Mel's back. These two words reverberate across Edge Of Darkness, Martin Campbell's US update of his brit TV series. The film sees the triumphant return of Mel Gibson after his messy divorce and DUI, and its a very welcome return. A bog standard conspiracy thriller lacking the panache of its forebear, Edge Of Darkness is elevated by an intense performance from old hand Gibson. Sure it's the usual 'mad Mel' shtick he's been using since Lethal Weapon but the truth is, no one does mad like Mel. Piledriving his way through the film, his man on a mission has purpose, ferocity and a thousand yard stare that could stop Big Ben. Lets hope he's here to stay this time.
I'm a sucker for Greek myth, Gods and monsters just float my boat. So when I heard of Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief I wasn't immediately put off by the obvious similarities to a certain other franchise, I just wanted to see Hollywoods latest take on all things Olympian.
The film is hugely enjoyable, with Chris Columbus cutting loose after a dry patch which funnily enough started with Harry Potter. The story is engaging, the cast is perfect (a mix of brit thesps like Kevin Mckidd and choice yank cuts like Catherine Keener) and the action suitably grand (with some added crunchy fight scenes). The most immpresive thing about Percy Jackson is that unlike its title, the film doesn't frequently remind you of the boy wizard adventures, instead coming into it's own and setting itself apart as fun and fresh franchise opener. More of this please.
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