Ralf1138

I had the opportunity to see this recently, having watched Polybius. I have to say, I do think Polybius is better, but this is a lot of fun and there's tremendous skill already on display here.

Stuart Ashen holds the whole thing together, a special skill of his that can be overlooked when accolades go to quirkier actors. There are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and a few gorgeous cult-movie in-jokes. One on a flight of stairs had me in stitches, it was so unapologetically random.

Ashley (Millie Reeves) was wonderfully OTT. The stuff of nightmares, but in a good way. Chef Geoff (Dan Tomlinson) was just the right level of helpless and clingy, which made him great fun to watch. I thought Marian (Kerry Gilbert) was a bit lacking, especially if the character was based on Marion Ravenwood. I don't know whether it was the way the part was written and directed, or a bit of a misfire in casting. Nemesis (Chris Kendall) had many excellent moments, but I thought he suffered from being another Jim Carrey zany-type without the necessary grounding and presence which gives such characters longevity.

As with Polybius, there are some great cameos, not least from Warwick Davis, Victoria Broom and Fawn Mead.

Overall, very enjoyable.

I thought this was glorious. Brilliantly written, constantly funny and a quirky bundle of joy from start to finish. Everyone was so well cast in their roles and you can see why the likes of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have done so well. They're already so good here (as is Jessica Stevenson), so job done. I loved the way the storylines unfolded, the unexpected drawing on well-known movies, the development of relationships and the over-all good-heartedness of the whole thing. I could happily have watched a third series, but as it ended in a satisfactory way I wasn't left feeling cheated. This is surely the bench mark for all comedy series.

This is such a guilty pleasure. Why and how does it work this well? The heart of it is so strong, I think. There is so much truthfulness in Ferrell's persistent dreamer who will go forward, no matter how much he is laughed at. McAdams is delightful and matches him perfectly. They are both such a pair of innocents and have you rooting for them right from the start. Dan Stevens is insanely good. Off the charts! I also loved Melissanthi Mahut (Mita) and thought she oozed charisma, matching Stevens pound for pound.

The whole movie is a joyous, glitzy romp, just the antidote for 2020. I thought the music was cracking too and there's one particular song, beautifully presented by the gorgeous McAdams, that gave me genuine goose bumps.