This review contains spoilers.

2.8 Rose

We pick up with events where we left off in the last episode with Elena kidnapped, but the question is by who? Her captors turn out to be two vampires. The boys all struggle to figure out where Elena has been taken, and Bonnie does a tracking spell to find her.

Damon and Stefan take to the road to get her back. The brothers try and take part in some road trip bonding, but their common link, Elena, gets in the way.

Tyler suddenly has to keep his strength and werewolf skills in check, though it's not easy with Caroline keeping her information on his condition to herself. He breaks into her house and Caroline is forced to tell him that she is a vampire. They end up bonding and talking about everything.

Bonnie uses up too much of her power sending Elena a message, knocking herself out. She has been wearing herself out with all her magic use. Thankfully, the spell worked and Elena gets the message.

Elena is told by her captors that she is a Petrova doppleganger and that if she is killed, the sun and the moon curse will be broken. Also, Katherine herself was a doppelganger and the captors helped her escape her fate by turning her into a vampire.

The mysterious Elijah shows up for Elena, right as the boys arrive at the house. Elijah compels Elena to tell him where the moonstone is and also that Katherine is located with it. The Salvatore brothers kill Elijah and save Elena.

Stefan apologizes to Damon for forcing him to turn 145 years ago. Rose (Elena's former captor) comes to Stefan to let him know that the 'Originals' will come for Elena and that she wants to help him protect her.

The episode ends with Damon and Elena and he tells her that he loves her. Because he loves her, he can't be selfish with her, and his brother deserves her because he doesn't. He then compels her to forget everything he said.

Oh, and one last thing: Elijah isn't dead. Apparently, wooden stakes don't kill Originals.

Talk about an episode. We finally got to the bottom of the doppleganger issue that has been danced around all season. While I was shocked to find out that Elena is the key to the sun and moon curse (though what exactly that is, I'm still not exactly sure of), I wasn't expecting to find out that Katherine was once a doppleganger herself. I am interested to see where this news takes us in episodes to come.

I also enjoy what the writers are doing with Caroline and Tyler. I see good things for these two, except for when the full moon strikes and Caroline has to make sure that he doesn't bite and kill her. Their pairing is unexpected and I like that.

Another budding couple worth mentioning is Jeremy and Bonnie, and surprisingly, this duo has caused Jeremy to grow on me. In fact, the last few weeks have brought a more confident change for his character and I no longer find myself dreading seeing him on screen. I worry for Bonnie, though, as these nosebleeds and fainting will only bring bad things and eventually she could end up with the same fate as her grandmother.

Now, on to the short lived vampire duo. It was refreshing to meet some new vamps, especially ones that really invoke the true nature of vampirism. For a second there, I thought I was watching an episode of True Blood and, trust me, that's not a bad thing. I think that their delivery of the doppleganger curse was well timed. It's getting late in the first half of the season and I was beginning to wonder how long the writers were going to make us wait. Now that we know, we can move on to the real baddies, the Originals.

Speaking of, I for quite a bit of trouble ahead for the Salvatore brothers as well as everyone else in Mystic Falls. That trouble being in the form of the very angry, and not dead like they thought, Elijah.

It was good to see the Salvatores acting like brothers, working as a team, yet still spitting out oneliners. Stefan's apology to Damon was one of the standout moments in tonight's episode. I think I like it best when they work together, though that may or may not be about to change.

I wasn't exactly sure how to take Damon's message to Elena. Part of me feels like he really will do his best to let his brother have her, but part of me feels like it isn't in Damon's nature to be selfless, though I loved that scene, and I thought it was probably the sweetest and most genuine we will ever see Damon. Unless, of course, we end up in an alternative reality where Damon somehow gets the girl. Either way, the scene was beautifully done and I commend Nina Dobrev and especially Ian Somerhalder for their wonderful work.

All in all, Rose was a good set-up episode which will allow next week to begin with a bang. We got some answers, and we saw some good fighting, so, to me, it was a pretty good episode.

Now, hurry up next week so we can see the aftermath of these revelations.

Read our review of episode 7, Masquerade, here.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

2.7 Aerodynamics Of Gender

Feeling the need for a break from the butt-insulting, basketball-themed shenanigans that so occupy the boys, Shirley, Annie and Britta decide to take a women's studies class, and leave the boys to their symbolic balls. Abed, never quite as male as the rest of the group, girls included, and in desperate need of some female knowledge joins them, and despite their reservations, the women wholeheartedly embrace him when he turns out to be a bigger bitch than anyone could ever have guessed.

Yup, it's time for chick flicks to get it in the neck, as Community does Mean Girls 2: Harsh Times.

Packed to bursting with some of the greatest burns and put downs ever committed to celluloid, the girls and Abed spend the episode generally terrorising anyone that has the cheek to be breathing near them, after a particularly savage attack from guest star Hilary Duff sends them into a shame spiral.

Abed's unnatural talent for bitchery, or over-describing, as he so beautifully puts it, is framed by a throwaway reference to RoboCop, giving the Community crew license to extend the bitchery even further. The HUD that appears when he's in full swing is a genius touch, and if you happen to have a DVR or, say, a computer, and you're able to, pause the show whenever it appears. It's freakin' hilarious! Among other delights, it predicts the girl's menstrual cycles, and reminds the TV obsessive to record Cougartown. Did I mention this show is genius? 

It's true that the writers never tire of proving how smart and funny they are, and while the episode is pretty much an excuse to continue that trend, with put downs like "What do they call it when your back hair grows into your neck hair grows into your actual hair? Look it up because that's what you have" the showing off isn't just easily forgiven, it's totally encouraged.  They've clearly done their homework, and have fully understood the ‘if you've got nothing nice to say, come sit by me' ethos espoused by chick flick classic, Steel Magnolias.

Abed's wide-eyed innocence,  even while telling Hilary Duff it looks like she's smuggling a lime and a coconut, coupled with his gender, prevents the show from descending into a depressing treatise on how women treat each other, and instead puts the focus on everyone's insecurities and their capacity for forgiveness. But mostly it's about great put downs. Enjoy this episode to the full, because it's unlikely we'll ever see Abed in that light again.

Elsewhere, Jeff and Troy find a secret garden with a trampoline, a secret that they refuse to share with Pierce, leading to one of TV's most annoying characters breaking through the annoying wall to become straight up hateable. Frustrated by Jeff and Troy's almost transcendental trampoline-inspired state of mind, he goes out of his way to force them to share and, of course, kills the entire thing. Admittedly, Pierce's presence is purely to provoke, but still, it's a little much. He's like a spoiled toddler in an elderly and infirm body, and Troy sums it up perfectly when he tells Pierce he hates him. Even breaking both his legs just doesn't seem punishment enough for his ridiculous desperation.

Chevy Chase has made a career out of being annoying and with Pierce has clearly reached the apex of his career trajectory and is utterly convincing. Who's going to stop Pierce ODing? Hopefully, no one. And let's hope he takes the miniature pilot, otherwise known as Andy Dick, with him.

The Aerodynamics Of Gender is an episode of fantastic contradictions and role reversals, and as always, is well written, sharper than usual and, without doubt, hilarious, but there is one small problem, Senor Chang. In recent weeks the amazing Ken Jeong has been relegated to little more than a glorified commentator, a wrong thrown into sharp relief this week as his only involvement is that of the loudest member of the Ricky Lake audience, leading the chants and snaps, but having little or nothing to say.

We can but hope that Senor Chang will return to his rightful position as the creepiest, nastiest student Greendale has ever seen as soon as possible. Outside of the Chang dilemma, though, it's business as usual at Greendale, and for those about to bitch, we salute you!

Read our review of episode 6, Epidemiology, here.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

Poor old Predator. A classic action sci-fi movie from 1987, neither its 1990 sequel nor the unholy duo of Aliens Vs Predator movies could recapture its sweaty, tense spirit.

At the very least, producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimród Antal's belated franchise reboot has its heart in the right place, if not the budget. Shot on location in Hawaii, Texas, and in the back lot of Rodriguez's own Troublemaker production studio, Predators at last recaptures the original's atmosphere that has proved elusive for so long.

Correctly noting that the jungle is the natural habitat for Jim and John Thomas' alien hunter, Predators opens with a group of eight mercenaries freefalling onto a leafy, exotic planet. Among those dusting themselves off are special ops soldier Royce (an atypically gruff and wiry Adrien Brody), Israeli sniper Isabelle (Alice Braga), Mexican drug runner Cuchillo (Danny Trejo), meek doctor Edwin (Topher Grace), and several other trained killers and ex-convicts.

Showing strange echoes of Lost, Predators' opening moments shows its characters prowling around the jungle, getting on each other's nerves, and trying to work out exactly where they've ended up. In what could be a nod to Damon Lindelof, one character asks himself if he's in purgatory.

