Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Having created or worked on the likes of The Day Today, Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge, The Thick of It, and Veep, Armando Iannucci is a master of satire and social commentary. With The Death of Stalin, the Glasgow-born Iannucci puts his own unique spin on the death of Josef Stalin and the subsequent power struggle that followed. Based on Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin’s graphic novel La mort de Staline, here we have a film that many a genre fan was chomping at the bit to check out. Does it live up to those hefty expectations, though? Let’s take a look.

Set in 1953, The Death of Stalin centres on the final days of the feared dictator of the Soviet Union and the ensuing madness that follows his passing. All of which is played out by lashings of dark comedy, satirical mastery, and a broad range of largely British and American accents. To say this is your usual historical piece would be quite the faux description, but the picture is indeed factual for the most part, just with a more humourous spin put on proceedings and the odd historical liberty taken here or there. As for the cast, a ridiculously impressive ensemble has been put together by Iannucci. While Adrian McLoughlin’s Stalin is essentially a supporting player in the film that adorns his name, it’s left to heavy hitters such as Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, and Michael Palin to carry the load as the Central Committee desperate to bring some sort of order to the post-Stalin Soviet Union. Then there’s Andrea Riseborough and Rupert Friend as the children of Stalin, both vastly different characters who turn up to make sure their father’s send-off goes off without a hitch. Oh, and there’s Jason Isaacs, who absolutely steals every scene he’s in as no-nonsense Minister of Defence Georgy Zhukov – all with a thick Yorkshire accent. Throw in names like Olga Kurylenko, Paul Whitehouse, Paddy Considine, Tom Brooke, and Richard Brake, and you can see why The Death of Stalin has been so lauded for its vast cast.

While Jason Isaacs is at his scenery-devouring best, Simon Russell Beale is on splendidly-shithouse form as the slimy Lavrentiy Beria, the head of the ominous NKVD (aka the secret police). While he calculates and plots, we have Jeffrey Tambor as Vyacheslav Molotov, the dopey wet lettuce of a figure who seems destined to take over from Stalin. Of course, Steve Buscemi is as brilliantly Steve Buscemi as ever as Nikita Khrushchev, somehow harnessing a fine balance between Boardwalk Empire’s Nucky Thompson and one of the quirky oddballs he’s played in several Adam Sandler movies over the years.

Showcasing humour in the panic of the times is a major component of The Death of Stalin’s charm, and there’s the poking of fun at the irony of such crazy situations as the struggle to find a decent doctor after Stalin falls ill. Why’s that such a tricky task? Well, that’d be down to Stalin having imprisoned or killed all of the good docs as part of his clinical rule. This is a tale in which no characters are fully pardoned for their sins, and each of the key players has their own murky pasts and acts to reflect on regardless of how endearing they may come across in Iannucci’s film.

With snappy dialogue littered throughout, The Death of Stalin is a film that rockets by at a frenetic pace, with the aforementioned ensemble lapping up the darkly comedic gems afforded to them. If there’s some negatives to take away from the picture, one of the big ones is indeed its comedic tone. There are moments of humour that are pitch-perfect for the subject matter, but then there are certain beats that just seem ill-advised or, dare we say it, too bleak and dark to resonate with the feel of the rest of the movie. Still, for the most part The Death of Stalin provides an enthralling watch that is littered with far more hits than misses.

Is this the masterpiece that many of us were hoping for? Ultimately, no it’s not. It is still a fascinating, engaging, and tongue-in-cheek look at one of the most chaotic of political times and the final moments of one of the most ruthless dictators the world has ever known.

Special Features: Interviews with the cast and crew / Deleted scenes

THE DEATH OF STALIN / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: ARMANDO IANNUCCI / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: STEVE BUSCEMI, SIMON RUSSELL BEALE, JEFFREY TAMBOR, ADRIAN MCLOUGHLIN, OLGA KURYLENKO, ANDREA RISEBOROUGH, JASON ISAACS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Martial arts flicks have long relied on a furious, fist-blurring combat aesthetic delivered by characters with quasi-superhuman strength and agility. Enjoyable as this can be, the creeping unreality of the enterprise disenfranchises large swathes of the viewing public who prefer fight scenes to have at least a passing acquaintance with laws of physics. In this respect, 2015’s The Final Master, a historical fight epic set in pre-WWII China, is a somewhat different sack of knives, bringing the kinetic thrills of Kung Fu to the screen without recourse to silly acrobatics or giant geysers of raspberry cordial blood.

When we say Kung Fu, we should be more specific because writer/director/fight choreographer Xu Haofeng (who co-wrote the similarly-structured 2013 Brue Lee origins flick The Grandmaster) takes as his subject the traditional Southern Chinese variant of Wing Chun, a close-combat style that uses reflexive body-balance and energy transmission techniques rather than brute force. You may have seen Wing Chun exponents practising their moves on your local beach and mistaken them for Tai Chi softies (word of advice: approach with extreme caution – they are very good with knives).

The story centres on Chen (Liao Fan), last of the Wing Chun masters, who wants to save his beloved discipline from extinction by establishing a fight school in the bustling, semi-westernised Chinese city of Tianjin, brought vividly to life here courtesy of some exquisite art direction and sun-bleached cinematography. It’s no easy task of course; to get their Wing Chun show on the road, Chen and his goofy young apprentice Geng (Yang Song, playing a sort of ‘Keye’ Luke Skywalker) must face down the strutting champions of the city’s eight top fight schools, all of whom violently oppose the idea of a nearly-dead version of Kung Fu muddying their modern form. But have any of these local champions been brushing up their Wing Chun to give themselves a decent chance in the epic, CGI-free throw-downs that follow? Have they hùnzhàng. If director Haofeng intended the elemental power and mystery of Wing Chun to be the real star of the show, he’s succeeded.

Liao Fan’s Jedi-style flame-keeper encounters a variety of colourful allies and opponents along the way, but the various power-plays soon start piling up in a muddled script that doesn’t unfurl half as elegantly as the fights themselves; in fact, come the final act, we’d abandoned keeping up with the various character machinations and retreated into Game of Thrones-mode, allowing the playfully barbed dialogue exchanges and verisimilitude of the film’s heroic structure to carry us over the lumpy stuff like a friendly dragon. But the fights really are something, cleanly shot without flashy edits so you know you’re getting the real deal, aided by an array of traditional weapons – butterfly knives, close-range push knives, all manner of swords and more large poles than you can, er, shake a stick at – wielded with balletic grace and fearsome precision by the very capable cast.

In other words, fight fans, confusing it may be, boring it isn’t.

EXTRAS: Three short featurettes: The Director / The Weaponry / Production Overview

THE FINAL MASTER / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: HAOFENG XU / STARRING: FAN LIAO, JIA SONG, WENLI JIANG, SHIH-CHIEH KING / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

One of the most hotly anticipated movies of last year was Thor: Ragnarok. With genre favourite director Taika Waititi overseeing the third of the famed Thunder God’s solo movies as the action looked to revolve around the world-ending Ragnarok, fans were chomping at the bit for a film worthy of the Mighty Thor after two so-so individual outings to date. Did we get that worthy adventure? You bet your magical, mystical hammer we did!

