field.guide

[thefieldguide]

Equipment and Training for Europe's Toughest Mudder

I completed the first ever Europe’s Toughest Mudder in Nottingham in May 2017. I was unsure what to expect in the build up to the race despite having seen the World’s Toughest Mudder documentary series they put out and reading as much as possible. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn’t realise how much fun it would be.

I managed to hit my 30 mile target (6 laps) with 4 minutes to spare before the 8.30 cut off point, coming 61st out of nearly 900 Mudders. The majority of Mudder’s who dropped out after 2/3 laps did so because of poor equipment and getting too cold (and possibly a lack of training). However, if you get the kit right, and follow the below advice you will be fine.

What gear you need for Europe’s Toughest Mudder?

Wetsuit:

This is an absolute must if you want to be out on the course for 8 hours. On the first lap, which is a sprint lap, I did start to get a little hot, but I was able to unzip the suit at the front to cool off. After the first lap the wetsuit really came into it’s own. I originally was going to go with a full length surfer wetsuit, but after speaking to the staff at Ocean Leisure in London (who I would highly recommend going to speak to), they recommended a ‘Swim Run’ suit as they thought in a full length suit, I might overheat and be restricted movement wise.

The Orca Men's SwimRun Core Wetsuit 2017 will set you back £160 but it’s well worth it if you can stretch that far, and it compares well against other wetsuits price wise. It has different panels of varying thickness of neoprene in the wetsuit to allow you to run and not be restricted, but at the same time keeping you warm.

If you’ve never run in a wetsuit try going for a run in it before the race. I did a 30 mile run two weeks before, which was a little too intense but at least it gave me the peace of mind that I could run 30 miles in a wetsuit. However, I’d say you only need to do 15 miles in it to get used to it and discover where it might rub/chaf.

Trainers

For those of you who have done obstacle racing before you’ll know it’s all about grip. Don’t bother with you standard road running shoes, you need something with some serious grip for those muddy and wet obstacles, and for running on the uneven terrain at Tough Mudders. The Reebok All Terrain Super 3.0 (£64.95) are perfect. The blue ones are cheaper than the orange ones which are the same spec.  

These trainers were incredible. They had the grip of football boots, I’ve never had so much grip. Climbing up the muddy banks was made so much easier and I saw plenty of other runners slipping and sliding all over the place. Like the wetsuit I did one long run in them beforehand to get used to them. They aren’t the comfiest for road running but they are perfect for obstacle course racing.

Gloves:

These gloves were a life saver. Your grip and hands can get torn up after one lap. If they get cold, you’ll struggle on the obstacles and it can be debilitating. The 2017 Gill 3mm Neoprene Winter Gloves (£35.10) are meant for sailing and handling heavy duty ropes on boats. They made easy work of dragging myself through mud, gripping ropes and the monkey bars. My hands didn’t get cold once. 

Hat and socks:

These were two last minute purchases, but I’m so glad I bought them.  The TWF 3mm Socks - Black, (£4.99) from Amazon kept my feet warm and added a bit of padding to my trainers when running. I’m a size 7 and bought a small, an extra small would have been even better, but small still did a job.

The Beanie hat 3mm neoprene stretchy very warm / waterproof (North Coast Wetsuits (Cornwall)) from amazon (£11.99) was another great last minute buy. You lose the most heat from your head and after Artic Enema this was a blessing. I ditched it for my last lap but was grateful for it for the rest of the race.

Under layers:

The only layer I wore under my suit was a pair of Nike cycling shorts to prevent any chaffing. You won’t need a top layer, just the running vest they give you when you check in.

I also wore a pair of Nike anti blister running socks underneath the neoprene socks and came away with no blisters.

Headtorch

I was slightly worried if these would be waterproof or not, but by wrapping them in sandwich bags and cable tying them at each end keeps them watertight. I’d recommend buying two in case one breaks as they won’t let you run without them.

Waterproof Headlamp GRDE® Light Weight Comfortable LED Head Torch, High Brightness for walking/ fishing/ cycling/ working Light (Grey) £10.99

LED Headlamp, IDEAPRO Adjustable Waterproof Super Bright Head Flashlight Torch for Cycling, Running, Mountain Climbing, Camping, Reading, Hiking, Nigh (£6.79) 

You will also need a strobe. I was going to just go with glow sticks, but these were brilliant. You get two in a pack with batteries and it lasted the entire night.

iGadgitz Xtra Lumin Safe Reflective Hi Vis Waterproof Adjustable Wearable Silicone Armband Strap with LED Flashing Light for Running, Cycling, Walking (£5.79)

Other: Casio watch - £10 from Argos and good so you can keep track of your lap pace.

What Food and supplies should I take?

I took 8 lots of the below which was more than enough. In reality I only consumed about 4/5 of each item.

Bottle of water

Lucozade

Bananas

Tinned Peach slices

Flapjacks

Protein bars

Snickers

Warm Chicken Soup or Porridge

After each lap, I would have half a protein bar, flapjack, half a Lucozade and a 500ml bottle of water. Because of the wetsuit you need to stay hydrated so you don’t get cramp and keep you salt and sugar levels up. After 3 laps, I cracked open the peach slices which are the greatest thing once you’re bored of dry protein bars and some something with a different texture, but still high in sugar.

Make sure you drink 500ml of water each lap. You want to be consuming 500cals a lap to keep your energy levels up.

Race strategy

You’re allowed two pit crew members and these guys will be such a help. After a few hours of running it’s nice to have someone handing you food and keeping you motivated.

I came in after each lap for a maximum of 5 minutes (apart from lap 2 where I had a poop break which was more like 10 minutes). You will get cold quickly grab some food, have a chat and then start walking with your food and drink. It will take a you a mile or so to get warm and get rid of any stiffness.

With the hills after the 2nd lap I had to start walking up them and running down them, your legs will need a rest.

If you can get out by 7.45 they start closing the obstacles towards the end so you will be able to complete the lap no problem.

Toughest Mudder Workout Plan

Tough Mudder released World Toughest Mudder training plans which is what I based my training on. I made sure I ticked off all the running distances, but I added a 30 miler, 3 weeks before the race so I knew I could run that distance. I did that run from 8pm to 2am to try and replicate race conditions. I was running around 10 minute miles in training and on race day I was doing more like 12 minute miles. On your runs if you can, try and throw in some pull ups, squats or burpees at each mile to replicate race conditions it’s beneficial.

