The Watcher - Guardians of the Galaxy

by Stefan Harkins

A lot of people were concerned about Marvel’s next venture, a talking racoon and a tree... in space? Well not me! Ever since the first trailer blasted Blue Swede’s Hooked on a Feeling, I’ve been psyched!

The movie starts in 1988 with a young Peter Quill helplessly watching as his dying mother passes away. Doing what any child would do at this point he runs away, and in the midst of his grief he’s abducted by a massive spaceship!

We then jump forward 26 years and the now adult Quill (Chris Pratt) has settled into his space life, calling himself Star-Lord. He explores the galaxy, stealing and selling anything he can get his hands on. On a desolate planet while exploring a forgotten tomb, he pulls out an Eighties Walkman including foam headphones and pops in his ‘Awesome Mix Vol.1’ cassette tape. All of a sudden we’re filled with nostalgia as pop power ballads fill the air (it makes an awesome soundtrack!) and Quill dances his way around in order to find a shiny orb to steal. I feel this scene sets the tone of the movie, have fun while you're here and enjoy the ride!

Everyone seems to be after Quill, the orb or both and thats how the rest of our protagonists meet and end up in jail. This isn’t the type of movie which spends half its time explaining itself, and thats a good thing. There’s no unnecessary backstory, but each character gets a moment to define themselves. It's in prison that the group really get to know each other and so do we. 

Chris Pratt is perfect as Star-Lord; arrogant, cocky and libido driven but at the same time the heart of the story. Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the adopted daughter of arch-villain Thanos (Josh Brolin), kicks ass beautifully and balances wonderfully against the buffoonery of Quill. Now Drax the Destroyer (wrestler Dave Bautista) was a bit of a surprise - vengeful and determined, but with dry wit and a deadpan delivery that gave a lot of his lines some huge laughs. 

Fans are going to fall in love with the two CGI characters, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). One's a wisecracking, massive gun-toting, cybernetically-enhanced raccoon and the other a sentient tree-being who's vocabulary is limited to ‘I am Groot’. They share a unique bond, in part because Rocket seems to be the only one who can understand Groot. The detail in the CGI expression is impressive and really sells their emotions. Some may think the casting of these two is a stunt to help sell the movie, but I found that you never hear the ‘celebrity’ voices instead just the characters. A lot of laughs, with Groot particularly providing the warm and sweet ‘Hulk’ of this movie with some great moments.

It turns out there is more to the orb of course, it’s the McGuffin of the film - even Quill refers to it as having a “Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon kind of vibe.” Of course inside it is another Infinity Gem, which means darker forces have their evil eyes on it. Thanos to be precise, who sends Lee Pace’s menacing Ronan the Accuser to get it along with Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and his other daughter Nebula (Karen Gillan), who has a ruthless rivalry and jealous relationship with Gamora to say the least. 

What with his cameo in Thor The Dark World stinger, I was a little concerned with Benicio Del Toro as The Collector being overly camp and out of place, but thats not the case here. He has some good exposition about the Infinity Gems and their beginnings which we’ve not had up until now.

If I had to say something negative about Guardians of the Galaxy and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole it would be the relatively bland villains - they do have a hard time finding ones that can contend with the Marvel heroes (aside from Loki)! For me however, it’s all about the unlikely group of heroes who are more compelling and the real focus of the movie. There are however some standout supporting roles which are greatly written; Michael Rooker’s Yondu whose space pirate who took a shine to Quill; John C. Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz as Nova Corps officers; and Glenn Close as Nova Prime (what a hairdo!).

Written and directed by James Gunn along with co-writer Nicole Perlman, they keep things upbeat and fun. Mimicking the witty banter of The Avengers in a sci-fi setting, which almost makes it reminiscent of Firefly. The visuals are staggering and the jokes all hit their marks perfectly. Gunn obviously had a lot of fun creating the soundtrack, which is pretty much Quill’s Awesome Mix Vol.1 brought to life - an Eighties DJ's ‘best of’ dream!

Dismiss any doubts you had this is definitely one of the best Marvel films so far..

Stefan Harkins is doing a Kevin Bacon and indeed hooked on that Marvel feeling!

The Watcher - Sherlock, Series 3

by Stefan Harkins

Episode 1 - The Empty Hearse

Finally I return to the keyboard, hot on the heels of one Sherlock Holmes' reappearance on our screens. A welcome rebound for the infamous deerstalker-clad detective.

How did he survive the Reichenbach fall? It’s a question that’s been on all our lips since 2012 and The Empty Hearse doesn’t bury the lead! Right off the bat we are taken back to that fateful day on the roof of St Bart's Hospital and an explanation is given... or is it?

This episode is all about Sherlock’s return and as always our great detective's understanding of the' emotions of other people is wonderfully off - the timing of his return couldn’t have come at a worse moment! We’re meeting Watson’s soon to be fiancé Mary Morstan, played by Freeman’s real-life partner Amanda Abbington, who perfectly compliments the dynamic of the show and doesn’t feel like a third wheel between Holmes/Watson.

I loved the evolution of forensics officer Anderson into a guilt-ridden conspiracy nut, reflecting all the fans ideas and theories behind the return of Sherlock! 

Once the main plot is underway we hit both action and wit at full speed. Watson and Sherlock’s days are spliced together with humorous effect; the investigation into the underground (or is that Underground?) terrorist plot as well as the usual quick side cases and a motorbike chase with Mary in tow to save a slightly singed Watson! There's also a nice cameo appearance of a very ordinary - dare I say, boring? - couple on the Baker Street sofa who turn out to be the Holmes boy’s parents, portrayed by actors Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton aka Mum and Dad Cumberbatch! All of this does mean that the main plot ends up feeling a little left by the wayside, but for me as the series seems to re-establish itself as a show about the titular protagonist and the people who orbit him, rather than the cases themselves.

