

Movie Review

In 1865, as the American Civil War winds inexorably toward conclusion, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) endeavours to achieve passage of the landmark constitutional amendment which will forever ban slavery from the United States.  However, his task is a race against time, for peace may come at any time, and if it comes before the amendment is passed, the returning southern states will stop it before it can become law. Lincoln must, by almost any means possible, obtain enough votes from Congress before it is too late.  As the nation confronts its conscience over the freedom of its entire population, Lincoln faces his own crisis of conscience, end slavery or end the war.

Steven Spielberg has been trying to make this movie for over a decade now, his preferred choice for Lincoln was always Daniel Day-Lewis but when he passed on it he turned to Liam Neeson.  Back then it was a more sprawling epic which spanned Lincoln’s whole life, Spielberg continued to tweak the script but could never get it to his liking, Neeson moved on and the Day-Lewis came back into the picture.  They focused the film to encompass the last few months of his life and his struggle to get slavery abolished but in doing this they made a bold choice but a welcome one.

By focusing their efforts we really get under the skin of the tall man, the inner workings of democracy and the politics behind every law that has happened before and since in the great United States of America.  This is no flashy film with epic battles of the civil war but more a character driven stage play filmed with the biggest budget imaginable and production values all stage directors aspire to.  This is its biggest advantage and disadvantage, as it makes you concentrate more on what’s going on, as the politics sway each way, but it can be a hard struggle if you’re not paying attention either as you don’t get a breather from the back room dealings.

As always the movie looks and sounds stunning, Janusz Kaminski’s photography is breath-taking, working with Spielberg for the last 20 years, he just never repeats himself with the look and feel of the picture.  Sound Designer Ben Burtt, of Star Wars fame, went back and found all of Lincoln’s memorabilia from the era plus went to the White House and got sound effects from the actual Lincoln room so it would be authentic.  Composer John Williams brings us yet another rousing elegant score which he never fails to deliver.

Daniel Day-Lewis can really do no wrong and has been nominated again for an academy award which is well deserved.  Other notable actors are Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader and Sally Field, although the cast is vast and on flying form, these three are the pick of the film, beside Day-Lewis.  Each of them only have a few scenes but they inform their characters with zest and emotional weight that you feel everything they say and do.

The only bad points is the side plot revolving around Lincoln’s eldest son, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and his eagerness to join the civil war plus Spielberg spends ten minutes too long on the ending.  There is a satisfactory and stunning ending in the film but it doesn’t finish there, this is becoming a common flaw in a lot of movies these days where they don’t know where to end, Spielberg has had a few films like this over the last decade and it doesn’t need it.

Nominated for the most Oscars this year and come the big night it should get a good few of them too, with Daniel Day-Lewis being a shoe in for Best Actor.  So minor quibbles aside, this is a stunning, riveting and historical film which should be seen on the big screen.

‘Lincoln’ is out in cinemas now.

Movie Review

Former dentist, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), buys the freedom of a slave, Django (Jamie Foxx), and trains him with the intent to make him his deputy bounty hunter.  Instead, he is led to the site of Django’s wife who is under the hands of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a ruthless plantation owner.

After the mis-step that was ‘Death Proof’ and the genre bending ‘Inglorious Basterds’, Quentin Tarantino is back with another triumph of cinema.  Taking its main element from the spaghetti westerns of old, he brings us a ‘Southern’ as he likes to call it.  It’s a simple story of revenge and rescue but with Tarantino’s words and liking for uber-violence, it’s a cowboy movie turned up to 11.

A lot has been said about the violence in his movies over the years but here it is over the top, bordering on cartoon violence with gunshots going off like they were fired from a bazooka rather than a handgun.  The question of slavery is another hot topic which many thought Tarantino would tarnish or gloss over in some way but that is very far from the actual fact, it’s handled in the best possible way and makes its audience think not only about the injustices of that time but of what’s going on in the world today.

