Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

No doubt this Australian DVD release will have strong nostalgic value for those who remember Run, Chrissie, Run! from its original Antipodean broadcast, but the fact that its producers lost confidence enough to pull it from its intended theatrical run should tell you a little about its quality. The truth is, this is pleasant enough to waste an hour and a half, but it ain’t no Witness.

Brit Michael Aitkens stars as Riley, in IRA hitman who bottles an assassination when the intended target’s family turn up at the planned bombing location, and who ends up killing his partner to stop him going through with the hit. his moral compass established, and planning to go on the run from his Irish superiors, Riley fetches up at the Australian home of his ex, looking for the money she’s been hiding from their earlier career as bank robbers in Germany. But Eve (Carmen Duncan, Harlequin, affecting a passable German accent) has other plans, running off with both the cash and her daughter, the eponymous Chrissie (Neighbours’ ‘Plain Jane’ Annie Jones, filming two years ahead of her soap debut), on the lam from both Riley and the mob gunman Terrier (Shane Briant, another Brit) the IRA have sent looking for him.

Coming five years after Mad Max (this was shot in 1984, before sitting on the shelf for two years), there’s a stopover along the way involving a debauched punk called Toe (Nicholas Eadie), who gets inveigled into the search for Eve by Terrier and his regional right-hand man Pitt (a young Red Symons) after she shoots up his car, and whose face is plastered all over the promotional material. But really this is a surprisingly gentle, sunny film that might have been better concentrating more on Chrissie and her unexpected displacement.

And that’s the problem with Run, Chrissie, Run!, for while it makes a decent stab at making everything feel plausible, its characterisation – while superficially complex – is rather too thin to fully convince. It’s an issue that’s summarised somewhat in the unlikely dialogue exchanges that occasionally plague the film, and the net result is that while this is engaging enough not to bore, neither does it especially intrigue. You end up just about caring who lives and who doesn’t, and the most interesting development is so clearly signposted it’s almost impossible not to scream at the participants as they dance around admitting it.

Sadly, Umbrella Entertainment’s release comes from an appallingly poor picture source (they obviously didn’t have access to, or the budget to work from, the original negatives), so while this might have at least looked rather pretty unfortunately it doesn’t – and the trailer that follows the feature is almost unwatchable.

 

Extras: trailer

RUN, CHRISSIE, RUN! (1984) / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: CHRIS LANGMAN / SCREENPLAY: GRAHAM HARTLEY / STARRING: CARMEN DUNCAN, MICHAEL AITKENS, ANNIE JONES, SHANE BRIANT, NICHOLAS EADIE, RED SYMONS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Not too long ago, the criminally underrated and rarely watched BBC4 showed a three-part documentary about film music. Charting the evolution of film score (or devolution, depending on your point of view) the three-parter was a little rushed and a little trite. A limited budget meant only snatches of music and access to the world’s best composer’s mate, rather than the maestros themselves. Often, a piano riff tinkled by the very talented musician/presenter was as far as you got, leaving the imagination to fill in the blanks where the soaring violas and melancholic cellos should be. A worthwhile programme but nothing next to Score.

The film opens with a tour around Marco Beltrami’s backyard. Perhaps not that inspiring, until you clap eyes on one of the coolest pianos strung up on gods earth in a breath-taking backdrop. Before we even start on how the film sounds, it fair to say it looks incredible. The archive pieces have been polished to within an inch of their life and the transfers of the film clips themselves look better than on their native Blu-ray.

The sound mix, as you would hope, is pin-sharp. After a first viewing, this reviewer gave it another listen by turning off the screen and really tuning in.

The difference between budgets here gets you pretty much every living composer of stature talking to the camera and sharing their art. Zimmer, Elfman, Desplat, Jones and Newman are all here. Hell, even Moby turns up, but then so does the bloke who scored Transformers. There’s no stinting on Directors either, Cameron trots out his usual lines, but there is some great archive of Williams playing Spielberg the ET theme for the first time.

A section of the film based on how some of the composers ‘collect’ sounds is enthralling, but it is their collection of bizarre instruments that proves all the more intriguing. This is all weaved in amongst a stroll through the history of film music and it is perhaps here that the film falters a little as it leans a little too close to the greatest hits rather than digging into the deep cuts. There’s no anecdotal piece here that the average fan won’t have heard before and the film sheds no new light on the subject nor does it lift the lid on any behind the scenes scandal. What it does do is spend time on technique and most importantly what it is to lend emotional heft to a scene that a director and editor can’t do by themselves.