Episode 2 - The Sign of Three

If you thought the first one was funny... well this one is a laugh a minute! It’s the day of the Watson/Morston wedding and of course Sherlock is best man - what could go wrong?!

It starts with us following Lestrade; he's been  trying to capture a certain band of criminals for years now and when he finally has his moment, guess who calls? Sherlock, in need of some assistance with his speech! Felt it was a lot of setup for that single joke but hey ho, maybe it’s a precursor to a future episode. 

Overall this episode felt a bit frantic and a tad disorientating - what with all the jumping back and forth on the day’s timeline - but overall I loved it, there is mystery, humour and bromance! The stag do was particularly hilarious, with Sherlock and Watson playing the Rizla Guess Who game before trying to investigate a case while rather drunk. Sherlock’s usual visual deductions end up going a bit askew - chair seat leather sleeeeep!

Echoing on what I mentioned about the previous episode, this series so far has shown that it has become a show about a detective and not a detective series.

Episode 3 - His Last Vow

Secrets, betrayal, shock and awe - it’s all in this one! A lot darker than the previous two episodes, but still manages to squeeze in a couple of laughs.

We meet the very Lecter-esque Charles Augustus Magnussen (played brilliantly by Lars Mikkelsen), the one villain who truly turns Sherlock’s stomach. He is a media mogul-type who utilises the power of information to pinpoint the ‘pressure points’ of others in order to blackmail them and stay untouchable. He’s like a Bond villain, but in a subtle way he's a lot more chilling! A definite reflection on modern day fears of surveillance and the abuse of personal data.

Surprises galore for us and Watson, as Holmes has apparently not been seen for months, until he suddenly turns up in a drug den! Apparently he’s been in hiding and he also has a girlfriend! And the icing on the cake - Holmes household at Christmas! An unusual mix of a maths genius mum, a quirky dad and an odd moment of sentiment from his brother Mycroft! Also thrown into the mix is Sherlock’s new drug den buddy William ‘Bill’ Wiggins, a junkie with a knack for deduction. People familiar with the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories should recognise the name as the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars. 

We hear a lot more about Magnussen than we actually see, though what we do see is unnerving - face licking, fireplace urination and continually flicking Watson’s eye.

I don’t want to give too much away but the final confrontation doesn't quite go to plan, there are some great uses of the ‘mind palace’ in order to survive, and not just for Sherlock.

Everything changes but then again everything stays the same. All threads are resolved but we are given a glimpse of something which suggests hope for more to come.

One line in particular I’d like to end on - 

“The problems of your past are your business. The problems of your future are my privilege.” 

OK, call me a liar, it has to be -

“Did you miss me?!”

Stefan Harkins is still thinking about the beautiful almost-kiss...

The Watcher - Dredd 3D

Judge Dredd is back and this time he’s harder, darker and grittier than a gravel driveway. Filling the boots of 2000AD’s longest running character is Karl Urban - full of grimace and ready to wash the bad taste of Stallone’s version out of your mouth like that first swig of mouthwash the morning after the night before.

Reminds me of the Daredevil movie poster with Ben Affleck...

Now I know I will most likely offend some of my comic reading cohorts by saying this, but I haven't really ever read any of the Dredd books. Obviously I have known about the character for a long time as 2000AD began in 1977 well before I was born, but the newspaper style artwork had always put me off.

Some may feel a second offense of mine is that I actually quite enjoyed the Stallone version of Judge Dredd which was released in 1995. Growing up as a massive fan of Demolition Man (I still am) I loved the action and cheese that ol’ Sly brought to it.

It's actually quite a good poster, considering Dredd's defining characteristic is arguably his face.

Dredd 3D is a different beast altogether. Gone are the shiny shoulder pads and the flashy future, instead replaced with something a little more believable, something which could be indeed our world-to-come. Endless rioting, wall to wall slums and towering mega blocks - the council estates of the post-apocalypse! Along with the more urban city, Dredd’s suit is more functional. Now he can enter a gunfight without the worry of knocking his colleagues over with a massive golden eagle every time he turns around! One thing I did dislike design-wise were the new bikes. I felt they looked out of place and rather oddly shaped, they should have been heftier! That said, they do force the actors playing the Judges to sit with perfect posture, oddly imposing in the chaos of the MegaCity.

The basic story is that Dredd is assigned to look after a rookie judge called Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) and make sure she is up to the cut. Unfortunately their first assignment leads them to become imprisoned within a mega block which is under the control of gang leader Ma-Ma (Lena Headley). The icing on the cake? She’s manufacturing and distributing a new drug called Slo-Mo (it slows the user's perception of time to 1% of its normal speed apparently) right there in that tower and really doesn’t want to lose her control of it.

Karl Urban plays Dredd how I believe he should be, a man of few words and plenty of action. You never see his face and he never smiles. Yet while all these points which make him a good Dredd, when it comes to creating a relatable character these can also be negatives. This is why we are given Judge Anderson, she becomes your emotional entry point into the world and Olivia Thirlby is wonderful. You watch her grow as the movie progresses to the point where I think even Dredd has respect for her.

Lena Headley plays a brilliantly ruthless villain in Ma-Ma - she is completely convincing and fully committed to the performance. I feel it's a shame that there were not more scenes with her as she was just that good. Of course, if you have not already I highly recommend checking her performance in Game of Thrones.

Or for a different side to Lena Heady, check out her portrayal of Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

The considerable pace and comfortable 95 minute length of the movie were perfect; there was not a point where I was bored. Yes some of the slo-mo shots could have been cut a little shorter but they all looked stunning and were the only points in the movie where the 3D looked good. Using the same cameras as those used for slow motion natural history documentaries was an excellent touch. Action films will forever be indebted to hummingbirds! 

Overall Dredd is a pretty basic movie, what really makes it an enjoyable one is the fact its makers did not shy away from making it an 18 rating. This is how Dredd should be - ultra-violent, brutal, bloody and kick-ass!

Stefan Harkins is aware of the comparisons to The Raid: Redemption, but that film began filming in March 2011, four or five months AFTER Dredd. So just let it go!

The Watcher - Storage 24

A plane crash over central London causes mayhem, a small group of people are stuck within a storage facility warehouse called Storage 24 and something else is stuck in there with them...

Storage 24 is directed by Johannes Roberts and written/produced by its lead star, Mr Noel Clarke. Clarke plays Charlie, a man who has recently been dumped by his girlfriend and isn’t particularly dealing with it well. Along with his best friend Mark, Charlie heads to Storage 24 in order to collect some of his belongings after his recent breakup. But of course it turns out his ex Shelley and her friends Nikki and Chris are there also doing the same.

After the plane crashes things within the storage warehouse begin to go a bit haywire. Phone signals are dead and the power keeps cutting out, which then of course causes the lights and security systems to fail. Locking everyone in, A perfect situation for a creature attack. And attack it does!

The plane seemed to be holding a very secret cargo, one which doesn’t like people very much (or being dropped from a plane!). A strange biped insect-like creature which leaves a trail of gooey white substance and mutilated bodies where it goes while it stalks the inhabitants of the warehouse.

Johannes Roberts manages to keep the pace tense by not showing the creature off right away, but when it is seen in full I found the visual effects very well created. The creature itself seems to be mostly made up of prosthetics with very little use of CGI (that I noticed anyway!), but still manages to look realistic and not naff. The sound also plays a big part in the intensity of movie - as it does with most movies of this nature - but admittedly I found things a little loud. Now I am not sure wether this was supposed to be the effect (for shock value) or whether it was just a decision by the cinema I saw it in.

A lot of the characters aren’t particularly likable, apart from Charlie of course but then I think this may be the point. I found myself rooting for the  creature at several points. Some small but very entertaining supporting roles filled by Alex Price as the desk attendant who is bored with his job and feels he shouldn’t be there and Ned Dennehy as a crazy man who is hiding away from his ex-wife by living in the storage warehouse. Both of these had me laughing out loud several times.

A very British movie mostly set in an identikit corridor storage warehouse which succeeds in entertaining on a small budget and includes elements of horror, action and comedy. Not a lot of films can boast this. Also look out for a humorous use of a small yappy dog toy and an ending which teases the future lives of our survivors.

I really did enjoy the film and would recommend others to see it but I honestly wouldn’t rush to see it again, definitely a rental for a fun evening at home with a group of friends.

Stefan Harkins is almost house trained.

The Watcher: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

History is never quite the way we remember it, as the saying goes “history is written by the victors”. This is the root idea for the film based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel of the same name. Adapted into a screenplay by Grahame-Smith himself, but directed and co-produced by Timur Bekmambetov with the assistance of Tim Burton. 

Everything else you need to know about this movie is within its title - the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, is a vampire hunter. But he doesn’t start out that way...

As a boy he witnesses the death of his mother at the hands of his father’s employer, whom they owe money to. Unbeknownst to him this man is actually a vampire. Abraham vows that one day he will avenge his mothers death. Years later - after his father's passing - that day finally arrives. Nervous and armed with a pistol, Abraham (Benjamin Walker) confronts his mothers killer, who then reveals his secret. This is a battle Abraham is not prepared for. Losing and about to die he is rescued by a man called Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper).

Sturgess takes Abraham back to his mansion to recover from his wounds. He then reveals that there are vampires in the world and that he is in the business of hunting them down. Abraham requests that he be trained so that he may succeed in his mission for revenge. Sturgess agrees on the proviso that Lincoln does exactly as he says and only kill when ordered to.

After an apparent 10 years of training with Sturgess he travels to Springfield, Illnois to begin his hunt. Abraham soon finds himself drawn to a young woman by the name of Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who at the time is being courted by Stephen A. Douglas (the brilliant Alan Tudyk). Even though he was warned by Sturgess to not form any sort of close relationships, Abraham falls head over heels for her (and strangely Douglas doesn’t ever seem to put up a fight for the love of his fiancée?!).

After some time of leading the double life of courting Mary and killing local vampires, he gains the attention of Adam (Rufus Sewell) the originator for all vampires in the US who decides that he needs to meet the infamous Mr Lincoln.

Abraham decides that there might be more than one way to skin a cat (or vamp!) and takes an interest in the world of politics to search for a more permanent solution to the slave trade issues as well as the vampires heavily involved in feeding upon them! He hangs up his axe and decides to leave hunting in order to focus on politics and eventually becomes President. As per history, his beliefs on slavery cause a divide in the states, the vampires side with the Confederacy which means Abraham has to come up with a plan to eliminate them as well as win the overall war.

Benjamin Walker looks a lot like a young Liam Neeson and pulls off the action with ease also. Dominic Cooper is massively charming and seems to be mostly channelling Robert Downey Jr which is perfect as he portrayed Tony Stark’s father in Captain America: The First Avenger.

