DARKMATTERS - The Mind of Matt

You met me at a very strange time in my life...

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Darkmatters Top 10 Films of 2015




Matt Adcock’s Top Ten Films of the Year

As the year ends - it's time to look back at those films that thrilled just a little more than the rest... You can disagree or debate via twitter: @Cleric20  but here are the ten which made the wall of Darkmatters fame...


10 Far From The Madding Crowd

Director Thomas Vinterberg's Far from the Madding Crowd is lush, stylish and powerfully emotive - it is also turbo charged by Mulligan's central performance. Screenwriter David Nicholls' new take on Hardy's tale of a single woman in Victorian England inheriting a farm from her uncle and dealing with the attentions of three very different suitors is a compelling adaptation. This is by far my favourite of Hardy's novels - and the only one to really send readers / viewers off with a smile on their faces, an affirmation of life in their hearts and a romantic glow in their neither regions!?

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


9 Steve Jobs

Choose Life. Choose a career. Choose an industry changing vision. Choose good health, but low self esteem and childhood adoption insecurity. Choose mortgage repayments for a woman who may be the mother to your daughter that you claim isn’t yours. Choose a series of awkward run in with your colleagues. Choose having very few friends. Choose world changing Apple products. Choose Steve Jobs...

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


8 American Ultra

I am a highly trained special agent – able to tackle any threat with little more than the objects around me. In my hands a dustpan becomes a means of decapitation, a spoon a potent murder weapon and a frying pan - a bullet deflecting trick shot bullet guidance device. But I’m not active like Borne or Bond, my name is Mike Howell (played here by Jesse Eisenberg), and I am a stoner convenience-store clerk.
Director Nima ‘Project X’ Nourizadeh brings his ‘A’ game with American Ultra – an action comedy indie and thanks to screenwriter Max ‘Chronicle’ Landis, the film crackles with enough dark comedy alongside the crunchingly violent action.

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


7 Ant Man

Yes it’s another superhero origins tale but Ant-Man stands out because it exists in a cinematic universe where his first suggestion can be to “call the Avengers”… Here we have the really likeable and very funny Paul Rudd stepping up as Scott Lang / the new Ant-Man and he totally nails the lead role. Thanks to Rudd and some sublime writing (the credits for which include Edgar ‘Hot Fuzz’ Wright), Ant-Man is definitely the funniest Marvel film to date but it doesn’t let the humour dilute the threat, peril or epic action for a moment.

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


6 The Martian

Strap yourself in and prepare for a truly ‘out of this world’ quality sci-fi tale that doesn't skimp on the 'sci' and yet manages to still be thrilling, funny and life affirming…
This is a superb survive-em-up blast that sees human spirit and scientific skills stretched to the limit as one man grapples with the challenge of surviving whilst millions of miles from safety. It’s wonderfully easy to get caught up in this science-based fable, packed with so much technical NASA jargon that you’ll feel like you might have got a bit smarter just from having been exposed to it.

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


5 Sicario

“You will not survive here. You are not a wolf… and this is a land of wolves now.”

Step this way brave soul, Sicario will assault your senses with a terrifying, heavy-duty insight into the human cost of America’s war on drugs. Sicario is a kinetic overload of horrific situations and palpably dangerous action scenes which blow the doors off the dark operations being carried out – beyond the view of the regular news channels. Heavy duty crime and punishment that will stay with you long after the credits role.

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


4 EX_MACHINA

“One day the A.I.s will look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa - ‘upright apes’, all set for extinction…”

EX_MACHINA or as I’d call it ‘Do Girl Androids Dream of Human Boyfriends?’ is a superb cyber-thriller from the mind of Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Dredd. It  feels like an extended sci-fi movie version of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror – which is a high compliment. This is a must see film for those who like their thrillers high tech and packing a brain (or an A.I.)!?

