Rush: Blu Ray Review

Rush: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R13
Released by Universal Home Ent

This latest drama, from director Ron Howard, takes a look at the prolonged rivalry between  British Formula One driver James Hunt (a blonde mopped Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian driver Niki Lauda (stunningly played by actor Daniel Bruhl) which ran from 1971 to 1976.

Howard chooses to tell the story as a battle between two rivals who are cut from the same cloth but are diametrically opposed in outlooks on life and attitudes.

Hunt is a playboy, who's as interested in notching up marks on his bedpost as he is in winning races. He works his way up the Formula 3 tracks to win and gradually ends up in the big league. Lauda, in contrast, uses precision and calculating psychology to achieve his goals - and some money to buy his way into the Formula One world. Their rivalry is formed in their formative years on a formula 3 track and culminates in a disastrous race in 1976 at the Nurburgring track.

Ron Howard's crafted a racing film that's as much about the drama off the track as it is on. By choosing to keep the racing shots to a minimum until the final crucial race, he's ensured you're fully invested in the characters as the inevitable happens. Perfect attention to period detail throughout and some tautly put together racing ensures the feel of the Rush movie is epic and yet still intimate. While it's Hemsworth's larrikin Hunt, with his laddish bed-hopping ways and his braggadacio, whose face beams out from the film poster, this is actually more Daniel Bruhl's film and Lauda's story. Hemsworth's clipped English accent occasionally fades into Aussie drawl, but Bruhl's precision and the way he's captured Lauda's precision, apparent social ineptitude and veneer is second to none. In fact, Bruhl excels in this, using understated characterisation to bring the so called rat to life; whereas Hemsworth's handed a role which is the complete opposite - he takes the spoils of a posh boy ladette in a world looking for a racing hero - both are perfect examples of why F1 drivers are held in such high rockstar esteem and what drives them to risk their lives during every race.

But Howard's also had a hand in this, subtly building up the relationship over various encounters and stretched throughout the years; minor comments here and there craft together a relationship and rivalry which is relatable and utterly engrossing. Using archive footage here and there, he's also managed to capture the atmosphere of the races.

And talking of the races, Howard's recreation of the key moments is every petrol head's dream. From the sound of the engines revving to the pump of the pistons, by using sweeping camera shots and occasional driver point-of-view shots, he's captured the thrill of the race, the adrenalin rush and the reason the drivers do it. I'm not a Formula One fan by any stretch of the imagination, but what he's created on screen is utterly addictive.

Some other elements of the film, unfortunately, don't work quite as well.

A few characters here and there appear, seem to form part of the story and then simply disappear, leaving a narrative unfulfilled (Natalie Dormer's character being the chief culprit); he uses way too many voiceovers to service the film's exposition - and while it's clear he's trying to capture some of the psychology and inner thoughts, the over-use makes it feel tired and grating in places; the film feels a little overlong as well - it could have easily lost 20 minutes and still been as riveting.

All in all, Rush is a compelling and captivating piece of cinema - it's gripping, riveting and a superb insight into sporting rivalry both on and off the track.

Extras: Making of, featurettes, deleted scenes and trailers

Rating:

Keith Lemon: The Film: DVD Review

Keith Lemon: The Film: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Unless you've watched Celebrity Juice on cable, chances are the name Keith Lemon will be unknown to you.

You would be better if it stayed that way.

This British "comedy" stars Leigh Francis as the titular Lemon, a moustachioed businessman who tries to make it big in London from his hometown of Leeds. When his invention The Lemon Phone hits the big time, Keith finds himself reaping the rewards. But trouble's soon on his tails.

Keith Lemon: The Film is one of the worst films I've seen for a long time - and that includes Movie 43. Blessed with a script that a teenage boy appears to have written (ooh, breasts) it lacks sophistication, humour and any form of jokes whatsoever. Packed with celeb cameos, and no sense of what it's doing, it's clearly aimed at those who find brain dead puerile fun amusing.