Whilst the film assumes its audience isn’t stupid, it doesn’t stray into hard-core audiophile territory either and it is all the stronger for it. This is an absolute must for fans of the medium and hey, they also do a lovely set of movie tie-in leggings too.

SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY / CERT: E / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: MATT SCHRADER / STARRING: HANS ZIMMER, DANNY ELFMAN, JOHN WILLIAMS, TRENT REZNER, JAMES CAMERON / RELEASE DATE: APRIL 2ND

If you were wondering what the best re-release of 2017 would be, then look no further. Eureka’s Blu-ray release of King Hu’s epic Wuxai film Legend of the Mountain is, simply put, stunning. Made after Hu’s classic Wuxia films Come Drink with Me and Dragon Gate Inn, Legend of the Mountain merges elements of folklore, Zen Buddhist philosophy, romance, and the supernatural for a unique cinematic experience.

The film follows Hu (Shih Jun) a young scholar tasked by Buddhist monks to copy out a recently translated Sutra, a document said to hold power over the spirits of the dead. Travelling to an isolated monastery, in order to work in peace, Hu encounters a host of strange characters and becomes embroiled in a desperate spiritual feud over control of the Sutra.

From its opening shots, Legend of the Mountain is a breath-taking feat. Gorgeous natural locations topped with sumptuous skies, rainbows, and ethereal mists, lure us in. The wide-open spiritual interiors of a Buddhist temple are inadvertently paralleled with the grand isolation of natural spaces. Shots play with the boundaries between sanctified interiors and the unknown outside. In basic terms, Hu delivers a viewing experience every bit as spiritual as his story.

Usually operating within the Wuxia category of Chinese martial arts epics, Hu shifts his focus from finely tuned physical combat to more spiritual representations. Legend of the Mountain doesn’t quite ditch Wuxia, instead, swapping those break-neck fight sequences with studied spiritual sorcery.  It’s a film never more comfortable than when it’s trying fresh ways of articulating the unfathomable nature of the spirit world.

Spiritual warfare here is a far cry from the dingy world of ’80s black magic films. Fights come as percussion-based will-contests, with characters using drums to repel each other or induce a violent reaction. It’s an exorcism fantasy, fused with the kinetic energy of Hu’s early work with the Shaw brothers, though definitely more masterfully done. Garish plumes of colourful smoke represent different characters during battle whilst symbolic transfiguration supplies a steady stream of beautiful wtf moments. The result is a surprising series of visually unique “fight” scenes, more indebted to fantasy than action. This is true for Legend of the Mountain as a whole; it feels like an epic bedtime story, an old fable captured succinctly on celluloid.

For some people expecting sheer action, the focus on thematic symbolism and more abstract elements could be a big turn off. But it doesn’t take long to settle in with Hu’s dream logic or the entrancing quality of his adventure. Above all else, this is an adventure: epic, romantic, exciting, melodramatic, farcical, it’s such a wide array of things that it’s tough to pin down.

Stunning locations and masterful filming combine to form a dream you’ll have a tough time walking away from. Don’t let the runtime scare you off, Legend of the Mountain is an unsung classic from a master at the height of his talents. Cinema in its purest form.

LEGEND OF THE MOUNTAIN (1979) / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: KING HU / CHUN SHIH, FENG HSU, SYLVIA CHANG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Like any over-saturated subgenre, found footage is a precarious prospect because we’ve seen it all before, the same can be said with home invasion. There are so many great home invasion narratives that it’s easy to get swamped by the more popular, groundbreaking, titles. Being savvy and self-aware can result in something like You’re Next or The Strangers. Being daft and uninspired relegates your film to the bargain basement of any genre. And that’s where Sean Carter’s Keep Watching unfortunately belongs.

The film follows moody teenager Jamie (Bella Thorne) on a trip to the countryside with her young brother (Chandler Riggs), Dad (Ioan Gruffudd), and step-mum (Natalie Martinez). It doesn’t take long before the family are sealed inside their house and hunted by assailants whilst webcams film the horror for home viewers.