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


3 Mad Max: Fury Road

The future belongs to the mad – so get ready for a wonderfully insane thrill ride. ‘Mad’ Max is back and he’s better than ever, George Miller's anti-hero hasn’t graced the screen sine 1985’s Beyond Thunderdome and whilst he’s swapped actors from Mel Gibson to Tom Hardy – this is a most welcome return. Once the action kicks off in Fury Road it absolutely does not let up – this is 120mins of outrageously over-the-top ‘car’nage, it’s incredible, exciting and breath-taking.

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE


2 Kingsman: The Secret Service

A total endorphin rush, cheeky, classy & action packed, both a reverent homage to and a street-smart update of the ‘old-school’ James Bond movies. It’s also beat the crap out of Specter - co-writers Jane Goldman and Vaughn are on top form adapting Millar’s hyper-violent, rousing story of young Gary Unwin (Taron Egerton) – known as ‘Eggsy’ to his pals - who transforms from teenage council estate petty crim to smooth Kingsman agent with the help of the erstwhile Harry Hart (Colin Firth).
Can’t wait for the sequel!

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE



1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a film I have anticipated for decades, I’m a self confessed huge Star Wars fanboy – my firstborn son is named after Luke Skywalker… Lightsaber battles have never looked so good, X-wing vs Tie Fighter dogfights are more impressive than ever and the sheer joy of seeing the Millennium Falcon fly again brought tears to my eyes.

There’s not a single reason I can give you not to go and enjoy this on the biggest screen you can find!
The Force, it’s calling to you. Just let it in.

Read the Darkmatters review: HERE

"The FORCE IS STRONG!"


Check the: Darkmatters Top Ten Films 2014

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Darkmatters Review: Star Wars - The Force Awakens



Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12a)

Dir. JJ Abrams

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

Read the newspaper version of this review over at: The Luton News


“The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power, too.”


30 years feels like a long time – Jedi, smugglers and Princesses age, power and responsibility are passed on to new generations and new threats arise. But The Force remains…

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a film I have anticipated for decades, I’m a self confessed huge Star Wars fanboy – my firstborn son is named after Luke Skywalker and I felt the huge disturbance in The Force when the prequels threatened to sully the heritage of the original trilogy more than many.

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side"

Which is why I’m delighted to report that The Force Awakens is without doubt a quality Star Wars sequel, which blows the prequels away. Epic, reverent and managing to recapture that original trilogy magic, this is high adventure writ large once more and a total adrenalin rush to boot.

The Force is very much with director JJ Abrams who is aided by a great cast led by smart, savvy scavenger Rey (excellent newcomer Daisy Ridley). Also worthy of credit are redemption seeking Storm Trooper Finn (John Boyega), scary but flawed new Sith on the block Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and hotshot pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac).

"This might be the droid you're looking for"

Add in the massive crowd pleasing return of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), plus Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and let the space based action transport you back to a galaxy far, far away in fine style.

The plot borrows many best bits and themes from across the series and utilises them to huge effect. Lightsaber battles have never looked so good, X-wing vs Tie Fighter dog fights are more impressive than ever and the sheer joy of seeing the Millennium Falcon fly again brought tears to my eyes.

"I feel the need, the need for speed"

There is so much to enjoy in The Force Awakens and the plot crackles along at such a breathless pace you can forgive it for some improbable moments and coincidences.

At heart once more are the personal interactions and thematic strands of broken family relations, regret, trust and honour. The Star Wars comic asides are great rather than cringe worthy, the romantic elements ring true and the excitement levels are cranked up to dangerous levels.

"Friend or foe?"

There’s not a single reason I can give you not to go and enjoy this on the biggest screen you can find!


Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - The Force, it's calling to you. Just let it in!)

Awesomeness ööööö – The Millennium Falcon, Light Sabre battles, Force powers and more!!

Laughs ööö – Some pleasing funnies which echo the original more then the prequels

Horror öö – not too nasty but plenty of peril

Spiritual Enlightenment öööö - The Force is Strong once more, hallelujah!!










Sunday, December 13, 2015

Darkmatters Review: Sisters


Sisters (15)

Dir. Jason Moore

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Let’s all say a non-denominational prayer silently in our heads!”

