Thankfully, this reinvention of the universe – charting the early days of the friendship between Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) and the formation of the X-Men – is unlike anything we have seen before in the franchise, or any other comic book movie for that matter.

The film is epic, charting large swathes of time and history. The way it integrates the mutant powers we love into moments of history is fun to watch – like most reviews have said, here it is a cross between Connery-era Bond and the best of the X-Men storytelling – longing for acceptance.

The cast are exceptional – James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender make this friendship, and it’s inevitable end, utterly believable. They also make the roles their own – capturing the essence of the future characters portrayed by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan, but not mimicking

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After two already shaky sequels (Dead Man’s Chest and At Worlds End) comes a fourth instalment that is so uninspired and dull that this viewer actually fell asleep at one stage – not a sign of a good movie.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp in a now routine performance) returns – for no real reason – and is embroiled in a journey to discover the Fountain Of Youth.

It’s hard to review this film as so much of it is completely void of anything – the aforementioned outline is as deep as it gets. Yes, there are sub plots, Blackbeard, some mermaids etc, but it is all so clunkily flung together that the whole thing just blurs into a mess.

The addition of a love interest for Jack – in the form of Penelope Cruz – doesn’t add anything to the plot as we get just another dose of sea faring and island exploring – this entry doesn’t even benefit from the epic feel of

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Sam, a nurse, is on her way home from a late shift at the hospital when she is mugged by a bunch of “yoofs”. During the attack, an object crashes down from the sky and a strange creature runs into the night. Thinking there is money to be made, the gang set off in pursuit of the creature and quickly discover that their home – The Block – is under attack from vicious aliens.

So far so tacky. But the great thing about this film is how it deftly juggles real life scenarios with out of the world set pieces.

When we first meet the gang, they are the stereotype we are all aware of – hoodies, incomprehensible slang etc – but as the story rolls on, we discover they are just frightened kids just trying to make their mark on a

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The film opens on a beautifully shot snowy landscape – seeing a young girl methodically dispatching of some local wildlife for her dinner. Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) it seems, lives in total isolation with her father (Eric Bana) and has never seen the outside world. It is clear, however, that Hanna is being primed for a larger purpose – learning multiple languages and skills in combat. One day Hanna’s father reveals more of her past and she sets off on a quest for vengeance.

What follows is a blend of Bourne style espionage and a tale of redemption and revenge in the vein of Leon.

Unfortunately, despite the superb cast (also including Cate Blanchett as Hanna’s target) and stunning photography, this film did nothing for me. Maybe I was expecting it to be something else but I found it actually boring at times – there was nothing new on offer in the plot to keep

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The film sees a young couple and their three young children move into a new house, but after one of the children falls into a coma-like state, things start to go bump in the night…and day!

To say much more about the plot would ruin the ride, suffice to say that the writers clearly have a fondness for the classic Poltergeist.

There have already been reports on how Insidious has already made huge box office profits due to it’s tiny $1 million dollar budget. Some would think this means the film will look cheap. On the contrary, it means the filmmakers have to be more inventive and it works superbly well.

I am a fan of old school horror – buckets of blood and CGI beasties do nothing for my chill factor; seeing nothing is hundred times more scary in my book (hence my fondness for the Paranormal Activity films) – the team behind Insidious understand this; the film takes it time, building the suspense and leading

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Now having seen the film, I can tell you I responded very well!

Director Kenneth Branagh – renowned for his epic Shakespeare adaptations – has done a superb job in bringing Thor’s world to life. With stunning views of the land, huge sets and grand costumes, it’s fair to say audiences haven’t seen anything like this for a while. I especially enjoyed the depiction of the Byfrost – a gateway to other worlds – there was just something about it that really wowed me.

Thor is taken to Earth after causing trouble in his realm; he must learn humility from us lowly Earthlings. Here he meets Natalie Portman and here is also where the film sagged a little for me – just abit run-of-the-mill for me – though there are some fun

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