FILM REVIEW: Deadpool

Deadpool is a character that has been infamously ill-served by his previous onscreen incarnation during the disaster movie that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It's been a real fight to get him back in to the cinema and it's testament to the tenacity of the film-makers, star Ryan Reynolds (seizing his second Wade Wilson-based chance with aplomb) and the fans who loudly clamoured for the film to be made after test footage was "leaked." 

To try and describe the plot, even in summary, in a linear fashion defeats the purpose of the film somewhat, throwing you into the action almost immediately and allowing Deadpool to take over and tell you his story. Suffice to say, there's an origins story in there, a brief history of where Wade Wilson came from, how he got his skills and how he came to be the sort-of-hero-but-not-really Deadpool.

There's a curious tension at the heart of the film as Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrestle with the need to present a fairly standard origin story and to reflect the nature of Deadpool's metafictional existence within the comics. This is, after all, the character who decided to kill off the entire Marvel universe and then their fictional ancestors. Fortunately, Reese and Wernick find creative ways to combine the two, poking fun at just about everything and referencing everything else. The opening credits are the most inventive use I've seen of a movie standard for some time, encapsulating that central conflict between tradition and chaos instantly and setting the audience up for the kind of clever yet puerile humour the film thrives on.

What is clear immediately is how much fun Ryan Reynolds is having, getting to wisecrack, kick butt and generally make a nuisance of himself all the way through the film. As capable as he is at the comedic side of things, it's underpinned at all times by a sincerity that is needed to make the character work, something that could've fallen by the wayside in someone else's hands. The film needs the emotional beats of Wade Wilson to land alongside the one liners of Deadpool. Reynolds makes both look easy. I imagine it probably also helped to take a dig at his other, less successful comic book projects.

He's aided at all times by a supporting cast all in excellent form. Morena Baccarin sparks well with Reynolds as his love interest, Vanessa, capable of going toe-to-toe at all times with the charisma of her co-star. The X-Men he deals with, Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic, who is adorable) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (a hilariously sullen Brianna Hildebrand) both provide excellent comic relief as well as acting as the representation of the wider X-universe. Gina Carano proves, once again, someone needs to give that woman an action franchise. The weak spot is probably Ed Skrein's villain, Ajax, feeling a bit like a budget Nicholas Hoult in his English-accented swaggering, but when Deadpool is both hero and anti-, it's not surprising that Ajax is a little two-dimensional.

Where the film really excels is in its glorious black humour, layered on thick at all times. Reese, Wernick, Reynolds and director Tim Miller utilise pretty much everything in the comic arsenal, from silly physical comedy, creative swearing to referential wisecracks and back again. It won't be for the faint of heart, but there's a little bit of everything in there, including Monty Python references (which, no, I wasn't expecting). There's also a solid appreciation of the audience in the jokes as well; whether you found the characters through comics or movies, there are nods there to cater for you. Some are more blatant than others but knowing there will be things you missed for laughing too hard guarantees it's a film requiring multiple viewings. Even the soundtrack is a joy.

If anything, and this is a small niggle, it could have gone further into the anarchic freedom that its comic-based counterpart enjoys. For the uninitiated audience, I understand why the origin story hallmarks have to be in place and the film manages to achieve the balance between familiarity and tearing up the rule book for the most part. Yet there are moments that are crying out to be undercut by a bit of fourth wall breaking or some ironic narration as the film strays too far into adhering the conventions its attempting to skewer. The middle section, Deadpool's origin, in particular suffers for this, slowing down the film's breakneck pace just enough to feel a little rougher than the rest of the film's central oxymoron of controlled chaos.

Currently smashing box office records all over the place and proving superhero fatigue is on the side of mythical, Deadpool manages to not only be the film we were expecting it to be (no mean feat in today's safety first blockbuster climate) but also leave fans hungry for more. 

- Becky

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FILM REVIEW: Avengers: Age of Ultron

The Avengers have united to continue the hunt for Loki's sceptre following the fall of SHIELD and the re-emergence of HYDRA, but a villain of Tony Stark's own making soon changes the mission for everybody. Stark is still reeling from the Battle of New York and his desire to prevent it happening again leads to him and Banner developing their Ultron programme, an artificial intelligence designed to protect the world. However, it all goes wrong, as these things so often do, and the Avengers must fight to save the human race.

The first Avengers film was nothing short of spectacle cinema, the chance to see a superhero team-up from a comic book universe for the first time on the big screen. The anticipation was huge and, in the hands of Joss Whedon, delivered on all fronts. Phase 2 of Marvel's Cinematic Universe has continued to prove the films to be a bit of a divisive affair, but has largely maintained the entertaining atmosphere of the earlier installments whilst steadily expanding the world. After that, the excitement for Avengers: Age of Ultron could have hardly been higher and thankfully, the film delivers in spades.

Given its placement towards the end of Phase 2, Age of Ultron feels very much like a mid-point for the ongoing plotlines within this universe. This isn't a flaw though as the film deftly combines wrapping up some narratives, whilst also using the central narrative to begin or continue laying foundations for future films in the series. It makes for a dizzyingly dense film, but one that never threatens to overwhelm or alienate, instead inviting more rewatches those who wish to delve further. 

In amidst the action, the character work is excellent, using their interactions in battle to fuel their relationships, throwing them into conflict or uniting them. Even the choreography of the action itself demonstrates the ongoing synergy between certain characters; Thor and Captain America team up regularly throughout, whilst the impending Iron Man/Captain America conflict is deftly forecast. That doesn't mean those characters without their own solo films have been shortchanged either.

Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner all seize on the opportunity to expand their characters, bringing a warmth into the proceedings that cements the film's emotional core. Newcomers Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, or Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, are fleshed out enough to resonate, their tragic background laid out simply and effectively. It also helps that the performances of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson make the Maximoffs feel as if they have always been a part of this universe. Whilst Paul Bettany's Jarvis always has, it's in the Vision that the actor excels, quite possibly stealing the moment of the movie away from his more established co-stars.

The film's frenetic pace is well-maintained and doesn't allow the audience to breathe much in between the next plot development. Whilst this doesn't necessarily work against the film, it's often in the quieter scenes between battles that the film truly soars. Characters discuss their fears, argue over whose girlfriend is better and telling anecdotes designed to awe and they're all so well-drawn that you long for more of just Steve and Thor hanging out, Maria Hill mocking the uber-masculinity that surrounds her or Stark and Banner in full Science Bros mode. It's a small gripe, but also a testament to how well these characters and their worlds have been realised.

With the second biggest opening ever, the Marvel Cinematic Universe juggernaut continues to roll on. Age of Ultron may not carry the one-of-a-kind thrill that made The Avengers so adored, but it still provides a fantastic spectacle for those of us who have been waiting to see the band back together.

- Becky

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FEATURE: Expanding the Universe - Star Wars Issues #1-#6

Everyone has a story when it comes to Star Wars, and I'm certainly no different. But unlike most folks', which begins with it being the first film they saw in the cinema and that kind of thing, mine at least starts a little differently. It began with snowspeeders.

