The Watch - A relaxing breath of fresh air

'The Watch' has been getting a fair few negative reviews. Yeah, sure, it's no cinematic masterpiece, but I don't think it's meant to be. Apparently, if the internet rumours are to be believed, the film's release had to be put back for a while due to a real life incident involving a man from a Neighbourhood Watch committing a murder.  However, this is definitely not trying to imitate real life and anyone drawing comparisons is really stretching.  Yet, for all of this, the real life tragedy led to the film's title being changed from 'Neighbourhood Watch' to just 'The Watch.' But, all of that aside, it's merely a comedy full of amusing conversations. There aren't really that many punchlines which will have your sides splitting, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a certain charm.

Ben Stiller is the obvious star and he leads a Neighbourhood Watch team that accidentally stumbles across an alien plot to take over the world. Yes, it's as silly as it sounds. Yes, there are plenty of unbelievable moments and yes, there are plenty of plot holes. But, there's also so much right with this film, that I think, if you try, you should be able to gloss over any misgivings you may have for this and enjoy it for what it is.  I know Ben Stiller's star has slightly lost its shine over the years, but I think he's as good as he ever is here.  Normally, part of his act comes with a 'romantic comedy' sub-plot, but there's none of that here.  Vince Vaughn is good and Richard Ayoade is awesome, but I found Jonah Hill a little underused overall.

It's the perfect movie to sit down and relax your brain. Let the silly men entertain you and snigger at their attempts to save the world. Plus, for all you horror fans out there, the aliens themselves are pretty decent budget with a few gory moments thrown in for added bonus.  There's even a few moments of genuine 'character development' thrown in there to add a touch of humanity to a film that involves green goo flying around the sets, covering our actors at every given opportunity.

It's daft, it's smutty, it's silly, but it's also very enjoyable.  And it has the most 'original' way of dealing with aliens since 'Mars Attacks!' I won't spoil it!

Kudos to Richard Ayoade for getting his foot into Hollywood's door. Good luck to him - he shows he can hold his own among Hollywood's comedic A-listers.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one