Review: John Carter

John Carter (12a)

Dir. Andrew Stanton

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“When I saw you, I believed it was a sign... that something new can come into this world.”

What do you get if you cross Star Wars, Flash Gordon and Avatar? Well John Carter would be one answer and it’s easy to see the influences of these sci-fi epics in this new big budget otherworld opus. The thing is John Carter’s story was written in the early 1900’s by Edgar Rice Burroughs and the influences of his books can be seen in many Sci-fi films.

So John Carter (played by Taylor ‘soon to be seen in Battleship’ Kitsch) finally hits the big screen – a bit late to his own party but eager to please. Carter is a cavalryman transported to Mars where he becomes a pivotal element in a civil war.

"shoot the flying thing..."

The plot is join the dots goodies vs baddies, princess in peril, lovable ‘doglike’ creature that becomes Carter’s sidekick. Alien race that adopt Carter, who he will call on to fight for the right side… It’s pick and mix sci-fi bingo all the way (even if this is a look at the original source) but at least director Andrew ‘Finding Nemo’ Stanton manages to inject the macho nonsense with some heart.

Disney have stumped up the cash for this and the special effects are suitably impressive – this a decent slice of daring do, heroic spectacle – pumped up with some tasty action sequences.

Taylor Kitsch is pretty convincing in the lead role, looking for all the world like a Conan-lite hero, handy with a sword and blessed with the ability to pull off Hulk scale jumps due to the gravity imbalance. Lynn Collins is Carter’s love interest – the Martian Princess ‘Dejah Thoris’ – she looks the part too in some skimpy Princess Leia alike outfits.

"Princess Leia called - she wants her bikini back"

The rest of the cast are good too with licence to over act, so we get Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas and Samantha Morton as Sola (four armed green skinned aliens) along with Mark Strong as the main villain of piece with the great name of Matai Shang.

John Carter isn’t the classic that it would have been if it had been made before Star Wars and the rest but it offers solid entertainment for anyone who likes their action space bound and who isn’t put off by odd alien names…

In space nobody can hear you scream ‘Haven’t I seen this somewhere before?’

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

3.5 – Sci-fi epicness (just a little late)

Awesomeness ööö – some of the battles are cool

Laughs ööö – corny acting and stupid dog thing raise smiles

Horror öö – nothing too grim

Babes ööö – Lynn Collins looks good at 35 (see below vs original artwork)

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – Mars is not heaven

PS VITA's UNIT 13 beats 3DS's METAL GEAR in UK

VITA Shooter outguns 3DS

Matt Adcock

In the UK this week, the new shooter Unit 13 on PSVITA beat the 3DS new release of Metal Gear Solid 3D - only Unit 13 made the top 40 sales chart (at #15). This is despite the VITA only having been on sale for 3 weeks and having a much lower installed base.

Source: http://ukie.org.uk/content/ukie-week-10-2012-uk-video-games-charts

"classic game but couldn't outgun new challenger UNIT 13"

Unit 13 Review

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

The PS Vita has its first shooter and it is a full blooded heavy duty tour of duty – from Zipper Interactive – these guys know a thing or two about shooting games as they made the SOCOM games on various PlayStation platforms and MAG on the PS3.

Unit 13 brings hot leaden death to the VITA’s beautiful OLED screen with 45 tactical missions in which you take down global terror networks and prove your place amongst the military elite.

With the precision of the Vita's dual analogue sticks, unique 5” touch-screen, Wifi connectivity for fast action and 2-player co-op, and 3G compatibility for instant social updates and highly addictive daily challenges, Unit 13 is a beast of an on-the-go action shooter.

"dusty terrorists need some hot lead - go to it soldier!"

Things kick off with a nice training course / tutorial which introduces you to the game – points are awarded for kills, more for headshots, stealth and multiple kills… The main missions are divided into several specific types – Backlash, Deadline, Camouflage, Elite etc. Each has different parameters for success, some require surgical hits on targets, others are larger scale fire0fights or rescue missions, Elite ones do not let you regenerate health apart from in specific areas and so must be approached with a less gung-ho attitude.

