Wrath of the Titans - Blu Ray Review

Wrath of the Titans - Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

The sequel to the Clash of the Titans has a lot to live upto after being widely derided upon release two years ago.

While it wasn't a bad story and bringing to life of the old Greek myths, it really was lambasted for its poor use of 3D.

This time around though, The Titans are hoping for a new lease of life.

Set a decade after he defeated the Kraken, Sam Worthington's Perseus, the demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) is trying to live a quieter life than the action man of yore.

But above him, all hell is breaking loose among the gods as they begin to lose control of the imprisoned Titans and former enemy Kronos - and Zeus, the father of the gods, starts to lose his grip on what's around him. Plus throw in betrayal into the mix and an old enemy and it's all on.

Worse still, Kronos' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth.

Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor and fallen god Hephaestus, Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus and save mankind...

So, the big question is if this sequel is better than the first one a couple of years back?

Well, the answer is sort of.

You're not really in any danger of having your cerebral cortex being troubled by any major plot or character development - but then this really was never that kind of film. Any subtleties of Greek mythology have been jettisoned too in favour of actions and fiery explosions.

It's more about spectacle - which I have to say this delivers a lot more than first time round thanks to some truly apocalyptic CGI.

Acting wise, Worthington holds his chops and gives Perseus a gruff exterior; making him more of a fighter doused with love for his son; Fiennes and Neeson have a little gravitas as the warring Hades and Zeus; Toby Kebbel brings a bit of self awareness and levity as Poseidon's son Argenor, and Pike brings a bit of class to a slightly bland Queen Andromeda. Bill Nighy deserves some praise as a nutty and insane Hephaestus who talks in a broad Yorkshire accent - his is also the only nod back to the previous generations of the film thanks to an iconic Titans artefact.

But the film, at its heart is simply a sequence of action sequences; a brash and noisy blockbuster that cares not for its characters merely services them with moments to hack and slash their way through their next challenge.

You may feel the luck of the gods has finally run out in this visually stunning and epic film, which is lacking in depth but is perfect popcorn entertainment.

Extras: The Path of men or the Path of Gods choices, storyboard comparisons, focus points, picture in picture

Rating:

Twenty Twelve: DVD Review

Twenty Twelve: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

Hugh "Downton" Bonneville, Jessica "Spaced" Hynes and a cast of others come together for this docu-fly-on-the-wall comedy series, looking at the build up to the London Olympics 2012.

Perfect timing perhaps, but what's more surprising is how prescient this show was.

It takes in the work of the London Olympic Deliverance Committee as they gear the capital up for the Games which kicked off in July.

Dry, wry and a little bit lighter on the satire front than the likes of The Thick of It, Twenty Twelve benefits from solid performances all around - everyone gives their all to this perfectly timed comic piece of mockumentary.

Ironically, some of the topics covered by the show came up in real life (clock breaking down, athletes delayed on roads), suggesting that Twenty Twelve wasn't too far removed from the truth. Bonneville and Hynes give the best performances throughout - but it's a gently wry, mocking UK comedy which the Brits do very well.

Twenty Twelve gets the gold and is certainly worth watching.


Rating:

Planet Dinosaur: Blu Ray Review

Planet Dinosaur: Blu Ray Review

Rating: G
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment

What is it with dinosaurs?

We've been fascinated with them for years - from Jurassic Park to the BBC Walking with Dinosaurs series.

So this six part doco series was always likely to be a hit.

Narrated by John Hurt, it concentrates on some 50 different species of dinosaurs throughout the run. Using computer generated visual FX, it takes a look at a whole bunch of creatures, hitherto unexplored on the screen. From the likes of spinosaurus to brontosaurus through to the famed T Rex, this series doesn't shy away from populating the ancient world with a menagerie of animals.

But it's presented in a somewhat curious way with shaky camera work and electronic monitors detailing where the bones were found. Ultimately, a lot of the sequences exist simply to showcase the stunning work of the Visual FX team as they pit creature against creature in 3D fight arenas.

The result is this is more of a visual spectacular than an examination of science and archaeology (which sounds like a silly thing to say) but Planet Dinosaur is more about the fighting than the exploration of the world as it unfolded around us billions of years ago.

Don't get me wrong, Planet Dinosaur is nothing less than a spectacle but it's not quite the standard educational series you've come to expect from Auntie Beeb.

Rating:

The Lorax: Blu Ray Review

The Lorax: Blu Ray Review

Rating: G
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

From the team who brought us Despicable Me comes this latest computer animated outing The Lorax.