The reality, they soon learn, is that they've been dropped into a vast game reserve belonging to the Predators, and are doomed to be run to ground by their alien kidnappers. Clutching the weapons the Predators have thoughtfully provided, Royce and his band of fellow abductees frantically try to find a way to defeat their seemingly invincible, invisible hunters.

Written and shot like a love note to the original Predator, Antal's movie is, in places, dangerously close to a rehash. Lines and scenes from the first movie are quoted verbatim. One character carries a Gatling gun, just as Jesse Ventura did back in 1987. Alan Silvestri's unforgettable score makes a welcome return in slightly remixed form, as does Little Richard's rock and roll number, Long Tall Sally.

Fortunately, Antal is a competent enough director to make Predators something more than a pale imitation. The cast lacks the charismatic swagger of its predecessor, but Predators' performances are extremely good for a genre movie. Trejo is underused, but Topher Grace is excellent as the group's weakest link, and Laurence Fishburne turns in a brilliantly eccentric turn as a lone survivor who's been alone on the planet for far too long.

Brody may be a leftfield choice as a replacement for Arnold Schwarzenegger as the film's alpha male, but he brings quiet dignity to a role that other actors may have played with less sensitivity.

The lack of a genuine A-list star actually works in Predators favour, in fact. Without the mountain-like presence of Arnie, the film is more an ensemble piece like Alien or The Thing, and the survival of any particular character is by no means assured.

There are some great action scenes too, including a great samurai fight which is as fun as it is illogical.

But as those who saw the teaser trailers that appeared seemingly everywhere before its cinematic release can attest, Predators could be viewed as a bit of a cheat. The clip's most striking shot, that of Brody standing to attention as a flurry of laser sights materialised on his chest, implied that Predators was going to be full of, well, Predators, just as Aliens was full of aliens.

Instead, Predators offers up a measly three monsters for its heroes to contend with, a decision that may have been down to the film's comparatively meagre budget of $40 million, or perhaps because Rodriguez wanted to keep the numbers down in preparation for a larger-scale sequel.

Nevertheless, Predators is an entertaining, well-made film, and it's wise enough to throw in a few unexpected surprises among the numerous references to the 80s classic. It isn't in the same league as the original, inevitably, but that's perhaps because Predator's mixture of science fiction and macho war movie was so original, its macho script and wilfully over-the-top action almost perfectly pitched.

At the very least, Predators has been made with reverence for the original rather than as a cynical cash-in, and it is, at the very least, the best Predator film since John McTiernan's 1987 classic. Let's hope the inevitable sequel gets the kind of budget that can expand the franchise's scope a little more.

The Disc

In its earliest moments, Predators looks uncannily like a deep woods team building exercise, and I was almost hoping the Blu-ray would contain an alternate cut that revealed the aliens to be a group of corporate events organisers from outer space.

Instead, we get an unusually informative ‘making-of' featurette that shows how Antal and Rodriguez brought the Predator back to the big screen. Clocking in at just over half an hour, there's plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and frank interviews with the film's set and effects designers.

The featurette even pointed out something I'd missed in the dank chaos of the film itself - that the three Predators are completely distinct from one another. One's a dog handler, another's a falconer (which explains the awful, barely-seen CG flying thing in one of the film's scenes), and the last one's a so-called Black Predator, the deadliest of the lot.

Elsewhere, there are six deleted scenes, some mildly diverting motion comics, and several additional featurettes, including Moments Of Extraction, which introduces a little more backstory for each lead character, and a brief documentary about the creation of Predators' ‘hunting dogs' scene.

Then there's the feature commentary, in which Rodriguez and Antal discuss their work on the film. Rodriguez's enthusiasm for film is legendary, and together the pair make for entertaining, garrulous raconteurs.

The main feature itself looks great in high definition, the lush greens of its forests (and gallons of alien blood) shimmering against dark shadows.

The Film:
The Disc:

Predators is out now on Blu-ray and available from the Den Of Geek Store.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

It's the age-old story of superhero versus super villain, but with a twist. In the latest work from DreamWorks Animation, the twist is the point of view. In a normal superhero movie, the hero is the center of attention, but in Megamind, the star is the villain. The ‘hero' of our movie is a big-headed, blue-skinned, super genius villain named Megamind.

From a fractured planet comes forth a little pod containing a baby, Megamind (Will Ferrell), and his pet minion, Minion (David Cross). From a nearby planet comes the pod containing Megamind's future sworn enemy, Metro Man (Brad Pitt). From the first day of school, the two were natural rivals. Metro Man was the handsome one with all the powers, Megamind the blue freak from the nearby prison. Every hero needs a villain. Megamind decides to be that villain.

There's just one small problem: Megamind is not a successful villain. He's almost successful, for what that's worth, but he and Metro Man have gone through the motions so much that Megamind's plans are clichés, especially to Megamind's usual kidnapping victim, Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey). So, what happens when the villain finally wins one?

That's the central question behind Megamind, and the general catalyst for the entire film, which contains a variety of messages ranging from be careful what you wish for, you just might get it, to don't judge a book by its cover and everything in between. That's one of the problems of Megamind: it's a fun enough picture, but there's no scope to it.

In a way, it's not really fair to compare a DreamWorks Animation production with a Pixar, because they are not working in the same strata of film here. Pixar is producing some of the best works of film ever, while DreamWorks is merely putting out middling features, in my opinion (How To Train Your Dragon being the obvious exception). It's like Pixar's incredible feats have spoiled me, since, whenever I go into an animated picture now, I tend to hold it up to Pixar standards.

That's not to damn Megamind with faint praise because, as animated adventures go, it's fairly good. It goes on a little too long, with lots of fat in the middle, but there are certain moments in the film that just crackle with wit and energy, akin to director Tom McGrath's previous works in the Madagascar series. The climactic battle scenes, in particular, are very exciting. The visual effects are very good, particularly the flying scenes, but it's overwhelming.

At some points, things move just a little too fast for the mind to process properly. However, the pacing seems to run a little bit slow for long stretches, then too fast at other moments. The movie moves at a leisurely pace, then abruptly charges forward in gallops before slowing down again.

One of the weirdest things about Megamind is that, in a standard animated feature with humans (or humanoids), the character on the screen generally resembles the actor who does the voice. In Megamind, the only person with his off-screen looks connected to his on-screen character is Jonah Hill's Tighten/Hal. Aside from the red hair of Tighten, they're basically the same guy. All the others in Megamind don't resemble their real-life counterparts. Yes, I know Megamind is blue, but facially, he looks more like Neil Patrick Harris than Will Ferrell. Tina Fey and Roxie also look nothing alike. Ditto Brad Pitt and Metro Man. It's a bit disconcerting.

On the positive side, Minion is very well designed, and Megamind's various criminal outfits are wonderfully bad, and the performances from the cast are outstanding. Will Ferrell manages to rein himself in quite nicely, channeling his Alex Trebek straight man routine, while Brad Pitt totally hams it up as Metro Man. Jonah Hill doesn't tone his persona down, but it works fairly well with his role (though he does come across as a little too strong at times).

Another huge plus to the film is the use of music, both original music by Hans Zimmer and specific use of various classic 70s and 80s rock songs for Megamind's various smoke-and-laser-filled dramatic entrances. Yes, they're clichéd songs (Guns and Roses, Michael Jackson, AC/DC), but that's where a lot of Megamind's funniest moments come from. The script from writers Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons definitely has its moments of hilarity, but when the jokes fail, they land with a serious clank.

The movie both embraces and sends up all those superhero tropes that the audience is so familiar with, and it starts doing this from the very beginning. Rather than give Megamind a traumatic event to make him evil, it's just because he wasn't popular in school (and was raised by prisoners). Rather than have Metro Man take on a mild-mannered persona, he shows off in school by flying around, lifting the school, and such. Even Megamind's closest minion, an alien fish in a bowl, is a subversion of the standard big dumb head goon that most evil geniuses rely on.

Megamind is a fun, witty picture, but it's nothing special. Pixar has already taken on the superhero business, and is incredibly hard to top. The fact that Megamind is a bit too hyperactive at some points and a bit too lethargic at others doesn't help it. More jokes hit than miss, but there are long stretches of the movie where it just feels flat. It's a good attempt at finding a new slant on the superhero tale, but it's been done better before.