For your strength/gym training, your big focus doesn’t need to be on lifting big, it’s about being able to lift and control your own body weight and endurance. Prior to beginning training, I was doing 3x 15 rep sets on medium weight usually to failure. I then started the Toughest Mudder Training plan and followed it loosely. I would do two of their workouts a week and then my ‘100s’ work out.

The ‘100s’ workout is all about mental determination and continuing after you don’t think you can do anymore. These seem like big numbers but you just need to break them down into small chunks and take your time. E.g. on pull ups we would start with 15, then 12, then 10s, before going down to 5s and then 1s until we hit 100. The goal is to not leave until you hit the number. For the first few sessions get a work out mate to help you or use the assisted machine.

100 x pull ups

300 x squats

200 x press ups

100 x sit ups

Recovery is crucial. I would use a foam roller after every run for 15-20mins and stretch for at least 10mins after each run. I would also recommend using it on your shoulders and back to ensure you keep that range of movement and can continue training without aching.

Toughest Mudder Nutrition Plan

Maxi Muscle Protein shake after every run and gym session. High protein diet during training.

1 week before the race I carb loaded by increasing my carb intake by 50-70%

Omelette for breakfast, Pasta and chicken/fish for lunch and then veg, chicken/fish and sweet potatoes for dinner.

Post-Race: Protein shake, lots of water, fruit and carbs and to be honest eat as much and what you want. You’ll be hungry for days. I’d stock up on vitamins as well. I had a cold for two weeks after the race.

[thefieldguide]

My Days in ‘The Jungle’

The Human Story of The Jungle

On a clear day, looking out from the ferry port of Calais you can almost make out the white cliffs of Dover. It’s a quick 90-minute ferry trip across the Channel to get to the UK, but for the residents of ‘The Jungle’ it couldn’t be further away.

Looking out over the Channel, holding my passport in one hand and my ticket in the other, something doesn’t quite sit right. An uncomfortable, hollow feeling of guilt has set in the pit of my stomach. I doubt when asked, many people would say their passport is their most valuable possession. They would probably list their house, wedding ring, car, granddads pocket watch or maybe, albeit depressing, their phone. Perhaps, their passport would not even make it to their top 5, but as Brits I think we sometimes take the power of the British passport for granted. If every country were a nightclub, the British passport would be the VIP pass. Not getting in after midnight is never an issue, and you don’t need to be wearing smart shoes and your best shirt to get in.

Standing there at the ferry port, I felt that uncomfortable sense of guilt, gradually transforming into a feeling of sickening injustice. I was able to walk up, buy a ticket, show my passport and walk onto the ferry to head back to the UK. Unlike the people I had just met, I had not fled my country because of war, venturing for months, crossing dangerous seas, surviving in the open, exposed to the elements, avoiding gangs and people traffickers. My journey had been simple. And it seemed unfair.

Here, pictures are not worth a 1000 words

People forget, or most probably didn’t even know, that the camp has actually been around since 1999, but over the last 18 months it has grown six fold as a result of the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. There are now an estimated 6,000 refugees in the camp. The first thing to note is that because the camp is not recognised as a refugee camp, there is no UN or Red Cross support. All the relief is provided by a number of volunteer groups, who do their best to coordinate with each other, but with the chaos of the situation and so much going on it proves to be difficult.

You expect the majority of volunteers helping out to be a certain type of person - mainly left wing activists and hippies. But, you would be wrong. There is a beautifully eclectic mix of people from all backgrounds, with one shared goal - to try and help in any way they can, however small. There’s a mix of first timers, returning volunteers, people who only came for two days, others for two weeks and in some cases, months.

As I arrived, I was put to work right away with the building team – there are several teams to distribute the work and no amount of volunteers can fill all the jobs available. We were on the repair duty, which mainly entails fixing doors and leaky roofs. A circus choreographer called Sage, a bathroom fitter named Danny, who came over with his daughter, Rich who I can best, describe as an activist/hippy who lived in the camper van we were using as a van, and I, loaded up the van and headed off to the jungle straight away.

When you step out in the Jungle, the first thing that hits you is the amount of mud and water. Imagine Glastonbury after the excitement is over and weeks of rain passed. Vast areas of surface water, which may have once been puddles, now resemble large ponds and small lakes. Everywhere you look there is wet, sludgy mud. Keeping anything clean and dry is one of the biggest challenges. There are no bins in the camp. Everywhere you look there are food rubbish, old clothes, shoes and discarded, torn apart tents. The teams of volunteers clean up daily, but it’s a never-ending task and there simply aren’t enough people to keep it tidy.

Then there’s the smell. It’s takes a few minutes to get used to the stale smell of mud, rubbish and faeces, as it hits the back of your throat.

People like me. Like you.

The first residents of the Jungle I met were two Iraqi guys, who had fled the city of Mosel after ISIS captured it in 2014. They had been in the camp for 4 months, sharing their hut with two other Iraqis. In broken English, Yousif told me that the week before, some men got drunk in the camp and they came into their neighbour’s hut, which didn’t have a door, and stabbed the four of them to death while they slept. These stories are rare, but they put it into perspective how a simple wooden door and padlock can sometimes be the difference between life and death there.

These guys were 27 - the same age as me. Youssef, who had taught himself English through his travels and in the camp, told me he used to lay floors back home. They hadn’t come from slums or poverty. He had a home, would go out with his friends and do what any normal 27 year old would. They are no different to my mates and me. But unlike us, they spend their nights trying to jump onto lorries and get over to the UK to leave the Jungle behind.

The media reports that the majority of women and children have already been taken away from the camp. That may be true, but it’s frightening to imagine how many of them have been at this camp seeing how many are still left. Yes, the majority of people left in the camp are men. Sorry, let me correct that. There are a lot of boys and men left. The media likes to report that it’s all young ‘men’ left in the camp. I can’t help but disagree. A lot of these ‘men’ are 16-22, which in Britain would be old enough to be considered a man. However, in the context of what they have been through, they may be tough and resilient, but looking into their eyes, they seem more like lost boys, than the fighting men they have been portrayed as.

It’s hard to process seeing people the same age as you living in such appalling conditions but even harder to take, was seeing all the children there.

On the second day we spent most of the time in the children and family area, and that morning we were fixing two big leaks in the children’s centre. The children’s centre was built by volunteers and is basically a big marque tent like the one you might get for an outdoor wedding. Inside there are lots of rugs, blankets, pillows, a wood burning heater, books and toys. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but when I wandered inside through the door at the front, it felt really warm, cosy and safe. It was a small bit of escapism from the mess of the Jungle. Until I noticed the children - all huddled in the corner, clutching cuddly toys, blankets and reading books. They were no older than 5 years old and were some of the cutest kids I have ever seen. But despite this small haven, this is no place for children to be brought up in. Diarrhoea and vomiting outbreaks are regular due to the poor sanitary conditions and the regular release of tear gas into the camp by the French police.

