Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1968)

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1968)
Rating: ★★★
Mar 1, 2001Edgar Allan Poe Anthology
Trilogy of Edgar Allan Poe tales from three European directors. Roger Vadim's opening episode drags but both Louis Malle and Federico Fellini deliver standout works in their respective segments

The Mind of Mr. Soames (1969)

The Mind of Mr. Soames (1969)
Rating: ★★
May 31, 2016Man Awakens with the Man of a Child
This comes with a great premise – a man is woken from a coma for the first time and is forced to deal with the world with the mind of a newborn infant. A clear attempt to copy Charly, this would be a great vehicle for a modern character actor but suffers from stodgy unimaginative handling

Superman (1978)

Superman (1978)
Rating: ★★★★½
Dec 16, 2000Comic-Book Superhero
This is where the modern comic-book superhero began on screen. A film that is almost completely successful in banishing campy silliness and taking itself seriously, allowing Superman to fly with magnificent effects. Christopher Reeve shines as the ultimate boy scout

Superman II (1980)

Superman II (1980)
Rating: ★★★★
Dec 16, 2000Comic-Book Superhero
Shot back-to-back with the first Christopher Reeve film, this then became a mess behind the scenes. The end result emerges fairly well with the show dominated by the magnificent Phantom Zones villains and giving depth to the Superman-Lois relationship

Monster Island (1981)

Monster Island (1981)
Rating:
Mar 9, 2001Desert Island Adventures
Supposedly an adaptation of Jules Verns’s Mysterious Island from low-budget Spanish director Juan Piquer Simon, one that gives the impression nobody actually read the book. Out goes Captain Nemo, in comes some incredibly tatty effects and much slapstick

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Rating: ★★
Jun 6, 1999Space Opera
George Lucas's return to the Star Wars series after a sixteen year absence and a build-up rivaled only by the Second Coming. Instead most audiences went away disappointed. Lucas has used the interim to push the technology to its heights but the story and characters are lacking

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
Rating: ★★★★
Dec 15, 2013Comic-Book Superhero
The original version of Superman II became mired in problems over the firing of director Richard Donner. After the rediscovery of the original footage, Donner was able to go offer up a restored version. Seeing the storylines the way they were meant to be and Marlon Brando's original scenes as Jor-el make for a work that is superior in every way

Ultramarines (2010)

Ultramarines (2010)
Rating: ★★
Jul 10, 2011Animation/Wargame Adaptation/Space Marines vs Demonic Forces
Animated film based on the popular fantasy wargame. The set-up is a fascinating mix of SF and mediaeval religion but the plot rehashes Aliens without much payoff and the animation is B-budget

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Rating: ★★★★
Feb 17, 2011Philip K. Dick Adaptation/Manipulation of Fate
A Philip K. Dick adaptation in which Matt Damon gets an accidental glimpse of the people that manipulate fate. This proves very satisfying on a conceptual and storytelling level

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
Rating: ★★½
Oct 29, 2016Secret Home for "Gifted" Youths
Tim Burton used to be the great hope of fantastic cinema but his efforts since 2000 have been greeted with general disappointment. This Young Adult adaptation plays out like a fantasy version of the X-Men