Darkmatters Review: Skyfall

Skyfall (12a)

Dir. Sam Mendes

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“THINK ON YOUR SINS…”

This is the cyber threat at the heart of Skyfall – a doomsday scenario for the undercover spies the world over… Yes 007 is back (played once again by the excellent Daniel Craig) to save the day, it’s hard to believe that the world’s favourite secret agent has now been fighting for Queen and Country for 50 years.

Also back is M (Judi Dench – better than ever) but times are tough – and a new threat has the whole MI6 / British secret service looking like it has lost its relevance in the 21st century…

"sharp dressed agent"

Sam ‘American Beauty’ Mendes directs Skyfall – which has already taken the UK box office by storm with the second biggest opening weekend of all time. It’s easy to see why – this is Bond at his best and Skyfall kicks the doors in with a truly epic entry in the franchise.

M and MI6 are under attack, a global list of all undercover anti-terrorist agents has been stolen – it seems someone has a very personal grudge and it is down to Bond to fight back.

Bad guy this time is mad computer hacker and ex-MI6 Agent Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), and he’s potentially one of the best Bond villains ever – think The Joker from The Dark Knight and you’ll have some idea what to expect. Silva is out for revenge against M and Bond will be tested to the limit as he strives to protect his boss, even whilst she is being investigated by MPs for her recent actions.

"Defender of the city..."

Skyfall does pretty much everything right, bringing high quality action, stunning locations, gorgeous Bond girls – in the shapely form of Naomie Harris's Eve, and Bérénice Marlohe's Sévérine – and some ‘cheer out loud’ crowd pleasing Bond-isms such as a new ‘Q’ (Ben Whishaw) and another spin for the classic DB5.

Best of all Skyfall make Bond fun again – judging the balance of action and danger just right to make this the family film of the year (we took our sons aged 15 and 11 – who both loved it). The ‘12’ certificate is used well, the fights are brutal enough to prevent the film feeling too ‘tamed’.

This is Craig's moment as Bond, the good work he did in Casino Royale is cemented to icon status here, even making up for the weaker Quantum of Solace. The whole package delivers on all fronts – Skyfall comprehensively trounces Taken 2 and The Bourne Legacy – it is by far the best spy action film of the year and should sure up the Bond franchise for some future adventures. Welcome back Mr Bond!

"nice dress"

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

ööööö – An immediate classic!!

5 – Ah Mr Bond, we've been expecting you

Awesomeness ööööö – This is vintage Bond!

Laughs ööö – Genuinely funny in places

Horror öö – Tense but not grim

Babes ööö – Harris & Marlohe are fine eye candy!

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – for Queen and Country!

Much better than Quantum of Solace

"That Bond girl look!"

Darkmatters Review: Paranormal Activity 4

Paranormal Activity 4 (15)

Dir. Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“All the activity has led up to this…”

The best possible opening background to this film review has already been written by the awesome Chris Blohm of Little White Lies magazine – he explains: “When William Friedkin's horror classic The Exorcist was released upon an unsuspecting public in 1973, the Reverend Billy Graham declared that the actual celluloid on which the film had been printed was, in fact, possessed by a malignant, infernal force. Graham was nothing if not a great showman, and this provocative announcement only added to the general hullabaloo surrounding the film's release.

Another great showman, Steven Spielberg, did a little myth-making of his own when he saw an early version of Oren Peli's found-footage chiller Paranormal Activity. It was said that upon watching the film, Spielberg noticed a door to an empty bedroom had inexplicably locked. Sufficiently freaked out, he apparently wrapped the screener in a plastic bin bag and sent it back to Paramount quick sharp, convinced his copy was indeed harbouring some kind of spectral presence…”

So if William Friedkin's horror classic The Exorcist (perhaps regarded as the ‘daddy’ of all supernatural horror films), a mighty head-spinning, dread inducing masterpiece, could only muster two lacklustre sequels… What hope is there for PA4?

Ah, well, Paranormal Activity however is a modern day horror phenomenon, one that effectively energised the ‘found footage’ subgenre and is going strong into its fourth movie.

"who's that?"

However, if we’ve learnt anything about horror franchises, it’s that part four is often a weak effort – so can Paranormal Activity buck the trend or is the curse of the fourth movie about to strike again? The first film broke new ground with it’s intimate ‘the horror is right in your home’ gimmick, part two built on the mythos / still delivered on the scares and even part three upped the ante by showing why this Paranormal Activity is all kicking off.

