Tron: Legacy (***)

Dir: Joseph Kosinski Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde
Tron: Legacy is a slightly odd proposition, a sequel after 25 years to a film that was neither especially popular nor good. But the idea is fascinating (if completely silly) and the reputation of the first film has grown. And, smartly, Disney has made it almost impossible to see the original Tron before this one arrived – not even releasing it on DVD! – hoping people will forget its generally outdated crapness.
Originally Jeff Bridges, a smart young computer games programmer, was zapped into the inside of a computer. Here, with Jeff having disappeared 20 years ago, it is his disaffected son who finds himself transported into ‘The Grid' where an evil alter ego of dad – Bridges, computer-altered to his age in the original, rules a strange electronic world. Dad – current age Jeff – is trapped there too and as son tries to free father, the same deadly races and ‘games' as before reoccur, somewhat souped up for the 21st century.
One of the big hooks here is the young-looking motion capture Bridges, but frankly, the animated Jeff is a bit creepy. It's okay when he's within the computer context, because it seems right that he looks synthetic, but in the real world it is a little alarming. What's disappointing is the overall design, which opts for a heavy blue look a la the Underworld movies and leads to an oppressive sameness.
Not bad, but like the story, everything about the film seems basically a remake with tweaks.

Megamind (*****) is great. I don't know why the quality of animated films seems so high at the moment but after Despicable Me you might expect this (vaguely similarly themed) film to be a let down. But, if anything, it's even better. Will Ferrell is the titular supervillain who is as surprised as anyone when he actually defeats his nemesis Metroman (Brad Pitt). He soon realises that life is no fun without a yin to his yang and sets about training a replacement crimefighter. It's very funny, it looks fantastic, the voice cast is good – what more can you ask?

Like the previous sequel (...Who Played with Fire), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (**) is a depressingly badly made film. If you've seen the others then you'll need to wrap up the story, but don't expect anything more than the low-rent made-for-television style of the second one. Plotwise it follows straight from number two so will make no sense if you haven't seen that. It's basically a courtroom thriller with no particular thrills. Naomi Rapace, playing the eponymous heroine, is the reason to watch and she gets less to do here than previously. Though I thought I'd never say this: bring on the American remake!

Irish film The Eclipse (***) has a certain olde worlde charm thanks to its genteel pacing and idyllic coastal town setting. It finds Ciaran Hinds' widowed father experiencing strange things in the night – either supernatural or imaginary – while during the day he chaperones an author at the local literary festival. She writes books about ghosts and a bond develops, complicated by the presence of an egotistical literary superstar (Aidan Quinn). It's a slow film, possibly to slow for many, but no one can deny the skilful craft behind this affecting study of grief and longing.

The Insatiable Moon (***) is set in Ponsonby amongst the residents – down and out and borderline crazy – of a boarding house, most particularly Arthur who claims to be the second ‘Son of God'. He is an extraordinary character, superbly played by Rawiri Paratene, bringing to mind Peter Sellers' Chauncey Gardiner, the knowing naïf at the centre of Being There.
Greg Johnson is also great as the irascible boarding house owner, increasingly under pressure from real estate sharks. And Ian Mune is a terrific drunk. Well worth a look, this is sad, funny, and touching, with an occasional flash of magic.