The biggest problem is that Carter seems to think he has a total winner of an idea. There’s a lot of pretention around a concept most of us will have seen a few times in various scarier forms. The whole ‘viewers of sadistic violence encourage sadistic violence’ thing has been tired a while now, and neither Joseph Dembner’s script nor Carter’s direction really has anything new to say.

Keep Watching suffers massively from telling us everything, never giving itself the opportunity to breathe and unfurl. Between mediocre moments of cat ‘n’ mouse, the dialogue screams exposition and self-importance, relishing reveals we saw coming a mile off. The introductory news coverage spells out what the film is going to be in the plainest terms. After that, we’re just waiting expectantly for the game to begin and after 25 long minutes with dull characters, some of them start to die, thankfully. All this spoon-feeding and labouring is a total tension kill, though.

The rest of the film bobs along on the merits of its actors, who do as well as they can with what they have. Lead performer Thorne comes across as wooden next to Chandler Riggs (Carl from The Walking Dead). Ioan Gruffud and Natalie Martinez are pretty dull, but Leigh Whannell, director of Saw/all-round modern horror icon arrives to liven the mood with his casual charisma.

It’s a boring film to look at and to behold, its scares are woefully misguided (drones aren’t intimidating), and its visuals are uninspired. All of this is a genuine shame because the one thing they nail is brutal messy death scenes. Aside from that though, it’s a film too indebted to The Strangers and Unfriended but totally void of those films’ atmospheres.

Bad writing, uninspired filmmaking, and crap dialogue make Keep Watching a slog of a thrill-ride. You won’t find it hard to stop watching.

KEEP WATCHING / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: SEAN CARTER / SCREENPLAY: JOSEPH DEMBNER / STARRING: BELLA THORNE, CHANDLER RIGGS, IOAN GRUFFUDD, NATALIE MARTINEZ / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

This collection brings together the first six episodes of Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga. The plot opens with main character Rin ostracised by those around him due to the revelation that he is the son of Satan. In addition to this a powerful object known as the left eye of the Impure King has been stolen. These story elements dominate most of the plot, though a good deal of time is also devoted to the backstory of Bon, and his relationship with his father.

The six episodes on hand in this collection only comprise the first half of this season. They provide the set up for the season and offer some hints at the nature of the antagonist. The fact that Rin is the son of Satan is not quickly swept under the rug. All of the main members of the cast grapple with the revelation in different ways. Enough time is given to each character to properly show why they come to the decision they do regarding how to treat Rin from them on. Other personal relationships within the show get similar time devoted to them. The audience sees how Bon’s view of his changes from his initial idolisation of him to what it is in the show.

These relationships are the heart of the show. The plot development that does take place in this collection occurs on the backs of the characters and their interpersonal relationships. Whether it be Yukio’s desire to protect his brother or Bono’s frustrations with his father.

There is not much to speak of on offer in terms of special features. There is the option to watch stretches of animation without the text appearing on the screen. There is nothing here that makes purchasing this version of the series over watching it on a streaming service. The experience would mostly be the same.

Blue Exorcist (Season 2) Kyoto Saga Volume 1 is good, but not great. The six episodes available do a good job of setting the stage for where the series will go next and establishing the emotional state of its cast. The character interaction is strong, the plot moves enough considering that this is only half the season, and the tone strikes the right balance between drama and comedy. The major thing holding this release back is that there is little to recommend about it specifically over other ways that its content can be legally viewed.

Extras: Textless opening, Textless ending, Episode One Textless Ending Scene

BLUE EXORCIST (SEASON 2) KYOTO SAGA VOLUME 1 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: BRYCE PAPENBROOK, CHRISTINE MARIE CABANOS, JOHNNY YOUNG BOSCH, KYLE HEBERT / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 26th