But something has gone badly wrong., This entry feels weak, rushed and lacking in any real scares (other than the occasional ‘jump’ moment). It’s like the directing team of Joost and Shulman have been possessed by the malign spirits of some hackneyed, ‘straight to video’, directors… and unleashed on unwitting cinema goers to wreak supernatural disappointment.

"nothing spooky here..."

If you’re a Paranormal Activity fan, you need to seriously lower your expectations because whilst part four brings back many of the original components and characters, the creeping dread has gone AWOL along with the inventiveness.

The plot takes place five years after the events of the second film – and starts with a brief recap of how demon possessed Katie went on a murderous rampage killing her sister Kristi and disappeared with their baby, Hunter.

"ok so it's getting mildly freaky here..."

The action then switches to 2011 where young teen Alex (promising newcomer Kathryn Newton) and her boyfriend Ben (Matt Shively) start to notice strange things going on after a weird kid and his mum move in across the street. Might they be Katie and Hunter?

The level of ‘Paranormal Activity’, as usual for the series, begins moderately and escalates slowly, up until and crazy rushed last two minutes which raises more questions than it answers.

"flying without wings..."

Laptops and webcams form most of the surveillance footage this time round thanks to the teens video chatting etc. The new family are basically here to do nothing but wonder about the odd kid and then probably die while the plot stumbles along failing to move the brand into anything new or even interesting.

It would be tragic if the series ended on this damp squib after starting so strong, but unless the creators manage to pull off a feat of staggering supernatural resurrection with part 5 – all the activity has not led up to much.

"Paranormal cooking tips anyone?"

Read another version of this review over at Biggleswade Chronicle which I write for weekly...

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

öö1/2 – Budget demons and lots of Zzzzzz

2 .5 – ooops... there goes the franchise if not careful

Awesomeness öö – Not enough 'activity'

Laughs öö – Couple of LOLs

Horror ööö – Some very brief moments

Spiritual Enlightenment -ö – the power of Christ compels you to go 'meh'

Not as good as Paranormal Activity 3

"newton and pals go fairy"

Darkmatters Review: Pusher

Pusher (15)

Dir. Luis Prieto

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Step this way for a ride on an express elevator to hell…

Meet Frank, he’s a small-time drug pusher – played with a wide-eyed, realistic feeling charisma by the excellent Richard Coyle (who incidentally looks a lot like my good pal Mike).

In just one week, Frank’s life completely falls apart, big time… And the film takes viewers along for the nail biting, ill-fated ride.

This is an English language remake of Pusher a Danish crim-em-up tale by ‘Drive’ director Nicolas Winding Refn. If you know the original then, you’ll know exactly what to expect – a big deal is on the offing which goes wrong and leaves Frank in debt by £55,000 to Milo (Zlatko Buric reprising his menacing role form the original).

"Frank backs up his loser mate..."

With just two days to payback the money, Frank begins to desperately call in favours from his friends and family – and when his last chance risky drug import plan from Amsterdam goes belly up, he has to resort to crazed violent measures in order to try and save his knee-caps.

Pusher looks the business, a fantastic blend of drab lesser-seen parts of London mixed with throbbing neon-lit clubs and stark interiors. The visual flair of the film is great, if you look carefully, there are icons such as the face of Jesus, skulls, subliminal messages and the like - hidden (and some not so hidden which mirror Franks increased desperation) on walls, in paintings, on windows etc. This is a brilliant move as it gives a whole additional level of depth to the proceedings.

The soundtrack has been amped up too thanks to dance music legends Orbital who have created a superb album of tracks to go along with the movie.

"Not a good guy to be in debt to..."

As Frank’s life falls apart before his very eyes, his long suffering girlfriend Flo (the gorgeous model turned actress Agyness Deyn) doesn’t know whether to stick with him or cut her losses and run.

So we have a scary escalation of violence that feels disturbingly plausible - crime boss Milo is a walking, talking one-man government anti drugs campaign (if having anything to do with drugs means mixing with such nasty types!)…

Director Luis Prieto delivers a very watchable, gritty and exciting crime odyssey – but even with great performances and cool flashy visuals, this can’t quite match the sheer energy of the original.