I had to see this film for review - do yourself a favour and don't make the same mistake, because, quite frankly, this Lemon sucks.

Extras: None - for which I am eternally grateful.

Rating

Dallas Buyers Club: Movie Review

Dallas Buyers Club: Movie Review

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn, Denis O'Hare
Director: Jean Marc-Vallee

With 6 Oscar nominations in tow, and already picking up trophy success for its lead actor, Matthew McConaughey (who's now clearly a front runner to scoop the Best Actor at the Oscars), Dallas Buyers Club now finally hits the NZ streets.

Based on a true story in 1985 Dallas, McConaughey stars as homophobic womaniser, a financial chancer, electrician and rodeo rider Ron Woodroof whose life is turned upside down when a random hospitalisation leads to the revelation that he has HIV and is given only 30 days left to live.

As he begins to sicken, Ron's ostracised from his friends and family who struggle with the stigma and ignorance of AIDS as the epidemic spreads across America. Initially he finds he's unable to obtain the new drug AZT, which is meant to help; but by bribing a hospital orderly he gets his hands on it - but, despite the promises from the doctors, it makes him sicker, putting him back in hospital.

Ron manages to get word of a clinic down in Mexico which could treat him and heading there, he discovers the damage that AZT is causing to his health and others. Consequently he begins an alternative treatment which he starts to smuggle into America - and a happenstance meeting with transgender Rayon (Leto in a wonderfully compassionate turn) convinces him there is a market for these drugs and the hope they bring....so, setting up a Buyers Club, Ron begins his fight for non-FDA approved drugs, those who need them and his own fight for life.

Dallas Buyers Club delivers a career best performance from McConaughey - while his physical form initially shocks, thanks to a wiry and almost skeletal physique, he also delivers something more than the transformation which has real bluster, lust for life and is a searing turn which stays with you long after the film has finished. There's just something award-worthy about McConaughey, who's electric from the moment he hits the screen and who commands your sympathy despite his initially abhorrent homophobic nature as he begins his quest toward redemption.

While Woodroof sees the Buyers Club as a chance to make some money off the sick while saving himself, it's the interaction with Rayon that leads to the epiphany that the hustler Ron can play a greater part in the AIDS epidemic. But it's McConaughey and Leto who totally convince us of this rather than relying on mawkish sentimentality and overacting to push the narrative along. It's their Odd Couple vibe which makes all the difference - and when that falls apart towards the end, the movie suffers a little of a lull as the dynamic falters.

Leto in particular brings a softness to Rayon, which is needed to smooth off the rougher edges of Woodroof's character, and he brings a heartbreaking performance to the screen which has been rightly applauded.

The film itself has a vein of humour running throughout and for the most part, it hits the right note between delivering slightly irreverent laughs and the obvious conflict of Jennifer Garner's Doctor Saks wanting the best for her patients. While that side of the film lets it down slightly, Marc-Vallee keeps the pace zipping along and avoids a maudlin tone creeping in. The only wrong note it really hits is in the final moments when a crucial player is lost - it's here that the sentimentality creeps in unnecessarily, miring the film in a mawkish slop.

Dallas Buyers Club delivers an experience that's unforgettable - once you get past the physicalities of what Leto and McConaughey did, you'll realise the film is about one man's redemption, a rejection of greed over altruism and a celebration of how in the darkest days, even some can shine a bright light of hope to many.

Rating:

GTA Valentine's Day Massacre is here....

GTA Valentine's Day Massacre is here....

GTA Online Valentine’s Day Massacre Special Is Now Available

Valentine’s Day in Los Santos is almost here, and the Valentine's Day Massacre Special update for GTA Online is now available, featuring some surprise gifts for all you lovers and lotharios. This includes a variety of fun Valentine's themed extras for Story Mode and GTA Online like the Gusenberg Sweepermachine gun, the new Albany Roosevelt ride and a host of new attire options like double breasted suits, flapper dresses, sexy undergarments, novelty t-shirts, hats, masks and more. These items are all available to purchase in GTA Online right now until the end of February - and once acquired they're yours to keep in your inventory for good.

