The Last Legion (2007)
Dec 31, 2008Historical Adventure/Arthurian Origins
A not uninteresting historical epic from Dino de Laurentiis that merges the tale of the deposed last emperor of Rome into the beginnings of the Arthurian legends
Nonso Anozie
Nanny McPhee & the Big Bang (2010)
Sep 16, 2010Magical Nanny
I never much cared for Nanny McPhee. This is a sequel that replicates the original in fairly much the same amount mix of plot elements, slapstick sequences and nonsensical absurdism
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
Sep 9, 2011Sword and Sorcery
This revival of Conan the Barbarian is a dismal effort that gets little of what made the character work, while Jason Momoa gives little impression he is taking proceedings seriously
Ender’s Game (2013)
Nov 2, 2013Space Military Recruits in Training
I will defend Orson Scott Card as an exceptional science-fiction writer, his controversies aside. While this is an extremely faithful adaptation of his book, it works unevenly as a film and never soars dramatically
Cinderella (2015)
Mar 14, 2015Fairytale Adaptation
Live-action remake of the Disney animated film. This varies little from the well-worn elements of the story to the point of over-familiarity but director Kenneth Branagh manages a lush and beautifully staged effort
Pan (2015)
Nov 1, 2015Peter Pan Origin Story
Ostensibly a Peter Pan prequel and origin story, this is a massively over-produced turkey – colossally scaled effects set-pieces, everything obtrusively arranged to pop out at us in 3D – that seems to completely miss the innocent charms that the original story had
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2016)
Aug 1, 2017Modernised Shakespeare Adaptation
Adaptation of the Shakespeare play about fairy enchantments by Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies. Davies goes with a standard interpretation alongside radical reinvention - Athens as a fascist dictatorship
Artemis Fowl (2020)
Jun 20, 2020Young Adult/Child Genius vs the Magical Underworld
Adaptation of the popular Young Adult series about a twelve-year-old super-villain and his adventures with assorted magical creatures. Audiences hated this but I though it overspilled with a madcap creativity