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

ööö1/2 – Throbs with a heartfelt 'crime screws you up' message

3.5 – Don’t do drugs, do go see Pusher.

Awesomeness ööö – The iconography is like playing 'Where's Wally of the Soul'

Laughs öö – Darkly funny in places

Horror ööö – more implied than on screen

Babes öööö – Agyness Deyn is scorching hot!

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – enough to make you evaluate your life...


Second opinion from: Simplistic Reviews

"Agyness Deyn in wig and here 'work' outfit"

"Agyness Deyn in her 'pixie' mode"

Darkmatters Review: Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2 (PS3 version tested)

Developed by Gearbox Studios

Reviewed by Matt ‘Siren’ Adcock

"Hey kiddo. Jack here - President of Hyperion. Lemme explain how things work here: Vault Hunter shows up. Vault Hunter looks for the new Vault. Vault Hunter gets killed. By Me. See the problem here? You're still alive. So, if you could just do me a favour and off yourself that'd be great. Thanks, Pumpkin."

This is the up-beat intro given to new players of Borderlands 2 by ‘Handsome Jack’ – a guy so evil that he lists shooting children as one of his lighter recreational hobbies… You play the part of a Vault Hunter – and taking down Jack, bringing freedom to the people of Pandora and finding the legendary ‘Vault’ - that's your mission.

"come visit Pandora - bring a gun!'

Borderlands 2 picks up the plot shortly after the end of the first game. Those who played the original will find everything in place – the mechanics of shooting and getting around are immediately familiar, the choice of character to play nicely balanced across four classes (Commando = soldier with his own auto turret, Gunzerker = tank who can dual wield two weapons at once, Siren (that’s me BTW) = semi magic user who has a power called ‘Phase Lock’ to immobilise enemies and Assassin = stealth with a cloaking power. There are more classes on the way via DLC too but these are a great range to pick from to begin with.

But whilst the game feels familiar, it also feels ‘refined’ – it’s slicker, better and more fun and still packs possibly the best shooting / loot-based game engine ever!? Grinding your way to better levels and buying tastier weaponry is the core and it is just as addictive this time around. Working your way up to the initial level cap of 50 means that you’ll meet and kill an agreeably eclectic mix of foes across Pandora too. What is great here is the Non Player Characters are more compelling – plus you’ll get to meet the four original vault hunters from the first game!?

"you'll meet all sorts!"

As well are the dangerously awesome gun fighting combat, the dialogue is just superb too, you’ll not want to skip the cut scenes as they are always well-written and often laugh out loud wrong. From the fun CL4P-TP steward bot, sidekick ‘Claptrap’ to his friends, through to homicidal teenage cutie ‘Tiny Tina’ and the insidious Handsome Jack (whose best line is probably "Butt stallion says "Hello". “), these are a bunch of characters you’ll have lots of fun hanging out with!

Borderlands 2 claims to pack over a million guns, so it’s going to be take some time to collect em all but this gives the game a killer one more quest, one more level up, one more gun / shield / artefact compulsion – not good for your sleep levels!? Then there’s the excellent online co-op for up to four players (or 2 split screen) – this is just lots of fun, and makes the game even more enjoyable as you swap banter and nicked each other’s loot drops.

"the wildlife is very erm, friendly!?"

As Charlie Brooker once said: “Shooting people in the face never gets old”
If you hated Borderlands, you might not enjoy Borderlands 2 but then I feel sorry for you as you obviously have no taste in games… Borderlands 2 is an epic, addictive and altogether genius game – it looks, plays and feels lovely on the PS3 which was the development machine – so if you are looking for a high quality game to see you through to 2013, this should be top of your list!!

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

ööööö – Gotta shoot em all!

5 – Compulsive, beautiful and very satisfying!

Darkmatters Review: Sinister

Sinister (15)

Dir. Scott Derrickson

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

"You think these are serial murders?”

Welcome to a film that lives up to it’s title!?

Sinister is a superb exercise in big screen horror, a full-blooded ghostly tale with a hard, nasty edge. Think of Sinister as this generation’s The Shining and you’ll have some idea of what you’re getting into if you choose to take this cinematic trip – but be advised this is not for the faint of heart…

Director Scott ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ Derrickson has crafted a quality modern day scary movie that resonates as an immediate (oc)cult classic.

