Like its young heroes Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, the Narnia franchise has grown up in the shadow of older, more successful and better looking siblings.

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptations had been out driving cars, smoking fags and doing stuff to girls for a good couple of years before Andrew Adamson’s Chronicles of Narnia films showed up in the film equivalent of a Christian Youth t-shirt clutching a handful of Warhammer figurines. Try as they might, the first two Narnia movies just couldn’t live up to the fantasy expectations created by the LOTR or Potter franchises, a verdict underlined when Disney dumped the third instalment of the series in December 2008.

As movie-making goes, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been far from plain sailing. Set adrift in rough waters after Prince Caspian’s disappointing box office returns, and released this month in the wake of a staggering performance by the seventh Potter film, Dawn Treader’s claim to be “the motion picture event of the holiday season” would smack of empty posturing were it not for the fact that the film delivers on many fronts.

Away from Narnia and loose on the Eastern seas, the franchise feels revitalised. Off solid ground, Dawn Treader is lighter, brighter and easier to swallow than the stodgy fare of its predecessors. The film benefits from losing some of the trappings of the previous two, including the welcome absence of an ‘epic’ final battle. Past Narnian battle scenes have always seemed sparse in comparison with others in the genre, so the lack of sword-waving otters and galumphing trolls comes as a blessed relief in Dawn Treader’s much quieter final moments.

C.S. Lewis is obviously responsible for much of what works about the film. The narrative step of shedding the older Pevensie children and introducing an irksome cousin to whom the Narnia baton will eventually be passed goes a long way to airing things out. As characters, the Pevensie children can be a bit too earnest. Full of so much wide-eyed wonder and intuitive understanding of the mythical world they’ve fallen into, the addition of a sceptical child with neither imagination nor magic is a nice antidote to Aslan’s saccharin fan club, if only a temporary one.

Because of course, there’s no room for scepticism in Narnia. It’s a magical world that urges children to follow faith rather than reason, and then spits them out when they start discovering pesky things like sex and rationalism. But not all of Dawn Treader’s improving morals stick in your craw. There are sound enough lessons about being happy in your own skin, not coveting the powers or possessions of others and the pleasure of unexpected friendship.

Even the humour seems refreshed, capturing some (but still not enough) of Lewis’ satirical vicious streak. The Dufflepods’ invisible chatter is reminiscent of Jim Henson’s talking scenery in Labyrinth, while Will Poulter (Son of Rambow) does his best Basil Fawlty impression as outraged stiff Eustace.

Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes and Ben Barnes do a fair enough job with an exposition-heavy script as Lucy, Edmund and Caspian, all of whom have to face some inner demons in their quest to rid the seas of a corrupting evil.

That’s not to say it’s all angst and no action. There are plenty of derring-do sword fights and a horrible Tremors-like sea serpent that gives the Dawn Treader a run for its money. I suppose it’s at this point that reference to the film’s 3D conversion should be made but as the 3D added precisely nothing to my cinematic experience, bringing it up can only add the same to this discussion. At least it didn’t get in the way. Let’s leave it there.

Those familiar with the book will notice one or two reasonable additions to the story that give the Dawn Treader’s voyage a sharper sense of purpose. Without the changes, Lewis’ episodic, anti-climactic island-hopping narrative is more of a gap year for Caspian than a hero’s journey, so fuss from purists should be kept to a minimum. Director Michael Apted and the writers add a justified splosh of jeopardy to hurry things along without impinging on the original story, which sets a fine example to other adaptations.

Apted deserves commendation for much in the film, not least for telling Ben Barnes to lose the Inigo Montoya Spanish twang and the smooth move of swapping Eddie Izzard for Simon Pegg as the voice of heroic mouse Reepicheep. I have nothing against Izzard, but his voice is so distinctive that it seems impossible to separate anything he plays from his “covered in beees!” stage persona, causing you to spend most of Prince Caspian waiting for Reepicheep to break into a James Mason impression.

Anyone who baulked at the clunky God moments of the previous movies might be best off bringing a crossword for Liam Neeson’s closing lines as Aslan. That, or just hum quietly to yourself while gazing at the beautiful final scene.

Of all the film’s impressive effects, two moments really stand out as having done justice to Lewis’ stunning visual imagination: the first being the magical transition through the painting at the beginning, the second the wall of waves that lead to Aslan’s country right at the very end.

Whether The Silver Chair (rumoured to be next on Fox’s list) will have an easier time of it depends very much on how Dawn Treader navigates its way through the December box office, but with seasoned director Apted at the helm, it looks as if the franchise just might have returned the magic as promised. It just took a trip out of Narnia to do it.

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Terminal Reality’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game was warmly received when it materialised last year, and created an entertaining third-person shooter using the 1984 movie’s much-loved characters and spectres.

While we’ve yet to hear whether a sequel will appear for that particular Ghostbusters game, we’ve just heard news that Chilean developer Behaviour (formerly known as Wanako) are creating its own download-only version of the spook-infested property, which will be published by Atari.

Subtitled Sanctum Of Slime, the game will be a four-player cooperative shooter filled with gigantic bosses, and the chance to drive the Ghostbusters’ rickety vehicle, the Ecto-3.

From the two screenshots we’ve seen, the game looks a little like the underrated Sega Dreamcast shooter, Cannon Spike, or the download-only Tomb Raider game, Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light. Whatever it turns out like, Sanctum Of Slime can’t be any worse than the dreadful Ghostbusters tie-in released for 8-bit computers back in 1984 – now that really was haunting. And diabolical.

Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime will be available for the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and PC next spring.

USA Today

Tron: Legacy’s full of cool vehicles and shiny lights – this much we already know. But how did the film’s costume designers go about creating the movie’s uniquely sleek, glowing outfits?

Creating a suit that looks convincingly high-tech, while at the same time providing actors with enough mobility to perform the movie’s range of back-flipping stunts was no simple task, and the new clip to arrive from Disney provides a brief insight into designer Christine Clarke’s costume work on the film, with behind-the-scenes clips of stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde being measured up and helped into their futuristic outfits.

It’s a testament to the quality of Tron: Legacy’s overall design that, as incongruous as the suits look in the cold light of day, they nevertheless look fantastic when seen in the overall context of the film.

Tron: Legacy arrives in cinemas on 17 December.

This review contains spoilers.

2.8 Visitation

In the opening of this week's instalment of Stargate Universe, Rush tries to gauge the crew's reaction to last week's revelation that Destiny had been sent out to find the source of the big bang, and its creators. No-one seems as interested in that as they are in getting Mr Brody's still fixed, which just seems to confirm to Rush that he was right not to tell everyone before now.

However, that is the least of the crew's worries, as, when Destiny drops out of FTL, it saddles up next to a shuttle of Ancient design, which just happens to contain the members of the crew who left to set up a home on an Earth-like planet in the season one episode Faith. Col Young is rightly cautious about welcoming Caine and his deserters back to Destiny, as they seem a little creepier than I remember, especially since they have no idea how they turned up there and the majority of their memories have disappeared.