Yes, prayer might be necessary as it takes a very brave film to go up against the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens and yet that’s exactly what Sisters – a 40-something-em-up female focus comedy drama featuring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler is doing.

"look natural!?"

Sisters comes on with a crude blast of hit and miss humour based around the two leads, each who have somehow failed to adequately grow up and now face the emotional prospect of their family home being sold.

Kate (Fey) is a beauty school drop out, more interested in partying than anything sensible - mother of spunky young Haley (Madison ‘Noah’ Davenport) but a loser in life with no job and no house.

"happy days"

Her younger Sister Maura (Poehler) has always been the sensible one, a loveless divorcee who is keen to save the planet by helping homeless people and animals rather than having any fun.

So when Kate and Maura are tasked with clearing their childhood bedroom – it leads to them deciding to throw a kick-ass party as a send off, cue their middle aged school friends turning up to party like their inner 18-year-olds always wanted to.

It’s a fun premise but Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore flounders as the very obvious and well worn clichés of the beloved family home getting torn apart by wild partying antics (which we’ve seen this done much better in films like Project X) are ticked off. The film is certainly funny in places but equally much too long at almost two hours and cursed with dull periods that really don’t work and awkward shoehorned dramatic turns that just don’t fit.

"say 'cheese'"

So sex jokes, drug use and drinking are wheeled out to amuse the viewers, some of it is funny – just watch the trailer if you want to see all the best jokes – but other bits are cringe worthy (and I’m not just talking about the music box ballerina model stuck up the bottom gross out finale)…

Sisters is very mixed bag, I laughed out loud at some of the well observed age related humour e.g. when a cop tells the sisters that they ‘don’t look at day over 25’, then shines his torch at them and changes his view to ‘a day over 35!?’ I’m also hoping that Hollywood will one day realize that you can have a comedy which isn’t rude, offensive and full of ‘very strong language’ as the 15 rating notes warn.

This probably isn’t the Christmas comedy you’re looking for...

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öö1/2

(2.5 - Foul mouthed sisters regress!)

Awesomeness ööö – Occasional fun scenes but not enough

Laughs ööö –  funny in places

Horror öö – gross out cringe factor

Spiritual Enlightenment -öö - includes a swear word that isn't even a word!?

"buff drug dealer? yep"

Monday, December 07, 2015

Darkmatters Review: The Night Before



The Night Before (15)

Dir. Jonathan Levine

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Let’s have a toast to the douchebags!”

Christmas is upon us, so here’s a festive tale with a bit of a difference. Tis apparently the Season for a stoner comedy featuring Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie). This trio of pals have been friends since childhood and for a decade, since the untimely death of Ethan’s parents, their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been a night of debauchery and hilarity – ‘friends rather than family’.

"Christmas jumpers gangsta style"

Things are changing for the chaps though and as the pressures of adulthood (pending parenthood, sports fame etc.) start to impact them it looks like they may never fulfil their dream of getting in to the secret ‘Nutcracka’ Ball - the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.

So with their annual tradition coming to an end, the guys decide to try and make this last ‘night before’ as memorable as possible with drinking, drugs and wild antics that may change all their lives…

"Wrecking Balls"

Director Jonathan ‘All The Boys Love Mandy Lane’ Levine’s brings some great funnies and is blessed by having three talented and game actors to carry the film. Sure not all of the film works – you can certainly feel the quality vary as the five different writers don’t all seem to be on the same page. There are some great scenes such as a ‘Big’ homage where the pals entertain shoppers with a cool Christmas rap accompanied by some nifty footwork on the giant floor piano.



At points the schmaltzy sentiment does get a bit out of hand and in others you might find yourself nodding off but when the comedy finds its groove The Night Before will have you laughing out loud at some seriously dubious and adult humour. An unforgettable cameo by James Franco, and his man parts will likely burn itself into your mind forever, liable to make you smile every time you get a text message from then on.

