MIDWAY : Thursday 30th January 2020.

I saw the M Rated 'MIDWAY' on its Australian opening night in a movie theatre that was somewhat surprisingly devoid of paying customers. This is a remake of the 1976 film of the same name which charts the Battle of Midway following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Directed and Co-Produced by that master of disaster Roland Emmerich whose previous screen outings take in the likes of 'Independence Day', 'Godzilla', 'The Day After Tomorrow', '10,000BC', '2012', 'White House Down', and 'Independence Day : Resurgence' most recently. The film has been a passion project of Emmerich's since the mid-'90's, but he had trouble getting the necessary financial backing for the film before finally fund raising most of the budget of US100M and officially announcing it in 2017. With that sort of budget, this film is one of the most costly independent films of all time. Released in the US in early November last year, the film has so far taken US$123M at the Box Office and has received generally mixed or average Reviews so far.

On 7th December 1941, Japanese forces launch a devastating attack on Pearl Harbour, the U.S. naval base in Hawaii, so catapulting the US into WWII. In the days immediately following the attack Admiral Chester Nimitz (Woody Harrelson) is given command of the severely fractured US Pacific Naval Fleet. He speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Edwin T. Layton (Patrick Wilson) - an intelligence officer of the US Pacific Fleet, about his failure to convince Washington of the impending Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, but to stick to his guns when next he needs to confront Washington over a suspected enemy attack.

On 18th April 1942, Lieutenant Colonel James Dolittle (Aaron Eckhart) led an air raid on the Japanese capital of Tokyo and other places of strategic interest on Honshu Island. It was the first air strike on the Japanese archipelago, and showed that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to an American air attack while serving as retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbour. Sixteen B-25B Mitchell medium bomber aircraft take off from the USS Aircraft Carrier 'Hornet' with fifteen aircraft reaching China but all crashed, including Dolittle's while the 16th landed at Vladivostok in the Soviet Union. As a result the Japanese turn their focus on the Coral Sea in a battle fought from 4th to 8th May 1942, between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia.

In the meantime Commander Joseph Rochefort (Brennan Brown) the Chief Cryptologist of the US Pacific Fleet Radio Unit intercept messages with a Japanese location noted by the call sign 'AF'. Layton speaks with Nimitz, who advises him that Washington believes that 'AF' is a target in the Aleutian Islands. Layton disagrees, believing the intended target to be Midway Atoll. Nimitz instructs the team to find a way to definitively prove that 'AF' is in fact Midway. Needless to say, in time, Rochefort and Layton are able to prove that Midway is the target. In preparation for an ambush of the Japanese fleet, Nimitz orders carriers 'Hornet' and 'Enterprise' to be recalled from the Coral Sea operations and demands that the damaged 'Yorktown' be made ready for combat operations within 72 hours. Attacked by Japanese dive-bombers in the Coral Sea, the 'Yorktown' sustained damage from a bomb which penetrated the flight deck and exploded below decks, killing or seriously injuring 66 men. The bomb also damaged her superheater boilers, rendering them inoperable . . . but only for 72 hours!

On 4th June the Japanese launch an air attack against Midway. Early attempts by US land based aircraft to strike at the Japanese fleet carriers fail. After a downed B-26 narrowly misses striking a carrier's bridge, the Japanese crew are stunned, believing the aircraft was attempting a suicide run, although Admiral Chuichi Nagumo (Jun Kunimura) nervously infers that the plane was most likely out of control due to battle damage. 'Nautilus', a US submarine, successfully locates and attacks an enemy carrier but the torpedo narrowly misses its target. The destroyer 'Arashi' keeps the submarine pinned down with depth charges so the carriers can escape. Meanwhile, US carrier planes are launched in an effort to destroy the Japanese carriers. After reaching the last known location of the Japanese fleet the US forces discover that the carriers have moved. Upon sighting the 'Arashi', the Lieutenant Commander of the Air Group of the 'Enterprise', Wade McClusky (Luke Evans), correctly infers the Japanese destroyer is rushing back to join the main Japanese fleet and leads his planes to follow its course and attack.