Zac Efron is 12 year old Ted, who lives in the world of Thneedville, a walled city where all the trees are dead and their world is covered in plastic inflatable trees as well as other artificial bits and bobs.

Smitten with Taylor Swift's Audrey, Ted is determined to win her over and make her the girl of his dreams - his way of doing this? Getting a tree for her.

So, when his Grammy tells him that a mysterious being known as the Once-ler who lives outside the walled city has the key to the trees, Ted sets off to break out of Thneedville and discover what exactly happened. 

But Ted's quest isn't going unmonitored - for hot on his heels and watching his every move, is greedy corporate baddie Mr O'Hare who owns a bottled oxygen company and who fears that if Ted gets his way, his empire will come crashing down.

However, when Ted finds the Once-ler, he discovers the guilty secret that he holds and how his quest to make a Thneed from the trees left them with a wasteland - despite the intervention of the spirit of the forests, the moustachioed Lorax (Danny De Vito).

Can Ted make a difference to what's gone on?

I'm not familiar with Dr Seuss' source material for this one; I understand it's based on Seuss' worries over economic progress at the expense of the environment -and I have to say this latest computer animation reeks of indoctrination from beginning to end.

The songs which permeate the brightly orange coloured film are clearly cleverly written to support the whole "Let's save the environment" stance of the piece. And it gets a little tiresome quite quickly. There's something insidious about the lyrics which get stuck in your head - the final song, a gospel style ode to the trees, is called "Let It grow" and for days, it's been lodged inside my brain like a seed growing away. 

There's nothing wrong with that stance and fair play to the creators for so heavily pushing it but I just feel like the message was sledge hammered home over any level of subtlety.

Which is a real shame - because the animation, complete with its requisite looniness which you'd come to expect from the creators of Despicable Me, suits the piece perfectly. There's little of Seuss' rhyming within the film itself though and while the younger end of the audience won't care or notice, maybe fans will feel a little cheated. 

Overall, The Lorax isn't bad - it's just that without the much needed easing off of the "Save the Trees, Save the Planet" message, the whole thing's a little heavy handed and leaves a sour taste in the mouth rather than the bouncy joy a Dr Seuss book should be.

Extras: 3 mini movies, a heap of interactive pieces and learning how to draw your favourite characters


Rating:

ALIENS Colonial Marines | Episode 2: "Xenos vs. Marines"

ALIENS Colonial Marines | Episode 2: "Xenos vs. Marines"

Sega released today part 2 of the developer diaries on Aliens: Colonial Marines. The Gearbox developers talk about the battle between the Marines and the Xenomorphs.




Aliens: Colonial Marines, a squad-based first-person shooter in the works at Gearbox Software and due to be available in February 12, 2013. Licensed through an exclusive agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising, Aliens: Colonial Marines begins with an ostensibly abandoned ship, the U.S.S. Sulaco, recovered in orbit around LV-426. Players lead a group of highly trained United States Colonial Marines as they board the deserted craft to uncover the fate of the crew. They will have to fight to survive unspeakable horrors and their own anxieties as they chase down the truth behind a galaxy-spanning deception that places humanity at the mercy of the most murderous and deadly species in the universe

Meet Death....Darksiders II style...

Meet Death....Darksiders II style...

It's nearly time for Darksiders II...releasing in NZ on August 17th.

This afternoon, we've been sent this quite cool video about Death to get you in the mood for the game.

This “Know Death” trailer is narrated by Michael Wincott, the voice of Death himself, who explains exactly what his motivations is.




About DarkSiders II

Awakened by the End of Days, Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen, embarks upon a quest to restore mankind, and redeem his brother’s name. Along the way, the Horseman discovers that there are far worse things than an earthly Apocalypse, and that an ancient grudge may threaten all of Creation . . . Can DEATH really become mankind’s savior?

Joss Whedon to write and direct Avengers 2

Joss Whedon to direct Avengers 2

In news just to hand, I can now confirm the news geeks have been waiting for.

Joss Whedon will write and direct Avengers 2 - as well as a TV series about Marvel heroes.

There's little else on the Avengers 2 front but the news that Joss will return is a great boon to the series. As late as July's Comic Con he'd said he'd not decided yet whether he'd be back in the saddle for the next one with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Black Widow et al.

But now it's been confirmed he will.

Expect to see the Avengers 2 sometime in 2015 perhaps?

Still, it's great news ahead of the release of the Avengers Blu Ray and DVD on August 29th.

You can read the Avengers movie review on Darren's World of Entertainment.

Plus Check out a heap of Avengers character portraits as well - and as if that wasn't enough, go behind the scenes of the Avengers 2012 movie in our video.