This is the unhappy tale of crime writer Ellison Oswald (an on form Ethan Hawke), who unwisely moves his long suffering family – wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance) , son Trevor (Michael Hall D'Addario) and daughter Ashley (Clare Foley) – to a house whose previous occupants were horribly murdered.

"not for the squeamish"

The grisly multiple hanging that happened at the property is to be the topic for Ellison’s book, but it turns out that the deaths (and disappearance of the other daughter in deceased family) are linked to a series of murders. As he begins to uncover the links between the unsolved slayings and abductions – in each case one of the children is taken whilst the rest of the family are killed – forces beyond Ellison’s darkest nightmares begin to close in on him and he realizes that his family may be the next victims.

Sinister uses the fast becoming ‘meh’ found footage device, in this case a box of old Super 8 films of the killings, and thanks to some cool writing, genuinely unnerving plot devices and decent special effects, breathes new and deeply unsettling life into the genre.

This is a very scary film, which builds up a deep sense of dread and taps a primal level of suspense which when combined with some very effective ‘jump’ moments had the audience screaming out loud in places. Hawke is excellent as the writer who becomes haunted by the grim snuff films he finds in the antic, sucking you in to the escalating threat that is closing in on his family.

As a Christian I found the fabricated mythos of Sinister interesting in that it deals with an ancient ‘pagan Babylonian deity’ called Bughuul – and links it to the idea that images and film itself can conduct evil. Start contemplating those sort of things and you’ll find that there’s plenty of hidden depth to ponder behind the slick schlock horror on offer here.

Sinister is the best horror movie of 2012 by a mile.

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

ööööö – Haunting, scary, slick horror - an instant classic

5 – A laser guided shotgun blast of chilling thrills

Awesomeness ööööö – effectively grim stuff that will freak you out

Laughs ö – not a funny film

Horror ööööö – some heavy duty shock chills

Babes ö – not really

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – lots of ponder if you really want to...

Playstation 3 super slim brings amazing value

The iconic PlayStation 3, first brought to us in 2007, has been reinvented for the next wave of innovation and creativity... Yes the world's best gaming machine is back and smaller and funkier than ever before packing a cool 500Gb or a intro level 12Gb.

Sales of Sony's PS3 rocketed 138% over last week following the release of Sony's PS3 'Super Slim' 500GB console - so it seems that there is a real hunger for HD gaming on the slimmer side!?

Basically the trusty PS3 has had a makeover – reduced in size yet again, the contours are slicker, the shape more seductive. But what the console now lacks in size, it makes up for in entertainment offerings across film, catch up TV services, music and of course, video gaming (am currently deep in my Borderlands 2 addiction).

But now more than ever, the PlayStation 3 is more than a games console, it’s a true entertainment hub. Blu-rays in stunning HD,  3D movies and gaming capabilities which go so well with the Sony TVs... especially cool if you have a LoveFilm and Netflix account.

There are a growing number of 'catch-up' TV services on the PS3 now too, allowing you to watch what you want when you want - including the BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and the recently launched BBC Sports Application.

"Wonder if it will be any good?"

Launching in November, Wonderbook™,  is a new and innovative PS3 peripheral, will potentially transform the world around you with the next step in reading and augmented reality gaming. The first title available for Wonderbook is ‘Book of Spells’ featuring exclusive new and original writing from J.K. Rowling - which will no doubt please Harry Potter fans.

With further titles set for release from renowned entertainment partners such as BBC Worldwide (Walking with Dinosaurs) and Disney, Wonderbook has serious all age potential.

The brand new 12GB PlayStation 3 will be hitting shelves October 12th, and will be offered separately, or via a host of value added bundles, if you haven't gotten into the fantastic world of opportunities that PS3 provides, this Christmas you really should make the move!

Darkmatters Review: Looper

Looper (15)

Dir. Rian Johnson

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“I work as a specialized assassin, in an outfit called the Loopers. When my organization from the future wants someone to die, they zap them back to me and I eliminate the target from the future. The only rule is: never let your target escape... even if your target is you…”

What would you do to save a life? How far would you go to change future history? Say for example you could take out an evil murdering crime lord when he was still a kid – before he’d even had chance to rise to power? These are the kind of moral questions that sharp, slick sci-fi thriller Looper brings to the party. Moral questions and guns, lots of guns!