Getting a good score (3 stars or more) on a mission opens up the dynamic version of the missions which is shuffled with randomly generated tasks and enemies. There are six specialist soldier classes to choose from, picking the best one for the mission will depend somewhat on how you like to play e.g. sniping from afar or getting up close and personal with your prey… Each class can be upgraded so if you want to specialise in one you can build them up to be a deadly perk enhanced killing machine.

One great touch is the downloadable daily missions – a new one available each 24 hours – but you only one shot at it and the worldwide leader-board beckons!

Unit 13 looks the business on the VITA, there are some nice lighting and smoke effects, characters are detailed and muzzle flashes satisfyingly light up the area. The locations range from dusty Middle Eastern towns and vistas to underground stations, nightclubs and palaces.

"shoot first, admire the banners later"

Controls and gameplay is where Unit 13 really shines, the double joysticks on the VITA are wonderful for this sort of game, it really feels a lot like Call of Duty style run and gunning – in fact it serves as a mouth watering example of just how good COD VITA is going to be!

The missions are nicely designed and if you fail you’ll know that it was down to something you did rather than an unfair glitch or stupid level design. That just increases the ‘one more go’ factor so much so that you can spend hours happily trying to perfect a mission.

Sure the big guns of Resistance, Killlzone and COD are all on their way to VITA but Unit 13 sets a great standard for other shooters to match up to. Move out soldier – the world needs you!!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2

4.5 – Game changing VITA shooter, hits the target!!

Journey PS3 Review

Journey (PS3 Exclusive)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Everything you know about videogames changes when you take this ‘JOURNEY’…

Step into the shoes of an un-named hooded figure and brave the windswept planes, this is an invitation to a living, breathing interactive artwork in which you control the events – and let the PS3 connect with your very soul.

From the heart of the an intense desert, where the sandy expanse hides a mystery of epic proportions and hot sun beats down on the tomblike buildings above which dance sparkling lights and fluttering red strips of cloth ride the wind as you venture through the ruins of an ancient civilization. What lies beyond the ominous mountains? More mountains? A watery underworld? A mechanical utopia? How about all of the above!?

"Journey-ing with a pal over PSN = gaming heaven!"

The world of Journey, the third game from hotshot indie developers thatgamecompany creators of the tranquil trippy "flOw" and the joy inducing "Flower". Journey builds on both those groundbreaking games and can best be described as an interactive parable…

An online adventure like no other, hard to put into words, this is a virtual experience akin to that of a person’s life passage and their interactions with other’s.

Awaking alone and surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert, you soon discover the looming mountaintop which is your goal. Faced with rolling sand dunes, age-old ruins, caves and howling winds, your passage will not be an easy one. The goal is to get to the mountaintop, but the experience is discovering who you are, what this place is, and what is your purpose. Travel and explore this ancient, mysterious world alone, or with a stranger you meet along the way. Soar above ruins and glide across sands as you discover the secrets of a forgotten civilization.

You carry no weapons – but can summon strange creatures and have the power of flight in limited bursts to rise above obstacles. You’re special equipment is just a Dr Who like scarf, imbued mystical runes – charging this up prolongs your flight time.

"weird and so very wonderful"

Journey isn’t a long game – you can make it through to the end in under 5 hours but it does have something that pretty much no other game has (at least to this level) – an undeniable spiritual dimension. Is Journey a portal to God? It is certainly the closest videogame has come to ‘prayer’ and that might be just what gamers need.

Journey is a rare ‘must experience’ game – if you don’t own a PS3 then you owe it to yourself to buy one just to experience this unique slice of awesomeness. Maybe I’ll see you online and we can help each other journey over the PlayStation Network, gaming like this can stand toe to toe with anything on any other media both in terms of satisfaction and credit.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

5 – Game changer in a spiritual way!?

KARA - the future revealed on PS3

KARA - PS3

Matt Adcock

"meet Kara... the actress and the PS3 version"

If you played the groundbreaking Heavy Rain (Darkmatters Review) - then you'll have some idea as to how cool game devs Quantic Dream are... Now they have revealed Kara, which could form the basis for some kind of future sequel - and it blurs the edges of gaming and reality in a wonderful sci-fi vision.

Quantic Dream said: “the following footage is a prototype running in real time on PlayStation 3″...