In terms of plot, the threat of the aforementioned Ragnarok takes centre-stage. Essentially the Norse version of Judgment Day, Ragnarok is the end of days that will signal the end of Asgard and the Asgardian civilisation as we know it. Heralded in by uber-rogue Hela – played by a sinisterly snarling Cate Blanchett – the Son of Odin has quite the uphill battle on his hands. Even worse, a battle with the all-powerful Hela banishes him to the bizarre and bonkers planet of Sakaar where we get introduced to a whole roster of quirky and unique characters. Oh, and the Hulk. Yep, as in the same Green Goliath who has been seen alongside the Thunder God as part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers. The problem is, Hulk is the prized champion of the till-death-do-us-part fighting game put together by the planet’s Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum in scintillatingly Goldblum form), and the Engine of Mass Destruction is in no rush to return to the form of puny Bruce Banner and give up his glory. So, Thor must do his best to get the jolly green guy onside – not to mention Tom Hiddleston’s Loki – as he heads back home to try and stop Hela’s plan for the all-encompassing domination that will completely destroy Asgard. Pretty heavy stuff, right? You bet ya, but we’ve got an array of bright, colourful set pieces, a wondrous ensemble of characters, snappy dialogue, and a toe-tapping soundtrack to help our beloved God of Thunder in his quest.

Having made his name with charming efforts such as Eagle vs Shark, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Waititi puts a whole new spring in the step of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Vibrant, mesmerising, and with a heart of gold, Thor: Ragnarok re-energises a character who’s often seen as one of the more po-faced of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ever-expanding roster of heroes, managing to extinguish the memories of 2013’s dull Thor: The Dark World.

Not only is this a true thrill-ride of a film though, but it also has a villain who instantly stands out as one of the most unrelenting forces of nature served up by the MCU so far. Blanchett’s Hela – a character who is the Goddess of Hell – is a near-unstoppable bad guy with an almighty chip on her shoulder; and rightly so, for, even though her approach may be a tad ham-fisted, the motivation behind her initial beef with Thor is actually a largely valid one. Being the erratic bad guy sort, of course, she decides to resolve the issue by inviting the end of the world, but, y’know, that’s your standard ‘big bad’ logic, right?

While Cate Blanchett’s Hela is a scenery-devouring villain of epic proportions, she has to share scene-stealing duties with a whole host of key players. Creed’s Tessa Thompson is brought in as the ass-kicking Valkyrie, a former warrior tasked with protecting Asgard who is now reluctant to return to her homeland regardless of the ominous threat that hangs over its very existence. Then there’s Tom Hiddleston doing what he does best as Loki, always making you unsure of his real motives as he looks to serve himself while also keeping one eye on the events playing out on Asgard. And how could we not discuss the relationship between Thor and the Hulk? Having been the centrepiece of so much of the promotional material surrounding Ragnarok, this odd couple pairing are nothing short of magnetic in their chemistry when placed together. Taking what we first saw in Avengers Assemble and amplifying it ten-fold, the dynamic between the duo is as electrifying as the power bestowed upon Mjolnir – again adding further argument to the realisation that, yes, maybe the Hulk is best served by not having his own solo film any time soon, for he is somebody who in this current incarnation seems to fare better when playing with others.

One thing that some longtime Thunder God fans may take umbrage with in Thor: Ragnarok, however, is the amount and tone of the humour drenched throughout the picture. While the comedic moments are plentiful and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, those who prefer their Thor to be truer to his more serious comic book roots may become a little worn down by how light and chuckle-some this adventure is despite the serious repercussions that potentially lie in wait. But that’s a small gripe and one that may not be applicable to the majority of viewers.

Thor: Ragnarok is a truly rare beast, injecting a well-worn character with a new sense of life and purpose to the point that you are absolutely itching to see what’s next for the Son of Odin. That ‘what’s next’ is the Mad Titan himself, Thanos, who Thor will be battling in this May’s Avengers: Infinity War. For Thor, we can only hope he has his eye on the prize for what will be the ultimate test of the MCU and its plentiful heroes.

Special Features: Audio commentary / Intro from Taika Waititi / Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – The Evolution of Heroes / Five featurettes / Team Darryl short / 8-bit sequences / Deleted scenes / Gag reel

THOR: RAGNAROK / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: TAIKA WAITITI / SCREENPLAY: ERIC PEARSON, CRAIG KYLE, CHRISTOPHER YOST / STARRING: CHRIS HEMSWORTH, MARK RUFFALO, CATE BLANCHETT, TOM HIDDLESTON, JEFF GOLDBLUM / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

On the one year anniversary of the death of their two daughters, Rose (Cari Moskow) and Albert (Reid Doyle) start to be besieged by strange goings-on in their house, which isn’t helped by Rose’s inability to properly grieve for her children.

