David Smith (matraggs)

Ask a twelve-year-old Star Wars fan remake The Wizard of Oz and make it "awesomer," and you'd get something like Flash Gordon. There may be a point when you get exhausted of all the lasers going hither and thither, but then Brian Blessed's mammoth smile and the amazing production design drags you back in.

Some movies are so big in every way that it's hard to get your head around them the first time you see them. The Last Emperor is one of them. It's a beautiful sumptuous epic that covers a lot of historical ground but stays grounded in its themes and characters. It's an awe-inspiring achievement. Yet, I couldn't help but wish everyone wasn't speaking English all the time.