Lucy [used]

Luc Besson is one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers, but in order to find his last truly great film you have to go quite far back. Arguably, Taken was Besson’s last hit, but to find his last great film, only The Fifth Element stands out. So it would make sense that he would return to his roots with Lucy, rediscovering what his niche is and exploiting it for all its worth. And he almost did it. 

Directed by Luc Besson and out now on Blu-Ray and DVD comes Lucy. When Lucy (Johansson) is sent into a building with a briefcase by her boyfriend she begins a series of events that will not only change her life forever, but humanity’s entire way of thinking. After a series of completely unnecessary but stylish scenes, Lucy ends up ingesting a drug, CPH4, that rapidly increases her “cerebral capacity” (the most overused phrase in a film ever). Lucy begins to adopt superhero-like powers – time-manipulation, messing with gravity, and becoming skilled at weapon-handling. As Lucy deteriorates, the only thing that can save her is more of the drug, found inside three other initial drug mules. The only problem is the drug manufacturer also wants them back.

On the face of it, Lucy is a film that suggests a crazy action film, which is exactly what fans of Besson want. They want a Leon with a female lead - but the action is few and far between. Every fight is so one-sided that we stop guessing who’s going to win and bet all our savings on Lucy. We might as well be watching Frieza fight Krillin. The fight scenes are just scenes with Lucy walking into a seemingly one-sided fight and using a newly acquired superpower to dispatch of them quickly. Besson does give us some relief during a fire-fight in a corridor, filled with awesome, jaunty shots and countless expendable bodies just waiting to get imaginatively shot down, but it doesn’t help pay off the tedious 60+ minutes we’ve had to sit through to get there.

Every scene just seems like an excuse to show off yet another ludicrous power that Lucy has attained. We meet her roommate for no reason except to show that Lucy can now see inside bodies, which was a shame because her roommate, wonderfully played by Analeigh Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love), was the only believable character that was remotely relatable. Morgan Freeman played himself, spouting off wisdom as if it could be turned on via tap, Amr Waked (Syriana) manages to make Stockholm Syndrome look enticing, and poor Julian Rhind-Tutt (Rush) is an opportunity missed, getting minimal screen-time as a flamboyant drugs travel coordinator.

The entire film is an opportunity missed by over exaggeration. It starts off well, thrusting Lucy into a whole new world and bringing us with it, but she adapts a lot quicker than we do. As she is learning more than we can in our lifetime, we’re still wondering why the hell she was in Taiwan in the first place. Johansson accelerates the character well, adapting and changing from one character to another quickly, occasionally offering glimpses at the old Lucy, triggering sympathy from us, but it’s all glossed over to allow for more pretentious shots of the galaxy with clichéd narration from Freeman spoon-feeding us false information. The only thing keeping us watching until the end is Lucy and what will happen to her, and when we get there, we’re left feeling hollow when we should be having an epiphany.

If Lucy approached itself sardonically, it would be a great film. It could pass off all the boring and scientifically laughable bits as a mockery of itself, which in turn would make us laugh and forgive – but sadly, it doesn’t. Lucy attempts to inspire questions within you, to provoke your ideals and challenge them, but it doesn’t, it just leaves you wondering what to watch next.

Lucy doesn’t achieve its full potential and gets a 2/5.

★★☆☆☆

Jonny Naylor

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A Walk Among The Tombstones [used]

It’s difficult not to write this film off as just another Liam Neeson action flick in which he tracks down the killers, kills them, saves his daughter or his niece or whatever, and it all ends happily. Thankfully, though, A Walk Among the Tombstones is very aware of this and does its best to stay away, but the temptation seemed too much.

Directed by Scott Frank and out now on Blu-Ray and DVD comes A Walk Among the Tombstones. Neeson stars in Scott Frank’s adaptation of Lawrence Block’s novel of the same name, opposite Dan Stevens (The Guest) and a few other big, burly, American men – but also a small child. While it attempts to subvert us, it falls into the habit of going with the old tried and tested formula that sees an alcoholic police officer make a mistake that poisons him with guilt, forcing him to become sober and quit his job – sort of. When Matthew Scudder (Neeson), now a Private Investigator, is approached by Howie (Nelson) who tells him his brother has a job offer for him, it’s difficult to see any other way this will go except Neeson will be his usual persistent self and bother people with his grisly voice until they tell him where to go. Kenny (Stevens) explain his situation to Matt – that his wife was kidnapped, extorted for money, then killed anyway. Scudder gets all sympathetic because he is divorced and has lost someone and agrees to take the job. 

The divorce is surprisingly never explored in the film. In fact, most plot points are thrown out as soon as they’re mentioned. Youngster TJ, adequately played by 19 year-old American X-Factor contestant, Brian “Astro” Bradley, is living in shelters, which prompts Scudder to offer the teen a job in what is turning out to be a very dangerous job – and we wonder why he’s divorced? Hardly dad material.  TJ’s passion for drawing is stressed then left to dry like a sock in the rain. There’s very little to get hooked on.

The two villains are supposed to be sinister and robotic, à la Spacey’s character John Doe in Se7en, but too often they let off emotion and uncertainty. As soon as Scudder raises his voice they whimper like scolded children, which just makes a mockery of them. We’re supposed to fear them, not leave to make a cup of tea every time they’re on screen. It’s more their actions than their personalities that offers up some tension – namely cutting up a few bodies after torturing them – pretty unimaginative but well executed in its timing and direction. A carrier bag full of guts is somehow creepier than seeing them strewn on the floor.

The story itself all seems to point towards a final twist. Will we meet his ex-wife? Was she murdered by these two? Is Kenny playing Scudder? Short answer – no. When this film could have been a very good thriller, it turned into a cheap action film offering up little in the way of scares and fingernail biting. A final fight scene wraps it all up nicely for Neeson and TJ who seem to walk, rather weirdly, into the sunset (not literally). Somewhere in the midst of all the snooping around and shunning, the pair seemed to become close, for no other reason than to finish on a high.

About three quarters of the way in it’s surprising how good this film is. The action, though sparse, is fast-paced and it’s easy to sympathise with the characters, despite being torturers, drug lords or drug users. A complete write-off turned out to be well acted too. Say what you want about Neeson but he knows his niche and he performs it well, and his upheld psyche is intriguing enough to keep us watching as he threatens to crumble at any moment. Dan Stevens is still showing promise as the next big action star, but I fear that he could go the way of Neeson and just churn out disguised rehashes.

