Cinema Review: The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Continuing a franchise when the original lead actor has called it quits is always a tricky proposition, and one that rarely leads to ongoing success. Instead of going the Bond route of recasting the main character, Tony Gilroy, writer of all the Bourne films and now promoted to director too, wisely chose to continue the same storyline with a new character at its centre. (It will be tricky to continue having "Bourne" in the title if Matt Damon's absence remains, though, but that will be a problem for any future instalments.) The Bourne Legacy hits a few early speed-bumps - mainly due to the inherent problems in restarting a narrative that has, essentially, ended - but Gilroy does find his groove, and the resulting film is probably far better than most expected.

Cinema Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Hype: it's a blessing and a curse. If a film receives a lot of it, it must be onto something good. But it can also be cruel, building up expectations that no film could hope to meet. When the hype reaches fever pitch levels, as it has for The Dark Knight Rises, there's an even greater height from which to fall, and an even greater potential for backlash from a disappointed fanbase.

The Dark Knight Rises surpasses the hype.

Cinema Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

As a general rule, the current average cinemagoer likes to know exactly what they're getting with any given film. Anything that's slightly challenging or unexpected tends to face a backlash and invariably slumps at the box office, a few Christopher Nolan-flavoured exceptions notwithstanding. That's a big reason why sequels are so popular - basically, audiences just want the same thing over and over again. The Amazing Spider-Man takes this to the extreme, because it is essentially a remake of a ten-year old film. It retells the same origin story that Sam Raimi's Spider-Man did, covering many of the exact same beats - spider bite, learning new powers, school bully, Uncle Ben, yada yada. The fact that it still manages to feel fresh and interesting is almost a miracle, and is mostly down to the excellent cast and director Marc Webb's more realistic take on the material.

Blu-ray Review: Hara-kiri - Death of a Samurai (2011)

Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai is director Takashi Miike’s second dip into the waters of feudal Japan in as many years, and like the well received 13 Assassins (see my review – although note that I now like the film more than I did when I wrote it, enough to rank it my eighth favourite film of last year) it is a remake. The original in this instance, though not as well known as Kurosawa’s many samurai classics, is revered as a masterpiece, so Miike was taking a bit of a risk in updating it – in 3D no less. But, even more so than 13 Assassins, Hara-kiri is a restrained piece; largely contained within two small locations (a feudal lord’s palace, and an impoverished samurai’s own house) and with a marked economy of motion in both camera and actors.

Blu-ray Review: Super 8 (2011)

Super 8 sets its stall out early with its opening logos. After the familiar Paramount peak, we see a boy cycling in front of the moon: the Amblin logo, Steven Spielberg's company, its iconic motif of course spawned from E.T.. Only then is it followed by J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot insignia. Not only does it show just how reverently Abrams regards Spielberg, it also encapsulates the tone, subject matter and even time period of the film to follow. Super 8 is a shameless Spielberg riff through and through - and manages to be the best Spielberg film since the heyday of The Beard himself. A cinematic love child of Close Encounters and E.T., albeit with a rather less friendly alien beastie at its centre, Super 8 encapsulates exactly the sort of exuberant fun, married to real heart and soul, that propelled the young Spielberg to such unmatched heights of critical and commercial success.

Cinema Review: Prometheus (2012)

In the months prior to the release of Prometheus, Ridley Scott has been trying his hardest to distance his new film from Alien, refusing to call it a prequel. All the early signs suggested a prequel is exactly what it is, and indeed, in the sense that it depicts events that take place before those in the 1979 classic, it fulfils the prequel brief to a tee. However, expectant viewers should retain Sir Rid's comments in their head before watching, because Prometheus certainly doesn't play the simple join-the-dots game that may have been anticipated. It really doesn't dovetail much into Alien, and provides few clear answers to any of the burning questions, such as, "where is the alien from?" or "how did the derelict spaceship full of eggs end up crashed on that planet?" If answers are what you're here for, prepare to be disappointed.

Blu-ray Review: Braveheart (1995)

It's clear throughout Braveheart that it is very much Mel Gibson's baby. Gibson's typically Australian antagonism towards the English, continued in 2000's The Patriot, is given plenty of airing here. Taking on the unenviable task of both starring in and directing (for the first time) this monstrous, "they don't make 'em like this any more" three-hour epic, Gibson's lion-maned William Wallace dominates the film. The actor's Scottish accent may have been the subject of some ridicule since, but Gibson nails the essential charisma and physicality demanded by the part; you can understand why men would follow him into battle, and factor that the leading men in some subsequent historical pictures such as Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven have struggled to emulate. In the light of his subsequent directorial effort The Passion of the Christ, precursors in Gibson's direction can be identified, and indeed, the theme of heroic, selfless sacrifice is central to both, even if it takes up more of the running time in The Passion. (Wallace is even attached to a crucifix for the climactic torture sequence.)

Blu-ray Review: Mad Men, Season One (2007)

The likes of The Sopranos, The Wire and The West Wing now long gone, it has fallen to Mad Men to hold the current mantle of 'the best thing on TV'. The first venture into drama by US network AMC (who have since have a major hit with The Walking Dead), Mad Men started life as a relatively small and unassuming show, albeit one with a strong pedigree - creator Matt Weiner cut his teeth on The Sopranos. Four years later, it had won the Best Drama Emmy for each of its four seasons. Unlike previous Emmy hoarders, though, Mad Men has never quite caught on with the general public, its critical adoration and small but ardent fanbase keeping it alive despite low ratings.

Cinema Review: The Avengers (2012)

It's difficult to think of another film that has been teased for so long before finally appearing, so The Avengers (official UK title: Marvel Avengers Assemble, which I will ignore) has a lot to live up to. Beyond the usual trailers and TV spots, you could say that this film's marketing campaign has consisted of five actual movies: Iron Mans 1 and 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America. All of those films shared to varying degrees an identical problem: none of them felt like complete films within their own right, with that everpresent distraction of The Avengers lurking on the horizon. Laying such groundwork for a future film has been a ballsy plan by Marvel and a first in cinema, but the signs are that it will pay off big time. Finally, at last, here is a film with no obligation to build up to a figurative "To be continued". Sure, there will no doubt be further sequels, but this is the main event.

Blu-ray Review: Hugo (2011)

Hugo is Martin Scorsese at play. Never before has he had such a toolbox at his disposal. It is his first venture into 3D and also his most extensively effects-based movie yet, and the master does not disappoint. Hugo is a technical tour de force but also a completely enchanting picture, its extravagant effects and sumptuous production design used in the service of telling a charming story. Scorsese has said he made this film so that his 12-year-old daughter could finally watch one of his films, but Hugo isn't just a children's film; indeed, it will probably hold much more interest for adults, especially those with a love of Paris and cinema history.