US correspondent Ron Hogan has always wanted to be a super villain. Superheroes are boring! Find more by Ron at his blog, Subtle Bluntness, and daily at Shaktronics and PopFi.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

Hot on the heels of The Taking Of Pelham 123, director Tony Scott reunites with star Denzel Washington for his latest locomotive adventure, Unstoppable. Unlike the previous film, this isn't based on a well regarded classic. The action takes place above ground and instead of the events being put into place by John Travolta's OTT antagonist, the chain of events here are caused by human error, as two dim-witted railway engineers cut corners and set into motion a series of actions that leads to an unmanned train, roughly half a mile in length and packed with dangerous materials, heading towards populated areas.

Veteran railroad engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and newly qualified conductor Will Coulson (Chris Pine) take it upon themselves to chase down the runaway train and save it from decimating the town in which they live.

At the start of the film you're greeted with the announcement that it's "Based on real events" and it would seem, from reading up said events after viewing the film, it's rather more loosely based than it would have audiences believe. Sure, there was an incident with an unmanned train, but it occurred in Ohio rather than Pennsylvania, and by the sounds of things, it was much less dramatic than depicted here. For instance, the train didn't exceed speeds over 50mph and there's no mention of cars flipping over. But that wouldn't have been sufficiently cinematic for Mr. Scott.

From the look and tone of the film, this is unmistakably a Tony Scott project. There are a few moments of madness and there's a strong sense that he's not comfortable with the camera staying still for more than a second, but even with that being the case, this is in many ways a much more restrained effort than many of his previous films.

However, certain scenes bear witness to his brand of visual gimmickry, in particular a press conference scene features some bizarre cutaways and sweeping shots when it would have surely been better to have faith in the actors' ability to carry the scene and remain focussed on them. Still, he's the visionary director, so who am I to question him?

It's easy to see why Scott has favoured working with Denzel Washington over the years. The actor has always given solid performances, as he's adept at portraying the affable everyman and bringing a real sense of quality and believability to projects that perhaps seem beneath him. Indeed, there's a strong sense that he deserves much better material than what he's presented with here, but he's always completely convincing and certainly doesn't phone in his performance. His work is complemented well by Pine, who's showing that he has the potential to become a bankable star in his own right.

Whilst Washington and Pine are both great in the lead roles, those on the periphery aren't really given much to work with and seem to be little more than exposition devices. Rosario Dawson does her best in a role that's not a million miles away from Washington's in The Taking Of Pelham 123, and Kevin Dunn is suitably dastardly as Galvin, the company head trying to minimise losses.

The exposition is really quite ridiculous at times. It's like the filmmakers have no faith at all in the audience's intelligence, as the majority of the scenes not involving Pine or Washington seem to be there just to remind you of how high the stakes are or to explain in great detail exactly what's happening at any given moment. It's like being repeatedly hit over the head with a big exposition stick.

Other frustrating contrivances include having Barnes' daughters play Hooters waitresses to act as an excuse to have scantily clad ladies on screen, because, obviously, such things are a necessity.

Even with the numerous faults, it's an entertaining and exciting film when it remains focussed on Washington and Pine. When it deviates and cuts away to peripheral characters and news reports, it loses focus and momentum, drawing attention away from the far more interesting material at the film's core. It's a shame, then, that there seems to be a lack of confidence in the story, as there is some great material. It's just buried under a lot of gimmickry and exposition.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

This review contains spoilers.

6.7 Family Matters

Following directly from last week's episode, this week Sam awakes tied to a chair and is questioned by Dean and Castiel. Castiel examines Sam and discovers he has no soul and is incapable of feeling any emotion. Dean reluctantly agrees to work with Sam to help him get his soul back and they head off to the one lead they have, the brother's grandfather, Samuel.

At Samuel's hideout, Castiel establishes that Samuel is who he says he is and has a soul. With no further leads, Castiel leaves.

Samuel is preparing to go after the alpha vampire. Dean and Sam convince Samuel to allow them to help. On the hunt, Dean is left guarding the perimeter with Gwen, one of the Campbell cousins, while Sam accompanies Samuel and company to raid the house where the alpha is.

Dean leaves Gwen and heads to the house where he sees Sam aiding the capture of the alpha. Before he's noticed, Dean returns to Gwen. On meeting Samuel, Dean questions him about the hunt and Samuel tells him that the alpha is dead.

Later, Dean asks Sam about the hunt and confronts him about truth. Sam confirms what he knows and tells him that Samuel has been interrogating and torturing monsters for information, but doesn't know the information Samuel is after.

Dean and Sam track Samuel to a warehouse and sneak in. They see him torturing the alpha vampire. Samuel leaves the room and they talk to the alpha who tells them what Samuel is after: the location of Purgatory, where the ‘freaks' go when they die.

Samuel returns and escorts Sam and Dean from the room. While they are arguing outside the alpha escapes. Whilst they are trying to hunt the alpha, he kills Christian and has Sam at his mercy. Christian is revealed to be a demon and attacks the alpha, incapacitating him and then vanishes with the alpha.

The demon Crowley appears and reveals that it's him that Samuel has been working for. Since Lucifer has been returned to the cage he has become King of Hell. He brought Sam and Samuel back to use them to find Purgatory and he has the power to return Sam's soul.

Sam and Dean reluctantly agree to carry on working for Crowley until they can find a better alternative, preferably one that involves Crowley's demise in a very painful way.

The big plan first. The explanation of trying to find the location of Purgatory poses an intriguing prospect. In simple terms, it is quite easy to understand that if you're good you go to Heaven and if you're evil you go to Hell. To bring Purgatory into the mix strikes me as a bit odd. Souls end up in Purgatory when it is unclear if they should be in Heaven or Hell, and the soul can be purified so that it can enter Heaven.

The alpha makes reference to Dante, who was a 13th century poet whose work, The Divine Comedy deals with his travels through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. In Dante's version, Purgatory is made up of levels to climb to reach Paradise. Now, even before you consider whether or not vampires are evil, the idea of them being able to ascend to Heaven doesn't seem right and I really hope there is a better explanation of Supernatural's version of Purgatory to come.

Crowley's plan to expand into Purgatory does make him seem like an evil property developer, but the idea that you can access Heaven through Purgatory does make me wonder if it will all tie in with Castiel's civil war and whether he is trying to take over the whole afterlife.

And so, we get the answer to the million dollar question. Sam. He's not evil and he's not possessed, he just doesn't have a soul. I like the idea. Had it been him simply being evil, to a certain extent the series would have been treading old ground. Now we have the quest to get his soul back whilst giving the character some interesting traits.

However, the idea of him not having emotions is a bit annoying. Not the lack of emotions itself, but once the writers establish that Sam has no emotions, you can't have him expressing surprise or being indignant later in the same episode.

Overall, I'm happy with the resolution of Sam's resurrection and Samuel's deal with Crowley. It feels like the series is very much carrying on from season five, and while this season doesn't feel like it has the weight that season five had, it is still well worth watching.

Read our review of episode 6, You Can't Handle The Truth, here.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

This review contains major spoilers.

We have, over the many series of Spooks, become familiar and even friends with the team members of the Grid. And even the new members like Dimitri and Beth have become as endearing as long standing members, Ruth and Harry. But this week, as it turned out, one of these team members will die.

Slowly building through this season, we have seen Lucas move across to the dark side. Whether this was intentional, as Richard Armitage is, in case you didn't know, going on to bigger (or is that smaller) things, being cast as the lead Dwarf in The Hobbit, or whether it was done to make the main villain this season be more human, rather than an entire country or faceless threat, I am not sure. But to make the leading man the main bad guy of a entire show is brave and, in my opinion, pays off. Well, for the most part.

Leading straight on from last week, we see that Lucas (or should we now be calling him John?) still rogue, with Harry's team on full alert and ready to being him in. Having disposed of Vaughn and taken Maya into hiding with him, Lucas still wants Albany and is willing to do anything to get it into the hands of the Chinese.

Now, this is where things get a bit odd, as while this all makes for great telly, there are some massive plot holes and character issues. Maya, for example, sits passively along for the ride, not questioning John in any way. External hardware instantly works on old laptops, the Chinese are too trusting of Lucas, who has been the ‘opposition' for most of this season, and Harry, for the first time, shows some humanity, something that comes back to haunt him.

All of these are pretty big issues and I am sure the debates in the comments below will iron out whether or not these things balance the action/deficiencies. But, for the moment, let's put aside the fact that these issues exist and focus on the fact that this really is an action TV show that, for all intents and purposes, is Bourne, only with a lot cheaper budget. So, for the first time all season, Lucas puts all his MI5 skills and spy training to good use, being elusive, cunning and trying to repair his increasingly deluded psyche.

Now, as has happened with a lot of seasons of Spooks, we are introduced to a character who has a potential to become a new member of the team. This time the recruit is Alec White, a ‘specialist' who was decommissioned from the special forces for a serious breach of protocol (which, if Spooks is commissioned next year, could prove interesting) as well as for having a drinking problem. Alec is a thinker, an ex-officer who has been in the game a long time and, as such, is a character Harry can turn to in assisting in bringing down Lucas.