"FUN"

There are many Easter Egg references to classic Christmas movies, not least A Christmas Carol and a star appearance by Miley Cyrus as herself getting to sing her famous Wrecking Ball track. Michael Shannon has a returning role as the mysterious drug dealing Mr Green who seems to hold knowledge of the futures for our heroes.

"Respect"

If you’re looking for some pre-Christmas bawdy laughs, then you could do a lot worse than check The Night Before.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö

(3 - Tis the Season Dog )

Awesomeness ööö – Some good fun in parts

Laughs öööö – very funny when it hits

Horror öö – gross out rather than nasty

Spiritual Enlightenment -öö - dude, where's my moral compass?

"Interdenominational freak out"

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Darkmatters Review: Black Mass


Black Mass (15)

Dir. Scott Cooper

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“It's not what you do, it's when and where you do it, and who you do it to or with. If nobody sees it, it didn't happen.”

How far should the authorities go in order to take down powerful criminal networks like the Mafia?

Well Black Mass, based on the 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill tells the truly disturbing tale of boundaries well and truly crossed.

"not a guy you want to cross"

The plot involves infamous crime lord James "Whitey" Bulger (an astonishing turn from Johnny Depp), his Statesman brother Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch) and FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel ‘The Gift’ Edgerton) who all grew up together on the mean streets of South Boston.

Beginning in the 1970s an uneasy alliance is concocted which saw Whitey tipping off the FBI via Connolly about rival criminal activity in return for protection from the authorities and freedom to do pretty much whatever the hell he wanted. It would make a scary fiction but it’s even more terrifying to think that something along these lines actually happened.

"a very cagey meal..."

Connolly is portrayed as a good guy trapped between his friendship with Irish Mob Boss Whitey and his duty to the FBI. Billy is the respectable face of the family whose influential position is also endangered by Whitey’s out-of-control bad deeds. Then there’s Whitey himself - he is a compulsive negative force of nature which destroys or tarnishes everything he comes into contact with.

As Boston's Italian Mafia get taken down - Whitey more than makes up for that with murders, dealing drug, racketeering, kidnapping or as the new Prosecutor Fred Wyshak (Corey ‘Ant Man’ Stoll) says ‘he seems to be behind every crime in the state’…

"shady"

Director Scott Cooper brings the ‘70s to the big screen in fine style and gives Depp license to go ‘all out’ and chill the audience to the bone and he absolutely delivers. Depp plays Whitey as a fearless, coolly calculated predator who you cross at your peril. This is a timely reminder of just what an incredible actor Depp can be when given decent material to work with.

As a Christian I’m not in the general practice of encouraging people to enjoy a ‘Black Mass’ but if you’re in the mood for a sublime crime-em-up this should be top of your to see list. It would be criminal to miss it!



Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Putting the fear back into the criminal genre )

Awesomeness öööö – Scary and brilliant in equal measure

Laughs öö – occasional black mirth

Horror ööö – gets nasty and wince inducing in places

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - who will save us when the law won't?



Sunday, November 22, 2015

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 Review


The Hunger Games: Mockingjay pt2 (12a)

Dir. Francis Lawrence

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Introducing Katniss Everdeen. A small-town girl from District 12 who survived the Games and turned a nation of slaves into an army!”

The end of the games is upon us and this time it’s war. The heroic ‘Mockingjay’ herself Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer ‘soon to be in X-Men Apocalypse’ Lawrence) leads the charge to try and take down evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland). But her small band of resistance fighters who include love interest options - the troubled Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and the dashing Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) will have to fight every step of the way.

"Didn't get the 'wear white' memo"

Things get messy though as Snow has rigged the Capitol with booby traps that turns the final assault into a twisted echo of the original Hunger Games. This really ups the excitement factor though as the team face flame throwers, heavy auto-guns, tidal waves of oil and hidden mines, it’s compelling stuff. You don’t have to have read Suzanne Collins’s best selling novel to realize that there may well be casualties on both sides before we get to the conclusion.