But it's better that you actually see it for yourself (thanks to Eurogamer for the vid):

Darkmatters Review: Project X

Project X (18)

Dir. Nima Nourizadeh

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Been to any good parties recently?

Either way here’s one to which you’re invited and it is the biggest, wildest High School party you’re ever likely to witness.

There are two main ways to view Project X and depending on which camp you find yourself in you will probably view this film either as an epic comedy good time overload or a terrifying horror story of that just could happen!? If you’re young, carefree and /or don’t have teenage kids, you may well fall into the first viewpoint, if you’re a parent and / or have any sense of morality Project X might just make you cry.

"Their parents would be so proud!?"

Director Nima Nourizadeh's film tells the well-worn tale of a group of teen lads trying desperately to fit in and become popular at High School… It’s young Thomas's (Thomas Mann) 17th Birthday and his parents will be leaving him alone at home for the weekend.

What’s a teenage lad to do but invite over his pals for a bit of a party? But Thomas’s BFFs – the wannabe smooth Costa (Oliver Cooper) and hopeless chubby loser J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown) have plans to crank up his B’day party into a ‘game changer’ that will elevate them from their nobody status and put them on the social map.

Of course none of them could foresee the night of debauched anarchy that would follow… As the tag line for the movie says ‘One night will make them legends’ – so get ready for high jinks on a grand scale. The small party soon rockets out of control as more than a thousand people turn up to party hard, turning the suburban residence into a massive rave. Throw into the mix a garden gnome filled with ecstasy tablets, an angry midget who likes to punch guys in the balls, an effective ‘all girls must be naked’ sign by the pool and an angry flame-thrower packing drug dealer and stand well back from the drug and alcohol fuelled insanity.

"Party-on Hollywood  style"

As his parents’ home is systematically wrecked Thomas can only look on from his drunken state of disbelief – we however have a ringside view thanks to the fact that Tom’s pals have decided to film the whole evening. And when the whole event escalates into a riot / confrontation with armed police he realises that nothing will ever be the same again…

Parents – after seeing this, you may never leave your teenage kids home alone!?

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

3.5 – The party you never got invited to (until now)

Awesomeness öööö – might never be topped

Laughs ööö – laugh out loud

Horror öö – home insurance premiums will never be the same

Babes öööö  – lots!

Spiritual Enlightenment -öö – at what cost to the soul?

"Maxim met The girls of Project X including Kirby Bliss Blanton"

Dynamo - 'My World in Play’

Dynamo stars in a short film to capture ‘My World in Play’

Matt Adcock


Following on from the launch of the PlayStation Vita on 22^nd February, two short films by TV award winning magician Dynamo have been released.

Inspired by the ability to play anytime and anywhere, the films give the viewer a glimpse into Dynamo’s magical world where anything is truly possible.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, the first film sees Dynamo putting the PlayStation Vita’s anytime, anywhere functionality to the test, scaling the heights of one of London's most iconic locations -Nelson's column - for a spot of downtime gaming, much to the surprise of his friend!

The second short film captures Dynamo's busy life, always on the move and in demand.   Playing at home on his PlayStation 3 console, Dynamo keeps being interrupted by his management.  Instead of stopping playing, with a touch of Dynamo magic he transforms his PlayStation console into a PlayStation Vita, so he can continue playing on the move.




“I’m a gamer myself and always on the move, so it was great to get a chance to test out the PlayStation Vita and see what I could do with it!” says Dynamo.

The two films by Dynamo follow the release of ‘Our World in Play’ which captured Rizzle Kicks duo Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sule, each making their separate ways to one of their gigs, putting the PlayStation Vita through its paces along the way.

The hotly-anticipated PlayStation Vita has gaming at its heart; offering users the best possible portable gaming experience, including WiFi and 3G capabilities, PlayStation 3 quality graphics, touch sensitive front screen and back panel, dual analogue sticks and new ways of social interaction with ‘Near’ and ‘Live Area’  functions.

“PlayStation Vita is an incredible device that offers the best possible portable gaming experiences.  Its revolutionary mix of features combined with social connectivity, deliver a platform for gamers to play games in a whole new way and to connect with their friends and the world around them” says Alan Duncan, Marketing Director, Sony PlayStation.

