Hot Fuzz

Some reviews (both in the press and by folk I know) say that this is a brilliantly funny film. Others disagree. My wife says its the worst film she's ever sat through.

I can see what they were trying to do. Much of it stands halfway between parody and homage. Then again, it is also halfway between comedy and action film, and that isn't a great place to be. Basically it is not funny enough to be a comedy and not action-y enough to be an action film.

OK, there are amusing bits in it, but few actual laugh-out-loud moments (and they were all in the trailer), so it fails as a comedy. Mark Kermode has this rule of thumb about comedies - something is only funny if you actually laugh (not merely grin or smile) more than six times. I don't think I laughed that much. Yes, there were amusing situations, homages and lines of dialogue, but not enough actually funny.

But if its not a comedy what is it? The action sequence at the end is way OTT and goes on for ages, but if you compare it to an actual action movie, then it is not that great. Similarly the 'whodunnit' aspect of the film, this is a pretty lamely plotted storyline which doesn't satisfy at all.

So we're left with a film trying to be so many things and falling between all the stools. Shame.