It’s been a while since the last dystopian futuristic sci-fi fantasy in which pretty teens are oppressed by a fascist adult state. To satiate fans of that genre we now have The Darkest Minds, an adaptation of Alexandra Bracken’s young adult novel. The film takes us into an unspecified future where a strange malady has caused some children to develop
Read moreCargo is an Australian post-apocalyptic zombie film and while that concept might elicit groans from some people Cargo doesn’t always subscribe to horror convention and instead transforms a familiar scenario into a potent human drama reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and confronting allegory of Australia’s racially divided landscape. The film sees husband and wife Andy (Martin freeman) and Kay (Susie
Read moreA strange mash-up of M Night Shyamalan’s better work and Meet the Parents, the socially perceptive, comedy-inflected horror film Get Out is an impressive directorial debut for Jordan Peel. Here, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) is the boyfriend nervously heading to a first encounter with his girlfriend’s parents. He’s particularly anxious because his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) hasn’t mentioned to
Read moreWith their emphasis on cgi spectacle and their failure to reproduce the wonderful indelible characters and philosophical story lines that made the TV series (particularly the original and the Next Generation) such a success, the Star Trek reboot films have often been an empty experience. The latest instalment in the series, Star Trek: Beyond is much the same although a
Read moreTomorrowland, which stars George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie is based on the Disneyland exhibit of the same name. Adapting an amusement park concept to the big screen generally produces diabolical results; Pirates if the Caribbean anyone? Tomorrowland is even more confused and convoluted than anything in the Pirates franchise but it is occasionally a visually spectacular sci-fi adventure.
Read moreInsurgent is the second instalment in that other dystopian, post-apocalyptic young adult series, Divergent. For those unfamiliar with the saga, it follows the standard template for the young adult adventure genre: sensitive but feisty teen girl Triss (Shailene Woodley) becomes a freedom fighter battling an oppressive government and it’s smug leader, the ice cold Jeanine (Kate Winslet) and hooks up
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