Fantasy Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Fantasy

Elegant woman in red dress gazing at her reflection in an ornate mirror, with a man seated in the background.
Review

Byzantium

by Anton Bitel

Blood­suck­ers hit the beach in Neil Jordan’s woozy and extreme­ly vio­lent British noir.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two individuals, a man and a woman, standing in front of a historic building, both wearing black leather jackets.
Review

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

by David Jenkins

How could a gore-flecked take on the beloved Broth­ers’ Grimm fairy tale turn out to be such a write-off?

2
Anticipation
1
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a girl, embracing in a lush forest setting. The man wears a furry costume and the girl is wrapped in a knitted shawl. The scene appears to be from a film or other creative work.
Review

Cloud Atlas

by Adam Lee Davies

Tom Han­ks and Halle Berry go all out to give the mad, mul­ti-strand­ed sci-fi fol­ly a bad name.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Large tiger on a boat with a person in the background, standing on the deck.
Review

Life of Pi

by Andrew Schenker

Ang Lee’s daz­zling CG dream­world basks in the dan­ger of sea-bound soli­tude, but it all cloaks a big, banal reli­gious metaphor.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A man wearing a dark mask and a fur-lined coat stands in a snowy, urban environment at night.
Review

The Dark Knight Rises

by Adam Woodward

Christo­pher Nolan’s baroque opus is a wor­thy tril­o­gy clos­er, both seri­ous­ly epic and epi­cal­ly serious.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person wearing a black and yellow superhero costume with a helmet covering their face, standing with their hands raised.
Review

X-Men: First Class

by Jonathan Williams

Not the phoenix like rebirth the X‑Men need­ed, but a shot of adren­a­lin to the heart nonetheless.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A blonde, muscular man wearing a black shirt and jeans, standing in a muddy, industrial setting, wielding a sledgehammer and breaking apart a large object.
Review

Thor

by James Smith

Just sit back and try to enjoy this sto­ry of an arro­gant God and his ham­mer, and you prob­a­bly won’t be disappointed.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people, a man in a light blue shirt and a woman in a pink blouse, standing against a dark wooden background.
Review

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

by Matt Bochenski

Although Scott Pil­grim is a hyper­ac­tive feast, its great­est strength is its stud­ied literalism.

5
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Man in warrior outfit with sword in dimly lit stone corridor
Review

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

by Matt Bochenski

The prob­lem in this emp­ty cin­e­ma of spec­ta­cle is that there are hard­ly any arrest­ing images or mem­o­rable moments.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
A man in military-style armour with a serious expression, standing in a dimly lit area.
Review

Clash of the Titans

by Tom Seymour

A big-bud­get 3D remake of a clas­sic and pop­u­lar spec­ta­cle film star­ring the guy from Avatar.

3
Anticipation
1
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect