Film and Book Reviews
for 2007
Films released in 2007
Pirates of the Caribbean : At World's End directed by Gore Verbinski

In the third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series can the crew rescue Jack Sparrow and keep Lord Beckett from eliminating piracy forever?
Transformers directed by Michael Bay

Robots living amongst us, cunningly disguised as common machines and vehicles, go to war.
Bridge To Terabithia directed by Gabor Csupo

Two friends create an imaginary kingdom in this adaptation of a novel by Katherine Paterson.
Iron Man directed by Jon Favreau

An arms manufacturer has a change of heart and builds a suit to help him fight injustice in the world.
Perfect Creature directed by Glenn Standring

In an alternate late industrial-age world vampires and humans live together peacefully, but one of them has become a bloodthirsty killer.
Beowulf directed by Robert Zemeckis

An adaptation of the classic Anglo-Saxon poem about Beowulf's defeat of Grendel, done entirely in 3D.
Shrek The Third directed by Chris Miller

The grumpy green ogre faces his biggest challenge yet: fatherhood.
Stardust directed by Matthew Vaughn

Life is hard for a star: there's no privacy, you get hounded wherever you go, your heart cut out and eaten...
The Golden Compass directed by Chris Weitz

Northern Lights is adapted for film in this lavish CGI feast featuring armoured bears and daemon companions.
Spider-Man 3 directed by Sam Raimi

The third episode of the Spider-Man films finds Peter Parker fighting his own dark side.
I Am Legend directed by Francis Lawrence

A loose adaptation of a novel by Richard Matheson sees Will Smith as the last man on Earth, struggling against monsters and loneliness.
The Reaping directed by Stephen Hopkins

A couple of scientists investigate strange phenomena in a small town in Louisiana.
The Invasion directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel

The Invasion of the Body Snatchers is remade and updated for 2007.
1408 directed by Mikael Håfström

An occult author checks in to room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, expecting another paranormal hoax.
30 Days Of Night directed by David Slade

The town of Barrow in Arctic circle is the perfect location for dark-loving, publicity-shy vampires.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix directed by David Yates

Harry faces his fifth year at Hogwarts and the terror of exams, Death Eaters, and a sadistic teacher obsessed with kittens.
Arthur and the Invisibles directed by Luc Besson

A boy shrinks to the size of an insect and goes on an adventure in order to rescue his home.
Enchanted directed by Kevin Lima

Fairytale characters meet the real world in this lighthearted romantic fantasy.
Blood and Chocolate directed by Katja Von Garnier

A young woman has to choose between family loyalty and love in this werewolf story set in Bucharest.
Black Sheep directed by Jonathan King

A New Zealand sheep farm is the setting for this comedy horror about ferocious genetically altered ovines.
The Dark Is Rising directed by David L. Cunningham

In this adaptation of a novel by Susan Cooper, Will Stanton discovers he is destined to play a part in the epic struggle against the dark.
Sunshine directed by Danny Boyle

The sun is dying, so a group of astronauts set out on a mission to re-ignite it and save humanity.
28 Weeks Later directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

The sequel to 28 Days Later.
Southland Tales directed by Richard Kelly

In this near-future story an amnesiac politician and a soldier with a twin find themselves faced with the Apocalypse.
The Last Mimzy directed by Bob Shaye

When a brother and sister find a weird box of toys they start to develop unusual talents. But the white rabbit, Mimzy, is trying to tell them something.
Planet Terror directed by Robert Rodriguez

In this Grindhouse feature, people in a Texan town face an outbreak that turns infected victims to rampaging zombies.
Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer directed by Tim Story

In this sequel to the 2005 Fantastic Four movie, the four face an alien entity capable of destroying the Earth.
Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium directed by Zach Helm

Mr Magorium runs a fantastic toy store, but it is time for him to hand it over to a successor.
Gabriel directed by Shane Abbess

An angel is sent to Earth in human form to fight to return the light and save the souls of the people who live there.
Aliens Vs Predator - Requiem directed by Colin and Greg Strause

When a Predator spaceship crash-lands in America a small town has to deal with Alien infestation.
100 Million BC directed by Louie Myman

A military team go back in time to rescue people trapped in the time of the dinosaurs.
Books published in 2007
Ancient Appetites by Oisin McGann

Nate Wildenstern hunts for his brother's murderer in a historic version of Ireland populated by living machines.
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

In the second episode of The First Law series some characters discover that the glory of war is not all they believed it would be.
The Emerald Planet by David Beerling

Plants are often overlooked when it comes to the story of evolution. David Beerling sets this right in this account of how they have affected the history of our planet.
Overclocked by Cory Doctorow

This collection of short stories mixes technology and cyberpunk themes with acute political observations and zombie mayhem.
Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Moist von Lipwig takes on the Royal Mint in this Discworld novel.
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

A young man fights to escape a vast prison that is decaying around him. On the outside, a young woman struggles to get into the prison to escape the prospect of an arranged marriage and a life of political scheming.
The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

Claire Danvers dislikes vampires, but finds vampire hunters an even scarier breed. The second in the Morganville Vampires series.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

A young dhampir has to protect her friend, who is a mortal vampire, from immortal ones who want to drink her dry.
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

Thursday Next wears many hats: wife, mother, carpet fitter and undercover literary agent. But can she cope with babysitting her fictional selves?
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Bella Swan is about to graduate, but with vampires out for her blood and werewolves after her heart, she has more than finals and college on her mind.
Death By Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

A collection of essays on the cosmos that spans the birth and death of the universe and much of the excitement in between.
Belladonna by Anne Bishop

The second novel in the Ephemera series focuses on the rogue landscaper Belladonna.
Dawn of Destiny by Lee Stephen

The first book in the Epic series sees a young soldier fighting an alien invasion of Earth.
Night Rising by Chris Marie Green

The first volume of Vampire Babylon, chronicling the adventures of stuntwoman and vampire hunter Dawn Madison.
Outlaw Trigger by Lee Stephen

The second book in the Epic series sees Scott Remington battling both aliens and inner demons.
Tourniquet by Kim Lakin-Smith

A vampiric rock star wonders what has happened to his brother and his city in the first novel about the Renegade City.
The Children Of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkien

A an epic and tragic fantasy set in the Elder days of Middle Earth.
Oshun's Gold by Simone Brightstein

How will Ancient African deities respond to the modern world of advertising and beauty?
The Legends and the Inca Crystals by Lia Ginno

Two half-siblings face an evil wizard and fight to save the world in this YA fantasy.
In This Year
The author
Kurt Vonnegut died.