The Bunker (2001)
Jan 6, 2005WWII German Soldiers vs Supernatural
This borrows a good deal of its essentials from The Keep in the tale of German soldiers during World War II being haunted as they take refuge in a bunker
Eddie Marsan
The Monkey King (2001)
Dec 22, 2005Epic Chinese Legend
A tv mini-series adaptation of the famous Chinese legend Journey to the West made for US audiences by Hallmark Entertainment. The story remains stolidly earthbound and the meta-fictional contortions the story has to add to engage in to have the monk hero replaced by a contemporary Thomas Gibson are bizarre
Beowulf & Grendel (2005)
Nov 10, 2006Epic Legend
An interesting and worthwhile attempt to retell the epic legend of Beowulf but to give it grounding as an historical work. Filmed in Iceland with an international cast
The Illusionist (2006)
Apr 19, 2007Enigmatic Stage Magician
This came out the same year as The Prestige and has a very similar plot with Edward Norton as a stage magician in 19th Century who may have real powers and the rivalry over a woman
Hancock (2008)
Jul 27, 2008Burned-Out Superhero
This offers the appealing idea of Will Smith as a cynical burned out superhero. The film tells a comic tale of his redemption before suddenly losing the plot altogether in its second half
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Jan 1, 2010Sherlock Holmes vs Black Magic
Guy Ritchie's reinvention of Sherlock Holmes seemed a miscalculated disaster in the offing. It doesn't radically reinvent the basics but emerges passably well
Heartless (2009)
Dec 13, 2010Pacts with a Possible Devil Figure
Fascinating British film about pacts with an ambiguous Devil figure that largely exists to push protagonist Jim Sturgess into as many morally uncomfortable places as possible
Red Riding (2009)
Jan 31, 2017Hunt for a Serial Killer
Depending on how you saw this, this is either a UK tv mini-series or three separately released films. Taking place over a decade, the three stories have a common locale and overlapping characters in the story of the hunt for a serial killer and the battle against a corrupt police department in Yorkshire
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
May 31, 2012Adult Fairytale Adaptation/Epic Fantasy
The second of 2012's Snow White films after Mirror Mirror, this turns the fairytale into an epic fantasy. Well produced but ultimately a film that lacks anything unique nor pushes far enough into the dark fantasy it promises to be
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
Feb 28, 2013Fairytale Adaptation/Epic Fantasy
A decade ago Bryan Singer was the great white hope of fanboy cinema but then seemed to lose his touch. This attempt to turn Jack and the Beanstalk into an epic fantasy does nothing to reverse that – the result feels exactly like a piece of formula studio product that could have been made by any hired director
The World’s End (2013)
Aug 23, 2013Alien Body Snatchers Comedy
Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the trio behind Shaun of the Dead, return to conduct a very similar effort – the story of a pub crawl that is affectionately mocking the characters' nowhere lives, before taking an abrupt dogleg turn to become a comedic take on the alien body snatchers film
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015)
Aug 2, 2015Rivalry Between Magicians
Susanna Clarke kicks J.K. Rowling completely out of the ring. This BBC adaptation of her book concerning rival 19th century magicians is an epic plot and a beautifully staged costume drama, all written with a superb Austen-esque dryness of wit
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Nov 10, 2018Marvel Comics Superhero
Deadpool was an hilarious breath of fresh air amid the Marvel Comics adaptations. This sequel is even better, with the self-deflating, fourth-wall breaking humour even funnier and more slickly polished action
Mowgli (2018)
Apr 26, 2019Jungle Boy
This Andy Serkis directed version of The Jungle Book with motion capture animated animals had its thunder stolen by the more high-profile Disney remake of 2016 but is a far superior film
Abigail (2019)
Jun 26, 2020Alternate Reality/Steampunk and Magic
Russian film that creates a fascinating alternate reality where Steampunk and magic blend in an almost familiar world
Vesper (2022)
Jun 3, 2023Environmentally Devastated Future
Visually extraordinary film set in an environmentally devastated future, this place enormous creativity into depicting a strange, very alien world
Choose or Die (2022)
Dec 11, 2023Cursed Videogame
A British horror film in which people open an old 1980s videogame that is cursed and forces them to make horrible choices concerning the deaths of people around them
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)
Apr 22, 2023Spy/Action Film
Guy Ricthie makes a spy action film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is far more absurdly entertaining than anything you expect it to be. Hugh Grant steals the day as the super-villain of the show