A Walk Among the Tombstones is by no means a bad film, for the most part it’s good entertainment and teases depth but it’s just a shame that the payoff was equivalent to the aforementioned wet sock. Films that lead with the fact that they have Liam Neeson in them are becoming all too common, so perhaps it’s time for him to hang up his wet socks- I mean boots.

A Walk Among The Tombstones was promising but ultimately dug its own grave 3/5.

★★★☆☆

Jonny Naylor

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The Guest [used]

Directed by Adam Wingard and out now on Blu-Ray and DVD comes The Guest, the latest film from the brilliant minds behind one of 2011 best films; You’re Next. And like You're Next, The Guest is both brilliantly made and cleverly subversive.

The film follows a soldier, named David, who has just released from the Army. He’s played by Dan Stevens who, before this, had only really been known for Downtown Abbey, but he shows how talented he is here, and even manages a damn good Southern American accent. David goes to the house of the Peterson family where he claims to be a friend of the family's recently deceased son, having fought alongside him. David works his way into the family doing jobs for them, and eventually everybody likes him. He beats up the ridiculous movie bullies tormenting the other son, Luke, helps out the daughter Anna and shows her he can smoke pot and drink with the best of them, and everyone starts to think he's just a pretty cool guy. But strange things start happening and suddenly things turn out to not be as simple as they first appeared. Like with You're Next, saying anything else but the basic plot would be spoiling it but there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns along the way. As well as the brilliant plot another strong point the film has is the awesome 80's-esque synth soundtrack, and just like You're Next  you'll find yourself listening to it long after you've watched the film. 

As well as Dan Stevens, who as previously mentioned is totally awesome as David, the other performances are pretty solid too. Another standout performance, especially to fans of The Wire like myself, is Lance Reddick as David's superior officer in the Army; Major Carver. Reddick is suitably bad ass in the role and brings a touch a the familiar to a film is mostly full of up and coming actors. Speaking of which, relative newcomer Maika Monroe, who plays Anna Peterson, also gives a great performance, which is especially difficult as she is the one who has to unwrap the mystery that is David, and if we didn't like her then we might not care about the mystery at the heart of the film. But luckily she's great, and the film doesn't really have a weak link which is helped by the fact that the younger characters are well written and realistic, when they could have been annoying.

The absolute best part of the film though is the action sequences. Anyone who has seen Adam Wingards previous films knows how creative he can be and these scenes in The Guest are no different. The shoot-out at the house is particular highlight, and Wingard directs with such kinetic energy that it makes it impossible to not be swept up into it. You'll find yourself oooh-ing and ahh-ing every time someone's gets shot or blown up; it's awesome. Although some of these scenes featured in the trailers for the film saying too much might be a spoiler, but the film is worth seeing for the climax alone. The tonal shifts in the film might annoy some people but I personally found them original and innovative, and I look forward to what director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett do next.

The Guest is one of the most enjoyable films I've witnessed in a long time. It's clear the film-makers enjoy films and aren't bothered with making high art, they just want to have fun. The films shifts from different genres and frequent twists and turns might annoy some people but those aren't the sort of people this film was made for. If you like surprises, awesome action and watching films that are just pure fun, then The Guest is for you.

The Guest makes itself at home and gets 5/5.

★★★★★

Tom Bumby

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Lords of the Fallen [used]

I can put my hand on my heart and say I’m absolutely terrible at both the Dark Souls games, and I could never keep at them long enough to feel like I actually progressed anywhere (mainly because I had no clue where I was going!). So when I watched gameplay from Lords of the Fallen, I thought “Oh great, I know I’m going to buy it and get frustrated because I’ll be shit”, however it was the complete opposite. Third time lucky seemed ridiculously lucky to say the least.

Developed by CI Games and Deck13 Interactive and out now on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One comes Lords of the Fallen, a third person RPG set in a world where no sin is forgotten. Characters take on the role of Harkyn, a convicted criminal whose sins are visible on his face, in the form of ‘runes’. When an army of long-defeated gods attacks the human realm, Harkyn is released from prison for a chance of redemption. One thing that bugged me the whole game is that you never actually find out what Harkyn was imprisoned for, other than him being referred to as a “traitor” by a random soldier dying. To be honest, there’s nothing to provide any form of an emotional connection with the character and the player, which I tend to like about games. Now it was clear that my main focus was just killing enemies and not dying in the process.

The gameplay is generally okay. Your movement speed relies on the weight of your armour and weapon you’re wielding. I chose to wear light armour from start to finish, as although heavy armour has much better stats, every time I tried to evade an enemy I’d get hit. Players can save their game by activating checkpoints, and you can also upgrade Harkyn at them. You receive XP by killing enemies, and you’ll also receive a multiplier, which increases with the enemies you kill. You can choose to spend your XP, which will reset the multiplier, or carry on and risk it all.

The combat is good to an extent, and that’s down to how overpowered Harkyn becomes. Harkyn has a “Gauntlet”, which shoots a magic bullet at enemies, and makes enemies with shields completely redundant. I had the same weapon for the majority of the game until I found what could only be described as Wolverine Claws. When I equipped them, enemies were basically dying just by looking at me. The enemy difficulty doesn’t spike all that much either, which is probably why I made it so far with a sword that had a damage rating of seven. To put things into perspective, these claws had a rating of 74, so it was like cutting through warm butter for the remainder of the story. Enemies rarely vary their attacks either, as they’d constantly repeat the same attack sets over and over, which became pretty predictable.

For an RPG, I was expecting a much bigger campaign, however I completed it in about 11 hours. There’s not much to the story either, other than run about, find a boss area, kill the boss, go through another area and fight another boss. Albeit the boss fights can be very challenging at times, especially when you’re still getting used to the game. Although some people may find that enjoyable, I didn’t find a great deal of enjoyment from a story perspective as the story could honestly be summed up on the back of a match box. Now, ever since L.A. Noire, a game that came out way back in 2011, I’ve always had high expectations of character audio matching the movements of their lips, and the attempt in Lords of the Fallen really is laughable. Surely everyone has seen a Kung-Fu film with dubbed English audio, right? Well, if you haven’t, first off shame on you, and secondly, the mouth movements will either carry on for another 5 seconds after the audio has stopped, or vice versa.

