Anyone ready to believe this 112 minute exorcism themed flick is going to be different than the others? Hear that? Neither do I. This is one of the faults of The Rite. For the most part, it is fairly predictable and lacks innovation within the characters.

Now there are other faults as well. Especially with the continuity of our lead character. Fortunately, this flick has a savior and this entity comes in the form of Anthony Hopkins. Just as Michael Jordan has carried the Chicago Bulls to championships, Hopkins carries the cinematic load and miraculously brings this up to a satisfactory ranking within the subgenre.

Michael Kovack (Colin O’Donoghue) is the son of an undertaker (Rutger Hauer needing something to do apparently). Together they continue the family business. A business Michael has grown tired of. Next best option, go become a priest (Duh). The story picks up when Michael is nearly finished with seminary school. Then all of a sudden he begins to doubt the existence of God. A concerned professor in Father Matthew (Toby Jones) urges Michael not to throw away his beliefs so haphazardly. He encourages him to explore the occupation of being an exorcist before deciding on his future. Michael reluctantly agrees and he’s off to Rome to study at the Vatican.

Under the tutelage of Father Xavier (Ciaran Hinds) Michael further questions the church’s teachings on whether people are truly possessed by demons. He believes they just need to log some serious time on a therapist’s couch. Father Xavier asks Michael to speak with a priest who is considered the Mr. Miyagi of exorcist training in Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins). From there, the borderline eccentric Father Lucas performs treatments on the suspected possessed while Michael shadows him. Even with all the contorting and bone crunching of patients, along with assorted dialects coming out of their mouths, Michael still keeps to his atheists ways. But of course, there is a challenge of faith on the horizon.

If you have seen any of The Exorcist sequels, prequels and/or remakes, the pattern found here is about the same. Difference with this one, the tone of the story manages to keep a fairly tense atmosphere the entire way through. There is a natural attraction to where these stories are going to lead to. The damning part of that feeling is they all eventually lead to the same place. Take this as a mild spoiler warning, but for a brief moment, the audience will think that evil could win for once. As in truly win. Not some clichéd wink at the camera by a surviving victim. But to no avail, the tease was just a tease. Actually, it was a decent tease, much like a lap dance. It’s enjoyable and you’re glad you sat through it. Let’s be honest though, there is always some frustration in that scenario, and the audience will have to deal with that feeling here as well.

Mentioned above was how Anthony Hopkins played savior. He was tremendous in his role that required a wide-range of emotions. Initially, one may think he was out of place being in this type of flick. And perhaps he was in another world in a few scenes. Bottom line though, the guy embraced the character and was so focused in delivering one of the more consistent performance these green eyes have ever seen in an exorcism themed flick.

In contrast, the way the script handled the Michael Kovack character was the ultimate clichéd bullsh*t. First off, the storyline of his character is littered with development holes. Which then hampers the ending of the piece. O’Donoghue’s acting is barely serviceable and the direction of his role is too obvious. I was half-expecting the voices from the Mystery Science Theater television show to loop in and begin making fun of the character. That’s how pathetic his role was handled.

Overall, The Rite is a tense piece that will get a few cheap jumps out of the audience by wisely placing sound effects in all the appropriate spots. The script flashes instances where it could have enhanced the creativity of the stale exorcist lore. For whatever reason, the lack of belief in trying something new, was not part of the master plan. If one has NOT taken in a bunch of these flicks, this one will draw you in. As for veterans of this realm, it’s a leap of faith whether this can satisfy your mental-horror hunger.

And can we stop introducing every sci-fi and/or horror flick with the “Based on true events” jargon! Almost as bad as Eli Roth begging for audiences to like The Last Exorcism. (You’re better than that Eli).

RATING: 3 out of 5

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Chris Morris has stirred large amounts of controversy in the past, particularly with his show Brass Eye, which satirised socially “sensitive” issues like drugs, AIDS, and paedophilia. His debut feature film Four Lions is no different – it bases itself around a group of Islamic mujahideen terrorists and their efforts to engage in a suicide bomb attack in England. While some will see this as questionable subject matter for a comedy, I’d hope that these viewers will be able look beyond this perspective. Because Four Lions is a hugely entertaining, and hilarious film.