The movie’s stylised colour palettes and specific 3D effects - like the vampire’s eyes and their vanishing powers - were enjoyable and added to the whole feel of the film. Unfortunately real life history tends to get in the way of all the vamp-slaying fun, luckily the film is very loosely based on the novel and doesn’t actually delve to much into the history of good ol' honest Abe.

I have never understood the recent fascination with culture mash-ups like this but I did find myself pleasantly surprised, it has some fun axe-tion sequences which do get a bit crazy later on but its a perfect popcorn movie for a Sunday afternoon with a hangover.

Stefan Harkins was very, very hungover. Apparently.

The Watcher - Men In Black 3

Agents J and K are back! It’s been ten years since we last saw the agents in black who secretly protect the Earth from a constant alien threat. Once again directed by Barry Sonnenfeld the third movie in the MiB series starts with the introduction of Boris the Animal ("It's just Boris!") played by Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Concords fame. It’s nice to see him in such a contrasting role compared to his normal comedic self. When we first meet Boris the Animal he is being kept prisoner in Lunamax which is a penal facility on the moon designed specifically for him. Of course he escapes and plans to get revenge on the man who put him there - K (Tommy Lee Jones).

Back in MiB headquarters, J and K and its other members are mourning the loss of Agent Z (excellently portrayed by somewhat disgraced Rip Torn in the previous two installments), now running things is Agent O (Emma Thompson). I personally think it's a shame that Z couldn’t return as I always felt like he was an integral part of MiB universe.

Boris the Animal plans to return to the year 1969, stop his arrest and kill Agent K in the process. So it's up to Agent J (Will Smith) to go back to '69 before Boris arrives and stop his nefarious plans. In order to do this J has to ‘time jump’ which literally involves jumping off something really high (and no I don’t mean while stoned!). The visual effects involved in this really lend to the 3D depth effect as when J is falling he actually falls through different time periods, I enjoyed this more than most other recent 3D additions to movies.

 

Once successfully back in the Sixties, J manages to find Boris but is actually apprehended before he can succeed in killing him. By whom? The young Agent K! Josh Brolin portrays the young K wonderfully, he manages to capture Tommy Lee Jones’ performance, mannerisms and voice so much so I couldn’t believe it wasn’t actually him at first! Because of J’s alien tech he is taken back to MiB headquarters and interrogated by K, he seems friendlier but doesn’t trust J. It eventually takes the truth, that J is in fact from the future for K to believe him. While on the hunt for clues they go to ‘The Factory’ and meet Andy Warhol who is secretly the great Bill Hader in disguise and an alien called Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg).

Griffin has a unique skill - he can see alternate dimensions simultaneously and thus predict the future, which helps! He informs the agents that in order to deploy the ArcNet (a shield to protect earth from the Bogladites - Boris’ species) they would have to attach it to the top of Apollo 11 before it is launched the very next day.

J, K and Griffin make their way to Cape Canaveral on massive rockets of their own! Security make things difficult once they arrive but with the help of Griffin and his talents they get escorted to the launch gantry to reach the rocket's top. Not only is Boris the Animal there ready to stop them but so is his other self - double trouble! Both agents battle their own Boris and finally succeed in deploying the ArcNet.

Certain things in this film do not quite feel right, the lack of Z in both the present and the past, K’s relationship with O (why isn’t this mentioned in the future?) and both Smith and Jones feel like they are just going through the motions. That said I did enjoy it! About the same level as the previous outings, the third movie is worth watching for the gross effects and fun 3D as well as some brilliant performances by the supporting cast - Michael Stuhlbarg, Bill Hader and of course the star player Josh Brolin.

Defend the galaxy, learn its secrets and remember just look into the light... *FLASH!*

Stefan Harkins is still sniggering at the use of the word 'penal'!

The Watcher Retrospective - Batman Begins and The Dark Knight

July 20th is the release date for The Dark Knight Rises and damn it can’t come quick enough! Having already watched every trailer and the preview footage (at the huge BFI IMAX!) I’m really starting to salivate at the thought of another Christopher Nolan Batman film.

In the meantime join me in taking a look back on the previous two installments in this epic trilogy, starting with Batman Begins.

When released in 2005 most people still had a sour taste left in their mouths by the extremely over-the-top Schumacher Batman films. Eight years later and I still couldn’t shake the image of bat-nipples, lucky for me none to be found here! It's a fresh start, cleansing the world's palette ready for a new Batman. The idea? Re-introduce us to the character, go back to his origins - where did he actually get those wonderful toys from and why the affiliation with flying rodents? We get to see this and much more.

After the death of his parents, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is raised by his childhood butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Now an adult he seeks revenge and the means to fight injustice, but his childhood friend and love interest Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) disagrees with his plans. Bruce leaves to travel around the world trying to gain a better understanding of the criminal mind. While locked in a prison within Asia he is approached by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) and offered the chance to join the League of Shadows, where he can gain the training and knowledge he seeks as long as he can prove himself to their leader Ra’s Al-Ghul (Ken Watanabe). Bruce learns to be more than just a man; to become an idea which can never be forgotten.

Returning home Bruce discovers that Gotham is now decaying and overrun by organised crime. Using fear to his advantage to bring down the mob and its boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), he begins his transformation into The Batman. All the while, Wayne Enterprises CEO William Earle (Rutger Hauer) is planning to force Bruce out of his inheritance by bringing the company public. He meets Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) who helps supply his tech and detective Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), one of the few good cops not on the mob's payroll.