NEW JOBS

This update also has 10 new Jobs across a variety of modes. Here are details on a few of our Valentine's-themed faves:

• "Shotgun Wedding" (Team Deathmatch): The title says it all. Small-scale Deathmatch around the church in Paleto Bay that’s locked to shotguns. It’ll be a lot less bloody than divorce.
   
• "Property Values" (Deathmatch): Forget about love, nothing’s going to break your heart like the price of real estate. Free for all Deathmatch on an unaffordable cul-de-sac near Mirror Park. Look out for the sniper on the grassy knoll.
   
• "Creek" (Parachuting): Nothing says ‘I’m in love’ like throwing yourself out of a chopper with up to seven other idiots. A steep dive, almost skirting the side of the Raton Canyon, gliding into Cassidy Creek.
   
• "Vinewood Tours" (Race): Who needs love when you’ve got booze in your belly and stars in your eyes? Lap race for cars and bikes taking in all the tourist sights of Vinewood and Rockford Hills.
   
• "Motorboating" (Sea Race): A good motorboating is all anyone wants for Valentine’s Day. Take your love for a trip around buoys and over jumps to the North of Mount Gordo.
   
• "Heart Breaker" (Bike Race): Make your feelings known by carving a love heart into the Grand Senora Desert. Hills and jumps in this mainly off-road lap race for bikes on a heart-shaped track.
   

VALENTINE'S MASSACRE SOCIAL CLUB EVENT WEEKEND

To help celebrate, we'll be hosting a special Valentine's Massacre Social Club Event Weekend that will include special in-game RP bonuses, Crate Drops, a live stream broadcast on Friday afternoon and much more. Stay tuned for more details later today.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES TO GTA ONLINE

Today's automatic title update includes the triumphant return of the Rat Loader pickup truck to GTA Online. This vehicle and all its mods are available for free until the next title update, so anyone who might have lost one from their garage previously can now re-create it at no cost. Just grab it from the southernsanandreassuperautos.com in-game website and modify it at any Los Santos Customs location.

The Rat Loader returns to GTA Online. Snapmatic photo taken by jBhIpS.

This title update also enables solo players in Races to earn GTA$, plus provides fixes for numerous issues, including incorrect time displays for some players in the Bad Sport pool, issues with the Cornrows haircut and situations where characters would become bald after using a mask. For a complete list of fixes in this update, please check out the article on our support site.

To get today's update, just power up your online-connected PS3 or Xbox 360 and load up GTAV, and you'll be prompted to download the automatic update (Xbox 360 players will also be required to download an additional compatibility pack). From there, head to the in-game store from the pause menu to access and download the Valentine’s Day Massacre Special.

All Is Lost: Movie Review

All Is Lost: Movie Review

Cast: Robert Redford, The Sea
Director: J C Chandor

It seems survival stories are de rigeur.

What with the likes of Captain Phillips, and the heady rush of Gravity in space, this latest sees Robert Redford in a more earthbound attempt to simply survive and endure.

Redford is an unnamed man who's on a solo voyage on the water. 1700 miles off the Sumatra Straits and amid calm seas and rippling water, his boat strikes a floating shipping container, ripping a hole in the side of the hull. As it begins to leak in water, the man realises his boat's been crippled by the strike, with radio, navigation and engine power gone.

Despite managing to patch up the hole, he sails directly into a storm and faces a survival struggle that he'd never prepared for, having to draw on skills he could never have imagined using in this day and age.

For 105 minutes, All Is Lost is dialogue free - it begins with Redford's voiceover dictating his final travelogue, and delivering a "I tried" speech as well as revealing that he fought, though he's "not sure what that's worth." Following that, it's silence on the ocean wave, except for one extremely loud and extremely frustrated profanity into the piece.