The Dynamo in the short films are hosted here: www.youtube.com/PSVita


Rumoured to be a big fan of the PSV:

PS VITA Uncharted and FIFA top charts

Gamers in the UK show they love the VITA...

Matt Adcock

The Game changing PS VITA is here - and in the first week of sales it has moved more than a million units of hardware world-wide. In the UK the top selling games for the launch week were Uncharted and FIFA - both superb on the VITA with Rayman Origins also making the all format top 5 (below).

PS VITA Uncharted and FIFA top the Top 40 
Entertainment Software Chart for Week Ending 25 February 2012

1. UNCHARTED: GOLDEN ABYSS - PS VITA (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)

2. FIFA FOOTBALL - PS VITA (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

3. UFC UNDISPUTED 3 - PS3 / 360 (THQ)

4. FIFA 12 - PS3 / 360 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

5. RAYMAN ORIGINS - PS VITA (UBISOFT)

Other PS VITA games also in the top 40 were WipEout 2048, F1 2011, Virtua Tennis 4, Everybody's Golf and Ridge Racer...

"The VITA - embodied by Alexis Bledel"

Darkmatters Review: SAFE HOUSE

Safe House (15)

Dir. Daniel Espinosa

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

‘When they tell you “You've done a fine job, Son. We'll take it from here.” That's when you know you're screwed.’

Step up for a high-energy espionage action thriller from director Daniel ‘Tony Scott wannabe’ Espinosa. Safe House sees Denzel Washington star as Tobin Frost - a notorious C.I.A. super spy who went rogue and has been messing things up for the international intelligence community ever since. Frost has got himself mixed up with a lot of very nasty people who want him dead and so turns himself in after being cornered by an army of hit men.

Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds), is a young C.I.A. "housekeeper" – frustrated at being paid to watch a largely unused Safe House and hoping for the change to prove himself worthy of a more exciting position… So when Frost is brought to Weston’s Safe House for a spot of ‘persuasive questioning’ or torture by water-boarding as it turns out – you just know that it won’t be long before Weston will be up to his neck in action.

"mean n moody"

Then everything kicks off as a team of tooled up mercs attack the Safe House killing all the C.I.A. operatives and forcing Weston to go on the run with Frost in his custody. Cue exciting car chases, gun battles and fist fights aplenty interspersed with some frankly dull and slightly unnecessary soppy character development as Weston tries to prevent his beloved girlfriend Ana (the very sexy Nora Arnezeder) from becoming a target for his pursuers.

The action scenes are what really impress here – breakneck paced chases mixed with gritty feeling fights – Safe House is a film that will satisfy those who like their gunfights loud, well staged and where characters actually get hurt / killed.

The film rocks some impressively shot cinematography too, which elevates it from the straight to DVD action efforts starring Steven Seagal etc… Throw into the mix some quality double crossing and paranoia inducing ‘don’t’ trust the system’ messaging and you’ve all the ingredients for a fun action thriller.

"stand down dude"

Whilst Denzel acts Ryan off the screen (they should have gone for Ryan ‘Drive’ Gosling if they wanted a Ryan who can hold his own) the pair do generate some chemistry and are ably supported by quality actors such as Liam Cunningham, Brendan Gleeson, Rubén Blades and Vera Farmiga.

Safe House might not be a classic but it certainly delivers enough to make it worth seeing on the big screen.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2


3.5 – No one is safe

Awesomeness öööö – The car chase scene is pretty epic!

Laughs öö – mildly funny in places

Horror öö – some savage fights but not overly gory

Babes ööö – Nora Arnezeder is yummy!

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – trust no-one

"fun C.I.A. undercover work!?"

"boom"

PS VITA - Avalanche of games coming!!

PS VITA GAMES LIST

Matt Adcock


The PS VITA is now available in the UK - so what games are available and what else is in the 'pipe'?

Here's a list that has been putting together over at IGN... If you know of others do let me know / comment!?

OUT NOW:

Army Corps of Hell

Asphalt: Injection

Ben 10: Galactic Racing

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance

Dynasty Warriors Next

Escape Plan

F1 2011

FIFA Football

Hot Shots Golf

Hustle Kings

Little Deviants

Lumines:Electronic Symphony

ModNation Racers: Road Trip

Michael Jackson: The Experience

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus

Plants vs. Zombies

Rayman Origins

Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen

Super Stardust Delta

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack

The Treasures of Montezuma Blitz

TOUCH MY KATAMARI

Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Virtua Tennis 4

WipEout 2048

Reality Fighters

Ridge Racer Vita

Frobisher Says!