As Nagumo's personnel switch out their aircraft ordnance for an anti-ship attack, US carrier-based planes appear suddenly. 'Enterprise' squadron Commanders McClusky and Richard Best (Ed Skrein) successfully lead their planes through the anti-aircraft fire and destroy the Japanese carriers 'Kaga' and 'Akagi', and squadrons from the 'Yorktown' destroy the 'Soryu'. Attempting to salvage the battle, 'Hiryu' commanded by Tamon Yamaguchi (Tadanobu Asano) attempts to rally the remaining Japanese aircraft for an assault against the US carriers. Locating 'Yorktown', the Japanese bomb and disable the carrier scoring three direct hits.

Upon returning to the 'Enterprise', Best learns that half of his squadron is either missing in action or destroyed. Informed that there is a surviving Japanese carrier, Best rallies what pilots he can and sets off to attack the 'Hiryu'. Japanese anti-aircraft fire fails to stop the attack, but Best in his typical no fear gung-ho do or die dive bombing raids scores a critical hit that destroys the 'Hiryu'. 

Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance (Jake Weber), informed of the destruction of the last Japanese carrier, decides to withdraw for the night rather than test his luck. Informed of the loss of his carriers in battle, Admiral Yamamoto (Etsushi Toyokawa) orders his fleet to withdraw from the battle rather than risk his battleships without sufficient air cover, effectively bringing the Battle of Midway to a conclusion. Upon returning home in a wheelchair Best is reunited with his wife Anne (Mandy Moore). He informs her that he inhaled a large dose of caustic soda into his lungs instead of oxygen to aid with high altitude flying, and as a result he will never fly again. 

The closing credits reveal what became of those US wartime heroes depicted in the film, as well as the Japanese reprisals following the battle. Dennis Quaid also stars as Vice Admiral William Halsey the Commander of Carrier Division Two aboard his flagship carrier 'Enterprise'. Halsey led a series of hit-and-run raids against the Japanese, striking the Gilbert and Marshall islands in February, Wake Island in March, and carrying out the Doolittle Raid in April 1942. Halsey returned to Pearl Harbour from his last raid on 26th May 1942, in poor health due to an extremely serious bout of Shingles brought about by stressful conditions at hand, and as such missed out on the Battle for Midway, which he later described as his greatest disappointment.

In remaking 'Midway' Director Roland Emmerich here takes a valuable lesson in history that he presumably made for a whole new audience either unfamiliar with that 1976 film, or indeed the decisive battle in the Pacific, or both, and on that basis I guess the story had to be told, again! And whilst the CGI effects are commendable, and the action set pieces well executed, what we have here boils down to Uncle Sam beating his chest once again and spraying a can of whoop ass all over the cookie cutter Japanese. The cast are all largely one dimensional as is the heavily cliched dialogue, and I felt the film was bereft of any emotional weight or the chance to get really invested in the characters. There is very little by way of suspense or tension here either, and you just know that in Ed Skrein's Dick Best flying ace, that he's going to win the day and get back to his girl, shaken but not stirred! Ultimately this is a WWII drama set in the 1940's, with the look and feel of a 1970's war time epic, boxed up with all the CGI of 2020, and on that basis the film delivers, but left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

'Midway' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard out of a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

SULLY : Tuesday 13th September 2016

'SULLY' which I caught at my favoured local independent movie theatre this week is the real life story of Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger who captained the US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15th 2009 that soon after departing New York's LaGuardia Airport bound for Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, hit a flock of geese crippling both engines of the Airbus A320 that he was piloting. Based on Sully's autobiography 'Highest Duty', this film is Directed and Co-Produced by Clint Eastwood and tells the against the odds story of how 'The Miracle on the Hudson' as it came to be known, unfolded. The film cost US$60M to make, premiered in the US on September 9th, and has so far taken US$57M at the Box Office since its wider general release. Both Eastwood and Tom Hanks in the lead role as Sully, have been highly praised as Director and Actor respectively.