I don't really know for sure if The Empire Strikes Back was the first film I ever saw, or if it was the original Star Wars, but one of my earliest memories is of a grainy stretched image of the aforementioned snowspeeders rocketing over the snow plains of Hoth. It was grainy and stretched because it was a pirated VHS - this was 1982 - with poor quality and stretched due to the aspect ratio not being adjusted as with pan and scan. This was not the ideal way to view the film, but nevertheless, from that moment onwards I was a rabid fan of that galaxy far, far away. And yes, the first film I saw in a cinema was a Star Wars movie (Return of the Jedi to be precise). Now one of the direct offshoots of the pirate experience was my love affair with Marvel's run of Star Wars comics, specifically their reprints in the UK.

Star Wars was a huge deal for Marvel, but at the time it almost wasn't a deal at all. With the original film seen as a low-budget B-movie that was a potential disaster, Lucasfilm's marketing team went out to try and make deals with all sorts of merchandise companies to create tie-ins to raise awareness of the forthcoming film. They were turned down by a lot of people (toy company Mego for one), as well as Stan Lee at Marvel, and it wasn't until editor Roy Thomas went to Lee and showed him what Star Wars potentially had both in terms of story, but also monetary value.

Funnily enough, it actually was seen by many as saving Marvel from going under. Marvel's run was a huge undertaking, with a revolving creative team of people like Carmine Infantino, Al Williamson, Mary Jo Duffy, Howard Chaykin, and Archie Goodwin, and introduced a vast number of colourful characters to the universe, as well as adapting the three movies of the original trilogy. The Marvel series in the UK was published weekly rather than the usual monthly comics cycle, and as such we got a quarter of a story per week, which wasn't brilliant but at least it felt like better value because it was 20p per day as well as being magazine-sized. Also notable were the titles: while the US comic run was simply known as "Star Wars", the title of the UK mag changed dependent on which film was out at the time, there for we had Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi weekly, with the latter being the one my mother used to buy for me from Tesco.

So this is both a voyage of nostalgia and discovery, as I go back through Marvel's run seeing what holds up, what doesn't, and whether any of it is as good as it used to be. If you have an mp3 of the Fox Fanfare, you should play that now.

Issue #1 - #6 - STAR WARS

#1: Star Wars; #2: Six Against The Galaxy; #3: Death Star; #4: In Battle With Darth Vader; #5: Lo, The Moons of Yavin; #6: The Final Chapter?

The first six issues of Star Wars were devoted to the adaptation of the original film, by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin and Steve Leialoha. Like many comic adaptations, it was quite different in places to the film due to the huge lead-in periods for these kind of things. You actually wonder which cut was viewed - some scenes are in a different order, notably the "Help I think I'm melting!" line from C-3PO, which was originally to happen aboard the blockade runner but was switched to the TIE fighter attack near the end - here, it's back at the beginning.

It's also full of scenes cut from the film, notably new material concerning Luke Skywalker. While much of this has now been seen on the blu-ray (with the more hardcore geeks seeing it on the Behind The Magic CD-ROM) including the infamous Biggs scene, this was a major thing, especially after everyone who read the comic saw the film. We also get a glimpse at Jabba the Hutt, although instead of the Scottish actor in a furry costume, we instead get a different alien in his place, and a bipedal one at that.

The comic has a weird feel, not in an especially bad way, but it doesn't really feel a hundred percent like Star Wars. It captures the space opera part of it, and there's a certain throwback to the pulp stories and old westerns, especially with the dialogue. It's interesting reading the comic and seeing new lines filled in the space before and after existing lines (although there's nothing to say they weren't in the script), especially when they're illustrative - the scene where Princess Leia is captured, you have the stormtrooper saying "Set for stun!" as in the film, but Leia replies with "I've set mine to KILL!" - and it has a neat effect of adding a new dimension to the film, especially if, like me, you've seen it trillions of times.

One thing the comic doesn't fare so well in is capturing the innocent fairytale spirit of the film. It was something that seemingly felt so effortless, and I have a feeling it's very much to do with John Williams' musical score. Star Wars has been described many times, not least by George Lucas, as a silent film, and it's right on the nose. But with that, Williams' music fills in the narrative and emotional blanks not covered by the visuals, so when you have those memorable sequences, like when Princess Leia gives the tapes to Artoo (which has a strange narrated part intimating that C-3PO thinks Leia is “probably beautiful by human standards”, or even the most iconic part, Luke looking at the twin suns, the music supports the film so the comic either adds in dialogue or narration, or in the case of the latter, excises it completely.

The artwork is a strange beast. Credited to Chaykin and Leiahola, sometimes as illustrators, sometimes with Chaykin as illustrator and Leiahola as “embellisher”, it often seems like they were given sections, as the style changes like the wind. I prefer Chaykin's, as it has a bit of a rougher style, but Leiahola's is perhaps more traditional. It's all relatively faithful, give or take a few things. Chewie always looks more like an ape, especially as they use two-tone to distinguish his facial features, and there's a weird TIE fighter pilot who, with his/her elongated helmet and ear muffs, looks right out of a Polish film poster. The Millennium Falcon suffers a bit as well, with most of its surface detail wiped out, kind of missing the point about the style of the ship.

I do enjoy Thomas' dialogue and narration - it's very brash and fits in with the film's fast-talking dialogue style. The narration is fun and has to support the story a lot, so there's little bits like “like angry mosquitos, the rebel fighters streak upward from their hidden hangars” and “the rebel leader spoke earlier of its one weakness which may be exploited if the space gods are kind”. My favourite is the final panel, where as the gang get their medals (we're actually told Chewie will get one but Leia isn't tall enough to put it on) and it ends with “What the future holds for these six daring souls, only time and the space-winds know. But, for today... for now... they are content.” Poetry.

There are a few other inaccuracies – Luke's call-sign is 'Blue Five', which was actually the same as in the novel by Alan Dean Foster. I have a feeling that somewhere along the line they changed it to red due to the high use of bluescreen, so it's understandable. Also, all the lightsabers are pink, which is a bit of an odd choice. I'm guessing they saw footage before it was rotoscoped, so again, I can understand it. However, there are two inappropriate kiss klaxons throughout the story, although again, back then Leia wasn't any relation to Luke so it's not a massive deal. However, it does try and play it a bit more romantic, where both kisses in the film (at the chasm and on Yavin) were pecks on the cheek, this is as hot and heavy as it gets. Pretty sure they were smoking afterwards.

It's not a bad start, really. I've seen better and worse movie adaptations, but it captures the swashbuckling nature of the film fairly well, and it's a fun read. It's strange to see characters and events that you've spent your life revisiting reinterpreted, and if I have a big criticism, it's that the characters maybe weren't distilled down enough, especially with Luke. This doesn't really feel like his story, more that he's just one of the gang, which is perhaps a bit of a cardinal sin. But like the original film, it's a jumping off point with a galaxy full of potential for all kinds of stories. Who knows what we'll see?

Next: New Planets, New Perils!