My main problem (and many others main problem) with Lords of the Fallen is the sheer amount of game breaking bugs. Honestly, some of them are hilarious, such as a boss levitating about 50meters in the air, going to charge towards me in a straight line and replicated THAT Forrest Gump run. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a banner saying “STOP FORREST!” sign, and I had to reload the game to progress further. Funny, yes. Bigger inconvenience? You bet. Not only did bosses glitch, enemies would disappear right in front of me, I would get shot by archers that I couldn’t see through mountains, as well as hurling themselves into the air once I had killed them. It desperately needs a patch that according to their Facebook page, they’ve been working on since the game came out.

Overall, Lords of the Fallen has been a major let down for me. The combat is challenging until Harkyn becomes ridiculously overpowered, every boss fight was a pretty awkward one and were generally good when they weren’t bugging out. The story is non-existent and there is no emotional connection between the characters and the player at all. It is a good concept, but it really isn’t utilised whatsoever, however I’m sure this game will run a lot better when it receives its constantly delayed patch.

Lords of the Fallen just, and I mean just scraped a 3/5, with hopes that the patch fixes many of the main problems with the game.

★★★☆☆

Sam Terry

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Saints Row: Gat out of Hell [used]

Over the years the Saints Row series has had a bit of an identity crisis. Originally released on the Xbox 360 back in 2006, the original Saints Row was essentially a Grand Theft Auto clone, and not a great one at that. Saints Row 2 followed the same formula, but Saints Row: The Third took a new perspective on the series. For The Third developer Volition decided to turn down the “gangsta” feel to the series and ramp up the weirdness, thereby setting it apart from Grand Theft Auto. It worked and The Third was an equally refreshingly bizarre and batshit insane take on the series. Saints Row IV pushed all of that even further, and though I certainly thought that entry wasn't nearly as good as some might say, it was a fun game that spun a great sci-fi story. But since The Third I've felt that some of the wackier aspects of the series have started to muddy the water in terms of gameplay. For instance, while in the virtual world in Siants Row IV I found that using various superhuman powers- abilities you get early into the game- almost entirely negated the use of cars. So as this next game in the series pushes the crazy envelope even further than Saints Row IV did, the question is- does it go too far?

Developed by Volition and out now on Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC comes Saints Row: Gat out of Hell, a game that is an improvement on Saints Row IV, kicks up the weirdness a few notches but also manages to make it all fit in with the game. Technically a standalone expansion of Saints Row IV, Gat out of Hell places you in the shoes of series favourite Johnny Gat, a dude whose previous wise words of wisdom include “You can never have too many guns” and “Let's kill some shit!”. From being featured in the first three games, being killed in The Third and subsequently coming back from the grave in Saints Row IV, the character this time finds himself in Hell, naturally. Sometime after the events of Saints Row IV “The Boss” and his/her crew use a ouija board which opens up a portal to hell. The Boss is pulled in and forced to marry Jezebel, Satan's daughter. However, before the unholy union can happen Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington also venture into hell in order to rescue the leader of the Saints. Featuring a bizarre cast of characters that even includes William Shakespeare and Blackbeard, Gat out of Hell turns the WTF up to 11.

The game takes place in Hell. However, this isn't some barren wasteland of despair and pain, as instead it's called New Hades; a bustling lava surrounded city that comprises of 6 open-world districts. Beyond the unique setting gameplay remains, well, kind of the same. The big difference however comes in the form of missions, because in Gat out of Hell there isn't any. Instead of a typical mission structure your goal in the game is to fill your “Satan's Wrath” meter, in order to draw the devil himself into a one-on-one fight. You fill your Satan's Wrath meter by completing certain objectives and activities around the city, such as causing as much damage to the city as possible, flying through markers, catching falling souls as they descend into oblivion and, of course, doing stunt jumps in various vehicles. Do enough of these and Satan sets his sights on you. It's a pretty short game as I completed the entire thing within 10 hours. The lack of real missions here is disappointing as much of the appeal, humour and charm of the series came through during some of the more fantastical missions it had on offer and the cut-scenes that accompanied them. There are still cut-scenes that propel the story forward, but it just isn't the same.

So without missions to bring structure to the game, the open-world of New Hades and the antics you get up to in it are the key to enjoying Gat out of Hell. Much like Saints Row IV, your character is able to unlock and perform various superhuman abilities. But on top of ones that already appeared in Saints Row IV, the big addition to the mix in Gat out of Hell is the ability to fly. Though you could merely glide in Saints Row IV, Gat out of Hell lets you grow wings and take off into the sky. It adds a great sense of freshness to the formula, and you'll often find yourself using this ability as your main way of getting around New Hades. As expected weapons are just as crazy, with frog launchers, a gun that blasts locusts at foes and an armchair armed with two Gatling guns being some of the better ones in your arsenal. Needless to say, through the varied and diverse abilities, weapons and bad guys on offer here, Gat out of Hell is much more batshit insane than Saints Row IV was... but it works.

Though I've never been a huge fan of the games, Gat out of Hell brings the series to new and interesting territory. However, much like Saints Row IV it does ultimately push the series beyond the point of no return in the weirdness department. The days of playing Saints Row and primarily using cars as your means of transport is gone I guess, as with Gat out of Hell the series has morphed into something new entirely. It's not a bad thing really, but I would have loved to see the series stay a bit more grounded, as once you can grow wings, fly up into the air armed with a frog launcher and fight winged demons, well, it's kind of hard to be impressed by anything that isn't that over-the-top.

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell isn't perfect, but it's still a hell of a ride and gets 3/5.

★★★☆☆

Denis Murphy

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Maleficent [used]

As I am such a huge fan of Angelina Jolie; almost to the point of adopting a bevvy of multi-ethnic children and dragging around a Brad Pitt waxwork to any UN Summits that happen to be occurring in my local vicinity, I jumped at the chance to review Disney's Maleficent. Yes, I know it came out in 2013, and that's so two years ago, but please stop throwing wormy radishes and let me tell you why it still deserves attention.

Directed by Robert Stromberg and out now on Blu-Ray and DVD comes Maleficent. Stromberg also worked on the likes of Avatar and Oz the Great and Powerful, with Jolie on board as an executive producer [you may have heard of her; she was in Hackers, a film that is so unapologetically 90's it should be sporting jelly shoes and a neon Baby-G wristwatch, Girl, Interrupted and my favourite film of all time, Tomb Raider. What do you mean you didn't think Tomb Raider was the best film ever produced? That's it, you can't play in my tree house any more.] Following the popular trend in recent years of showing the other side of the story, here we have the classic Sleeping Beauty tale turned on it's head and its magical fairytale wings very literally ripped out of it.