Regarding the subject of Muslim suicide bombers being the focus of the storyline (the aspect of Four Lions that will be talked about most), Morris himself pretty aptly summed up the film’s take on such a matter when he said it was the “Dad’s Army side to terrorism.” The main characters are indeed bumbling idiots, but this works on its own level of humour as well as being an exaggerated spoof on terrorists (although Morris says that the events are based on real-life mistakes made by would-be mujahideen). And the film does take comedic cracks at Islamic extremists and their beliefs, as well as a couple of minor ones on their religion itself, through the eyes of lead protagonist Omar (Riz Ahmed). But people have been taking jabs at most other religions for a long time, haven’t they? While the source of the comedy is derived from the fact that the men are terrorists, and it is satirical in this sense – the film seems mostly to make fun of the characters themselves, rather than making fun of / attacking Islam or extremists. If that makes sense… The film deals with their stupidity a lot, resulting in even some slapstick comedy, which just goes to emphasise the ridiculous nature of their own plans and personalities. Omar and Waj (played by Kayvan Novak, who you may know as Fonejacker) are severely frowned upon by their superiors when they attend a training camp in the mountains of Pakistan. Even others who share the same ideas see them as total morons.

Four Lions presents the mujahideen terrorist leads as incredibly human, all with actual personalities, rather than as the faceless threat that most people view such extremists as. Being portrayed as actual characters enables them to become instantly likeable (aside from the fact that they want to blow people up), in their complete buffoonery. You’ll grow genuinely attached to the characters, and the conflicts between them that come as a result between their occasionally-contrasting ideas. There is a degree of emotion brought up too, particularly with the friendship between Omar and Waj, which becomes much like that between two brothers. The cast are all fantastic, Nigel Lindsay as the short-tempered Barry, and Adeel Akhtar as the crow-bombing Fessal being standouts. Nobody lets down the team, and everyone is perfect in their role.

At the Sundance premiere of the movie, Morris said: “I feel in a weird way that this is a good-hearted film. It’s not a hate film, so I would hope that that aspect would come through.” It is absolutely possible to see what he means here, as while you clearly won’t support the character’s actions (probably), you do get to know them and think of them as that type of “loveable idiot.” This succeeds in paying off in the film’s more serious moments.

For the majority of the film, the comedy comes pretty fast. When I initially watched the trailer for Four Lions, I wasn’t sure how funny it was going to be, but there is an absolute abundance of brilliantly funny moments, and many that managed to achieve that loud roar of laughter that you only get as a result of a priceless sequence. Some scenes are just pure comedic genius, a notable one being when Fessal explains to Barry how he managed to acquire a garage-load of liquid peroxide from the same shop, using “different voices.” You can find this bit on YouTube, but I appreciated it much more seeing it in the context of the film, and I think you will too. The timing, the delivery…it was amazing. And there’s another bit involving a co-worker of Omar’s who is out jogging. I won’t ruin it, but I wouldn’t be able to explain even if I wanted to. It just made me laugh a lot, which is more than most movies can claim these days. While there are a couple of times when the film isn’t making you choke on your popcorn, these generally serve as character-developing or plot-related scenes, and Four Lions is absolutely never boring.

I can’t really think of anything bad to say about the film, apart from the obvious comment that there could have been even more laughs. But if that were the case, the serious parts wouldn’t have been as successful, so it all manages to balance out. Of course, the nature of what the film is about is unfortunately going to put some people off seeing it, but I really don’t think it should. As I’ve said before, the film is more about the idiots themselves rather than the ideals that they’re engaged with (I’m not saying that there is no level of mockery, however – because there is).

A quick note for anyone interested in seeing the movie: there are some plot points spoiled in trailers for the film, as well as on Wikipedia and such. Just be careful, is all! I would like to applaud the trailer for one thing however, in that it didn’t ruin all the funny bits, like so many trailers do nowadays. The film itself achieves a much higher level of humour than the trailers show, and it exceeded my expectations.

Another standout British comedy on the heels of last year’s swear-fest In the Loop, Four Lions doesn’t yet have a release date in the US, where I believe most of you will be reading this from. Nor does it have a release date set anywhere else outside the UK, if IMDb is to be believed. It is a great film though; one that manages to strike that fine balance between laughs and good characters, and even with a bit of emotion thrown it. And it achieves satirisation not just of the people it portrays, but also of the way we might perceive them. It satisfies on a number of different levels, and it is absolutely worth checking out whenever it does come out where you are. And if it doesn’t – I’m sure you can just import the eventual DVD release. It’s worth it.

