Pete Messum Reviews...

So, the third and last film in The Matrix trilogy was released ten years ago this year, and after watching the motion picture, I couldn't help but think of it as one of the most flawed conclusions to a film series ever made. The Matrix (1999) was a fantastic film, with a unique style, score and action sequences, and is a film I would strongly recommend if you haven't seen it. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) was an enjoyable film, even if the plot made little sense, at least it would all be tied up in the final film... The Matrix Revolutions has barely any plot, and while the last films' ending was unclear, it was a cliffhanger ending with 'to be concluded' written into the end credits. So, why is everything set up in the previous film ignored? The man that Agent Smith possesses - Bane - escapes the ship on which he was rescued onto and has a brutal fight with Neo and Trinity. But why? And how does he posses the guy in the first place? There are many things that make n...

So, the eagerly awaited 'Man of Steel' has at long last come to cinemas. It has already been granted a sequel (rumoured to be released late next year!) and a full, DC Universe film series (huh?) after it earned lots of money on its opening weekend at the box office. This does seem a little strange after 'Superman Returns' was a box office flop, but in the light of 'The Dark Knight' trilogy, it seems that this film was going to do well, as it has a similar tone and is made by the same people. The story has a unique structure, and it is clear that this structure is a Marmite structure - you'll either like it or hate it. I quite like it, myself. It gives the film a unique and interesting structure, and by the end you do know Kal-El's story, so it isn't flawed. The film itself sets up the differences between the cultures of Krypton and Earth very well, and Krypton itself looks amazing. It opens with Kal-El's birth, Zod's imprisonment and Krypton...

So, as one of Sylvetser McCoy's most popular stories, and Classic Doctor Who's last, how does 'Survival' hold up? Not well, anyway. The story is simple: people are being snatched away by the Cheetah People to a remote and desolate planet, where the Master is trying to avoid being possessed by the planet. With this simple(ish) premise, you'd think we'd get a really good and fascinating episode, but no. This story is very much modern Doctor. Ace returning home to the 'Present Day' and dealing with the effects of her travels with the Doctor, and with a good percentage of the story being set in 'Present Day' Earth. Ace is a very interesting companion in this story, and her character clearly evolves after her experiences with Karra. She doesn't even scream in this story, showing a less 'stereotypical' Doctor Who companion, and is a compelling character to watch. The Seventh Doctor is great and at his best. He has a clear darker side and...

So, after the very successful first two films, not including his Avengers appearance, Iron Man 3 has been expected for a long time. Iron Man was the first film of 'The Avengers: Phase One' so Iron Man 3 is the first film in 'The Avengers: Phase Two'. While Iron Man was brilliant, Iron Man 2 was just pretty good. There was very little that stood out in this film, and there were many areas that felt either forced, de ja vu and just pointless. It wasn't bad - no, that was Captain America. This film, however, is very different to its predecessors and the other Avengers films, so it is really hard to review. The film has Tony Stark narrating his life story from 1999 to now, and if you can sit through the entire credits (the music is quite cool) you will see that he has been talking to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), AKA the Hulk, which is good as the two became friends in the Avengers Assemble and Stark appeared at the very end of The Incredibly Hulk. Tony in this film is ...

So, Neil Gaiman returns to write Doctor Who! OK, lets get the bad stuff out of the way. The kids were quite...knaff. Artie was a bit posh, for some reason, and Angie was really, really annoying. The episode felt a little too cut at points as well - apparently it was cut-down dramatically. Hopefully an extended version will come out one day. Now, to the good stuff. The Captain was a character I hated, but she got killed by a Cyberman, so yay! The Cybermites were clever and creative creations. They showed how futuristic this story was - they were a replacement for Cybermats, which made sense. The continuity in this episode was great: Cybus Cybermen; Cyberplanner; Cybermats; Mondas; Gold; Cleaning fluid; Cyber tombs; Cyber Wars; and previous Doctors and regeneration. Well, Neil Gaiman likes the Cybermen more than Russell T Davies that's for sure. While previously the Daleks and Ice Warriors were indestructible, the Cybermen now are, which is GREAT! I don't know why people are c...

Written by Mark Gatiss, this story follows Vastra, Strax and Jenny as they investigate strange goings on in Sweetville - a village made to withstand the coming 'apocalypse'; only the best are for Sweetville. This is as close as we'll get to a spin-off featuring the Paternoster Gang for quite a while, so lets focus on them. The first third of the episode is focussed on their investigations, but the other two third less so, when the Doctor is found. Strax was very entertaining in this episode and clearly Dan Starkey is having a whale of a time playing this character. The way he behaves is like a Sontaran, but clearly not an ordinary Sontaran, as that would have insulted many fans. Gatiss does not touch on Strax's 'death' which is a nice touch. I still think its odd that "Demon's Run: Two Days Later" has not been released on the Doctor Who website or on the new Series 7 Part 2 DVD (as far as I know), and when you watch it, it isn't that great. Oh...

The follow-up to Star Trek (2009), Into Darkness follows Kirk (Chris Pine) as he goes on a manhunt to find John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). As a basic story, it works perfectly. The characters in this film have much more believable and interesting motives than in the previous film. In fact, the characters are overall written much better in this film than the last. Kirk is no longer an utter ***** but is a bit more of an enjoyable but reckless character. He gets so much more to do as a character and Chris Pine does a fantastic job. Spock is also better-written, but his humour is dull to say the least. His motivations at the end, however, were perfectly played and well-executed. Uhura was also better written, although she still is nowhere near my favourite character. Pike also has a bit more to do in this movie and it is because of him that the movie goes the way it does. Now, the next part of the review contains huge spoilers for the film, so don't read if you haven't seen...