Things seem to be going to plan but then a spanner is thrown in the works in the form of the crazy doctor Jonathan ‘The Scarecrow’ Crane (Cillian Murphy) who works in Arkham Asylam and has some very unorthodox work ethics. A mysterious force reappears in Gotham who seem to be very familiar with Bruce’s new skills.

A movie jam packed full of big names, all of which were perfect for the characters they portrayed - I even didn’t mind Katie Holmes though she was ultimately replaceable (and was!). A script which paid attention to its roots and was highly inspired by Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One and Jeph Loeb’s The Long Halloween graphic novels. I personally loved how the world Nolan created was rooted in reality much more than its predecessors - for instance, all of Batman’s gadgets are based on realistic technology which the military were then working on.

At the end of Batman Begins we see a single playing card in a evidence bag - a joker and from that point onwards the impossible thought of bringing Batman’s most loved enemy back to the big screen filled my mind. Three years later, the impossible thought became possible with The Dark Knight!

Set a year after the first movie, The Dark Knight shows Batman’s continuing efforts to clean up Gotham. Still assisted by Jim Gordon and Lucius Fox, Bruce is also joined by Gotham’s newly appointed district attorney, ‘White Knight’ Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). This partnership proves successful as they continue to put more of Gotham’s underworld behind bars. Rachel Dawes (now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) is still on the scene but is dating Harvey, causing strain on her and Bruce’s relationship.

The rise of a new psychopathic criminal called the Joker (Heath Ledger), whose scarred grin, manic laughter, and lack of morality make him more dangerous than anything Batman has come across yet. Batman realises he must stop this madman at all costs, both of them being different sides of the same coin. One seeks order while the other just wants chaos. As the Joker introduces more and more chaos into Gotham, Batman struggles to deal with the madness.

Harvey Dent and Rachel unfortunately become collateral damage in the Joker's games, Dent being transformed into the character known as Two-Face. Burnt down one half of his body and being swayed by the Joker's madness, Dent blames Rachel’s death and his disfigurement on Jim Gordon and the Batman.

The best performances in this movie are by the late Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart, the latter being my personal favourite as I felt his performance was rather overshadowed by the hype around Ledger's unfortunate death. It has to be said though, Heath did bring his all to the role and make it his own, so much so that he managed to make people forget Jack Nicholson’s brilliant version of the character in the 1989 Batman movie.

This movie felt very different to its predecessor, almost not like a Batman movie. What with the lack of a Batcave (destroyed by the League Of Shadows in the first film), the amazing antagonists and a lighter tone to much of its cinematography. Some of the shots were shot with IMAX cameras and even at home on the TV they look stunning. I will say that I feel the movie is rather too long, no matter how much I love it and the performances therein. I do feel that the The Joker and Two-Face stories could have been separated into two separate movies.

Overall these movies are quite different, but both brilliant in their own way. This also gives me high hopes for the possibilities of what there is to come.

Stefan Harkins is gearing up for Prometheus and trying to find time to watch The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy

The Watcher - Marvel's Avengers Assemble

Dreams do indeed come true, over the last few years we’ve seen the threads of the Marvel universe come together and finally we see the culmination of all of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Most thought this ambitious task to be impossible, how could you make a movie with all these massive characters and their varied worlds and succeed? One man, Joss Whedon was assigned to orchestrate this very task and by Odin succeed he did! Every star has their moment to shine, all while making the best superhero action flick yet.

Loki returns and plans to rain destruction down on earth by using the Tesseract to allow an unknown alien force called the Chitauri to invade our planet. This obviously gains the attention of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D - Fury decides that it is about time to bring together our heroes and find the troublesome demigod along with the Tesseract.

While on the awesome looking S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier the egos of our big heroes begin to clash as Loki gets under their skin. It takes one good man to bring them together as a team - all they needed was that little push. Once united they stand tall ready to defend Earth, the following battle with the Chitauri is immense. Each Avenger shows why they’re part of the team and how the down to earth characters like Black Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America can stand next to the more monumental Hulk, Thor and Iron Man and be their equals.

Joss manages to pulls strong performances out of all the cast members - he makes the characters and their motives believable. You will see that while they may be super-solders, intellectual giants, gods and raging green monsters, they’re all still like us at heart - not perfect.

Robert Downey Jr presents his usual swagger as Iron Man, Chris Evans is ever the honest leader as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor brings the Yin to Loki’s Yang. It's a shame his relationship with Jane Foster only briefly gets touched on. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is a lot less of a brat this time around, he is much more full of evil and disdain, driven on by the ordeal of his exile from Asgard.

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is great - as Banner he’s bigger than what we’ve been used to but at the same time very quiet and vulnerable. Using motion capture on his face adds a lot more of an emotional element, making his initial transformation into the Hulk quite intense and rather scary.

Last but not least, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) both kick ass - a lot. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) seems to show more of his deceptive side but it’s all still for the greater good. As always, Agent Phil Coulson played by Clark Gregg is wonderful and has some great moments, he will forever be a favourite of mine. Finally, newcomer Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)  doesn't have a lot to do after the opening sequence, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of her in the future.

I struggled to find negative points to write about. I did see it in 3D and it didn’t add a lot but it didn’t feel intrusive ether. The few things that were niggling at me were the Chitauri being an army of faceless drones, ready to be beaten with little insight into their further motivations. Their massive battleships reminded me a little to much of the Transformers movies too. A couple of things were also left unexplained, like Thor’s hesitation to pick up his hammer - is this a worry about whether he is worthy? And was Loki’s staff affecting the emotions of our heroes, we’re just left to assume that this is the case. These are only really very small complaints and they don’t spoil the experience one bit.