What’s the solution?

In short, I’m still not sure. It sounds like a classic cop out answer a politician might give, but it’s such a complex situation - I don’t think there is one simple answer. But forgetting the politics for a moment. There are simple, small things we can do now to help the people of the Jungle. However small and meaningless you think it might be, giving up some of your time to do simple things such as fix doors, sort through clothes, teach English, give legal advice or chop vegetables. It may seem insignificant on paper, but it makes a massive difference to the people of The Jungle, and they hugely appreciate it. But if you can’t get out there to help, donating clothes, sleeping bags, blankets, wood or food, can make all the difference.

It just doesn’t sit well

Regardless of where they have come from or why they have come. No human being should have to live in these conditions.  This isn’t happening in a poor part of the world, it’s happening, 2 hours from Paris and 3 hours from London. This camp isn’t unlike too many others in Sudan or Syria. And in the case of the recent camp setup on the Turkish border, it isn’t larger. What’s shocking though, is that this shantytown sits within the heart of the developed world.

But for what it all boils down to for me, is how this crisis should be viewed. This shouldn’t be viewed as a political issue. I think we sometimes get bogged down in the politics of every decision, that we forget what really matters. These people are human beings and they need our help. It is an issue of humanity, and I ask this question to everyone, what will you tell your children and your grandchildren in years to come, when they look you in the eye and ask why no one helped?

Want to help?

http://www.calaidipedia.co.uk/ This website has everything you need to know about volunteering in Calais, where to stay, volunteer groups, forms to fill out etc.

Volunteer Calais Follow this page on Facebook for updates, links to sign up.

Or message me, and I’ll try and answer any questions you have and point you in the direction of who to speak to.

[thefieldguide]

A Good Day to Relapse

Ingredients needed for an action film:

1x Hollywood star

1 x chase sequence (minimum)

Yelling and unloading a machine gun

Two dimensional villain - preferably foreign

Cheesy one liners 

2tons of explosives

Enough damage to bankrupt a city

Freeze frame ending

Now, you chuck these all in a bowl and 8/10 times you'll pull out a dam good action film….I mean critics will pan it, but it will give cinemagoers their regular fix of 'action heroine'. Action films are the Ronseal of film genres. 'they do exactly what they say on the tin'. They're an easy sell. All you need is a cool looking trailer, with lots of explosions, a cool soundtrack and pinches of all the ingredients above, and audiences will be sold. It's easy and simple to digest, requiring no further research into what its about, making them an easy choice when cinemagoers are propositioned with up to 5 new films releasing every weekend. Just look at Taken 2, a truly dreadful film, but even it's poor reviews couldn't put action film fans and general audiences off.

Action films are rarely feats of cinematic or storytelling genius, and I don't think any action film has, and ever will, win Best Picture at the Oscars. However if there was an award for ' film that entertains audiences for 90mins, requiring little or no attention to understand'……action films would win hands down year in year out. They allow audiences to switch off, disengage from the real world and for 90 mins have their minds numbed and senses blown away. Because sometimes we don't want intellectual or thrilling. We want senseless violence, epic gun fights, more explosions than the blitz and hot girls firing guns!

Saturday night I relapsed. That's relapsed, not prolapsed. My arse didn't fall out. I mean I had an action fix. I'd been clean for over 3 months. But there's one action franchise, no addict can resist. Die Hard. It's like the Blue Crystal (for you Breaking Bad fans) of action addict. You just have to have it! And like a cold beer on a warm summers day it felt so right!

The Die Hard Franchise is hands down the ultimate action film franchise, and there is no one on earth who can argue with that. It was the film that perfected the action film recipe above. The first 3 films were classics. I mean Bruce Willis made white vests cool, and since him only Ryan Atwood has been able to wear the 'Wife Beater' with such coolness.

The 4th instalment was, a good 'action' film, but not a great Die Hard film. It was never going to sit too well with the Die Hard fans. It just didn't have the same grit and rawness of the first 3 from the 80s and 90s. So A Good Day to Die Hard was going to have to pull a rabbit out the hat to sit well with fans of the orginal. But you know what, I don't think it should sit alongside the previous films. The first 3 should sit as a separate entity, with the last two as a franchise in themselves. On it's own A Good Day is a great action film. Nuclear weapons, Russian villains, an epic car chase and some brilliant gun fights. Bruce Willis is visibly older, but he still gets shit done, fucks things up and delivers a 'Yippe Kay Yay' with the same impact as he did in 1988.

Hollywood is waiting for the next big action film star. We've got the golden oldies of Willis, Schwarzenegger, Neeson and Stallone still doing their bit making, great, cheesy action films - with the help of a lot of CGI and a little Botox. Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson are trying, but their films are almost trying too hard, and as a result don't have the same feel or memorable one liners as the action films from the 80s and 90s. I think we've seen the end of an era, and A Good Day to Die Hard proved that it's impossible to recapture the action glory years of the 80s and 90s. They made a good action film, but not a great Die Hard.....

....'Happy Trails' Die Hard

Good Day to Die Hard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVkzZD92cMQ

Where it all began - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qxBXm7ZUTM

Golden Oldie - 160 Arnie Quotes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDxn0Xfqkgw

[comedycentral]

[thefieldguide]

10 Things I Hate About You.........on Facebook

I think it's best to get right to the point. Facebook has become increasingly annoying. My newsfeed is increasingly being filled with mundane dribble, mainly from people I don't really care about. Out of the 500 or so friends I've got I probably don't interact with about 90% of them even once a month. But it seems to be this 90% who are filling my newsfeed with this dribble, meaning I don't see updates from people I actually want to. I've considered doing some Facebook cleansing and deleting the people I met once on a night out or once said hello to on the tube, but I can't quite be as brutal as I want to be. I just don't have it in me.

But I've got to ask. To all my 'friends' on Facebook. Why do you continue to commit these Facebook sins and make it so hard for me to like you??

1. Posting photos of food/drink

Now unless you attempting a challenge on the level of Man vs Food, or your waiter has just put a lions head stuffed with kangaroo testicles on your plate, I do not want to see a picture of it. That includes pictures of your roast dinner.

2. Attention seeking statuses - 'Vaguebooking'

Urban Dictionary defines "vaguebooking" as the following:

"An intentionally vague Facebook status update that prompts friends to ask what's going on, or is possibly a cry for help."

3. Pictures of girls on the toilet

When the hell did this start? I just don't get it!