All Is Lost succeeds on the strength of Redford's performance, a textured and nuanced turn that delivers so much despite saying so little. As you watch him battle the elements and face mortality and reality, you realise you've spent over 90 minutes watching Redford give his all, performing underwater stunts, looking rugged and older than you remember and sympathising with his frustrations over the implications of decisions he'd made. A lack of back-story is also a bonus, because the emotional involvement is here and now and instantaneous rather than due to mawkish and manipulative cuts back and forth to those missing him on land. It's a hard ask to invest initially in him when we know little about him but it's a major benefit to Redford's understated performance that we don't get manipulated both by his mesmerising performance and Chandor's pared back direction and story.

A relative lack of a OST also greatly benefits the idea of man against nature in this dialogue free adventure - the sounds come from the lapping of the waves, a reminder of the calm deadliness of the sea life and how quickly change can pivot and turn when nature's involved. The sound work is utterly mesmerising and in a darkened theatre does so much to build atmosphere as the hulls creak, the storms blow and the silence hits.

All of these are components which need to be factored in - because there are no end of frustrations at some of the decisions made by the man at crucial dramatic moments in the film, which unfortunately end up being cripplingly distracting.

Redford's character never once wears a life jacket when venturing out on deck in storms, seems to make decisions that baffle the mind such as applying plasters to his face in a sinking ship and leaves equipment out when a storm approaches.

For the most part, Chandor lets the natural elements take the charge; a refusal to signpost which day is which into the endurance (he merely says it's 8 days earlier) means you suffer the disorientation of Redford's man, who's lost on the waves; one major disappointment is having done such sterling work with the soundscapes of the storm, he chooses to rely on a booming blast of synthesiser music to convey the danger rather than let the elements toss our aural tones around.

As for the ending, once again, a la Gravity, it's as if the Hollywood machine triumphed. Sure, you can argue it's ambiguous, but an expeditious edit would have delivered a crippling narrative blow that would have ensured the final scenes were left to linger. Instead, the inference is that the director didn't have the courage of his narrative convictions and the need to satiate the audience a little too much after 105 minutes of endurance triumphed.

All in all, All Is Lost is flawed in places but soars high in others; thanks to a powerhouse turn by Redford, it's a sign that even in his later years, with scant dialogue but impressive amounts to do, he can rule the cinematic roost.

Rating:

NZIFF reveal details of Autumn Events

NZIFF reveal details of Autumn Events

Some good news as we head in Autumn - the line up for Autumn Events is here. And tickets are on sale tomorrow....

NZIFF AUTUMN EVENTS

Classic Movies in April and May

Astaire. Brando. Hepburn. Herzog. Miyazaki. Orson Welles. NZIFF presents legends of the giant screen this Autumn.

 NZIFF presents fabulous film events this Autumn at The Civic in Auckland, Embassy in Wellington, Regent Dunedin, MTG Hawke’s Bay, and Hoyts Riccarton in Christchurch. From the curators of the New Zealand International Film Festival comes a weekend line-up of classic films made to be seen on the magnificent cinema screen.

NZIFF Autumn Events in Auckland screen from Friday 11 April through to Sunday 13 April at The Civic. Tickets on sale directly from Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.co.nz) from Friday 14 February.

NZIFF Autumn Events in Wellington will screen across three weekends at the Embassy Theatre in April, starting on Saturday 12 April. Tickets on sale directly from the Embassy Theatre. On sale date to be advised.

NZIFF Autumn Events in Dunedin screen on Saturday 12 April and Sunday 13 April at the Regent Dunedin. Tickets on sale directly from the Regent Dunedin. On sale date to be advised.

NZIFF Autumn Events in Napier will screen across three weekends at the MTG Theatre in April, starting on Saturday 12 April. Tickets on sale directly from Ticketek. On sale date to be advised.