- Charlie

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FILM REVIEW: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Phase Two of Marvel's Cinematic Universe has been progressing well since The Avengers/Avengers Assemble (delete according to country) took the box office and the audience by storm. With Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World now safely successful and out the way, it is the turn of the first avenger himself, Captain America, to take the spotlight.

The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) still struggling to adjust to life in the 21st century when morals are murky and bad guys even more so. When an attack is launched on Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and SHIELD from within, Steve goes on the run with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in tow to track down who is behind it. They face a considerable foe, however, pursued at all times by a mysterious masked assassin known only as the Winter Soldier (to reveal who is playing him constitutes a spoiler, but I will say that they are very good).

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo take over from Joe Johnston on this solo outing, having cut their teeth on the action-packed episodes of Community and with them comes a new shift in direction. It has been long mooted that after the rollicking adventure tone of The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier would be much more in the political thriller vein and though the politics is lacking, the thrills are plenty and frequent. The action sequences are inventively staged, featuring some of the most impressive scenes of the Marvel universe so far. A hostage rescue mission set piece to open the film throws you into the action immediately and the stakes steadily build throughout the film. The hand-to-hand combat in particular is brutal, bringing with it shades of Jason Bourne (there is even an explicit nod to that franchise in one shot), and any scene in which Captain America faces off with the titular Winter Soldier is suitably intense.

As with the Bourne references, there are plenty of other influences to spot throughout the film. The vehicle chases call Ronin to mind whilst a daylight exchange of bullets has Michael Mann's Heat stamped all over it. This is both to the film's success and its detriment. On the positive side, it offers plenty of homages to spot for the discerning film/TV geek and comes across as a genuine love of the genre on the part of the Russos. Whilst reproducing the tense, shifty atmosphere of films such as The Fugitive and Three Days of the Condor ensures that the audience is swept up into the conspiracy aspect, it also ensures that any film fan versed in the language of the thriller can see the plot coming a mile off. Twists aren't so much hinted at as signposted and, though there were a couple of surprises along the way, it was largely predictable.

However, the real strength of the film is in the performances and character work, ensuring that those twists are still keenly felt when they occur. Chris Evans delivers a wonderfully measured performance, capturing Rogers' charm but also his turmoil of dealing with a world that bears no resemblance to the one he saved back in the 1940s. He is aided well by Scarlett Johansson, given much more of a character arc this time around and managing it brilliantly; Natascha Romanoff has long been one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters in the MCU and Johansson starts to peel back the layers well whilst still maintaining an opaqueness to the character. Kevin Feige may argue that after this, a Black Widow film isn't needed, but I can't think of a better reason than Johansson's performance here. She needs her own adventure.

In the more minor roles, Anthony Mackie brings some welcome comic relief and enough of a back story to ensure that once the bullets start flying, you care as much about what is happening to him as you do the main characters. Robert Redford brings a certain amount of class, along with Jenny Agutter who gets a fantastic moment all to herself. Although I won't mention the actor explicitly in case you've managed to avoid the identity of the Winter Soldier, they do a wonderful job of conveying the character with little more than facial expressions, often half-obscured by a mask. Indeed, even if you are aware of who the Winter Soldier is, it adds another layer of tension to the proceedings as you wait to see when the discovery will be made by the other characters.

This emphasis on character work ensures that The Winter Soldier is perhaps the most emotional film of the Marvel universe to date. Each character feels vulnerable and exposed, the stakes feel high and there are moments when you genuinely aren't sure whether a character is going to make it out alive (even with foreknowledge of actors' multi-picture contracts). Outside of the action sequences, there are plenty of quieter moments that carry an emotional heft, particularly those in which Rogers is dealing with the loss of the life he should have had or Romanoff dealing with the consequences of hers. The relationship between them is built well and the obvious chemistry between Evans and Johansson helps, exchanging quips with ease and hitting the more emotional beats of their scenes.

Personally speaking, this is easily the best of Marvel's solo outings, managing the balance between character development and action brilliantly, much like Iron Man 3 before it. It certainly whets the appetite going ahead for the rest of Phase Two with the insane-looking Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers: Age of Ultron. There are also interesting ramifications for the wider Marvel universe and it bodes well for the future.

****

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Well

This week's episode finds the gang in Greenwich on a cleanup operation after the events of Thor: The Dark World. They're soon diverted to Norway where an Asgardian artefact has been found, then on to Seville and then to Ireland. Phew. Is this the most globe-trotting SHIELD yet?

Ok so the promised crossover was a little bit of a letdown, especially considering the post-credits sting of Thor: The Dark World (come on Marvel, you know we all wanted to see the team deal with that). However, it did lead to some quality team interaction, particularly Simmons' majestic opening voiceover, Coulson's 'the God of cleaning up after yourselves' and Skye and May's description of 'dreamy' Thor. Totally with you ladies. The chemistry in the ensemble is really sparking now as the cast have had chance to work with each other for a while and the writing has improved a whole lot.

There was one small issue I had with the episode though and this is more about laziness than anything else... why were the Norwegian characters speaking English to each other in their own country? It's all very convenient and I understand that they are significant to the plot and needed to establish some decent exposition. However, it's small details like that which are still holding SHIELD back from looking a bit cheap and cheerful rather than a multicultural, globe-trotting procedural that is usually so capable of being. It's my only gripe with the episode, but it's enough to stop the whole best episode so far review; it's easily on a par with last week's The Hub, but doesn't exceed it.

Following on from last week's focus on Fitz, this one shifts to Ward as he becomes affected by the Berserker staff and gets all ragelike. First up, it took them so long to get to a Hulk joke, I thought they were never going to get there. Secondly, this was much needed for Ward, a character I'm starting to warm despite thinking he was initially about as interesting as a plank. I like that Ward is now settling into the big brother role, something which he clearly hasn't been able to do in his personal life (I'm still not sure of how the bullying brother works just yet). He's the supportive, stoic backbone of the younger members of the group and his scene with Simmons climbing the tree was adorable. It also made his rage that bit more affecting as he laid into the younger team-mates with workmanlike vitriol, played beautifully by the cast, particularly Fitz' expression after the saving Simmons line.

Does this mean we're going to get a May episode soon? I hope so, because I love Ming-Na Wen in the role and she really deserves to have a bit more to do than just look stern a lot. Though she does do that very well. One thing does worry me though, we seem to be heading towards dangerous love triangle territory... or am I reading too much into the longing glance at the bar and the enigmatic hotel door shutting? I hope so. At least for now. These characters are still settling down and introducing something that can quickly become tiresome might put even more people off.

Returning to the episode, the Asgardian story strand, whilst not entirely to do with Thor: The Dark World, was a neat extension on the events of the film. SHIELD dealing with the aftermath, particularly the human element, is exactly what the show needs to be doing. Although they weren't explored too much beyond being the bad guys, the Norse Paganist cult is an interesting idea as a reaction to the discovery that aliens are real and also happen to have been gods in our world. Whilst this was another character piece, it would have been good to go into the ideology of the cult and explore how these revelations have been affecting the regular public.