The film opens after the fact with Sully (Tom Hanks) waking with a start in a hotel room having dreamt that the plane he was piloting crashes into a building in downtown New York in a ball of flame causing countless casualties and collateral damage. Of course we already know the story, but we are re-living the world inside Sully's head after he begins to doubt that he made the right decision in choosing to ditch his stricken aeroplane on the Hudson River. Those doubts have been cast by the air crash investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) who Sully and his Co-Pilot First Officer Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) have to front up to the very next day and explain away why they chose the course of action they did, when all the evidence so far available indicates that a much more safer option existed.

As the days following unfold, we see through flashback Sully's early flying lessons in a crop dusting bi-plane in his late teens, and then another example of his flying prowess in bringing down a partially stricken jet during his Air Force days. Sully has been flying for over forty years with a 100% successful track record having delivered over one million passengers securely during that time. He is a career pilot, looking at retirement and consulting in aviation safety. He speaks with his wife Lorrie (Lara Linney) often on the phone, as he has not yet been able to return home after the incident because of the prompt and ongoing investigations and the testimony that he and Skiles need to provide.

Sully has been hailed hero, but he doesn't really feel like one he says in a television interview given the hounding he is receiving and the questions raised over his decision making process. The media have set up camp outside his family home, and the news channels are full of reports of Sully's heroism and quick thinking that saved all 155 souls on board. Everybody loves a hero, and in Sully the people of New York and America were delivered one after the Global Financial Crisis late the year before, and New York's previous disasters involving planes. But despite this, Sully still has doubts when the NTSB claim that one engine was sub-idling and therefore Sully could have made safe passage to nearby Teterboro Airport at New Jersey, or return to LaGuardia.

Increasingly we get a sense that the NTSB is holding Sully & Skiles guilty until proven innocent despite the fact that every soul on that plane survived. In the background the insurance company could be calling the shots claiming pilot error, which if found to be the case will see an end to Sully's career, his track record, his reputation and his retirement plan. The NTSB have loaded all available data into their flight simulators to exactly replicate the conditions and circumstances that Sully and Skiles described to them, and the overwhelming feedback after repeated tests is that safe passage could have been made to both Teterboro and LaGuardia. Sully however, is steadfast in his conviction that at an altitude of just 2,800 feet, three minutes into the flight and over a heavily populated metropolitan area that he simply did not have the time, the speed or the altitude to guide his aeroplane to a safe airport landing.

To ensure his voice his heard, Sully arranges for human pilot simulations to be conducted using identical conditions and circumstances and for these to be shown during a public hearing. These however, end with successful airport landings, which Sully counteracts again with an argument accounting for realistic human reactions, and the following of emergency protocols which would have caused a delay in reaction time not accounted for in these most recent piloted simulations. He also asks how many times those pilots had been allowed to 'practice' their landing of such an unprecedented emergency scenario, and was advised, up to seventeen times! Sully had one chance to make a split second decision in a life or death situation that didn't exist in any flight simulation programme under the set of circumstances that transpired that day.

The gathered Board at the public hearing concede the point and agree to run the piloted simulations once again for all to see, but this time with a 35 second delay before any emergency manoeuvres are instigated so approximately matching Sully's reaction time. Both flights to Teterboro and back to LaGuardia result in the plane crashing either into a populated area, or into a pier on the Hudson with catastrophic effects for all under both simulated scenarios. After a break in the proceedings, the Board announced that the left side engine had been recovered from the Hudson with preliminary reports saying that it had been completely destroyed by the bird strike, and could not therefore have sub-idled or provided the required thrust for a safe return bound landing, again bearing out Sully's earlier claims.

In the final analysis, the NTSB confirms that Flight 1549 was an unavoidable accident and that under such circumstances both Sully and Skiles undertook the best possible actions with the best possible outcomes to save lives. Sully concludes that the outcome was not just his and his First Officer's doing, but also that of the Ferry Boat operators, the Police, his on-board crew and all those who worked so quickly and diligently to have those evacuated off the stricken plane and out of the frigid Hudson River within 24 minutes of the aircraft going down.