8.5 / 10

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Kick-Ass has been receiving rave reviews all over the place, ever since its screening at the Butt-Numb-a-Thon festival last year, and now with its release in the UK. IGN even asks if it could be “the best superhero movie ever made.” Well, is it? Does Kick-Ass kick ass?

Well…yes. It doesn’t kick all the ass, but it kicks quite a lot.

This is one of those films that’s gaining popularity across the internet at a rapid pace – you probably already know what it’s about. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a teenager, decides to don a costume and become a superhero. Basically just to try it out. After trying to stop crime for the first time, he is severely injured – resulting in damaged nerve endings that prevent him from feeling much pain. Perfect. Things escalate from there, and he ends up meeting other costumed fellows Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and gets caught up with crime lord Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

The first noticeable thing about Kick-Ass that separates it from other superhero movies is its general presentation – despite all the bad language and all the violence, it’s a much “lighter” affair than most. The film is mostly told from Lizewski’s perspective, and the character provides narration throughout, humorous anecdotes or comments about himself being offered frequently. Johnson plays the occasionally-awkward teenager well, giving us a character that kind of reminds me of the guys in Superbad, or Jesse Eisenberg in Adventureland. I guess some could say it’s easier to empathise with him than with other superheroes, as he’s just a kid like “anyone else.” His buddies that he hangs out at the comic book store with have a similar manner, and allow for a few laughs as well.

The comedy works in favour of the film, being a breath of fresh air from more recent, serious comic book movies like The Dark Knight or Watchmen. Kick-Ass doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s incredibly self-referential (numerous other comic books are mentioned: Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Scott Pilgrim…), and makes use of things like MySpace and YouTube in a semi-satirical-sort-of-way. It kids around with the genre, and it really is a much more “fun” superhero film as a result. You can have a good time with it by simply enjoying the ride. You don’t have to pay attention to any existential ruminations from a glowing blue man on Mars at least.

The supporting cast are mostly great – Mark Strong is a fun, albeit not entirely original villain, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (a.k.a. McLovin) was a good choice to portray Red Mist, a teenager who simply wants to please his dad, and who becomes kind of pretentious when he puts on his costume and tries to be a hero. For me however, the show was absolutely stolen by Chloe Moretz and Nic Cage as Hit Girl and Big Daddy. It’s a twisted take on a sweet father-daughter relationship, with Big Daddy training his daughter to use weapons, and buying her combat knives for her birthday. It’s pretty hilarious to watch. Nic Cage is perfect as the mellow, mustachioed dad in warm jumpers, making hot chocolate, and it’s probably the most interesting or “different” role I’ve seen him in, especially recently. Hit Girl is the star though; she is the most exciting character in the film. She uses outrageous language and is the most incredibly violent out of all the cast. Most of the larger action scenes revolve around her, and they’re a real blast to watch. She’s such an over-the-top character, and goes perfectly with the overblown gore and fighting, which will probably bring to mind Kill Bill or Sin City.

I really liked how much more upbeat the film is; it’s funny, and has very cool characters. The main obstacle preventing me from loving this film as much as others seem to though, is the lack of the co-stars. While yes, I know that the film is called Kick-Ass, and it’s “his” story, I would have liked to see a lot more of Big Daddy and Hit Girl. While it was fun to see the effects of being a hero on Lizewski’s social life, I sometimes felt that I’d rather be watching the exploits of the father and daughter (because they’re amazing). The film featured a surprisingly little amount of action, compared to others in the genre, and would’ve benefitted from a few more awesome fight sequences. The ones that are there are fantastic, but I wished there had been more. Don’t get me wrong: the film is never slow; it’s always lively. It just seemed that Kick-Ass himself was less “spectacular” as a hero from time to time, and that Big Daddy and Hit Girl were more interesting to watch. Could I simply summarise that by saying “I want more fight scenes”? Possibly. I’d love to see more action in a sequel, for sure, and I’d hope that other characters would get to see more screen-time. I must impress though, that this doesn’t mean I found the film boring at all.

Something I must at least briefly mention, is the soundtrack. While the score was general superhero fare, Kick-Ass was full of great tunes that really added to its energy and light-heartedness. “Stand Up” by The Prodigy bookends the film, and it works brilliantly; it really gets you “pumped” at the beginning, for the fun that’s yet to come. It did with me anyway. Other highlights were the use of the theme from For a Few Dollars More by Ennio Morricone, and Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” (which both played in and around one of the best scenes). And I adored the use of “Banana Splits” by The Dickies, which just managed to make Hit Girl’s first wild fight scene even better. Again – if only there had been more.