The way this is handled is interesting, as no-one really knows what is going on for a long time throughout the episode, but the episode never really becomes what it should be. The focus is pretty much on Caine, which is highly unfortunate for the character that was really very interesting in season one, but seems like a terrible bore here.

An extension of the problem in the original episode in which they left Destiny, is that they never spent a lot of time on the other characters, meaning losing them wasn't much of a big deal in the first place. While their appearance in the opening episode of this season seemed to make them more intriguing, it would appear that this ambiguity has been completely dropped in order to serve the story here.

A second plotline comes into play here, too, as Chloe Armstrong gets more and more covered in blue scars, and begins filming a video on the Kino saying goodbye to all the people she cares for. Sgt Greer tells Lt Scott exactly what he thinks of the whole situation, and it doesn't go down too well.

While most of this storyline plays out without fault and has a few good scenes within, Eli's sudden worry for Chloe after ignoring her for weeks seems entirely odd, especially given the fact that this story seems to come from nowhere and could have happened last week, next week, the end of the season. Nothing especially different happens to Chloe that explains why now is the time to start saying goodbye and worrying. However, this seems like just a little bit of setup for something to happen next week, which may make the concerns for Chloe seem legitimate.

The ending of the episode leaves us in a position of faith, both inside and out of the show. Inside the show, Caine has faith from his reappearance right through to the end of the episode. Outside the show, the fans need to keep faith that this hiccup in a rather entertaining and interesting season so far will be worthwhile somehow in the long run, or at least that its mistake won't be forgotten.

While Caine is an annoyance here compared to his previous appearances, scenes with Rush are interesting enough in terms of setting up theories about the mythology of the show, to keep the episode ticking over. Rather oddly, Sgt Greer turns up as the best character in this whole episode, in three key scenes which give us a little bit more of an insight into him.

One scene which sees him saying goodbye to Chloe in an entirely strange, but justifiable way is a lovely little scene which sees his struggle to balance being a soldier doing the right thing, and being a friend. Another scene that shows his friendship with Lt Scott coming under strain from his opinions of Chloe and their limited options on what they should do with her is also pretty divisive.

However, my favourite scene in this episode is a small piece which puts Greer and Dr Park's relationship in the spotlight for a brief time, which is something I had been dying to see more of on the show.

For me, this episode is a pretty bland entry in season two of Stargate Universe, and while it contains some good and interesting scenes, is pretty forgettable at the end of its running time.

Read our review of episode 8, Malice, here.

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Readers, I present to you this season's most archetypal indie drama-comedy character, in the form of Davy Mitchell (Brian Geraghty). He's a twenty-something aspiring writer, clad in a casual suit with loosened tie, squinting through glasses and hiding behind patchy stubble.

He's an underachiever, lugging around his collection of short stories (titled, with oh-so-profound laziness, Things People Do To Each Other) on a road trip reading tour, progressing through the southern States from university cafe to cosy book nook in a beat up old car. His companion on this adventure is his brother, Sean (Kel O'Neill), who, fittingly, is his exact opposite. He's brash, crude, wildly charismatic and, integrally, a hit with the ladies.

For that seems to be Davy's problem, he's beset with that common affliction for characters of his type. He's awkward around women. All that's about to change, however, as he receives an odd phone call one night in a New Mexican motel. On the other end is a girl's voice, and the conversation (which starts innocently, considering the situation), soon develops into full-blown phone sex.

Such is Easier With Practice's setup. In situation, themes and characters, it is nothing new, but it comes with a distinct mystery, that of the caller's identity. She identifies herself as Nicole, but refuses to give Davy her number, and predictably dodges his petitions for them to meet. It is this question that gives the film its structure: just who is she?

It's unfortunate, because the weight that this question mark gains as the film trundles along overwhelms its more tender moments, since, aside from the kooky central hook, writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez litters the picture with relatively well observed moments of minutiae, from Davy's unfocused ambition and young adult stagnation, to the odd couple relationship with Sean.

This latter quality, in particular, is mined rather well, teasing out an uneasy chemistry between the two brothers, whose relationship endures in spite of the gulf between their personalities. The enforced companionship on tour is echoed in the aftermath, where the dull monotony of motel beds and the endless open road is replaced with untidy apartments and temping jobs. The film is at its best here, managing to cram a great deal of resonance in a jibe, an irresponsible act, or a remarkably cringe-inducing game of 2 Truths, 1 Lie.

However, one person's unimposing, charming dramedy is another's snoozefest, and Easier With Practice, coming hot on the heels of a wave of such films (such as this year's Somewhere and Greenberg), dallies a little closely to the latter, with its experiments in soft focus coming off as a little doe-eyed, and its incessant use of the patented ‘indie rock montage' (featuring recent soundtrack regulars Grizzly Bear) substituting narrative development for stylish, superficial elision.

One major problem, however, is its protagonist. Geraghty does well with the anxious gait and mumbly monotone that we've seen scores of times before, and is superb when flustered in the 10 minute long take, where he receives Nicole's first call, but Davy comes dreadfully close to the kind of loser we don't want to sympathise with. He is a character almost entirely stripped of agency, coasting through his own film, defined more by inactivity than anything else. He is drawn along by the disembodied voice, and falls for a fantasy represented by the cover of a cheap pulp romance novel.

All this heaps expectation on their final meeting, something which is never less than inevitable. And, judging by the film, do you expect it to be all wine and roses?

Easier With Practice attempts to pull the curtain back on Nicole, while retaining some emotional maturity. In reality, it's a twisted reveal, with the implied shock of the revelation ringing out over the quiet moments that fill out its final scenes. It's an eggs in one basket situation, and the viewer hopes for a resolution, or minor bit of resonance, that never truly comes. Instead, the film is simply a number of Things That Some People Did To Each Other.

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What happens when, in a comic book universe of good versus evil locked in an apparently unending, pantomime struggle, the villain finally gets the better of the superhero? That’s the idea that lies at the core of Megamind, the latest animated movie from Madagascar director Tom McGrath.

Will Ferrell lends his voice to Megamind, the blue-skinned protagonist of the title. A bulbous-headed alien who has villainy thrust upon him, Megamind is marginalised at school by his peers and, worst of all, his arch-nemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt), a boy who can do no wrong in the eyes of his friends and teachers.

As a result, Megamind dedicates his adult life to causing chaos in Metro City, constantly kidnapping television reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey), only to have his wicked plans foiled by his square-jawed rival, Metro Man.

Telling a story from the perspective of an anti-hero may have already been attempted once this year in Despicable Me, but Megamind is, nevertheless, quite different – filled with references to comic books and movies, it’s a keenly realised deconstruction of the black-and-white world of superhero stories - Superman is the most obvious reference point.

