TV Review: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

TV Review: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Season: One

Episode: Pilot

Written by: Joss Whedon, Maurissa Tanchoren, Jed Whedon

Directed by: Joss Whedon

Starring: Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet

"The battle of New York was the end of the world. This...is the new world."

Not content with completely dominating the silver screen, Marvel have extended their reach to to a more accessible audience of television viewers with their Avengers Assemble spin-off "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D". Written and produced by the Godfather of all things geek (and busiest man in the world) Joss Whedon, the show has finally aired its pilot episode - so with so much expectation, and having been spawned from the third highest grossing movie of all time, how does it fare?

Unsurprisingly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is a 45 minute thrill ride from start to finish, and fans of both the Marvel cinematic universe and Joss Whedon's work as a whole won't be disappointed. Within just a few moments, the wit, humour and action packed spectacle of Marvel's work is realised once again, with a colourful cast of characters to introduce us into...well, the "new world."

The battle of New York changed the world as we know it, you see. As Maria Hill (reprised from the movie by a fantastic Cobie Smulders, presumably for the pilot only) cleverly states to top notch S.H.I.E.L.D agent Grant Ward, humanity used to think the most extraordinary thing in their world was a billionaire flying around in an armoured suit. Suddenly in The Avengers, aliens and demi-Gods are falling from the sky, and New York is being defended by the God of Thunder, some comic-book superhero who seemingly died in the 40's and an enormous green rage monster. 

Agent Ward is about to be upgraded to "Level 7" by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg, bringing a great humanity to a role which could have been alienating) who has miraculously survived his apparent death at the hands of Loki in The Avengers (more on that later). Ward is recruited to a particular team of agents who specialise in finding supposed "superheroes" and helping them become aware of their powers - and how to use them. 

Such an event is on the go at that very moment, as a factory worker develops superhuman strength with the intention of using it for good. However on investigation, the S.H.I.E.L.D team realise he's actually just been stuffed with various "ingredients" for creating a superhero such as the extremis virus from Iron Man 3 and the super soldier serum from Captain America. An explosion waiting to happen...

Don't be expecting a million cameos from The Avengers, however. There are some nice references here and there ("She's worse than those cosplayers that hang around outside Stark Tower") but Whedon seems adamant that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D should be its own individual rather than feeding from its associated movies.

The script works all the better for it, too - in true Joss Whedon style, we have a host of characters that are all equally entertaining. Comparisons with beloved sci-fi Firefly are well deserved (fans of that show will be happy to see a few familiar faces in the cast too), as the wit and humorous style of Whedon's writing shines through, particularly in the way he writes Agent Coulson and his intrepid grouping of these individuals. 

Each member has a voice, each actor is sublime at portraying their character and for a show branching off from a movie filled with an ensemble of superstars, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D manages to make each and every one of its characters an individual worth paying attention to. Plenty of them even have mysteries of their own it seems...

Of course, as is the way with most pilots, those mysteries are left to be resolved outside the first episode. "He can never know," says Maria Hill regarding the circumstances of Coulson's survival. How exactly does Coulson live? And who is spending their time and money fusing together superhero formulas? Other questions for other days perhaps, but satisfyingly it looks as though Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D's life span is going to reach much, much further than episode one. 

Summary

As if last year's triumphant Avengers Assemble didn't make it blatantly obvious, Joss Whedon and Marvel are a damn good match. Whedon knows exactly how to mix a multitude of different genres and characters together and make them blend seamlessly, while some brilliant acting from the cast (Clark Gregg in particular) keeps us grounded into a believable world (even if some of them are unbelievably good looking). It may be a little "too soon" for Firefly fans to call it a replacement, but Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is about as close as we're going to get to the fantastic quality of accessible sci-fi that television has been missing. They were right: the geek really shall inherit the Earth after all. Welcome to the new world.

9/10 - Brilliant

See it if you liked: Torchwood (2006 - 2011), Avengers Assemble (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013)

Review: 2 Guns

Review: 2 Guns

Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Cast: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton
Running Time: 109 Minutes

Blimey. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg certainly know how to have a good time, don't they?

Sure it's not the most heavy handed blockbuster of the summer and it will probably slip under the radar for the general cinema audience, but 2 Guns is probably the most carefree and fun movie to hit our screens for a very long time. It's instantly forgettable and its plot chugs along at standard action-movie pace, but honestly it's impossible not to enjoy watching Washington and Wahlberg's latest.

In fact, they themselves are the most appealing aspects of this thriller - the story is good enough, although there's nothing particularly shocking hidden in its twists - as the two fr-enemies become fairly solid echoes of other buddy-cop heroes. Think Die Hard With A Vengeance updated for the modern age; Wahlberg is Willis and Washington is Jackson. 

Rightfully so: both of them have built huge careers for themselves, having either been nominated for an Oscar or appearing in Oscar winning movies. But it's Wahlberg who seems to have risen the most, his "generic action man" status now just a shadow of his past - seemingly thanks to his leading stint in Ted and an upcoming role in Michael Bay's Pain And Gain, his comic timing is just as formidable as his explosive stunt work.

And stunts there are, with each bombastic gun fight and helicopter shoot-out more exciting than the last, but it's the bickering banter between the two leads that makes 2 Guns both hilarious and entertaining.