Peter MacNicol was an excellent guest star and his scene with Ward and Coulson was easily the highlight of the episode; his reaction to "Do you know Thor?" was very amusing with Skye and FitzSimmons' commentary. It also built into the more grounded element of Thor: The Dark World, a look at the Asgardians who don't go around having inter-dimensional feuds with their brother, and was a nicely affecting story too. Again, he is a character it would have been worth spending more time with. As Skye points out, this is a man who has lived through a lot. Let's hope they can get MacNicol back for at least one more episode.

Then, there was a neat Dollhouse reference in the episode sting - "Did I fall asleep?" "For a little while" - Could this be a hint at what has happened to Coulson? Dollhouse was a show about messing with minds and repurposing bodies and we all know that something's a bit dodgy with our Phil. Lots of people have been pointing to Marvel canon with the Life Model Decoys, something which SHIELD writers and producers would surely know that fans would allude to. What is the important thing though is that, as we build to the mid-season break, this storyline actually seems to be progressing somewhere, even if its just with Coulson's growing realisation that something isn't right.

Another strong instalment, SHIELD finally seems to have settled into itself and is progressing nicely. Of course with ratings dropping like a stone, a second season could be a tall order, but let's keep our fingers crossed that people will rediscover it. A little gentle encouragement couldn't hurt.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of The Hub here.

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Hub

I know I say this every week, and it must be getting a little boring to read, but SHIELD really is getting better with each episode. The Hub may not have carried the same level of thrills or death-of-character potential as FZZT, but it had heart and a sense of humour that made it the most enjoyable instalment so far.

Coulson's SHIELD team are dispatched to The Hub, one of the bases for SHIELD field ops, where they meet Agent Victoria Hand (an excellent Saffron Burrows) who has a mission for two of their members. A weapon has been identified in South Ossetia, rather dramatically entitled Overkill, an object so powerful it can set off weapons all around it with the power of soundwaves. A fairly standard Marvel McGuffin then, but just like in the films, it's not the object they're going after that's important, it's what the characters do to get to it. In this case, it's splitting the team up into up unusual pairings which finds Fitz with Ward and Simmons with Skye. The results are nothing short of hilarious.

The combination of Ward and Fitz was a joy to behold throughout the episode with both Brett Dalton and Iain de Caestecker rising to the challenge of both the comedic moments and the emotional beats. The sandwich scene was a delight, as was Ward's constant bemused reactions to Fitz' successes. Fitz has always been presented as a bumbling incompetent when it comes to field work; both he and Simmons failed their field assessments as revealed last week and he seems to have taken it a little to heart. After Simmons' trauma last week, he's struggling with feelings of inadequacy which are soon undermined by his brief action hero prowess and some wise words from Ward. 

Speaking of which, I'm finally starting to think Ward may not be so dull after all. After last week's brilliant self-impersonation, Dalton has seemingly embraced Ward's stick-in-the-mud attitude and there's a more knowing level to his performance. Ward's commitment to the system (much like Coulson's) is now played more for laughs than as a dramatic device. It's working much better, allowing Ward to be the big, brawny action hero when needed, as well as the big brother type who feels its his duty to look after younger members of the team. As such, he's become a far more endearing character than he had been in the earlier episodes and his interactions with FitzSimmons are a real highlight now.

The partnership of FitzSimmons has been something I've loved from the very beginning and last week, we finally saw just why they were so dependent on each other. I know in interviews that de Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge has spoken more about the pair's relationship as one between siblings, but in this episode, it struck me as more of a Mulder and Scully type deal. They don't carry quite as much sexual tension as their FBI counterparts, but there's a massive co-dependence there which is based on a mutual respect and knowledge of each other. Their reunion at the end of the episode was a great example of this, as well as going back to the comic relief the pair represented at the beginning.

Another dynamic that has improved the characters a whole lot was the Buffy/Willow feel that the writers gave to Simmons and Skye this time around. Their attempts to hack into the Hub for information about their team-members reminded me of a similar moment in which the Sunnydale pair must distract Giles to steal the Watcher Diaries. Another very funny scene, Henstridge in particular demonstrating that the cast seem to have finally struck the balance between dramatic and humourous. I'm still struggling to warm to Skye, but this episode was a vast improvement on what has gone before, especially with the parentage reveal.

The more regular partnership of May and Coulson produced some great moments, particularly in the latter's one-sided conversation as May went about her business expressionless. She may have had little to do so far in the season, but Ming-Na Wen has got the raised eyebrow comic timing down and it made for some wonderfully deadpan punchlines. Coulson too was at the centre of the episode's debates around classification and hierarchy, ceasing to follow orders (though it appears that this was expected by Hand) and trying to track down what really happened to him in Tahiti. Note how the 'it's a magical place' stuttered a bit this week. I liked the final post-episode scene with Coulson trying to access his own file, showing that even SHIELD's stalwart is starting to suspect that they can't be trusted, but we're going to need a little more if this narrative arc isn't going to become dull.

All in all, The Hub was a character piece, one that cemented the team as an odd sort of family, complete with bickering, secrets and heartwarming moments. It gives the SHIELD can't be trusted theme more dramatic weight and I'm fairly certain it won't be long before we see the team cast out and forced to fend for themselves. In the meantime though, we're going to see them dealing with the fallout from Thor: The Dark World, a tantalising prospect indeed.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of FZZT here.

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - FZZT

Agents of SHIELD returns after a weeklong break and brings with it yet another episode which improves on what has gone before.

FZZT was exactly the kind of episode we needed at this point in the season, one which stripped away the fantastical and the action and focused in on the team's dynamics and how they work together to defeat a problem. Placing one of the team member's in jeopardy is a tried and tested method of doing this and SHIELD takes the concept and comes up with one emotional moment after another as Simmons is exposed to a Chitauri virus with little hope of discovering a vaccine. Sorry, I mean anti-serum.

It's fitting that Titus Welliver's Agent Blake returned for this episode as it bore a couple of similarities to the Marvel One-Shot, Item 47, in which his character first appeared. In that, a couple find a piece of Chitauri weaponry and go off on a bit of a spree whilst in this, a group of volunteer firefighters are exposed to an alien virus when they take a helmet as a souvenir from the Battle of New York. Blake's presence was another neat way of tying SHIELD into the wider Marvel universe without it becoming a bell-ringing moment. 

SHIELD seems to have found the balance now between carving a new identity whilst remaining part of the same universe as The Avengers. The inclusion of the helmet as MacGuffin didn't feel clunky though it does raise the question of whether we'll be seeing the virus again as I'm sure other people at the Battle would be affected. Likewise, the New York connection wasn't used to labour the point about the changes wrought by the battle, but was abandoned once the central plot regarding the virus took over. This bodes well for the recent announcement that a new episode would follow on from the events of Thor: The Dark World.

However, the clumsiest aspect still remains the mystery behind what happened to Coulson. It's through no fault of Clark Gregg's though who gives a brilliant performance throughout. We got one excellent scene in which he talks to the fireman about to die and reassures him that it's not bad at all, but we've still had no development other than the confirmation of a scar and Coulson recognising that something is wrong. This should feel like a bigger revelation, but it doesn't after weeks of hearing 'there's something different about Coulson...'