The Terrible Two doesn’t really know what kind of horror film it wants to be. Is it a ghost story? A demon siege? A possession movie? A cult murder conspiracy? In the end, it settles for them all and is the worse off for it. Starting with ghostly goings on it starts throwing more things into the mix, muddying the waters with things that don’t make sense (including an old manuscript found in the attic with a shockingly click-baitey introductory paragraph) and divert from a good central narrative. The film makes effective use of its one location to work within its budget constraints but throws too many plot elements around in an attempt to keep things interesting during its running time.

The main cast struggle, with acting that’s solid at best and often much worse. They aren’t helped by a script that offers them little tangible humanity to work with. Albert is a father of two fairly recently deceased daughters but acts as if their pet died rather than his own offspring. There’s potential here, the struggling grief-stricken mother and strain on the marriage could play into the unreliable narrative and a couple overcoming hardship but the film never aims for that, instead, it’s happy to tread the waters of standard seen-it-before direct-to-DVD horror. Moskow has more to work with as Rose, but the film can never decide on whether she’s going through extreme grief or her actions are the result of possession.

The supporting cast fares better. Devin McGee as Dr Connor makes for a compelling concerned friend who goes some way to selling the large amount of exposition that he’s saddled with and makes you wish he’d played Albert. Donny Boaz as estate agent Fred puts up a good show handling the compassionate friend but with an ominous secret. Tracy McMullan makes a memorable if largely pointless appearance as Nebula, committing to a quite over the top character that feels a bit like she’s from a different film but is all the more entertaining for it. The two daughters don’t get much to do but their masks are effectively designed and could have conjured some chills in more secure directorial hands.

The Terrible Two struggles to find its footing, pulled apart by horror tropes, dodgy acting and unrealistic characters.

THE TERRIBLE TWO / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: BILLY LEWIS / STARRING: DONNY BOAZ, CARI MOSKOW, REID DOYLE, DEVIN MCGEE / RELEASE DATE: TBC

It’s about time someone checked in on the King of the Apes. While the Avengers have been assembling and Superman and the various members of the Justice League have been desperately trying to whip themselves into shape, poor old Greystoke has long fallen from favour. Even Hercule Poirot saw a bit of a resurgence last year. When was the last time anyone really cared about Tarzan? No, George of the Jungle doesn’t count, and 2016’s The Legend of Tarzan was hardly a raging success.

His fans are still out there though, and this documentary lovingly checks in on the original superhero for an in-depth look at his many adventures since his creation by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A number of the most important movie, TV and comic book adaptations are covered here, from early inception to the most modern. Tarzan may be going through something of a lull, no longer cool in this day and age, but you wouldn’t know it from this celebratory look at the character, his history and how he’s changed over the years. The film comes loaded with plenty of clips from previous adaptations (most notably the 2016 movie, and 1984’s Greystoke). Previous Tarzans pop up as talking heads too, giving Christopher Lambert fans a much-needed fix in these dire times of Lambert scarcity.

Everyone involved is captured on fine form, and there are some great anecdotes here; especially where the older films are concerned, Ron Ely discussing that one time he straight-up fought a tiger for his scenes in the 1966 TV series. If anything, the glasses are a little too rose-tinted at times, the socio-political context of the character and modern reception glossed over in an all-out celebration with no room to examine why audiences seem to have called time on this iteration of Tarzan for now. As if to illustrate the point, TV’s Wolf Larson laughs about the time he kept pushing a monkey off a chair, and blonde-haired, blue-eyed walking (barely), talking White Saviour Narrative Alexander Skarsgård rescues grateful helpless slaves from a train. Nobody needs a celebratory Tarzan documentary to spend most of its time unpacking how ‘#problematic’ some Tarzan stories can be, but Tarzan Revisited doesn’t address the African Elephant in the room.

