Thor 3D (12A) ****

Thor 3D (12A) **** Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston. Dir: Kenneth Branagh.

Kenneth Branagh has given us a brilliant adaptation with Thor, which joins the likes of Iron Man and Captain America (due to release July/August) in the build up to next years The Avengers .

The production company behind Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk amongst others have delivered a special effects laden thrill ride which follows the Norse god of thunder, Thor (Hemsworth). A powerful and arrogant warrior, he is the son of Odin (Hopkins) and brother of the mischevious Loki (Hiddleston) who resides in Asgard, one of the nine realms of the universe.

The production team behind the Marvel films have shown that their flair for delivering great stories is not faltering, and their expertise with special effects is gaining ground with every film they release. As this is the first of three films from the franchise (with X-Men: First Class and Captain America coming later this year), Thor is a great way to kick off a great year of comic book adaptations.

Taking alot from the Norse mythology on which it is based, Marvel have delivered a wonderful take on the realm of Asgard, with amazing special effects achieving a reality that I haven't seen in that many films. The use of digital backlot is particularly good - where in other films it is often easy to tell the actors are in front of a blue screen, Thor delivers seamless, believable effects.

The only criticism that I noticed is the use of the 3D, with a few hiccoughs apparent, especially when text was on the screen. I truly hoped the 3D would be brilliant, as Disney's 3D is very good and as Marvel is now owned by them, I didn't expect it to be as 'lumpy'.

I severely recommend this film to everyone and provide a reminder that, as with all Marvel films, there is a sneak peak at the end of credits as to other projects.

Fast and Furious 5 (12A) ***

Fast and Furious 5 (12A) *** Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker. Dir: Justin Lin

I am a whopping great hypocrit for this review, and I apologise in advance.

Firstly, let me explain why I've given the film only 3 stars. As much as I enjoyed the film, I think some things are best left as they are and shouldn't be continued. The Final Destination saga, the neverending Saw saga, and unfortunately, the Fast and Furious saga.

However, the film is a guilty pleasure, and despite being done to death, I still said "I'm going to see this film" and I do not regret it.

The film reunites the surviving members of the original cast, being Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), Brian O'Conner (Walker) and Vince (Mark Schulze) in Rio de Janeiro, commiting crime and driving fast cars in an unsafe, but very exciting manner.

They come across information regarding a drug barons' (Reyes, played by Joaquim de Almeida) illegal money, which amounts to $100m, and pull in a team made up of familiar faces from the previous Fast and Furious films, with some new ones.

Along with the drug baron and his payroll police army, Toretto and O'Conner have FBI tough guy Hobbs (Johnson) after them for the murder of three federal officers.

And you can probably guess, having seen the previous films, what ensues. Fast cars, explosions, scantily clad women, and a complex scheme with which to deprive Reyes of his cash.

As I said in the introduction to this review, I loved this film for despite becoming an overdone franchise, it still retains the charm and thrill that the first film delivered, with brilliant driving and a brutally epic fist fight between Hobbs and Toretto.

One of the things that still endears me to the franchise is the fact that the films have moved on from the first three installments - which focused on the street racing aspect over the criminal - and is now the reverse, focusing on the criminal and whilst touching on street racing culture, it doesn't even show an actual race.

If you are looking for thrilling entertainment from a good franchise then this film is a must see, but if you are tiring of Hollywood's obsession to continue franchise's until the actors are all dead then get out now before the 6th film - yes, there looks to be a 6th installment. Watch until the end of the trailers, and you will understand.

(Thanks to Dave Mainwaring for the tip, I know to stay on for Marvel films but never thought to do it with this - http://dmr-dave.blogspot.com/2010/10/2010-2011.html)

TT3D: Closer to the Edge (15) *****

TT3D: Closer to the Edge (15) ***** Starring: Guy Martin, Ian Hutchinson, John McGuinness, Jared Leto (Narrator) Dir: Richard De Aragues

Documenting the run up to, and the two weeks surrounding, the infamous Isle of Man Tourist Trophey (TT), the most well known road race in the world, fans and riders have flocked to the island every year since 1907. TT3D: Closer to the Edge follows the key riders competing in 2010, including 15 times winner John McGuinness, and the first man to clean sweep all five races, Ian Hutchinson.

The men are all stars in their own right, (especially Guy Martin following the BBC's "The Boat that Guy Built") and the film will surely bring more interest to this world renowned event.

One of the best features of the film is the wide array of emotions it delivers - from laughing at Guy Martin's wonderfully blunt and hilarious personality, such as telling the camera's he's off to 'have a wank and go to bed', to the touching scenes which follow the death of Paul Dobbs.

The film is also deeply interesting, showing how the racers prpepare for the race, and the shocking reality surrounding accidents on the island, and in preperations in the race meets the riders use as practice. Whilst watching the film, images of crashes from various riders was met with gasps from the audience.

My only criticism would be that despite the big name narrator, Jared Leto didn't have much to say, which made me wonder if what he was doing could have been done just as well with text.

I truly loved this film, for the emotion, the obsession, and the thrill of watching the footage of bikes tearing past and the scream of the engine. If you are a fan of motorcycles in any way, rider or just a follower of the sport, this is definitely a film to see if you have chance.

Sucker Punch (12A) ****

Sucker Punch (12A) **** Starring: Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Abbie Cornish. Dir: Zack Snyder

As I raved in an early blog which featured the trailer for this film, I was massively excited for Sucker Punch. And I have to say, I was very impressed.

The film follows Babydoll (Browning) who is institutionalised by an abusive step father after the death of her mother, and her accidentally shooting her little sister in a bid to save her from said abusive step dad. As a result, she retreats into a fantasy world where the asylum is now a burlesque-style theatre, which reflects the asylum in layout and characters.

Here she meets and befriends Sweetpea (Cornish), Rocket (Malone), Amber (Jamie Chung) and Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens). The five of them embark on a mission to escape from the asylum through a series of metaphorical fantasy scenarios influenced by Babydolls dancing. In essence, it's similar in a way to the imaginary worlds in 'The Rugrats' tv series.

In these metaphorical worlds they obtain items to use to escape, which are the equivalent of the real items in the other realities (confused yet? It's honestly not too bad when you're watching it).

The film is wonderful for many reasons. Firstly: the storyline, once you accept the different realities, is very entertaining although repetitive, and it goes from a serious to ridiculous tone in a heartbeat which was sometimes wearisome.

Second: The special effects are amazing. The quality of the cg and the use of digital backlot are almost seamless, making you really believe that the girls are in their fantasy environments.

Thirdly: The soundtrack is wonderful, with one good song or piece of music after another, I found myself thinking repeatedly throughout the film 'I need to buy/download this OST'.

All in all, the film is brilliantly enjoyable, with plenty of action that fans of sci-fi, thriller, and fantasy are sure to love.