Blu-ray movie review roundup

Hitman, Beowulf, Ratatouille and The Assassination of Jesse James.

Hitman: Extreme Edition - Blu-ray

IO Interactive, developer of the highly acclaimed Hitman video game series, says it used seminal hitman picture Leon as inspiration. How ironic then that the motion picture of the Hitman video game series is about as far away from Luc Besson's '90s masterpiece as imaginable.

That's not to say Xavier Gens' Hollywood debut of Agent 47 isn't an enjoyable 90 minutes, far from it. Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant), a genetically engineered super assassin, is double crossed by the agency who created him and against his better judgement becomes entangled with an innocent Russian prostitute he was sent to kill.

There are several nods to the game, including costume changing, the black suit with red tie and several scenes where the action is viewed from above and behind Agent 47 just like in the games. There's even a cringe worthy moment when Agent 47 comes crashing through a window to find two teenagers sat playing a Hitman video game.

The action sequences, of which there are many, provide plenty of eye candy, as does the lovely Olga Kurylenko who you'll soon be seeing staring alongside Daniel Craig in the latest Bond movie. However, it all feels a little too clichéd and I never felt comfortable with Olyphant as Agent 47 - although this is unlikely to be an issue for those who haven't played the games.

The movie is presented with a wonderfully sharp 1080p transfer which boasts good fine detail and a blemish free print. However, there are some notable problems, including an abundance of grain which at times varies wildly from shot to shot and becomes a little distracting. Audio is also a mixed bag. The DTS HD track boasts explosive surround usage during the action sequences, but the dialogue seemed to slip out of sync once or twice and often felt like it had been dubbed on.

Extra content is also rather slim, the best of the bunch being a 25 minute "In the Crosshairs" featurette which goes behind the scenes and talks to the stars and director of the movie. Also worth a look is the "Digital Hits" feature which has IO Interactive and a number of video game journalists discussing the Hitman series. There's also a selection of deleted scenes including an alternate ending which is worth checking out. Missing is the Digital Copy feature seen in the North American release, which enables a copy of the film to be transferred to and played on a portable media device.

Despite its problems I rather enjoyed Hitman. Much like the recent Resident Evil: Extinction the game's fans should certainly take a look and anyone partial to some mindless action (despite the film's efforts to be more) are also likely to come away feeling entertained.

Verdict: 3/5
Buy this movie from Play.com

Check out page two for reviews of Ratatouille, Beowulf and The Assassination of Jesse James