During the earlier promotional interviews for the film, it was said that this would not be like Whedon’s usual work. This worried me due to the fact I loved most of his previous creations. Fear not! His trademark clever writing and wit is present in bucket loads, I laughed out loud and squealed with geek joy many times. He also directs the big blockbuster action sequences brilliantly, the movie feels big! It runs at two and half hours in length but never feels overly long, the editing keeps the pace up and gives the story chance to unfold nicely.

All that is left to say is assemble and enjoy the ride!

Stefan Harkins may go to see this movie again and again!

The Watcher - Animated Double Feature: Ultimate Spider-Man and Green Lantern The Animated Series

I’m a big kid! Just like those old Saturday mornings I woke early, ready to watch some cartoons!

First up, episodes one & two (Great Power and Great Responsibility) of the new Ultimate Spider-Man series for Disney XD. Right from the start we get comic nods (Romita’s cake shop!), JJ screaming about how the Spider-Man is a menace and Spidey himself swinging between skyscrapers while going on about how being a hero isn’t easy. Flashback to my childhood and the Nineties animated Spider-Man series - the characters all feel right, the theme is rocking and the animation is slick but still has a classic look.

We join the story as Peter has been Spider-Man for about a year - he’s still a little rough around the edges but has fought a selection of not-so super villains already. He is approached by Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D who offers to assist him with training to help become "the Ultimate Spider-Man". The series does tend to pull a lot from Marvel's Ultimate line of comics, what with S.H.I.E.L.D’s involvement right from the start and Aunt May being a lot younger and cooler than her past incarnations.

Even when pulling from previous versions the show still manages to feel unique, Spider-Man quips and thwips left and right as he should. Cut-away moments designed to look like they’re from a school notepad (with a kind of Japanese chibi-style to them) and Spidey breaking the fourth wall to make the odd off-hand joke are great fun.

These first episodes made me laugh out loud several times, especially the cameo of Stan “The Man” Lee as the schools janitor! Also adding their vocal talents are the brilliant J.K Simmons once again reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson and Clark Gregg as the Avengers fan favourite - Agent Coulson.

There have been a few Spider-Man animated series over the years but I can honestly say that I look forward to watching the rest of this one.

Next up... Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Beware My Power Parts one & two.

My first impression of the GL animated series is it's bright and massively CGI. In a way it reminds me of Reboot (the first completely CGI animated series), but obviously better looking! The main focus of this series seem to be Hal’s adventures as he battles the vicious Red Lanterns and their leader Atrocitus.

We begin with the death of a Green Lantern in the far reaches of space. Back on Earth, Hal Jordan is up to his usual tricks of mucking up test runs and destroying very expensive prototype aircrafts in the process. But he saves lives while doing it, so it doesn’t matter! Hal is then called to the planet Oa to stand in front of the Guardians and answer for some previous unseen misconduct. During this he hears of the Lanterns which are dying across the far reaches of frontier space. With this he decides to go against the Guardians orders and steal a prototype spaceship, this allows him to reach frontier space faster than using his power ring so he can try to save the Lanterns who are being hunted.

The character design of Jordan is very similar to the previous DC animations, Superman and Batman - his upper body is huge in comparison to his arms and legs and his jaw is so square that Chuck Norris would be jealous! I do feel that the CGI animation works nicely for the Lantern universe, the bold colours of red and green battling throughout the darkness of space.

The Red Lanterns plan to destroy the Guardians and the Green Lanterns because they blame them for the destruction of Atrocitus’ home planet. A new Red Lantern by the name of Razer is trying to kill one of the frontier Green Lanterns called Shyir Rev when Hal and Kilowog turn up. They battle heavily, but ultimately manage to escape, seeking refuge on Rev’s home planet.

Razer along with Atrocitus track them down and threaten to blow up Shyir Rev’s planet if the Green Lanterns do not give themselves up. Things escalate, and I don’t want to give it all away but things reach a explosive climax. The series will continue with Hal and Kilowog hunting for further Red Lanterns, all with a prisoner in tow. I feel this series is Green Lanterns as they should be - in space, boldly fighting against bigger and unknown alien threats.

Stefan Harkins is currently watching Avengers Assemble without you...

The Watcher - Cabin In The Woods

Right, where do I begin with The Cabin in the Woods?

It's a movie written and directed by Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) and Joss Whedon. The basic premise is one you’ll be familiar with, a group of friends decide to take a break and spend their vacation ‘off the grid’ within a cabin deep in the woods. Sounds like your average slasher horror right? Think again! We have the standard horror trope characters - the virgin, the stoner, the jock, the intellectual and the slut. But as the group start to discover the mysteries of the cabin, the layers are pealed away for us as well. You will reach a point where you feel like you’ve guessed the endgame, think again! As everything is turned up another notch and we start to hit batshit crazy territory!

And to be honest that is all I can tell you about the story without spoiling it. I would even go as far to say avoid all further buzz about this movie. Just go and watch it fresh, hell don’t even watch the trailer and definitely avoid spoilers!

Shockingly the filming for the movie actually began in 2009 under MGM studios, but due to the studio filing for bankruptcy in 2010 the movie never reached release. So there it sat, gathering dust until thankfully Lionsgate decided to pick it up. The script only took Whedon and Goddard three days to write and they’ve both expressed that it’s a devotion to classic horror. They feel that a lot of the modern day horror movies have moved a little too close to sadistic torture porn and are actually missing what makes horror great.

