IT feels like forever since we last witnessed a truly great comedy.

Whilst the 2000s graced us with classics such as Superbad, Tropic Thunder, The Hangover and Anchorman, the 2010s have been frustratingly lacking in this department.

And while I don’t think Game Night will be remembered as a ‘classic’, I still believe this is the finest studio comedy to emerge since 2012’s 21 Jump Street.

The film follows competitive couple Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) who regularly host a game night for their friends.

But once Max’s older and more successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes home and hosts a game night of his own, it results in him being kidnapped... for real.

What made the films mentioned earlier so excellent was their ostensibly simple plots, paving the way for a series of elaborate set pieces that landed with alarmingly pleasing regularity. Game Night is exactly this.

What follows is immensely entertaining comedy, but also a film which has unexpected layers; adding great character development and real heart to numerous scenes which works extremely well.

This is all handled really well by directing duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.

The two had only previously directed the mediocre comedy ‘Vacation’, but really surprised me with much more sharp and stylish directing this time around.

It is a visual delight throughout, featuring styles of shooting which wouldn’t look out of place in a horror or thriller yet it works a treat, really adding to the overall experience.

The soundtrack too, dovetails beautifully with the tone of the piece.

It raises the stakes in every scene, adding a real tension to the action sequences.

It could’ve easily been a mediocre score that stuck to cliché, but instead they have invested in Cliff Martinez (Drive) to give spectacular results.

The performances are all very good. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams provide the perfect lead roles, having a genuine chemistry that was really sweet to watch.

Bateman can play these type of roles in his sleep by now and he’s his usual best but it was McAdams who surprised me, providing many of the biggest laughs.

The always consistent Kyle Chandler is a delight as the mischievous brother of Bateman and the other game night members put in solid work, all having moments to shine, but some sadly outstay their welcome.

But the scene stealer is Jesse Plemons. He is one of my favourite young actors in the industry today and this is some of the best work of his career so far.

It’s a hilariously creepy role by Plemons, who plays a police officer with his adorable Dr Evil-like dog who just wishes to be involved in the titular event.

He also plays a bigger part than I initially expected; every scene with him was brilliant.

It’s a tight script, one filled with lots of pop culture references and a huge success rate on the gags.

Every character is established well, it has genuine emotion and plenty of suspenseful moments.

I do still believe it could’ve been funnier, with the added emphasis on characters and story meaning it never quite reaches the laugh out loud levels I was hoping for.

The story is always predictable, yet I found it was presented well enough to never be a major issue.

The only other criticism I can really give on the film experience was that it sadly gave away far too much in the trailers.

There is still plenty of surprises and fresh jokes but a lot of the biggest scenes of the film have already been shown, including some from the final act.

You will certainly have a better time with the film the less you know going in.

Overall, this is a fantastic movie and I hope it means the future is bright for more comedies of this level: fresh, enticing and featuring a ton of roaring laughs.

Daley and Goldstein have created something really special here. Just this week it was announced they’re signing on to do DC’s upcoming Flashpoint (a solo Flash movie) which is terrific news, because I now know the movie is in tremendously good hands.

Verdict: The best studio comedy in a long time, Game Night is an endlessly inventive, frequently enjoyable frisk with a lot more to offer than just straight forward gags.

Best Moment: McAdams goes full Pulp Fiction in a bar

Rating: 8/10