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• Stargate Atlantis - Seasons 1-5 - Complete | DVD | (10/08/2009) from £45.55   |  Saving you £-0.48 (N/A%)   |  RRP £45.07

  Stargate Atlantis: Seasons 1-5 Complete

• The Matrix/Matrix Reloaded/Matrix Revolutions | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £9.88   |  Saving you £-0.88 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.00

  The Wachowski Brothers trilogy is brought together on this fantastic boxed set. The Matrix: Perception: The Everyday World is Real. Reality: That World is a hoax an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. Mind blowing stunts. Techno-slamming visuals. Megakick action. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne lead the fight to free humankind in The Matrix the cyber thriller that you will watch again and again. Written and Directed by the Wachowski brothers (Bound) the story sears the special effects stake out new movie-making territory - the movie leaves you breathless. The Matrix Reloaded: Neo and the leaders of the human resistance discover that Sentinels are burrowing their way towards Zion. Estimating they have perhaps just 72 hours until an all-out assault Neo must return back into the Matrix and find the keymaker to gain access to the mainframe to ensure human survival... The Matrix Revolutions: In this final explosive third installment of the Matrix trilogy the city of Zion last bastion of the human race defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo attempts to fulfill his prophecy as 'The One'. As the Machine Army wages devastation on Zion its citizens mount an aggressive defense - but can they stave off the relentless swarm of Sentinels long enough for Neo adrift in a no man's land between the Matrix and the Machine world to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war?

• Middle Earth - Six Film Theatrical Version | DVD | (31/10/2016) from £28.97   |  Saving you £-3.98 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING Assisted by a Fellowship of heroes, Frodo Baggins plunges into a perilous trek to take the mystical One Ring to Mount Doom so that it and its magical powers can be destroyed and never be possessed by evil Lord Sauron. The astonishing journey begins in the first film of director/co-writer Peter Jackson's epic trilogy that redefi ned fantasy fi lmmaking. This imaginative foray into J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth won 4 Academy Awards® and earned 13 total nominations, including Best Picture. THE TWO TOWERS The Fellowship has broken, but the quest to destroy the One Ring continues. Frodo and Sam must entrust their lives to Gollum if they are to find their way to Mordor. As Saruman's army approaches, the surviving members of The Fellowship, along with people and creatures from Middle-earth, prepare for battle. The War of the Ring has begun. Nominated for six Academy Awards®* including Best Picture RETURN OF THE KING The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam, led by Gollum, continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn struggles to fulfill his legacy as he leads his outnumbered followers against the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron, so that the Ring-bearer may complete his quest. Winner of 11 Academy Awards.®* AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY The first in a trilogy of films based on the enduring masterpiece The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who along with the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands inhabited by Goblins, Orcs and deadly Wargs, as well as a mysterious and sinister fi gure known only as the Necromancer. Along the path, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even himself, he also gains possession of a precious ring tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways he cannot begin to imagine DESOLATION OF SMAUG The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf and 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, continue their journey to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Along the way, they encounter the skin-changer Beorn; giant Spiders of Mirkwood; Wood-elves led by Legolas, Tauriel and King Thranduil; and a mysterious Man named Bard, who smuggles them into Lake-town. Finally reaching the Lonely Mountain, they face their greatest danger the Dragon Smaug. BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves of Erebor have reclaimed the vast wealth of their homeland, but now face the consequences of having unleashed the terrifying Dragon Smaug upon Lake-town. Meanwhile, Sauron, the Dark Lord, has sent forth legions of Orcs to attack the Lonely Mountain, and Bilbo Baggins finds himself fighting for his life as five great armies go to war. As darkness converges, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide unite or be destroyed.

• Iron Man 3 | DVD | (09/09/2013) from £9.15   |  Saving you £-2.16 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Marvel's Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible.

• X-Men: Apocalypse | Blu Ray | (07/11/2016) from £7.96   |  Saving you £10.05 (126.26%)   |  RRP £18.01

  Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE. Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction

• Back To The Future | DVD | (26/12/2005) from £8.65   |  Saving you £7.34 (84.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  17 year old Marty McFly got home early last night. 30 years early! Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly a typical American teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean ""time machine"" invented by slightly mad scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd). During his often hysterical always amazing trip back in time Marty must make certain his teenage parents-to-be meet and fall in love otherwise he'll never be born...