Goddard had previously written episodes of both Buffy and Angel with Joss but also Alias and Lost with J.J. Abrams. And trust me it shows, this was his directorial debut (with Joss working second unit) but you wouldn’t have guessed it. Their script and the way the direction is handled is exceptional, layers of tension, action and comedy all built upon each other. They definitely work to show you that the best way to break the rules is to first, know how they work.

All the actors in the group fulfill their allotted roles wonderfully, Kristen Connolly as the slightly shy and nerdy friend who would rather stay and study but is being dragged along anyway. Fran Kranz as the massive stoner who has a different and more paranoid view on life. Chris Hemsworth as the leader and sports star boyfriend. Jesse Williams as his more intellectual best friend and Anna Hutchison as the very outgoing girlfriend whose talent for kissing stuffed animal heads was so raunchy it gave me a bit of a husband bulge!

I cannot finish without mentioning some other noteworthy performances, particularly Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) as long suffering co-workers but also lets not forget the awesome Whedon-verse regulars Amy Acker and Tom Lenk make great additions as well. Plus a very special, nudge your friend, jaw dropping cameo...but shhh thats enough of that!

Lets just say if you go down to the woods on April 13th you’ll sure to be in for a big surprise!

Stefan Harkins wants that bong dammit!

The Watcher - John Carter

I approached Disney’s John Carter with an open mind, I was a blank slate ready to be drawn upon. I had seen the trailer but this only really gave a loose idea of what the film was about, the visual elements were what brought me to see it.

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is an American Civil War veteran who is worn and weary, fed up of fighting other people's battles and is searching for fortune deep within the Arizona desert. All the while being hunted down by General Powell (wonderfully played by Bryan Cranston) to be re-enlisted into the Confederate army. Carter craftily escapes several times but keeps getting brought back, when he finally manages to get free he runs right into Apache territory! Luckily he stumbles upon spiritual ground and a mysterious cave where the Apaches will not follow.

In the cave he finds the gold he was looking for and so much more... Suddenly transported to a strange planet where he’s stronger and can leap for miles. He is then captured by a green-skinned, four-armed warrior race called Tharks lead by Tars Tarkas (William Dafoe).

The world he is on turns out to be Mars, or Barsoom as the natives call it and all is not well. There is a war between the Heliumites and the Zodangans, mirroring the war that John left behind. Both tribes are humanoid in appearance and are only really told apart by their choice in red or blue coloured sash. Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) the Princess of the Heliumites is in need of a hero, and our protagonist fills that slot nicely.

Beautiful winged warships powered by light battle in the skies of the red planet - the civil war rages on. Sab Than (Dominic West) leads the evil Zondangans in the battle for the city of Helium and Dejah’s hand in marriage. The whole thing being secretly orchestrated by the Therns - an ancient race of powerful monks lead by Mark Strong’s Matai Shang.

Is John Carter the man who can stop the war, save the day and fall in love with the princess? Well it is a Disney movie! One complaint I have is that Collins as Dejah is not particularly likeable and Kitsch is rather dull as Carter. Not much of a surprise as they were both in the terrible “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” as Gambit and Silverfox, but I do feel that they’re assisted well by a stellar supporting cast. Some I have mentioned already but others like Ciarán Hinds, James Purfoy and Samantha Morton are all also superb.

Now you might find this blasphemous, but I didn’t know the story of John Carter was based on a series of novels! So when the credits rolled and I was informed of this fact, I decided to find out more. The American author Edgar Rice Burroughs produced a lot of work between the late 19th and early 20th Century and is mainly known for being the creator of Tarzan. He also wrote many sci-fi and fantasy works like “The Land That Time Forgot” and of course his “Barsoom” series which John Carter is pulled from.

The main problem most people will have with the movie is due to the original stories being such an inspiration for so much; a lot of what we see just feels a bit deja vu. I felt very reminded of Avatar as a lot of the main story points are the same - a man transported to another planet via an alternative version of himself, one who falls in love with the Princess and helps save their race. James Cameron even said himself that he wanted something which fitted into the Burroughs' mould. This isn’t even the first film to be based on “A Princess of Mars”; in 2009 there was a direct to DVD release of the same name starring Traci Lords!

Director Andrew Stanton (WALL-E and Finding Nemo) succeeds in creating a visually beautiful, fun, action film. One battle sequence which is cut with an earlier tragedy is excellent and shows he can also inject emotion when needs be. However I think the problem with him doing justice to Burroughs’s work is that it all feels a bit dated. Just remember its origins and what they’ve inspired over the years. So go, give it a chance and judge for yourself.

Stefan Harkins is really enjoying re-watching the classic Nineties X-Men cartoon.

The Watcher - Being Human, Season 4

Before the latest season of Being Human returned there were rumours of certain actors leaving the show - this did not fill me with hope for the shows return. There is always a niggling feeling - can a show continue after a major cast change?

When the show finally did dawn our screens once again it felt like we had been left out of a massive chunk of our characters' story.

Things all go a bit ‘Terminator’ as we start with a flash-forward to a bleak future where vamps rule and small bands of resisting humans try to survive and fight back, with little success. Back to current time and Nina’s dead, her death only to be mentioned in passing conversation. George is a wreck, trying to protect his unnamed baby from the army of vamps which want to kill her. All the while Annie is trying to keep him sane, then the rugged and slightly simple Tom returns, whose continuing and very unsubtle hints that he needs somewhere to stay are hilarious (find him familiar? He’s the brother to Lauren Socha who plays Kelly in Misfits - its the eyebrows!)