On the whole though, Kick-Ass is a highly enjoyable film. I’m looking forward to seeing it again as soon as possible, which is always a good sign. And it’s one of those movies where, when the credits roll, one is not enough. One where you want a sequel. I hope the film continues to accumulate a fanbase large enough to warrant a second one, which should be more action-packed, now that the characters have been established. It’s a very good start to a rather eclectic series of comic book films coming out this year, with Iron Man 2, Scott Pilgrim, and The Green Hornet to follow. It’ll be interesting to see how they all fare together.

8 / 10

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For the past 3 years we’ve been talking about and anticipating the release of James Cameron’s Avatar, and by this time next week the film will finally be available for public viewing. However, last night some extremely lucky people (media folk) were invited to see the film, and the reactions have been, lets say, ‘positive’:

Empire (5 stars):

It’s been twelve years since Titanic, but the King of the World has returned with a flawed but fantastic tour de force that, taken on its merits as a film, especially in two dimensions, warrants four stars. However, if you can wrap a pair of 3D glasses round your peepers, this becomes a transcendent, full-on five-star experience that’s the closest we’ll ever come to setting foot on a strange new world. Just don’t leave it so long next time, eh, Jim?

TotalFilm (5 stars):

Game-changing – yes. Spectacular – absolutely. Occasional dodgy dialogue and dramatic imperfections – of course. But still – wait for it… – a titanic achievement.

FilmSchoolRejects (Grade A):

I can’t imagine someone walking out of a screening of this film and not being in awe. Not necessarily of the film as a whole, but of the technical achievement. James Cameron has truly delivered something that we’ve never seen before. And this achievement isn’t that Pandora looks real or that we believe the Na’vi could exist and connect with them as much as we do the human characters. His achievement is that he’s shown us a glimpse at what filmmaking could be in this century.

ScreenDaily:

The motion capture technique which Cameron pioneered with Weta Digital is extraordinary, and the expressiveness of the Na’vi, as based on full body performances by Worthington, Saldana, Weaver and others, is immensely engaging. The technique moves film leaps and bounds beyond Gollum, King Kong or anything from the Robert Zemeckis canon with the result that Avatar’s digital characters are as compelling as any humans. Most of the Pandora sections are fully animated, yet it is frankly impossible to tell exactly what is and what isn’t while watching.

ScreenRant (4 stars):

Avatar is the most visually amazing film I’ve ever seen. His boasts were valid: Nothing like this has ever been done or seen on the big screen. The incredible scope and detail is really mesmerizing – he created an entire planet with variety and detail that is unparalleled… and had to maintain it throughout a 2 1/2 hour film. It boggles the mind to think that (by my estimate) at least 80% of the film is fully CGI.

Filmstalker:

It’s epic. It is indeed the biggest film I’ve seen. The visuals, and not just some of them, but all of them, are astounding. Cameron weaves 3D and CG effortlessly throughout to build layer upon layer and give us a rich, emotionally strong and dramatic film which doesn’t lose sight of the story or the characters in amongst all that technology.

Everything else serves the story and makes it feel richer and deeper, and adds such a feeling of reality to every shot you genuinely will forget what’s CG and what’s real – and I mean that for the first time ever. Avatar is a stunning piece of work and raises the bar for cinema by such a degree I wonder if anyone will match or clear it in the coming years.

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Dragonball Evolution has already been released in some parts of the world such as China and Japan. As a result reviews have been pouring online…and it doesn’t look good (although that was expected).

Anime News Network gave it an F:

In the end, it all boils down to one thing: this movie appeals to nobody. It was made for no one. People who aren’t familiar with the Dragon Ball story at all will be so flabbergasted by what’s happening that they will likely tell everyone they know that it’s one of the worst movies they’ve ever seen. Fans who do know what the general story is will be furious at just how unbelievably badly they screwed this entire thing up. Kids are used to better writing than this in their weekday afternoon cartoons (although you may run into a kid who has never actually seen a movie before, and they might dig it until you show them another movie). It’s a clunky, tiresome, badly executed, horribly written pile of shame that deserves no quarter.