When we meet our two heroes, things are just about to kick off as they quietly order food in a diner. The level of real, believable conversation is such that you wouldn't be blamed for mistaking 2 Guns for a new Tarantino classic; we find that the pair are both crooked undercover officers - one from the DEA and the other from the navy - unwittingly leading investigations on each other. Having robbed a bank of over $43Million, the two turn on each other, but they soon discover that the CIA, the navy, the DEA and a Mexican drug lord are all after the money too. 

Cue an occasionally messy plot that feels like a much more action packed, American version of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, with several side characters all shooting for the same objective. At the end of the day, it's all nonsense but there's something so irresistibly fun about the whole thing that keeps us roped in to their plight. 

That's not to say there aren't darker moments here and there; Washington's character in particular gets the brunt of the heavier scenes, while Wahlberg continues to add the levity in even the most perilous situations. It's an unlikely pairing of actors, but for a quick-fire flick like 2 Guns, it works despite some pantomime side acting and a climax that's more or less over as soon as it's started.

Summary

Come for the actors, stay for the action. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg elevate what would have been a bog-standard shoot-em-up to a hilariously action packed buddy-cop movie which would have fared marvellously in the Lethal Weapon era of film-making. Don't feel bad if you completely zone out during the finer moments of the plot - at the end of the day, the central pair of actors are the reason this film is hitting cinemas at all and despite the narrative pitfalls, it's their dynamic which keeps 2 Guns shooting along entertainingly. 

7/10 - Good

See it if you liked: Pulp Fiction (1994), Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995), Broken City (2013)

Review: Kick-Ass 2

Review: Kick-Ass 2

Director: Jeff Wadlow

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey

Running Time: 103 Minutes

For a comedic action flick like Kick-Ass 2, it's important to put the "fun" into "funny." Is it amusing to watch Christopher Mintz-Plasse dress up in his mum's gimp outfits and call himself a supervillain? Sure, why not. Is it amusing to watch Christopher Mintz-Plasse drop his pants and prepare to rape an innocent women? Er, not particularly, no.

That's part of the very unique problem with Kick-Ass 2: where its predecessor told the story of an average Joe-turned-hero, the sequel feels like an inane attempt to shock as much as possible, with the profanities, violence and outrageous criminal schemes turned up to eleven. Tonally, it's as imbalanced as its antagonists, with hilarious one-liners suddenly leading to dark, twisted results. 

Still, for its target audience, that's all part of Kick-Ass 2's charm: it pushes the boundaries and luckily it keeps the development of its three central characters, Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and Chris D'Amico (a.k.a "The Motherfucker") moving forward positively. This is helped of course by the performances by Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and a sharp script that not only allows them to hit a huge range of emotions, but fully absorbs the audience into this modern tale of good versus evil.

It's with this trio that we find ourselves once more, as after the events of the first film, Hit Girl is now training Kick-Ass (or Dave) to be a better fighter, while Chris is still grieving and seeking revenge on Kick-Ass for his dad's death. As news spreads of his heroics, Kick-Ass soon joins a vigilante gang, Justice Forever, spearheaded by the eccentric Colonel Stars and Stripes (played hilariously by Jim "I want nothing to do with this movie after I've conveniently filmed it" Carrey), while Chris forms his own team of super villains.

Cue a barrage of ridiculously/hilariously (delete as appropriate) racist alter egos, with Genghis Carnage and Mother Russia leading the charge against Justice Forever. Meanwhile, Hit Girl finds herself up against a very different kind of villain - high school girls.

Escalation seems to be the idea here. Everything is bigger, faster and much, much more explosive as car chases, graveyard gun fights and martial arts-displaying drug raids are the name of the game. Throats are slashed in full view, and baseball bats collide with heads in the most brutal way possible, while the central and supporting cast are surprisingly stunt-efficient.

Speaking of which, Kick-Ass 2 boasts an enormous cast of lesser known acting greats, with Donald Faison, Clark Duke, Steven Mackintosh and Game of Thrones star Iain Glen making large appearances to swell up an already exciting ensemble.

That said, a great cast does not a movie make and while it's funny in places and action-packed in others, that third storytelling void is filled with darkly angry segments that don't quite fit in with the overall hopeful tone that Kick-Ass wishes to project. At any given time, there are three entirely separate side-plots moving at once and while this can be entertaining in broader stories, Kick-Ass 2 gives up far too much time to irrelevant bullet points. After a while, Kick-Ass 2 starts to feel like Hit Girl: The Movie and while that would actually be an exciting spin-off, it's not exactly what we came for this time around.

There's also a little too much repetition here and there as well, as Hit Girl (or Mindy) manages to fall out with both Kick-Ass and her legal guardian Marcus Williams, a friend of her deceased father. "I don't want you to be Hit Girl anymore," says Marcus. "I want you to keep being Hit Girl," says Kick-Ass. Arguments ensue at least five times.

The major story arc is brilliantly realised though, as Kick-Ass becomes the most unequivocally human hero that any comic book movie could ever offer. Couple this excellent character development with an enormous, edge-of-your-seat climax that rivals that of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, and Kick-Ass 2 slowly but surely edges ahead of its predecessor in terms of its action and humour.

Will there be a Kick-Ass 3? It seems almost inevitable at this stage that movies such as these come in threes, and luckily this sequel shows that Kick-Ass is no super-zero and his return would be very welcome indeed. Although we could probably manage without any Union J cameos next time.