With his state of mind slowly crumbling, Lucas' use of Harry and the team to bring him Albany is actually highly effective, from using Ruth as a pawn to planting false bombs and even using an innocent life to get his goals. Lucas' use of all the skills in his repertoire is pretty impressive in his attempt to get his hands on Albany, which we find is a chemical weapon, a piece of technology that can be tweaked to a specific ethnicity, and something that has been used as a deterrent to stop wars and conflicts around the globe.

It is, it would seem, a very bad time for Harry to start to show his feelings. For nearly ten years Harry has been the stoic hard as nails leader of Grid. He's been the hardened defender of this country, showing little to no emotion as his team have, over the past few years been blown up, shot, dipped in chip fat, had their throat slit and murdered in front of him. Each and every death up until this point has done nothing to deter him from his goal, making him, in my opinion, the ‘hardest' spy on telly. Jack Bauer, pah! Harry would have taken him out even before the fight had started. So, it's a real surprise that this week Harry's love for Ruth nearly causes the entire country to get embroiled in a potential war between China and Britain.

Has Harry finally cracked under the pressure? Well, no, not exactly, as it seems that everything in this episode is once again a ploy, as Albany isn't really the weapon it is purported to be. It's a deterrent, nothing more, as, in reality, it doesn't actually work. Harry has ‘won' again, even if he had to gas his own team, potentially lose the love of his life, and put his own career on the line to do so.

It's also losses all around, as, for all of Lucas' planning, scheming and spying, he loses the one thing that his fractured mind as John/Lucas has kept as a constant. Through all his torture in Russia, the missions he has been on and the secrets he has kept, Lucas has loved Maya. So, when the quiet and slightly wet doctor gets shot, it pushes Lucas over the edge, leading him to put more innocents at risk and to get one final rooftop showdown with Harry. 

With the team trying to defuse the bomb Lucas has set up and stop panic in the underground, Harry and Lucas confront each other with only one walking away. To not spoil things, the only indication that one of the spies will not be coming back is the cries on the street and the car alarm as the rooftop conclusion ends in tragedy.

With this sombre conclusion it seems that the Grid team are without direction and it's time to move on. The people in charge and the slightly inept Home Secretary wants change and the old guard and way of working may well be a thing of the past.

And with a shot that makes us think that this may well be the last season of Spooks, we are left with a great, if flawed finale to the series that leaves things open, but brings into question whether the show will be renewed.

If it has gone, then it's going to leave a gap in the BBC schedules that's going to take some filling...

Read our review of episode 7 here.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

The review contains spoilers.

2. Guts

After a perfect, scene-by-scene adaptation of the first few issues of The Walking Dead in episode one's 90-minute premier movie, the first of the hour-long episodes of The Walking Dead offered the first deviation from Robert Kirkman's graphic novel in the second episode, Guts. Not just a few deviations, either. We're talking a major new character in the form of Merle Dixon (the always excellent Michael Rooker), entire new scenes, and, of course, entirely new moments of zombie peril for Rick and the rest of the gang.

While the first episode of The Walking Dead merely hinted at the presence of the other survivors, tonight we got to meet a few of them. There's more about Lori and Carl, a definite answer to the 'are they are or aren't they?' between Shane (Jon Bernthal) and Lori, and the introduction of a metric ton of new people for Rick to interact with, including Glenn (Steven Yeun), T-Dog (IronE Singleton), and Andrea (Laurie Holden). It's lots of grist for the zombie mill, but it's also a lot of characters to keep track of. Fortunately, they're all generally different races/looks, so you can keep track of them by describing them as the black woman, the black guy, the guy in the leather vest, the Asian kid, the husky Hispanic, etc.

After last week's excellent Darabont-helmed episode, it's natural that the follow-up would be different. Rather than last week's expansive Western-style camera angles, this week's episode from TV veteran Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is a lot more like an action movie, down to the quicker jump cuts and the car chases. There was also quite a bit more reliance on a blue gel filter versus last week's more sepia-toned, slightly warmer look. Part of that is related to this week's focus on zombie chases versus last week's setting up this new universe and Rick's place therein.

This episode is a step down from the previous pilot, but that's to be expected. If the whole of the first season of The Walking Dead is as well done as this week's episode, then this is going to be a damn good television experience. I'm not exactly crazy about how this episode introduced a ton of new characters all at once, but I really enjoyed the part where it completely diverged from the graphic novel and gave me something completely new and unexpected, but went back to the graphic novel for one of my favorite gore scenes in the entire book, the zombie dismemberment/smearing required for the undead disguises.

One of the problems with the big cast was that, compared to last week, the acting was also a bit off. The first episode was an incredible performance from two really good actors working with some really good material. This week, true to its action movie format, the performances weren't as good (because it's harder to act while sprinting and shooting and gasping for breath), but, in a way, the chaos worked to cover up some of the problems with the hour-long format.

There's no time for introductions or character development in the episode, because there's no time for Rick to meet and get to know the people he's taken up with. Rick's thrown into things, we're thrown into things, and there are more pressing concerns for all involved rather than a big hand-shaking getting to know you scene.

The pilot left a lot to resolve (getting Rick out of the tank, getting everyone out of Atlanta) and there wasn't a whole lot of time for the kind of character study we got in the first episode, but it's a big cast. There's plenty of room for development, and plenty of room for people to die when they become uninteresting or prove to be racist stereotypes the viewer is meant to dislike. However, that's both a strength and a problem, because what made the first episode so fantastic was the amount of time devoted to emotion and humanity.

On the other hand, there wasn't a real serious zombie threat in last week's episode, since they spent most of the time in Morgan's safe house or with Rick walking through the deserted streets of whatever nameless Georgia town he lived in before the zombie uprising.

The importance isn't the killing of the survivors, but the menace of the zombies, and we got a lot more menace this week to the humans (since the more disposable characters could die at any moment). Even though no one did die this time, the sense of zombie aggression will make it more effective when the bloated cast starts to get pared down via zombie attack or human aggressiveness.

It wasn't a perfect episode of TV, by any stretch of the imagination, but it seriously picked up on the action quotient that was missing from last week's episode. We got to meet some of the survivors shown briefly the first time around, and we've gotten the plot moving in a forward direction.

I'm not blown away like I was last week, but last week was the culmination of months of eager awaiting on my part. This week was still interesting television, and I hope next week's episode keeps things interesting and finds more of a balance between human drama and pure horror.

Read our review of the series premiere, Days Gone Bye, here.

US correspondent Ron Hogan wants more scenes of Michael Rooker and is very excited that he's our go-to antagonist for The Walking Dead. Find more by Ron at his blog, Subtle Bluntness, and daily at Shaktronics and PopFi.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

There are things we now know about the upcoming reboot of the Superman franchise. Thanks to an interview in the latest issue of Empire magazine, we know that director Zack Snyder hasn't been brought on board to direct a continuation of the other films, and that this one is a full-on reboot. We also know that General Zod, contrary to earlier rumour, will not be the villain.

And we also know that several names are now being linked with the project, specifically the lead role.

The early Internet frontrunner for the role of Superman was, of course, Mad Men's Jon Hamm, who would be an inspired choice, even if he's probably a bit older than the leading man Warner Bros is looking for. Then, the might of the Internet turned its attention to trying to get Brandon Routh re-cast, but there's been little chatter about that since.

Next off the Internet movie rumour contraption, then? Joe Manganiello, of True Blood fame, found himself linked with the role, courtesy of True-Blood.net. The site also reckoned that Routh was still very much in the running, and that Smallville's Tom Welling was on the shortlist too.

However, that rumour didn't last very long. Manganiello, through his Twitter account, posted a quick and straightforward denial that he was negotiating for the role. "Just to be clear... as of today, I am not "negotiating" to play Superman ...but keep your fingers crossed and thanks for the wishful thinking!", he wrote.

Welling is perhaps too obvious a casting rumour to come near to the truth, especially if the new film is looking to make a full break with Superman of old.

Next up with the rumours? That's the Examiner, who put forward the names of a couple of wrestling stars. It reckoned that John Cena and Dwayne ‘The Rock' Johnson were possibilities for The Man Of Steel. We can't help thinking that we've got more chance of snagging the role than either of them.

Finally, then, for this round-up comes Movieweb, which is putting forward that Patrick Wilson is in the running, too. This at least sounds more plausible, given that Wilson has played Nite Owl for Zack Snyder in the Watchmen movie. However, read into the site's interview with Wilson and it looks like some joining of dots that aren't necessarily there. Wilson, wisely, doesn't rule himself out of the running, but actually says "who knows?" on the question of being cast in the movie himself.

