Movie Reviews: February 24

Feb 24 2008 Mickey McMonagle

RAMBO (18) ****

This film has far and away the highest kill count and gore factor of any Rambo movie, which tells you all you need to know.

John Rambo has retired from all things murderous and is living peacefully as a fisherman when he is dragged back into his old ways after a group of relief workers in Burma are kidnapped.

The only problem is, rickety old Rambo takes too much of a backseat, letting his band of mercenaries take centre stage in the killing stakes.Let's face it, it's Sly we want to see dishing out rough justice, not some random tough guys.

But it's still a Rambo movie and fans will lap up the chance to see the ultimate tough guy back on the big screen.

And when he does step up to the plate with an exploding arrow or heavy artillery gun, it's well worth waiting for. Great fun if you like a bit of exploding head action.

WAZ (18) ***

Another torture movie, this time with a message about human nature which is supposed to make the gore justifiable.

A pair of cops - Stellan Skarsgard and Melissa George - are hunting a twisted killer targeting innocent people who are in love with bad guys.

The latter are given the choice of which one of them lives or dies - and of course they all save their own skin,leading to a stack of unconnected bodies with weird symbols carved on them. Tough to watch at times.

U2 3D (E) *****

The future of live music for lazy people?

This is the music equivalent of football fans who prefer to watch games on TV at home rather than go along to the ground.

Here we have a taste of a potential future where gigs can be watched in cinemas in glorious 3D.Of course, 3D has come a long way since the days of that ludicrous Jaws movie and here it is used to superb effect, showing the staggering scale of the supergroup's recent Vertigo tour.

The band, renowned as a fine live outfit, come across brilliantly and the pioneering technology helps capture the mood of the show.

A must-see for fans.

Mickey McMonagle