When Lang (Li-Hua Yang) a likeable but ineffectual scholar is swindled out of his home and forced to take refuge inside a notoriously haunted house, he’s surprised to discover that the ‘apparitions’ are actually a wounded old woman and her beautiful young daughter Ruyu (Mei-Yao Chang). When the old woman dies, it paves the way for Lang and Ruyu to fall in love and set up their own weaving business (I’m not kidding) but fate and a pair of lecherous villains are intent on ruining everything. When Ruyu is raped and murdered, her spirit returns to seek revenge… and she does not return alone.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Shaw Brothers were among China’s most prolific filmmakers and horror-themed stories formed a large part of their output. Unfortunately, despite having been filmed in ‘Shaw-Scope’ (not that anyone would notice) The Enchanting Ghost isn’t one of their finest examples. In fact, although it starts out with vague echoes of Masaki Kobayashi’s wondrous Kwaidan (right down to replicating parts of that film’s musical fx score) and briefly promises to be an inspiration for Tsui Hark’s masterpiece A Chinese Ghost Story, it’s not really a horror film at all. It’s a meandering romance that looks extremely pretty and blemish-free in 88 Films new Blu-ray presentation, but it’s not long before we realise that the audio-visuals are more solid than the movie itself. The ghost(s) don’t even make an appearance until the final act and, apart from a bit of giggling and taloned-finger waving it’s hard to see what the pantomime baddies are so afraid of.

Tonally, The Enchanting Ghost is all over the place. First off is the very strange casting of obviously female Li-Hua Yang as the male lead, which feels like a wasted opportunity given what the filmmakers could have done if they’d thought things through properly (surely there must have been a reason for casting a woman as a man but the film never goes there.) And then there are the aforementioned pantomime villains, who sashay evilly around like kimono-wearing keystone kops and actually get up to some pretty vile and reprehensible shenanigans – exhibit a: the rape and subsequent poisoning of Ruyu – but we don’t actually feel the jeopardy of what they’ve done because it all seems to be uncomfortably played for laughs. As for scholar Lang, he’s about as wet as you’ll ever get (and there are plenty of truly wet heroes in HK fantasy), moping around and waiting for something to happen to her… err… him. And I’m still not sure what the ending was all about.

This Hong Kong horror is for completists only, which is rather a shame because the disc itself looks and sounds quite gorgeous.

THE ENCHANTING GHOST (1970) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: HSU CHIANG CHOU / STARRING: MEI-YAO CHANG, LI HAU YANG, HSIANG TING KO, HSIAO PAO KO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Lucio Fulci movies are divisive things at the best of time, with many fans in adoration of the maestro’s work while others dismissing them flatly as badly made nonsense. A Cat in the Brain (also known as Nightmare Concert) is a very late-period effort from the director that takes meta-horror to the extreme, which despite pre-dating Wes Craven’s New Nightmare by a few years and clearly taking its influence from Federico Fellini’s 8 ½, will certainly not win over his detractors. Those who have enjoyed the late Italian’s work will find plenty to relish here, though.

Fulci plays himself (or, at least, a heightened version of himself since his door includes the inscription ‘Dr Lucio Fulci’), a director whose ultra-violent work is beginning to get to him. He seems to be unable to escape the visions of mutilation, disembowelment, and decapitation that have become his trademark. Fearing for his sanity, he visits a psychiatrist (Thompson, who looks unnervingly like game show legend William G. Stewart), who suggest hypnosis. Unfortunately for Fulci, the shrink has some murderous intentions of his own and plans to frame the director.

Using re-hashed footage from two previous movies, the little-seen efforts Touch of Death and Il fantasma di Sodoma, we get more than our fair share of chainsaw shenanigans and gore-soaked mayhem, not to mention a gloriously ridiculous visual depiction of the film’s title. Despite only appearing in his previous films in Hitchcock-style cameo roles, Fulci is actually quite engaging here, far from the car-crash performance it could have been. He’s clearly having fun with his character, too, which is great to see, particularly considering the fact he was suffering ill health at the time.

It could be argued that Fulci was perhaps addressing the usual argument of ‘violent film influencing actions’, it never really comes up with any conclusive commentary on the subject and instead blends cod-giallo and splatter, albeit with a sense of humour. By having the ‘respected’ academic character as the antagonist, it quietly subverts the assumption, but that was clearly lost on those who didn’t see past the over the top gore.

It’s far from Fulci’s best, and doesn’t display the glorious flourishes that made the likes of The Beyond, Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, and House by the Cemetery such fan favourites, but it has got enough going for it to merit interest, and shouldn’t be overlooked if you have a penchant for ocular trauma.