The stand out scene for me was a breath taking chase through the sewers where Katniss and her young soldiers are pursued by vicious ‘mutts’ - kind of cross between fast running zombies and the aliens from the Alien films. Indeed, the scenes of the heroes standing in water filled tunnels desperately firing their weapons at the cunning, seemingly unstoppable creatures will resonate with fans of the sci-fi classic Aliens.

"white baddies?"

If the odds weren’t bad enough for any sort of happy ending, Julianne Moore’s rebel leader Alma Coin begins to seem worryingly like another dictator in waiting. Is Katniss unwittingly trying to remove one despot only to empower a new tyrant? War, it seems, war never changes.

Mockingjay part 2 is without doubt the best of the Hunger Games films since the plucky original but it fails to be the absolute classic it could have been due to the money grabbing ‘split it into two films just to maximize profits’ trend that we have Harry Potter to thank for starting.

"may the odds... etc"

If you’ve seen any of the wave of dystopian-future-em-ups then this rousing finale sees off challenges by the Divergent and Maze Runner wannabes and claims the prize as the best of the genre. Only time will tell if a new contender arises, but for now go and enjoy the games and may the odds be ever in your favour!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Fortune favours the brave )

Awesomeness öööö – strong action scenes especially pleasing

Laughs öö – limited mirth

Horror ööö – grim in places and scary too

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - hold fast

"that mockingjay / angel wing thing never gets tired"




Monday, November 16, 2015

Darkmatters Review: Steve Jobs


Steve Jobs (15)

Dir. Danny Boyle

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)


With apologies to Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting script:


“Choose Life. Choose a career. Choose an industry changing vision. Choose good health, but low self esteem and childhood adoption insecurity. Choose mortgage repayments for a woman who may be the mother to your daughter that you claim isn’t yours. Choose a series of awkward run in with your colleagues. Choose having very few friends. Choose world changing Apple products. Choose Steve Jobs...”

Steve Jobs is a remarkable movie about an incredibly driven man. You don’t have to be a fan of Apple iPods, iMacs, iPhones or iPads (although to declare an interest here, I am), to appreciate what an impact his company has had on society’s tech habits.

"Genius, Billionaire, Philanthropist, Playboy or Bond Villain?"

Director Danny ‘Trainspotting’ Boyle injects energy and real conviction to this tale of Jobs’ life. Rather than going for a whole life biopic, Steve Jobs highlights three key time points, each backstage at major product launches. This format works really well and we start in 1984 when Jobs (Michael ‘The Counselor’ Fassbender) faces the world to introduce the revolutionary Macintosh.

Things are complicated by the arrival minutes before the launch of Chrisann Brennan (Katherine ‘Inherent Vice’ Waterston) who wants him to support her after a paternity suit that finds him 94.1% likely that he is the dad of her daughter Lisa. This parental drama and his ensuing relationship with young Lisa (played by different actresses at each time point) forms a strong counter narrative to the high tech / high pressure launch paranoia.

"The Mac iFamily didn't really work for Jobs" 

In 1998 we join Jobs and his team who include his right hand woman Joanna Huffman (Kate Winslet on top form) - the power behind the throne - at the launch of his problematic non Apple ‘NeXT’ computer. The final section takes place in1998 when the tech world witnesses the seismic shift that was the iMac.

Fassbender is incredible as the man whose driven tech vision changed the way so many of us communicate and consume media. But he’s ably supported by the rest of the cast and it’s the human interaction that gives this flashy tech film a strong beating heart. The strained relationship Jobs was purported to have with key other Apple players including Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) and Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) make compulsive viewing.

"Launch time"

Steve Jobs was undoubtedly a maverick and fascinating character, this extremely engaging insight into just what made him tick is highly recommended viewing.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2

(4.5 - getting a 'hit' can be murder... )

Awesomeness öööö – stunning filmmaking that grips hard

Laughs ööö – very amusing in a narcissistic way

Horror öö – Emotionally tough in places

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - changing the world takes conviction

"Older but still at odds"



Sunday, November 08, 2015

Darkmatters Review: Kill Your Friends


Kill Your Friends (18)

Dir. Owen Harris

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“So here’s what I do. I listen to music - singers, bands, songwriters - and decide which ones stand a good chance of commercial success…. Sounds easy?”

