Avengers- Infinity War

The lights go down, the movie starts and within the first five minutes someone dies, but it's not one of the insignificant baddies, it's one of my favourite characters (??? Why did you do that Marvel), just like that at the hands of Thanos...

Suddenly, our heroes don't have the upper hand, their safety isn't guaranteed because Thanos simply cannot be destroyed- can he?

What follows is an epic battle, seamlessly brought together by an enormous creative team. Each character is carefully brought into the fight, each one given the focus they deserve yet not distracting from the tremendous story that is unfolding. Split into unlikely groups, our heroes work together to try and protect the Infinity Stones, and save each other, and the world- not too much of a challenge right? Well actually, quite shockingly-wrong.

Moment after epic moment, it's impossible to look away as groupings like Star-Lord, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange use everything in their power, and I mean everything, to achieve the ultimate goal, but nothing seems to work as it should.

There's only so much I can say without giving anything away, but what is clear is the stakes are higher than ever. Marvel has done a brilliant job at bringing all these incredible universes together and the result is amazing. What I would add is that so many of our favourites actually DIE and it's incredibly sad and unexpected- it can't be final right? Here's hoping they will be saved in the next act- there are so many heroes with countless incredible tricks up their majestic sleeves, surely even one could bring them back (please)!

5 out of 5

Hop to it

The Peter Rabbit movie is a glorious adaptation of the treasured collection of books written by Beatrix Potter, and the cartoons and live action programs that have been aired since. This version offers a lot to be loved by children and children at heart, and is sure to be one that is affectionately watched many times over.

We begin with the frightening Mr. McGregor mowing his lawn as Peter and co are overcome with the need to break into his garden- mostly for the fun of it of course. Peter collects quite a salad before setting off a rabbit trap and Mr. McGregor along with it. What follows is quite funny to watch and reminiscent of so many scenes from the peter rabbit cartoons that we know and love.

Then, it happens. Mr. McGregor dies as a result of all the excitement (and perhaps a few other things), and the triumphant Peter announces that all of the animals are free to take their rightful place in the house, free to eat as many vegetables as they like and protected by their rabbit-loving neighbour, Bea.

Of course, if things were that simple, there would hardly be a story to tell, so there is very quickly trouble in the newfound burrow of Mr. Peter Rabbit.  Young Mr. McGregor (or Thomas), a distant relation to the elder, inherits the house. Thomas lives in London and loves his job at Harrods, until he misses the chance to be promoted because of a colleagues family connection, and he basically takes it all out on a teddy bear. The ‘good news is, there is a new house and potentially a new life waiting for him on the farm, not that he has much choice in the matter as he is “escorted” out by security.

When Thomas arrives at the farm, he is completely out of his element. His pristine life is suddenly full of dirt, half-eaten vegetables and wild life, and the battle between Thomas and Peter Rabbit begins- in private that is.

Thomas and Bea soon fall in love and begin a relationship that is really cute to watch, the only problem is, Bea thinks that Thomas loves the rabbits as much as she does, while he is setting up electric fences and explosives to get rid of them, so as you can imagine, things don't run smoothly for long.

The film is filled with references to the original stories and there are even moments where the old cartoons feature. There’s also a little bit of music but not too much, and it is incorporated in a very clever way. The moments of characteristic mischief are to be enjoyed just as much as the developing relationship between Bea and Thomas in what proves to be a heart warming tale.

5 out of 5

 🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇

Wakanda Forever

Wakanda, a picturesque African nation hidden in plain site and home to the great T'Challa. We'd been given a brief glimpse into this utopia in Civil War, along with its hero, but seeing it in all its glory was something else.

We begin with a creation story, not so distant in style from that of Wonder Woman's homeland and equally as visually stunning. It is made clear that even in its infancy, the unique store of Vibranium would be the root of jealousy and danger for Wakanda, who so thrived on the precious metal.

            *Feel like you've heard of Vibranium before, it's just a little thing I like to call THE MAIN ELEMENT OF CAPTAIN AMERICA'S SHIELD!!! As you can see, I find this little fact pretty awesome...

Fast forward a few hundred years and T'Challa's (Black Panther's) uncle N'Jobu betrays Wakanda while on mission, T'Chaka (Black Panther's father) kills his own brother to save Zuri, a warrior turned Master of Ceremonies; and so two sons- one whose father is a betrayer, another whose father is a king- begin traveling along two very different paths.

The story then fast forwards to the present, T'Challa's father has just been killed (as we saw in Civil War) and so T'Challa is right in the middle of transitioning to king status. The king-to-be's uncertainty, feelings of unworthiness and guilt all come with the territory when so many are soon to place their trust and lives in your hands, but throw in a few villains, especially one cousin who is particularly angered by your existence (Killmonger- the cousin whose father was killed by T'Chaka), and things suddenly get far more complicated (by the way, each marking on Killmonger's chest is for someone he's killed...).

What follows is an epic display of what Wakanda has to offer, both in the resources of its vast lands and, most importantly, in its people. We see the return of Everett Ross (the guy from the CIA in Civil War) in a surprisingly big way, the introduction of a number of exciting and complex characters (particularly T' Challa's sister Shuri and her impressive inventions), and a culmination of inner frustrations and outward aggression in all out war with friend against friend and brother against brother.

*The soundtrack is also quite spectacular by the way. It's very different and suits the film very well.

As each new character has been added to the growing group of Avengers, a new dimension has been given to the complexity and dynamics of the group as well as their individual struggles and situations. This film is no exception, there is a lot of heart and equal parts strength that come along with this hero and his allies old and new. I am really looking forward to seeing more of these characters in the next Avengers... (Wakanda Forever)

Superb 5 out of 5

A Beautiful Masterpiece

The Greatest Showman is one of those magical masterpieces that comes out of the blue and captures the imagination with the first word.

The film itself is just as inspiring, unexpected and intriguing at every stage as the colourful characters themselves. The thing is that there isn't just one aspect of this film that makes it wonderful, but a combination of acting, singing and dancing talent, a beautiful storyline, a powerful soundtrack, a strong message, and a lot of heart that bring it all together.

The show begins with P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) performing in the very centre of that which is his masterpiece. Before long, everything falls silent, and we are thrust into a childhood of poverty, grief, mistreatment and hopelessness. The sweet voices of the young P.T. Barnum (Ellis Rubin) and his future wife Charity Barnum (Skylar Dunn), give the audience a window into the past of the great showman and provide insight into some of the inspirations behind his soon to be famous Circus.

As Barnum begins his quest for intriguing acts, the complex lives and challenges of each are beautiful portrayed and combined with hidden talents that are both entertaining and inspiring. It soon comes to light that not all acts are as obvious as others, as embodied by the downhearted Phillip (Zac Efron)
who becomes Barnum's reluctant business partner.



Intertwined with the main story are the individual and equally spellbinding tales of the bonds forged between the acts, particularly that of Phillip and Anne Wheeler (Zendaya). It's hard not to shed a tear as each overcomes their own challenges and supports each member of their new found family through their own struggles- even P.T. Barnum himself when the time comes.

This film is colourful, complex, full of heart and extremely entertaining.

In the words of P.T. Barnum himself, "The noblest art is that of making others happy", and this is certainly on show here.

I won't give anymore away, but I assure you that I certainly can't wait to watch it again when it comes out on DVD (and sing along with the songs in my car :) ) - 5 out of 5.