Expect a few more names to be thrown into the mix before we find out who the new Superman is in the months ahead...

True-Blood.net
Movieweb

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

It's been a couple of years now since The X-Files: I Want To Believe came and went, barely making a dent at the box office and seemingly taking the future hopes of the franchise with it. Yet, David Duchovny has been insistent for some time that a third film would be on the way, and he's reaffirmed that with a new interview he's given to France's TVMag, which has been translated over at XFilesNews.

The English translation that is cited reads:

"It is being written. It looks just ahead of Fox, a little scalded by the relatively poor reception of the second component. The error comes, I believe that the authors had strayed too far from the very roots of the series. Moreover, the film was released in summer. The third will be much closer to what the public expects, with government conspiracies, etc."

It isn't a completely smooth translation (although it's a darn sight better than ours), but the gist here is clear. A script is being put together, which you presume that Fox would know about, and our guess is that if a third X-Files film could be put together relatively cheaply (and there's no reason why it couildn't), then there's a sporting chance that all concerned may return for one last stab.

That said, over at Latino Review, the story appears to have been nixed already. Duchovny's public relation rep clarified that the actor wasn't aware of a working script for the film.

Again, though, we wouldn't write this one off altogether, but it's still something of a long shot.

Xfiles News
Latino Review

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

As Megamind soared to the top of the US box office over the weekend, although we suspect it won't be there for long, when Disney's Tangled turns up, DreamWorks Animation took the opportunity to unleash the first teaser trailer for Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom Of Doom.

The film arrives next summer, and the teaser is still at the stage of reintroducing the central character - voiced by Jack Black - to us. And, more to the point, staring at us in the face.

Catch the trailer here, and the film itself arrives in the US next May.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

It's hard to find a movie since the release of There's Something About Mary and Kingpin where The Farrelly Brothers have really delivered. Perhaps that's why they appear to be going a bit back to basics with their latest venture, Hall Pass, a film about two guys who get a week off from their marriage to do what they want.

Our guess as to what will happen? There will be lots of gross-out humour, lots of staring at women, a bit of male bonding, and at the end of it all, nobody will do anything and they'll all think that their marriage is perfect.

The film stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis (and it's great to see Stephen Merchant in there, too), and it arrives in US cinemas next February. The first trailer for it has just arrived, too, and there's nothing we've seen here that leads us to think we're getting anything other than what's suggested in the paragraph before. Here's hoping we're proved wrong...

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

Production starts in just a month or two on the fourth season run of Russell T Davies' Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood, and as we get closer and closer to cameras rolling, more and more details are starting to emerge. This latest batch of news has come directly from Davies himself, too, in a new interview he's given to Collider.

Davies confirmed that time in the Torchwood universe will have moved on around two years, since the point when Children Of Earth was on air, and that Captain Jack Harkness has dealt with the events of that show. "We will deal with it properly, sensibly and intelligently," Davies said.

He also confirmed, for want of a better word, that Children Of Earth was the new template for Torchwood. "Children of Earth left things almost formatless. They had no base, no authority and no mission, a lot of the time, except to survive. I thought that was very successful, and that is very much the template of the new Torchwood. They're not working for the government. They're not working for the police. They're very much underground and trying to survive. They've taken extreme actions. They have friends, they have enemies and they have betrayals. I love that. What you saw in Children of Earth is the format now."

Davies also confirmed that James Marsters isn't in The New World. And, for now, he's keeping mum on other casting matters.

When asked, however, what he could say about season four of Torchwood, he did offer the following:

"It's just heartfelt, really. What I mean by that is that the central issue goes to the heart of every one of us and every family. The questions it asks will cut right beneath your everyday life of work, sleep, food and family, and goes right to the heart of who we are and why we're here. I think we'll challenge you and disturb you."

You can read the full interview over at Collider right here.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

This review contains spoilers.

3.5 Amber 31422

I have three words for the latest Fringe episode, and they're all 'brilliant'. Season three has moved gracefully, like a big cat stalking its prey, from the outset, playing a flipside game where we cleverly alternate between our universe and an alternate one where Olivia is currently resident.

Amber 31422 takes place entirely in the alternate universe, where Olivia, having been convinced she's from that dimension, is starting to guess that maybe she's been manipulated to think that. As such, Peter only appears as a figment of her subconscious, continually prodding her in the right direction, while helping her solve a mystery to prove his credentials.

The conundrum in question revolves around the weird amber chemical that is used to plug holes in the fabric of space and time in the altiverse, which can trap people in its matrix. The revealing opening sequence shows that anyone caught in the amber isn't dead, and can be revived if removed from it.

This isn't something that the government wants to become public, so the alternate Fringe agents must track down a man removed from it before that happens.

Enough of telling you the plot, what's so good about this story? Well, they've got the Ashmore brothers, Shawn and Aaron (Shawn was Bobby in X-Men) to play two identical brothers, one who got caught in the amber and another who got him out.

They're both rather good actors, but also the way that's it's revealed that the one they think was in the amber is actually the one who gets him out is a nice twist that's cleverly played. This is also a nice analogy for Olivia's situation, where two identical people have exchanged places.

I won't talk about where this ultimately goes, but it's actually more about where it takes Olivia's character that's truly interesting. She agrees to undergo some experiments to better understand how she can move between universes, but this presents a whole boatload of unanswered questions. If she can move between universes, then why doesn't she just flip back to ours? Are the drugs she's taking designed to stop that happening? We must know more!

But I must go back to the old nugget: how did Altivia make the journey over, if she doesn't have this ability?

There's something anchoring her to this universe, which she can only break briefly. It's also interesting that when she travels between the two locations she arrives in the same physical location (under the Statue of Liberty), as she was in the alternate dimension.

What it also tries to do is give us a better perspective on Walternate, and his motivation in creating Amber 31422 in his personal battle against the destruction of his reality. I find it fascinating that his personality is not remotely like Walter, except he's still a mad scientist at heart, even if he's not insane in the same fashion.

What I also know is that the next story is set in our universe, which is slightly disappointing news, because I want to know what happens next to Olivia in this one!

That said, it's indicative of how well season three is going that I'm gripped by the need to know what happens next.

On a less positive note, I've noticed that the show hit a season low for viewers, which, given how good it's been, doesn't make much sense to this reviewer. The only problem that I can see with the direction they've taken Fringe this year, focusing on the altiverse story arc, is that if you weren't a fan beforehand, you'll not be able to follow what's going on now.

For those of us that did step onto the Fringe elevator early, it's a great ride, but I can see that it's a difficult proposition to attract new viewers.

Let's hope the slide is at least halted, because I'd be crushed if they're forced to wrap up this well crafted narrative because of cancellation.

Read our review of episode 4, Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?, here.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

Whilst on your Internet travels lately you may have spotted this amazing collection of Elfman and Burton's collaborations, a 16-CD boxset. Appreciating that $499 may be a bit too much to spend for most (well, for me at least) and given the fact that Christmas is approaching, meaning it's about time A Nightmare Before Christmas is re-watched, I thought I'd take a film by film look at Elfman and Burton's collaborations.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Elfman's first collaboration with Tim Burton came at the same time as he was still involved with Oingo Boingo, before he firmly established himself as a composer of note. He had another credit to his name with his score for Forbidden Zone, which was directed by his older brother, Richard.

The main theme for the film was composed by Elfman prior to working on the score, the score as a whole contains elements that would make his future collaborations with Burton so memorable, striking a balance between excitement, suspense and whimsy. A promising start to a wonderful working relationship.

Beetlejuice

If I were to choose a score amongst this long list of their collaborations that most perfectly encapsulates why Burton and Elfman are so perfect for each other, it would be this score for Beetlejuice.

The main theme, that's playful and menacing in equal measures, is among the best pieces Elfman has composed in his career, and after that has played out, the score is packed full of pieces that are of a similar quality, that match the mood of the film perfectly ,which makes this one of the most consistent pieces in the composer's back catalogue.

Batman

The film's producers were reportedly a little sceptical that Elfman was up to task for scoring a major blockbuster like Batman, but Burton soon changed their minds when he played them Elfman's composition for the main theme, which would go on to become the key theme for Batman: The Animated Series.

With Burton and Elfman involved, its little surprise that Batman saw the franchise go in a darker direction, particularly when compared to the campy productions that preceded it, and the Joel Schumacher film's that followed their efforts.

Main theme aside, the score is packed with amazing cues, with the waltz being a particular highlight for me. It's not a subtle score by any means, but that's not really what the film called for. This is a dramatic and incredibly assured piece from a composer who, at the time of its release, was making a name for himself.