This episode was not confined to just developing Coulson though. I've loved the FitzSimmons duo from the start, but they've not warmed themselves to a fair section of SHIELD's audience so far. This episode sought to explore the pair's relationship by first splitting them up and then getting them back together as Simmons' life is put in danger. Throughout the show so far, they've done little more than bicker and spout technical jargon with abandon, which both Iain de Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge do with aplomb. This episode, however, is their first real test as characters rather than comic relief.

Both actors rise to the challenge and produce the best scene the season has had to date as the pair argue in their trademark way before they realise that they are inextricably linked and share a unique history and connection that they're not ready to sever just yet. Henstridge's stiff upper lip approach worked well and we got a good hint as to how far she is willing to go to protect her team. However, it was de Caestecker who really stole the show, particularly in the aforementioned scene as he slowly realises just how much Simmons actually means to him.

What also made a huge difference to the emotional connection to the episode was that we actually weren't sure whether Simmons was going to make. Executive producer Joss Whedon has a bit of a reputation when it comes to killing off characters and in a sense, this entire episode was a trolling exercise based on this fact. It raised the stakes a considerably amount for the characters and then explored the team's dynamics stemming from this. She may have had a smaller role this time around, but Chloe Bennet gave a strong supportive performance and I love that Ward really is just a stick in the mud. The impressions of him also helped and moments like those felt much more natural. They've really started to click and so too has the show.

The only trouble with the episode was that it took too long to get there. The scenes in which the volunteer fire officers succumbed to the disease were suitably creepy and as I said before, the Coulson scene was a good callback to the ongoing mystery surrounding his return. However, we've had some important character development and it's really starting to look like SHIELD is on its way now.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Girl in the Flower Dress

Well that was much better wasn't it?

This week harks back to the show's pilot as the Centipede serum, designed for making super soldiers, makes a reappearance along with the Rising Tide and a blast from Skye's past. When a street magician Chan Ho Yin (Louis Ozawa Changchien) displays his ability to create fire in his hand and attracts the attention of both SHIELD and the titular girl in the flower dress, Reina (Ruth Negga). It's not long before things take a darker turn as Chan finds himself with Raina working to persuade him to become a superhero. What she is in fact doing is harnessing his power to improve the Extremis based serum.

Yet another vast improvement on the previous episode, Girl in the Flower Dress was the first episode where most aspects of the show came together to produce something worthy of the hype that the show received. Often the show has struggled with the central characters and whilst there is still little development outside of Skye's role, the team seem to have settled into an easy dynamic. Little moments like Skye and FitzSimmons waving at Agent Kwan whilst the other remain stoic highlight the age and professional differences and the Battleships scene had the kind of easygoing humour that SHIELD has been aiming for from the start. I also really liked the scene between May and Coulson as they fought with Chan; "Ah crap, they gave him a name" was great.

The episode also helped to further the relationships that have been building throughout the season so far, particularly Skye and Ward and then Skye and Coulson. Ward still may be a little bland but Brett Dalton has a nice chemistry with Chloe Bennet and the scene in which he discovers that she has been betraying them had a sense of disappointment that was almost palpable. In fact, it was this scene when the team are going through Miles' apartment that was probably the strongest we've had yet. I loved the quieter moment between Fitz and Simmons when the former can't quite comprehend why Skye has lied to them. Foundations for the paternal relationship between Coulson and Skye has been laid down from the start, but it was in this episode that it really found its feet. 

Clark Gregg's deadpan performance gave way to something more emotional, yet just as reserved here as he was faced with his possible mistake in recruiting the Rising Tide hacker. The final scene between the pair was an emotional payoff as we learn just why Skye has been digging around in SHIELD and not telling anyone about it. Parental motivations may be an age-old plot device but it felt much more satisfying than Skye babbling on about freedom of information or civil liberties, two things she was quick to dismiss once joining SHIELD. And now we have a reason why. With Skye still on the team, it's the perfect moment in which to start exploring the other characters. This episode was an excellent starting point, but now I want to know more about Ward in particular, but also FitzSimmons, who I just adore.

Elsewhere in the episode, the central narrative was another plus point, linking to the Extremis super soldier thread that has been building since the pilot. With the reappearance of Debbie, the scientist, and her subsequent fiery demise (a tad gory for a pre-watershed show maybe?), we now have Reina to take us through this narrative arc. Ruth Negga made a compelling presence in the episode, a quieter form of villain perhaps, but one whom carried the necessary gravitas to make the Scorch origin story convincing. The sting scene was also intriguing, not only hinting towards the idea of precognition (called that last week), but also a potential Big Bad for at least the mid-season finale if the super soldier serum is nearing readiness.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this episode though, was the moral ambiguities it explored in pitching Centipede versus SHIELD, both dealing with gifted people in remarkably different ways. For SHIELD, the method is containment, convincing these people not to use their powers but let them live a nearly normal life. Yet SHIELD's methods are called into question by Skye's ex Miles, another hacker who believes in freedom of information until someone offers him a nice fat cheque. Not only is the idea of information leaking prescient in this age of Wikileaks, but there is also the idea of prevention rather than punishment and how much control the state should have over the privacy of its citizens. This is something that the Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer has hinted towards (a crossover is also rumoured) and has been an underlying theme in this series; just how far is too far when it comes to the protection of citizens?

This unit has been remarkably detached from the wider SHIELD agency so far and as such, the organisation still feels very much in the shadows, endlessly resourceful yet very much with its own agenda. If there is a crossover with Captain America, at least in theme, it would become a very interesting moral dilemma for our characters. Skye is seen constantly defending SHIELD in this episode, but what she's actually doing is defending the actions of her team, rather than what the rest of the agency is up to. We know they had something to do with bringing Coulson back from the apparent dead of course, but other than that, they remain as distant as they do in the cinematic branch of Marvel.

Right from the opening scenes, everything felt much more cohesive and balanced than it has done in previous weeks. Overall, an absolute scorcher of an episode (sorry...).

One more thing; writers, please stop trying to make 'hactivist' happen. It's not going to happen.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Eye Spy

A blast from Coulson's past appears to be behind a spate of heists across the world, but he's not convinced that everything is as it seems.

SHIELD could hardly be described within the horror genre with its glossy visuals and comedy thriller sensibilities, but there were several aspects of Eye Spy that I found quite chilling, particularly the central plotline of a hijacked person. Not to mention any scene in which an eye was injected or operated on. I was with Fitz. The cold open with the red masks and the drone-like behaviour of the security agents was bad enough, but then we were introduced to who looked to be their target but was in fact their assailant, Akela Amador (Pascale Armand). Another mission, another personal connection to Coulson, it turns out that Amador was a former protege of the deadpan super spy. A former SHIELD agent who seems to have initially gone rogue, it turned out Amador was actually being controlled with an ocular impact complete with killswitch if she went off mission. 