We are taken to Southend-On-Sea and a small hairdressers containing another trinity of the supernatural - one vampire, one werewolf and a ghost all living together, again - how likely is that? Once more it feels like we’ve been left out of part of the story, who are Hal/Leo/Pearl and how did they come to live together?

Back in Wales the vampires are plotting to kill George and/or his baby as a present to the ‘old ones’ thanks to a prophecy found by the ‘vampire recorder’ played Mark Williams - a wonderful comic relief. The baby is supposed to be the Chosen One who will bring the end to all vampires. A new face in the not-so merry band of vampires is the dry and witty Cutler, whose performance reminds me of Andrew Scott’s recent portrayal of Moriarty in Sherlock.

Random quibble, since when did werewolf blood become toxic to vampires? Bit of a quick change in the series lore, something like that would have cropped up previously surely?

On the plus side Russell Tovey’s swan song performance in the opening episode is brilliant, the forced transformation to save his daughter and of course the tear-jerking exit, he will be missed for sure.

Without a moment to grieve we’re onto the next couple of episodes which bring the new trinity to Honolulu Heights, after the brief intro in episode one we now get to sink our teeth into the new characters. Damien Molony who plays Hal really starts to shine as we start to discover more of his character. He has a daily routines and little set of rules (no Kia-Ora anyone?) which help keep him sane and I just loved the idea him having to resist the small temptations (not knocking over dominos) in order to help resist the much bigger ones. Wonderful details like this really help separate him from old moody Mitchell.

Pearl and Leo on the other hand are kind of left by the wayside, not really given much to do other than to help setup Hal become the new resident vampire. Annie and Pearl have a small ghost rivalry when they meet, this was a bit annoying as it’s just used to lead us to Leo and Pearl's love for each other. Which in itself is set up and resolved rather quickly. They cram all of these new characters into the first episode, only to get rid of them in the next!

Moving on, the best thing about the series so far is definitely the conflicted relationship between Hal and Tom. One being an OCD vamp with what seems to be a privileged past (Lord Harry?!) and the other a vampire-hating werewolf who used to live in a van. Pushing them together into a menial cafe job, watching them become sort of friends slowly, all while they argue over how to chop lettuce and pick up girls! Part of me wishes they would create an entire series just for the two of them!

Overall a difficult start to the series, with way too many changes and new characters to fit in, but by the third episode I think you will start to relax and come to like the new dynamic. It’s not the same and it may not be perfect but I’m now looking forward to the rest of the series, even if it is only for more of Tom/Hal bickering!

Stefan Harkins was suitably creeped out by a ghost called Kirby...

The Watcher - Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

When I first heard that a sequel to the 2007 Ghost Rider movie was being released I was wary. Yes I enjoyed the original but it wasn’t without its faults - actually it had quite a few! But when the trailer for Spirit of Vengeance burst onto my local cinema screen with the names Neveldine and Taylor assigned to the directorial roles, I have to say I got a little bit excited. Their style is not to everyone's tastes and tend to contain a lot of juvenile humour and crazy camera work (filming on roller skates while holding onto the back of a motorbike?!). I’d hoped that they would inject new life into the Rider movie franchise as I’d enjoyed their previous work (Crank/Gamer) for its fun and frivolity.

After a slight retcon of the character's origin from the original movie (Blaze now willingly sells his soul to the devil to save his father), the main section of story revolves around a guilt-ridden Blaze once again played by the one and only Nicolas Cage, now living the life of a hermit and hiding away from the world in an abandoned shack set to the backdrop of a very nondescript Eastern european wasteland (Doctor Who style quarry usage galore!).

The ever entertaining Idris Elba plays a gritty warrior monk with a slight penchant for wine - oh and a bloody terrible French accent. He enlists the help of the Rider to protect a very special boy whom the Devil (played this time by Ciáran Hinds) is hunting in order to transfer himself into the boy's body and survive on this plane without his ‘suit’ deteriorating. If the Rider can succeed in his task to protect the boy then the curse on Blaze will be lifted and his soul returned to him.

Some people may say that Taylor and Neveldine have succeeded in what they set out to do with this movie and in comparison to the original it definitely has their stamp on it, but I personally feel that it could have been so much more. With them at the helm it needed to be bigger and more madder than ever seen before, but every time you think the movie is about to get really good it's pulled back from the brink - we just never quite reach full speed.

It doesn't quite understands what it wants to be - part dark anti-hero movie, part fast paced action flick, part over-the-top Cage crazy cheese fest. Because it never fully commits to any one of these individual elements, the movie doesn’t succeed on hitting the mark with any of them. It’s scattered with odd gags (peeing fire?!) which really fall flat and I felt that the decision to make the Rider move in a flickering staccato-style manner - akin to Sadako from the Ring - was also weird.

On the flip side I think the new character design for the Ghost Rider is much better. He's now a lot darker, more charred and billowing with smoke. His motorbike has also been updated, it's a hell of a lot less shiny and fits better with the Rider's new rougher look. There are also some nice throwaway supporting roles filled by Anthony Stewart Head and Christopher Lambert which I enjoyed even if they are brief.

I believe the movie would have benefited a lot from having an older age rating (12A currently) so they could play further around with pushing the dark boundaries of the character, I mean come on - the dude sold his soul to the devil!

Overall I would say I actually prefer the original, so I highly recommend you actually go back and give it another look. Then maybe check this one out later when it graces the reduced/sale shelfs.

Stefan Harkins will overlook the martini glass full of M&Ms in this instance.