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101 minutes

 

Plot’s it all about?

Like Monty Python’s Brian, 12 year old Max is a very naughty boy. After fighting with his sister and biting his mammy he runs away from home on an adventure and sails off to the far-away land inhabited by the huge and hairy Wild Things. After convincing these weird and wonderful creatures not to eat him, Max is made their King because it turns out he is “the most Wild Thing of all.” He soon realises though that keeping his promises and making all the Wild Things happy is much more difficult than he first thought.

 

These things are good:

Adapting Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book, Spike Jonze (director of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation), along with novelist Dave Eggers, has fleshed out the original text from a mere 300 or so words to create and realise a world where you’ll believe that the Wild Things actually exist. Created by actors in full body suits that are designed by the Jim Henson Company and with computer-generated facial expressions based on the voice actors’ own faces, the Wild Things are visually amazing, completely matching Sendak’s own illustrations from the 1963 classic.       

 

The whole cast, whether it’s in a physical form onscreen or as a voice of one of the titular Wild Things, is perfect. James Gandolfini, Paul Dano and Catherine O’Hara brilliantly make their Wild Things come to life and even small walk-on roles like Max’s mother’s boyfriend are played by top, talented actors like Mark Ruffalo.  It is Max Records, however, playing Max in the film that really stands out. His performance in Where the Wild Things Are is without doubt one of the best child performances onscreen and is up there with the likes of Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone) and, probably the greatest child performance ever committed to celluloid, Robin Williams as Jack in Jack.

 

Simultaneously funny, scary and sad throughout, Where the Wild Things Are had me laughing, pooing my pants and blubbering like a little schoolgirl all at once. What a mess. Fortunately I calmed down after those opening four minutes and pulled myself together to enjoy the rest of the film.

 

The music was always going to be good for Where the Wild Things Are, especially after the Arcade Fire re-recorded an acoustic version of Wake Up specifically for the film’s trailer. The soundtrack for the film itself is written by the brilliant Karen O (lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Carter Burwell (the Coen brothers’ first-choice composer) with the lead song All Is Love having just been nominated for a 2010 Grammy award. Burwell and Karen O have written the perfect soundtrack for Where the Wild Things Are which goes hand in hand with the beautifully realised aesthetic achieved by Jonze.

 

These things are not so good:

Now although it was hard to find any flaws with Where the Wild Things Are, there are just a few minor issues that will inevitably come up when discussing the film. There’s no doubt that people have said that it’s far too scary for children and that the plot may be a bit aimless BUT I’ve thought long and hard about it and I would counter-act those critics by telling them to “shut up.” That usually works.

 

It may take a while but people are just going to have to get over the disappointing fact that these Wild Things are not the Denise Richards and the Neve Campbell version of Wild Things that they may have been expecting. You won’t be disappointed for long though as Max soon lets “the wild rumpus start.” It still would have been better with a pool scene though.

 

Watch these instead/ as well:

Being John Malkovich:  Spike Jonze’s first big success after he made the move from music videos to the big screen may require a few viewings to get your head round it but it’s worth every minute. Not only are there excellent performances from John Cusack and Malkovich himself but Cameron Diaz’s hair also puts in its second-best performance of the Nineties after There’s Something About Mary.

 

Jackass: The Movie: “Hi. I’m Spike Jonze and welcome to Jackass.” That’s right. The director who brought us such lovely adaptations of children’s’ books like Where the Wild Things Are and deep-thinking works of art like Being John Malkovich also co-created Jackass. Turns out Spike Jonze is a massive skateboarding freak and was responsible for one of MTV’s biggest and best shows in recent years.

 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs : After watching Where the Wild Things Are I dusted down my old Yeah Yeah Yeahs back catalogue (scrolled to ‘Y’ on my iPod) and had a listen. Turns out they’re still amazing and their debut album Fever to Tell is the perfect way to get acquainted with Karen O and the gang.  

 

What do we reckon?

As mentioned above, Where the Wild Things Are is probably going to be deemed too scary for some younger viewers but, if we’re honest, there’s no harm in kids being scared at the cinema a little bit is there? When I was growing up I remember being absolutely scared stiff (snigger) by the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches and the terrifying (only because he’s really, really old) Knight at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade but I still turned out alright. Ok, so I can’t go to ANY art galleries because the paintings are obviously going to come to life and attack me (thank you Vigo in Ghostbusters II), but apart from that I’m fine.

 More importantly though, the author Maurice Sendak himself has said that he believes the story is for kids who have grown up and yet still retain elements of their childhood, while Spike Jonze explained that he wanted to make a film about childhood rather than create a children’s movie.

And he’s succeeded. Where the Wild Things Are is a brilliant, mesmerising film about growing up, family, friendships, finding your identity and ultimately, boyhood. Freud would have an absolute field-day with this one. But he’s dead. Analyse that Professor Not-around-anymore.

 

In yet another questionable link from The Big Reviewski we’ll be rating this one in honour of director Spike Jonze’s rad skateboarding past. The crazy director dude even had these novelty skateboards made up. Where the Wild Things Are gets:

 

Eight-and-a-half-pipe out of Ten (uous).

 

Fantastic Mr Fox (PG)
Released 23rd October
87 minutes  

Plot’s it all about?

Wes Anderson, one of the leading directors of the modern era, brings us the latest film in his growing collection of tales about dysfunctional families, social misfits and memorable leading men (or in this case, leading fox).
Essentially adapting and updating Roald Dahl’s 1970 children’s classic, Anderson and his co-writer Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) have used the premise of the original Fantastic Mr Fox text as the source material for the middle act of their film version. They’ve also created a new back story for Mr Fox and his family and a rip-roaring grand finale for, well, the grand finale. At the end.  

Originally making a living as a sneaky chicken-stealer, Mr Fox, after finding out his wife is pregnant with their first cub, settles down to a safer line of work writing a column for his local newspaper that no one ever really reads. I know how he feels.  

Years later though, his wild animal instincts kick in when the family moves in beside three wicked farmers called Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Soon enough Mr Fox is back to his old ways and before long the whole animal community is in danger as a result of his poultry-stealing antics. In true Dahl and Anderson style the only way to survive is for everyone to band together and fend off the evil farmers who are determined to capture Mr Fox at any cost.  

These things are good:

• Wes Anderson returns to the big screen with his first ever animated feature in what a lot of people would say is also a return to form after 2004’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited in 2007. Making brilliant use of the stop-motion technique (something he had hinted at in The Life Aquatic), Anderson has made a truly original adaptation of Fantastic Mr Fox, especially at a time when so many films rely completely on CGI and bombard the audience with 3D gimmicks. The director has been able to add his own touch to the story while simultaneously keeping the spirit of Dahl’s original source material, at once creating a Mr Fox that is both a charming lead and at the same time a fierce wild animal.  
• As with all of his previous films, Anderson has succeeded in assembling one of the best casts of the year, albeit a voice cast in the case of Fantastic Mr Fox. George Clooney is perfectly cast as the titular (snigger) Mr Fox, while Bill Murray, Meryl Streep and Owen Wilson put in flawless performances in the little screen time that they have. Without a doubt, however, the two standout and funniest performances come from Anderson regulars Jason Schwartzman as Ash the cub and Wally Wolodarsky as Kylie the Opossum.  
• The film looks absolutely amazing and you could even watch the whole thing with the sound off (for the right reasons) and still have a satisfactory viewing experience. Basing the aesthetic s of the picture on Dahl’s own countryside hometown in England, Anderson and his team of designers have created an autumnal palette full of tasty reds, oranges and golden brown; that’s golden brown and not Gordon Brown the British Prime Minister. A palette full of tasty reds, oranges and Gordon Brown would be horrible.  
• Dahl’s popular limerick about the three villains in the book plays a key role in the film version of Fantastic Mr Fox, with sections of the dialogue, the plot and even the music based around it.  Welcome to The Big Reviewski poetry corner:  
  “Boggis, Bunce and Bean, One fat, one short, one lean. These horrible crooks, So different in looks, Were none the less equally mean.”  