Edward Scissorhands

Further showcasing his ability to balance dark material with lighter themes, Elfman produced another masterpiece, which at times is absolutely beautiful and at others incredibly creepy.

Elfman's music is as much of a character in the film as any of those portrayed onscreen by the cast. The title theme is incredibly impressiv,e but pales in comparison to the grand finale, which is an absolutely stunning piece of music that's incredibly emotive, with a huge sense of drama.

Batman Returns

Given the success of the score for Burton's first Batman, the temptation must have been there for Elfman to reuse much of his previous work. Instead he only reuses the main title and comes up with entirely different pieces to make up much of the score. Whilst this approach is commendable, it's a much weaker effort in comparison to his other Burton collaborations.

All of the key characters have their own themes, which adds to a sense of musical cohesiveness and it is, on many levels, an interesting score. But, for me, it fails to deliver the goods in the same way as his score for Batman did, even if a lot of the things he tried here were quite progressive.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This is a film that's been part of my Christmas rotation for a few years now and the soundtrack album is something I return to with some frequency. I think the project as a whole is wonderfully executed, making it one of the most endearing in the catalogues of all involved.

Not only does Elfman compose the music for the film, but he also lends his vocal talents to Jack Skellington's singing parts. The musical backing itself shares thematic similarities with much of his other work with Burton, but it's still an incredibly strong listen that's heightened by Elfman's rather excellent singing voice.

A cover version of the album was released a few years back, which I'm not a massive fan of, but it's worth a look for Elfman's demo tracks.

Mars Attacks!

Elfman captures the feel of the sci-fi movies of the fifties and gives it a modern spin in very much the same way that Burton does with the film itself. A little more off the wall than some of his previous efforts, as elements of the score resemble the voices of the Martians and includes liberal use of a Theremin. As was expected of his work, there are elements of playfulness and creepiness here. Still, it's not a classic Elfman score by any means, and ranks as one of his weaker efforts with Burton up to that point.

Sleepy Hollow

For his score for the gothic slice of goodness, Elfman does away with much of the light heartedness of much of his previous work and instead goes all out on the darkness.

Played by a full orchestra, this is an incredible piece of work, full of tension and action that also captures a sense of romance at times. It doesn't see a major thematic shift as it very much keeps in with the mood of the rest of the piece as a whole.

One of my favourite collaborations between the two, it's a dark, confident and incredibly effective piece of work that pays homage to the films that inspired the pair, but brings something new and interesting to the table.

Planet Of The Apes

By no means is Elfman's score for Burton's 2001 remake a match for Jerry Goldsmith's amazing score for the original, but it's still a solid effort, unlike the film itself. It's an incredibly focussed score that rarely deviates from the musical core that holds it together.

There's a simple three note reoccurring theme that is the basis for much of the score, but there are some interesting rhythms and brass works complimenting it. This is a balls to the wall score that's loud and action-packed. Just a shame that the movie was nowhere near as exciting as the music that accompanied it.

Big Fish

For me, this film is one of the better offerings in Burton's relatively recent back catalogue. A whimsical fantasy with a strong emotional core, the film is incredibly effective. Unlike previous collaborations, Elfman's music wouldn't dominate proceedings here. Instead, much of the soundtrack is made up of sourced material to help evoke a sense of time, as the setting of the film takes place over a number of decades.

Elfman's contributions are still strong, though, even if they're quite subtle. Whereas his last two scores for Burton explored his darker side, his efforts here are as whimsical and light-hearted as the film. Still, even with this being the case, Elfman does a great job of evoking a sense of place by having a southern feel to much of his pieces,.

However, the finest pieces on the score are Return To Spectre, which is the closest to eerie and dark as the score gets, and the rather beautiful Jenny's Theme. Not classic Elfman, but an interesting contrast to what preceded it.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

I have to admit that I really struggled with many of the songs that were written for Burton's adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic book. The score, I was fine with, typically Elfman throughout with key themes for the family, Willy Wonka and the Oompa-Loompa's. But the songs themselves, many of which were sung by Elfman, really didn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I have such affection for the songs in the Gene Wilder-starring Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, but the adoption of different musical styles seemed far too gimmicky for my tastes and, as such, this is my least favourite of any of the films listed here, both for the film itself and the music that accompanies it.

Corpse Bride

Whilst visually the film shares similarities with The Nightmare Before Christmas, for me, the music in Corpse Bride never quite reaches the same heights. There's the odd track that comes close, such as Tears To Shreds, but there's a sense that it's all been done before and done better, which for me, sums up much of Elfman's latter efforts with the director.

That's not to say that his work here as a whole isn't without merit, though. The songs evoke the necessary moods and provide a strong accompaniment and it might be a case of me being overly critical on this in comparing it to The Nightmare Before Christmas, but such comparisons are unavoidable when they are similar on so many levels. Still, this should be an essential for Elfman completists.

Alice In Wonderland

I didn't mind Burton's take on Alice In Wonderland as much as some, but, for me, it's nothing more than an average film saved by some interesting visuals, a strong performance by Helena Bonham Carter and Elfman's music.

The standout is the magnificent Alice's Theme, which sets the tone for what's to follow, a kind of mini-opera where Elfman's imagination is allowed to run rampant in creating music as vivid as some of the imagery.

After a few efforts that were far from his best, it's great to have Elfman back on form with this, which shows that the collaboration is far from going stale amd makes me optimistic about the pair's future projects together.

For a more indepth look at each of the films listed (apart from Alice In Wonderland) I'd recommend checking out Carley's retrospective on the works of Tim Burton. There are links at the bottom for the entire series.

Please provide your thoughts on the above in the comments section below. Another article on the best of Elfman's non-Burton scores will appear sometime in the future. If there are any scores you want to see covered, let me know below or on Twitter @GlenTChapman.

See Also:

• See all the Music in the movies

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

If you're a comic book geek, film fan or Daily Mail reader, the chances are that you will have heard of Kick-Ass. The eponymous, scuba-suit wearing hero clobbered his way onto screens with his foul mouthed, pint-sized sidekick, Hit-Girl, earlier this year to critical acclaim.

But where did it all begin?

Before the fantastic film came the equally fantastic comic. Written by Mark Millar, and drawn by John Romita Jr, it ran from February 2008 right up to moments before the movie was released. And now it's back.

For UK readers, Issue 1 of Book 2 is basically a collection of the teasing snippets shown in CLiNT over the last few months. It picks up where we left off at the end of Kick-Ass Book 1. The ever-present Hit-Girl has now become a Yoda figure to Kick-Ass, teaching him in the ways of combat and battle. He seems to be continuing his superhero alter ego lifestyle, and has high hopes to create the world's first superhero team, something he and Red Mist spoke about before the latter's betrayal in Book 1.

Without giving too much away, this issue lays the foundations of what is going to come. There are some Lost-esque flashforwards. There are some explosions. There are some costumes made from lyrcra. Kick-Ass is back.

After hugely enjoying both the comics (which I read as the repackaged graphic novel) and this year's film adaption, I had, and still have, high hopes for Book 2. The wonderful concept of every superhero geek's fantasy coming true in such a brutally, grittily real way certainly has a lot more depth and areas to explore, providing Millar a lot of material to cover. But could Kick-Ass 2 do what Heroes season 2 failed to do? Or would it cave under pressure, and suffer from the dreaded second album syndrome? I'm happy to say that Book 2 doesn't just deliver. It - yes! - kicks ass.

Inevitable puns over, it should be said that Kick-Ass is known for its extremes in the ways of language and violence with, perhaps, a focus more on the latter. The tagline for Book 1 was "sickening violence: just the way you like it!" which tells us readers we're not really looking at something Enid Blyton may have written. Gore lovers will be pleased to know that John Romita Jr's red ink is freely flowing again all over Issue 1 of Book 2.

However, it did strike me that it never descended into hyperbolic violence, as maybe the last Issue of Book 1 did. Obviously, it's early days into this story, but I did think it was a wise move from Millar. He seems to not have tangled himself in the sticky web of believing he has to constantly outdo his last extremity, which means he can focus more on the execution of the story itself.

Don't get me wrong, Kick-Ass remains as violent, graphic, coarse and explicit as ever, but it never descends into the ridiculously farcical in this issue. Well, at least it doesn't in relation to violence.

And it is this idea of the ridiculously farcical that brings me nicely onto my next point. There was something about Kick-Ass 2, Issue 1's ending that really divided me. The part of me that wanted to dress up as Kick-Ass for Halloween, and has worn my Kick-Ass DVD out from watching it too much and has re-read Kick-Ass Book 1 many times thought it was amazing, and looks forward to seeing how this superhero league will work in reality. The other part of me wondered if this plot device might be a dropped stitch in what will be the Kick-Ass legacy.