Summary

Of course it's not perfect, but for its target audience of superhero loving movie junkies, Kick-Ass 2 ticks all the right boxes. Stand out performances from Johnson, Moretz and Mintz-Plasse keep us caring about the characters, while the final battle is truly gripping stuff, expertly executed by Never Back Down director Jeff Wadlow. Tonally it veers off in oddly dark, psychotic directions and there are some unresolved sub-plots that nag the continuity nerves, but overall Kick-Ass 2 is a kick ass sequel to its surprisingly excellent predecessor. 

Sorry.

8/10 - Great

See it if you liked: Kick-Ass (2010), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Review: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Review: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Director: Declan Lowney

Cast: Steve Coogan, Colm Meaney, Felicity Montagu, Sean Pertwee

Running Time: 121 Minutes

"I'm Alan Partridge, I've not been off the TV that long!"

The narrow-minded, accidentally insulting and somehow likeable Norwich Radio DJ Alan Partridge is back on our screens - only this time, it's the silver one. Over twenty years in the making, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa sees British comedy legend Steve Coogan popping the headphones on once more as arguably his most ingenious comic creation. 

Yet with the character making such an established impact on television, how does he fare when thrown in to a cinematic adventure? 

Well, fans of Coogan's timeless character won't be disappointed, as not only does Alpha Papa act as a genuinely enjoyable movie in its own right, but it doesn't dilute or deflate the origins of the great 80's loving DJ just for the sake of pleasing the masses. The sitcom-to-cinema route is often strewn with misfires (with The Inbetweeners acting as an exception and Mr Bean's Holiday acting as an example), but by keeping the references to the TV show at a minimum, Alpha Papa manages to be both accessible to new fans and pleasing to the old ones.

In fact there are barely any "A-ha!" moments, as it turns out that Alan is a hopelessly appealing character in any medium whether you know him or not - he's like the village idiot that's not actually an idiot, more just desperate for attention. Some would say that the story itself becomes a betrayal of his roots though, as shoot-outs, hostage situations and frantic police chases ruin the quintessentially awkward and hilariously mundane 'Partridge' atmosphere, but ultimately the level of comedy littered throughout the running time ensure that Alpha Papa is nothing less than entertaining.

A brief history of Alan is pretty unnecessary, as the opening moments set his character up rather nicely. He's 55, he's got aggressive athletes foot (something he believes is incredibly important to everyone), his children don't talk to him anymore and his radio station North Norfolk is getting taking over by a hip new broadcasting company called "Shape" ("the way you want it to be!"). He soon discovers that either he or his long-time broadcasting friend Pat are in the line of fire, and encourages the executives to sack the alternative, leading Pat to go on a craze-fuelled shotgun spree inside the station.

Cue Alan's time to shine, as he becomes the go-between for Pat and the cops, resulting in enough quotable punchlines to knock out Muhammed Ali. 

The comedy is cranked up to eleven for this, and it's refreshing to see a movie based on a sitcom which actually stays at home - where The Inbetweeners went on holiday for their big screen outing, Alan stays in Britain and Alpha Papa works all the better for it. Saying that, some of the sight gags (Alan trying to clamber out of a window completely naked for example) feel like they belong in an American Pie movie rather than Norfolk's finest, but even so the subtle comedy hits all the right beats ("Why can't they just merge Jewish and Islam, y'know, call it Jislam?"). There's even a few guest-starring cameos, with Sean Pertwee acting as an exciting addition to the cast amongst all the carnage. 

As for the plot, writers Coogan and Peter Baynham stretch the premise to breaking point - between dream sequences and travelling to a pier, the actual storyline feels extensive towards the end, but luckily the performances and the surprisingly poignant moments (Pat's depression and Alan sorrowfully passing on messages to family members) keep the action moving as much as it can. 

Luckily the running time doesn't outstay its welcome, and an amusingly tense climax sees Alpha Papa rounding off a satisfying ode to the legacy of Alan Partridge and his surprisingly everlasting appeal. Coogan himself is superb, giving a master-class in comedy: every facial tic and every little mumble of disdain acting as the result of over two decades of character building.

Summary

Funny, moving and expertly directed, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is simply one of the best comedies of the year, and manages to invite fans both old and new to celebrate Steve Coogan's iconic character. It's not always spot-on, but the film stays true to Alan's irresistibly ridiculous personality and even sees him caught up in those sort of heroic situations he's dreamt of his whole life. This is ruddy hilarious, and exactly what comedy needed on the big screen. Back of the net!

8/10 - Great

The League Of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005), Hot Fuzz (2007), The World's End (2013)

Doctor Who: Introducing The Twelfth Doctor

Doctor Who: Introducing The Twelfth Doctor

The wait is over, the announcement has been made - this evening during a live BBC broadcast, Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, 55, was confirmed as the Twelfth incarnation of alien time traveller The Doctor in Doctor Who.

So then...Doctor Who exactly?

Well, fans of television and movies in general won't even need to ask that question. Not only is Capaldi a self-confessed 'Whovian' (definition: dedicated fan of Doctor Who), but he is also an incredibly well established actor in his own right, his most famous credit as the hilariously foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in the BBC's The Thick Of It. Other projects include Waking The Dead and, most recently, a supporting role in the summer blockbuster World War Z.

Eagle-eyed Whovians will also recognise Capaldi from appearances in previous episodes of both Doctor Who (pictured below in Series 4, Episode 2: The Fires of Pompeii) and its spin-off Torchwood for all five episodes of its third series. 