• Rushmore: It may be JP’s favourite film but don’t let that put you off. One of Anderson’s finest films and the movie that gave Jason Schwartzman his big break, Rushmore also features the usual brilliant and hilarious performance from Mr Bill Murray. See for yourself: 

For Fox sake definitely go and see this film.  Fantastic Mr Fox is a perfect addition to the wonderful collection of stop-motion films available in film land and is, I would confidently say, already a classic of the genre and up there with the likes of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline and the Wallace and Gromit films. In rating Fantastic Mr Fox and as a dedication to the great Roald Dahl (and not forgetting Ray’s very own Odes to Laura Byrne) I have decided to try my hand at a little bit of poetry. Initially I struggled in my creative infancy and there was an unsuccessful first draft of the limerick:  


“Adelle and Foley are great, JP is only their mate,
He’s really quite crap, Only filling a gap,
And I’m giving the film eight.”  

(Out of ten).

Directed by the usually brilliant Terry Gilliam, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantasy adventure and morality tale that follows Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), the leader of a fantastical travelling theatre group that ply their trade in modern London. He is a man with dark and wonderful secrets, however, and through shady dealings with Mr Nick the Devil (Tom Waits) he has become immortal and gained the ability to transport his audience members into their imaginations through his amazing and marvellous Imaginarium.

Unfortunately for Dr P (to give him his official hip-hop name), his dodgy deal with the Devil means that on the night of her 16th birthday, the soul of his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) will belong to Mr Nick forever unless the mysterious stranger Tony (Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell) can do anything to possibly help them in their devilish dilemma. Simple.

These things are good:

• First things first. Heath Ledger tragically died during the making of this film and it is regrettably for that reason more so than any other that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is going to be well-known and talked about. Admirably though, the film is now ready for release in spite of the fact that one of the main characters had only filmed half of his overall part. Fortunately the whole premise of the film (journeying into your imagination via the Doctor’s Imaginarium) lends itself perfectly to the notion that we all have different versions of ourselves and it was this genius reshuffling of the script that allowed Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to play the different versions of Heath Ledger’s Tony, each actor paying homage (French for cheese) to their deceased colleague. Why would you even give a dead person cheese?

• The three actors who eventually stepped up to play the part of Tony are actually one of the plus points of the film. Johnny Depp, in spite of having the least screen-time of the three, makes a funny and charming impression while Jude Law thankfully doesn’t have quite enough time to wreck the film in the manner that he so often does. The best of the three though (no bias here of course) is Colin Farrell who makes an excellent attempt at an Irish man playing an Australian man playing an English man. All three additional Tonys are made up to look exactly like Heath Ledger’s character and so it is genuinely confusing trying to work out who is who as they each appear onscreen for the first time, especially as each of the actors imitate the tics and mannerisms that Ledger originally brought to the role.

• Tom Waits as Mr Nick the Devil is probably one of the best castings of the year. The dirty auld gravelly-voiced singer is perfect as the cool, jazzy and constantly smoke-shrouded Lord of all Evil and acts as though he could have come from one of the artist’s very own seedy songs.

• Lily Cole also gives a stand-out performance as the good doctor’s daughter Valentina. Some other things that stand out are her breasts. Terry Gilliam clearly has an eye for them and you should keep an eye out for her (them) too at next year’s award ceremonies; she’ll be the one winning the Oscar for Breast Supported Actress.

These things are not so good:

• The legend that is Terry Gilliam, whether it’s in his animation work for Monty Python or his own directorial feature films, just doesn’t shine through enough here in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The film definitely has its highlights and you can see that the director (who is famous for his cut-out animation style) is clearly enjoying himself with the more modern animation technique of CGI. Generally though, the film is just a little bit too messy; there are large plot holes, obvious continuity issues and the end is wrapped up so abruptly and unclearly that you get the impression that everyone was just glad to have the whole thing out of the way.

• Inescapable as the death of one of the main actors is, the issue is slightly overdone in some parts of the film and it’s interesting to see which aspects had clearly been added following the death of Ledger. There is, for example, a fitting and tasteful end credit explaining that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is “A Film by Heath Ledger and Friends.” On the other hand, however, there is an entire sequence showing pictures of people like James Dean and Princess Diana accompanied with dialogue such as “they are forever young, like Gods, immortal” followed by a huge pause just so that everyone watching realises that they’re talking about the deceased Ledger. We get it.

Watch these instead/as well:

• Life of Brian: Terry Gilliam co-wrote and stars in simply one of the greatest comedies of all time from one of the greatest comedy troupes of all time, Monty Python. If you think the Bible’s hilarious (which it is) then get a load of this stuff.