Far from a ruthless monster, Megamind is merely misunderstood – a stranger in a strange land, his inept, mostly fruitless attempts at playing the part of a criminal mastermind are endearingly inept. Metro Man, on the other hand, is a vain, swaggering muscle-man who thrives on public adulation.

Then, one day, Megamind unexpectedly beats his long-time opponent, and gains control of Mega City. “Imagine the most terrible thing you can think of, and multiply it... Times six!” Megamind tells a terrified, yet faintly bemused populace.

Left without a hero to fight, Megamind quickly grows tired of heaping his lair with money and treasure, and begins to look around for other things to do, first striking up a relationship with Roxanne while disguised as an unassuming white-collar worker, and later attempting to create a new superhero to fight, with disastrous results.

While Megamind’s plot is cleverly constructed enough – albeit in a light, family-friendly kind of way – the movie’s strongest aspect is its humour and welter of loving geek references.

There are several scenes that gently pastiche Richard Donner's 1978 Superman movie, including a slapstick recreation of that film’s romantic flight scene, and a priceless Marlon Brando impression from Will Ferrell. Eagle-eyed viewers will perhaps also note, with a titter of recognition, a fleeting reference to the conclusion of the 1980 Flash Gordon movie.

Megamind’s starry voice cast is uniformly excellent, with Jonah Hill providing the voice of Hal, a dorky camera technician who becomes a power-crazed monster, and Brad Pitt as the muscle-bound hero with a secret passion for music. Tina Fey gets less of a look-in as Roxanne, however, and to have such a great comic actor wasted on a fairly straight role is something of a waste.

The film undoubtedly belongs to Ferrell, and while the role gives him plenty of opportunities to improvise and make loud noises, his performance is surprisingly restrained, giving Megamind the character more nuance and pathos than you might otherwise expect.

Megamind’s use of 3D, in a year filled with unimaginative uses of the processes, is also worthy of note, and its subtle appearance early on make the film’s late action sequences appear all the more spectacular. A city-levelling fight scene towards the conclusion is particularly well handled, and looks uncannily like an Akira for the under-twelve market.

Ultimately, Megamind is an unchallenging, gentle action comedy, delivered with charm and knowing wit. There are numerous moments that appear to have been inspired by other CG family movies – Pixar’s The Incredibles is the most obvious touchstone – but McGrath’s film has enough humour and style to carry Megamind through its more derivative moments.

Plus, Ferrell’s Marlon Brando impression is, by itself, worth the price of a ticket…

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After a couple weeks' break, we play catch-up this week with new programme starts, say goodbye with series finales, and hello once more to a very welcome return visit. All coming up in the next seven days on UK telly.

Last week, the excellent Peep Show, starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, aired the first episode of its seventh series. Mark is now a dad, although a reluctant one initially, and there's evidence of plenty left in the tank for the show, even at this great running distance, as you can see in our review of the premiere here. The series continues on Channel 4 tonight, Friday, December 3rd at 10:00pm and if you want to catch up, you can watch episode 1 here.

Half of the flatmate pair then follows in a new show, Robert's Web, at 10:40pm on Channel 4, which looks at some of the zaniest corners of the Internet. If you're worried it's another lame YouTube round-up, never fear, as it gets into the tackiest of web strings, with numbnuts forum posts and other such idiocy revealed without having to shove a mouse about. (Just hope you never spot one of your own less than poetic posts being pointed at.) The first episode is available to watch online, appropriately, here.

Merlin comes to the end of its third series on Saturday, December 4th on BBC1 at 7:40pm, with the second of the two-part finale, The Coming Of Arthur. The first half was heading in a very satisfying direction for our reviewer and many of the fans, and hopes are high it can finish that same way, with a flourish, and not peter out in a puff of smelly smoke.

A firm favourite returned to BBC3, in Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss', Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The first exquisite episode, A Study In Pink, can be seen online here. And The Blind Banker airs Sunday, December 5th at 7:30pm on BB3, and it, too, is worth a rewatch before next week's conclusion. (Well, we say conclusion. Actually, brace yourself for a cliffhanger of mountainously epic proportions. We have never wanted to will a series into returning sooner harder.) If any episode passed you by, you can catch up in the comment sections on our still glowing reviews here.

Monday, December 6th, The Trip concludes with The Angel At Hetton on BBC2 at 10:00pm. It's been a grand tour, with Steven Coogan and Rob Brydon entertaining in every moment, mostly with genuine laughs, and at other times, quite touching scenes in a surprise new favourite. Catch up with our most recent review here, if you like, and if you've missed even a second of the show, it's still available to watch here.

Now, on to the films showing through the weekend and a bit beyond. As always, if we missed anything interesting, have a shout in the comments, with our thanks.

Please also note: the ordinal numbers for dates will help you scan through this simple list with your browser's search function. Enter '4th' in your browser's Find box or window to highlight and/or tab through all movies shown on Saturday. Enjoy!

2001: A Space Odyssey
On: TCM
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 9:00pm

A History Of Violence
On: more4
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:00pm (and 1:00am 4th Dec)

Airplane!
On: Sky Movies Comedy
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:00pm

Apollo 13
On: ITV2
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 5:15pm (and 6:15pm ITV2+1)

Assassins
On: Five USA
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Five USA+1)

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
On: TCM
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 1:00am 4th Dec)

Bad Day At Black Rock
On: more4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:35am

Black Narcissus
On: more4
Date: Wednesday 8th December
Time: 11:15am

Blade
On: Five
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 10:00pm

Blow Out
On: TCM
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:55pm

Braveheart
On: Film4
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

Colors
On: TCM
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 1:05am 5th Dec)

Con Air
On: BBC 3
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 00:40am

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:45pm

Day Watch
On: Film4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 00:35am (and 1:35am Film4+1)

Enemy At The Gates
On: Channel 4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 01:55am

Fargo
On: TCM
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 11:35pm

First Blood
On: ITV4
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: midnight (and 1:00am 4th Dec ITV4+1, 11/midnight 6th Dec)

Flash Gordon
On: ITV4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 5:45pm (and 6:45pm ITV4+1)

Frozen River
On: BBC 2
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 11:25pm

Ice Age
On: Five
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 5:15pm

Identity
On: Bravo
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 10:00pm

In Bruges
On: Film4
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

Jackie Chan's Police Story
On: SyFy
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:00pm (and 11:00pm Syfy+1)

K-19: The Widowmaker
On: more4
Date: Tuesday 7th December
Time: 10:45am

Kes
On: TCM
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 5:10pm (and 9:05am 5th Dec)

Lethal Weapon 4
On: Five USA
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Five USA+1)

Life Is Beautiful
On: Sky Movies Indie
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 4:05pm (and 1:10pm 8th Dec, 1:45am 9th Dec)

Little Otik
On: Film4
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 00:45am (and 1:45am Film4+1)