Tom Hanks plays everyman Sully convincingly and with a stoic realism that is measured, considered, confident and grounded as a man just doing his job. Eastwood proves once again what a fine Director he has become, being a veteran of 35 feature films under his belt as Director alone. Here he has crafted a fine story around a remarkable brief incident that could have turned out considerably worse than it did, but for the skill, experience and fortitude of one man in control when the chips were down. An engaging, thought provoking film that is well told, well acted out, and an unravelling of what happened after that most of us, were hitherto unfamiliar with. This is Hanks film and as a reluctant hero he is once again very watchable and believable just as he was in Spielberg's 'Bridge of Spies' and Greengrass' 'Captain Phillips'. Certainly well worth the price of your ticket.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

LONDON HAS FALLEN : Wednesday 16th March 2016.

In 2013 two films were released concerning a terrorist attack on the White House - 'Olympus Has Fallen' and 'White House Down' - the former of which 'LONDON HAS FALLEN' is a sequel which I saw on Wednesday evening this week at an advance screening ahead of its Australian release the very next day. That first film was Directed and Produced by Antoine Fuqua for US$70M and it made US$161M in the final analysis. This time around Babak Najafi is on Director duty with several Actors reprising their roles from that first film. Released on March 4th in the US this film cost US$60M to make and has so far grossed US$78M.

Essentially what's going down here is another good excuse to blow shit up in London this time, with many notable landmarks and places of historical significance succumbing to them thar pesky no-good pissed-off terrorist types. This time it's a Pakistani arms dealer and terrorist leader Aamir Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutboul) who is #6 on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. He was believed to be dead, following a drone attack on his daughters wedding day two years before which killed outright many of his family, friends and loved ones. He and his son however, resurface in Yemen two years later with his son and right hand henchman Kamran Barkawi (Walid Zuaiter), swearing revenge for that attack.

Meanwhile many of the worlds leaders converge on London for the State Funeral of Prime Minister James Wilson. And so, US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart reprising), Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Basset reprising) travel to the UK with Special Agent in charge of Presidential Protection Mike Banning (Gerard Butler reprising) as do the political leaders of Japan, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and the new British PM. With only a few days notice the funeral is set and so all of London's finest mobilise into action to stage the world's largest single high security alert, in readiness for the worst - all the while suspecting that the Thursday afternoon event will go without a hitch and the dearly departed ex-PM will be laid to rest in peace . . . but of course, we know very different!

It's not long before said political leaders start to get popped off very unceremoniously and London goes into lock down as the place gets the shit blasted out of it en route to capturing the US President alive and executing him publicly in front of a global audience to be repeated forever on YouTube. When London does fall and the action ramps up, the scenes are well enough executed and the tension mounts as one high rise, after a historical monument, after a bridge, after another office tower comes down in volley of CGI explosions which I must say are less than convincing. The body count soon rises in a hail of bullets as the bad guys seem to outnumber the good guys and it becomes difficult to tell who are the bad dudes dressed up as Policemen, and who are the good ones - such is the extent of the terrorist infiltration. A carefully planned attack that would have been years in the making, but how can that be as the PM only passed away in his sleep three days earlier . . . or did he?

Only one man can stand in the way, and riding his white steed down Whitehall is Agent Banning knowing every deadly trick in the book, with all guns blazing, gritted teeth, a sharp wit, and his buddy The Pres. to protect, or die! It's gonna be loud, proud and in yer face as Uncle Sam gets its can of whoop ass out once again and overcomes adversity. What ensues when London turns to rubble, goes into lock down, and bodies line the streets soon becomes formulaic fare. With the German, Canadian, French and Japanese leaders all dead within minutes of each other at different locations around the city only the leader of the free world can escape and must survive. With Banning by his side as the only man in all of London he can now trust they go on the run through the back streets, the underground, and on foot to escape the enemy closing in and hell bent on finding the President.

All the while the New Scotland Yard boys are on the beat headed up by MI5 Intelligence and Head of Metropolitan Police Command who are in close contact with the cadre back at the White House supervised by Vice President Allan Trumball (Morgan Freeman reprising) and various other high ranking officials. They keep watch although the London surveillance system has been compromised and they go blind only adding to the turmoil, and, they suspect a mole on the inside who has helped turn the Police against the Police, and create a smokescreen that has led to todays events.