Capaldi's casting is an interesting one, as not only is he an established acting talent, but the BBC contacted him and asked him to audition, rather than completely allowing unknown actors to try out for the role. Importantly, Capaldi is a huge fan of the show and he says he could not be happier to bag the most iconic role on British television.

It's about time that an older Doctor was brought to the fore, as the past two incarnations have been assuredly appealing to the "Twilight generation" despite their formidable acting abilities. In 2005, Christopher Eccleston played the Ninth Doctor in the first of the show's revived series; he brought a dark angst to the role following The Doctor's apparent act of genocide in a Time War, killing every single member of his own race.

After one series, Eccleston left due to creative differences between himself and the producers, which allowed fan-favourite David Tennant to take over as the Tenth Doctor. Tennant himself was an up-and-coming star, having played the lead role in BBC 3's Casanova (also written by then-showrunner Russell T. Davies) but Doctor Who was his big break into stardom. 

In 2008, Tennant announced his departure from the show and after four seasonal specials, the Tenth Doctor emotionally regenerated on New Year's Day 2010 into his Eleventh incarnation: Matt Smith.

The reveal of Smith's casting was met with a barrage of head-scratching newspaper headlines: Doctor Who? After his first episode, Smith soon won over all the doubters and immediately made the role his own. Three years later, it's time for Smith to step down and the Eleventh Doctor will regenerate in this year's Christmas special.

Enter Twelve...

So what sort of Doctor will he be? Will he swing towards Smith or levitate towards Eccleston? Personally I'm hoping for the latter, but each Doctor has their own mix of dark and light and Capaldi is experienced enough to put his own spin on every line. Younger fans may find themselves in denial of him at first ("Oh but he's too old, he's not good looking enough!" was a particularly annoying Tweet I came across), but with some good writing and some positive side characters, Capaldi's Doctor will win over the fandom.

With this regeneration, the show is at an advantage. When Tennant left, so did all of the side characters who had supported him during his era - Billie Piper, Catherine Tate, John Barrowman, Bernard Cribbins - none of their characters have been seen nor heard since Matt Smith took over. And that's no bad thing - Doctor Who is all about change. Yet this time, Capaldi will still be aided by Jenna Coleman as the companion Clara Oswald, as well as a few other familiar faces who have proven popular with fans over the last year. The show is not reinventing itself again - more like shifting into a different gear.

Sadly however, we'll probably only see a few moments of Capaldi's Doctor in the closing seconds of the Christmas Special and after that, we have no idea when Series 8 will actually air on TV, although recent rumours have suggested that it'll hit our screens in late 2014.

So then, Peter Capaldi. Welcome to Doctor Who. You are now live aboard the TARDIS.

Please do not swear.

Review: The Conjuring

Review: The Conjuring

The horror genre has seen a spike of interest in recent years, most likely kick started by the surprise hit Paranormal Activity. Since then, the likes of modern horrors such as Mama, Insidious and Sinister have not only done well at the box office, but have impressed the vast majority of critics too.

So amongst all of 2013's summer blockbusters comes The Conjuring, a ghost story that channels those classics like The Amityville Horror both with its narrative and the techniques put into play. Yet to make a good horror movie, there needs to be terror - so the most important question is, how scary is it?

Sadly, The Conjuring is not particularly scary at all. The jump scares are timed expertly of course, and the creepy atmosphere is consistently cranked up to eleven, but the problem is that most of the scares never particularly pay off. The horror audience is far too savvy these days, and we've definitely seen it all before: a door suddenly slamming of its own accord, a child seeing something that the adults can't, a creepy doll staring us out...James Wan's latest horror is just far too "been there, done that" to truly be deserving of the hype, although an effectively creepy clapping game of hide and seek manages to send shivers up the spine.

Still, that doesn't make The Conjuring a bad movie in itself and where the predictable scares can occasionally let it down, the script (which is, of course, based on a true story) succeeds in providing some very enjoyable entertainment. For a change, the plot focuses less on the family and more on the experienced couple attempting to appease the spirits in their home. 

Ed and Lorraine Warren are renowned paranormal investigators called to investigate a dark presence terrorizing the Perrons, a large family who have just moved into their new secluded dream home. When the spirit latches itself on to the mother of the family, the Warrens are caught up in the most horrifying and traumatizing case of their lives.

The strong casting more or less ensures The Conjuring's success, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga amicably leading the proceedings as the Warrens. In fact, all of the performances are played absolutely straight and credit must be given to the child actors in the Perron family - their terror is truly believable, and where other horrors have had some hammy side acting, The Conjuring makes the best of each of its stars, right down to the doll-bothered girls in a largely unconnected prologue.

And that's just it - a lot of the scares in the plot are completely unconnected. A creepy doll from one of the Warrens' different cases makes a few appearances here and there, but it serves nothing to the story. It's certainly creepy, as most dolls are in horrors, but veering off to an unrelated case at particularly nonsensical moments only serves to throw the plot off course with no pay-off from the beginning right up until the over the top finale that surely stretches the truth beyond breaking point.

Summary

Less a horror and more a supernatural thriller, The Conjuring is creepy at best and, speaking as someone who often sleeps with the light on after a ghost story, you won't lose a wink after watching. Wan's direction is strong, providing the jumps when it matters, but this is best viewed in a cinema full of people where the atmosphere is tense enough to contribute to the fear factor. When all is said and done though, this summer's most anticipated fright-fest is more or less just a more sympathetic hybrid of hundreds of its predecessors - less a bump in the night than a small nudge or two.