Magicians
On: ITV1
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 10:45pm

Nil By Mouth
On: Film4
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 00:40am (and 1:40am Film4+1)

Oldboy
On: Channel 4
Date: Thursday 9th December
Time: 01:20am

Pandorum
On: SyFy
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 00:20am (and 1:20am Syfy+1)

Porco Rosso
On: Channel 4
Date: Tuesday 7th December
Time: 03:30am

Pushing Tin
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 01:15am (and 2:05am 4+1)

RoboCop
On: TCM
Date: Wednesday 8th December
Time: 11:10pm

Se7en
On: Five USA
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 11:00pm

Sleeper
On: TCM
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 7:20pm (and 11:15am 5th Dec)

Slumdog Millionaire
On: Channel 4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:25pm

Spider
On: BBC 2
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 11:50pm

Spider-Man
On: FIVER
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Fiver+1)

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
On: Film4
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 1:00pm (and 2:00pm Film+1)

Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny
On: Film4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 10:50pm (and 11:50pm Film4+1)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
On: Sky1
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 9:00pm 5th Dec Sky2, 10:00pm 8th Dec Sky1, 9:00pm 9th Dec Sky2)

The Basketball Diaries
On: TCM
Date: Monday 6th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 1:10am 7th Dec)

The Chaser
On: BBC 4
Date: Sunday 5th December
Time: 10:30pm

The Devil's Backbone
On: Film4
Date: Wednesday 8th December
Time: 9:00pm (and 10:00pm Film4+1)

The Interpreter
On: ITV1
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 10:35pm

The Jacket
On: ITV2
Date: Friday 3rd December
Time: 11:00pm (and midnight ITV2+1)

The Life Of David Gale
On: ITV1
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 03:00am

The Odessa File
On: Five USA
Date: Saturday 4th December
Time: 6:25pm (and 7:25pm Five USA+1, 2:20/3:20pm 5th Dec)

The Silence Of The Lambs
On: Universal
Date: Tuesday 7th December
Time: 10:00pm )amd 11:00pm Universal+1)

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It's been a while coming, but ITV will be bringing the fourth series of Primeval to our screens in January, with the first episode of the new run screening on New Year's Day.

And to get you in the mood for the new series, a brand new trailer for it has been released. You can see that below these very words, too. Enjoy...!

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The shroud of secrecy surrounding Kevin Smith's upcoming horror film, Red State, shows little sign of lifting just yet. But with the film now confirmed as showing out-of-competition at the Sundance Film Festival at the start of 2011.

The film, which Smith is intending to sell there and then in the room at Sundance, rather than going through lots of behind closed doors meetings, stars the mighty John Goodman. And we're got a first, fleeting look at it in a series of four stills that have been released. They still don't tell you much, but this is - unless you've been following Smith's Smodcasts about the film - the first glimpse of the movie itself.

We'll keep you posted as to when you might be able to feast your eyes on the movie itself...

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The fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides, may be almost six months away, but there’s already talk of a further two instalments in the franchise. That’s according to Hit Fix, who have suggested that Disney is already making preparations for Pirates 5 and 6, with the aim of shooting them back to back - just as director Gore Verbinski did with Dead Man’s Chest and On Stranger Tides.

Disney is clearly expecting big things from On Stranger Tides, which reportedly finished shooting on 19 November, and as Hit Fix points out, the fact that two further films are already being discussed is a sign that the film’s in pretty good shape.

With Johnny Depp’s schedule full next year, as he films Dark Shadows and The Lone Ranger, it’s unlikely that the next Pirates movies will begin production until at least 2012. At any rate, we could be seeing plenty more Jack Sparrow adventures soon, if the rumour proves to be true.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will arrive in cinemas on 20 May 2011.

Hit Fix

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Christmas is imminent. So close, in fact, that you can almost smell the overcooked sprouts. And as the BBC prepares for the festive season, it’s released a Christmas showreel to provide a taste of the programmes we can expect to see on the box as we tuck into the mince pies.

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol is, understandably, made a prominent feature, since it’s likely to be the most watched programme of all on the 25 December.

Elsewhere, there’s a tantalising glimpse of the great John Hurt in the new adaptation of MR James’ Whistle And I’ll Come To You, period dramas Upstairs Downstairs and Toast (the latter starring Helena Bonham Carter), a dramatisation of Morcombe and Wise’s early years called Eric And Ernie, and a lengthy preview of the annual gloomfest that is the Eastenders Christmas special.

It’s the 30 seconds of Doctor Who that we’re most interested in, of course, and we can’t wait to see Michael Gambon star alongside Matt Smith in what Steven Moffat has described as “All your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters.”

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol airs at 6pm on Christmas Day.

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In our latest Tron: Legacy round-table, we caught up with the film’s designers to discuss their work on its distinctive aesthetic. Costume designers Neville Page and Christine Clarke, vehicle designer Daniel Simon, and environment designer David Levy all provided a lively insight into the work that went into creating the virtual world of the Grid...

How important was it to retain the feel of the original Tron’s costumes, even though they’re no longer made from spandex?

Christine Clarke: If you had seen those costumes in person, you’d know why we didn’t retain them!

When we began, I went back and looked at the original costume designs for Tron, and they’re literally spandex and old hockey helmets - it was all in boxes at Disney. I think, because they knew they’d be creating the finished look of the film in post, they’re really just a framework for what you see in the finished movie. When you see them, you realise they’re a little low-tech for what we need right now.

The only aspect we all wanted to keep was the circuitry - the line work. That was something that formed part of our process, and the discussions of what we wanted to retain and what we wanted to move away from.

You retain that with the use of the LED lines. The exposed technology.

NP: Yes. And that’s retained throughout the production - in the finished vehicles and architecture, everything. The light. The energy.

The suits you’ve designed are very sleek and close-fitting. Were you worried they might be a little too sexy?

CC: I don’t think that’s possible! [Laughs] I think Joe [Kosinski, director] always wanted us to have an awareness of the physical form. And I think we were very aware of enhancing physical silhouettes in the film to the best of our ability. I think you’ve seen there is a lithe shape to everyone, and bulked-up muscles.

With the women and Sam’s character, I think they are sexy, because of the sleek, form-fitting black lines of what we’ve created. We use the lights to accentuate the positive. So I think there is a lot of reverence for Tron’s sexy, revealing look.

So nobody from Disney came to you and said that it had to be a movie for 12-year-old children as well?

NP: You know, I remember at the beginning, when I was sculpting Sam’s costume, there was a conversation on how much we show his glutes, or his butt. I think doing a great male physique was really critical, and we have an actor who has that. But there was a conversation about the crotch area. You do have to be mindful of it not being the focus of the film.

CC: For me, having worked on several films where this is a topic of discussion, it’s something that you’re aware of before it ever becomes an issue. Having worked on 300, with its codpieces, it was a big issue. In Watchmen, it was the same...

NP: And let’s not even talk about Doctor Manhattan! [Laughs]

CC: That was our first crotch question!