Nuke the Fridge

This film was easy to sit through, but not worth the price of admission. The plot is almost nonexistent and pasted together with visual effects when they needed to fill in gaps where there was nothing to say. The scope of his film is too small and almost feels like it was more for a direct to DVD release. “Dragonball” deserves better and so do you, my advice is to go read the manga.

AICN

Dragon Ball: Evolution is a terrible film for both DB fans and as a standalone film. It’s not unwatchable, but it’s definitely in the same league as Street Fighter circa JCVD which means you’ll want to gather your friends and have a great laugh together.

A Nutshell

This is basically a movie that only children below the age of 5 will enjoy tremendously, despite having to see 6 half-balls, contributed courtesy of the 3 lead female characters, being continuously flashed on screen, thanks to some neck plunging wardrobe (where’s that malfunction when you need one?) Totally bland and really uninteresting, I would suggest sticking to the manga instead.

These are all negative and so far I haven’t been able to find a positive one to counter all of the bad buzz.

Thanks to movieboy1 for the links.

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Reviews for the vampire film Twilight have started to pop up online. After around 70 reviews the movie has a rotten 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, however despite the reviews the movie will probably be the best movie ever made for hardcore fans. Although I’m sure there will be a small majority of fans who will think it didn’t meet their expectations.

Here is an overview of the reviews so far:

Cinematical:

Vampire purists may shudder, and the male population in general may grimace, but, despite the missteps, Twilight succeeds as an action-oriented modern-day fairy tale with a strong romantic appeal.

Arrowinthehead.com

TWILIGHT is a Harlequin Romance for thirteen year old girls. They will look past the poor pacing, the not quite so special, special effects and the overly long running time. It looks good enough and has pleasant enough leads to warrant the many squeals the audience I saw it with gave. But I will say that the locations were quite beautiful so it only adds to the attractive cast.

Entertainment Weekly

Getting Catherine Hardwicke to direct Twilight was a shrewd move, because the youthquake specialist of Thirteen treats teen confusion without a trace of condescension: She gets their grand passions and prickly defense mechanisms. She has reconjured Meyer’s novel as a cloudburst mood piece filled with stormy skies, rippling hormones, and understated visual effects. What Hardwicke can’t quite triumph over is the book’s lackluster plot. On screen, Twilight is repetitive and a tad sodden, too prosaic to really soar. But Hardwicke stirs this teen pulp to a pleasing simmer.

Screenrant:

Twilight, at least for a select group of ladies, has been THE most anticipated movie of 2008 – and their wait is finally over. The question is: Was it worth it?

For them, yes.

For the rest of us? Eh, not so much.

L.A Times:

It’s very much to the credit of director Catherine Hardwicke and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg that “Twilight” the movie really gets this. This film succeeds, likely unreservedly for teens and in a classic guilty pleasure kind of way for adults, because it treats high school emotions with unwavering, uncompromising seriousness. Much as you may not want to, you have to acknowledge what’s been accomplished here.

Chud:

I almost feel bad for Twilight as a movie. It’s cheap and shoddy and often mediocre, and if it had just come out and been a standard, middle of the road teen release, people might have looked at it with a less critical eye. Instead it comes into theaters as the blockbuster-elect, selling out shows a week in advance and fomenting teenybopper riots at publicity events.

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The reviews are pouring in for Quantum of Solace, and here is a run-down of what most of them are saying:

BBC

It’s a film that feels like the second part of a trilogy, with this being the bleaker second act.

For a lot of the movie Bond is a particularly unsympathetic character, and often it’s only Craig’s performance along with the shifting morality of Bond’s legion of enemies that forces the audience to root for him.

Empire 4/5 Stars

A pacy, visually imaginative follow-up. If it doesn’t even try to be bigger than Casino Royale, that’s perhaps a smart move in that there’s still a sense at the end that Bond’s mission has barely begun and he’ll need a few more movies to work his way up to destroying the apparently undefeatable Quantum organisation. The only real caveat is that while it’s exciting, it’s not exactly anyone’s idea of fun. To keep in the game, perhaps the next movie could let the hero enjoy himself a bit more.

Totalfilm 3/5 stars

The action is loud and proud, but the story feels disjointed and muddled, with some uneven flecks of comedy. Still, Craig’s presence keeps the edges from fraying too far and Forster just about nails the extra levels or artsiness and melancholy.

