Wall-E has arrived, and the genius of Pixar is declared once again. A simple yet multi-layered tale of a U certificate robot love on post-apocalyptic earth, it’s the silent first half hour that really has the critics rhapsodising. The Times (4-stars) calls the film a “magical animation” while the Guardian (4-stars) says it’s “an exquisitely rendered piece of work.” Over at Empire it’s 5-stars, describing the film as the “most ambitious undertaking since Toy Story and storytelling of such charm and visual wit that it can stand proudly alongside the studio’s best. Absolute heaven.”
British horror film Donkey Punch is, as The Times puts it in a 2-star review, a “sort of fabulously deranged British horror thriller”. A group of girls on holiday end up on a yacht with some public schoolboys and before you know it there are lashings of sex and gory violence. A predictably outraged Daily Mail critic describes it as “the vilest film I’ve ever seen” which for many people will work as an endorsement. A less hysterical Guardian gives 3-stars saying it’s “expertly made and painfully tense; a bracing cold snap blowing in off the ocean.”
City of Men is an official spin-off from the phenomenal City Of God, so expectations are high but unfortunately the reviews are very underwhelming. The Guardian (2-stars) calls it “perfectly serviceable – but it wants for freshness and vitality.” The Times (2-stars) says there’s “a nervy energy to the storytelling, but none of the subtle shading that made City of God so impressive.”
Meet Dave has The Independent asking the pertinent question “how has Eddie Murphy managed to carve such a long career out of so many terrible movies?” He hasn’t made a good movie in decades. The film gets 1-star. The Guardian (also 1-star) simply states “Avoid Dave”.
Next week, as you might have heard, The Dark Knight opens. At this stage all you need to know is that the reviews are really good. Now just try and avoid the insane levels of hype and endless exclusive clips and trailers that might possibly spoil it for you.
By James Bryan