How would the vehicles in Tron work in the real world?

Daniel Simon: I get that question a lot about the vehicles. They were clearly designed to work in this parallel universe,  to look awe-inspiring on screen. There was never any intention of having them work in the real world. We made it technically feasible, but no, you’d never find a parking spot with a Light Cycle inside it.

CC: They’ll make special parking spots for them! I do think that, because this is such a technological kind of film, you’re already seeing things like that, even in Disney’s marketing, where it’s very focused on gadgetry and a Tron version of things. I think there’s a lot of stuff coming out on the runways that has a kind of Tron aesthetic to it. There’s a darker, edgier, more European style that’s just happening. And the film hasn’t even come out yet. I think, when it does, there’ll be many things it’ll affect.

DS: But I think there’s also bit of fear as well, that because there’s also more than just black and glow lines, and I’m sure it’s going to go just a little bit out of control once it’s out there. But there is a certain beauty to it also.

What do you think of the original Tron Guy, Jay, do you think he is going to tackle the new one?

NP: It’s going to be more expensive for him.

CC: I’d like to see it though. A black silhouette would be more flattering on him!

Did you have a real city that inspired you for the architecture?

David Levy: The architecture,  the whole city pattern is based on microchips. If you look at the city from the top it will look like a computer chip and we extruded from those paths and modified them, thats one inspiration behind the city shape and its circuitry.

And the Communist architecture?

There is that too, like London, East Germany or France because the whole universe is controlled by this very dictatorial Clu, so everything is cold and concrete and looks like it has been washed by centuries of rainfall, that is the other inspiration.

I’ve noticed in the footage that we’ve seen, that it’s very futuristic, but there is an 80s hint to it, which ties back into the 80s and Tron, but Michael Sheen’s character - his outfit and make up looks very Steve Strange/Boy George - was that intentional?

CC: [Laughs] That was purely accidental, I do think that fashions of some of the costume choices that we made definitely had a retro feeling to them, and in many ways retro from different time period. There is quite a big 80s influence on the end of line club, but you’ll find some 70s references, as well,  sprinkled throughout.

All of that is really due to the fact you are inside a virtual world, where a lot of time has gone by, but it is a world created by Kevin Flynn, who is a child of the 70s and 80s, so it's only natural that you are going to have design influence from those time periods in the world that he has created.

Tron inspired the club that you’re now taking inspiration from, the original Tron inspired that look, and then there were loads of nightclubs that looked like that. Now you’re looking at 80s nightclubs, and thinking we will make the new one look a bit like that, which Tron influenced in the first place - it’s come full circle.

CC: But I think design is cyclical in that way. I think you will find that paradox in a lot of places. There is no real true one hundred per cent original design idea - I think everything is an amalgam of different things that we can reference or draw reference from.

DL: I think that is how you create an emotional response in people - there is something in your subconscious that tells you that you’ve seen it before, and it takes you back to your past.

CC: I think we all do, ultimately in costume you’re trying to tell the story of that character visually. You want to interpret whatever is happening in the film in the visuals that you are seeing, and in order to do that, a lot of times you play on people’s emotions by referencing or showing something that you know will get this reaction from them. We are all just manipulators [Laughs].

Will someone build an actual full-sized Light Cycle that we could buy?

DS: It wasn’t designed for that, and the hubless wheels probably would be the biggest challenge. I would not want to go into that rubber suit to drive one.

CC: I keep seeing people threatening that they will build one. Give me one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and I’ll make one.

DS: Well, we’ll see. Things fly out of your hands and they just happen and you witness them and you have your own ideas about it.

That bike is apparently officially licensed, there's a company that is officially allowed to make the bike.

DS: [Surprised] Well I hope I get one for free!

CC: I can’t possibly see how you could ride around on it in a practical setting.

DS: Of course it would work! We thought about everything. We’ll see what happens. It is actually flattering if people take something and make their own thing of it, that’s a real compliment.

Neville Page, Christine Clarke, Daniel Simon, and David Levy, thank you all very much!

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Almost three decades ago, the original Tron movie caused a generation of budding computer geeks to break out their Commodore 64s and wonder what might be inside. Can the sequel take what made the original so inspiring and bring it up to date?

It certainly seems that way. While the world of Tron: Legacy is replete with references to the original movie, it treats itself as a mostly fresh take on the franchise. The familiar elements are in place, but if you’ve never seen the original, you won’t be excluded. True, you might not feel the tingle of familiarity when the Recognizers approach – but their monolithic threat looms even larger today than it did the first time round. All the references in Tron work on those two levels.

Indeed, regardless of your familiarity with the original, the story of Tron: Legacy is easy to grasp: Kevin Flynn, creator of the Grid and CEO of Encom, makes a great and secret discovery, then disappears. 20 years later, Sam Flynn, tearaway heir to Encom, is unexpectedly summoned to his father’s laboratory.

A few errant keypresses later, he finds himself on the Grid, participating in the games. You know the ones. Disc throwing, Light Cycles, all the classic Tron stuff given a modern music-video overhaul. Rescued by Quorra and reunited with his father, the trio have eight hours to reach the portal and get back to the real world, while Clu – Flynn’s grimly authoritarian avatar with his own designs on the real world - chases them down.

Sam Flynn, played by Garrett Hedlund, is instantly recognisable as the kind of bland, everyman action lead Shia LaBeouf made his own. The opening sequence, where Sam breaks into Encom to execute a cyber-prank against its cartoonishly evil boardroom executives, is a string of motorbike-chasing, computer-hacking, base-jumping clichés presumably designed to signpost his proficiency in these areas for when he reaches the Grid.

Of all the cues the film takes from The Matrix, the idea that - as a User - Sam might have some additional abilities within the system would have been far more plausible than the notion that he spent 20 years training himself to be Batman, just to irritate his old man’s former employees once a year.

Still, the characters surrounding Sam are so strong that it’s hard to complain too hard about his complete lack of a distinct personality (tellingly, despite being the lead, he doesn’t get any of the best one-liners). Instead, the film relies largely on Bridges, who brings both his trademark hippie spirit to Flynn, and a cold malevolence to Clu, carrying the second and third acts squarely on his own shoulders, and never once stumbling.

Even so, it’s Olivia Wilde’s Quorra - a naively sweet, ass-kicking, stunt-driving program who has kept Flynn company in his exile – who steals every scene she’s in. Probably because every time a conversation happens in her presence, Kosinski feels the need to cut away to her silent reactions just so we can admire her wide, almond-shaped eyes and asymmetrical haircut, like a manga character drawn to life.

Between Wilde’s poise, beauty and natural comic delivery, the camera can’t quite keep its eyes off her. The audience will probably feel the same way. The plot asks us to believe Quorra is special, and with the lack of any concrete explanation as to why, it’s left to Wilde’s warm, engaging performance to realise the significance heaped upon her. It’s a wonderfully far cry from her turn as the formidable, hedonistic Thirteen in House, the role for which she was previously most famous. If this is any indication, she’s going to be huge, and justifiably so.

