Majorthebys Charming and brutal

Konterr Brilliant and touching

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Sarah Kenny As a British person, I felt a personal connection to this film - trust me, it got everything spot on! I liked this film a lot - it was your typical film bout a group of friends going on an adventure (Think Stand By Me if the characters were older and a lot more obsessed with girls and pop rock bands). It was fun, there were lot of laughs. But it was also more than that. It dealt with a lot of issues, subtly at least. The emphasis was on the music, but the underlying angst was there. I can't exactly put my finger on why I enjoyed this movie so much, but there it is: I liked it. Definitely worth a watch, and, of course, a listen to that soundtrack.

Sara Russell Spike Island is the feel-good movie for the summer. Ideal nostalgic fun for anyone really, but especially those who love The Stone Roses, or anyone who loves the 90's, or anyone who used to be in a local rock band or is still in one.The main protagonists of the story are five lads - Tits, Dodge, Little Gaz, Zippy and Penfold - who have formed a band; Shadowcaster. They have a big love for The Stone Roses and will do literally anything to get into the spectacular Spike Island gig, without actually having tickets to get in.It's a very entertaining film with a story that is by turns funny, moving and heartwarming. At times it's a bit like Mission Impossible meets Quadrophenia, with a bit of Spinal Tap comedy thrown in; as the boys get more and more devious in their efforts to get into the high-security gig.There's love, sex, violence, elation and sorrow; great acting, an uplifting summery atmosphere and an awesome musical score. At the centre of it all it's a very human, real story. I absolutely love this film.

mrkbrwn-502-73177 The only reason you would go to see this film is if you're a Stone Roses fan, that much is obvious. Fortunately for the director this is just enough to carry you through a disjointed, underdeveloped and cliché riddled script. The intended demographic is clearly people like me, 40 + year old men who lived through the period and hold dear the Roses and whole Madchester scene. Yet the film plays like a film aimed at teenagers, with set pieces used merely as an excuse to overlay a Roses classic. Although the characters are likable their development is soap opera at best, their dialogue hugely clichéd and dishonest and when the script does enter interesting territory it is quickly dismissed to cover another bullet point on the 'coming of age movie' tick list. The Stone Roses reformation has been such a wonderful thing for thousands of fans all over the world. This film actually annoyed me as it belittles real emotion and makes honest affection appear contrived.

Utsuro 'Spike Island' is clearly a labour of love: love for the '90s, for Manchester, and for the Stone Roses. These are loves which I share with the filmmakers. However, I have a feeling that this is what carried me through a great portion of the film. From the outset the cinematography is slick and fun, the cast are likable and solid, and it goes without saying that the Roses soundtrack elevates the film whenever it is utilised. The major downfall of the film is the script. It's not terrible by any means, and is wonderfully funny and charming throughout. Unfortunately, it feels like a first draft for what could have been an excellent final film. It suffers from trying to cram in too much, which ultimately has the opposite effect and leaves the viewer feeling like we haven't really covered anything. All of the characters, even the protagonist, are extremely thinly sketched, each with different a Coming-of-Age cliché stuck to them in place of actual character development. The setting has been painstakingly reconstructed, and in a sense the aforementioned scantiness leaves us with an impressionistic, unfocused but very accurate glimpse of the time and place. Which is nice, but cannot sustain an entire feature film. A major plotting fumble which could have been corrected in a redraft is that it drags on for far too long after the actual gig has taken place. This is the focus and the high point of the film. Afterwards it just feels like a slow decline in which you can't see the bottom, as the film wraps up the myriad plot strands which it never successfully committed us to in the first place. The adulation also gets a little cringey at times, even for a film which was made with the purpose of adulation: lines like 'I feel like they made the record just for me.' 'Don't be daft, they made it just for me.' really could have been rewritten. I don't often roll my eyes to Stone Roses praise. I've focused a little more on the negatives of the film than I wanted to, because after a single viewing those unfortunate flaws are what have left the biggest impression. The overall experience was positive, though. The timing of the release couldn't have been better. I'm glad the film was made, and I'm glad that I saw it. At the premiere, no less, where there was a lot of goodwill and anticipation from everyone, myself included. It's just a shame that I couldn't love it as much as I wanted to.