7/10 - Good

See it if you liked: The Amityville Horror (1979), Insidious (2011), Sinister (2012)

Hollywood: The Fall of Originality

Hollywood: The Fall of Originality

Reboots, prequels, sequels, novel adaptations, spin-offs and those all-engrossing horror films which are, of course, "based on a true story." Yes, it's the curse of the sequel and while we've been casually enjoying all those expensively unoriginal features, that curse has been consuming Hollywood now more than ever.

In 2013 alone, we're being hit with over fifty massive blockbusters, almost all of which are sequels, prequels or reboots. From A Good Day To Die Hard in February, the unwelcome 5th instalment in the Die Hard series all the way to Anchorman: The Legend Continues in December, it's clear that in these times of economic instability and uneasy executives making the decisions, the movie industry is refusing to take many risks. 

Of course, there are still the usual suspects such as Director/Producer Christopher Nolan, who is currently undertaking a huge new original feature mysteriously called Interstellar which is due for release in late 2014. That said, Christopher Nolan is a safe bet for the movie studios, right? He essentially broke into the mainstream with a reboot of the Batman series, starting with Batman Begins in 2005.

Sure, he loves the characters as much as the next guy, but it's a safe bet to say that Nolan picked up an easily recognisable franchise in order to make his name heard amongst the less movie-savvy audience. He may have come up with one or two absolute winners since (if you haven't seen Inception, drop everything and watch it now), but behind the scenes he is still overseeing the rebooted Superman series Man of Steel. 

Old habits die hard, and with this particular project Nolan is, as many other writers of superhero flicks are, constrained by his source material. Many such genre movies are now falling back on direct adaptations of comics, or at least using most of their characters and storylines - at Comic-Con this month, it was announced that The Avengers 2 will follow the recent Age of Ultron storyline from the comics. What's the point in watching a story on the big screen that you've already experienced in a comic book?

Superheroes are, of course, an easily profitable bunch regardless of the director - most of the time, the face of the character is the most appealing piece of marketing behind the profit. Take Iron Man, for example, the first of Marvel's movies which led to the incredible crossover spectacular The Avengers last year (or Avengers Assemble, for us tea-sipping Brits). With Robert Downey Jr. on board as the man in the can, it was always inevitable that Marvel's billion-dollar crossover franchise would be a success with not only fans of the original comics on which they are based, but the general casual audience as a whole. In fact, The Avengers is the third highest grossing movie of all time - not bad considering it was written and directed by Joss Whedon, a man whose previous televised creations such as Firefly, Dollhouse and Angel were all cancelled before their time.

Moving away from the superhero franchises though, of which there are many, the horror genre has seen an incredible boost in popularity over the last few years, kick started by the original Paranormal Activity movie. Of course, the first was simply a small-budget, handheld camera flick in the style of The Blair Witch Project - a love letter of sorts to the horror classics of old. As is the way though, Hollywood executives saw dollar signs and picked up the franchise. As such, Paranormal Activity has spawned three sequels, with a fourth hitting our cinemas this October. Necessary? Of course not. Profitable? Definitely.

It's a familiar concept, that Paranormal Activity nonsense. Generic characters are terrorized in their own home by a ghost, spirit or demon (take your pick), and through the eyes of security cameras and camcorders, we see how each member is picked off one by one. The audience knows what is going to happen and where the jump scares are going to be - the trailers give far too much away anyway - yet the masses will stay pay their hard earned cash to watch the same thing all over again. So why is it?

Perhaps we crave what we know. Why take a £9.50 risk on some weird, intelligent, obscure sci-fi movie called Oblivion when you could spend it on Paranormal Activity 5 - you enjoyed the other ones, right?

Going by that logic, we're just as bad as the executives and movie studios making the decisions. Why should they pay millions to create an original, fresh and intriguing movie when they could pump more dollars into - oh, I dunno - a reboot of The Lone Ranger franchise? "Should we make it dark, gritty and morally ambiguous just like the original TV show never quite dared to achieve?" asks one fresh-faced producer. "Of course not," laughs an older, wiser executive. "Let's get Johnny Depp doing his wacky Johnny Depp routine, and we'll make sure it appeals to kids with over the top, ridiculous action scenes that physically make no sense. And you're fired."

Why should they pour billions of dollars into a brand new, epic action adventure directed by an up and coming director when they could simply hire Hugh "reliable" Jackman to pump out yet another Wolverine movie that nobody really wanted or asked for? Why should they, when we, the audience, aren't going to be open-minded enough to go and see them?

It's not all bad though - looking back over the last year or so, we have had rather a few original and mind-bending movies to entertain us. They, of course, can't rely on their story alone. Features such as 2012's Bruce Willis-starring Looper and this year's animated Oscar-nominated Wreck-It Ralph featuring John C.Reilly certainly challenged the intelligence and attention levels of the casual cinema audiences, but they still weren't enough to financially combat the heavy hitters, which is presumably why such big name stars were involved.

When you ask any cinema-goer which was their favourite "psychological thriller" over the last few years, their mind will immediately jump to Nolan's Inception from 2011. Not a bad movie by any means, one of the best to come out of recent years in fact, but it seems to be what the mainstream defines as a mind-bending movie, where in fact there are hundreds of independent and/or indie films which raise the bar beyond the reach of even the great Christopher Nolan.