A plot as thin as Tron: Legacy’s can never really suffer from its holes, of which there are a couple of minor ones: Michael Sheen, while brilliantly flamboyant as Castor (think Russell Brand dunked in bleach and asked to play the Merovingian from Matrix Reloaded), doesn’t really slot logically into events, while Quorra has a habit of springing to the rescue out of nowhere that belies any reasonable probability in a city the size of the Grid. Bridges’ moments of messianic power seem at odds with his plan to do absolutely nothing as often as possible. Mostly, they’re an excuse for some cool visuals. But then, so is most of the film.

What prevents the plot from turning into a Transformers-style barrage of special-effect action sequences is that it remembers to tell a story about the characters. At the heart of the movie is the relationship between Flynn and his various children: Sam, his biological son, Clu, the alter-ego that represents his own youthful folly, and Quorra, his adopted digital “daughter”. The film never forgets to refer back to these elements, creating relatable character drama in a film that could have easily been as soulless as the digital world in which it is set.

And what of the effects? Certainly, the technology which allows Jeff Bridges to play a CGI version of himself in his 30s is quite impressive. In a year or two, it might even be good enough to use in a movie. Unfortunately, it’s being used in one now. Clearly aware of this flaw, the Tron: Legacy team often finds some way around subjecting Bridges’ young face to too much audience scrutiny. We frequently find him bathed in confusingly deep shadows. Or viewed off a reflected surface. Or from beneath a heavy video effect.

Such kludges are distracting, though not quite as much as when the film dispenses with the trickery during the final act. Clu comes out of the shadows and slips straight into the uncanny valley. Perhaps it’s an intentional nod towards his digital nature. More likely, it’s just an effect that’s fallen a tad short. The flaws in Tron: Legacy are few and far between, but this one stands out above all the others.

As for the film’s 3D, for once it feels like an appropriate use of the technology. Although (on the IMAX print, at least) there were some 3D moments early on, it’s not until the film reaches the Grid that everything truly pops. The effects give it an appropriately digital, other-worldly feel, and make the most of the wide, digital vistas that are rendered before you. If any film felt born to be in 3D, it’s one set inside a computer-generated world, and Tron: Legacy makes the most of that, revelling in its own look.

In many ways, Tron: Legacy is the ultimate expression of 80s fetishism that has dominated pop culture of late. With a persistent neon glow and a mind-blowing synth soundtrack by Daft Punk that proves integral to the feel of the film, it looks and sounds effortlessly cool, but at the same time, despite all the nods to the past, it never looks retro. It’s all about the future. And if the suggestions of more Tron to come are true, well, that’s a future we can all look forward to.

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A film as much about loneliness, paranoia and obsession as it is about the brutally competitive world of ballet, Darren Aronofsky’s magnificent Black Swan plays like a mixture of Michael Haneke’s 2001 masterpiece The Piano Teacher, the story-within-a-story conceit of Michael Powell’s The Red Shoes, and the queasy body horror of just about anything by David Cronenberg.

It’s to Aronofsky’s credit that, while his film recalls the work of those great directors, Black Swan comes across as a spectacular piece of cinema in its own right. The new international trailer, which you can find lurking quietly below these very words, focuses on protagonist Nina (Natalie Portman, in what we suspect will be her career-defining role) and her relationships with her nutty mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), rival dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) and slimy director Thomas (Vincent Cassel).

Oh, and Winona Ryder’s in there too, putting in a brilliantly unhinged performance as embittered, ousted ballerina Beth.

Black Swan finally gets its UK theatrical release on 21 January - a sumptuous treat for the new year.

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This review contains spoilers.

6.10 Caged Heat

In an episode filled with surprises, Sam and Dean receive a visit from Meg, a demon loyal to Lucifer, who wants to find and kill Crowley. Sam convinces Meg to form an uneasy alliance to get to him. The three of them sneak into Samuel Winchester’s place to look for clues, but are discovered. He tells them the reason he is helping Crowley is that the demon has promised he will resurrect his daughter, Sam and Dean’s Mother. Based on this, Samuel refuses to help.

Samuel has a change of heart and reveals to Sam and Dean where he has been taking the creatures he has captured, and where he believes Crowley can be found. Sam asks him to come with them but Samuel turns him down.

Sam, Dean and Castiel meet with Meg to plan their attack, and whilst preparations are made, Castiel, seemingly unaware that Sam is eavesdropping, voices his concern to Dean that Sam’s soul would have been corrupted by Lucifer and would be unfit to put back into Sam.

Crowley is holed up in what appears to be an old, abandoned hospital, and after breaking in they are attacked by hell hounds. Unable to leave her host body, Meg decides to take on the hounds to allow Sam, Dean and Castiel to try to find Crowley.

Castiel suddenly vanishes as a result of Samuel using a sigil. Sam and Dean realise that their grandfather has betrayed them. Crowley appears and the brothers are thrown into cells, but later escape.

Meg, having defeated the Hell hounds, has been captured by the demon-possessed Christian Campbell and is being tortured by him when Dean kills him and frees her.

Crowley gets lured into a trap set by Sam, Dean and Meg. Allowing Meg to torture Crowley, Sam asks for his soul back, but Crowley confesses he isn’t able to get it back, and again states that it would have been corrupted by Lucifer. In a moment of distraction, Crowley escapes and has the three at his mercy when Castiel returns with Crowley’s bones. The angel questions again whether or not Crowley can return Sam’s soul and Crowley admits he can’t, so Castiel burns his bones and, quite unexpectedly, destroys Crowley.

I have to admit, I really did not see Crowley’s demise coming. I liked the idea of Crowley as the villain of the piece, and was intrigued by his Purgatory scheme. This, in addition to the fact that Mark Sheppard really seemed to relish the role, meant that I thought he was here for the duration of the season. It certainly now throws up some interesting questions. Who’s going to replace him? Firstly, as the King of Hell, and secondly, as the big bad in this season?

Samuel Winchester’s betrayal is certainly going to have interesting repercussions. He is completely on his own now. A small part of me actually feels a bit sorry for him, as I can sympathise with his desperation. Now he has lost his ‘boss’ and has a very annoyed grandson out to get him.

The idea of Sam’s soul is an interesting dilemma. Early in this season, it was made very clear that things weren’t right with Sam, and then it was discovered that he was missing his soul, leaving him emotionless and unable to sleep.

In this episode, Sam’s lack of soul is seemingly a positive. When Meg first appears, he is able to see her desperation for what it is, and is able to ignore the prejudices that Dean shows to allow them to get the job done.  So, like Sam, the audience is left questioning, especially considering the thought that it’s been Lucifer’s plaything all this time.

