Greetings again from the darkness. There's good fun to be had in watching director Gilles MacKinnon's and writer Peter McDougall's remake of the 1949 comedy from director Alexander Mackendrick and writer Angus MacPhaill, based on the novel from Compton MacKenzie. Whew! Is that enough 'Macs' for you? The story takes place on an isolated Scottish island of Todday during WWII, and is loosely based on true events of 1941.

Not only is the community geographically isolated, it's also mostly insulated from the rationing and hardships caused by the Great War. All that changes when the last bit of whisky is guzzled, leaving the locals "in terrible shape" with nothing to drink but tea (uttered with equal parts disgust and disappointment). Even though it was Irish and not Scottish, if you've seen Waking Ned Devine (1998),then you'll have an idea of the comedic style – mischievous wry humor rather than hysterical slapstick.

The key locals include Gregor Fisher as Macroom, single father to two grown daughters Catriona (Ellie Kendrick) and Peggy (Naomi Battrick). Of course, where there are two lovely daughters, there is likely to be love in the air. Filling these roles are returning war hero Sergeant Odd (Sean Biggerstaff) and George (Kevin Guthrie),the son of a local ultra-Calvinist mother. Eddie Izzard plays the all too serious Home Guard Captain Wagget, while Fenella Woodgar spouts some of the film's best one-liners as his wife.

When a cargo ship carrying 50,000 cases of whisky crashes just offshore, the locals begin plotting how to rescue the bounty and return normalcy to their daily lives … all while observing the Sabbath and gazing wistfully at the ship from dry land. There is also a funky sub-plot that ties into the story of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Spencer, but this is mostly a story of local ingenuity and inspiration set to the beautiful music of Scottish bagpipes and violins (from composer Patrick Doyle). The quaint setting and predicament make for whimsical fun and some nice laughs … just remember to change the password if you are guarding the road.

It is always worth taking Michael Caine's advice when it comes to remakes. Always remake a bad movie, never a good one!

Director Gillies MacKinnon has put a new spin on the Ealing classic. Like the Dad's Army film released in the same year it is lacklustre.

Set in 1941, a Hebridean island is running low on whiskey due to rationing. When a ship capsizes carrying 50,000 cases of Scotch whiskey to America. The locals decide to bring it ashore while Captain Wagget of the Home Guard must stop them.

There was a charm and impishness in the original film. This one is just sluggish like the entire existence of the movie was to take advantage of tax breaks.

There was a brief moment where Tim Pigott Smith appears like a Colonel Blimp type of character and I would had liked to have seen more of that quirkiness.

A perfectly charming remake of the cracking 1949 version of Compton MacKenzie's tale of a remote Scottish island that, during the privations of WWII, finds a passing ship wrecked on its shores with an enormous cargo of whisky aboard. Their antics to "rescue" the contents and keep it from the prying eyes of the local Home Guard captain (Eddie Izzard) and the Customs & Excise men are told using a cast of established Scots actors - Gregor Fisher; James Cosmo, Ken Drury et al. It isn't in the same class as the original; possibly because it is in colour and also the story is largely a straight update - but it is worth a watch.