• Twelve Monkeys: Gilliam directed this 1995 sci-fi classic that stars Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Doctor Parnassus himself, Christopher Plummer. A film that requires multiple viewings, it’s a mental time-travel adventure that features excellent performances from its two lead men.

• The Dark Knight: Directed by the exceptional Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight was easily the best film of 2008 and should really be remembered as Heath Ledger’s last and greatest role. Simply outstanding as the Joker, Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of Batman’s nemesis. He won’t be winning any fancy awards for his performance in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus so if you haven’t seen The Dark Knight then go and watch it. Now.

What do we reckon?
Of course massive congratulations/ kudos/ fair play etc goes to Terry Gilliam and the rest of the people involved for even getting the film finished in the first place, especially after Heath Ledger buggered off to Heaven. Unfortunately though, the film just doesn’t live up to the hype that now surrounds it and in fact is overall slightly disappointing, especially considering the genius talent (both directorially and cast-wise) that was involved in the making. As recommended above though, to see what this film-maker can really do you should watch the excellent Twelve Monkeys. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, however, is only half the film that that one is and it’s for that reason that this film gets:

Six out of Twelve Monkeys.

Tedious link I know but shut up.

• The plot of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is basically a complete rehash of Transformers and that’s not a bad thing. The first film was incredibly enjoyable so why mess with a winning formula? This time though, bigger is (supposedly) better. After an amazing opening in Shanghai, the sequel sets off like Transformers on speed going global, under the ocean, back in time, into outer space and doing all of it with about a million gazillion robots up on screen.

• All the CGI in the film looks absolutely brilliant, especially the aforementioned million gazillion Transformers. Thankfully, most of the action takes place in wide open spaces making it easy for the audience to properly appreciate the robots in all their glory, something that was a problem in the first film. One of the robots you definitely get to appreciate is Devastator, a Decepticon with a huge set of wrecking balls doubling up as his, well, huge set of wrecking balls. You’ll see…

• The writers in this second film have come up with an amazingly scientific method of letting the audience know which of the Decepticons we should be more afraid of. Basically, the deeper your voice, the more evil you are. If you thought Megatron was bad then wait till you hear the Fallen open his mouth; Barry White’s got nothin’ on that deep-voiced mother-flipper. Plus Barry White is dead.

• In striving to make this film bigger, better and even bigger again than Transformers, Michael Bay and his team have just tried that little bit too hard. Of course I would love to watch a film about the Transformers for well over the running time of 150 minutes but it’s important that a film of that length holds your attention for the entire duration. Watching this sequel, you reach your enjoyment saturation level after the first few massive exploding set-pieces and eventually find yourself completely numb to what’s going on up on the big screen. This film could easily have been an hour shorter if they took out all those trademark Michael Bay slow-motion sunsets. Surely the sun sets slowly enough on its own anyway? And don’t call me Shirley.

• Aspects of the first film that worked well have been brought back but have now been unwisely overused. Sam’s parents for example, were used to brilliant comic effect in Transformers but barely get off the screen for the first 45 minutes in the sequel. Go away Sam’s parents – I want to see robots blow up stuff.

• Now I may get a few funny looks here but the director dedicates way too much gratuitous screen time to Megan Fox, Isabel Lucas (who’ll never be allowed to French kiss a lad again) and the rest of the impossibly good looking female cast. To paraphrase Anchorman’s Brian Fantana; don’t get me wrong now, I love the ladies, but we came to watch the Transformers sequel Mr Bay, not FHM: The Movie. Now there’s an idea…
  
  Watch these instead/as well:

• Transformers: If you haven’t seen the prequel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen then go out and watch it now. Not only recommended because of the continuity factor between the two films, it’s worth watching Optimus Prime and his pals prance about because this film is pure popcorn entertainment at its best.
• The Rock: Over the years Michael Bay has been hit and miss with his directorial output but The Rock (Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage) is not just one of his best films, but one of thee best action films of the 1990s. Pearl Harbour on the other hand is a big steaming turd of a thing.
• Holes: Speaking of hit and miss, ‘The Beef’s’ acting skills have come in for a bit of stick throughout his short career. Myself and Steven Spielberg are fans though and it’s mainly down to LaBeouf’s breakout film role in the dark and funny Holes. These guys, however, don’t think he’s up to much:
  

Doug the groom (Justin Bartha), his two best buddies in the whole wide world Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms), and his future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis) head to Las Vegas on a stag do for a night they’ll never forget. Waking up the next morning though, it turns out they have in fact forgotten everything that happened. Not only are they suffering from a severe case of memory loss, their room has been trashed and Phil, Stu and Alan have somehow misplaced Doug in a Dude, Where’s My Groom? sort of way.