I have had a thought. Just the one, and it hurt a bit. One of the core elements of Supernatural is its depiction of demons taking advantage of people in desperate situations, and offering deals to get out of those situations. A lot has been made, in this episode, of Castiel’s struggle in heaven and how things are going against him, and as Purgatory is between heaven and hell with a lot of untapped resources, and possibly recruits, a desperate angel may see no other alternative but to do a deal with a demon. Part of that deal may be faking said demon’s death.

I don’t think it will come to pass, and I wouldn’t want to see Castiel go down that path, but if he does, I get to say I told you so...

Read our review of episode 9, Clap Your Hands If You Believe, here.

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This review contains spoilers.

6. One Way

The stoic and mysterious Michael took centre stage in this week’s episode of Nikita, as we were finally given insight into his reasons for both joining Division, and, more importantly, staying there.

To its credit, the show’s flashbacks always examine a character’s motivations for their seemingly inexcusable actions, and they always do so in an interesting way that has yet to feel contrived or unnecessary. Other shows would claim to use flashbacks for the same purpose, but it’s undeniable that some are guilty of using them as little more than cheap filler and in scenes which hold one’s interest with the same ability as a sock can hold a pint of lukewarm wee.

The flashbacks in One Way delved deep into the murky and troubled past of Michael, who ranks as the character second-most in need of a bit of back-story (just behind the still diabolical-for-the-hell-of-it Percy). In Michael, we have seen a man whose moral compass has survived undamaged in his years of service to Division, to the extent that it seems highly incongruous that such a jolly good egg would even be seen dead associating with an odious little toe-rag like Percy, not to mention a nasty old bunch like Division. This week we saw his reasons for doing so: his family were brutally slain by a terrorist named Kaseem, and Percy held his only chance at getting his revenge.

Now, Shane West hasn’t exactly been the best thing about Nikita in its first eight episodes. No. In fact, truth be told, his pouting, growling-like-a-teenager-trying-to-get-served-for-booze sulking act was on the verge of becoming quite tiresome, as was his frightful goatee (although the beard hatred is irrelevant and probably more a personal thing of mine that stems from wanting to be sick whenever I see Noel Edmonds). This is not a slight against West himself: he hasn’t truthfully had the chance to do much more than growl his way humourlessly through every one of his scenes so far, but his quest for revenge displayed an acting range that could easily have been thought to be beyond him, and the fact that he pulled it off admirably added considerable weight and pathos to a character that had previously had none.

To West’s credit, his rage towards Kaseem was palpable and, most importantly, entirely believable.

Percy, in a rare display of altruism, had allowed Michael a free pass to get at Kaseem, but he had not foreseen Nikita stepping in to assist, to facilitate what she called Michael’s first ‘baby step’ to leaving division. Nikita saw to it that she and Michael formed an alliance to take out Kaseem, thus freeing Michael from his burden of debt to Division and gaining another ally in her struggle against them.

While the episode itself was distinctly light on the action, it was nice seeing the sparks fly between Nikita and Michael, and their pursuit of Kaseem did have a few standout moments. Nikita’s exploitation of a fat man’s love of women and football was entertaining enough, and Michael’s waterboarding was just as unpleasant as it needed to be to effectively get the point across. Division’s realisation that Nikita was involved was a bit daft, though. If they are capable of spotting her on a random CCTV camera in the Middle East, why do they have such trouble locating her on her – and their - home turf?

Nevertheless, the eventual dissolution of this newly regained partnership came about in a genuinely tense scene in which Michael stalked his nemesis at an airport, armed with nothing but a shard of broken glass, only to be foiled by Nikita in order to save his life.

It was sad to see his hatred of her as a result, especially as he would never have known she was responsible if she had decided not to continue her discussion with the local fuzz over the radio within his earshot (d’oh!). While this was all clearly just a stall to prevent him from leaving Division after nine episodes, it definitely left the show in a more interesting place than if everyone just got along. Whether he will reserve equal disdain for Percy as thanks for foiling the whole mission will be seen next week.

Less successful, on pretty much every level, was Alex’s storyline, which was so full of plot holes that it was practically transparent. Getting ‘rumbled’ for sneaking her way onto the over-amorous doctor’s computer was fine, if really rather stupid, backing Alex into a corner and forcing her hand (which happened to have quite a large needle in it). But her eventual blackmailing of the reanimated Jaden (where has she been?) into corroborating her story was a plan so flimsy it was would have fallen apart at the first sign of questioning.
If Jaden is simply going to be brought out of the cupboard as and when Alex needs to be annoyed, then here’s hoping she meets an untimely end quite soon. Although, with the whelp Thom now firmly on the full-time staff, it seems more likely that she will hang around for some time yet.

A decent enough episode to keep interest piqued, then, but with the highs the show has managed to reach before now this does has to be seen as the weakest effort so far. By no means a bad hour of telly, but some way short of the brisk and intelligent storytelling seen in previous episodes.

Stuff to ponder:

-    How long will it take Michael to forgive Nikita? I bet 5 episodes
-    Where do they keep Jaden when she’s not needed?
-    Will we ever delve into Percy’s past?
-    Will Michael ever get his revenge?
-    Can Alex go one week without drawing attention to herself?

Read our review of episode 8, Phoenix, here.

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The review contains spoilers.

1.6 TS-19

I don't know how you British do it. Six episodes of a show, and that's it for the season? Why, it just seems like The Walking Dead is just getting started and here I am writing up a recap of the season finale. Fortunately, unlike the UK, we're already guaranteed a second season of the best (only) zombie horror drama on television, which means that next October I'll be gearing up for 13 episodes of blood, guts, and brains. I already can't wait.

This week, the survivors got a respite from the perils of running from zombies in the hills, as well as a respite from ice-cold sponge baths in Dale's RV. The CDC means electric lights, a whole library of books, and much-needed hot water, as well as a secure place to let the old guard down and tie one on with the gang's new best friend and savior, Dr. Jenner (Noah Emmerich).

Of course, there's only one problem with Jenner, and that's the fact that the salvation he offers has a limit. It's not that he's crazy, but that the CDC building is running out of fuel. Fuel is power, and power is containment. Once the containment is breached, the entire CDC building is going to detonate and, as Dr. Jenner said in “Wildfire,” once those doors are closed, they won't be opening again Now there's a countdown, and it's up to the crew to figure out a way out, one way or another.

Aside from one small technical issue, this was another great episode of The Walking Dead. We finally get a scientific explanation as to why some bodies take longer to come back than others, as well as a general status update on just how fucked the world is in the month after the first zombie starts making meals out of healthy folks. It's a pretty hopeless situation.

Another well-directed episode this week from TV veteran Guy Ferland, who has done a whole lot of good shows in a whole lot of good series. One of my favorite moments was a little background thing. When the assembled are talking with Dr. Jenner in the control room, Daryl's continued pounding on the steel, rocket-proof doors with the ax just struck me as both amusing and poignant. It's little touches like that which make or break a show. In this case, it makes the show.