• 8 Diagram Pole Fighter | Blu Ray | (02/03/2020) from £16.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Yang family was the loyal strong-arm of the Imperial army. But a jealous General betrays the Elite Spear-men and their father to the opposing Mongol army. After an ambush of a battle, only two of the seven sons survive. One remains hidden by the family while the other lives on the run. The general must find them and silence them before either of them can testify to the Emperor of his treachery.

• Indiana Jones - The Complete Adventures (Blu-ray Quadrilogy | Blu Ray | (08/10/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.01

  Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark It’s said that the original is the greatest, and there can be no more vivid proof than Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first and indisputably best of the initial three Indiana Jones adventures cooked up by the dream team of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Expectations were high for this 1981 collaboration between the two men, who essentially invented the box office blockbuster with ‘70s efforts like Jaws and Star Wars, and Spielberg (who directed) and Lucas (who co-wrote the story and executive produced) didn’t disappoint. This wildly entertaining film has it all: non-stop action, exotic locations, grand spectacle, a hero for the ages, despicable villains, a beautiful love interest, humour, horror… not to mention lots of snakes. And along with all the bits that are so familiar by now--Indy (Harrison Ford) running from the giant boulder in a cave, using his pistol instead of his trusty whip to take out a scimitar-wielding bad guy, facing off with a hissing cobra, and on and on--there’s real resonance in a potent storyline that brings together a profound religious-archaeological icon (the Ark of the Covenant, nothing less than "a radio for speaking to God") and the 20th century’s most infamous criminals (the Nazis). Now that’s entertainment. --Sam Graham Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom It’s hard to imagine that a film with worldwide box office receipts topping US$300 million worldwide could be labeled a disappointment, but some moviegoers considered Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second installment in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ 1980s adventure trilogy, to be just that. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad effort; any collaboration between these two cinema giants (Spielberg directed, while Lucas provided the story and was executive producer) is bound to have more than its share of terrific moments, and Temple of Doom is no exception. But in exchanging the very real threat of Nazi Germany for the cartoonish Thuggee cult, it loses some of the heft of its predecessor (Raiders of the Lost Ark); on the other hand, it’s also the darkest and most disturbing of the three films, what with multiple scenes of children enslaved, a heart pulled out of a man’s chest, and the immolation of a sacrificial victim, which makes it less fun than either Raiders or The Last Crusade, notwithstanding a couple of riotous chase scenes and impressively grand sets. Many fans were also less than thrilled with the new love interest, a spoiled, querulous nightclub singer portrayed by Kate Capshaw, but a cute kid sidekick ("Short Round," played by Ke Huy Quan) and, of course, the ever-reliable Harrison Ford as the cynical-but-swashbuckling hero more than make up for that character’s shortcomings. --Sam Graham Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The third episode in Steven Spielberg's rousing Indiana Jones saga, this film recaptures the best elements of Raiders of the Lost Ark while exploring new territory with wonderfully satisfying results. Indy is back battling the Nazis, who have launched an expedition to uncover the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. And it's not just Indy this time--his father (played with great acerbic wit by Sean Connery, the perfect choice) is also involved in the hunt. Spielberg excels at the kind of extended action sequences that top themselves with virtually every frame; the best one here involves Indy trying to stop a Nazi tank from the outside while his father is being held within. For good measure, Spielberg reveals (among other things) how Indy got his hat, the scar on his chin, and his nickname (in a prologue that features River Phoenix as the young Indiana). --Marshall Fine Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 | DVD | (16/03/2015) from £7.05   |  Saving you £12.94 (183.55%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The worldwide phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 which finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the third in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins that has over 65 million copies in print in the U.S. alone. Lionsgate presents a Color Force / Lionsgate production a Francis Lawrence film.

• The Wild Geese (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (15/12/2025) from £28.32   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Screen legends Richard Burton (WHERE EAGLES DARE), Roger Moore (LIVE AND LET DIE) and Richard Harris (A MAN CALLED HORSE) star as a team of aging mercenaries hired by a wealthy industrialist for one final mission: Recruit and train a squad of desperate commandos, parachute into an unstable African nation, snatch its deposed President from a maximum-security prison, escape via the military-controlled airport, and massacre anyone who gets in their way. Reaching the target will be murder, but getting out alive may be impossible. Hardy Kruger (A BRIDGE TOO FAR) and Stewart Granger (KING SOLOMON'S MINES) co-star in this explosive action classic produced by Euan Lloyd (THE FINAL OPTION) and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen (THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE) from a screenplay by 2x Oscar® nominee Reginald Rose (12 ANGRY MEN), now scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with 9+ hours of new and archival Special Features. DISC 1 (UHD):NEW! Audio Commentary with Action Film Experts, Mike Leeder and Arne Venema *NEW! Audio Commentary with Assembly Editor John Grover and Film Academic and Sth African Historian Calum Waddell *Archival Audio Commentary with Producer Euan Lloyd, Star Roger Moore, Second Unit Director John Glen, Moderated by Filmmaker Jonathan Sothcott *Theatrical Trailer DISC 2 (BD):NEW!Jesse, Take Point! An Interview with Actor John Kani (Sgt. Jesse Blake)NEW!Wild Child An Interview with Actor Paul Spurrier (Emile Janders)NEW!Wild Goose Chase An Interview with 2nd Unit Director / Editor John GlenNEW! Flight of Fancy An Interview with Sound Editor Colin MillerThe Wild Geese Director Interview with Director Andrew V. McLaglenThe Mercenary Interview with Military Advisor Mike HoareThe Last of the Gentleman Producers Documentary on Producer Euan Lloyd Featuring Euan Lloyd, Roger Moore, Joan Armatrading, Ingrid Pitt & moreThe Flight Of The Wild Geese Vintage FeaturetteTHE WILD GEESE Royal Charity Premiere Newsreel * Also Included On Blu-RayThe Worldwide UHD PremiereScanned in 4K from the original camera negativeOver 5 Hours of Brand-new Special Features and over 9+ hours in totalAn ever-green British action-fan classic!An Expendables-style action film with a stellar A-List cast, including Richard Burton, Roger Moore, and Richard HarrisBased on the novel The Thin White Line by Rhodesian author Daniel Carney.Produced by British legend, Euan Lloyd (The Sea Wolves, Paper Tiger)Winner of 1979 Jupiter Award for Roger Moore for Best International ActorA memorable musical score by Roy BuddMade with the involvement of real-life mercenary, Colonel ˜Mad Mike' Hoare as the film's technical and military advisor.

• Armageddon | DVD | (01/02/2010) from £6.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (157.37%)   |  RRP £17.99

  This 1998 testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continued Hollywood's millennium-fuelled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understand what mainstream audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid-fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but, of course, lovable) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishising of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also try to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable to populate the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humour and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable female characters--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'". Sadly, she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than all the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy

• Mission Impossible 1-5 | DVD | (07/12/2015) from £14.98   |  Saving you £-2.70 (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.29

  Mission Impossible Tom Cruise ignites the screen in this runaway smash hit that "holds you on the edge of your seat before blasting you out of it" (Howard Rosenberg, Los Angeles Times). Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, a secret agent framed for the deaths of his espionage team. Fleeing from government assassins, breaking into the CIA's most impenetrable vault, clinging to the roof of a speeding bullet train, Hunt races like a burning fuse to stay one step ahead of his pursuers... and draw one step closer to discovering the shocking truth. Mission Impossible 2 The world's greatest spy returns in M:I-2. Top action director John Woo brings his own brand of excitement to the mission that finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) partnering up with the beautiful Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton) to stop renegade agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) from releasing a new kind of terror on an unsuspecting world. But before the mission is complete, they'll traverse the globe and have to choose between everything they love and everything they believe in. Mission Impossible 3 Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt in this pulse-pounding thrill ride directed by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias). Lured back into action by his agency superiors (Laurence Fishburne and Billy Crudup), Ethan faces his deadliest adversary yet - a sadistic weapons dealer named Owen Davian (Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman). With the support of his IMF team (Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Maggie Q), Ethan leaps into spectacular adventure from Rome to Shanghai as he races to rescue a captured agent (Keri Russell) and stop Davian from eliminating his next target: Ethan's wife, Julia (Michelle Monaghan). Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol No plan. No backup. No choice. Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his elite team (Jeremy Renner - The Avengers and Simon Pegg - Star Trek) go underground after a bombing of the Kremlin implicates the IMF as international terrorists. While trying to clear the agency's name, the team uncovers a plot to start a nuclear war. Now, to save the world, they must use every high-tech trick in the book. The mission has never been more real, more dangerous or more impossible. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF. Click Images to Enlarge

• The Accountant | DVD | (13/03/2017) from £8.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Christian Wolff (Affleck) is a math savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance accountant for some of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department's Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King (J.K. Simmons), starting to close in, Christian takes on a legitimate client: a state-of-the-art robotics company where an accounting clerk (Anna Kendrick) has discovered a discrepancy involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, it is the body count that starts to rise.Click Images to Enlarge

• Spooks: The Greater Good | DVD | (28/09/2015) from £5.92   |  Saving you £14.07 (237.67%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When charismatic terrorist Adem Qasim (Elyes Gabel) escapes from MI5 custody during a high profile handover legendary operative Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) Head of Counter-terrorism is blamed. Disgraced and forced to resign Harry disappears without a trace. With MI5 on its knees in the wake of the Qasim debacle and facing controversial reform former agent Will Holloway (Kit Harington) is brought back from Moscow to discover the truth about Harry’s disappearance and in doing so uncovers a shocking revelation; Harry is still alive has gone rogue and desperately needs Will’s help. Will must decide whether to turn Harry in - or risk everything by trusting the damaged dangerous master spy who betrayed him once before…

• Power Rangers | DVD | (31/07/2017) from £5.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Saban's Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove and the world is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late. The film stars Dacre Montgomery (A Few Less Men) as Jason the Red Ranger, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott (The 33) as Kimberly the Pink Ranger, Becky G (Empire) as Trini the Yellow Ranger, Ludi Lin (Monster Hunt) as Zack the Black Ranger, Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect, The Hunger Games franchise) as Rita Repulsa, Bryan Cranston (Godzilla, Breaking Bad) as Zordon and Bill Hader (Trainwreck, The BFG) as Alpha 5.

• The Last Ship: Seasons 1-5 | DVD | (01/04/2019) from £69.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  NOTICE: Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk DOES NOT have English audio and subtitles.

• Terminator: Dark Fate BD | Blu Ray | (02/03/2020) from £10.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (T-800) return in their iconic roles in Terminator: Dark Fate, directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and produced by visionary filmmaker James Cameron and David Ellison. Following the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator: Dark Fate also stars Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta.

• 13 Hours | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.05   |  Saving you £-0.06 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  This is the true story of the six members of a security team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, after the attack by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2012. Click Images to Enlarge

• Iron Sky: Dictator's Cut | Blu Ray | (10/02/2014) from £15.98   |  Saving you £-4.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In 1945 the Nazis flew to the Dark Side of the Moon and established a secret hideout where they've been preparing for their grand return. The year is 2018 and the Americans return to the Moon in search for powerful energy source Helium-3. They end up landing too close to the secret Nazi fortress and although the big Nazi weapon Götterdämmerung is not yet ready to be deployed soon the skies are full of iron as the Nazi war machines take a pre-emptive move against threat from Earth. The Dictator's Cut of Iron Sky is an all-new take on the film following the original vision of the director Timo Vuorensola. This version is 20 minutes longer loaded with new visual effects new music from Laibach - and of course tons of new politically incorrect humour. Special Features: 20 Minutes of Additional Footage

• The Dark Knight Rises (Blu-ray + UV Copy | Blu Ray | (17/04/2019) from £5.00   |  Saving you £21.99 (439.80%)   |  RRP £26.99

  Of all the "most anticipated" movies ever claiming that title, it's hard to imagine one that has caused so much speculation and breathless expectation as Christopher Nolan's final chapter to his magnificently brooding Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. Though it may not rise to the level of the mythic grandeur of its predecessor, The Dark Knight Rises is a truly magnificent work of cinematic brilliance that commandingly completes the cycle and is as heavy with literary resonance as it is of-the-moment insight into the political and social affairs unfolding on the world stage. That it is also a full-blown and fully realized epic crime drama packed with state-of-the-art action relying equally on immaculate CGI fakery and heart-stopping practical effects and stunt work makes its entrée into blockbuster history worthy of all the anticipation and more. It deserves all the accolades it will get for bringing an opulently baroque view of a comic book universe to life with sinister effectiveness. Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, TDK Rises finds Bruce Wayne broken in spirit and body from his moral and physical battle with the Joker. Gotham City is at peace primarily because Batman took the fall for Harvey Dent's murder, allowing the former district attorney's memory to remain as a crime-fighting hero rather than the lunatic destructor he became as Two-Face. But that meant Batman's cape and cowl wound up in cold storage--perhaps for good--with only police commissioner Jim Gordon in possession of the truth. The threat that faces Gotham now is by no means new; as deployed by the intricate script that weaves themes first explored in Batman Begins, fundamental conflicts that predate his own origins are at the heart of the ultimate struggle that will leave Batman and his city either triumphant or in ashes. It is one of the movie's greatest achievements that we really don't know which way it will end up until its final exhilarating moments. Intricate may be an understatement in the construction of the script by Nolan and his brother Jonathan. The multilayered story includes a battle for control of Wayne Industries and the decimation of Bruce Wayne's personal wealth; a destructive yet potentially earth-saving clean energy source; a desolate prison colony on the other side of the globe; terrorist attacks against people, property, and the world's economic foundation; the redistribution of wealth to the 99 percent; and a virtuoso jewel thief who is identified in every way except name as Catwoman. Played with saucy fun and sexy danger by Anne Hathaway, Selina Kyle is sort of the catalyst (!) for all the plot threads, especially when she whispers into Bruce's ear at a charity ball some prescient words about a coming storm that will tear Gotham asunder. As unpredictable as it is sometimes hard to follow, the winds of this storm blow in a raft of diverse and extremely compelling new characters (including Selina Kyle) who are all part of a dance that ends with the ballet of a cataclysmic denouement. Among the new faces are Marion Cotillard as a green-energy advocate and Wayne Industries board member and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a devoted Gotham cop who may lead Nolan into a new comic book franchise. The hulking monster Bane, played by Tom Hardy with powerful confidence even under a clawlike mask, is so much more than a villain (and the toughest match yet for Batman's prowess). Though he ends up being less important to the movie's moral themes and can't really match Heath Ledger's maniacal turn as Joker, his mesmerizing swagger and presence as demonic force personified are an affecting counterpoint to the moral battle that rages within Batman himself. Christian Bale gives his most dynamic performance yet as the tortured hero, and Michael Caine (Alfred), Gary Oldman (Gordon), and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) all return with more gravitas and emotional weight than ever before. Then there's the action. Punctuated by three or four magnificent set pieces, TDKR deftly mixes the cinematic process of providing information with punches of pow throughout (an airplane-to-airplane kidnap/rescue, an institutional terrorist assault and subsequent chase, and the choreographed crippling of an entire city are the above-mentioned highlights). The added impact of the movie's extensive Imax footage ups the wow factor, all of it kinetically controlled by Nolan and his top lieutenants Wally Pfister (cinematography), Hans Zimmer (composer), Lee Smith (editor), and Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh (production designers). The best recommendation TDKR carries is that it does not leave one wanting for more. At 164 minutes, there's plenty of nonstop dramatic enthrallment for a single sitting. More important, there's a deep sense of satisfaction that The Dark Knight Rises leaves as the fulfilling conclusion to an absorbing saga that remains relevant, resonant, and above all thoroughly entertaining. --Ted Fry