A positively Dionysian feast for the senses, the visuals will entrance younger audiences from the moment the castle of the iconic Disney opening sequence melts into this fantastical fairytale realm. We are introduced to a tweenage Maleficent, whose genuine lust for everything innocent and positive in life makes it immediately apparent that she's never had the misfortune of reading the comment section under a Youtube video. Girl meets boy, Stefan. Girl patronises boy. Boy judges girl on societal norms [humans and fairy-folk don't mix]. Girl smiles sweetly. Boy abandons all previous morals in hopes of dating girl, including throwing away his iron ring [iron burns fairies. Like physically, not in the "girl, those shoes with that dress, nuh-uh!" kind of burn.] They date. Everything's just peachy.

Fast forward a few years, we are shown that human kind is innately greedy, always searching for promotion, gains, more, more, more. Stefan has dutifully cast Maleficent aside in hopes of moving up through the gentry, and the King has decided he wants the Moors, where the magic people live, so there's this epic battle starring some tree-warrior type creatures, [the kind that would be invited to the same family picnic as Treebeard and Groot], a giant earthern serpent and Maleficent "I don't need no man" Goodfairy. You can't argue with the tech guys they had working on this film, this battle is epic, if somewhat short. Eventually Maleficent kicks the King's ass, he mopes back to his castle, and declares if anyone can kill Maleficent, he'll be the next king. And of course, Stefan hears this during his daily castle skulking so bounds off into the forest to slaughter his ex. Bad Stefan, shame on you.

But, like a guy who's had one too many Jack and cokes, when he gets Maleficent alone, he can't do it. Instead, he slices her wings off with some iron chains and takes them back to the castle to swap for a crown. The following scene, where Maleficent awakens to find her tawny wings missing, is harrowing. Not visually, so it won't cause distress to the young'uns, but more so to the older audience who will perceive the distress Maleficent faces when she realises that symbol of her freedom and whimsy has been stolen from her by the man she thought she loved. The final shriek of Jolie, the aural representation of her trust and naivety leaving her body will send chills down your spine. And from here begins our descent into the macabre [or as macabre as Disney can possibly go; which is a bit like putting black lipstick and a leather jacket on grandma Mildred; you know there's never any chance of true evil but you still get a bit of a shock when you glance up as she passes you an extra roast potato at Sunday dinner.]

Some of our favourite characters are here, including the sprightly "good fairies" from the original, but to suggest that the ill-aimed humour of these three would be appreciated by the children watching would be an insult to the intelligence of the younger generation, and is unfortunately an obvious example of Disney being "too Disney." Give the kids some credit. Perhaps I'm being a little too maleficent [hold for applause] but the juxtaposition of the seemingly slapstick fairies with the intelligent, witty quips of Maleficent herself jarred me slightly; however I will hold my Grumpy Cat Christmas jumper up and admit that I am a bitter individual and the jolly spirit could all have been lost on me.

A few years later when Stefan has a child, and foolishly decided not to invite Maleficent to the christening, heralds the introduction of Maleficent with her world renown horned silhouette, and begins the most hilarious sequence of the film, entirely down to Jolie's stellar ability to use intonation, timing, gesture and expression to set the writing on fire with a deliciously disdainful green flame. If you weren't already enamoured with Maleficent at this point, her treatment of the good fairies will win over your icy little heart.

When we meet Aurora [Sleepy B.] as a young adult, I thought the black empty space where my heart used to be would be repulsed by the sickly sweetness of this perfect individual, but Elle Fanning portrays her so effortlessly, so truly, so genuinely, that it is indeed impossible not to fall in love with her. Dammit. Towards the unavoidable pricking of Aurora's finger on the spindle, suspense is thrust upon the audience through the mesmerising combination of ghostly cadences and warped visuals, testament to the talents of cinematographer Dean Semler, and although you know that the inevitable is going to happen, a small voice is conjured in ones consciousness that screams, "there's still a chance Maleficent will save her!"

I'm not going to ramble on and spoil the ending, but there are some wonderful highlights, including a glorious battle scene that ends up as an expression of one woman's deep hatred of a man with too many iron accessories, a peculiar jaunt involving the token Prince Philip that thankfully only lasts all of 5 minutes, so we'll gloss over that and pretend it never happened, and a heart-breaking confession of love from Maleficent to Aurora that will have you catching a whimper in your throat.

While I won't go as far as to say that this film will be an instant classic; those that admire the mysterious majesty of the character of Maleficent, and appreciate a delightfully decadent piece of CGI cinematography with a sinister smirk; will relish the experience that is Disney's Maleficent.

Maleficent wakes up to a 4/5.

★★★★☆

Dale Smith

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Grand Theft Auto V XB1/PS4 [used]

Having looked forward to GTA V on the PS3 way back when for months, and playing it for months after that, I was actually pleased (and unsurprised) that it was being re-released on to Next-Gen. The game with seven world records certainly deserved the remastered treatment, and personally it’s worth every penny.  GTA V is absolutely incredible. 

Developed by Rockstar North and out now for Playstation 4 and Xbox One, GTA V is an action-adventure game, with players controlling three characters throughout the story mode, each with different linear scenarios and set objectives. The story mode is packed with entertaining characters and missions, and with the three story lines of Michael De Santa, Trevor Phillips, and Franklin Clinton meshing together throughout the story mode, it keeps the player hooked with the interchanging style of missions. 

With the graphical enhancements and the constant 30fps making the game a lot smoother than I remember, it’s been a lot more enjoyable playing through the story again. The visual difference between the current and last-gen is noticeable, and makes the whole experience a lot smoother and easier on the eye. The draw distance is incredible as well – it’s great playing a GTA without seeing buildings load up just ahead of you. However, it isn’t all about the visuals when it comes to games, but even the gameplay feels better in the newer version. Los Santos also feels a lot more populated than it did on the last-gen version, as there’s way more traffic on the roads and more people walking around the streets. When walking through the streets, you can hear the odd sentence from random people’s conversations, and it makes Los Santos feel more alive than other cities included in games.

One feature that the majority of people have been looking forward to is the “First Person Mode” in GTA V. I’ll admit; I still prefer the third person view as I sometimes feel that the first person mode is quite clunky at times, and I prefer seeing what’s behind me. However, driving in first person mode is a lot of fun and personally easier, as weaving through traffic is a lot easier. 