I agree with Millar's idea to up the ante for Kick-Ass 2 and that the logical step would be to create a league of superheroes and a league of super villains (and the forewarned face-off in Times Square, of all places, sounds awesome!). But seeing the costumes of some of the members of Kick-Ass' colleagues in Justice Forever made me think perhaps the story has strayed momentarily off into the dizzy heights of comic book impossibility.

The point of Kick-Ass is, as its creator has said on numerous occasions, it's a teenage guy who wants to be a superhero, but on a budget of $200. Seeing some of the new characters reminded me of watching the first of the recent Spider-Man films. Alright, so I'll believe that Peter Parker can be bitten by a radioactive spider and gain spider-like powers from this. Okay, I'll even believe that Kirsten Dunst can get the hots for him too. I just can't believe that he has access to anyone or anything that can make a suit that cool. And that was, genuinely, my only problem with Kick-Ass 2, Issue 1. Two or three members of Justice Forever just looked too cool.

But that's just me being unfair and looking to fault a sequel that really can't be faulted. Apart from The Ricky Gervais Show audiobooks and podcasts, this might be the best three quid I've ever spent. The artwork is, as ever, brilliant. The dialogue and story are great and Kick-Ass has really given me the hope that one day I can pull on a stupid mask and some green tights and clear up my own town for the better.

Miller, at the end of this issue, says writing Kick-Ass was like "slipping into warm bath water" and I'm so pleased to say that reading it carries exactly the same feeling.

All I can say is if you loved Kick-Ass Book 1, wait ‘til you get a load of this.

Kick-Ass 2 is out now and available from the Den Of Geek Store.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

Sad to say, but the latest series of The Sarah Jane Adventures draws to a close next week. The final episode of the run, Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith, has been written by Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman, and the BBC has released a series of promotional stills from it.

Thus, to whet your appetite for the series finale, we've gathered together the images for you right here, and all you have to do is click on the one you want to make bigger. It's like magic...

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith airs on Monday, November 15th  (Part 1) and Tuesday November 16th (Part 2) on CBBC at 5:15pm, then on BBC1 Wednesday and Thursday, November 17th and 18th at 4:30pm.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

As anyone who’s ever held or console controller or tapped the WASD keys in anger will already know, today sees the release of the eagerly awaited Call Of Duty: Black Ops. The game officially launched at midnight, when stores up and down the country began selling the first copies of Black Ops to shooter-hungry customers.

But while sales of Black Ops are expected to be colossal, opinions are split over just how big the final figures will be. Neil Ashurst, the head of PR for the Game chain of stores told the Daily Mail that Black Ops could well top Modern Warfare 2, and become “The fastest selling videogame of all time.”

Analyst Doug Creutz, meanwhile, is rather more conservative in his estimates. According to Games Industry.biz, he expects Black Ops to sell around 20 per cent less than Modern Warfare 2, which managed to sell 4.7 million copies within 24 hours.

Even if Black Ops does fall short of Modern Warfare 2’s yardstick, it’s still sure to make Activision plenty of money. EA’s rival FPS, the rebooted Medal Of Honor, sold approximately 1.5 million copies in its first week and was still considered a big success by its publisher – if Creutz’s predictions are correct, Black Ops should comfortably beat that number in a single day.

So as the Black Ops juggernaut clunks into gear, here are a couple of trailers that have appeared in the blockbuster’s wake. The first is the Black Ops launch trailer that appeared a few days ago, while the second is a rather amusing TV commercial that looks like an 80s straight-to-video action movie. Just what are they all shooting at?

Games Industry.biz

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

How excited should we be about Skyline? Quite excited, if those trailers are anything to go by. The second film from special effects gurus-turned-filmmakers Colin and Greg Strause (should we mention AVP: Requiem? Maybe not), looks like a far bigger film than its small budget would suggest. And when we caught up with Colin Strause and co-writer Liam O'Donnell, it was hard not to get a little bit more excited.

Despite having hit the town hard the night before, they were full of passion, enthusiasm and reverence for classic sci-fi films of yore. If Skyline is anywhere near as good as their pitch, we could be in for a treat...

It seems like you've done something very different with Skyline: Shooting most of it in your own apartment, financing it yourselves ...

Colin Strause: It's been such our own baby from every step. We got to do whatever we wanted to do. And you know, it was kinda funny. It started out as a really small movie. Because, obviously, you're doing a little independent film, and we kind of solidly did a Paranormal Activity. And we're like, well, we've got better cameras than that guy. And Greg's got a cooler house. We've gotta be able to do something kind of neat here.

And then we're at a lunch and kinda talking ideas, and we already had some concepts laying around. We liked the idea of this light thing that attracted people. You know, usually the aliens come down with laser beams and start blowing shit up. It's like, what if they just used the simplest weakness of human nature? It's like curiosity killed the cat. We can't stop but look at something like that.

And by using something so simple to overtake all of humanity, that just seemed like a really cool story. And having this high-rise building in LA was one of the sickest views of the entire city. You know, it basically gives you front row seats to the end of the world. And that was kinda the concept of the film.

Liam O'Donnell: It's a little shock and awe, with the way that they take us out. But I think it's very surreal from our very humble origins. I mean, I personally would have been ecstatic if this played at like a midnight screening at Toronto, or something like that. But the fact that it's getting this huge release ...

CS: The fact that it turned into a studio movie is just kind of wild. Most independent movies, they go to festivals, they maybe get a 500 screen release, if they're lucky. The fact that we had huge support from Universal for Comic-Con. You know, it's on over 3,000 screens. So, it's gonna be a big release.

It's like ... this is pretty full scale action here. And it's a little unheard of, actually. I can't really think of another independent movie like this type of scale that happened this quick and got released on this many screens. It's a pretty unique situation.

And it does have a Roland Emmerich feel. You can't help but think of Independence Day when you see aliens and big buildings. But Colin, you'd worked with Roland Emmerich on 2012 ...

CS: Yeah, and I won a BAFTA on The Day After Tomorrow ...

So, did you talk to him about your plans?

CS: No, we've always been like ... Independence Day is one of those movies that's been pretty ingrained in us as just being like ... that is really the quintessential epic event movie. I remember going to see shitty movies in the theatre just to see the Independence Day trailer. Because that was before Apple ...

LO: Before the Internet, really ...

CS: Before the Internet. So, you had to pay the ten bucks to go and watch the trailer. And it was an event. People cheered.

LO: I remember people applauding at the end of the movie too. I think it was something from the Clinton era, because we didn't have a real war. People were like, "We beat them!"

CS: Yeah, we showed those alien scum! [laughs] And there's definitely a part of us that likes that type of movie. But there's also like ... Aliens is one of my favourite movies as well. And we like that kind of claustrophobia. You know, those are the type of movies we like to watch. And we all have very similar movie tastes. So, when it came to making this movie, it was kind of like ...yeah, it's basically Independence Day meets Dawn Of The Dead.

You know, where it's in Dawn Of The Dead you have a worldwide event happening and you're following a group of survivors in a mall, this is the same thing. There's a worldwide event happening, but you're following a group of survivors in a high-rise condo. But then the difference is, I think, people are probably going to be expecting that from the movie.

[Mild spoiler-y chat about the film's ending coming up in the next paragraph]

What I'm hoping is... to me the thing that was the most exciting part of the project is actually the last twenty minutes of the film. Like, when people realise what this movie is actually about, what it's setting up and what it's ... It's kind of like a secret ending in the film, and the entire arc of the movie, I don't think anyone will ever get [it] while they're watching the movie. And then when it's over, they're gonna go like, "Oh, shit, that's what this movie was really about?" That's what I'm actually most excited about seeing with an audience.

LO: Are you sure you wanna say that, though? [laughs]

We can play that down. If you don't want to raise expectations too much ...

LO: Yeah. [laughs]

[Spoiler-y bit has gone now!]

CS: I think it's gonna be one of the cool things. And that has been one of the most frustrating things with the marketing. Where the movie goes, you can't show. You know what I mean? So, it's kinda like ... fuck!

I want people to think it's just Independence Day because that is one aspect of the film. But there is also ... it's a survivor story. And there's also a great love story between some of the characters, and them dealing with their own issues. Their whole world changing emotionally while the whole world is changing physically. And having the bridging between all those different storylines and everything, and on top of it trying to make the movie relentless and fun and just ... this thing does not slow down.

That was one of the things we wanted to do also with the movie. There's almost a thousand effects shots in the film. Which is a staggering amount of work in a movie like this. I think people are gonna be thinking, independent movie: it's gonna have like fifty effects shots ...

LO: ... you've already seen them all in the trailer. That's just not the case.