Also not addressed: Disney’s Tarzan or George of the Jungle. Presumably due to rights issues, there’s no sign of Tarzan’s most famous modern movie, nor his comedic spin-off. Robert de Young’s approach to this is by not acknowledging their existence at all, creating another distracting void in an otherwise comprehensive documentary.

Tarzan Revisited could have delved further, but what is covered here satisfies. There are plenty of clips from the movies discussed, most effectively used in a tremendous action montage and a surprisingly erotic dissection of the time Tarzan Turned Sexy. Fans should enjoy the good cheer and celebratory element of the proceedings, while newbies may find themselves assembling quite the to-watch list. It even nearly makes The Legend of Tarzan look worthwhile. Nearly.

TARZAN REVISITED / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: ROBERT DE YOUNG / SCREENPLAY: ERIC ELLENA, ROBERT DE YOUNG / STARRING: LYDIE DENIER, RON ELY, SCOTT TRACY GRIFFIN, CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT, CASPER VAN DIEN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (AUSTRALIA), TBC (UK)

Given Pixar’s perfect trilogy of Toy Story, it is a major challenge to see any other toy-based animation raise the roof with audiences, but more discerning children will be out to share in the excitement of whatever is out there in the home entertainment marketplace.

Created as a reboot of the very popular toy collection by Hasbro, My Little Pony: The Movie was conceived as an update and is based partly on a television series, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which to date has run for seven seasons totalling 169 episodes so far. The toys themselves have been in existence since 1981 and remain as commercial as ever, alongside Hasbro’s other key successes like Transformers and G.I. Joe.

I can safely say that anything I comment on here is irrelevant, as this is certainly going to be a critic-proof item that parents will snap up for demanding daughters and will certainly go a long way to helping to restore faith in content based on the toys. There is much appeal for the demographic it is aimed at and the colourful animation will hold the attention of the petite audience.

All is well in the land of Equestria and head of the ‘Marie 6’ Ponies, Princess Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) is overseeing the first-ever Festival of Friendship. However, it isn’t long before bad ‘un Tempest (Emily Blunt) arrives with henchmen – a tortured unicorn with a broken horn who is intent on spoiling the party by acquiring all the magical ponies under orders from the Storm King (Live Schreiber) to harness their power for his supremely powerful staff. Cue an adventure into the great unknown, as Twilight and gang seek out a solution to the evil doings that threaten to destroy their home…

As it stands, this is a pretty bog-standard animation adventure, with a tradition well rooted in classic Disney fare like 101 Dalmations and The Rescuers. Simple morals and messages hold true throughout and for very young girls, it is the perfect viewing experience. The style of animation lends itself to Fantasia with vibrant colours and textures and in its Blu-Ray edition fills the plasma with lots of light and shadow. It’s not going to win any major awards, but as an extension of the very successful TV series, it ticks all the boxes, with another series due for transmission in 2018 according to online reports.

There are some enticing special features, with interviews with the likes of Emily Blunt and Liev Schreiber about the concepts and characterisation and these will add some appeal to curious youngsters eager to take their first steps in learning about the joys of animated filmmaking.

One more for the youngsters and fans than critics.

MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: JAYSON THIESSEN / SCREENPLAY: MEGHAN MCCARTHY, RITA HSIAO, MICHAEL VOGEL / STARRING: UZO ADUBA, ASHLEIGH BALL, ADAM BENGIS, EMILY BRUNT / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

It seems like only yesterday that James Wan and Leigh Whannel’s Saw was taking the world of horror by storm, kicking the genre square in the backside as it shook up the game. Believe it or not, that was 14 years ago. One-four! Yep, it seems like only a bloody yesterday, but the first film in this famed horror franchise was released in 2004; itself developed from a 2003 short put together from Wan and Whannell. Fast forward to 2017, and the eighth – yes, eighth! – in the series adorned the silver screen, and now a new boxset release has been put together to include this octad of terror-laced, blood-spattered efforts. So, let’s take a look at what’s on offer as we explore what the twisted Jigsaw Killer has dished up so far.