MotorStorm RC

Top Darts

Initial impressions of Uncharted, Wipeout 2048 and FIFA Football HERE

MLB 12: The Show

Mortal Kombat

Unit 13

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

COMING SOON TITLES:


Disgaea 3 Returns

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Supremacy MMA

@Field

Alien Spidey

Aquatopia

AR Combat Digi Q

Assassin's Creed

Battlefield of Maidens 2nd

Bioshock Vita

Broken

Browser Sangokushi Next

Build 'N Race Extreme

Call of Duty Vita

Cave shooter project [untitled]

Daito Giken Official Pachi-Slot Simulator Series

DJ Max: Technika

Dragon's Crown

Dragon's Racing

Dream Club Zero Portable

Dungeon Defenders

Dust 514

Emergency Escape Adventure: Trust or Betrayal

Falcom Project [untitled]

Final Fantasy Type-0

Final Fantasy X

Fish On

Ginsei Igo

Ginsei Shogi Huun Ryuuko Raiden

Gravity Rush

Great Little War Game

Gyokugen Dasshutsu ADV: Zennin Shiboudes

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA -- PS Vita Version

Hideo Kojima "Fox Engine" Project

Jumpin'

Jurassic: The Hunted

Killzone Vita

Let's Try Bass Fishing

LittleBigPlanet Vita

Little Busters! Converted Edition

Lord of Apocalypse

Mad Blocker Adventure

Mahjong Fight Club: Shinsei Zenkoku Taisen

Malicious

Marvel Pinball

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Moe Moe Daisensou Gendaiban ++

Mr. Ink Jet New Kamaitachi no Yoru: Jyuichi-nin-me no Suspect

New King's Story

NPG

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD

Orc Attack

Pachi-Para Series

Project N.O.E.L.S.

Pub Games

Puddle

Pure Chess

Putty Squad

Ragnarok Odyssey

Resistance: Burning Skies

Robot Rescue Revolution

Saikyo Todai Shogi

Sengoku Hime 3rd

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Golden

Shirotsuku DX

Shoot Many Robots

Smart As (working title)

Sound Shapes

StarDrone Extended

Street Fighter x Tekken

Sumioni

Super Monkey Ball Vita

T@G

Tales of Innocence R

Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave

The Flying Hamster HD

The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki (Full Voice Version)

The Pinball Arcade

Time Travelers

Troopies

Urban Trials

Rugby Challenge

Warrior's Lair

Ys Celceta: Sea of Trees

Zone of the Enders HD Collection

WWE12

- - phew - -

How sexy is the PS VITA to play?

About this sexy:

PSVITA: THE WORLD IS IN PLAY

PS VITA - The Future For Gamers

Matt Adcock

The PlayStation Vita is now available and is redefining portable gaming with the console’s innovative features, including a crystal sharp 5 inch OLED screen, Dual Analog Sticks, front touch screen and rear touchpad and front and rear cameras.

If you think 'PS3 in your pocket' then you'll be pretty much spot on...


"Them Rizzle Kicks lads love the VITA - can't blame em!"

The hardware is unprecedented, uncompromising and very very tasty. If you think your smartphone can be any competition to the VITA, you'll soon change your mind when you try it...  The mini analogue sticks are beautiful, highly responsive  and allow for that 'real console' control - even the British Gas guy who came to fix our boiler whilst I was playing VITA wanted a go and after a few minutes with Call of Duty alike UNIT 13 proclaimed "this is the nuts! I'm going to have to trade in my PSP for this now."

It's true though, there is something intrinsically cool about the VITA that speaks to your inner gamer - in the queue I was in on launch morning, I counted at least  4 people trading in Xbox360's and 3  trading 3DS for their new VITAs - I asked the ex-360 guy infront of me why and he confessed that he's always wanted to play an Uncharted game and now he could 'take it anywhere' he just couldn't resist (yeah that and the fact that after trade in the VITA was only £79).