"thanks EMPIRE for this great pic"

Meet Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), he’s a Looper, a hit-man who kills those beamed back to him from the future. Life is good with a typical day seeing him off a mark in the morning, then grab some steak and eggs at his favourite diner before going out on the town in a lavish clubbing life which would make many Premiership Footballers look tame in comparison.

But then his fellow Loopers start to find their future selves coming back as targets – it looks like someone in tomorrow wants them all dead. And sure enough Joe’s older self (Bruce Willis) arrives but is somehow ready for Joe and manages to overpower him – setting off a manhunt where both of them are the targets… You see Abe (Jeff Daniels) the Boss of the Loopers doesn’t take kindly to any targets escaping and the punishment is death for Looper and target.

So why has future Joe been sent back? Can he possibly be the key to taking down the ‘Rainmaker’ – a telekinetic uber powerful crime lord who has taken complete control of the future. How far will he go in his terminator inspired preventive strike (the Rainmaker is only about 7 years old at this point)…Which, if either, Joe can survive?

“This time travel crap, just fries your brain like a egg... “

"some of the Looper ladies"

Possible mother of the future Rainmaker is Sara (the lovely Emily Blunt) – she and Joe (current time) just might fall for each other too – which is likely to add a wrinkle to the already complex plot.

Everything comes together in a superb slice of sci-fi action that brings whoops of appreciation from the audience and effortlessly delivers cult cool iconic status. It’s been a long time since Bruce Willis kicked this much ass – this is a ‘must see’ movie!

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

ööööö – Haunted and hunted by the future in fine style!

5 – packs in dangerous levels of awesomeness

Awesomeness ööööö – superb scenes that will stay with you

Laughs öö – Limited but some dark funnies

Horror ööö – kids get killed, this isn't soft sci-fi

Babes öööö – Blunt is hot, plus quite bit of random nudity

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö – moral compass is spinning

"Emily Blunt looks the part"

Darkmatters Review: Savages

Savages (15)

Dir. Oliver Stone

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“Just because I'm telling you this story... doesn't mean I'm alive at the end of it.”

Oliver Stone blasts back onto the big screen with a brutal, visceral and beautiful tale of drugs, violence and relationships in the form of ‘Savages’. Step out of the UK autumn drizzle and into a sun-drenched world of drug lords, Santa Muerte masks, grim beheadings and heavy-duty gunplay, all underpinned with a kinky relationship love triangle…

"trick or treat!?"

Savages tells the tale of attractive young beach bum weed-heads O (Blake Lively), Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch). These three sexy as hell youngsters share a bed, run their own weed growing / selling business and enjoy the good life… But everything changes - they get in way over their heads when a very nasty drug cartel makes them an offer (which they can’t really refuse) to take over their operation.

O is the siren nymph who shares her two lovers - Ben is the gentle, Zen one who knows the 'erb and uses his funds to help save African children. Chon however is the hard Navy SEAL who is prepared to be the 1% violent enforcement, which their dubious business requires when people decide not to pay for their product.

"decisions decisions"

When the evil Baja cartel lead by Elena Sanchez (Salma Hayek) – who has a penchant for head removal of anyone who crosses her - move in and want a cut of their business, the trio decide to cash in their ill gotten gains and run. But the Baja enforcer is a seriously nasty piece of work named Lado, played by Benicio del Toro, who won’t let them go and so kidnaps O.

Throw John Travolta's corrupt DEA agent into the mix and things get messy…

There are some excellent action scenes, the stand out of which sees Chon get some of his army pals in to help them take down a Baja drugs money drop – complete with IEDs, rocket launchers and copious amounts of gunfire.

Another unforgettable scene see Ben and Chon’s sweaty highway trip to try and deliver a van loaded 300 pounds of grass against the clock but desperately trying to avoid the cops...

Savages tries to show the situation from both sides of the story but you can’t help but root for the good looking trio of ‘heroes’ – they do look absolutely amazing. In fact if you can stand the serious violence, the eye candy (both male and female) is off the scale hot.

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

öööö – it's a savage world...

4 – Good job Mr Stone, more like this please!

