Karl Urban

The most riotously enjoyable Marvel movie yet, this action epic benefits hugely from the decision to let wacky New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi loose with the characters. In many ways, this film has the same comical sensibilities as his classics What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Except on a much larger scale with massive special effects. Yet even with all this action, there's not a moment of actual suspense, which is a growing problem in a movie universe in which the characters need to survive unscathed.

Ragnarok is a prophecy about the end of time, specifically the death of King Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and the destruction of Asgard. And it has just been triggered, stopping Odin's sons Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in their tracks with the news that they have an older sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), the self-proclaimed goddess of death. As she brutally asserts her claim to the throne, the brothers find themselves dumped on the planet Sakaar. Loki mischievously worms his way into the favour of the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), who sends Thor into the coliseum to fight the champion, namely his old friend Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). As Thor convinces Hulk's alter-ego David Banner to return with him to Asgard to stop Hela, he also needs Asgard's last Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), a tetchy warrior who is reluctant to work with him.

Continue reading: Thor: Ragnarok Review

The filmmakers make a serious mistake by aiming this educational epic at very young children, because they've undermined the considerable skill and artistry that have gone into making it. An astoundingly trite script overflows with goofy slang and lame jokes that make the film virtually unwatchable for anyone over the age of 5. And the dialog tries so hard to be hip and cool that it already feels badly dated.

It opens on a rather awkward framing story about a palaeontologist (Urban) who takes his niece and nephew (Rice and Rowe) to look for dinosaur fossils in rural Alaska, at which point we are taken back in time to see what life was life in the Late Cretaceous Period. Enter Patchi (voiced by Long), a young pachyrhinosaurus whose best pal is a talkative bird named Alex (Leguizamo). Patchi also has an annoying big brother named Scowler (Stone) and a love-interest in Juniper (Sircar). As the young pachyrhinos grow up, they have a series of adventures along the path migrating north and south with the seasons. Vicious predators chase them, and both Patchi and Scowler take a shot at leading the herd.

The plot is fairly simplistic, but it's a decent tool to teach us about the various animals of the period. The dialog is another story altogether, packed with inane observations, stupid gags and lazy one-liners. By comparison, the required poo, vomit and snot jokes are genuinely witty. And a considerable amount of real information about the period and the creatures gets lost in all of the idiotic patter.

Continue reading: Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie Review

After his successful re-imagining of the Star Trek universe four years ago, Abrams dives even deeper into the mythology, which is thrilling for fans but might leave newcomers feeling a bit lost. This sequel surges forward with action, drama, romance and a lot of comedy while constantly nodding back to the earlier TV series and films. And the smart screenplay finds ways to deepen all of the characters along the way, as well as offering an unusually complex villain.

The action picks up soon after the first film ends, as Kirk (Pine) is once again in trouble for disobeying the Prime Directive not to interfere with a planet's culture. But his punishment is short-lived, as Starfleet becomes the victim of brutal attacks in London and San Francisco, sending Kirk, his first officer Spock (Quinto) and the gang (Saldana, Urban, Yelchin and Cho, with Pegg following later) into enemy space to chase the villainous John Harrison (Cumberbatch). But of course, there's a much bigger story going on, and Harrison has a reason for his violent behaviour, leading to a series of terrifying showdowns as they all return to earth.

While the script is packed with shadowy characters, there's not much actual "darkness" in this movie. It's a pretty bouncy, energetic ride, continually making us laugh at tetchy interaction and throwaway one-liners, all of which are cleverly character-based rather than merely silly gags. This gives each actor a chance to shine, with Pegg and Urban offering much of the humour with their amusing crankiness, while Saldana provides the stereotypical female emotional beats. As usual, the strongest scenes are between Kirk and Spock, and their shifting bromance is well-played by Pine and especially Quinto. But dominating the whole film is a meaty turn from Cumberbatch as a particularly fearsome nemesis who also happens to be both brainy and openly emotive.

Continue reading: Star Trek Into Darkness Review