The PS VITA is slick, powerful slab of gaming goodness - and when you play it, if you've ever enjoyed a videogame you'll know, you'll just know that this is something you'll be spending a lot of time playing...

Tweeting, Facebook updating and 'meeting' other players through the excellent 'Near' functionality make the VITA a very handy bit of kit which can keep you socially connected whilst delivering high quality gaming on the go.

The games that are already the stars - with a launch line up better than any I've seen... Including mighty titles such as our pick of the top 3 off the shelf games:

Uncharted: Golden Abyss 

Sleek, epic and brutal adventuring all rolled into one mouth-watering package. The ability to play in bite sized chunks, trade items you find / loot from enemies with other VITA users, notch up trophies and generally be astounded by the cinematic PS3-alike visuals is something every gamer deserves to experience.

"in game footage - stealth action"

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters: öööö1/2 

4.5 – Redefines what's possible on a handheld and rocks very hard

FIFA Football

FIFA has come a long way from the days when it used to be pwned by PES... And the VITA version packs great graphics, smooth gameplay (with added options touch screen passing which can be used to devastatingly deadly effect), online games, tournaments - it's a flippin marvel what they've been able to do with what is for sure the best portable version of football to date. If you're a fan expect to lose many hours of your life to this!?

"even Ars*nal manage to look good in this version"

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters: öööö

4 – The really beautiful game, in your pocket!!

Wipeout 2048 

Wipeout 2048 is the near future anti-gravity racing prequel to the long running PlayStation franchise... Starting with a great short intro film which shows how in the quest for speed we finally got rid of wheels on our racing machines. So as the new sport isn't fully fledged the races take place in a mixture of city streets and nosebleed inducing vertical tracks which take you above the skyline.

Graphically this is just awesome, but the great news is that it plays superbly too and is probably the most 'pick up and play' version to date. Even Wipeout Noobs will be setting commanding lap times on the international online leaderboards - those with PS3 owning mates can play against them in real time / if you have a PS3 and Wipeout HD, the DLC packs you buy will be able to be used in both games!?

Nothing quite shows off what the VITA can do like this game - for a launch effort it is staggering and definitely my favourite of the WipEout games to date.

"look at those clouds - but not for too long as the action if frantic!"

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters: öööö1/2 

4.5 – Eye burning good looks and user friendly controls = greatest racing on the move ever

All of these can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store or bought on the funky VITA cards...



Full VITA reviews of these games and more will be appearing here after some serious play testing!!

"Radio 1's Chris Moyles and Tim Westwood rock the PS VITA launch"

"It's time for a new breed of handheld gaming!"

Info from the PSVITArooms launch: here 

Review - Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (12a)

Dir. Mark Nevaldine & Brian Taylor

“This thing... There's got no conscience, just hunger. The Rider's gonna come out. And when he does, he'll destroy whoever's got it coming.”

Not much can prepare you for this crazy follow up to 2007's ‘Ghost Rider’ (which wasn’t much cop but made a respectable $237,702,59 worldwide). Nicolas Cage must be as surprised as anyone to get the chance to return as Marvel’s darkest hero - Johnny Blaze – a guy possessed by a flame headed demonic entity called ‘The Rider’.

So Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a kind of reboot of the franchise, bringing in the hit directors of the Crank movies and looking to bring some more frenetic, darker action to the big screen, this time in really unnecessary 3D.

"MANIC CAGE ALERT!!"

Plotwise we’re in Eastern Europe where it seems that the devil going under the name Rourke (Ciarán Hinds) is up to no good and trying to trade in his aging body for a younger model. The boy who is the dark lord’s target is his son Danny (Fergus Riordan) whose mother Nadya (Violante Placido) is doing all she can to keep him away from his evil dad.

Also on hand are a renegade monk named Moreau (Idris Elba) who is also trying to save the boy and badass gunslinger Corrigan (Johnny Whitworth) who sides with the devil to try and obtain the boy for him.

Cue a loud, silly, good-looking adventure – shot through with jump cut cinematography and random action sequences. Sure it’s flashy stuff but it doesn’t make much sense or engage very much. The best thing about it is the manic energy of Cage who hasn’t been this mental on camera since his twitch-em-up Wicker Man performance.