Awesomeness öööö – the tense, sweaty action is great

Laughs öö – Travolta adds some comic relief!?

Horror öööö – very violent in places

Babes öööö – Lively MMmmmmmm!

Spiritual Enlightenment ö – just say 'no' whatever the cost?

Darkmatters Review: The Sweeney

The Sweeney (15)

Dir. Nick Love

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“We’re The Sweeney, we do the things that you can only dream about…”

Who do you turn to when armed criminals start murdering innocent people in broad daylight on the streets of London, turning over private banks and jewelers at will and generally flaunting the law? The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad or ‘Sweeney’ – as in ‘Sweeney Todd’ rhyming slang - that’s who.

"Jaguar vs Ford Focus ST (driven by The Sweeney)

The Sweeney, led by Jack Regan (Ray Winstone), backed up by George Carter (Ben ‘Plan B’ Drew) don’t play by the rules. Beating up criminals, hunting them down with extreme prejudice and generally taking any excuse to fire up their modded Ford Focus and recklessly speed about. As Carter says at one point ‘you have to act like a criminal, to catch a criminal’…

Director Nick ‘Football Factory’ Love has a knack for bringing over-the-top violence, swearing and macho posturing to the big screen and so this update of the classic ‘70s British cop-em-up fits like a glove.

I can just about remember seeing the original Sweeney (played by John Thaw and Dennis Waterman) they used to burn around in a Ford Granada and beating up criminals. Not a great deal has changed in this big screen modern day version.

"stop or we'll shoot... actually, we'll probably shoot anyway!"

It seems that Allen (Paul Anderson) a high level criminal is on the loose and wanted for a daring armed robbery during which an innocent shopper was executed. The Sweeney are soon on his case but all is not as first appears… Throw into the mix an uptight boss of the department (Damian ‘Homeland’ Lewis), and an angry internal investigator (Steven Mackintosh), who wants to shut The Sweeney down and mix until it all goes off big style!?

The plot bends over backwards to accommodate pretty much every cop drama cliché ever seen – including some lovely nods to other films such as Scum (one of Winstone’s first films). The females in the cast, who include the lovely Hayley Atwell, are mostly there for decoration and emotional plot points. But none of this stops The Sweeney being a brilliant burst of crunching action fun.

"Winstone giving Plan B his 'honest' feedback on the new album"

Winstone plays his take on Jack Regan a lot like a more violent Life on Mars’ Gene Hunt while Drew convinces as a chav thug turned good (if you saw in Harry Brown, then you’ll know what to expect).

The Sweeney is stylishly filmed and packs both the best opening sequence of any film this year and an awesome high caliber weapon shootout across Trafalgar Square, which is seriously exciting.

Don’t mug yourself off – go and see The Sweeney!!

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

ööööö – bring the noise...

5 – would be ahem 'criminal' to miss it!

Awesomeness öööö – tasty action and shoot-em-up high jinks

Laughs ööö – some laughs

Horror öööö – kinda violent and over the top

Babes ööö – Atwell is hot

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – be good or the law will beat the living c**p out of you...

"Hayley swears not to be carrying any concealed weapons..."

Darkmatters Review: DREDD 3D

DREDD 3D (18)

Dir. Pete Travis

“Rookie, you ready?”

“You look ready!”

800 million people living in the ruin of the old world. Only one thing fighting for order in the chaos, the men and women of the Hall of Justice. Feared and renowned the Judges are the thin blue line – they are the law, empowered to deliver the sentence on criminals on the spot – and often the sentence is ‘death’.

DREDD 3D sees 2000AD’s Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) ripped straight from the comic’s pages and given his second big screen outing, after the lackluster ‘90s Stallone effort. Director Pete Travis’s new grittier and darker version sees Dredd partnered with a rookie psychic Judge named Anderson (Olivia Thirlby). Together they face a nightmare in the form of a 200-floor mega-block, which is controlled by a ruthless, and psychotic crime lord named Ma-Ma (Lena Headey).

"pray the Jehovah's Witnesses never become Judges!?"

