DVD/Blu-ray New Releases 14.05.12

Okay, so it’s a better week than the past few but it’s still far from good. We’ll be looking at four films. Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows, Underworld: Awakening, Shame and The Sitter. We’ll start with Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes sequel in which Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law reprise the roles of Holmes and Watson respectively. Now, I didn’t like the first one, I found it preposterous and tedious and I couldn’t get into the banter between the two leads, which I believe was meant to be the main selling point.

This sequel is effectively more of the same, except more expensive. It really is a simple case of if you liked the first one you’ll like this… if you enjoy watching the same film just slightly repackaged with a different name. The same can be said of Underworld: Awakening, it’s the best Underworld film since the 2003 original, that’s a little like saying that this excrement is the best I’ve tasted in years though. Kate Beckinsale, who returns to the franchise after wisely missing out on the third instalment, plays sexy vampire Selene who’s awoken from her cryogenic slumber by her daughter Eve.

We’re treated to an hour and a half of a fairly run of the mill action shoot-em-up, I don’t think it’s worth parting with your hard-earned pennies for but it’s not the worst film I’ve seen by any stretch either. The pace is okay and if you’re not too demanding with your action films then you should be okay. So, let’s move on to The Sitter, in which a reluctant babysitter, Jonah Hill, tackles an evening with three delinquent children and hilarity ensues… except it doesn’t. Hill’s better than this vulgar nonsense, I was actually embarrassed for him and everyone else involved at points in this but felt sorrier for no one than myself for having to watch it. Check out 80’s comedy Adventures in Babysitting instead, it’s charming and family friendly and stars Elisabeth Shue.

Which means our DVD of the week is Shame. Steve McQueen’s drama about sex addiction starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan was an awards magnet but an uneasy watch. The leads are tremendous in challenging roles but I found it just too uncomfortable and oppressive to be particularly enjoyable. It’s still comfortably the best film out this week and whilst I wouldn’t want to watch it too often, much like Tyrannosaur or Snowtown, it really does feel like you’ve actually spent your time well when you’ve finished it. If you want to see what Ashley and Steve made of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows click this link.