There are a couple of memorable scenes including a fun road based vehicle attack / chase and a spiritually charged communion where Johnny Blaze tries to save his cursed soul. Corrigan is briefly bumped up to be a super baddie who can corrupt anything he touches which makes eating tricky as his food crumbles to mouldy dust before it gets to his mouth (apart from an indestructible Twinky).

"If the Twisted Metal film isn't better than Ghost Rider 2 - it will be a crime!"

Spirit of Vengeance really isn’t a classic addition to the superhero cannon and is unlikely to be fondly remembered by many – it’s a quick stupid blast of dark tinged action with a license for Cage to go absolutely nuts in his patented overacting masterclass.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öö

2 – Odd and manic doesn't equal great, anyway you look at it!?

Awesomeness öö – Cage is so far OTT it almost rocks

Laughs ööö – the acting is funny

Horror ööö – vaguely demonic goings on aren't pretty

Babes ööö – Violante Placido is hot

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – redemption theme figures hard

"But maybe never again..."

The UK Gaming Landscape Changes in hours... PSVITA

The PS VITA hits UK on 22.02.12

PlayStation Vita Midnight Opening is TONIGHT!!



The Oxford Street GAME Store will be opening at 00.01 Wednesday, 22nd February to officially launch SONY's new handheld.



Those who brave the London night will be the first to own the PS Vita hours before anyone else, but as an extra bonus, every customer will also receive a £5 PSN voucher code.



But that's not all. SONY will be on hand and are promising a memorable night for all in attendance. VITA buyers will get the chance to go head-to-head with fellow gamers with some special PS Vita challenges, with prizes including GAME PSN vouchers, t-shirts and more...

"Ami Ledger... should be Ami Ledgend!"

There's also an exclusive meet and greet with WipEout 2048 developer Karl Jones, who will be signing copies of this highly-anticipated launch game. Cosplay girl Ami Ledger will also be in attendance for meeting, greeting and signing!



As a special bonus, the first 100 customers in the queue will receive tickets to an EXCLUSIVE after-party at the PS Vita Rooms, located just around the corner on Newman Street.



My world may seem the same as yours...

But it's not!

If the PS VITA was a woman... ?

Darkmatters Review: The Woman In Black

The Woman in Black (12)

Dir. James Watkins

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Beware young Harry Potter fans – the boy who lived now finds himself in much darker territory… Daniel Radcliffe does his best ‘grown up’ face starring as noobie lawyer Arthur Kripps. His life has not been a happy one - his wife died in childbirth and his son is prone to doing sad drawings of them, but things can only pick up right?

Things don’t pick up, in fact they get very creepy and generally a bit grim when Kripps is dispatched to a remote northern village to sort out the paperwork of a deceased widow who has left a huge gothic mansion… The locals aren’t a friendly bunch – as it seems they are haunted by a spectral ghostly ‘Woman in Black’ has been appearing. This woman shaped ghoul is an omen of doom and when she is seen a child dies in the village…

"The Jehovah's Witness got cross at not being let in"

Director James ‘Eden Lake’ Watkins goes for the tried and tested ‘jump scene every 8 minutes’ formula with his adaptation of Susan Hill's best selling horror mystery novel. You really can set your watch by the ‘BOO’ moments as every opportunity to have ghostly images appear in the corner of shot, in mirrors, through grimy windows etc are taken. It’s certainly a decent effort at making you jump, wince and think ‘come on Harry – can’t you just use a spell to sort out this malicious old hag’. The film also walks a fine line of keeping within the crowd friendly 12 certificate (the last time The Woman in Black was made in 1989 it worked with a 15 cert).

Radcliffe does OK in the lead role, but most of the time he just has to look a bit mystified and / or scared. The rest of the cast are decent enough too and the special effects work well. The main ‘haunted house’ is a masterpiece of spook-em-up design and comes with the most sinister selection of evil looking toys ever to be assembled in one place.

"he who shall not be named..."

Yes The Woman in Black is absolutely chock full of horror movie genre clichés but they are thrown at the screen with such force that you can happily suspend your disbelief and lap up the screaming banshee wails, the terrified yelps and the whimpering that will be coming at you in ‘surround sound’ – mostly from the various young Harry Potter fans who have never witnessed a real horror movie before!?