(unknown girl)

4. The girls pre-night out photoshoot

I get it, you want some evidence that you looked lovely before you went out, as a picture of you with vomit on your dress, pulling some Lyle and Scot wearing, pencil tash douchbag, doesn’t make the greatest of profile pics….....but do you really need 30 pictures before you go out? It's not a photoshoot!

5. Gym + exercise bragging

Thank you for letting me know that you are going to the gym......again.

I'm sure everyone on FB was happy to hear that you just benched 80kg.

Thank you so much for sharing with all of us how well you new protein diet is treating you and how it's playing havoc with your bowels!

6. YOLO

Never have 4 letters arranged in such a way pissed me off so much as these four have.

7. The 'Selfie'

Defined as a picture taken by yourself involving nobody else. It's vain and became unacceptable the day you stopped using MySpace.

8. Breakup statuses or publicising anything private

This includes private or sensitive matters involving family, friends and loved ones.

Although one thing I do find hilarious is when someone 'likes' a breakup status. We've all seen the guys who jump all over a girls breakup status with likes and comments saying 'you can do so much better' or 'if you need to talk...'.

9. Poor spelling

This immediately discredits anything you've said or are about to say. This is especially amusing when trying to insult someone as my mate Craig demonstrated recently:

10. Twitter sync & #tagging

Why? Just why?

And please stop don’t use it for every word in a sentence or for annoying things like #letsgetmessey or #gettingfuckedwiththegirls

[thefieldguide]

The Legend Ends: But does Batman die?

7 years ago my mum suggested watching a DVD, and suggested the new Batman film, which to be honest I hadn’t really heard of. I’ve always been a fan of Batman, ever since I was a little kid and me and brother would dress up in our Batman and Robin costumes, myself as Batman and my brother as my wise cracking sidekick, and we would protect our street from the villages evil villains..... we kept the street clean! Anyway I agreed, and myself, my mum and brothers all sat down to watch it. Little did I know the impact this film would have on me, and how much I would regress back to my childhood and rediscover my love for Batman.

Fast forward 7 years and two films later and I'm sat in the Odeon Leicester Square, watching the final instalment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman saga. I’m on the edge of my seat, gripped and mesmerized, when I feel a sinking feeling beginning develop in my stomach. A heart-warming, but at the same time heart wrenching thought dawns on me. I am watching the last few minutes of a film trilogy that has kept me entertained, capsulated and excited for 7 years. It was the realisation that this was the end of an era, the closing of a chapter in my life, like the end of school or uni, or the feeling during the last few days before an old friend leaves you or a loved one moves on. Christopher Nolan rescued and saved a superhero that was drowning, on its last breath and need of the kiss of life to save it. The way in which he has rebooted this franchise is incredible. Nolan swapped the heavy use of CGI for traditional stunts, scale models and the use of thousands of extras to create ‘real’, believable and jaw dropping action scenes. (See link at bottom). He has single handily reinvented the superhero genre, with a darker and more intelligent, in depth telling of one of the best, if not the greatest, superhero stories.

If we look at the wider superhero world, before Batman, filmmakers had always played it safe, creating easy to watch, one dimensional stories which focus more on the action, superhero powers and the superhero themselves, and their triumph in saving the day, rather than the emotional and psychological story of what the heroes have to go through. With all three Nolan films Batman’s victories are always short lived, he’s always the fall guy, a vigilante, and Nolan focuses the story on the human side to our hero and the personal torment and loneliness Batman has to suffer in order to do what he believes is right for the city he loves.

Unlike more recent reboots like the very poor The Amazing Spiderman, which tells the same boring and predictable story, with one of the most appalling villains I’ve ever seen, (and was simply made so Sony could hold on to Spiderman for 2 more years and keep it out of Disney’s grasp), Nolan gave the story a complete makeover moving away from the cheesy, predictable and un-emotional story and instead, presents new portrayal of how Bruce Wayne became Batman in Batman Begins. Showing a darker side to Batman, telling the story of how Bruce Wayne, driven by the grief of his parents channelled his anger and need for vengeance into becoming a symbol of hope for those who couldn’t help themselves.

And this sets the tone for the franchise and when the Dark Knight returned in 2008, the films reached a whole new level. Heath Ledger’s Oscar winning performance as the Joker, pushed Batman to the limits of his strict moral code and caused him to question what he may need to become to defeat a man who had no agenda, and nothing to lose, and simply got his kick out of being an agent of chaos and watching the city turn on itself and burn itself to the ground. And you could see a slight shift in focus here from Nolan, as Batman took a bit of a back seat and the Joker took a more leading role in the film.

The Dark Knight Rises has more rounded focus with several characters sharing the focus and it picks up the story 8 years on after Batman took the blame for Harvey Dent’s death. The task of protecting Gotham has been left in the hands of Commissioner Gordon, who has brought peace to Gotham, with the passing of the Harvey Dent act, leaving no need for Batman. Old and haggard, requiring the use of a walking stick Batman is all but retired.

But as Selina Kyle whispers to Bruce, there is indeed a storm coming in the shape of Bane, a savage (and enourmous) terrorist who’s determined to fulfil the League of Shadows work to destroy Gotham in order to ‘save’ it from itself, which forces Bruce to don his cape once again. But Bane provides a new challenge. Unlike the Joker’s who looked to kill the Batman psychologically by destroying everything around him, forcing him to question whether he was doing the right thing, Bane simply see’s Batman as a small hindrance, an annoying fly who just needs to be swatted out the way. Bane proves to be Batman’s most physical test. After being lured down to the sewers by Selina Kyle (Catwomen, although not referred to by this name in the whole film) Batman gets a brutal and savage beating, breaking his mask and his back in the process. A clear demonstration of his physical dominance and for the first time you see a vulnerable, weak and broken Batman.

While Batman is exiled to the prison in which Bane grew up in to watch, helpless while Gotham falls. After isolating the city by blowing the bridges and trapping the police in the sewers. Bane keeps the city hostage with the threat of a nuclear bomb, and he and his army proclaim to take back the city, built on a lie, and give it back to the people. While at the same time not telling them that in 90 days the bomb will explode anyway, destroying the city and killing everyone.

This all leads to the dramatic climax, where after numerous failed efforts, with the fear of death hanging back over him, Bruce escapes and Batman rises to save Gotham from the brink of nuclear destruction, and for one last showdown with Bane on the steps of Gotham.

The brilliant thing about the Dark Knight Rises is the ending. It’s perfect! It has a very Inception feeling about it, answering enough questions to keep you satisfied but leaving enough open, to keep you wanting more.