With the clock counting down to the big wedding, the amnesiac trio must retrace their steps from the night before and hope that they somehow rescue their missing friend and get him back to L.A. before his bride-to-be figures out what’s going on.

• The premise of The Hangover itself is one of the best things about the film as the director Todd Phillips (Old School) cleverly begins the action the morning after the night before. This set up, coupled with the forgetfulness of the three men, gives everyone licence for complete randomness. Logic is thrown out the window as the men awake to find things like a tiger in the bathroom, a random baby in the closet and, most disturbing of all, Mike Tyson singing Phil Collins numbers. Scary stuff.

• The cast of the film is a breath of fresh air and makes a nice change from going to see a comedy inevitably directed by Judd Apatow and starring the usual suspects Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and Seth Rogen. Interestingly, Rogen actually starred in every single film made in 2008. Fact.

• The star of the show is undoubtedly Zach Galifianakis as Alan, the freaky and perverted future brother-in-law of Doug. Accurately described in the film as a "fat Jesus", Galifianakis, although he’s been doing stand-up comedy for years, has now properly made it to the big time with this stand-out performance. Here’s hoping for plenty more roles for the comedic Messiah.

• Ken Jeong (Knocked Up, Pineapple Express) stars in The Hangover as effeminate Asian gangster Mr Chow. More like Mr Annoying if you ask me. This character becomes quite irritating quite quickly and to make matters worse, Jeong (who’s American) speaks with an accent that’s almost as bad as JP’s crazy Russian/Chinese hybrid accent thingy.

• One of the biggest disappointments of The Hangover is that it just isn’t quite as funny as it has been hyped up to be. Yes, there are steady chuckles from start to finish, but there’s just not as many laugh-at-loud moments as you might have thought, especially considering that this film is already being touted as “the funniest film of the year.” Ahm, has no one seen Angels & Demons?

• Between the Ferns with Zach Galifiankis – Definitely check out more of this lad’s work, you won’t be disappointed. Here’s just one of his excellent interviews with his co-star Bradley Cooper - clicky>>>

• Old School – Director Todd Phillips’ best film to date is another tale of grown men holding on to their adolescent ways as best they can and was the film responsible for the breakout of the daddy man-child of them all, Mr Will Ferrell.
• Memento – If The Hangover gets you in the mood for a memory-loss mystery then look no further than this outstanding film starring Guy Pearce. It’s about a man who… who… ahm… I seem to have completely forgotten what this film is about. Just go and watch it.
  
  What do we reckon?
  Although I mentioned above that The Hangover could be funnier, it still is a funny film and it’s definitely better than some of the other cinematic choices out at the moment (Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert, Obsessed, 12 Rounds). Get yourself along to this at the weekend and you’ll be in for a treat you won’t forget. Hopefully.

• Towards the end of Looking For Eric one of the subplots unexpectedly becomes the main focus of the film and it’s here that the story unravels slightly. It’s no coincidence that Cantona isn’t present during this disjointed 20 minute section and unsurprisingly the film gets back on track as soon as Loach’s focus returns to the two Erics in a brilliantly surreal finale.
• You really have to concentrate when King Cantona is talking onscreen as it is sometimes ‘impossible’ (that’s French for impossible) to tell whether he’s speaking in English or French.
• It’s about Manchester United. Need I say more?

The stage version of The Shawshank Redemption has been adapted by Dave Owens and Owen O’Neill, is directed by Peter Sheridan and, according to the producers at Lane Productions, is “based on Stephen King’s novella as opposed to the 1994 screenplay.” 