NZIFF Autumn Events in Christchurch will screen across three weekends at Hoyts Riccarton in May, starting on Saturday 3 May. Tickets on sale directly from Hoyts Riccarton. On sale date to be advised.

NZIFF Autumn Events URL: www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events

The films screening in NZIFF Autumn Events 2014

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Auckland and Wellington only)

Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes, West Germany 1972

Director/Screenplay: Werner Herzog

In German with English subtitles

Once seen, never forgotten, this hallucinatory epic of Spanish conquistadors unhinged in the Amazon is the definitive Werner Herzog expedition to the edge.  It was also the first of his collaborations with his legendary “best fiend”, actor Klaus Kinski.

“With a new restoration, the sound of gobs being smacked will resound in cinemas once again. It looks more magnificent and mad than ever.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Sessions:

Saturday 12 April, 8.15 pm, The Civic, AUCKLAND

Sunday 20 April, 6.00 pm, Embassy WELLINGTON

URL http://www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events/film/aguirre-the-wrath-of-god

Funny Face

USA 1957

Director: Stanley Donen

A charming confection of 50s vogues, this musical casts Audrey Hepburn as a brainy West Village bookshop manager and Fred Astaire as the fashion photographer whose camera (not to mention a trip to Paris and some fabulous Givenchy gowns) might just transform her into a runway star.

“The musical that dares to rhyme Sartre with Montmartre, Funny Face knocks most other musicals off the screen for its visual beauty, its witty panache, and its totally uncalculating charm.”— Time Out Film Guide

Sessions:

Friday 11 April, 1.00 pm, The Civic, AUCKLAND

Saturday 12 April, 2.15 pm, Regent DUNEDIN

Sunday 13 April, 1.00 pm, The Civic, AUCKLAND

Saturday 19 April, 6.00 pm, Embassy WELLINGTON

Saturday 26 April, 2.15 pm, MTG Theatre NAPIER

Sunday 18 May, 2.15 pm, Hoyts Riccarton CHRISTCHURCH

URL http://www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events/film/funny-face

Lawrence of Arabia (Napier, Dunedin, Christchurch only)

UK/USA 1962

Director: David Lean

Festivals: Cannes (Classics), London 2012

4K DCP

David Lean’s 1962 biopic remains the benchmark in epic action cinema: literate, dynamic and visually stupendous. Dashing performances by Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif defined the two young actors for life.

“There are no intelligent epics like this today and, because of computer-generated effects, it's unlikely that there ever will be again.”  — Philip French, The Observer

Sessions:

Sunday 13 April, 1.30 pm, Regent DUNEDIN

Sunday 27 April, 2.15 pm, MTG Theatre NAPIER

Sunday 11 May, 2.15 pm, Hoyts Riccarton CHRISTCHURCH

URL http://www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events/film/lawrence-of-arabia

On The Waterfront

USA 1954

Director: Elia Kazan

Winner, Eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor

4K DCP

Marlon Brando mesmerises in the indelible performance that revolutionised big-screen acting 60 years ago and is still heart-breaking today.

“As unspoiled in its key elements as the day it was made, On the Waterfront is indisputably one of the great American films.” — Kenneth Turan, LA Times

Sessions:

Friday 11 April, 4.00 pm, The Civic, AUCKLAND

Saturday 12 April, 8.15 pm, Regent DUNEDIN

Sunday 13 April, 3.30 pm, The Civic, AUCKLAND

Saturday 19 April, 6.00 pm, MTG Theatre NAPIER

Sunday 27 April, 4.00 pm, Embassy WELLINGTON

Saturday 10 May, 6.00 pm, Hoyts Riccarton CHRISTCHURCH

URL http://www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events/film/on-the-waterfront

The Third Man

UK 1949

Director/Producer: Carol Reed

Ranked first in the British Film Institute’s end-of-century survey of British cinema, The Third Man is film noir with rare pedigree: director Carol Reed and actor Orson Welles bring sinister flamboyance to novelist Graham Greene’s literate, perfectly structured thriller script.