There are also numerous other additions to the game – although they aren’t realistically the biggest of additions. In offline mode, you can consume (if you can find it) Peyote, a small cactus. Michael, Franklin, and Trevor can consume these and take on the form of an animal until said animal ends up dying/you decide you’ve had enough of roaming the streets as a pig. I must admit, I had no idea it was added until I was driving up to the top of Mt. Chiliad, and the prompt to eat one popped up. Five minutes later I’m flying around as a Seagull shitting on people. It is a small yet fun addition to say the least. If you’re still debating leaping to the newer version because you’ve sunk so many hours into the 360/PS3 version like I did, Rockstar has your back. You can transfer your character over, even if you’re switching sides and going from 360 to PS4! Other additions include new cars, weapons, updated radio playlists, and numerous updates to the multiplayer.

The multiplayer has probably received the most additions and tweaks in the newer version. You can now free-roam in a 30 player lobby opposed to a lobby capped at 16, as now there’s even more people trying to sticky bomb your personal vehicle or run you over when you spawn in. One of the more popular modes in the online was the racing, and custom races can now be double the size with an increased amount of items at your disposal. Not to mention Heists are finally around the corner, having been delayed since the first release of GTA V way back in September 2013. Getting in a team with your friends to rake in the money will probably overtake the fun in racing 24/7!

Overall, the enhanced visuals look fantastic, but the most impressive thing is how every small addition makes Los Santos a more immersive open world than it was on last-gen. The story mode is brilliant and keeps the player interested with the three different story lines all intertwining at some point. The online is still amazing, and the highly anticipated (and delayed) heists will be added in the coming weeks! The only thing I could say is that there isn’t a huge deal of new content, but if you’ve never played it before/loved playing it, personally it’s still worth every penny. GTA V was already a masterpiece, but the newer version is even better and I can’t recommend it enough.

GTA V is absolutely perfect and receives a 5/5.

★★★★★

Sam Terry

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5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015 [used]

No one is disputing that 2014 wasn't a great year for movies. Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, Foxcatcher and Gone Girl are just a tiny few of the movies that impressed throughout 2014. However, as good of a year it was for movies, 2015 looks like it already has it beat. Seriously, 2015 is going to rock.

5- Crimson Peak

The first Guillermo del Toro film I ever saw was The Devil's Backbone. It was on late one night on Channel 4 and after watching it I was hooked on his style. Set amid the Spanish Civil War, The Devil's Backbone follows a young boy who is placed into an orphanage after his father is killed in combat. While that would be a scary time for any kid to go through the boy soon becomes aware that the orphanage may be haunted by a number of spirits, with some being seemingly harmless while others, well, being far from harmless. Though he's done some great films since The Devil's Backbone, his next upcoming project seems to be in the same vein as his Spanish Civil War ghost story, and with the little details we know so far, it sounds awesome.

Though it's scheduled for much later in the year, Crimson Peak is del Toro's first Hollywood film that hasn't been made for sheer spectacle. While I enjoyed Hellboy, Blade 2 and Pacific Rim, this latest offering by the director is more in line with his earlier projects. Set in the 19th century, Crimson Peak focuses on an author who, along with her husband, stays in an old decrepit mansion in Cumbria. Not many story details are known so far, but the author's husband has a dark  and mysterious past, and this may end up merging with the ghostly problems that plague the house. Featuring incredible looking sets, a direction that seems to hint at very little use of CGI and a superb cast in place, Crimson Peak will scare cinemagoers on October 16th.

4- Tomorrowland

I've never been to Disneyland before, but if I were to go one day the first theme land I'd head for would be Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland puts its focus on visions and predictions of the future, but also offers visitors to try out a whole host of rides, with most of them being based upon well known Disney movies. But while Tomorrowland has been a staple of Disneyland since 1955, this upcoming movie apparently has no connection to it. While I do think there will be some kind of connection to Disney's long standing theme land, so far Tomorrowland looks like it can stand on its own two legs.

Much like Crimson Peak, plot details are extremely rare. All we know is that the movie will focus on a young girl called Casey who, alongside grizzled inventor Frank, travel to a mysterious place known as... you guessed it, Tomorrowland; a place in which as Frank puts it, “What if there was a place... a secret place... where nothing was impossible”. It's a tantalizing idea for a movie, and with films such as The Incredibles, The Iron Giant and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol under director Brad Bird's belt, everything is pointing to Tomorrowland being nothing short of magical. Tomorrowland releases May 22nd.

3- Jurassic World

Jurassic Park was my Star Wars, and in turn the T-Rex stepping out of its paddock was my Star Destroyer zooming over the heads of the audience after the text crawl. Granted I loved Star Wars when I was younger too, but seeing Jurassic Park in the cinema back in 1993 was a life changing moment. It was scary, exciting and, above all else, filled me with sheer wonder. I left the cinema obsessed with dinosaurs, what they eat, theories on how they died out, how many different types there were and how easy it was to become a palaeontologist with Laura Dern as my sidekick- it turns out it wasn't easy and it didn't happen, sadly. Still though, Jurassic Park remains one of my all time favourite films. Jurassic Park: The Lost World was a disappointment and Jurassic Park 3 was, well, shit. But while that would be enough to usually scare my away from getting my hopes up regarding another entry into a series, Jurassic World looks pretty great.

Directed by Colin Trevorrow, who so far only directed Safety Not Guaranteed (which is great, by the way), Jurassic World is a sequel to the original Jurassic Park trilogy. Two decades after the disaster that was Jurassic Park, the park has been revitalised and re-branded as Jurassic World.  In a bid to prevent disaster, the park owners have put major restrictions on the dinosaurs across the island. However with the creation of a completely new dinosaur hybrid creature, disaster befalls the island once again. Don't worry though, as to combat a mutant dinosaur there's our two heroes- Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt and his pack of tame Raptors. Awesome! Jurassic World stomps into our cinemas on June 12th.

2- Mad Max: Fury Road

Growing up I was hooked on the Mad Max films. They had everything- car chases, Mel Gibson, badass evil dudes, Australian accents by the bucket load, car chases, explosions, car chases and, of course, car chases. In fact, Mad Max 2: Road Warrior, the best in the series, is essentially like one giant car chase. No green/blue screen, just old real cars crashing into real car with real stuntmen taking the hit. Though Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome did disappoint, the trilogy is visceral, physical and full of balls-to-the-wall awesome action scenes. However, since the mid-90's the fourth film in the series has been in development hell, that is, until now. This year will finally see the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, and though it doesn't star Mel Gibson and where it lies in the trilogy time-line in unknown, it's looking better than I ever expected it to be.

I never thought I'd see the day, but here we are. Starring Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky and Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa, Fury Road follows Max as he tries to help Furiosa cross the desert back to her homeland. However, in classic Mad Max fashion the pair are being pursued by post-apocalyptic maniacs, led by the masked Immortan Joe. From watching the trailer it's clear that director George Miller is trying to recapture the feel of the original films. This results in little or no CGI, intense action, plenty on on-screen car wrecks and more explosions than you can count. I seriously can't wait for this. Mad Max: Fury Road releases on  May 15th.

1- Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This had to be number 1, right? It just had to. Being a Star Wars fan all of my life, I thought the series was dead after Revenge of the Sith. However, after George Lucas shocked the world by selling the franchise to Disney to the tune of $4.05billion, Disney were quick to announce that they not only plan on creating a new Star Wars trilogy, but also aim to release a whole slew of spin-off movies. We all know the prequels were terrible, so what's stopping this new trilogy from falling into that pitfall?

I always saw the prequel trilogy as a guidebook of “How NOT to make a Star Wars movie”, but beyond using them as a guide, with original trilogy names attached to this project such as Lawrence Kasdan, John Williams and of course Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, it looks like The Force Awakens, much like Fury Road and Jurassic World, is trying to replicate the quality of the originals. But while the story is completely unknown at this point, simply watching the trailer will get you excited for it. X-Wings, Lightsabers, dark Sith goings on and Han motherf*cking Solo. I'll be first in line. While I was sceptical at first, I think The Force Awakens is genuinely going to deliver. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released on December 18th. My body is ready.

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WWE 2K15 [used]

One of my best memories when it comes to wrestling is watching Wrestlemania 6 in 1990. The main event was Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior, a match that has gone down in wrestling history. It was incredible, and throughout the real match on TV my four brothers and I had our very own match of Royal Rumble on our couch. The rules were of course adapted for a typical Irish living room, with the last one left on the couch by the end of the Hogan vs Warrior match the winner. I didn't win. In fact, I was actually hurled off the side of the couch, knocked over two cups of tea and a packet of Hobnobs, and pretty much fell flat on my face. Despite the fact that it hurt a lot, I got right up hoping I wouldn't miss any of the non-Murphy family wrestling action. It didn't disappoint either as Warrior kicked Hogans ass up and down the SkyDome. However, from there my love for wrestling dwindled, and though the Attitude Era was absolutely fantastic, I didn't bother tuning in beyond that. Still though, I did enjoy the WWF wrestling games that Yuke's were churning out from the late 90's onwards, but with Yuke's essentially peddling a business model in which they release a sequel ever year, is this latest entry into the series worth your time? If you have WWE 2K14, then no. If you don't have WWE 2K14, then still probably not.

Developed by Yuke's and out now on Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 comes WWE 2K15, the latest WWE game that, instead of an update on last years release, is more like a downgrade. WWE 2K15 sets a milestone for the series, as this is the first entry in the franchise to make it onto the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. However, beyond some slight- and I mean slight- visual nods to this being developed with new tech in mind, you'd be forgiven in thinking that WWE 2K15 is a game for early last-gen. 

In a surprising move by Yuke's, certain modes differ depending on which generation of console you're buying the game for. There are two main modes to choose from on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions. 2K Showcase mode is essentially a mode in which you can take part in historical matches. However, with the vast array of feuds to choose from, this mode is only punctuated by two interesting rivalries- Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels and John Cena vs. CM Punk. This mode tries to offer the player a more in-depth look into these classic past rivalries, and it does a decent job at replicating some of the WWE's better moments. Then there's MyCareer which, as you might assume, lets you create your very own wrestler in the attempt to climb the ranks to become world champion. Though this mode starts quite strong, it quickly falls into the trap that has been a major problem with the series- repetitive and soulless matches. Granted the game does try and inject feuds, friendships and rivalries into the mix on the fly, but it never really takes off and after a few hours into MyCareer, you'll find yourself taking part in matches you literally don't even care about. Neither of these modes bring the series into any new territory, but that's something I've come to accept from a franchise that is being milked beyond recognition. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of the game have 2K Showcase mode, but instead of MyCareer mode these versions have Who Got NXT mode, which basically focuses on five up and coming stars from WWE NXT, the WWE show that is the replacement for ECW.

Gameplay within the ring remains near identical and personally that's not a good thing. For far too long has this series got by with clunky, shoddy and unresponsive controls, and the trend continues here. But if you can get past the fact that moving your character feels like playing Jenga wearing oven gloves, there's enough badass moves, awesome finishers and crude weapons here to have a bit of fun with. Instead of just hammering on your opponent, you'll also need to keep an eye on both your health and stamina bars, both of which are vital to maintain. The downside is that 2K15 has removed a few features previously present in the series, namely Create-A-Special Move, Story Designer, Create-An-Arena and Custom MP3 tracks for entrance music. There's no reason or excuse for this, meaning that with the tiny improvements it might have over 2K14, 2K15 is a downgrade for the series, plain and simple.

It's sad when after playing WWE 2K15, a game that was released in late 2014 on hardware that is incredibly powerful, that I still deem Yuke's Smackdown series much better in every way. That series was on both the Playstation and Playstation 2, and above all else featured a career mode that was incredible versatile, fun and story-driven. Well, I guess it's time to dust off my old Playstation 2.

WWE 2K15 gets the Smackdown and receives 2/5.

★★☆☆☆

Denis Murphy

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The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power [used]

The Scorpion King 4?! What? Hold on a second, there was a Scorpion King 2?

Personally, there's nothing quite like an action adventure film, particularly those that either fall into the “swords-and-sandals” or historical fiction genres. From the likes of Conan the Barbarian, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans and Solomon Kane just to name a few, it's a type of film I'm drawn to- a viewing experience packed with adventure, fun, action and mystery. In the late 90s the big one was the loose remake of the 1932 Boris Karloff horror, The Mummy. But The Mummy we got in 1999 wasn't a horror, but rather mashed together CGI monsters, a mummy that slowly begins to regrown flesh above its withered body, a giant flying face made of sand, some pretty awesome scenes in Ancient Egypt and Brendan Fraser looking as badass as Brendan Fraser can be. It all came together to literally make for one of the most enjoyable adventure films of all time. It still holds up today pretty well and the same goes for its sequel, a film that pretty much just turned the mummy action up to 11. But while The Mummy series eventually finished up with the decent enough Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008, Mathayus- the big bad that was revealed in The Mummy Returns- got his own spin-off prequel series called The Scorpion King. I knew there was at least one film released based on him, but four? Ummm OK.

Directed by Mike Elliot and out now on Blu-Ray and DVD comes The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power, a film that is essentially kind of shit, but also kind of watchable. The film focuses on The Scorpion King aka Mathayus, a guy with loads of muscles and a mean looking face who by this point has been played by like 50 different actors. After a powerful king is assassinated Mathayus is framed for his murder. Now, with legions of soldiers after him looking for blood, the Scorpion King teams up with a hot looking warrior woman and her old bizarre father to try and find a way to stop the evil heir that took to the throne in place of the dead king. If you check out the trailer none of this plot is hinted at though, as instead of telling you what the film is about, it just shows some random action scenes. As you can probably work out from my intro there, I haven't seen The Scorpion King 2 and 3. I wasn't massively confused when watching Quest for Power though, so I don't think its necessary to see what came before it.

Quest for Power isn't The Godfather, and what's refreshing here is that it's not trying to be something it isn't. It's trying to be the seventh film in The Mummy series if anything, and that isn't much to live up to, so I guess it has that going for it. Performances across the board fall into that gulf between horrendous and acceptable, with the cast being largely made up of washed up 80's actors like Michael Biehn, Rutger Hauer and Lou Ferrigno, a Youtuber you may have seen before, the dude that played Susan Saradon's husband in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the guy who played the Engineer in Prometheus and various UFC and WWE people. I actually like the “washed up 80's actors” here, but they're clearly just doing Quest for Power for the cash. I guess Ruter's gotta eat. Granted they don't look as bored as Ron Perlman looks on the cover to the third Scorpion King film, but they're almost there. Everyone acts as good as you'd expect them to in what is now the fourth Scorpion King film.

The action and set pieces are largely passable, with nothing really standing out as neither good or bad. There's plenty of scenes with dudes fighting with swords, people get stabbed, Mathayus is strapped to a chair in a room filled with terrible CGI fire, two women kick each others asses in a Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome-like arena and there's even a dragon whose awful CGI is obscured by only being shown in ultra close-ups. If any of that appeals to you Quest for Power might not be a complete failure in your eyes.

I guess the main feeling I took away from this film, an overall resounding “meh”. Sure it's cheesy, has some pretty shoddy performances throughout, the CGI literally looks like it was made for a Direct-To-VHS film in 1998, but I had fun with it, most likely for all of those reasons. When half of the world is looking towards the Oscars and all the crappy Oscar-bait films that populate most of its categories, I suggest you turn your head away and watch Quest for Power, cause why not?

Oh and by the way, is it just me or does the dude who plays Mathayus look like the secret love child of The Rock and Mac from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power embraces its crappiness and gets a 3/5.

★★★☆☆

Denis Murphy

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Rabbids Invasion [used]

Like some druggie down a dingy back alley, Ubisoft have been trying to push the Rabbids on us for quite some time now. These little critters first graced our screens back in 2006 in the Rayman spin-off, Rayman Raving Rabbids. But since 2006 the Rabbids have become their very own franchise, spawning a number of games, toys and, most recently, their own TV series. I really don't know how the franchise hasn't just ran out of steam by now, but I don't have kids and I haven't been, like, 4 in quite some time, so I guess I just don't fully understand it. But as if we wanted more from the franchise, the latest Rabbids game has just landed. However, though I haven't seen the TV series myself, fans of the show may feel like they're running over old ground here, as Rabbids Invasion doesn't just borrow ideas from the series, but rather entire episodes.

Developed by Ubisoft Barcelona and out now on Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Playstation 4 comes Rabbids Invasion, the videogame equivalent to the kind of person who describes themselves as “random”. You know the type; annoying, loud hipsters who drink out of jam jars and consider a quick blast of Lynx a shower. Then again I may just be getting old and cranky, as Rabbids Invasion is aimed solely at young kids, not disgruntled gamers pushing 30 who remember the sound of dial-up. Anyway, there's no real plot here, but rather just a collection of episodes to play through in which the Rabbids act silly and do funny things. Essentially the game is broken up into two main parts- minimally interactive cut-scenes and slightly interactive gameplay. 

As you might expect, Rabbids Invasion makes use of the Xbox's Kinect and the Playstation's Camera. Without one of these you can't play the game, as all of the content Rabbids Invasion offers is purely based on these peripherals. There are 20 episodes to play through. This basically means that Ubisoft Barcelona took 20 episodes of the TV series, chopped them up and chucked them into the game as cut-scenes. I must say, these cut-scenes looks fantastic and are nicely rendered. From the huggable look of each Rabbid to their goofy expressions, these visuals look superb and will surely gain the attention of any young gamer in the room. Gameplay during these segments is incredibly linear, and purely focuses on you (through the magic of Kinect or the Playstation Camera) matching up your expression on screen with various Rabbids at certain times. From sticking your tongue out, looking like your trying to eat your own shoulder to grinning like a twonk, you'll look completely silly while playing this game.

However the real meat of the game comes into play during the many mini-games the cut-scenes break up. These activities make decent use of your consoles peripheral, and while they mainly focuses on you moving around on camera, some also incoporrates your voice at times. From moving your Rabbid back and forth in order to catch falling plates, doing pull ups, lauching Rabbids and controlling them in mid-air and even talking part in compeitive speed drawing, there are loads of mini-games to play around with here. Some work well, while other come across as pretty shoddy. The only major downside here is that as this gameplay isn't directly lifted off the TV series, the difference in graphics between the interactive cut-scenes and gameplay is shocking. One second your watching highly detailed Rabbids roll around your TV screen, the next you're watching a sub-par looking game.

Overall my 29 year old self won't play Rabbids Invasion ever again. However, all joking aside if you have kids who enjoy the TV series, here's a game they'll not only enjoy but it's also one that you can play with them. It's simple, easy and with the right gamers playing it, worth your time. Don't bother picking it up if you don't have kids though.

Rabbids Invasion is one for the family and gets a 3/5.

★★★☆☆

Denis Murphy

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Left Behind [used]

Out now on Blu-Ray and DVD, Left Behind is an adaptation of the super popular book series of the same name. It deals with the rapture and boy is it preachy. Left Behind got destroyed by critics on its release. But it can’t be that bad, can it? I mean, it’s got Nicolas Cage in it and he’s always hilarious.

Going into a movie about the rapture, a movie in which all religious people are sucked up to heaven and the others are left to rot on Earth, you know that it will certainly have a biblical message behind it. But how heavy-handed and badly executed the conveying of that message is, has to be witnessed to be believed. But we’ll get back to that. The movie opens with Cage’s daughter returning home for his birthday. But he doesn’t want to spend it with his newly converted, super religious wife Lea Thompson (“If she’s left me for another man, it might as well be Jesus.”) He uses his job as a pilot to get out of there, flying off to London and disappointing his daughter. 

Now I wish I could say “BAM! And then The Rapture happens!” but it doesn’t. The daughter sits around in the airport talking about her belief (or lack thereof) in God with cut-price Jai Courtney. This is where the sloppy message first rears it’s ugly head. If you don’t believe fully in religion, expect to be LEFT BEHIND (huh, huh?) with Nicolas Cage and the rest of them. This boring talking and walking is followed by more talking, then walking to the mall. It all lasts about forty minutes. By the time they reach the mall and witness a surreal display of surprise break-dancers you’re wishing for the rapture to happen.

By the time the rapture happens you don’t care. The movie has already secured itself a place on the “worst movies ever” list. The film then see’s the daughter running around a few streets as extras scream and wave their hands in the air. Considering millions of people just up and vanished, it all looks sort of normal. Ok so a car crashes and a guy gets shot. It’s all very lazy and extremely cheap. Nicolas Cage on the other hand is stuck in a plane over the Atlantic surrounded by the most annoying, one note characters I’ve ever seen. First there is a foreign man who everyone suspects is a terrorist and yes that comes across as racist as it sounds. It feels offensive just watching it and his sole purpose seems to be to say “Look! Even the nice people of other religions get left behind. You better worship the right gods!” It leaves a sick taste in your mouth watching it and you wonder how anyone involved in this film could think this was a good idea. Also on the plane is a dwarf. And gee I hope you like the sight of a little person falling down an inflatable slide! Because that’s the sort of comedy you’re going to be getting with Left Behind. Also apparently hilarious according to the writer of Left Behind, an elderly woman with extremely severe dementia getting one of our protagonists confused with Frank Sinatra. A laugh riot. Although the sight of people vanishing and comically leaving their clothes behind is in fact hilarious.

I really hope the paycheck was good on this movie for the actors to degrade themselves so much. Then again I can only imagine the vast majority of the $15 million dollar budget was spent on the salaries because it definitely did not go on the special effects. They are not the worst I’ve ever seen, but they’re distractingly bad nonetheless.

The special effects are hardly surprising however. The whole movie has an air of “TV movie” about it. From the shoddy acting to the crappy sets to the abysmal music. And I expected more. The director is Vic Armstrong, possibly the most prolific stuntman in history. I expected one good scene, but nope it’s all awful. And Nic Cage just looks bored. I defend him as the most entertaining actor working in Hollywood today, even when it’s bad it’s great to watch. But in this he looks like he wants to get his paycheck, crawl into a hole and forget this atrocity ever happened. And I hope the money buys him a down payment on another castle, I really do.

The movie does often have a so bad it’s good quality to it at times, but then it disappears behind a cloud of confused religious propaganda. Every single aspect of Left Behind is atrocious. It is not even for Cage’s die-hard fans (but we still love you Nic!). It’s easily one of the worst films I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen both Baby Geniuses films.

It’s an insulting film, but I’m sure it’d make an amazing drinking game. Left Behind gets zero stars.

☆☆☆☆☆

Jack Bumby

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The Rover [used]

Australia has a good reputation in cinema, managing to frequently put out some really good films. From the Mad Max trilogy to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Australia has a pretty good track record. Out now on Blu-Ray and DVD, The Rover is, at the heart of it, a film about a man and his car. But Mad Max this isn't. Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star in what feels like director David Michôd's Australian version of The Road. The Rover is pretty damn bleak, and things don't get better for the characters as the film progresses. People die, quickly and suddenly, and the characters aren't exactly nice people. But if you like that sort of thing then The Rover is excellent. 

The film follows a man called Eric, portrayed by Guy Pearce, who on just an average day in the apocalypse has his car stolen. He angrily tries to get it back, fails, and meets the injured brother of one of the car hijackers, Rey, played by Robert Pattinson. Eric doesn't reveal why it is the car is so important to him but he makes Rey take him to where his brother will be so he can get it back. Along the way the two go through some more hardship including evil army soldiers, a gun selling dwarf and gunfights a plenty. During the road trip the two men eventually stop hating other, meaning the inevitable fight with Rey's brother will be even more complicated. Saying more would ruin it and the film isn't exactly over flowing with plot as it is. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing as it lets you appreciate the performances. The underrated Guy Pearce is as great as ever, really giving heart to his character who, in lesser hands, may have come off as a dick. Instead, because of Pearce's fantastic performance, we understand the evil things he does even though we don't fully know why he's doing them. 

A more surprising performance is Pattinson as Rey. I hadn't really ever seen Pattinson in anything that great up until this point but here, he knocks it out of the park. His character is a little mentally challenge and if not handled correctly his performance could have been very cringe worthy. Instead, Pattinson breathes life into the character and allows us to feel for him, even as he too does some pretty evil things. The film doesn't always have all the answers and for a lot of viewers this could be a bit frustrating. We don't know everyone's motivation, nor do we know all the outcomes but this doesn't really matter. The film isn't as much concerned with what started this apocalypse as it is with showing us how people are dealing with it. Again, this sort of storytelling might be frustrating for some but I personally really like it. Michôd’s direction is also top notch and the film has some great cinematography too. The film really manages to communicate the bleakness and the isolation in this apocalypse and the natural landscape of Australia doesn’t hurt either.

The Rover might not be everyone’s cup of tea; for some people it may be too slow, or too bleak, or to opaque, and sometimes it is but I personally really enjoyed it. The Rover is a gritty and rewarding road movie with some really great performances especially by Robert Pattinson. Not every question has an answer but that’s alright, it’s just the world the film has created. Not for everyone, but I personally loved every minute of it and it’s an easy recommendation for fans of Pearce or Pattinson but for fans of intelligent films it’s a must watch.

The Rover gets a very good 4/5.

★★★★☆

Tom Bumby

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