          These things are good:

• The story lends itself perfectly to a stage adaptation as the action (mostly) takes place within the walls of Shawshank prison and a stage is the perfect setting for presenting the intimate relationship between Andy and Red. 
• The thespians are excellent (that’s theatre-talk for actors). Anderson as Dufresne, Cathey as Red and Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey) are the play’s international calling cards but there’s plenty of home-grown talent too. Particularly impressive are Diarmuid Noyes as Tommy and Joe Hanley as Bogs. Yes that’s Joe Hanley from Fair City but don’t let that put you off.
• Speaking of home-grown talent, the lighting (Kevin Treacy) and sound design (Denis Clohessy) are used brilliantly but it’s the set design by Ferdia Murphy that really stands out. The stage effortlessly transforms from scene to scene without a scruffy, bearded, pony-tailed stage-hand in sight… and that’s just the female ones.
  
  These things are not so good:

• The Shawshank Redemption – Frank Darabont’s 1994 film, despite being a  flop on its initial release, has consistently remained one of the most popular films of all time and currently holds the number one spot in the Internet Movie Database Top 250 Movies poll. Plus you can probably get it in HMV for a fiver.

 

• Different Seasons – Stephen King’s collection of four short stories, three of which have been adapted into two brilliant films (The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me) and one not-so-brilliant film (Apt Pupil). King also has the Dollar Deal, an exclusive offer where the author grants permission to adapt one of his short stories in exchange for just $1. Not even Lidl has deals that good these days.
• The Great Escape – King of cool Steve McQueen stars as the Cooler King Virgil Hilts in the film that made prison, well, cool. Another tale of freedom, friendship and hope, The Great Escape will be on your TV this Christmas and every Christmas until the end of time so there’s no need to even buy it. “Good luck…”

Of course comparison with the 1994 film is inevitable but the play is its own entity and needs to be approached that way. If you get the opportunity over the next few weeks I’d definitely recommend taking a trip to the Gaiety Theatre to see the production. An inspirational story with great performances all round is a guaranteed good night out and, as the production will go probably international at some stage, there’s no better chance to see it in its world stage premiere performance. You can then brag to your friends that you were there from the beginning and that you “always knew it was going to be a big hit.”

• Angels & Demons (and bears, oh my) is a much better film than The Da Vinci Code. Thank God. Obviously, it would have been difficult not to be an improvement on the first film but the sequel definitely isn’t without its flaws. More about that later though.
• The new film is much more action-packed (especially in the final scenes), there are multiple murder mysteries to be solved, and there are plenty of gory scenes with gouged-out eyes and bare-chest branding galore. The fact that there is a ticking-bomb premise also means that the film can’t afford to hang about with scenes full of waffle, no matter how hard it tries.
• The film is a great advert for Rome and the Vatican City and, just like The Ray Foley Show achieves daily, the director Ron Howard has succeeded in turning high culture into low art. Good work everybody.
• Tom Hanks in Speedos. Finally Hollywood gives us what we’ve all been waiting for… Forget Daniel Craig in Casino Royale or me in primary school, this scene is worth the admission price alone.  

• Although it’s less talky than The Da Vinci Code, it’s still quite hard to take the film seriously as Tom Hanks footnotes every action scene with a history lesson about the “blah blah blah of 1668.”
• In addition to that, Ayelet Zurer’s character is reduced to running around after Hanks while simultaneously putting his scientific explanations into layman’s terms for the audience. Also, unlike the book she doesn’t get to have sexy time with her male lead. Booooo.
• Fr. Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor’s character) is Italian in Dan Brown’s novel but Irish in the film. By the sound of it though, the Camerlengo who was “born and bred in Ulster,” must have also lived in inner-city Dublin for a while and spent his summers in west Cork before settling in the Vatican City. If you want an Irish priest why not just get Ardal O’Hanlon? Angels & Dougals anyone?
• The Illuminati assassin (played by Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is a pretty ruthless killer throughout EXCEPT when he has the perfect opportunity to kill Langdon and Vauxhall Vectra. His reason for letting them go? Because they had “no weapon.” Hasn’t this eejit seen The Da Vinci Code or read the books? Robert Langdon’s weapon is his genius symbologist mind. Duh.
• Not once does anyone quote Anchorman and say “When in Rome…” Disgraceful.

• Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade – the original and best professor with an adventurous streak. The third film in the trilogy (we don’t talk about the fourth ok?) has a similar religion versus science plot but Ford, Connery and Spielberg obviously just make a far better film.