As for the Blu-ray presentation, the image is certainly better than we’ve experienced in the UK before (and are perfect if you were used to the un-dubbed/subtitled bootleg versions from the early nineties), but the film stock brings the overall look down and it’s not much of a noticeable upgrade from the DVD release. There are a couple of interesting extras, the largest being a lengthy talking head documentary that discusses the merits of Fulci’s late period. It’s an interesting and knowledgeable piece regardless whether or not one agrees with the appraisals on offer. Also included is concert footage of Fabio Frizzi performing the theme music live at one of the US dates on his Fabio 2 Fulci tour, which is interesting, but far from essential as it’s not the most dynamically shot live footage.

A CAT IN THE BRAIN (1990) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: LUCIO FULCI / SCREENPLAY: LUCIO FULCI, GIOVANNI SIMONELLI, ANTONIO TENTORI / STARRING: LUCIO FULCI, BRETT HALSEY, RIA DE SIMONE, DAVID L. THOMPSON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Take a look through the credits of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and you come across the rather splendid ‘Suggested by the sensational Saturday Evening Post’. True, newspapers birthing films based on articles is nothing new. Heck, The New York Times drops a sprog every couple of weeks it seems. In this case, it was a short fiction story that gave inspiration to the movie’s script writers, which again, is nothing new. What’s odd about this is that the newspaper gets a credit before the stories’ writer, a one Mr Ray Bradbury. Further down those credits is another Ray, perhaps now even more synonymous with the genre, a one Mr Ray Harryhausen.

Rudely awoken from blissful slumber by bomb testing in the Arctic Circle, a giant Rhedosaurus (not a real dinosaur, FYI) takes a gentle amble down south casually destroying everything in his or her path. Which, let’s face it, is how we all feel when the alarm goes off on Monday morning.

Plot-wise, this is where Bradbury’s genius leaves us and passes the baton on to Harryhausen to make the damn thing work.

It’s fair to place Harryhausen front and centre of the piece as, let’s face it, no one watches this particular arm of cinema with a hard eye on the script or even the direction. The cast are serviceable but ultimately forgettable, serving up trite dialogue that forms more of a narration on the creatures’ whereabouts than anything. A strange sort of Michael Palin travelogue, if you will, just with more destruction and a lot less affability. The direction sits in that odd middling area of ‘just graduated from B-movie directors school’, but keeps the plot plodding along at a pace mirroring its star. Its star being the thing we are all here to see and what a beautifully ugly thing of wonder it is.

There are endless books and documentaries on the subject of Harryhausen’s work for this writer to spend too much time waxing lyrical about his genius, but it needs to be said that without him, this film would have been consigned to the mists of time and unlike our Rhedosaur friend, never to awake. There is an almost loving amount of detail in the monster, all of which pops in this new transfer to Blu-ray. Harryhausen’s signature stop-motion effects imbue the monster with a realism that Godzilla’s man in a suit never could. It’s reputed that this was the inspiration for that granddaddy of monster flicks, but given that Godzilla arrived only 16 months later, this seems unlikely.

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms provides an ample, if not slightly stodgy, slice of B-movie pie that’s improved by the sprinkling of Harryhausen’s cream on top. A forerunner to Godzilla it may be, but there’s a reason only one of the two spawned what seems like a thousand sequels. Perhaps Rhedosaurus should’ve just hit the snooze button instead.

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953)  / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: EUGÈNE LOURIÉ / SCREENPLAY: LOU MORHEIM, FRED FREIBERGER / STARRING: PAUL HUBSCHMID, PAULA RAYMOND, CECIL KELLAWAY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (HMV EXCLUSIVE)

24 Hours to Live, the second feature film from Brian Smrz, is an exhilarating action thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Paul Anderson, and Liam Cunningham. Taking inspiration from the recent wave of pulpy action thrillers, 24 Hours to Live falls somewhere in with adrenaline-fueled revenge films like John Wick and Crank.

Travis Conrad (Ethan Hawke) is a world-weary assassin, dragged out for one last assignment by his old employers. After being killed, Hawke is resurrected using an experimental procedure which grants him an extra 24 Hours to complete his assignment or turn on the company he works for.

Considering Smrz’s near-40 years of stunt work, it’s not a surprise that 24 Hours to Live‘s key selling point is well-executed action. Set pieces are big and neatly orchestrated whereas the smaller shoot outs pack a mean punch thanks to energetic camera work and some surprisingly solid, unapologetic, CGI blood. Kudos to whoever put so much emphasis on collateral damage because nothing says deadly violence like shattering glass and exploding scenery. It gives the film a real tension in the heat of the moment.