To go in to the specific plot details of each film would fill way, way more than the word count afforded to this review. So, we should do our best to quickly summarise the loose premise and plot for those of you who’ve been under a rock when it comes to one of modern horrors most well revered franchises.

The franchise, of course, is centred around Tobin Bell’s John Kramer, aka the aforementioned Jigsaw Killer. Having constructed various games and devices through his twisted logic of giving wrongdoers the chance to cleanse themselves of their sins and to literally fight for their very existence, the Saw series sees Jigsaw and his apprentices put a whole bunch of poor souls through the wringer – with death itself even unable to keep Kramer down!

Like any franchise, the Saw series is one littered with hits and misses. Undoubtedly, that first 2003 movie was a shot in the arm for the horror genre, with its clever scripting and delicate unravelling making it a standout of modern horror. That picture would end with a huge twist, and the series itself has followed suit in every outing so far, with plot twists and shocking reveals a staple of each and every Saw film to date. In fact, the final 15 minutes of each film is usually reserved for a ‘let us explain what’s really happened here’ reveal that’s akin to an extremely gory and brutal Scooby-Doo ending. And much like the quality of each film has varied, so too has the bloodshed on show. While certain instalments have veered towards torture porn territory with excessive violence and gratuitously garish kills, the more well-received efforts in the franchise have largely been the efforts that have reined it on the gore front, instead focussing more on tension and clever storytelling. To be fair, that’s something that the most recent in the franchise – Jigsaw – did its best to try and do; with that film aiming for a more compelling narrative rather than spewing out gnarly brutality for the sake of gnarly brutality. The end result seeing Jigsaw as one of the better outings for the franchise, even if it doesn’t get particularly close to hitting the standard of the first two films.

Where the special features of this new boxset are concerned, plentiful is an understatement. Sure, the majority of the bonus content was previously seen on the last Saw boxset, but a true highlight of this new boxset release is the 90-minute documentary included as part of Jigsaw’s inclusion in this set. That doc looks as Jigsaw’s place in the puzzle, and nicely harks back to the franchise as a whole and how the early roots of the series influenced this latest outing.

When it comes down to it, the individual Saw movies are obviously the same as they were when they first came out. What you liked about them then, you’ll like about them now. What turned you off then will still turn you off now. For Jigsaw – which hit cinemas last Halloween – we have a slightly different beast that tries to return more to the ideals that got this franchise to the dance, and it’s certainly a welcome addition to the series. If you’re a fan of modern horror, Saw is likely your franchise. As such, this latest boxset will make a perfect addition to your collection.

Special Features: Audio commentaries / I Speak for the Dead: The Legacy of Jigsaw documentary / Featurettes / Video diaries / Music videos / Deleted scenes / Trailers

SAW: THE LEGACY COLLECTION / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: TOBIN BELL, SHAWNEE SMITH, MARK HOFFMAN, BETSY RUSSELL, CARY ELWES, DONNIE WAHLBERG, DINA MEYER / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26TH

To many of you out there, the mere mention of The Dark Crystal will conjure up childhood memories from a far simpler time. Innocent, good natured, and delivered with a warmth and charm that made it stand out from the pack, this is a film that has stayed with many a genre fan since it was first released back in 1982. And now, this childhood favourite is getting a swanky new 4K release that may or may not have been nicely timed to coincide with the Dark Crystal TV series that’s planned to premiere later this year.

In terms of plot, the basic premise of The Dark Crystal ultimately revolves around a young hero who is tasked with finding a legendary relic. What’s at stake if said artefact can’t be found? Oh, y’know, just the fate of the entire universe. Taking place in a truly wondrous realm that showcases the imagination and creative genius of the minds behind it, The Dark Crystal didn’t take long to become thought of as a classic of its day as Geflings and Skeses became commonplace terms on the school playground.

