There Is No Such Thing As Heroes

While Avengers Assemble may have been a somewhat superficial sequence of action and explosions that only skimmed the surface of it's iconic array of characters, the Iron Man films deliver the perfect blend of charm, character and conflict, set against a backdrop of contextual resonance.  The first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s latest adventure in the iron suit promises an exciting new chapter.  Iron Man 3 will be in cinemas 26th April.

Unlock Your Secret 007

Unsuspecting commuters are challenged to unleash their inner 007, within 70 tense seconds.  An exciting and excellent PR stunt for Skyfall by Coke Zero.

"I think that as a director you have to have a point of view.  I feel it's a cheat to, you know, with like all the details, everything that I have to decide on, that in the end if I go 'eh well you know it could be real, it could be...' I feel like it's too much of a cheat.  So I definitely have a point of view.  And I'm not going to tell what that is."

Len Wiseman

Mirror Mirror

Tarsem Singh's visionary adaptation of Snow White is a distant, colourful departure from the Brother Grimm's classic.

The Queen leads a lavish and indulgent lifestyle, plunging her kingdom into debt.  Seeking an attractive and wealthy solution, the Queen intends to marry the Prince, but he defies her intentions when he meets the King's beautiful daughter, Snow White.  Punished for upstaging the Queen, Snow White is sentenced to death, but is given the chance to escape and seeks refuge with a gang of bandit dwarves.  Together they embark on a Robin Hood-esque quest to restore justice to the kingdom.

Opulent and decadent, Mirror Mirror continuously borders on the ridiculous through the film's emphasis upon the excessive.  From the Queen's curious beauty treatment through to the Prince's costume at the ball, the film dismisses depth in order to indulge a younger audience.   Lily Collins stars as the royal protagonist, naturally radiating innocence and charm.  Her performance resonates of a Disney princess who has stepped straight from the classic animations, with a graceful and expressive demeanour.  Armie Hammer also gives a good turn as the Prince, who is used as a narrative leverage between the Queen and Snow White.  Supported by an enchanting soundtrack by Alan Menken, the composer of several of Walt Disney's greatest classics, the film also features a surprising cameo by Sean Bean and a Bollywood-esque ending, producing a contemporary rewriting of the classic story.

The greatest flaw of the film, however, was that it lacked a truly satisfying villain.  Julia Roberts delivers a somewhat entertaining turn as the Queen, but her continual attempts at humour prohibit her from achieving the fear that her character should inspire.  Her queen is a Marie Antoinette figure, living a life of decadent silk gowns and lavish parties; her motivations driven simply by financial deprivation.  When challenged "isn't that a trifle excessive?" she answers without hesitation that "there's no such thing."  Roberts' portrayal thus produces an indulgent and shallow woman, and little more.

A charming, contemporary fairy tale for young imaginations, Mirror Mirror fails to strike depth and resonance with an adult audience.  An innocent retelling that captures none of the original text's darkness.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Perfectly dark and enchanting, Snow White and the Huntsman presents a mature take on the classic fairy tale, by returning to the original Grimm's tale with themes of sexuality and entrapment.

A beautiful woman tricks her way into power with a phantom army, murdering the King and entrapping his daughter, Snow White.  Her poisonous reign enslaves the kingdom in darkness and death.  When she learns that Snow White's pure heart will allows her to achieve eternal beauty, she commands a huntsman to capture the girl who has fled her clutches.  The huntsman, however, defies her and is swept into a rebellion with the young princess against the Queen's reign.

Stunningly beautiful and deadly, Charlize Theron is perfectly cast as the wicked Queen Ravenna, visually drawing a contrast against Snow White.  Entrapped by her status as a woman, Ravenna is emancipated through dark magic and the manipulation of beauty.  The audience are enticed to engage with her as more than a mere villain, but as a woman constructed through sorrow and circumstance.  Her great insecurity is exposed in her calling of the mirror, which she indulges in to mask her suffering.  The physicality of the mirror as a figment of her imagination adds to the unsettling and sinister tones of her character.  She is thus at her most dangerous when her voice is soft, exposing the vulnerability, and subsequently desperation, of her character.  The Queen's beauty, which allows her to manipulate men and accomplish power, poses a potent symbol of corruption and strength.

Kristin Stewart at first won my reservations and mixed feelings in her portrayal of Snow White.  At times she perfectly portrayed a classically beautiful and courageous princess, at other moments she was clouded by her iconic sullen teenager countenance.  She successfully captured the sorrow of her character and was most evocative in moments of silence, but disappointingly was unable to effectively portray true grief.  However, by the end she delivered a reasonably strong performance as a tortured princess who draws strength from her purity and courage.

The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), a physically strong character, was surprisingly vulnerable.  Haunted by heartbreak, he flits between charm and uncertainty, producing a man that is at once confident and lost.  It was refreshing to also see the Prince, William, in a role that expands beyond a fleeting romantic endeavour.  William is a character consumed by guilt, who is driven to passionately pursue the ghosts of his childhood.  Sam Claflin plays him with grace and dashing heroism, despite continuously facing the threat of being overshadowed by the new, titular male protagonist.  The dwarves, similarly, have a less pronounced but equally engaging role.  Depicted as a band of gritty, stalwartly and likeable rogues, they are led by a cast that include Ian McShane, Ray Winstone and Bob Hoskins.

Told in a beautiful and rich landscape, from dark forests to floating lakeside villages, the production design is perfection, drawing audiences into a truly divine world.   This is adorned by the fitting choice of British accents, beautiful costumes and stunning cinematography, which draws on a vivid use of black and white.  The unfortunate scandal surrounding the film, however, will tragically prohibit the satisfying sequel that is desired, leaving the film to end on a flicker of romantic ambiguity.

A classic fairy tale, retold and embellished with depth through visually-divine cinema, in a rich landscape.