Hello Britain - it seems we have our own rival to Patrick Bateman, the infamous American Psycho. Meet Steven Stelfox (Nicholas ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Hoult) an Artist & Repertoire
(A&R) man whose job is to pick the next big music thing, he’s also a truly detestable, misogynistic, immoral scumbag who is more than prepared to kill his co-workers or indeed his friends.

"smooth but dangerous"

It’s the 1990’s and Britpop groups like Blur and Oasis are setting the pace whilst the public are still actually buying albums by Menswear and Gene too. Stelfox has ambition to take his boss’s job as Head of A&R but his colleague Waters (James ‘Into The Woods’ Corden) is more likely to get the post due to his seniority.

Oh dear.

Yes the credits have barely rolled when the Waters is left for dead having been slipped an insane amount of drugs. From then on Kill Your Friends becomes a deeply twisted take on Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment - just with more swearing, sex, greed and drugs, all to a killer ‘90s soundtrack which has to be the best of any film this year.

"Hard at work"

Hoult pulls off the confidently evil lead role with aplomb and he’s backed up by a fun cast of varying ability. D.C. Woodham (Edward ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell’ Hogg) is the long arm of the law which threatens Stelfox but this copper is an unfulfilled musician himself. Also caught in this bleakly dark comedy music-and-murder-em-up are rival, and more successful scout Parker Hall (Tom Riley), plus Stelfox’s scheming assistant Rebecca (Georgia King).

Kill Your Friends is a full-throttle bad taste big screen adaption of John Niven’s biting exploration of the music industry which pulls no punches and is hilariously wrong and violent. As the plot tightens like a noose around Stelfox’s foul-mouthed Britpop Psycho, his serious mental health issues start to leave a bloody body count. Which is awkward as you’ll be highly amused despite the carnage.

"The dubious pop talent"

This film really isn’t for the faint of heart or easily offended but if you want to stare into the moral abyss, laughing as you go, and reminiscing over some quality tunes, Kill Your Friends is more (to use an Irvine Welsh measure of excellence) Trainspotting than Ecstasy, which is good news for psycho lovers everywhere.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

(3.5 - getting a 'hit' can be murder... )

Awesomeness ööö – touch darkness and it touches you back

Laughs öööö – deeply funny but oh so wrong

Horror öööö – gets very nasty in places

Spiritual Enlightenment -ööö - kill your morals


Thursday, November 05, 2015

Just Cause 3 Preview


Just Cause 3 Preview

Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“We can't wait

To burn it to the ground…”  Linkin Park

It feels good to welcome back Rico Rodriguez – a regime change specialist extraordinaire with a grapple, an attitude, and a huge arsenal of destructive possibilities which will be unleashed on the PlayStation 4 in December.

"one man can make the difference"

Just Cause 3 is a game that we've have been anticipating ever since finishing 2010's Just Cause 2, so it was with a sense of palpable excitement that we made our way to Square Enix HQ to play through a chunk of the next instalment. We were not disappointed.

"I drove a car off a freeway on top of a train while it was on fire. Not the car, *I* was on fire."

The first thing that hits you when you fire up Just Cause 3's open world of Medici is that it looks really good – graphically this is a huge leap forward from the last generation. Rodriguez's fictional homeland is a veritable Mediterranean paradise – albeit one with a deeply rotten underbelly. Lurking at the heart of this idyllic collection of islands is a brutal wannabe dictator, General Di Ravello, who has taken over the 400 square miles of sun drenched terrain and rules it with an iron fist.

But not for long...

Read the whole preview at the awesome: PushSquare

Read my top ten PushSquare reviews...

PlanetSide 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist

Magicka 2

JackBox Party Pack 2

Toto Temple Deluxe

Heroes of Loot

Pumped BMX+

Dynamite Fishing World Games

Curses n Chaos

Commander Cherry's Puzzled Journey