Of course with Uncle Sam across the pond working to thwart the evil terrorist enemy from afar, the British Bull Dog pulling at the leash, and a die hard terminator on the run with a gun to protect his main man you just know that it will end with more explosions, another extended bullet ballet, close quarter combat, fist fights involving sharp pointy weapons, gratuitous violence, effing & blinding, and the President losing his head . . . well almost. Needless to say it all ends well for Banning & Asher although in a cloud of dust, rubble and a fall from a great height down a lift well - but they get to walk outta there with their sense of humour intact and smiles on their dials. More than can be said for the army of terrorists and their leaders who have been taken out by Banning, a gun totting President, and a team of elite SAS backup. Yippee-Kay-Ay MoFo!

At a running time of 98 minutes you wouldn't want this to go on for much longer. It's predictable, formulaic and by the numbers Hollywood action thrills that never lets up with the cars, the explosions, the guns, the casualties and the wisecracks. This film is exactly what you would expect it to be - nothing less, nothing more leave your brain at the door. It is reasonably entertaining and the dynamic between Banning & Asher is quite good fun, even if OTT.  Also starring Robert Forster (reprising), Radha Mitchell (reprising), Melissa Leo (reprising) and Jack Earle Haley too. You can save yourself the price of a big screen ticket and wait for the BluRay/DVD and watch this in the comfort of your own home on the big screen there - you can then decide if the wheels have fallen off this franchise already!


-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th March 2016.

This year has already got off to a strong start in the big screen live action comic book adaptation department with Marvel's Co-Produced 'Deadpool' released earlier in February to big critical acclaim and substantial Box Office, returning so far US$684M off its US$58M Budget. If you haven't yet seen Ryan Reynolds in his fine fourth wall breaking, sarcastic, violent, no holds barred turn as Wade Wilson, I strongly recommend you do, and, you can read my Review between these pages. But what else can we expect in 2016 from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its counterpart the DC Extended Universe.

• 'Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice' - DC - release date 24th March - Directed by Zack Snyder for US$250M and starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill  as Batman & Superman respectively.
• 'Captain America : Civil War' - Marvel - release date 28th April - Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo and starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jnr., Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson and a whole bunch of familiar others.
• 'X-Men : Apocalypse' - Marvel - release date 19th May - Directed by Bryan Singer and starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and all our favourite X-Men.
• 'Suicide Squad' - DC - release date 4th August - Directed by David Ayer and starring Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and Joel Kinnaman.
• 'Doctor Strange' - Marvel - release date 27th October - Directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachael McAdams and Tilda Swinton.

So this year that 's Marvel 4 : DC 2. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe entering is Third Phase now and with a very successful proven track record to back it up, and DC just launching, the latter still has much to prove and will be pinning many of its future Extended Universe hopes and dreams on the critical and commercial success of its two outings this year. Time will tell, and only you can make a difference! 

This week we have four new release films coming to a cinema screen near you that traverse most genres - modern day action, historical horror,  family drama and animated animals in an imagined world. First up then is a follow up to a shoot 'em up, blow it up, all guns blazing do or die terrorist offering that first saw the light of day Stateside in 2013 and now makes it way Britside for more of the same crowd pleasing guns, bombs, destruction and terrorism writ large in another nations capital. Then an edge of your seat historical horror offering bringing something new to a sub-genre that has been largely left alone for sometime now in favour of more zombie type fare. This is followed up by a family drama of long buried secrets, an estranged son, a father to be remarried and a remote logging community facing up to the economic realities of life; and last up another animated classic in the making from the house of the mouse that is already doing great things.

In the week ahead when you have visited your favourite movie theatre and sat through your film of choice with your popcorn, bucket of brown fizzy sugar syrup, or choc top and marvelled at the sights and sounds of the big screen, remember to share your thoughts and opinions with your like minded movie going friends here at Odeon Online, by leaving a Comment in the box below this or any other Post.  In the meantime, enjoy your movie.

LONDON HAS FALLEN (Rated MA15+) - In 2013 two films were released concerning a terrorist attack on the White House - 'Olympus Has Fallen' and 'White House Down' - the former of which 'London Has Fallen' is the follow-up was Directed and Produced by Antoine Fuqua for US$70M and it made US$161M in the final analysis. This time around Babak Najafi is on Director duty with several Actors reprising their roles from that first film. Released on March 4th in the US this film cost US$60M to make and has so far recovered US$46M. Essentially what's going down here is another good excuse to blow shit up in London this time, with many notable landmarks and places of historical significance succumbing to them thar pesky no-good terrorist types.

This time it's a Pakistani arms dealer and terrorist leader Aamir Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutboul) who is #6 on the FBI's Most Wanted List. He was believed to be dead, but not so, and he resurfaces in Yemen two years later with his son and right hand henchman Kamran Barkawi (Waleed Zuaiter) who swear revenge for that attack that wiped out members of the family, friends and relatives. Meanwhile many of the worlds leaders converge on London for the State Funeral of Prime Minister James Wilson. And so, US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart reprising), Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Basset reprising) travel to the UK with Special Agent in charge of Presidential Protection Mike Banning (Gerard Butler reprising) as do the political leaders of Japan, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and the new British PM. It's not long before said political leaders start to get popped off and London goes into lock down as the place gets the shit blasted out of it en route to capturing the US President alive and executing him publicly in front of a global audience. Only one man can stand in the way, and riding his white steed down Whitehall is Agent Banning with all guns blazing. It's gonna be loud, proud and in yer face as Uncle Sam gets its can of whoop ass out once again and overcomes adversity. Morgan Freeman (reprising), Robert Forster (reprising),  Radha Mitchell (reprising), Melissa Leo (reprising) and Jack Earle Haley all star too.

THE WITCH (Rated MA15+) - in his Directorial debut and also Written by Robert Eggers this film has garnered much critical acclaim since its world premier at Sundance in January 2015, and its Special Presentation screening at TIFF in September last year. It then went out in cinema release in the US in February this year and has so far made US$21M off its meagre US$1M budget. Set in 1630 New England, the film tells the story of a remote Puritan living family of father, mother, and five  children whose life is thrown into disarray when the youngest child suddenly and mysteriously disappears, whilst under the watchful charge of the eldest daughter. Living on a farm on the edge of the woods there are evil forces at work that the family may feel are real, or they may be imagined. As things get progressively worse for the family, with the eldest daughter eventually being accused of witchcraft, the family is put to the ultimate test and their strength, loyalty, love and conviction is stretched to the very limit.

THE DAUGHTER (Rated M) - also in his Directorial debut and Written too for the screen by Simon Stone, this promising turn by the Australian Actor is based on the 19th Century Henrik Ibsen play 'The Wild Duck'. With an ensemble Aussie cast this film tells the story of the estranged son  Christian (Paul Schneider) living now in America summonsed home by his father Henry Neilson (Geoffrey Rush) to act as his best man at his forthcoming wedding to his former housekeeper Anna (Anna Torv). Arriving back at a no-name logging town in the present day Neilson also announced that he has to close the mill he owns as the economy closes in. What unfolds as Christian reconnects with old family and childhood friends is the disclosure of a long held family secret that has far reaching implications on Christian, Henry, Anna and those others on the periphery that include Sam Neill, Miranda Otto, Ewen Leslie and Odessa Young. Can things be made right again in light of the revelations made?

ZOOTOPIA (Rated PG) - representing the 55th animated feature film from the house the mouse built - Walt Disney Animated Pictures and released to critical acclaim and Box Office records in many territories upon release, 'Zootopia' has so far made US$312M since it opened in early February in Europe. Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore and and Jared Bush, this film features the voice talents of Jason Bateman in a lead role as Red Fox Nick Wilde a seasoned con-artist who forges an unlikely alliance with a Rabbit named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) a newly appointed first rabbit Police Officer to the ZPD as they seek to thwart those behind several missing predatory civilians. Also starring the voice talents of J.K.Simmons, Idris Elba, Shakira and Octavia Spencer amongst others, this film is sure to resonate with young and old and has had much praise bestowed upon it for its strong script, voice work and CGI animation.

Four films this week stretching across action, horror, thriller and animation - what's not to like about this weeks latest releases? Something for everyone well and truly, so there can be no excuse for not catching a film in the week ahead. When you have done so, drop us a line or two - see you at the Odeon in the meantime!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-