Of course, there’s a ridiculously good chance that you’re well aware of The Dark Crystal and its charms. As such, the main appeal of this new release revolves around what added sauce it has to mark it out above the plentiful previous releases of Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s famed 1982 favourite. On that front, the obvious major difference is the new 4K restoration. Never has The Dark Crystal felt so vibrant and alive, with the meticulously clear 4K transfer allowing for every single piece of detail from Henson, Oz, Brian Proud and their team to be observed in unmatched clarity. This opens up a whole new world for The Dark Crystal, with viewers able to fully appreciate the master craftmanship that went in to designing the characters and locales which make up this magical world.

Elsewhere, the one new piece of bonus material is The Myth, Magic and Henson Legacy featurette. While this is only just over ten minutes in length, it is a fascinating watch as it looks back on the production of The Dark Crystal and its lasting legacy – complete with input from Lisa Henson (daughter of Jim) and Terry Proud (son of iconic designer Brian). For those hoping for information on the upcoming The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance TV show, however, there’s no mention of that prequel series anywhere on this release. Still, there is a huge amount of other special features included, though. As alluded to, the rest of the features have already been included on previous releases of the film, but it’s the 4K transfer and The Myth, Magic and Henson Legacy that are the main selling points here.

The Dark Crystal is well and truly a classic of its time, and it’s a classic that’s most certainly stood the test of time. A heart-warming tale for the ages, this childhood favourite of yesteryear has never looked better, and this is a release that should certainly be on the must-have list for longtime fans of this iconic 1982 effort.

Special Features: All-new The Myth, Magic and Henson Legacy featurette / The World of the Dark Crystal documentary / Audio commentary with Brian Froud / Reflections of The Dark Crystal featurette / Storyboard track / Original Skeksis language scenes / Deleted scenes / Photo galleries / Trailers / 30-page booklet

THE DARK CRYSTAL: ANNIVERSARY EDITION / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: JIM HENSON, FRANK OZ / SCREENPLAY: DAVID ODELL / STARRING: STEPHEN GARLICK, LISA MAXWELL, BILLIE WHITELAW, PERCY EDWARDS, BARRY DENNEN, JIM HENSON, FRANK OZ / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 5TH

Ozploitation is a subgenre hardly given enough recognition. There have been many fine examples, but more often than not some gems have been swept away in a wave of political correctness. Occasionally, they are recognised (by people such as Quentin Tarantino in the excellent documentary Not Quite Hollywood, for example) and that leads to rediscovery, which is what has happened with this new HD transfer from Umbrella of a forgotten eighties Aussie classic that ticks all the boxes of what we’ve come to expect from Down Under.

If your appreciation of Australian cinema begins and ends with Mad Max, you might be pleased to hear that souped-up cars play a role somewhat in Fair Game. Indeed, the catalyst for the events that unfold is a dangerous bout of road rage, dismissed by the perpetrators as ‘high jinks’. The unfortunate victim here is Jessica (Delaney), who looks after the nature reserve and dabbles in a little bit of painting. The offenders are a bunch of hunters who’ve been supplying the local businesses with kangaroo carcases. Jessica suspects they may be trespassing on her reserve and killing her animals, but the local police won’t get involved without evidence.

When Jessica has the sass to stand her ground at the trio, particularly when they set up camp within her grounds, a tit-for-tat battle begins with each side attempting to rattle the other enough for them to give in. Jessica welding the group’s rifles into a work of surreal art is the final straw, though, and they take their fun and games too far; moving from dumping a dead ‘roo in her car to stripping her and mounting her as a hood ornament on their monstrous truck. Enough is enough, and she takes a stand to rid her place of the foul team.