The writing was also fairly tight this week. At some points things got a little hokey, especially with Dr. Jenner's exposition, but it didn't bother me. Frank Darabont did extensive rewrites to all the episodes, apparently, and he got a co-writer credit with Adam Fierro on this week's episode. Fierro is also one of the show's producers. If they really do fire all the writing staff (as is being reported), I think between Darabont, Fierro, Kirkman, and the other producers/directors who've worked on the show they can pull together a really strong 13-episode story arc for next season. (And if they don't fire all the writers, that's even better; why mess with what's obviously working?)

Of the many cannon fodder characters in the show's second episode, one of the ones that grew on me with very limited screen time was actually Jeryl Prescott's Jacqui. Despite never being given a lot to say, she was able to get Jacqui's personality across in limited screen time as a background character. In a troop of tough survivors, she was the heart, the caretaker, and she got an appropriate send-off this week. Throughout the first six episodes of The Walking Dead, whenever someone has been hurt, Jacqui has been the one tending to them - when T-Dog got beaten by Merle, Jacqui cared for his wounds. When Jim was dying of zombie sickness, Jacqui was his primary caretaker. It's only fitting that she spent her final moments giving some much-needed comfort to Dr. Jenner as the clock counted down to 0:00:00.

Similarly, one of the characters I felt was slightly underdeveloped in the comic books was Shane, and he's been in danger of being that guy in the television series as well. I'm not a fan of one-dimensional characters, especially when they're a focal point for one of the main plot lines on the show, and I like what they did with this episode's cold opening. We get to see Shane agonize over Rick's prone body, and we get to see just the loyalty Shane has for his friend, when he's not banging his closest buddy's wife and playing daddy to his son, that is. It's one thing to hear Shane say all this, but to see it acted out on the screen makes it all the more powerful.

Shane has been a great addition to the central cast, which is probably one of the things Kirkman would change in the graphic novel if he got the chance. His presence has added a whole new dynamic to the survivors that was missing from the comic book, and Jon Bernthal has been incredible in his limited screen time. He's got just enough redeeming qualities to keep him from being completely objectionable, but so many negative qualities that he's a great sleeper agent of chaos amongst the happy band of survivors—witness tonight's wonderfully skin-crawling moment with Lori in the game room for starters, and the bubbling undercurrent of tension throughout the camp since Rick returned. He's both the elephant in the room and the viper in their midst.

There's also one big remaining cliffhanger (aside from the one about who is going to survive next season). At the end, when Dr. Jenner grabs Rick and French-kisses a secret into his ear... just what is Jenner saying? What does it portend for next season? I guess we'll find out then, but I can't help but formulate a few guesses on the subject. After all, Jenner tested everyone's blood, so there's any number of ways this can be taken. Is Lori pregnant? Is she immune to the virus? Is the virus man-made and Jenner had to confess it to someone in his final moments? There's any number of ways they can take this particular moment, and since we're so far away from the comic script I don't see how we could get back to it, they could go anywhere with this single moment.

Next Halloween cannot get here fast enough. There's so much in the graphic novel they can cover, and even if they decide to go in a totally different direction, Darabont, Kirkman, and the rest of the writing staff have proven that they're more than capable of adding to the already existing universe without losing the potent punch of the source material. I haven't been this excited about a television show in a long, long time.

US correspondent Ron Hogan is glad to see that zombies are finally getting their just desserts. Never mind the fact that there have been dozens of zombie movies over the last 5 years; now they're invading TV, too. Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi.

Read our review of episode 5, Wildfire, here.

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This review contains spoilers.

3.13 The Coming Of Arthur Part 2

The finale, then.

Morgana and Morgause have seized complete control of Camelot, while Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine and Gaius hide in the woods, defeated and alone. Sir Leon and the Knights refuse to swear allegiance to the new Queen and, if they don't, the citizens of the city will not yield to her.

In a quietly breathtaking opening scene, Morgana has all the Knights lined up before a death squad. The Knights defiantly await execution only for the archers to turn their attention on the innocent crowd of women and children and open fire.  This was one of the moments during the episode when I knew that, wherever this story was going, it would be somewhere completely unexpected.

Something I never thought I would do was sympathise with Uther, but the writers have imbued the character with multiple layers. Maybe next season he'll return to the tyrant we've seen so far, though I doubt it. Watching him looking on defenceless as bodies are removed from the castle ground and Morgana taunting him was devastating and utterly bleak and Anthony Head should be applauded for his portrayal of a grief-stricken, broken man who has been betrayed by the daughter he genuinely loves. I got the impression that perhaps now Uther will see the error of his ways? 

It is Gwen who helps Sir Leon escape Morgana's clutches and go in search of the others. But Morgause is one step ahead of her and uses a tracking potion so they can follow and eliminate her enemies.

Gwen is reunited with Arthur and they manage to evade Morgause and her men only to be trapped in a rock slide. Fortunately, Lancelot and Percival have heard word and come to their aid. They retreat to some caves where Merlin attempts to get some shuteye, only for him to accidentally break the vial of water given to him by the Fisher King. All is not lost, however, when he receives a vision of Freya and she tells him to go to Avalon and retrieve Excalibur. That this is the only way to defeat Morgana's immortal army and save Albion.

Arthur makes a decision to knight Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Lancelot, and so the Knights of The Round Table are formed in a well directed scene which is touching and moves the show out of familiar territory and brings it somewhere completely new.

The Knights, Gaius and Merlin return to Camelot to battle the wicked sisters and their army of immortals. Lancelot and Merlin quickly make it to the room where The Cup of Life is being guarded by half a dozen men. The men are easily despatched with one strike of the magical sword, but Morgause shows up and a battle between her and Merlin begins.

Gaius intervenes just as she is about to take the boy wizard out, only for the witch to turn her attentions on the old man. But Merlin throws her against a pillar, killing her. The Cup is destroyed and the soldiers vanquished. A distraught Morgana cradles her dead sister in her arms, and with the full force of her magic, brings an avalanche of rocks down on herself as Merlin and Gaius escape.

It was a fitting end to Morgana's ruthless reign. even if she wasn't found amongst the rubble. I sincerely doubt there will be as much emphasis on her character next year. Whether Emilia Fox's character is dead or not remains to be seen. This reviewer certainly hopes not.

An episode which introduced new characters and brought back old ones in such a short running time could have been a monumental failure, but everybody was given something to do which gave the entire episode a speedy momentum.

There probably should have been a bigger confrontation between Merlin and Morgana, but I expect they'll meet again next year. I'm glad the show has been renewed, even if it is at a reduced ten episodes.

Perhaps the creators will concentrate more on the myths of the show and spend less time on tongue in cheek, run of the mill standalones. I, for one cannot wait to see what they have lined up for us next year. Overall, a great season!

Read our review of episode 12, The Coming Of Arthur Part 1, here.

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