Times Online 4/5 Stars

The director, Marc Forster, has absorbed the lucrative lessons discovered in Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale. He has also managed to pace his sequel much better. Royale felt slightly wheel-clamped by one too many longeurs. If anything, the crunching chase sequences in Quantum of Solace are even more magnificently dangerous. And the daredevil leaps and tumbles through glass roofs are just as sensational as the splintering high-speed pyrotechnics.

But it’s the amount of heartache and punishment that Craig’s new Bond absorbs that makes him look so right for our times.

Bond is no longer a work in progress. He is now the cruel, finished article.

The Independent 3/5 stars

Quantum Of Solace doesn’t seem like a major entry in the Bond canon. Well under two hours long, it’s shorter and more frenetic than most of its predecessors, and an often-jolting experience to watch. Loose ends about. What it does have, though, above all, is vigour. The franchise hasn’t run out of juice quite yet.

The Guardian 3/5 stars

Quantum of Solace isn’t as good as Casino Royale: the smart elegance of Craig’s Bond debut has been toned down in favour of conventional action. But the man himself powers this movie; he carries the film: it’s an indefinably difficult task for an actor. Craig measures up.

And while were all ‘Bonded up’ here is an 1 minute long TV spot that is currently being shown on UK TV.

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I think I’ve just read the best movie review I have ever read in my life. While 99.9% of movie reviews are all the same, a critic talking about the film, the good points, the bad points, overall conclusion. Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian has done something unique and way more entertaining.

Here is a section of his review of The Incredible Hulk:

“Hulk. Smash!” Yes. Hulk. Smash. Yes. Smash. Big Hulk smash. Smash cars. Buildings. Army tanks. Hulk not just smash. Hulk also go rarrr! Then smash again. Smash important, obviously. Smash Hulk’s USP. What Hulk smash most? Hulk smash all hope of interesting time in cinema. Hulk take all effort of cinema, effort getting babysitter, effort finding parking, and Hulk put great green fist right through it. Hulk crush all hopes of entertainment. Hulk in boring film. Film co-written by star. Edward Norton. Norton in it. Norton write it. Norton not need gamma-radiation poisoning to get big head. Thing is: Hulk head weirdly small. Compared with rest of big green body.

To read the rest then CLICK HERE!

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The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe took the world by surprise. Not many thought that the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Harry Potter series could be repeated, yet it happened again with The Chronicles of Narnia. The first movie went on to gross over $730 million worldwide and left audiences all over the globe wanting MORE.

In Prince Caspian, the world of Narnia has been ravaged by time and the harsh rule of a race of humans called the Telmarines, a people who do not believe in magic. In the 1300 years since the Pevensie siblings left Narnia after serving for years as Kings and Queens, the Telmarines invaded and managed to drive Narnians almost to extinction.

The King of the Telmarines is dead and his son, Prince Caspian, is waiting for a time when he can take the throne. In the meantime, Caspian’s uncle, Miraz, serves as Regent of the realm. However, when Miraz’s wife gives birth to a son, Caspian’s life is suddenly in danger and he is forced to flee in order to survive. In the throes of his escape, he blows a horn with a mysterious past, and in doing so summons the Kings and Queens of old to help in his plight.

It has only been a year for the Pevensies, yet the transition from royal adults back to ordinary “children” hasn’t been easy for all of them. Peter, for one, hates being treated for his age and starts fights with other school-aged boys just to prove his manhood. Yet one day they feel an strange pinching in their stomachs as they’re waiting for the train to school, a pinch that feels oddly like magic. In the blink of an eye, the children are back in Narnia and they are faced with fighting two battles: the advancing Talmarine army, and their waning faith in Aslan and in themselves.

From the moment I stepped out of the theater after watching the first Narnia installment, I instantly wanted to watch the next one. It has been two and a half years, and six months longer than the original release date, and I’m very pleased to say that the wait has been well worth it. Through most of the two and a half hour movie, I literally had chills running up my spine. This movie, in my opinion, is even better than the first.

What makes it so great is that director Andrew Adamson didn’t try to recreate the look and feel of the first movie. This is a much darker movie, one with severe moral undertones about acceptance and prejudice, and it shouldn’t feel as fluffy as the first one was. A number of reviews I read about the movie complained that there wasn’t enough magic in this one, yet what did they expect? The Pevensies come back in an age where magic is all but gone, so there naturally wouldn’t be any magic to see. There are still a number of Narnians left: from centaurs and minotaurs, to talking badgers and mice to dwarves. There was plenty of magic in that respect, and certainly enough action, to let the audience leave feeling satisfied.