There was some great misdirection as Skye makes the not illogical leap to Amador perhaps developing superpowers like precognition. Although May is quick to jump in and say there is no scientific basis, I can't help but think that we will have psychic abilities before this season is out. In this case though, it was entirely technological. That thought of not only being controlled but of having someone watch your every move was really quite terrifying. Then again, as Coulson so wryly observes, we're in a society where we all surveil ourselves. It was a humourous aside within the episode, but the parallels are clear; we're making sure people can see our every move. It's not a big step from there for someone to be doing this for us. 

The central narrative was perhaps the strongest we've seen so far, building around the central mystery of just what has happened to Amador. It may have been simple, but there was enough misdirection around what she was doing or how she was doing it. It also seems to be part of the ongoing secret antagonist that we don't seem to know about yet; could it be the Rising Tide? Far from wrapping up neatly, the reveal that her handler was also being controlled in a similar fashion could have been an anti-climax, but it managed to feel much bigger than that, developing the mystery further. There is also the intriguing final moment with Amador as she questions what has happened to Coulson; she notices that he behaves differently, reminding us all that we still don't know how Coulson came back. Well, apart from resting in Tahiti; it's a magical place.

The connection between Coulson and Amador led to some decent emotional beats, particularly the verbal scrap between May and Coulson as she calls him out on his personal connection to the case. I really love that although everyone is working together much better as a team, there is still conflict and tension there, particularly between the 'Mum' and 'Dad' of the group. Skye's relationship with Coulson is also developing nicely as the comparison is made with Amador. Everyone seems to have settled into the humourous aspect of the show too, the dialogue mining natural humour out of the characters rather than trying to force them into signposted one-liners. I particularly enjoyed Ward's response to the 'seduce him' command. Even he managed to be more interesting this week, given things to do other than reprimand Skye. Though of course that happened. The lack of clunky Marvel references has also ensured that the dialogue flows much better when characters aren't having to shout 'Captain America!' to connect it all back.

Another improvement on the previous episode, SHIELD continues its run with an intriguing tale of hijacked people and questions of autonomy. It's building well and I find myself actually looking forward to the next instalment. Let's hope it keeps going in an upward direction.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Asset

After last week's fairly run of the mill episode in which the team were established and Skye feels a little more at home, The Asset focuses on watching the team work and sees them taking on multi-billionaire Ian Quinn to rescue one of their own.

The Asset opens with one of the best set pieces of the short series so far with a SHIELD agent trucker transporting precious cargo across country before it is hijacked by a mysterious shooty-uppy-in-the-air thing which later turns out to be gravitonium (a name marginally better than vibranium and whole worlds ahead of unobtainium). The truck reveal was a great switch and a nice reminder of SHIELD's reach across the world and the wide variety of agents they must have in their employ. It works to demonstrate that, although May and Ward's fears in the previous episode about the quality of the young agents on Coulson's team, their hiring isn't so out of place with SHIELD's overall make-up.

The previous cargo is one Dr. Franklin Hall (played by special guest star Ian Hart), a name familiar to those with an extensive knowledge of Marvel comics. I've had to research it a bit, which is quite honestly, endless fun for me. In the comics, Hall is a physicist working with gravitonium who accidentally becomes fused with molecules of the element, developing the ability to manipulate gravity and taking the rather impressive Graviton as his new identity. Now we don't see too much of that here until the final sting of the episode, a rewrite of the character's history but one that ties Hall inextricably with Coulson. Fury's appearance may have been funny, but that hand reaching out to the screen was positively spine-tingling.

The climactic confrontation between Coulson and Hall was the first scene where SHIELD really hit a high note with both Gregg and Hart excelling their respective roles. A particular highlight was their initial exchange in which Coulson went to outline the exit strategy only for Hall to respond that he's already in the right place. Gregg's brilliantly dry delivery of 'I'll be honest. Our strategy did not take into consideration you saying that" was a real laugh out loud moment. And then there was the scene in the rotating room, the characters clambering over furniture, walls and ceilings as the gravitonium shifted the gravity in the room. 

It was an impressive scene not only in visual terms, but also in the themes that it brought to the fore. Rather than the outright villain straight away, Hall was trying to prevent his work from falling into the wrong hands, including SHIELD's. I commented in the review of the pilot that a common theme of Whedon's work was dealing with shady corporations handling technology that they didn't know how to control and it once again crops up here. SHIELD have already brought an alien invasion, as Hall rightly points out, and they are an organisation famous for going after technology they don't understand. Coulson's decision to shoot away the glass, killing Hall in the process, is another tally for SHIELD being the bad guys and something that Coulson will have to deal with. The re-working of Graviton's origin will have massive implications now not only for SHIELD but for Coulson himself.

The episode is not without its low points; Ward is still a fairly dull prospect with a lame back story, Ian Quinn was a suitably bland villain and if he appears more, they're going to have to make him more interesting. If he's going to be a TV bad guy version of Tony Stark then they need to run with that rather than just making him a charisma vacuum in a suit. However, there was also lots to love; Skye getting caught almost immediately in her first mission, Coulson in his suit in the attack on the compound, Fitz's monkey, the glare that Fitz got after his suggestion that Skye was using her 'assets' on Quinn, the lack of references to the MCU and Melinda May promising to get back into the action.

The Asset is the first episode that has really gelled for me; a blend of origin story, heist movie and character piece all rolled into one that hints at big things for the series. That final post-credits scene had me sold. Do we have a Big Bad?

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the previous episode here.

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Pilot

To say that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was highly anticipated is something of an understatement. Not only is it following in the wake of one of the biggest movies of all time, but it is also created and the pilot directed by current man of the moment, Joss Whedon, finally in the spotlight after years as a cult favourite. 

Those expecting to be instantly blown away by the show or expecting all the best bits of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a TV episode might be disappointed. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. does not immediately hit the ground running with fully formed characters, a cohesive team or the atmosphere that Marvel have garnered in their films. And nor should it because this an expansion, not a recreation. Thankfully, it is a solid start to a television show that has the unenviable task of emerging from the shadow of the MCU, but also of ensuring that it belongs in that world of superheroes, operating on a much smaller scale than an Iron Man movie. 

A neat introductory montage quickly establishes the shifts that have taken place in this Marvel universe since the Battle of New York with flashes of Thor, Captain America, The Hulk and Iron Man all making a very brief appearance. The biggest connections though are the shiny insignia of S.H.I.E.L.D. itself and its agents, Maria Hill (a guest appearance from Cobie Smulders) and the returning Coulson, first name Phil (Clark Gregg who is just great). The longstanding connection across the MCU, Coulson's death in The Avengers was the galvanising factor and a suitably gut-wrenching moment. When it was announced he would return, I thought it would cheapen this but thankfully, there seems to be much more going on then he was dead for a little bit/held his breath. Also, his entrance was immediately my favourite moment of the episode. I may have guffawed.

