The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Surprise, surprise, another film based on a book series. As it looks like Hollywood have long since run out of original ideas they are left to play puppet-master to whatever latest sensation wonders into their web. The latest victim is the first in Cassandra Clare's The Immortal Instrument series; City Of Bones.

If your humour falls in the realms of sarcastic, dry and borderline worrying then you're in the right place. The film hits the ground running when Clary Fray (Lilly Collins) goes from being a run of the mill teenager, openly defying her mothers over the top protective ways to suddenly drawing odd shapes in her sleep. Clary soon learns the term Mother knows best is more than a guilty saying when her mother (Lena Heady) is kidnapped, leaving nothing but a frantic voicemail and a demon dog in her wake.

Clary isn't left alone to find her mother as her slightly geekish best friend Simon (Robert Sheehan) is close beside her offering witty cynicism at the darkest of moments. The pair don't quite know what they're getting into so it's fortunate that mysterious, aloof and sometimes invisible Jace Wayland (Jamie Campbell Bower) shadowhunter extraordinaire sticks around to help Clary on her quest. Jace and his fellow shadowhunters have their own problems to contend with, but when it looks like everyone has a mutual agenda Clary and Simon are submerged into a world of Vampires, Werewolves and Centuries old legends.

Shadowhunter: Part human part angel warrior.

An urban Goth theme seems to be the strict dress code of shadowhunters as our characters were constantly clad in black. Thick platformed boots, tight leather trousers and tops that were clearly too tight to be buttoned up (not that anyone was complaining) for the boys, and thigh high heeled boots, navel brushing tops and short tight dresses for girls (again whose complaining).

Jonathan Rhys Meyers made a surprising and sexy addition to the cast as disturbed and crazed villain with the ironic name of Valentine. Whose twisted ways gave the film more depth just when you thought there could possibly be no more drama.

Although the characters possess some level of magical talents, thankfully it's not all Wingardium Leviosa as these shadowhunters are all too happy to get down and dirty. Glass swords, tiny daggers and vampire guns are mere accessories to the boots to asses, flips and tricks they have up their sleeves. It was refreshing to not just have the one main fight scene at the climax of the film.

It has been a while since I have looked forward to a film sequel, normally rolling my eyes at the last minute Easter Egg scape goat scenes. The Immortal Instruments is a fresh take on what goes bump in the night and the things we think we almost see in the corner of our eye. City Of Bones only just begun to touch on a new world of magic for us as an audience to get lost in and characters for us to get caught up with so let's hope that the puppet masters get to work on the next instalment.

Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters

Based on the bestselling novels by Rick Riordan, the sequel to The Lightening Thief resumes (granted it's been a good three years) with our heroes on another quest to save not only themselves and the unsuspecting world, but also their parents.... again. Talk about "No Pressure".

Demi-god Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is enjoying a carefree summer at camp half blood, where the norm involves beating the crap out of other campers with swords, shields, and spontaneous gymnastics. Not to mention chilling with centaurs and satyrs and being chased by deadly metal fire breathing bulls..... You know, regular camp stuff. Little do our happy campers know, that almost being run down and flamed to death is only the tip of the iceberg when they realise they are no longer safe as the tree that forms a protective barrier around the camp has been poisoned. The only chance our heroes have of keeping their safe haven from being overrun by various monsters is going to look for a long deemed lost mythical garment.

Although the quest to hunt down said garment wasn't given to Percy personally, he feels like it's something he's meant to do, and he knows it can't be done without best friends Grover (Brandon T Jackson) and daughter of Athena Annabeth (Alexandria Daddario). Though it is never revealed how when or why, the tree did not mysteriously decide to poison itself, Percy's arch nemesis Luke (Jake Abel) (providing us with that villainous but attractive in that angry tortured soul way) is back with a better action plan to take down the gods on their thrones at mount Olympus. He has regrouped and is bringing out the big guns but in order to put the last piece of the puzzle in place he needs the same thing our heroes do, and thus the race is on.

Everything seems to happen in a very quick succession of events, almost as if they don't want you to realise how empty the film is. Granted our heroes as demigods live slightly different lives than what we would be accustomed to, there is no reason for them not to be acting their age. It's as if the script was written very close to the book in which our heroes are no more than thirteen at this point (that's where the similarity between novel and film starts and stops). There was no passion or enthusiasm in what the characters were doing, almost as if the whole film was a run through, and we were waiting for the director to shout "Now once more with feeling!" just as the end credits thankfully rolled up. The film managed to keep its head slightly above water with a few witty one liners from sassy satyr Grover, the occasional fight sequence and let's face it, Logan Lerman. 

The film ended with an opening for a sequel (naturally), which if it follows the chronological order of the books will be entitled: The Titan's Curse. Let's hope it's third time lucky for the franchise and fingers crossed we won't have such a long wait for its release, and if we do with any luck it looks like they've put that time to good use.

 [And lets face it, that extra half a unicorn is purely based on a person like for Mr Logan Lerman]