They'll most likely never be seen nor heard though, which is a shame. Just look at the Oscar winners in 2013 - Ben Affleck's Argo nabbed the Best Picture award. Again, it was very well deserved but the point is that Argo is based on a true story. The source material is all there, the witnesses and the historical files - the plot is already mapped out for the writer and there is little creativity to be spoken of other than the technical execution of the scenes.

Amongst the other winners were Life of Pi (based on a novel), Silver Linings Playbook (same again) and Les Miserables (which is, of course, based on the acclaimed musical).

Thankfully other winners included Disney/Pixar's fantastic Brave, although Pixar themselves are falling in creativity levels. With 2011's Cars 2, this year's Monsters University and 2015's Finding Dory, the great animation studio are showing cracks in the concrete of their originality, falling back on sequels and prequels to please the adult audiences who remember the original movies from the early noughties. Still no Toy Story 4? Good!

At the end of the day though, Hollywood will continue to do whatever is most profitable. It's only whenl the masses stop paying for the same old rehashed movies again and again that the studios will sit up and take notice. If not, in ten years, we might be halfway through an American reboot of the Harry Potter series. In twenty years, we could be witnessing yet another Batman origin story complete with a fleeting cameo from Christian Bale. In thirty, a complete retelling of the Star Wars series with Justin Bieber as Luke Skywalker.

Let's hope they've invented space travel by then, because I won't want to live on this planet anymore.

Review: The World's End

Review: The World's End

From the multi-flavoured ice cream to the obligatory ill-fated fence jump, the quirk and charm of the movies thus far within the "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy" have always been heralded as two of the most quintessentially British comedies of all time.

As with all great things though, it hath reached its end. It's fitting really that after tackling such intense subjects as zombie viruses and police conspiracies in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the comic writing team of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright have decided to end their trilogy in the most common of British cornerstones - the pub.

Inevitably though, comparisons with their previous endeavours will be drawn, so let's just get that little pint downed right now - put simply, The World's End is not as good as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz. When I say not as good, I mean that for a comedy, the laughs don't come quite as thick and fast this time around, instead allowing the script to delve deeper into the melancholy and nostalgia of the characters within.

Pegg plays Gary King, a once legendary high school heartthrob who is now stuck at the less than flattering end of his 40's. 20 years after attempting a failed legendary pub crawl in their home town of Newton Haven, he decides to get the gang back together and give it another shot, from The First Post to The World's End. As the reluctant friends attempt to reconcile their past and present, they soon discover that the struggle isn't actually to manage twelve pints each - it's dealing with some very unwelcome newcomers in their home town. Reaching The World's End might be the least of their worries.

For all its witty, flashy fun, The World's End plays out a little more like a deep character study rather than an out-and-out comedy. The predicament of friendship weighs down heavily on our central cast, noting the idea that just because you were friends in your teenage years doesn't mean you'll all share the same values and ideals when you've grown up, bagged yourself a job and a family. Pegg's character acts as our window to this situation, as he remains hopeful that after a few pints, they'll all resolve their differences and become best friends again.

He's backed of course by Pegg's long-time comrade Nick Frost, and for once the chemistry between them is much different and all the better for it: rather than simply have Gary King as the straight-faced hero for Frost's character to bounce off witlessly, Frost himself becomes the man with a plan. In fact, much of The World's End differs from the magic formula that the Cornetto Trilogy had utilized so far in terms of its pacing, and the number of running gags is dropped significantly (although one joke about "Starbucking" strikes a brilliantly funny chord).

To keep things light, we also have a trio of Britain's best: Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan and Martin Freeman, all of whom spur the plot along nicely when it matters. There are even a few cameos from some very recognisable Hollywood heavyweights, but I'll say no more on that.

The first half hour does feel a little worrying though, with very little comedy or action moving anything along, but when things finally kick off it's a huge thrill ride. Edgar Wright hasn't lost the frantic directorial flair he developed with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World as comedy and action blend hilariously fast. One particularly brilliant scene sees Pegg desperately attempting to down a pint in the middle of an all-out bar brawl, several punches to the face rendering his mission a failure.

As for plotting, The World's End disappoints a little when compared to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, with various twists and turns visible from miles away. Gary himself is such an unlikeable protagonist from time to time that it's very hard to feel sorry for him when required, and the film's climax is a little convoluted and aimless considering the hard work that's gone before.

At the end of the day though, it's not at all disappointing - it may be the most forgettable and different when compared to the rest of the bunch, but the dream team of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright have produced yet another winner, proving that the subtlety and wit of British comedy is still alive and well.

Summary

Not quite as original as Shaun of the Dead and certainly not as bombastic as Hot Fuzz, The World's End is more or less the least entertaining entry in the unofficial Cornetto Trilogy but that doesn't make it less than the height of British comedy. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and the gang are on fine form, and director Edgar Wright makes up for a rocky opening half hour with some frantic and hilarious action sequences. What it lacks in a decent plot it makes up for with some clever satire and a very deep study into the characters and the struggles that they face both within and without their group. So it's with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to the Cornetto series, but it's been a fantastic, quintessentially British ride. D'you want anything from the shop?

8/10 - Great

See it if you liked: Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), This Is The End (2013)

Doctor Who: Top 10 of the Matt Smith Era

Doctor Who: Top 10 of the Matt Smith Era

Matt Smith's time as the Eleventh incarnation of The Doctor is coming to a close in this year's Christmas Special of Doctor Who. With only two episodes left featuring Eleven, it's time to continue our monthly article celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who by looking back at the biggest and best stories from across his three full series.

10 - The Angels Take Manhattan

Series 7, Episode 5

Companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

Writer: Steven Moffat

The plot: Having decided to finally give up their normal lives and travel with The Doctor as long as they can, Amy and Rory join the Time Lord for lunch in New York's Central Park. The Weeping Angels soon find their opportunity to strike, however, and send Rory back in time where he is reunited with River Song. Amy and The Doctor attempt to rescue him, but it becomes clear that the future is inevitable and that his best friends are about to leave him forever.

Why it's awesome: After two and a half series as The Doctor's companions, Amy and Rory (and by extension, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) finally depart his side in a brilliantly tear-jerking fashion. There are also some nailbiting scenes atop a New York skyscraper as Rory contemplates suicide, a topic rarely explored in Doctor Who. Oh, and you might want to keep an eye on the Statue of Liberty the next time you're in the big apple.

Best line: "Raggedy man - goodbye."

9 - A Good Man Goes To War

Series 6, Episode 7

Companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Writer: Steven Moffat

The plot: With his best friend kidnapped and giving birth to a baby girl named Melody Pond, The Doctor assembles an army to take her back. On an asteroid called Demon's Run, the battle commences and The Doctor saves Amy and her baby without a drop of blood spilt. Or so it seems...

Why it's awesome: After her first appearance alongside the Tenth Doctor in Series 4, the identity of River Song had been shrouded in secrecy - until now. A Good Man Goes To War finally revealed the truth behind her character, along with some brilliant battle scenes and a huge twist that left many fans with their jaws on the floor. How could it have been better? Writer Steven Moffat wanted John Barrowman's Captain Jack to join The Doctor's army but unfortunately he was busy filming Torchwood's fourth series. Gutted. 

Best line: "If that man is collecting on his debts and raising an army against you - then God help you."

8 - The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang

Series 5, Episodes 12/13

The companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Writer: Steven Moffat

The plot: River Song sends a mysterious message to The Doctor, bringing him to Roman Britain in 102 AD. Underneath Stonehenge lies a fabled prison known as "The Pandorica", a box rumoured to contain the most feared being in all the universe. However, The Doctor has walked unwittingly into a trap set by "The Alliance", a group of his oldest enemies including Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans. When it finally opens, The Pandorica is empty...because it is designed to contain him. 

Why it's awesome: This really turns the tables on The Doctor's reputation as a super-heroic being, instead implying that most cultures in the universe are actually terrified of him and his ability to thwart those plans he doesn't agree with. The two-parter makes up the end of Smith's first season as The Doctor and, by the end, it feels like he's been doing it for years, especially with an amazing speech to his foes.

Best line: "If you've got any plans on stopping me tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Then do the smart thing - let somebody else try first..."

7 - Hide

Series 7, Episode 9

The Companion: Clara Oswald

Writer: Neil Cross

The plot: It's 1974; Professor Alec Palmer and his psychic assistant Emma Grayling capture evidence of a ghost haunting an old English mansion. They're soon joined by The Doctor and Clara, who immediately feel as though they are being watched in the house. Is Caliburn mansion truly haunted by a supernatural entity, or will The Doctor find a more logical explanation?

Why it's awesome: Doctor Who has tackled spooky stories before, mostly in the old classic series. With Hide however, New-Who finally dips its toe into the horror genre and it's a brilliant success. There are some truly spooky scenes as the "ghost" creeps on the characters, and actor Dougray Scott is a very welcome guest star in what is one of Series 7's truly excellent stories.

Best line: "Watch out for him, Clara. He is a good man but there is a sliver of ice in his heart."

6 - The Doctor's Wife

Series 6, Episode 4

The Companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Writer: Neil Gaiman

The plot: The Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves on a mysterious, desolate planet where Time Lords have been led to be imprisoned and die. When the life of the TARDIS is pushed out by an intrusive force calling itself The House, the TARDIS places its soul inside a dying woman. For the first time ever, The Doctor and his ship communicate face-to-face in order to escape the dangerous planet.

Why it's awesome: Written by acclaimed author Neil Gaiman, The Doctor's Wife is a superb piece of science fiction that focuses on the relationship between The Doctor and his iconic ship. Companions come and go but the TARDIS will always be his, and The Doctor finally shows how ruthless he can be when his way of life is threatened.

Best line: "Fear me, Doctor. I've killed hundreds of Time Lords." "Fear me. I've killed all of them."

5 - The Name of The Doctor

Series 7, Episode 13

The Companion: Clara Oswald

Writer: Steven Moffat

The plot: Clara discovers that three of The Doctor's friends have been taken hostage by The Great Intelligence and taken to Trenzalore, a planet fabled to contain The Doctor's grave. Aware that his greatest secret is about to be discovered, The Doctor is terrified and yet makes his way to the horrific planet to save Jenny, Strax and Madame Vastra. Once there, the truths behind both Clara Oswald and The Doctor's past are revealed - Clara has been scattered along The Doctor's timeline, saving him in the shadows all his life. The Doctor, on the other hand, has hidden a previous incarnation...but who is he?