Fair Game is arguably pitched between Straw Dogs and Wake in Fright, with the obnoxious poachers running riot for the most part, but getting their comeuppance in fine style. Oddly for the predominately sexist Australian cinema at the time, it’s a very strong feminist film. Much like I Spit on Your Grave, in which the female victim must stand up to her oppressors in whatever extreme fashion that may be, the protagonist in Fair Game is left alone without any outside help for the most part. She will only be able to protect herself and home by using her own courage and ingenuity.

The villainous, utterly unlikeable, trio show as little respect for the law as they do for the animals they slaughter for personal gain. Whether it’s the ‘ocker’ culture or pure malice, they invade Jessica’s nature reserve knowing full well that the authorities will not intervene. We feel her frustration as much as her humiliation and anger at the situation, and it’s this empathy that propels the film above the usual exploitation tropes.

It’s an often tense and terrible drama that leaves us in no doubt who to root for and gives us no pleasure in the horrendous crimes committed. Beautifully shot and making the most of the Outback location, had it not had the occasional scene that takes place in the town, it could easily be mistaken for post-apocalyptic in scope.

The Australian Blu-ray release (multi-region should you wish to import it) is a great package, too. With both contemporary interviews and location shots and recent retrospective interviews (many offcuts from the aforementioned Ozsploitation documentary), there is plenty to dive into and enjoy. It’s well worth checking out.

FAIR GAME (1986) / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: MARIO ANDREACCHIO / SCREENPLAY: ROB GEORGE / STARRING: CASSANDRA DELANEY, PETER FORD, DAVID SANDFORD, GARRY WHO, DON BARKER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Everyone has that one film. That one film you were far too young to see. That one film that invariably forced a small Malteser shaped poo into your nine-year-old self’s Doctor Who/Star Wars/He-Man/Rainbow Bright pants. Whether it be staying up late with a mum or dad to watch RoboCop, Alien or (god forbid) Harley Davidson and the Marlborough Man, these are undoubtedly the films that awoke that dormant spirit in you that now consumes every piece of genre entertainment it can lay its ever discerning mitts on. These illicit childhood viewings made us.

For many, one such film is Wishmaster. The premise is simple. A Djinn from the farthest stretches of time is brought to the present day by some funky gem based shenanigans, intent on granting three wishes to the poor soul that unleashed him in order that his hordes of minions can wreak hell on earth. It’s that simple. There are no twists to speak of and the dialogue itself is as ripe as a ball of stilton kept in a pair of old socks. The direction is pretty poor too, with the same style and aesthetic as a first series episode of Buffy.

The acting follows this trend, aside from Andrew Divoff as the Djinn, who chows down on the scenery like it’s his last meal. True, he may look like a Power Rangers villain, but we won’t hold that against him.

Somehow, though, through all this Wishmaster is a joy to behold. It’s a perennial worry that revisiting a movie like this can be an exercise in nostalgia-fuelled disappointment, but Wishmaster stands up based on its sheer energy alone. It’s a film that knows it is ridiculous. It knows it isn’t high-brow and embraces its failings in script and performance. The kills are inventive, bloody and for the most part entirely practical. There are a plethora of cameos from horror icons, including one Mister Tony Todd and a certain Kane Hodder.

It is because it doesn’t aim to be clever, or attempt to be a genre classic that makes it a genre classic. This is a date night movie. This is Friday night after the pub movie. This is a horror and a comedy. This is something to watch with your mates. It is a film that will leave you grinning like a fool.

While it would be remiss to place it up there with the likes of Alien or RoboCop, not all of us were fortunate enough to discover this world of the weird and wonderful through the ‘classics’. Instead, some of us started our journey with Wishmaster and through its unbridled sense of silliness; it is our ‘classic’, our entrance to the genre. What more could we wish for?

WISHMASTER (1997) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: ROBERT KURTZMAN / SCREENPLAY: PETER ATKINS / STARRING: TAMMY LAUREN, ANDREW DIVOFF, ROBERT ENGLUND / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26TH