Another interesting element of this movie is the level of emotion that the young actors were able to bring to their roles, as well as the feelings the characters themselves were feeling. In the first Narnia, it’s obvious that it was their first real acting job. Yes, they did the best they could at the time, but they have all grown as actors, resulting in much more three dimensional characters this time around. They actually FELT like they were the Kings and Queens of Narnia past stuck in the bodies of teenagers and children. It was something in their eyes, a sense of knowledge far beyond their years, and the very way they held themselves that made it so believable. They have all grown, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

My favorite transition was in the character of Edmund who, in the first movie, betrayed his family for his own gain. In Prince Caspian, you can tell he is still trying to make up for this betrayal and will do anything for his family. Not only does he defend his brother, stick up for Lucy when no one believes that she’s been seeing Aslan when none of the rest of them has, but he’s turned into a calculated, badass warrior. He’s very confident in his position as a King, gets right into the thick of battles, and even slides down a roof to kick a Talmerine soldier over a balcony. He is able to stand in front of the Telmarine usurper, surrounded by enemies, and shoot off a witty sort of banter that lets Miraz know exactly who Edmund is: a Narnian King.  Not to mention how much older he seems, considering actor Skandar Keynes’ voice dropped about three octaves!

Newcomer Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian only added to the great cast. The only thing I was confused about was his accent. He’s British, yet he had some sort of Italian accent in the movie, which didn’t exactly match up with the rest of the Telmarines. Other than that, I’m glad we’ll be seeing more of him in the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie in 2010.

Overall, really incredible movie. The action is enough to keep anyone’s eyes glued to the screen, but the sarcasm and wit will keep you in your seat, and the emotion will leave you longing for more. This is one of those movies that you really need to see in theaters, and one you’re likely to see multiple times (like I’m surely going to do myself!): 10/10.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE.

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Okay, score a million points for the most adorable movie EVER. I’m sorry, but nothing is cuter than a couple of little British children. Not even kittens. I’ve always said that I want to have red-headed British children (exactly how I was to go about ensuring this, I don’t know), but, sod it, wrap up the two main characters in this movie and I’ll take them to go. Thanks.

Lee Carter is a young troublemaker and Will Proudfoot (I wonder if the movie’s writer was a fan of Lord of the Rings?) is a member of the Plymouth Brethren, a religious sect closely related to the Amish so conservative that he’s not even allowed to watch educational programs during school because they’re on TV. The two seem an unlikely duo, yet they strike up a friendship based on their wanting to make their own version of Rambo’s First Blood.

Will’s imagination explodes after seeing scenes from the movie, something he would have never experienced had he not been with Lee. He was already one to let his imagination take him places he wanted to go, living in such a strict household, and covered every available surface around him with drawings, including all of the pages of his Bible. All he needed was the catalyst, and there was no stopping him in his persuit for more.

Lee, on the other hand, lives with his brother in the rear of a nursing facility, their mother off in Spain with the establishment’s proprietor. They have no one to answer to but themselves, and his brother, Lawrence (hottie Ed Westwick, who also plays the womanizing schmoozer Chuck Bass on the hit TV show Gossip Girl… you’d never guess from his drawling tone that he was British!), is the only person Lee has in the world until Will comes along.

Not only is this movie adorable, as previously mentioned, but surprisingly witty. It had my theatre audience cracking up right from the off and lasted throughout the duration. From Lee’s sarcastic quips to Will’s determined attempts to pull off stunts for the movie (including falling from a tree using an umbrella as a parachute, and standing in front of a high powered sprinkler and being blasted backwards off his feet), this movie never leaves you wanting.

Newcomers Bill Milner (Will) and Will Poulter (Lee) absolutely steal the show on this one, and they have built a foundation with this movie to lead them onto more roles. Here’s hoping they get them!

On the surface it’s a comedic buddy flick, but at its core is a heartwarming story of friendship against the odds. Their relationship was never supposed to work, with forces drawing them apart at every turn, yet they manage to endure.

Really, quite a brilliant little movie. I’ve read that it’s only opening in limited release, so check your local listings to see if it’ll be playing near you, it’s really worth it: 9/10.

(I’m including the trailer and a clip of the movie below, since I’m sure none of you have seen them!)

Here is how Will and Lee meet for the first time:

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