Why it's awesome: John Hurt! As The Doctor! John Hurt as The Doctor! Couple that with an amazing intro featuring all of the previous incarnations of The Doctor and the heartbreaking departure of River Song and this episode should get you marking the 50th Anniversary Special in your calendar immediately.

Best line: "I said he was me. I never said he was The Doctor. The name you choose, it's like a promise you make. He broke the promise."

4 - Asylum Of The Daleks

Series 7, Episode 1

The Companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Oswin Oswald

Writer: Steven Moffat

The plot: The Doctor, along with a soon-to-be-divorced Amy and Rory, are captured by the Daleks and forced to enter the Asylum where broken and insane Daleks are left to die. According to the Daleks, the Asylum has to be blown up in order to stop them escaping - and of course they plan to do so with The Doctor inside. Luckily, the trio are helped by Oswin Oswald, a woman whose ship crashed on the planet a year ago and has somehow been surviving ever since...

Why it's awesome: This episode sees every single version of the Daleks on screen at the same time, and it truly is the definition of a great Doctor Who story. The reveal of Jenna-Louise Coleman's mysterious character was also successfully kept secret from the public, and both her performance and a hugely positive public reaction made Asylum of the Daleks one of the most enjoyable season openers ever.

Best line: "Titles are not meaningful in this context. Doctor who?"

3 - Amy's Choice

Series 5, Episode 7

The Companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Writer: Simon Nye

The plot: The Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves in a trap set in motion by the "Dream Lord", a mysterious foe who has somehow found his way on to the TARDIS. Constantly alternating between a sleepy English village being invaded by aliens and the TARDIS, which is slowly drifting towards an ice cold sun, the three travellers have to decide which reality is the correct one - and in order to survive, they must kill themselves in the fake world. Tricky.

Why it's awesome: The Dream Lord is one of the most mysterious and clever enemies to emerge from recent series of Doctor Who, and Toby Jones brings a very creepy ambience to the role. The plot itself is incredibly exciting, with the trio hopping back and forth between dream and reality, and a terrific climax bags Amy's Choice the number 3 spot. 

Best line: "If you die in a dream, you wake up. Ask me what happens if you die in reality." "What happens?" "You die, stupid. That's why it's called reality."

2 - The Girl Who Waited

Series 6, Episode 10

The Companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Writer: Tom MacRae

The plot: With the intention of treating his companions to a holiday, The Doctor takes them to the planet Apalapucia - unfortunately the entire planet is under quarantine due to a deadly plague which affects two-hearted natives. Amy accidentally gets separated from The Doctor and Rory but when they try to rescue her, they arrive 36 years later in her timeline. Now in her early 50's, Amy does not trust The Doctor after having been left abandoned on the planet and being forced to fend for herself. It's up to Rory to save the woman he loves, both the old and young versions - but how can he choose between them? Only one can survive.

Why it's awesome: A mixture of outstanding plotting and heartfelt performances make The Girl Who Waited an essential episode of Doctor Who. For all the running, battles and exploration that the central trio indulge in, this episode really digs deep into the friendship that they all hold for each other and for once, Rory and Amy are truly equals in their marriage. Karen Gillan is incredible as an older version of her character, while Arthur Darvill's tearjerking dialogue opposite her in the final scene is delivered with huge emotional gusto.

Best line: "There can only be one Amy in the TARDIS, Rory. Which one do you want?" "This isn't fair, Doctor. You're turning me into you."

1 - The Eleventh Hour

Series 5, Episode 1

The Companions: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

Writer: Steven Moffat

The plot: A young Scottish girl in the sleepy English village of Leadworth is scared of a crack in her bedroom wall; as if answering her prayers, a huge police box lands in her backyard. Out steps a peculiar man: a new Doctor, his clothes tattered and burnt from his Tenth incarnation's regeneration. After inspecting the crack in her wall, The Doctor promises Amelia that he will return in five minutes. Due to the TARDIS malfunctioning, he arrives twelve years later and is confronted by Amelia, who no longer trusts him. The Doctor attempts to regain her trust by dealing with the shape-shifting alien Prisoner Zero, an intergalactic criminal who has taken residence on Earth - but with the planet about to be burnt to a crisp by Prisoner Zero's guard the Atraxi, and The Doctor still trying to get used to his brand new body, Amy might have no choice.

Why it's awesome: Series 5 welcomes in a brand new era of Doctor Who, with a new Doctor, a new head writer and a new supporting cast. As well as being the first episode to fully feature Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as The Doctor, Amy and Rory, The Eleventh Hour is also an incredibly entertaining story in its own right. Thanks to the regeneration and a brand new cast, this is the perfect jumping on point for newcomers to the series, and Steven Moffat keeps the Eleventh Doctor's likeable momentum going all the way through the episode - no mean feat considering that the Tenth Doctor had a special place in British hearts. A truly outstanding debut for a truly outstanding Doctor, The Eleventh Hour is the defining episode for the Matt Smith era of Doctor Who. 

Best line: "You know when grown ups smile at you and tell you everything's going to be fine, even though you know they're lying?" "Yeah." "Well...everything's going to be fine..."

Doctor Who returns on the 23rd November for its 50th Anniversary Special, followed by the departure of The Eleventh Doctor in this year's Christmas Special.

Check back to Movies Under The Microscope next month for another monthly retrospective of 50 years of Doctor Who!