The scale of S.H.I.E.L.D., when compared to what has gone before, is much smaller, but this is not to the detriment of the unfolding action which takes on a more individual focus through the figure of Mike, played by Whedon stalwart J. August Richards, who finds himself blessed/cursed with super-strength. With his backstory of being made redundant due to an injury and unable to find a job despite his new powers, Mike is a product of the economic climate; an everyman who can't catch a break. He's also very aware of his place in the story; rather than go for the moral black-and-white of 'he's about to explode = bad guy", Mike is placed firmly the grey area, capable of being the hero or the bad guy. The MCU may be dealing with gods, aliens and monsters, but the television branch has firmly set out to tackle the human story, those dealing with the knowledge that they are no longer the most powerful beings on Earth.

In the middle of it all is S.H.I.E.L.D., the agency tasked with preventing these situations from getting out of hand, tracking down Chitauri technology (if you haven't seen the Marvel one-shot on this theme, Item 47, track it down) and contain any threat. Now if you're familiar with Whedon's work, you'll know that shady corporations causing problems for our heroes are a fairly standard theme; think The Initiative, Wolfram & Hart or the Alliance. The thing this, now S.H.I.E.L.D. are the shady organisation, something which Mike is quick to point out to Coulson in their confrontation. It's an interesting dynamic and following on from Nick Fury's meddling in The Avengers and the shadiness surrounding Coulson's resurrection, it's clear that the upper echelons of S.H.I.E.L.D. may still not entirely be the good guys.

We also have potential antagonists, The Rising Tide, who we are introduced to early and meet one of their members, Skye (Chloe Bennett) who also serves the function of our introduction to S.H.I.E.L.D. Every science-fiction show seems to have this; the new recruit discovering this world for the first time and thus allowing the audience to do so too (think Dana Scully, Olivia Dunham, Gwen Cooper - I'm now noticing another pattern here...). However, in S.H.I.E.L.D., we got two of these and it was perhaps the only aspect of this episode that felt very clumsy. First up, there was Ward (Brett Dalton) and his assignment to Coulson's new team and then Skye herself, who for someone so against S.H.I.E.L.D., was remarkably quick to sign up. Convenient for the pilot yes, but just a little jarring.

The characters do look promising though and I particularly loved Ming-Na Wen's performance as obvious badass Melinda May whose backstory I am already desperate to know. Currently fulfilling the nerdy comic relief requirement, the combination of Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) also promises a great deal while Ward fills the action man requirement nicely. Much of the episode kept the team apart so whilst they had moments to individually shine, there's not much to go on just yet as to how they gel as an ensemble though I'm looking forward to learning more about them as the show progresses. It is, as expected, Clark Gregg who steals the show. All of the affability and then badassery that makes Coulson so great was present and correct and so too was the gravitas that makes him such an effective thru-line in the Marvel movies.

A promising start then from the men and women in dark suits and sunglasses. There is enough of a hook to keep everyone interested and it's going to be fun to get to know these characters and find out what place in this Marvel world they will possess.

- Becky

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FILM REVIEW: Iron Man 3

Set after the events of The Avengers, Iron Man 3 finds Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is struggling to come to terms with what happened to him in New York, alienating girlfriend Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow) by becoming increasingly focused on his work. However, he is soon called back into the world by the presence of a terrorist known only as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who has succeeded in carrying out several dangerous bombings. Elsewhere, Rhodes (Don Cheadle) is now wearing a nice star-spangled Iron Patriot outfit in service of the President (William Sadler) and a new business rival for Stark appears in the form of Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce)

The third film in a superhero franchise always seems to be the trickiest one to get right and it is a milestone where there have been some catastrophic disasters; Spider-Man 3 and X-Men: The Last Stand are probably the first ports of call when considering just how far these franchises can fall. The Iron Man franchise, part of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, started off at dizzying heights with Jon Favreau's first instalment and crashed spectacularly back down again for Iron Man 2. Then of course there is the small matter of Joss Whedon's The Avengers (sorry, I refuse to call it Avengers Assemble, it just sounds silly), one of the biggest films of all time and a smash hit across the world. So, Iron Man 3 was responsible not only for following that, but also getting Tony Stark's own franchise back on track. So does it succeed?

Thankfully yes, with yet another risky move by Marvel paying off brilliantly. Hiring a director with only one directorial credit to his name and a screenwriter for whom this is his first blockbuster credit (though first of a few according to IMDB) is not the usual practice when it comes to tentpole franchise films. However, putting Shane Black and Drew Pearce on the film proves to be one of Marvel's most inspired choices to date, and they have made many over the course of putting together their cinematic universe. The pair taken the superhero genre and mashed it up a bit, scaling back from the grandeur of The Avengers and taking Tony Stark on a more personal journey.

There has also been a great deal of effort into adding more depth and meaning into their superhero film. It is awash with familiar iconography from the war on terror that instils a certain level of trepidation in any watching. The Mandarin's canny use of media to spread his message directly recalls Bin Laden's use of the very same whilst the emphatic rebranding of Iron Patriot is a subtle criticism of the USA's bullish foreign policy, also evidenced in some of the antics that Rhodes gets up to later in the film. That's not to say it gets too serious either, far from it. In fact, it's probably the funniest Marvel film to date (yes, possibly even funnier than The Avengers). Black's partnership with Robert Downey Jr has already yielded one fantastic film in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (a film that was instrumental in getting Downey Jr into the suit) and it seems that Black and Pearce knowing exactly how to write for the actor. 

Stark is as glib as ever, delivered with wonderful aplomb by Downey Jr even though he is very nearly upstaged by Ty Simpkins in their scenes together.  The partnership of Stark and Rhodes gets a decent amount of screen time too, offering the notch on the 'buddy' quota. However, the comedy performance of the film has to go to Paul Bettany as Jarvis. Given much more of a character to work with this time around, as well as a couple of malfunctions to contend with, Bettany's deadpan delivery works a treat with Black's screenplay and was a real highlight. 

There isn't a weak link amongst the performances either, particularly Guy Pearce as uber-businessman Aldrich Killian. Held up as a reflection to Stark in terms their different methods and approach to technology, Killian proves to be a good foil for Stark in their scenes together. Gwyneth Paltrow also gives her best performance of the franchise here and though I can't go into too much detail about her role, Pepper's character arc has been excellent across the three films and given a good finish. However, it is, as expected, Ben Kingsley who steals the film. He is simply sublime.

One of the most interesting aspects of the unfolding narrative is the way in which Black and Pearce analyse Tony's relationship with his alter-ego through some canny use of the suit itself. A big feature of the marketing, the Mark 42 doesn't disappoint, used as a symbol of Stark's fracturing hold on reality after New York and focalising his post-traumatic stress into something more tangible, both for the character and for the audience. The construction of the suit also means that, for a lot of the time, Stark isn't wearing the whole thing, maybe just an arm, or part of a leg, meaning the audience get a lot more Downey Jr, but also Stark on his own, learning to rely on his wits rather than his suit. As a result, the action sequences are thrilling and entertaining, particularly the third act battle which sees Stark use the suits as extensions of himself. It's a fascinating take on the psyche of the character and a neat piece of analysis on Stark's reliance on an external representation of his identity, the mask he wears to hide himself away.