Instead of going with a normal western style score, the director infuses the movie with contemporary made tracks along with music from other westerns which he loves.  This shouldn’t really work but it does, he also got maestro Ennio Morricone to write an original piece for it as well.  The look of the film is stunning with a gritty lived in feel contrasting the over the top violence and characters.

The cast, as in all Tarantino movies, are stunning.  I’m actually glad Will Smith turned down the central character as he would have been a distraction playing the main character, Jamie Foxx lives and breathes this vengeful man with every fibre of his being.  Christoph Waltz is great but he seems to be just playing a good version of his character from ‘Inglorious Basterds’ which is not a bad thing considering he won an Oscar for it but his awards nominations this year don’t add up compared to DiCaprio and Jackson performances.  The two formally mentioned actors are on top of their game in this flick, with Leo finally playing a villain and relishing it, in one scene he actually cuts his hand and continues going, even making it work within the scene, now that’s method.  Samuel L. Jackson is just lost in the role, with him not looking like himself and playing the part with a squinty eyed vigour of someone clued into everything.

It’s not all praise though as the first 2 hours are stunning but where it should come to an end, it sadly doesn’t, and it puts on the brakes and takes a roundabout way to get to its conclusion.  I can see the reason in it but Tarantino doesn’t quite pull it off, especially because he plays one of the characters in this latter section.  Besides that though this is a continuation of the stellar work from his last film and hopefully he can make one like these every two years now instead of waiting longer.

‘Django Unchained’ is out in cinemas now.

Movie Review

When Bond’s (Daniel Craig) latest assignment goes gravely wrong and several undercover agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked, forcing M (Judi Dench) to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee.  With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust, James Bond.  007 takes to the shadows, aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris), following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

Celebrating the franchises 50th anniversary and coming off the lacklustre ‘Quantum of Solace’, this 23rd entry in the Bond canon as a lot to live up to, thankfully it does with flair and could possibly be the best of them all.  Hiring Sam Mendes was a great step in making this a grounded, more character driven piece.  I know Bond fans had to wait an extra-long time because of the MGM bankruptcy a few years ago but i think this has helped this film refine itself into a well-rounded and possibly game changing film.

This new Bond flick is a standalone film, rather than continuing the story arc from ‘Casino Royale and ‘Quantum Of Solace’, which proves to be a superb thing as Bond goes through a lot in this film, essentially breaking down his character to then rebuild him again, just like Bruce Wayne in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.

Daniel Craig is James Bond now, with many not thinking he could do it originally, here he cements his standing alongside his predecessors with a character who must dig deep within himself to overcome the obstacles he encounters.  Judi Dench can’t do anything wrong in any movie and her portrayal of M, especially in this film, will be the benchmark for many bond movies to come.

Newcomers to the franchise, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Albert Finney all have stellar scenes throughout with the main love interest, Severine, played by Berenice Marlohe, having an especially spellbinding couple of scenes and is a revelation.  The standout though is Javier Bardem, who is just mesmerising as Silva, he doesn’t appear till halfway through but when he does you can’t take your eyes off him.  Playfully messing with Bond and M in equal measure, he truly is the best Bond villain in a long time and I’d like to see him, at least, Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor next year.

The film sizzles with awe inspiring visuals courtesy of cinematographer Roger Deakins, terrifyingly original and amazing action scenes with stunt coordinator Chris Corbould bringing out the best in his team.  It’s incredibly well edited by Stuart Baird, who has had a stunning career and is one of the best in the business while the iconic music is given a much needed breath of fresh acoustics by Thomas Newman, who swirls the orchestra into a frenzy of percussion but also giving the quiet moments much pathos too.

It all comes down to the director though, and the producers seem to have given Sam Mendes free reign over this film and it is the bond movie we’ve all been waiting four long years for, it actually exceeds expectation and you can’t say that about many movies these days.  It’s got everything you’d expect from a Bond flick plus a whole lot more to boot.  Bond is indeed back and may he return for another 50 years.

‘Skyfall’ is out in cinemas now.