SPOILER ALERT.

The twist with Miranda, really brings the whole, Bane, Ra’s Al Ghul story together, and was completely unexpected. The return of Selina Kyle to save Batman from Bane’s execution left you wandering if she really had turned a corner and was hoping for a fresh start? And the emergence of John Blake’s first name after he picks up a bag left by Bruce, as Robin was genius and left me excited as to where the studio will take the story next.

But the real ‘Inception’ moment (is he dreaming or is it reality?), is just before the end and is the big question to come out of the film. Is Batman dead? After scarifying himself by flying the nuclear bomb out into the harbour for it to detonate, you assume the worst, especially after an emotional Alfred buries Bruce next to his parents. Mourning and alone, we see Alfred in a Paris cafe, where an earlier memory is alluded to in which Alfred tells Bruce about his hopes for his happiness. Alfred looks up and across his table and see’s Bruce, and a woman who appears to be Selina Kyle. They acknowledge each other, saying nothing, and Alfred leaves. Was this actually Bruce and Selina? Had Bruce faked his death? Or as someone at work interestingly pointed out, is it simply a metaphor for Bruce having found peace, and happiness in death? A typical Nolan ending. Open to interpretation which will fuel discussions for some time to come.

Nolan’s Batman trilogy has not only given superhero story telling a new, darker genre, but it reengaged not only it’s loyal ‘fan boys’ but also the wider general audience that had become slightly tired of the traditional superhero film. Batman gave them something new and fresh, and re-energised the superhero genre. It will be interesting to see the influence he has on the Superman reboot (Man of Steel) which he is involved in. But for now as I look back over the trilogy, I’m stuck between a sense of happiness and sadness that it’s over. Batman will be back, but I doubt whoever takes the reins will ever reach the heights of the Batman we’ve just let go.

HE’S THE HERO WE DESERVE,

BUT NOT THE ONE WE NEED RIGHT NOW,

HE’S A SILENT GUARDIAN,

A WATCHFUL PROTECTOR

A DARK KNIGHT.....

  Dark Knight Rises Featurette - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdGQm4MV_LI

Batman Trilogy Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T__uN5xmC0

[thefieldguide]

Give them a chance!

How would you define something interesting? Is it something that grabs your attention? If so, how does it do this? Is it because it is the same as everything else? Works and acts in the same way?

Probably not. In fact this is completely the opposite way you would describe something interesting.

Something interesting is in its very nature different and unconventional. It grabs your attention and keeps you hooked. Yearning for more. Original, fresh, bold, daring and unfazed by people's opinions of it. So how come when it comes to people, in particular kids, someone who may be classed as 'interesting' gets cast aside because they 'aren't like the other kids' or are classed as a problem child?

Society with its misunderstanding and narrow minded thinking, put pressure on these kids to suppress their differences, which is the very aspect of them that makes them interesting. A perfect example of this is in Wes Andersons (Fantastic Mr Fox) Moonrise Kingdom that tells the story of two kids who have been labelled as 'difficult, problem kids' by their parents/foster parents. Alone, they find comfort in each other, and run away with each other. What ensues is a brilliantly funny and heart warming story that involves a search and rescue across the island with the islands police chief (Bruce Willis) and the islands armed scout group led by their scout master (Edward norton) in hot pursuit. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend you do.

But what this film highlights perfectly is that society is too quick to label kids who are 'different' and don't 'fit in' with societies ideals of how a person should be.

Telling them 'you need to be like the other kids'

And worse still, diagnose them as having some social or psychological disorder. Giving up on them. At one point in the film the social services lady recommends that the boy has electrical shocks to his brain to help him! He's nothing more than a Geeky boy scout, not a psychopathic murderer!!! But this kind of behaviour isn't confined to the stories of films. It's rooted deep in our society. We're happy with inanimate objects being different. They're interesting. Pleasing on the eye. Art. We even love animals being different. Ingenious in their design. It's nature at its best!

But people? Oh no, not at all. No, no, no! It starts very young. At school, if the kids aren't beating it out of them the teachers are teaching it out of them.

'Maybe you should do so and so like all the other kids?'.

It doesn't stop there. If they make it through their school life, with their identify and differences intact, some people, naive, sheltered and unsatisfied with themselves will attempt to take the persons differences, trim them down, and fit them in mould of what they see as 'normal'.

If these kids aren't cast aside, they are moulded into what people see as normal. Instead these kids need to be guided gently, keeping them on 'the straight and narrow', while allowing them to discover who and what they want to be. There's nothing more depressing than a room full of 'normal', indifferent people. No one remembers the people who 'fit in'. They remember the people who are willing to go against the status quo. Stand out amongst the wall flowers and embrace what makes them 'different'.

History has proven that 'difference' breeds success, new thinking and creativity. Einstein. Darwin. Zuckerberg. Jobs. Burton. Even Gaga.

We shouldn't forget that. The kids have it tough enough today. Give them a chance. Let's not write them off.

[thefieldguide]

100 unanswered questions and an alien pregnacy

I was excited to pop my IMAX cherry, and what better mistress than Ridley Scott's Prometheus..............or so I thought.

After four of us survived a scrum to get in, that would have been a challenge to come out of alive for even the burliest of rugby players, we battled our way forward like soldiers, past a cinema worker, calling on her radio for back up like a solider pinned down and out numbered 'I need back up, there's too many of them, there're breaking through!!!', and made our way to the back to secure our primly located seats and declared victory over our seat-hunting-rivals below.

That excitement soon turned to boredom and like any lady of the night will tell you, 'the ride becomes boring and unsatisfying the longer it goes on', especially after 2 hours.

I won't give too much of the story away (as I know a lot of people wouldn't have seen it). But the story opens with the ship ‘Prometheus’ arriving after a 2 year voyage, at a planet which possibly holds the answers to the origins of mankind’s creators. This is where we first meet David (David Fassbender) who plays a robot which resembles Robin Williams Bicentennial Man so much, you wonder if it isn’t actually Robin Williams in makeup. The story then crawls along at snail’s pace, briefly explaining why they're there, mixed in with a heavy dose of 'goo', a lot of bad acting (on the part of Logan Marshall-Green and Noomi Rapace), and leaving a truck load of questions unanswered, before we eventually are treated to a bit of action and short lived excitement.

