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A few years ago, after the moderately successful Prince Caspian, the House of Mouse decided that C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series was not profitable enough. Two years later, however, and Aslan and co are back courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. Whilst there is a certain nobility in Fox’s faithful continuation of the story (almost all the cast remains unchanged) there is nothing to say that this latest instalment will break the mould by besting its predecessors box office performance.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third of C.S. Lewis’ biblically infused books sees the younger fifty percent of the Pevensie kids once again transported to Narnia, this time through, what is to all intense and purposes, a well tech magic eye picture. Along with their less pioneering cousin Eustace played by Son of Rambow’s Will Poulter, Lucy and Edmund are reunited with the now King Caspian who has set sail on the titular vessel in search of seven of his father’s most trusted advisers.

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For all the talk of the most “awesome action cast ever assembled”, The Expendables is in truth just the Stallone and Statham show. The closing quotation marks in the poster below should really be traded for an asterix containing the key “may Contain traces of Willis and Schwazenegger”. But off-cutting the disappointment of feeling slightly jipped once again by marketing bodies, The Expendables makes up for it in almost every other department. A throwback to old school action? Sir, yes sir. Men flying through the air riding on the back of big explosions? Affirmative. A man on fire being punched in the face in what can only be a homage to the thwarted Glasgow Airport Attacks? Aye and thrice aye.

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Almost ten years ago now, a green ogre called Shrek first appeared on our screens, turning traditional fairy tales on their head with their modern, tongue in cheek reinvention of the genre that allowed both kids and adults to enjoy them.  The result was a funny and inventive smash. Shrek 2, the follow up, was arguably even better, but then the franchise ground to a shuddering halt in the mind achingly awful disaster that was Shrek the Third. So where now for the 4^th (and presumably final) instalment?

The answer is to return the start, Back to the Future style. Or It’s A Wonderful Life, if you were born before 1981 or watch films at Christmas. And the result is pretty good – if not exactly a return to form, it’s a damn sight better than Shrek The Third and is genuinely enjoyable to watch.  

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I used to be the type of person who just didn’t do horror films. I was squeamish and petrified with fear at the thought of watching them. I glimpsed a bit of the original Nightmare on Elm Street when I was young and couldn’t sleep without a crucifix near the bed for quite some time. Then I did something both brave and foolish, I watched the 1974 Texas Chain Saw Massacre, by myself at night, in my mid teens. It freaked me out so much I had to watch Austin Powers afterwards for some comic relief, but, since then, my horror film capability has changed.

Now, I have watched many a horror film and thought “That was a bit cheesy”, “That is what they’re afraid of?” and (in a sarcastic tone) “Wow. Didn’t see that coming!” Obviously there are a few exceptions to this rule, but I find that most of these exceptions tend to be filmic contributions from countries where English is not the first (or only) language. This leads me nicely to [REC] 2.

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