For the most part, it's joyfully entertaining, but there are a couple of niggles that take the sheen of the red and gold paintwork ever so slightly. Rebecca Hall's role as Maya is sadly underwritten and despite getting some choice one liners, barely has anything to work with. She's a brilliant actress, most recently evidenced in the sublime Parade's End, but she feels wasted in the role, especially in comparison to the strength of Pepper's part in the wider narrative. The film also suffers slightly from the usual second act sag; whilst necessary to the developing plot, a couple of scenes lack the same zip as the first and third acts. They are small issues, but it does mean the film falls just short of a five-star rating.

An excellent start to Marvel's Phase Two and the best Iron Man film yet, it also feels like it could be the last time we see Tony Stark on his own turf, but somehow that's actually ok. The character has developed considerably since we first saw him swaggering across the Middle East and the conclusion here fits wonderfully with what has gone before. I'm sure we'll see Mr Stark, and therefore Iron Man, again, just not necessarily on his own.

P.S. If you liked Iron Man 3 and haven't seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang yet, you need to get on that right away. Like now. Go.

****

- Becky

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FILM REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man

Peter Parker books himself a date with a radioactive spider after he decides to pursue the mystery of his parents' disappearance, meeting desperate geneticist Dr. Curt Connors on the way who may have a small lizard problem.

When The Amazing Spider-Man was announced instead of a Sam Raimi-led Spider-Man 4, the majority of the free world with an emotional investment in the titular web-slinger cried out "Why?!" and went into immediate anger mode. For most, it was just too soon to even consider a reboot, the story was too familiar and Raimi had, despite a woeful third film, left his indelible mark on the franchise. Whilst it still might be a little too recent for audiences to put the other franchise out of their minds, thankfully The Amazing Spider-Man manages to touch on the same plot points whilst putting its own unique spin on the proceedings.


The film opens with a young Peter Parker being left by his parents with his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Time goes by and now a fully adolescent Peter, in the shape of Andrew Garfield, has grown into the kind of nerdy kid who gets hit in the face with a basketball but still manages to look winningly attractive in a hoody and can exhange awkward banter with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). After discovering a briefcase of his father's, Peter is led on a trail to Oscorp where he meets his father's partner, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) and a certain radioactive spider. Then there's the familiar discovery of powers and, through a tragedy, what comes with great responsibility. Running in parallel with Peter's discovery is Connors' own transformation, pushed into testing himself with a supposedly restorative formula only to discover that the lizard DNA likes to take over.


Thanks to the success of Sam Raimi's Spider-man, most people interested in this film will already know the story of Peter's transformation into Spidey, beginning with the bite and ending with the vengeance quest after the death of Uncle Ben. Instead of taking the speedy approach as Raimi did, Marc Webb goes his own way with the story, slowing it down to allow the characters to develop into their various roles. Martin Sheen's Uncle Ben is afforded a great deal of screen time and scenes with Peter so when the inevitable shooting happens, it really packs an emotional punch. This also spills over into Peter's vengeful reaction, seemingly more realistic because the audience has seen the relationship between him and his uncle. The slow pace seems a little odd at first, after all, the big spectacle of the film is the donning of the famous red and blue suit, but it allows you to become truly involved in Peter's development. It adds to the discovery of his powers, so instead of the fast canteen scene that Raimi gave us, Webb offers several comical montages where Garfield displays some great slapstick timing in a fight with toothpaste and water taps which gives the film a light-hearted tone sometimes missing from Spidey's previous incarnation.


That's not to say that the aptly-named Webb isn't afraid to go dark; indeed, the Curt Connors narrative deals with some fairly big moral dilemmas. The great tragedy of Connors is not that he is an inherently bad guy, but one who is initially intent on doing good. His cross-species research that affects both Peter and himself, is born out of a desire to find cures for some of humanity's most feared disorders and diseases. When the Lizard completely takes over, this desire to do good becomes his undoing as his evil plan revolves around the improvement of the human race, rather than the destruction of it. Ifans puts in a decent performance as this version's first villain, morally conflicted yet still with the desire to succeed for himself. I would have liked to have seen more of a descent from Connors to Lizard which only really occurred in one scene. With so much time devoted to the development of other characters, Connors was rather neglected and as one of the most interesting, conflicted villains in Spider-man's vast rogues' gallery, he deserved just that little bit more time.


Previously successful with (500) Days of Summer, Webb knows how to create believable characters and devotes the first act to developing them. The film's biggest strength is the central performance from Andrew Garfield who brings Peter's nerdiness, technical genius (note the re-appearance of the proper mechanical webslingers) and wisecracking to life, giving us a Spider-man that is much closer to the one we know from the comics. Many people doubted whether a 27 year-old could convince as someone ten years younger but he transforms his body to reflect his teenage self. He's helped greatly by his co-star Emma Stone who manages to build a very real, convincing relationship between Peter and his first love interest, Gwen. Their awkward scenes together are less Twilight (as some reviewers suggest) and more reality, conveying the nervous moments like asking someone out or meeting your girlfriend's parents. Speaking of which, Denis Leary gets a lot of laughs in his role as Gwen's father and manages to get a couple of action scenes in as well. I could watch Martin Sheen read the telephone book and he again excels here, giving Uncle Ben the gravitas needed to provide Peter with his chief motivation and his interaction with Sally Field's Aunt May is a real highlight in the first act.


But what really endeared me to this film was the presentation of Gwen Stacey, not as your traditional damsel-in-distress, but as more of a sidekick to Spider-man. Female characters in superhero films, especially the love interests, tend to get given just that to do; turn up, look pretty, scream a lot when they're inevitably kidnapped by the villain. This was something Sam Raimi's Spider-man films never quite got right for me because Mary-Jane never really did anything except conveniently get wet and shout a bit. Recently this has got slightly better in more recent blockbuster superhero films such as Avengers Assemble, but it is still quite rare to see a female character who is actively involved in the plot. It was a real highlight therefore in Webb's version, helped by a great performance from Emma Stone, that Gwen forms an integral part of Peter's development and the big battle at the end of the film.


While Webb is successful at bringing the human element into a genre as fantastical as that of the superhero, he's not quite mastered the action sequences. While the CGI fly-throughs of New York are just as impressive as those in the previous incarnation but sometimes the action is a little lacking in tension. A rescue from a falling car is well-handled, to the point at which it becomes a little more memorable than some of the bigger sequences later. The finale in particular lacks some of the tension that we've come to expect and when this is a movie competing with the likes of Avengers Assemble and The Dark Knight Rises, you would expect the action sequences to be a little tighter. That being said, capturing the way Spider-man moves is no easy task but it is one that succeeds in this film, particularly in his confrontation with the car thief, a scene notable for Garfield's improvised wise-cracking.


Yes the story is familiar and it naturally follows a lot of the same plot-points that the audience knows but Webb and his capable cast successfully create a new spin on it. With a full trilogy planned, this first instalment promises much and whilst not quite the amazing of the title, this is a Spider-man I'll be happy to see again on the big screen.


***


- Becky