“Of all the movies I have seen, this one most completely embodies the romance of going to the movies.” — Roger Ebert

Sessions:

Saturday 12 April, 6.00 pm, The Civic, AUCKLAND

Saturday 12 April, 6.00 pm, Regent DUNEDIN

Saturday 12 April, 6.00 pm, MTG Theatre NAPIER

Saturday 12 April, 6.00 pm, Embassy WELLINGTON

Saturday 3 May, 6.00 pm, Hoyts Riccarton CHRISTCHURCH

URL http://www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events/film/the-third-man

The Wind Rises

Kaze tachinu, Japan 2013

Director: Miyazaki Hayao

In Japanese, French, German and Italian, with English subtitles

Nominated, Best Animated Feature, Academy Awards 2014

The great Japanese animator Miyazaki Hayao has announced his retirement and if he sticks to his word, he will have gone out on a sublime note. The Wind Rises is a fictionalised portrait of the brilliant aeronautical engineer Horikoshi Jiro and the two loves of his life: his work, and his ailing wife, Nahoko.

“Marked by flights of incredible visual fancy… Miyazaki’s hauntingly beautiful historical epic draws a sober portrait of Japan between the two World Wars.” — Scott Foundas, Variety

Sessions:

Saturday 12 April, 2.30 pm, Dubbed Version The Civic, AUCKLAND

Sunday 13 April, 6.00 pm, Subtitled Version The Civic, AUCKLAND

Sunday 13 April, 6.00 pm, Subtitled Version, MTG Theatre NAPIER

Sunday 13 April, 6.00 pm, Subtitled Version, Embassy WELLINGTON

Sunday 13 April, 6.30 pm, Subtitled Version, Regent DUNEDIN

Sunday 4 May, 6.00 pm, Subtitled Version, Hoyts Riccarton CHRISTCHURCH

URL http://www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events/film/the-wind-rises-dub

URL http://www.nziff.co.nz/autumn-events/film/the-wind-rises

NZIFF Autumn Events dates and venues around New Zealand

Auckland

Screenings at The Civic

Friday 11 April through to Sunday 13 April

Wellington

Screenings at the Embassy

Saturday 12 April

Sunday 13 April

Saturday 19 April and Sunday 20 April

Sunday 27 April

Napier

Screenings at the MTG Hawke’s Bay

Saturday 12 April and Sunday 13 April

Saturday 19 April

Saturday 26 April and Sunday 27 April

Dunedin

Screenings at the Regent Dunedin

Saturday 12 April and Sunday 13 April

Christchurch

Screenings at Hoyts Riccarton

Saturday 3 May and Sunday 4 May

Saturday 10 May and Sunday 11 May

Sunday 18 May

Auckland tickets for all screenings at The Civic are on sale through Ticketmaster from 9am on Friday 14 February. For ticketing information visit www.ticketmaster.co.nz. The ticket on sale date for all other regions is to be advised.

Infamous Second Son: PS4 Hands On Preview

Infamous: Second Son: PS4 Hands On Preview

There's no denying there's pressure on Infamous: Second Son.

When the PlayStation 4 launched last year, there was little on hand in the way of next-gen launch titles with Watch_Dogs and Drive Club being put back on the release slate. It meant that there was really only Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall on hand to set it all off with other titles being upgraded from prior releases.

So, it's now up to the March release of Infamous: Second Son to quell some of the naysayers who were unhappy with the launch slate.

And based on the demo that I played this week at PlayStation HQ, they will be asking to have their opinions heated up and served to them on a plate.

Infamous: Second Son is a stand alone title with little links currently evident to the original protagonist, Cole, from the Infamous series. Those games were more than enjoyable with moral decisions serving to propel the gameplay along - but it also gave you a chance to take the high moral ground or kick some ass (and ensured a second playthrough as well).

This latest lives in the same world, but offers a new entry point to those who've not played the game before. (But promises nods to the worlds previously played, if you're so inclined)

You play as Delsin Rowe (voiced by the ever brilliant Troy Baker), a kind of street punk, graffiti artist. Given conduit abilities after an accident, Delsin's discovering his new powers in Seattle - and facing conflict from his brother, a cop called Reggie, who's trying to keep him on the right side of the path.

As the demo begins, Delsin and Reggie have discovered another Conduit named Fetch, a pink haired, nose ringed punk girl and are debating whether to save her or leave her locked up. This is the first of the moral decisions faced by Delsin and by taking the path to Redeem Fetch first up, you're plunged into a dockside mission to rid the area of drug dealers.

It's the first interesting connection that Infamous: Second Son rolls out - as the choice you make changes the narrative and the cut scenes as well - but whether mixing up good and bad changes the story path through out, we've yet to see.

The dockside mission essentially gives you a chance to flex your muscles as Delsin and brings out the combat element of the game as you unleash seven shades of hell on the bad guys. Ploughing through the air and using a neon draining capability, Delsin's abilities (or afflictions as his brother terms them) are pretty obvious pretty quickly. His weapon of choice is a neon lance which pummels the baddies into submission (and there are a lot of these in this first mission). Melee attacks, hurling smoke bombs and rushing up buildings give the game a bit of a rush but don't feel like a massive departure from the first two games - though, when you've got a winning formula, why would you? It's really in the graphics that this game starts to soar though - beautiful crisp neon colours give it an edge in the dark city of Seattle and leap vibrantly off the screen as they hang there. It's a visually impeccable touch which adds a lot to the feel of Second Son.

While the houseboats search proves to be easy enough once you get the hang of it (kill the dealers, tag the houseboats, let anyone out who's in there), the tantalising glimpse of Delsin's new powers at the end of the level, a radiant sweep, offers a more epic edge to the game. Sadly, I didn't get to see the full effect as the screen faded to black....

Looping back to the same cut scene, the chance is given to Corrupt Fetch and this is really where the game starts to kick loose and you get to unleash the bad side of your psyche. After a spat with Reggie, the pair decide to take on those who are protesting about the Conduits and teach them a lesson - cue a similar hunt to the houseboats (but with do-gooders squarely in your sights) as you leap round through the air, and just melee whatever you want.

Interestingly enough, the decision to go rogue puts you into conflict with yellow army types known as the DUP, an oppressive bunch who appear to have some powers as well. These manifest in them leaping around and employing rock-like weapons to lock you into the ground (a kind of concrete boots) before shooting you.

It's here you have to employ a bit of strategy - taking too much fire means Delsin's ability to fast heal drops off and you risk death if you don't simply run away. Also, tougher bad guys mean using the environment to your advantage - and the chance to wreak havoc means that anything goes. Just occasionally, this demo struggled with the camera angles on the conflict, meaning Delsin was super-imposed by something on the street, blocking my ability to see and fight. It's a niggle - and one which I hope will be ironed out in the final game next month. It ends with another glimpse of a new power, the Orbital drop, before fading to black....

While there was no option to play Fetch, there's no word yet that that is permanent - but it's to be hoped some iteration of the game will proffer up that chance, either at launch or in DLC. However, Fetch appears to work with Delsin in both missions, shooting from afar to take out baddies and that's a nice touch.

Overall, Infamous: Second Son's demo hints at greatness to come on the PS4. The moral compass is once more in danger of swinging either way in the game and the graphics hint at an impressive next gen experience that's likely to draw off the naysayers. I'm hoping the story proves as similarly engaging as the first two games because that's what will keep many playing on - though based on the combat of these two missions, there's a hell of a lot of fun and deep gameplay to be had from the upcoming release.

Either way, sign me up as a conduit, because I'm hellishly excited to see what Sucker Punch are bringing to the PS4 and the Infamous series.

Infamous Second Son hits PS4 in March