The Inbetweeners movie (2011)

Certificate: 15

Director: Ben Palmer.

Starring: James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas, Simon Bird

Synopsis: Will, Simon, Jay and Neil are back. After 3 hugely successful series, and a final day at school, the boys are back. This time, they head off to Malia in search of an epic last-hurrah before they head their separate ways to university. But, with Simon bumping into the ex that broke his heart, and they boys meeting a group of girls that are perfect for them (even if they don’t know it) hilarity and classic inbetweener comedy ensues on the big screen.

Pro’s

Con’s

The plot, whilst a little clichéd, works perfectly for the characters. The classic Inbetweeners comedy transfers seamlessly onto the silver screen. And it comes at you thick and fast.(*Keep an eye out for the dance scene*) The film is funny to anyone, even those not familiar with the series. The acting from the 4 boys, as ever, is terrific. The filming style of the series combines with cinematic scale of the film effortlessly. Despite the humour being mostly crude and teen-targeted, there are many humorous and relatableobservations of British holiday customs that will translate to those of all ages.

Whilst the ending works, it seems rushed and almost as if it was reduced to make room for more poo and vagina jokes. The chemistry between some characters (Will and love-interest Alison) isn’t shown enough to be entirely believable.

Conclusion: Despite a few small problems, the film does exactly what it is expected to do – provides lots of crude, rude, and completely brilliant humour with a moral hear that sends off the boys in style – avoiding the TV-to-film traps (ahem, Kevin and Perry Go Large) and becoming one of the best, and certainly the most original, British teen comedy in years.

The good outweighs The bad: 91%

X -Men: First Class (2011)

Certificate: 12

Director: Matthew Vaughn.

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: In 1962, the US government, fighting the super-powered servants of a dictator hell-bent on starting World War III, enlist their own team of gifted mutants; Bringing together Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto), two of the greatest friends and most legendary enemies in the world.

Pro’s

Con’s

Fast paced action and short but effective personal stories work together seamlessly. Performances throughout the film are great, by Cinematic legends and New-comers alike. Visual effects, especially on Beast (NicholasHoult), are superb – specifically in his transformation scene. Each character has a story and is greatly unique and individual causing some light-hearted scenes and interesting relationships. Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw provides a realistically bond-esqe, and intimidating antagonist for the film. Beautifully shot in various locations around the world.

The mutant enemies felt underused and in the case of a few, barely even spoke. MichaelFassbender, despite an otherwise excellent performance, has an accent that varies and, whilst this was a creative choice due to his characters globe-trotting past, it proves to be fairly distracting in some instances. The class (excuse the pun) and style of Vaughn’s previous super-hero flick (Kick-ass) shine through, but the humour distracts from what could have been some much more packed and dramatic fight scenes.

Conclusion: Matthew Vaughn’s new and refreshing take on the origins of the X-men undoes all the mistakes of the franchises now rather antiqued and (in the case of X-3 and Wolverine) disappointing predecessors, and creates a perfect beginning for what could be a brand new saga in the X-men story. With James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender on top form as legendary ‘frenemies’ Charles and Magneto, and some light-hearted (but nonetheless action-packed) sequences, this film has clearly been made for both fans of the comics, and newcomers to the series as its few teething errors are easily shadowed by superhero story-telling at it’s best.

The good outweighs The bad: 85%