The Salvation

SF: I'm not normally a fan of westerns but there have been a few recent films that have changed my mind, this is certainly one of them. While it doesn't bring tonnes that is new to the genre I really liked this offering. The element of migrants with pasts beyond the wild west really adds to the character development. This film even gives the bad guy a reason to be bad - something a lot of westerns never even bother with. The acting was well measured but then I've never seen Mads Mikklesen fail in that department (before you say it Valhalla Rising doesn't count because he is good the film is rubbish!). The action perfectly timed and rather believable. If you like westerns then definitely give this a go. 8/10

50Eggs: n/a

DonkeyB: There is I'm afraid nothing special about this whatsoever. If it weren't so reverent of western and revenge cliche it could have been mistaken for pastiche. It's incredibly stylish to look at but it turns out all that stunning photography is just special effects and it was shot in South Africa. 6

Overall: 7/10

300: Rise of an Empire

SF: This offering is a pale shadow of its predecessor, the stylised visuals seem muted, which for me was half the appeal. The sea battle should be exciting but left me bored. I did enjoy the addition of another female lead, Eva Green does well to make such a clichéd character engaging. While it's very cinematic and has plenty to enjoy I just felt less invested in the film overall. Tad disappointed but not awful. 6/10

50 Eggs: I absolutely loved the original, a surefire 9/10, but this isn't in the same league. Gone is the propaganda storytelling that justified the exaggerations of the first, and so too is the strong underdog theme that meant you couldn't help but root for the 'good guys'. And though the action is bigger, the choreography is less balletic this time. Having said that Rise of an Empire is still a good watch with plenty to please the eye, not least Eva Greens slow motion boobs. On that subject, her character Artmesia is the best and most interesting thing about the film. Will be buying on DVD for the visuals. 7/10

DonkeyB: n/a

Overall: 6.5/10