When a triple murder investigation leads the dynamic duo of Judges into a dangerous drug bust, Ma-Ma locks the entire block down and set her army of criminals the task of wiping them out before they can dig too deep into her drug operation. The drug in question is a new one called SLO-MO, which slows down the users perception of time so each second seems to last an age. So it’s two Judges verses hundreds of seriously tooled up criminals in a fight to the death, and that’s it pretty much for plot, if it sounds a bit like the excellent ‘The Raid’ from earlier this year, fear not, DREDD brings enough dark sci-fi-ness to the party to make it a fine companion piece rather than any ‘me-too’ effort.

The ultra-violent carnage that ensues is of the seriously gory and highly graphic kind. The filmmakers, who include Luton’s finest Steve Worsley on assistant editing duties, bring the action to eye-watering life, making fine use of the 3D too in the process.

"nice hair - essential for law enforcement"

DREDD 3D is an action packed thrill ride that doesn’t pull its punches. At times you even feel slightly sorry for the heavily armed gang members as DREDD cuts swathes through them with his various types of ammo which include incendiary, high explosive and hot-head (which lights up a perps head like a lantern at one point).

Urban brings a great emotionless grizzled menace to the lead role and he’s ably backed up by Thirlby who gives the film a little humanity (and who looks great in her Judge armour). Urban keeps fans on side by not taking off his helmet throughout, and Heady delivers a nicely evil turn as Ma-Ma.

Everything works in fine, brutal style, making DREDD 3D a highly recommended night out for sci-fi fans with strong stomachs everywhere!!

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

öööö1/2 – Judgment is here...

4.5 – Ma-Ma is not the law; I am the law.

Awesomeness öööö – crunching shootouts are jaw dropping

Laughs ö – you might laugh at the sheer OTT ultra violence

Horror öööö – brutal, gory and grim in places

Babes öö – Thirlby is kind of hot in uniform

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – obey the law...

"Anderson - alternative outfit!"

Darkmatters Review: Total Recall 2012

Total Recall (12a)

Dir. Len Wiseman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“The past is a construct of the mind. It blinds us. It fools us into believing it. But the heart wants to live in the present…”

Get ready for a surprise… Here’s Hollywood strip-mining another ‘classic’ film – this one – a new ‘interpretation’ of Philip K Dick's short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale. The ‘90s version had the winning team of bloodbath specialist director Paul Verhoeven and lumbering action hero specialist Arnie. The new version has Underworld and Die Hard director Len Wiseman and leading man Colin Farrell… Darkmatters review if original Total Recall here.

"Quaid plays the PS4"

Plot wise, instead of there being a conflict between Martian colonists and Earth’s powerful baddies, Wiseman tries for a fight between the good old United Federation of Britain (UFB) and a sleazy underworld known as the ‘Colony’ – formed by the remains of Australia. The rest of the world is inhabitable thanks to a world wide chemical war but the two livable areas are at least connected by a huge travel shaft that runs through the core of the planet and is known as ‘The Fall’.

Looks wise Total Recall 2012 owes quite a lot to Blade Runner – all rainy high-rise slums connected by floating car superhighways and various walkways. Farrell plays Doug Quaid, a humble Colony-dwelling assembly-line worker (making future police robots) but he has dreams of being a superspy. Alas that’s not likely to happen unless he visits Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led. The procedure goes haywire though and Quaid finds himself on the run, fighting the powers and trying to stop a full-scale invasion of the Colony, using the very robots he’s been making for years.

"no time for bum-dancing"

Everything in this new Recall has been given a smart lick of quality CGI special effect coating and the females of the piece come in the shapely forms of Doug’s gorgeous wife (Kate Beckinsale) and sexy resistance fighter Melina (Jessica Biel).

The action rocks along at a good pace and there are several impressive scenes that are worth the price of admission. Alas the new version feels slightly soulless and machine tooled to be just another summer blockbuster rather than any sort of classic.

For fans of the original there are at least some nice nods and winks which include an update of the 3 boobied lady “you’ll wish you had three hands” and a lovely sequence which apes the Arnie disguised as a woman going through security system – only to nicely wrong-foot the viewer.

This is a trip worth taking but it will make you recall how good the original was!

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

ööö1/2 – The future isn't what it used to be...

3.5 – recall this but don't expect too much

Awesomeness ööö – some good chases and shootouts

Laughs öö – amusing in parts

Horror öö – some slightly brutal fights

Babes ööö – B&B Beckinsale and Biel

Spiritual Enlightenment öö – that Rekall will mess with your mind

"more boobies the better?"