CS: Yeah. You'd have to have a thirty minute long movie trailer to show every shot in the film. There's like a ton of work in this thing.

I don't if you've seen it yet, but Monsters ...

CS: I have seen it ...

It's a great film. But it's got to be more economical with its special effects ...

LO: It's a very different ... the only thing in common I guess would be creatures. But they're just very different films in general.

CS: We kind of went with the more is more. [laughs] Usually less is more, but it was one of the things ... the fucking world is ending. Literally, this is the end of the fucking world. You want to see that. You're in this building, you want to see that. You want to get the sense of the hugeness of it, but at the same time the intimacy of when these creatures come down for the clean-up crew and get all the stragglers.

I mean, what the fuck do you do, you know what I mean? That sort of intensity, where a movie goes from huge to small, huge to small, that was the important thing. We wanted to make sure ...

I thought Cloverfield worked very effectively in how they handled the creature, but at the same time part of you was like, "Man I really wanted to see that thing more." They did some really great shit, but it was fleeting glances and stuff. Where in this movie, I don't think anyone's ever gonna say, like, "I never really got a good look at that creature."

And it's all in the daytime, which is also, to me, kinda scary. Because at night time, when you have something that's taking over the whole world, it's a little easier to not know what's happening in the darkness. And I know that can be scary on its own thing, but we wanted in this movie to be like, "No, it's daytime and you're gonna see that there's nowhere to go."

LO: Yeah, it's not a dream, it's not a nightmare.

CS: Yeah, it's not a nightmare, it's not like the sun's gonna come up the next morning.

LO: Yeah, the characters don't wake up the next day and it's like, "Oh, it was all a dream." I can dispel that as not the twist ending. [laughs]

We mentioned Monsters and there are a few other big alien movies coming out. Battle: Los Angeles and Super 8. Did you think when you were making it, "If we can just get out before those guys ..."

CS: When we started making the movie, we had no distribution. We pre-sold some of the foreign territories ... that wasn't until the Berlin Film Festival. And we were already like a third of the way through our shoot when the Berlin Film Festival even happened.

So, we started making the movie with absolutely no fucking clue if it would ever be released. We just kinda rolled the dice and were like, "You know what? we gotta at least try it. We're gonna make it, let's pray for the best." But we just kinda stuck to our guns, and said, "We're gonna just fucking do this thing." And if we can pull off what we think we can pull off, we know it'll land somewhere.

LO: We felt ours was different than any other take.

CS: Yeah, I mean Battle: Los Angeles is basically Black Hawk Down with aliens. I Am Number Four ...

LO: Twilight with aliens...

CS: Yeah, Twilight with aliens. I don't wanna see those things and knock ...

LO: Ours is Dawn Of The Dead with aliens.

CS: Yeah, ours is Dawn Of The Dead with aliens. [laughs] So, there you go. Each movie is its own kinda thing. And no one knows what the fuck Super 8 is. But I'm sure that's gonna be awesome, because JJ is ... you know, I love JJ's stuff. So it seems ... you know, District 9 was Apartheid with aliens.

LO: [Laughs] It's your favourite old movie: Apartheid.

CS: But you know what I mean. Each of these movies, to me, can stand alone. You know what I mean? It's not like a romantic comedy with a little twist. I think each of these ... just because aliens is a common theme doesn't necessarily mean ...

LO: They're not really the same genre, it's just kind of a similar ... it's a creature, but each one is kind of doing it in a different way.

And after this and AVP: Requiem, some people may see you as sci-fi filmmakers. But hearing about your rumoured future projects they sound quite diverse. A sword and sandals epic ...

LO: It has a big fantasy, the sword and sandals. I should have wrote the script. It's called War Of The Ages. And It definitely has a big fantasy ... I guess it's not fully sci-fi, but it is kind of a mythological fantasy element. So, yeah, we nerd out and everything.

CS: Yeah, and then our other movie's an American James Bond meets disaster movie. Where it's kinda like ... you know the James Bond movies are always about him trying to stop the disaster? What if the horrific, giant thing happens at the beginning, you know what I mean?

It's almost flipping it around, where you're combining a big effects disaster action film with really cool suspense and drama and all these other elements to it. And those are the sorts of movies we want to see.

I want to make a movie that if my friends come over to my house and we're sitting around, what do we want to throw on the Blu-ray player? You wanna throw on Fight Club. You wanna throw on Aliens. You wanna throw on Predator. I'd like to throw in Skyline or one of these other movies that we do. Because we just want to make fun shit that people want to watch ...

LO: It's just the most fun stuff to make. It's the most fun way of sitting there imagining this crazy scene and then with Josh, my co-writer, him actually doing the pre-vis and the brothers working with him and we're seeing the animatics come together. And then we're filming it, and then we're doing the effects for it.

And you're just, like, from this kind of little idea of, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if that alien grabbed a helicopter with its tentacles and comes over the side of the building?", and then all the way to the sound mix of that whole moment coming to life. It's the most satisfying.

And with these new projects would you do the same thing you've done with Skyline? Work outside of the studios while you're making it?

CS: Absolutely.

LO: Absolutely.

You wouldn't think about going back to the kind of thing you had with Requiem?

CS: You know, we slagged the studios pretty hard the last couple of months, but all I say is two things: one, I don't want them involved with us creatively. I don't want 'em, don't need 'em.

LO: It's good to have it developed and made outside.

CS: Yeah. We're the filmmakers. We're the guys who know what's cool. Let us develop the projects, and then you as the distributor, if you think we made a shitty product, then don't put it out. But we need distribution. There's no such thing as independent distribution. But we want to be independent filmmakers. And we know how to make these projects at such a fraction of the price than most other people can.

It's like, it also lets us be riskier. We can do more interesting projects because we're not spending eighty million or a hundred million dollars. Literally, Skyline was filmed ... I mean no-one's gonna believe it, but the production budget was a million dollars, and all in was like ten million dollars, with visual effects and sound. And I think people are gonna look at the movie and not understand how it didn't cost eighty million dollars.

LO: By the way, we reserve the right to retract the entire statement if someone gives us a sweetheart deal. [both laugh]

CS: You know, but we had so much fun making this movie, I just don't want anyone raining on our parade. Making movies is hard enough as it is. It's a fucking nightmare. And it's really difficult, it's really stressful. And that's when everything goes perfect. And then you add in all these other layers of bureaucracy, it just ... it's the reason some people direct a movie and then they take three years off before they do another film.

Whereas, I feel great. Our movie hasn't even come out and it's like, I wanna get the next movie going right away. We're already in development.

LO: I'm not even allowed to enjoy myself ...

CS: Yeah. We're just going to push in. Because it was fun. And I don't need two years off to get that horrible taste out of my mouth before I feel like stepping back in the ring. I think that's an important thing. I think that's something directors should feel.

And so, would you guys see yourself working on special effects on other films, or do you see yourself as filmmakers on your own projects from now on?

CS: We like doing both, though. We had a great time working on Avatar, working with Fincher on The Social Network. These are our idols. I love working with them. And, actually, to me, it's just as exciting working on our own projects as it is working on other people's. You get to do different things. It is kinda neat.

You know, we love Fincher, but The Social Network maybe isn't the type of movie that we as directors would make, or Benjamin Button. But they're the type of movies we loved working on because they posed whole different creative challenges. And that's just kinda exciting to us.

You both seem very into movies. Is there a film you've seen this year that's blown you away?

CS: Man, I haven't seen shit this year. [laughs] It's like, I wanted to see Inception in the theatre and I couldn't. The only movie I've seen this year that I really liked was Kick-Ass.

LO: Yeah, Kick-Ass.

CS: I finally got to watch it like a week ago.

LO: We're both the jerks that didn't see it in the theatre and saw it on home video and were blown away.

And similar to you guys, they made it outside on their own and then sold it to a distributor after they finished.

CS: Yeah, that too. That's a risky movie, you know what I mean? It was cool. I wish I was able to support that risk in the theatres. But we were so busy working I wasn't able to go see it. But we bought it on demand, so they get my couple of bucks, you know. [laughs] Better late than never, I guess.

Colin Strause and Liam O'Donnell, thank you very much.

Skyline is released on Friday 12th November.

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.

You may or may not have noticed, but we're in stand-up comedy DVD season here in the UK. Over the coming weeks, an abundance of stand-ups will be releasing their shows on DVD, and for the first time, that includes Mr Kevin Bridges.

To celebrate the upcoming release, therefore, of Kevin Bridges: The Story So Far... Live In Glasgow, we've got an exclusive clip from it. You just need to click below to find it, and the world will be good.

The show is out on DVD and Blu-ray from 22nd November, and we'll have an interview with Kevin Bridges live the week after next too...

Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.