Firstly Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), one of our lead scientists gets unknowingly infected, and then partakes in a bit of space age baby making with his presumed girlfriend Elizabeth (Noomi Rapace).........oh yes it's what you're thinking. We then 'tragically' loose our Charlie Holloway, well I say tragically it was more of a relief, like the relief you get when you wash chilli out of your eyes. Charlie is followed by two more deaths, before the most laughable scene of the film, the alien birth (well DIY Alien C-section). It was laughable. Predictable, and uninventive. I was gone, and my mind had wondered to my mum’s reheated bolognaise I had waiting at home.

After awaking the aliens, who surprisingly didn't seem like talking, the alien’s subsequently disposed of the inferior humans, leaving Elizabeth fresh from her alien C-Section to somehow return to earth. After teasing the audience with several climaxes, only to tease us further and prolong the inevitable, the end finally came and was greeted by a sarcastic cheer from the audience.

Despite the incredible trailer, which promised so much, Prometheus delivered so little. Leaving so many unanswered questions throughout the film, simply left me confused and slightly used, like a guy who realises he's been married for his money and never gets any of the good stuff (maybe the occasionally Wednesdays night blowjob).

If you do feel like taking a gamble, make sure you see it in IMAX or at least on a massive screen. As a colleague pointed out to me, felt like a set up for a sequel, but based on the reaction of the audience, Prometheus won't be delivering anymore alien babies anytime soon.

Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sftuxbvGwiU 

[thefieldguide]

The £20,000 piece of paper:

In September 2008, on a warm Saturday afternoon I arrived at my halls in Coventry. Recharged after a year working and travelling I was excited to begin the next chapter of my life. I was flying the nest and I couldn't wait to start!

4 years later, on a Monday morning at the end of May. I was coming to the end of my final 3 hour exam, when suddenly, just as I was beginning to answer the last question, it dawned on me…this was going to be the last ever exam question I will answer.

I felt a sombre mist descend over me, and my university life flashed before my eyes; epic parties and nights out, 9am lectures, late night coursework stress, back garden water slides, Pro Evo drinking, headers and volleys. For a second I took a minute to mourn the end of an era. And then from the back of mind, through the sombre mist, a question began to make its way to the forefront of my thoughts.

Was it really worth it?

A few of us talked about this over a pub lunch. We worked it out that we had spent well over £20,000 over the past 4 years, some of us a lot more in terms of money and time. Now the time thing doesn’t really bother me. My time here has been incredible, 3 years at uni in Coventry (not the liveliest or most eye pleasing city by any stretch of the imagination, but the student life was brilliant and I wouldn't have changed it for the world) and the best year of my life in London. And to be honest the money doesn’t really bother me too much ether.  The thing that bothers me more is, do employers still value a degree qualification as much as they did 10 years ago?

Questioning the value of my degree wouldn’t have crossed my mind before this year. But having spent the last 3 months searching for a job I had to question whether employers really paid any attention to someones degree? I know the majority of employers use it as an initial search filter, to wheedle down the numbers of applicants, but beyond that what’s its real value?

Every entry level job I have looked at (Marketing in the Film Industry) places emphasis on experience. '2 years experience required, experience in……required, experience managing….…required'. Prior to uni it is drummed into you that everyone needs to get a degree. That’s what employers look for. Your parents tell you stories of how not having a degree has hindered promotional opportunities for Uncle John and Auntie Dawn (who's not your actual aunty, more a friend of the family).  However as soon as you finish uni, the doors that you think may now be slightly ajar, are immediately slammed shut in your face due to that one reoccurring reason. Your ‘lack of experience’.

How is a graduate, fresh out of uni suppose to have any experience? They’ve been studying the 3 or 4 years!!! Yes they can spin it round in the interview to say they learn quickly, have a brilliant work ethic blah, blah, blah. But that’s only if they even manage to get that far.

Uni focuses on theories, and the application of these to the real world. But the real world is very different to a classroom. The theories don’t always fit. Uni places emphasis on exams, revision, referencing and coursework and little or no emphasis on developing student’s working experience. And this is where I think universities are to blame for the devaluing of their own qualification.

For those who do 3 years of solid study, they come out of uni with a 'perceived’ knowledge of their industry but no experience working in it. What use is that to an employer? That's the equivalent of saying 'I theoretically know how to do the job, but I don't have a frigging clue how I actually do it.'

Uni’s need to readjust their whole strategies. Enforcing placement years isn’t really viable or workable. There just simply aren’t enough companies who take on interns to cater for every student in the country. However uni’s need to place more emphasis on students taking placement years or at the very least undertaking work experience through out their studying, because when students graduate, a CV with no work experience on it is like a gold Christmas coin, looks good but is worth fuck all. 

Shift the focus away from theories and utterly boring PowerPoint presentations, that simply regurgitate text books, and use real life scenarios and get industry leaders to lecture. Teach based on the latest industry developments, which are round the corner and are shaping the future industry landscape, not text books that are already out of date by the time they are printed.

I was lucky enough to get a placement at Walt Disney Studios in their marketing department working on new releases. It didn’t come easy to me; I had 6 months of rejection from everyone from BMW to Kraft and spent countless hours on applications. At first I wasn’t too keen on doing a placement, I didn’t want to delay finishing university another year after already taking a Gap year before uni. Eventually I decided it would be a good idea, as it would give me some solid experience and give me a better idea of what I wanted to do. To date, it was the best decision I have ever made.

The only reason I got considered for roles I applied for was because employers were interested in my time working at Disney, and the only reason I have the job I have now is a result of the work I did on my placement.

Without it I would be another number added to the under 25 unemployment figures, faced with uncertainty, and knowing that I faced a dogfight to secure my future. Fresh faced, degree in hand and £20,000 worse off, battling it out against candidates with experience pouring out their pockets with their degree stuffed, screwed up, in their back pocket, quietly confident it won’t be needed.

Without a shift in focus, universities are in danger of producing a generation of future employers, underprepared, disillusioned and at risk of being overlooked and overshadowed. £20,000 is going to triple to £60,000 in coming years and students are going to have to ask themselves some major questions and decide:

Is it really worth it?

[thefieldguide]

Loneliness of a Sex Addict

Released in January 2012, Steve McQueen ‘Shame’ was the official selection of the 2011 Toronto and London film festival. I‘d read a lot of positive things about it, in particular the performance of Michael Fassbender. Mesmerizing and tense throughout, long uncut shots drawing you in, with an uneasy tension simmering throughout, Shame certainly didn’t disappoint.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender), is a 30 something, successful senior employee of company, which is never specified, who lives in a modern, but cold and sterile, New York apartment. There is nothing sexy about McQueen’s portrayal of sex addiction, and instead proves hard hitting, powerful, edgy and dark in places. The Guardian sums this up perfectly:

‘Steve McQueen likes long takes: he stays on a image for a lot longer than other directors would, so it feels like you're forced to be there. For that reason, the sex scenes are difficult to watch. They don't come across as erotic; they're more mechanistic: we see a series of grimaces on Brandon's face, and the faces of the women he has sex with. These people look as if they're in pain.’