Hawke, an unlikely action star, picks up the scene with confidence and dedication. Supporting him are a formidable band of stars; from the veteran coolness of Rutger Hauer (whimsical and wasted on a beach, no less) to the hard-nosed villainy of Liam Cunningham, it’s a great team. Stand out support comes from Qing Xu who proves to be just as resourceful and deadly as Hawke if just a little cooler.

When it’s labouring Travis’ trauma or trying to spin drama from a predictable twist, 24 Hours to Live can be really dull. It should have stuck with high octane nonsense fun as opposed to losing its adrenaline with overworked drama elements. When Smrz throws fully loaded Travis at a group of unsuspecting bad guys it revels in destruction and slick action sequences. There’s a real casual approach to stunts and set pieces which is refreshing but at the same time, its a really drab looking film given style by swift execution and a decent score from Tyler Bates. In the end, it’s a decent enough ride, but it doesn’t surpass its influences.

If you can forgive preposterous plots and heavy-handed retribution narratives, then give this a shot. Otherwise, its pulpy heart could prove too silly for straight thriller fans and not pulpy enough for those who take their action on the crazy side.

24 HOURS TO LIVE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: BRIAN SMRZ / SCREENPLAY: ZACH DEAN / STARRING: PAUL ANDERSON, ETHAN HAWKE, RUTGER HAUER, LAIM CUNNINGHAM / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 26TH

Whenever we get biopics, they mostly tend to focus on historical legends who did truly incredible things in their lives that Hollywood feels the need to embellish and translated to the screen for the world to see and enjoy, whether it’s Lincoln or the recent Darkest Hour. Yet every once in a while, we have a biopic that’s about the outcast, the oddballs that the history books often ignore but are crucially important in how our world is shaped today. Professor Marston is absolutely one of those people, and despite being the inventor of the lie detector and being the originator of Wonder Woman, the most famous female superhero ever, William Moulton Marston is a name not that familiar with most people, but thanks to writer/director Angela Robinson, the story of him and his partners Elizabeth Marston and Olive Byrne is finally brought to the screen.

This film is a fascinating exploration into the lives of three people who live or are outside of what society considers to be normal, and the best movies of this nature explore this, whether it’s exploring the issues of race, gender or sexuality. At the time period this movie takes place, those issues were considered taboo and out of place as opposed to today where we just accept those issues as completely normal, and yet with this movie, even today the topics it raises about having a polyamorous relationship would still probably be considered as subversive and irregular as it was back then. That central relationship and the love that drives each of these three characters is the beating emotional core of this film as we see them trying to live in a world that wouldn’t accept that, and that relationship is what William Marston uses to further his psychological exploration into his DISC theory (dominance, inducement, submission, and compliance).

Some may say that this movie is too romanticised or complete fiction, but it’s to Robinson’s credit that she has made Marston’s story accessible to even the most mainstream of audiences and letting them having a good general understanding of what that relationship could’ve been like during that time period, what these people could’ve been like, and how that three-way relationship went into making Wonder Woman what she was, which was a sexually subversive character whose goal was to strengthen women’s position in the world. As well as being a beautifully constructed movie with incredible characters, it’s also complemented by fantastic performances; Luke Evans gives a very charismatic performance that’s full of wonder, curiosity, frustration and sadness, while the brilliant Bella Heathcote delivers the best performance of her career. However, the real star of the show, by a mile, is the phenomenal Rebecca Hall, who as Elizabeth is headstrong, outspoken, hilarious, and opinionated yet flawed all at the same time, and all plaudits definitely go to Hall for conveying all those emotions and traits effortlessly.

Intelligent, risqué, engaging and fun, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is a subversive, yet informative movie that offers a fascinating insight into three remarkable people that helped shape the modern world as we see it today, as well as change the norm of what is considered to be ‘normal’ relationships. This tackles a socially divisive topic with effortless bravery, makes those issues relevant, and kudos to the three central leads for making that dynamic believable. Maybe a bit too long in places, but there’s no denying that Angela Robinson has made what is an excellent, yet ballsy movie.

PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: ANGELA ROBINSON / STARRING: LUKE EVANS, REBECCA HALL, BELLA HEATHCOTE, CONNIE BRITTON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW