New DVDs

MICHAEL DWYERand DONALD CLARKEperuse the latest releases on DVDs

THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX

Directed by Uli Edel. Starring Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, Johanna Wokalek, Bruno Ganz 15 cert ★★★★

Edel takes a cold, dispassionate view of the Red Army Faction terrorists who wreaked havoc in his (and their) native Germany and abroad in the 1970s. Formed as a gripping political thriller, the film features action sequences that are brilliantly orchestrated and shot with documentary-style urgency. The drama is charged with performances of commitment and intensity.

This remake of Robert Wise’s 1951 science fiction classic stars Reeves as an impassive alien who seeks to save the Earth. The finale is somewhat perfunctory and the sets are almost defiantly ugly. Still, The Day the Earth Stood Still does have a soul and it never forgets to tell us a decent story. Certainly not as bad as you’ve heard.

Harmless, if rather muddled family film following the adventures of a brave mouse – and about a dozen other characters – in a fairy-tale kingdom where all the castles are lovely and all the animation is ho-hum. The DVD extras include such gems as a Top Ten Uses for Oversized Ears featurette. There are worse things.

MICHAEL DWYER

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Directed by Scott Derrickson. Starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, John Cleese, Kathy Bates 12 cert★★★

This remake of Robert Wise's 1951 science fiction classic stars Reeves as an impassive alien
who seeks to save the Earth. The finale is somewhat perfunctory and the sets are almost defiantly ugly. Still, The Day the Earth Stood Stilldoes have a soul and it never forgets to tell us a decent story. Certainly not as bad as you've heard.

DONALD CLARKE

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX

Directed by Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen. Voices of Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Christopher Lloyd, Kevin Kline William H Macy, Frank Langella, Sigourney Weaver G cert★★★

Harmless, if rather muddled family film following the adventures of a brave mouse – and about a dozen other characters – in a fairy-tale kingdom where all the castles are lovely and all the animation is ho-hum. The DVD extras include such gems as a Top Ten Uses for Oversized Ears featurette. There are worse things.

DONALD CLARKE