The opening scene paints the perfect picture for the theme and tone of the rest of film, cutting between Brandon intensely, but coldly staring at a woman on the subway (who turns out to be married), with only one thought on his mind, and his apartment where he entertains a call girl. One wank, and two full frontal shots later you jump back onto the subway and get a brief taste of the guilt that travels along with this story.

A woman who you hear in the opening scene leaving estranged messages, turns out to be his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan). They share an uneasy sexual tension, and I half expected it to take a slightly darker and dirtier turn. Sissy is the polar opposite of Brandon, emotionally giving and vulnerable, dependent on her brother, and their relationship is volatile and you sense that they share some dark secrets from their past. But with the story not offering any easy answers throughout, offering no root of the causes of Sissy and Brandon’s problems, the audience is left to infer from the spats of anger and uneasy sexual tension……….all signs point towards a dark and sinister crescendo.

His relationship with his sister aside, Brandon’s life may seem on the surface of it appealing and envious to some guys. Why wouldn’t it? Successful at work and loved by his boss by day, and sleeping his way round New York by night. But as we get a deeper insight into his life, we begin to see, his behaviour, his addiction, as a scab covering a wound that has become to shape him. As we scratch away at the scab, we see a wound that runs deep. A virus that has consumed him. Shame.

Shame is a topic rarely talked about. Why would it be? Shame in its very nature is something we want to hide in a box and bury underground. Shame is easily confused with guilt. But guilt is talked about all the time. Guilt is associated with behaviour, I wish I hadn’t done that’, ‘I feel bad for doing that’, and as humans we always talk about guilt, it’s what makes us feel better about what we have done. Guilt is a defence mechanism used to protect ourselves.

But shame is something much deeper. Shame focuses on the self. Shame is that voice in your head reminding you of your biggest insecurities, rearing it’s ugly head just as you’re about to take a risk, put yourself out there, be vulnerable, take a leap of faith. ‘You’re not good enough’, ‘You can’t do that’.

Sex addiction is an illness of intimacy. The shame Brandon demonstrates throughout the film, isn’t so much the shame of the sexual act or sexual pleasure he urns for, it’s the shame not being able to be intimate or develop a relationship with anyone, stemming from the insecurity of thinking he’s not good enough for anyone else.

Not being good enough. Let’s consider that in a more general sense for a minute. Is that sentence not our greatest fear? The one thing that restrains us from putting ourselves out there, taking that risk or simply saying yes? But why? If we quiet down that voice, and look it in the eyes, 99% of the time that voice is our own. We’re our own biggest critic.

'It is not the critic, who sits there and points out how the doer could have done things better, who counts. The credit goes to the man in the arena, whose face is marred with blood, sweat and tears. When he’s in the arena at best he wins, and at worst he looses, but when he looses he does so daring greatly’

Shame not only highlights the dark and lonely life a sex addict leads but also demonstrates the crippling effect shame can have on someone if they live with it silently, letting that voice in their head dictate how they live their life. Shame is a must see, but a word of warning, it’s defiantly not one to watch with the family.

Silence the voice of shame, and walk into that arena daring greatly.

Shame - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24cjqfVv1fs

Brene Brown – Listening to Shame – TED: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/brene_brown_listening_to_shame.html

[thefieldguide]

Life's Rules and what School Doesn't Teach You - Bill Gates

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about eleven 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world. Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it! Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. - The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. - You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both. Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. - Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: They called it opportunity. Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them. Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. - They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were: So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.. Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. - In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. *This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life. Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. *Do that on your own time. Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs. Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.. If you can read this... Thank a Teacher. If you can read this in English... Thank a Soldier! And for life and everything else you have... Thank your parents!

[thefieldguide]

Alternative Film Art

Courtesy of ShortList a selection of alternative poster art from Avengers, Dark Knight and many more: http://bit.ly/Lbq8Qc 

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/oscar-posters-in-lego 

[thefieldguide]

This feels like warm apple pie

I was 14, when I walked into WHSmith with my dad and brothers, a crisp £20 in hand, I felt like Charlie with the golden ticket. I didn't blink or break stride, I knew where I was going, past the magazines, round the stationary, past the board games to the far wall where I was met by a sea of VHS's (and some weird products that claimed to be a VHS on a disc, and went by the name of 'DVD'.......ha, they would never catch on!).

Anyway I knew what I was buying, I'd known for weeks. I looked around to check the coast was clear, like a nervous teenager trying to take a glimpse of the dirty top self magazines for the first time, I reached up and grabbed it......

Now being 14, my life pretty much revolved around, football, school, trying to get past second or even the 'Promised Land' of third base, experimenting with alcohol and working out my right arm nightly. So when I first watched American Pie on a recorded VHS, I was blown away. It was like my life, or more accurately, what I wanted and what all of the boys my age wanted our lives to be like at the time; house parties, girls and alcohol. I needed another American Pie hit, like a herion addict yearning for his next hit, I knew what I had to do.

.....American Pie 1&2 the box set. The Holy Grail of VHS at the time!

Now I told you that because you need to understand how much these films influenced my teenage years. Like Star Wars did for others, resulting in thousands of adolescent boys locking themselves in their rooms swinging their light-savers around trying to be Luke Skywalker, me and my mates wanted to be like Jim and the gang. We threw house parties, attempted to throw summer blowouts (only for them to be cancelled), put pen to paper in French lessons to write a 'sex bible' (with limited knowledge of the subject in question) to educate those who followed us and were worthy of it's power. All just so we could feel like them, living the 'american high school dream'.

So 9 years on after their last outing, when I first heard the old gang for getting back together for one more blowout, I couldn't wait...........I was going to relive my teenage years again!

From the opening credits, with R-Kelly blasting into the cinema, ('my minds telling me noooo.....') the return of Jims famous white sports sock, and two wank jokes in the opening minutes, you knew the 'pie' was going to be just as sweet as before.

One by one you see how much each of their lives have changed since Jim and Michelle's wedding. Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are playing happy families with their son, and although it seemed Jim had survived the sex drought of high school, the bad weather seems to have returned and his sex life seems to be suffering from severe global warming and experiencing a bit of a drought........again.

Oz (Chris Klein) is living in LA with his wild model girlfriend Mia, working as a sports presenter and Z list celeb, while Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) has grown a seedy beard, got married and is a housewife, spending his days watching Desperate Housewives, and Finch aka 'shitbreak' (Eddie Kaye Thomas) has travelled round the world...or so you think.

And then there's 'Stifler' (Seann William Scott, arguably the most successful actor to come out of the group) (Role Models, Old School). Everybody's friendship group has or had a Stifler, or a 'dick' as he's later described (if you can't think who it was, it was you). You have to take Stifler with a pinch of salt, he is who he is, and he's a major reason why the franchise has been so popular amongst teens and men who grew up with it. He says and does, the things no one else would dare do (taking a 'revenge duke' in some kids cooler box). And he returns, more grown up, but just as immature with the same swearing and sex crazy behaviour from the previous outings. Encouraging Jim to crack on to the horny and very attractive 18 year old he use to baby sit, and one of the highlights of the film, plastering Jims dad with shots and drink from a brilliant ice sculpture, giving him the confidence to 'dust off that old dick and get some ass' 

With the guys taking centre stage, there isn't much face time for the other returning characters. Tara Reid (a shadow of the girl guys fell in love with in 1999) and Heather (Mena Suvari) return, with Heather pulling at the heart strings of Oz once again. The 'MILF guys' reunite their friendship at the end, and Sherminator, divorced and still the same old geek, makes an appearance at the reunion. But of course no American Pie outing would be complete without a MILF, or in this case MILFs, with Finchs, utterly disgracefully hot mum getting well acquainted to another one of the group.

This is a return to the films I fell in love with, and is a hommage to the original outings that paved the way for cult classics like Old School and Superbad, with humour that shocks but at the same time makes you burst out laughing, and soundtrack to take you back to school summer holidays, it really deals a heavy dose of nostalgia. The mixed reviews are just a case of people not having that connection with the originals, and personally the American Reunion definitely feels 'like warm apple pie' once again!

# One piece of advice for any of you would be daters. Stay till the end, Jims dad demonstrates how the yawn-to-arm-round-your-date cinema move can result in so much more than a dead arm and a cuddle!#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Or_Sp76zU

[thefieldguide]

Dark Knight Rises Trailer 3

[thefieldguide]

The Avengers delivers a Hulk smash!

2012 is the year of the superhero, starting with the greatest comic book heros assembling to save the world, followed by Spidey returning to a brand new web accompanied by the delightful Emma Stone, and the Dark Knight rising from the ashes to battle to save Gotham from Banes destruction.

In the coming weeks cinemas across the world will be transformed into a 'Fanboy Mecca' with Marvel fans swarming in their numbers to watch their favourite superheros do battle with Loki.

On the face of it the equation seems to be pretty flawless. Add together Marvels six greatest superheros, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and the result should be the greatest superhero film ever made. However it's not quite as simple as that. The Expendables showed that simply adding together the greatest action film actors doesn't necessarily give you the greatest action film ever made.

Marvel took a gamble placing the responsibility of developing Hollywoods biggest ever superhero film, and the small matter of $250m, in the hands of a fanboy whose previous feature (Serenity) was in no unkind terms, a flop. In the weeks prior to its release there were rumblings of discontent in the fanboy world with some questioning how Joss Whedon would be able to assemble six of Marvels greatest, and deliver a film that incorporated multiple stories, personalities and egos.

The egos and personality clashes of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk alone would have been enough to force fanboys to reach for the Kleenex, but add to that Black Widow going commando in her suit, the Samuel factor (Nick Fury) and everybody's favourite S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Agent Coulson, and you had to wonder how it would all fit together?

As expected it takes a while to get going, with Nick Fury, Agent Coulson and Black Widow tracking down the five superheros to help defend the earth against Thor's power crazy half brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who's hell bent on retaining the all-power cosmic cube to enslave the people of earth. 

Things begin to pick up pace once the Avengers are assembled, with Robert Downey's Iron Man continuously trying to break through Bruce Banner's cool, calm and collected self to let the Hulk out the cage (going as far to cattle prode him at one point), while at the same time sarcastically putting down goody-two-shoes Captain America one liner after one liner, and constantly mocking Thor's Shakespearian tongue ("Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?"). 

After a three way, no holds barred, battle in the forest between Thor, Cap and Iron Man, an airship siege and the loss of a Marvel favourite, the Avengers, disheartened and split up, discover a little something about themselves before the film flies sonic speed towards an end of the world battle that would give Transformers a run for its money. This is where the team really begins to work as a team, with even Iron Man engaging in some self discovery and eventually self sacrifice.

It's definitely third time lucky for the Hulk. He's undoubtedly the star of the show. Mark Ruffalo delivers a revived and fresh performance as the shy and smart Bruce Banner, and has rightly been rewarded with a six picture contract with Marvel which will no doubt see the Hulk reach his full potential as a solo superhero. 

Surprisingly despite minimal lines, the Hulk is incredibly funny (not since Flubber has anything green been remotely funny). His on going, almost play fighting with Thor, (punching him unprovoked in the middle of battle) gave the audience one it's biggest laughs, but not nearly as much after Loki claims "I am a God, you dull creature and will not be bullied by....", only for Hulk to pick him up and throw him around like a rag doll, and strut aways saying "Puny God!".

Despite Hulk being the real show stopper of the film, I feel the biggest credit has to go to director and writer Joss Whedon. Usually with a film like this you would expect there to be rewrite after rewrite, Whedon nailed it first time, with Tom Hiddlestone (Loki) saying it was one of the best scripts he had read in years. Assembling these six, with the egos of Iron Man and Thor alone large enough consume the rest of the cast, was a feat in itself, but coupled with the pressure of delivering the greatest superhero movie in history, to arguably one of the most critical audiences (Fanboys) makes the achievement of this film even more remarkable.

   Despite our heros never being in any real danger (Woody and Buzz were closer to death in Toy Story 3, than any of the Avengers were in this outing), there is 2 hours 20 minutes of humour, action, aliens and superheros which gives you a big enough 'hit' to keep any Marvel fan happy until Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 that hit screens in 2013.

The Avengers have raised the bar of superhero films and it will be interesting to see if Marc Webb can reinvent a fatiguing hero in Spiderman and whether the Dark Knight can rise up above Bane and take the crown as the ultimate superhero of 2012. July is going to be a hell of a month!

Check out interviews with Thor, Cap, Hulk and Loki, and talk of Thor 2.

http://collider.com/chris-hemsworth-chris-evans-the-avengers-interview/160684/

http://collider.com/mark-ruffalo-the-avengers-hulk-movie-interview/160722/

http://collider.com/tom-hiddleston-thor-2-sequel-the-avengers-interview/160736/