Film releases

JUST as the Marvel cinematic world was becoming a tad predictable – superhero saves the world from destruction – along come the Guardians to pep up the genre with a free-wheeling, rollicking adventure that’s a mash of Star Wars and Indiana Jones coupled with a sense of humour.

Peter Quill is snatched from Earth as a boy and becomes an intergalactic mercenary with a liking for 1980s music, courtesy of the “awesome mix 1” tape that he’s never let out of his hands. As played by Chris Pratt – best known until now for TV’s Parks And Recreation – he’s a likeable, charming rogue who calls himself Star-Lord. The movie becomes, like a lot of science fiction, bogged down from time to time with incomprehensible made-up technical jargon But director James Gunn doesn’t let the audience pause for breath with spectacular action sequences and dazzling effects coupled with wisecracks to lighten the moodThis ill-matched band of Guardians could be just the thing to shake up a summer blockbuster season.

The Nut Job. 86 mins, Certificate U. 3/5 stars

ALL of the hastily-sketched characters in Peter Lepeniotis’ 1950s-set computer-animated adventure go nuts at some point during the poorly paced proceedings.

A money-grabbing ex-con goes gaga at the sight of rats, a pet pug is driven barking mad by her owner’s repeated use of a silver dog whistle, a girl scout whoops with maniacal glee as a runaway food cart careens into oncoming traffic, and an army of woodland critters loosen their tenuous grasp on civility when they stumble upon a horde of nuts.

Protagonists of the two-legged and four-legged persuasions in The Nut Job might be bright-eyed and – in the case of the squirrels – bushy-tailed but most of Lepeniotis and co-writer Lorne Cameron’s script feels tired.

The narrative lacks fluidity, most of the animals don’t exist beyond a single personality trait and there’s a palpable absence of jeopardy during a centrepiece bank heist.

The Nut Job orchestrates some pleasing slapstick and visuals are colourful, including a couple of sprightly chases, but Lepeniotis’ film doesn’t justify a release on the big screen rather than a debut on home formats. Liam Neeson uses his trademark growl, but pickings are certainly slim here.

Step Up 5: All In. 112 mins, Certificate PG

THE dance franchise, which began life in 2006 with a fresh-faced Channing Tatum, pops and locks through another sweat-drenched instalment directed by Trish Sie. In the two years since Step Up 4: Miami Heat, hunky dancer Sean (Ryan Guzman) and his crew The Mob have moved to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams. A fight about the rent ends with The Mob jettisoning Sean from their ranks to fend for himself. Depressed and alone, he relocates to his grandparents’ dance studio and sets his sights on a dance contest called The Vortex hosted by Alexxa Brava (Izabella Miko). First prize is a lucrative threeyear contract to perform in a Las Vegas hotel. Sean is convinced he can win the top prize, but he needs a talented crew around him, so he turns to old friend Moose (Adam G Sevani) to recruit the dancers.

Moose finds the right mix of talent and ambition, including Andie (Briana Evigan) from Step Up 2 The Streets, who provides Sean with a potential love interest. Meanwhile, Moose has to carefully juggle his time between rehearsals and his relationship with Camille (Alyson Stoner).

The Inbetweeners 2. 96 mins, Certificate 15

RELEASED in 2011, The Inbetweeners Movie was one of the biggest hits of that year at the UK box office, setting a new record for the opening weekend of a film comedy – an honour previously held by sequels The Hangover Part II and Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason. Expectations are sky high for this second feature-length excursion based on the E4 sitcom, which continues the sexual misadventures of socially inept schoolmates Will (Simon Bird), Jay (James Buckley), Neil (Blake Harrison) and Simon (Joe Thomas). In the sequel, Jay has headed to Australia for a gap year, where he has enhanced his status as an incorrigible ladies man.

With the promise of more sex than they can handle, Will, Neil and Simon head down under to join their pal and the four misfits abroad attempt to impress the female of the species including Katie (Emily Berrington), Polly (Belinda Stewart-Wilson) and Lucy (Tamla Kari). Needless to say, the boys’ ham-fisted chat-up lines and amorous overtures often lead to toe-curling humiliation.