"The Magic Flute" is one of the most familiar and best-loved operas in the world, but barring Mozart and opera enthusiasts, how many can claim to have sat through the whole thing and er, understood it all?

For philistines like myself, Kenneth Branagh's screen rendition is a godsend — frisky, rapid-fire paced and just plain fun. It has a rock-concert feel to it that echoes the original spirit of Mozart's most fantastical work.

Branagh, who swims with ease in the two mediums of stage and film (acting as well as directing), has created a big-scale movie opera that brings together the best of both worlds. Moving the setting from ancient Egypt to the trenches of World War I, Branagh brought in British playwright/actor Stephen Fry to write the lyrics for the librettos, and the effect is contemporary without being too modern.