Ever more convoluted and misleading titles notwithstanding, the Planet of the Apes reboot/prequel/side-story trilogy must go down as one of the best, and most surprising, series of recent times. A daring venture after the failed sequels, remakes, TV shows and pastiches (The Simpsons parody is still the absolute best: “I can SING!”) this modern retelling, lovingly crafted, makes you long for Matt Reeves to give a proper remake of the original a go. Trilogy closer War for the P

Homecoming is an extremely apt subtitle for the MCU’s first standalone Spider-Man movie. Finally snatching their best character from the jaws of Sony, and ever-dwindling movie cred’, he was one of the best features of the bursting Civil War cast and anticipation was rife for a solo adventure. Marvel made it clear from his cameo in Captain America that this would not be another origin story but a firmly 'Phase 3' film which would continue the overriding progression towards the

I can vividly remember leaving the cinema after watching Edgar Wright’s last film: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World seven (!) years ago now thinking, correctly, that it’d sit amongst my all-time personal favourite films for years to come. I’m pleased to say that Wright’s long-awaited fifth picture, and first as sole writer and Director: Baby Driver, leaves the exact same feeling. Once again changing up genre, Baby Driver sees Wright turn his attention to what, in effect, comes acr

Universal's 'Dark Universe' is unleashed in typically bombastic style with the millionth (approx.) reincarnation/adaptation of The Mummy. Hollywood's love affair with the 'shared universe' is set to continue but this has a pretty tasty feel to it, promising a fun team up with some classic villains and maybe, at some point, the introduction of a Van Helsing hero character. This first instalment is far better than many will anticipate. Fast, actiony, creepy (but suitable for li

Time for DC to finally step up to the plate. Having the history and the characters just can’t cut it anymore with Marvel streaking clear with every new release. DC tried to jump too soon to catch their competitors and fumbled the ball horribly with Batman v. Superman (a good film hidden within a hastily assembled CGI-fest) and Suicide Squad (a great cast and styling hidden in a godawful plot.) Fuelled by bad press, albeit good box office returns, it's time for the company to

Blockbuster season is well and truly upon us and it looks like, for once, new franchises and one-off event movies will dominate the cinematic landscape. Of course, though, there’s still room for the odd money-spinning unnecessary sequel and the latest on the market is Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge (bizarrely changed from the, far better, US title: Dead Men Tell No Tales which is not only more apt for the film but actually uttered more than once in the dialogue.)

The marriage of Guy Ritchie and the fantasy genre should be like chalk and cheese but ‘genre’ Directors stretching the reaches of their comfort zone can work (the Coen Brothers dabbling in romantic comedy certainly worked out.) Ritchie has already got his eye in somewhat. His last wade into literary waters yielding the rather underappreciated Sherlock Holmes movies but trying again to produce something set pre-modern world seems to be something a lot of people are writing him

The ‘unnecessary sequel to the unexpected prequel' award goes to Alien: Covenant. Ridley Scott seems intent on tarnishing his reputation and whilst, to my mind, Prometheus was a successful sci-fi film lovingly set in the Alien-verse, Covenant, and its desperate attempts to homage the original classic, just feels like a lazy effort. Being Scott and being Alien it is, of course, not without merit. A returning Michael Fassbender is the film’s (ironically) beating heart as he pla

Guardians of the Galaxy was such a breath of fresh air for the MCU. Sci-fi overtones, roguish heroes and 80's styling differentiating it completely to the earthbound superheroes we were used to, placing high on any fan's 'best of the MCU' shortlist (top of my personal one) and such a hit that it allowed Marvel to have equivalent success with other comparatively 'risky' movies as Ant-Man and Doctor Strange. The worry for the sequel was whether the surprise would have worn off

Brie Larson has had an exceptional couple of years or so. Oscar-winner for the breakout hit Room, future Captain Marvel (the MCU’s first female superhero to get a standalone film), a key component of another shared universe in Kong: Skull Island and the biggest draw for Ben Wheatley’s latest: Free Fire. Bursting into the mainstream with last year’s High Rise, Wheatley is fast proving himself as a Director to keep a very beady eye on (Directors to keep an eye on are doing very

I think we may see more anime and cyberpunk novels remade into Hollywood blockbusters now the superhero genre has burst open the doors for science-fiction to make a killing at the box office. Later this year, the long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower will hit screens but, before then, we have the equally-fevered live-action version of Ghost in the Shell. I’ve got to say upfront that I came to Rupert Sanders’ film without seeing the original and that the mor

It seems the film industry will never stop on their relentless pursuit to tickle all of our nostalgia funny bones. Why come up with an original idea when you can mine the past for inspiration? Why risk a new property when an existing one will attract a rose-tinted audience? All well and good if these adaptations are handled properly. Unfortunately, we’ve not been lucky in this regard recently. The less said about the Transformers franchise the better and the horrible attempt