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö

3 – Darkness and creepiness by the book

Awesomeness ööö – Potter 2.0

Laughs ö – not funny

Horror ööö – some mildly ghastly bits

Babes ö – not really

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – some spirits are not to be trusted!?

Darkmatters Review: Chronicle

Chronicle (12)

Dir. Josh Trank

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“Telekinesis: The ability to move, lift, vibrate (that's my favourite), spin, bend, break or impact objects through the direct influence of mental power or other non-physical means."

You want to see some ‘direct influence’? Go and see Chronicle, this is a pitch perfect tale of three high school kids who acquire telekinetic superpowers from a strange possibly alien artefact. So what are these young guys going to do with the power to move things, fly and attack people just with their minds?

At first the three lead characters – troubled Andrew (Dane DeHaan), his nice-but-dim cousin Matt (Alex Russell), and slick Steve (Michael B. Jordan) — go out and have fun with their powers. Pranking shoppers, pulling off jaw-dropping talent show routines, checking out girls’ underwear, playing football in the clouds (a truly grin inducing sequence) – you know, just the average lads kind of stuff. But before you can say ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ at least one of the group is exploring his dark side which sets up the most thrilling super-heroic battle climax to grace the big screen in years.

"Super powered snacking"

Chronicle is a great film, it deconstructs the standard super hero genre in a similar way to the excellent Kick Ass or Super did and manages to play it both for laughs and packs a darker undercurrent. My teenage son loved it and proclaimed it to be ‘awesome’ which is high praise for a relatively low ($15m) budget film.

Some might not like the idea of Chronicle being a ‘found footage’ flick – most of the shots are taken from the hand held camera Andrew carries around with him. It works though and adds a fun element of effectively capturing the changing moods of the characters. First time director Trank uses the hand held cinematic device to good effect, especially when Andrew causes the camera to float using his powers. There is also some social commentary on the very reasons people choose to record what they do.

"you'll believe nerds can fly"

Chronicle is a refreshing blast of teen angst channelled through super-powered urban destruction – this is a ‘must see’ film for anyone who enjoys superhero flicks and it even leaves the door open for what would be a welcome follow up.

"cheap forks don't even puncture the flesh"

Chronicle will rock you and leave you breathless – highly recommended viewing.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

5 – Dark, unsettling and brilliant!!

Awesomeness ööööö – some fantastic scenes you'll never forget

Laughs ööö – laugh out loud in places (boys will be boys)

Horror ööö – grim moments for a 12

Babes öö – not really babetastic

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – revenge = right?

Darkmatters Review: Man On A Ledge

Man On A Ledge (12)

Dir. Asger Leth

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

So there’s a man right – we’ll call him Nick (Sam Worthington looking for all the world like a B-movie version of Mel Gibson). Nick is a good guy, an ex-cop who is on the run as a fugitive because he was set up by an evil property magnate - David Englander (a eye wateringly OTT Ed Harris).

And then there’s this ledge right… No, not a ‘legend’ like Ryan Gosling in Drive but an actual ledge as in the thin decorative element that runs around the edge of a Manhattan hotel.

Put the man and the ledge together – throw in a sexy police psychiatrist named Lydia (Elizabeth Banks), an even sexier thief named Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) – and watch the ensuing negotiation thriller unfold.

"sexy thief"

"sexy cop"

Man on a Ledge isn’t a terrible film but it is an entirely disposable one.

I saw this in a double bill with Chronicle and of the two there is only one that I really remember all that much about… and it wasn’t the one with the ledge in it. So if you have some time to kill and fancy seeing an innocent man using every cliché in the book to try and clear his name – Man on a Ledge could be just for you. And if the ledge doesn’t get a best supporting actor nod it will only prove that the Academy always overlook talented by non-sentient props (as proved by Alec Baldwin in 2003 for ‘The Cooler’).

Be sure to look out for the potential sequel – 'Man Not On A Ledge Anymore'!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö

3 – fear the ledge (or don't bother)

Drive vs Star Wars trailer = awesome

This is a work of absolute genius...

The Wholly Family

Terry Gilliam's new short film masterpiece The Wholly Family - can be viewed here on Darkmatters for a low price...