Clubbing in London has changed over the past few years and has become quite mundane and mediocre, to say the least. Many London clubs concentrate on foot-fall rather than the experience, meaning it’s a total hit or miss on whether you’ll have a good time or not.

The Glitterfest has changed all of that and has made clubbing fun again. Known as the sparkliest party in the world, the Glitterfest is an event company with a difference. Expect glitter, amazing circus acts, confetti cannons, top-class DJs, balloons drops and even more glitter and you’ll start to get an idea of this amazing event.

The Glitterfest is heavily dominated by females (of, course) and it’s the perfect place to celebrate a birthday party, hen party or simply a night out with your mates. It’s the type of event that you can wear as little or as much as you like, without being hassled by random men on the prowl. It’s one of the friendliest club nights we have come across in a very long time.

Prepare for a sparkling extravaganza like no other as the Glitterfest does everything from Fancy Dress Parties in London to Notting Hill Carnival After Parties… And don’t even get us started on their totally awesome Halloween Zombie Glitterfest.

Did we mention that you get FREE glitter makeup on arrival and FREE entry if it's your birthday? Amazing right?

Go to www.theglitterfest.com to see all the latest events and to get your tickets!

I’ve been asked this question so many times by my friends and family over and over again. What is bitcoin? How do I get them and should I get some?

My friends and family know that I am very keen on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, as I am always talking about it and sending them updates via WhatsApp. I am not professing to be a Bitcoin or cryptocurrency guru but what, I will tell you in this article, is everything I’ve learned from my own personal experience of buying bitcoins, selling bitcoins and owning bitcoins.

I have written this guide for those of you just like my brothers and sisters, family and friends that simply don’t have a clue what bitcoin or cryptocurrencies are and have no idea how to get bitcoin or why they should get some. I have tried to write this article in a very simple way in order to explain bitcoin to someone like my grandma, who apart from facebook and the odd phone call is not tech savvy at all. Do you understand what I am saying? Yes, of course, you do.

I know that the bitcoin guru’s out there might complain in the comments box below saying that some of what I am saying is not quite right and yes, they are probably correct in saying this, as I will be explaining bitcoin using metaphors rather than all the technical jargon out there.

For example: If I say ‘My girlfriend is as hot as the sun’, then technically speaking this sentence is incorrect as nothing is as hot at the sun. However, as a metaphor, you should understand that ‘My girlfriend is as hot as the sun’ means that I think she is really hot. Make sense? Yes, of course, it does.

What is Bitcoin?

This is one of the hardest questions to answer in layman’s terms. Having explained this to my family and friends on numerous occasions, I have found that, when I explain it in the sentences below, they are able to understand it easier. So let’s get started.

Bitcoin is a digital currency. Think of bitcoin like the money we are using today. Today we have paper money that states a value i.e. £10, $10, €10 etc. Bitcoin is the same but without paper money or coins. It uses codes that state the value hence it’s a digital currency aka cryptocurrency.

So instead of using paper money, you instead have a unique set of codes. Do I need to know or remember these codes? No, you don’t. The codes are stored online in places like coinbase (which I will come to later) or in an off-line wallet (which is a whole separate article in itself and isn’t something to worry about just yet).

What can I buy with Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is still growing, at the moment, there aren’t many places you can spend bitcoin, but we hope this will start to change as more and more online stores and shops start to accept bitcoin. Ideally, one day soon(ish), all your online stores like Amazon to Asos etc will all accept bitcoin.

So If I can’t spend bitcoin, then whats the point? This is the next question my friends and family always ask and I tell them this. Think of bitcoin as a savings account, the price/value of your savings keeps rising and in a year or two, or so, you’ll be able to spend all the profit you made or withdraw all the money to your bank account and spend it like normal money.

How much money will I make if I buy some bitcoins?

I cannot answer this question correctly as it all depends on the amount you spend on bitcoins and how much it rises. However if bitcoin keeps rising as it has done for the last year or so, then you’ll see a significant increase in the value of your bitcoin.

How significant is the increase? Again I cannot answer this question correctly as it all depends on the amount you spend on bitcoins and how much it rises. But let me give you an example to help you out.

If you put £100 into a savings account and left it for 1 year, you’ll probably receive up to about 50p in interest after that year. So you’ll end up with £100.50 in your savings account.

So where do I buy bitcoins?

There are many online places that you can buy bitcoin. For this article, I would suggest COINBASE. But what about the other site that sells bitcoin? (I hear you ask). I suggest Coinbase because it is probably the biggest cryptocurrency exchange at present. Not only is it the biggest, it’s also one of the easiest sites to use.

Plus, If you sign up to CoinBase and buy $100 (£74) of digital currency or more, you will get $10 (£7) of free bitcoin.

That’s free money in your bitcoin account. Sounds good right? Yes, course it does.

This article was originally posted on Flavourmag. Read the rest of the article here: flavourmag.co.uk/what-is-bitcoin/

Honestly, I wasn’t all at prepared to receive the Jaguar XE Portfolio. On the day of its arrival, I was wearing a scruffy pair of house shorts and a wrinkled T-shirt that I wouldn’t dare to wear to my local newsagents across the road.

With what seemed like hours and hours of waiting in anticipation, which later lead to excitement, the Jaguar XE Portfolio finally arrived. There it was, outside my house, waiting for me and for me only.

I opened the driver’s door and the Jaguar embossed floor panel lit up in an illuminating hue of light blue almost turquoise colour which made me crack a cheeky little smile as I sat down in the driver’s seat.

Touching the steering wheel and soft leather seats while feeling the leather dashboard and its super sensitive 8inch LCD touch screen brought another smile to my face, albeit, this smile slightly more erotic than the first smile.

This was the moment I knew I was in for a treat. This was the moment that made my blood pressure rise (in a good way) as the excitement started to build.

The model delivered to me was the Jaguar XE Portfolio which comes with the below and a whole host of other tech treats on its standard specification model:

• 8-Speed automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift
• Intelligent Stop/Start
• Torque Vectoring by Braking (TVBB)
• Jaguar Drive Control
• 10×10-way electrically adjustable front seats
• Power Steering (inc EPAS)
• Meridian Sound System (380W)
• Windsor Leather seats with Herringbone
• 2-Zone climate control

Along with the added extra’s such as:

• 18″ Arm 6 spoke (£410)
• Pro Services and Wi-Fi Hotspot (£310)
• Premium carpet mat set (£105)
• Interior Mood Lighting (£310)
• Adaptive Dynamics (£800)
• Power convenience pack (£920)
• Electric 10-way seat adjust (£765)

Plus loads more tech spec, that I will add to the bottom of this article. The only thing left for me to do was to drive… And drive I did. I started the engine and watched as the circular gear dial rose out of the block allowing me to change gear and start driving. At this point, my grin was wider than the that of the Joker in Batman. I pressed the accelerator and took her for a spin.

The Jaguar XE Portfolio feels solid and heavy, almost tank-like (in a good way). You can feel the weight of the car as it moves off and you start to wonder how this 2.0L enginemanages to pull the weight so effortlessly. You would be forgiven if you assumed the engine was a V6 or even V8 as it seemed to feel faster than many of the lighter, smaller, 2.0L sports cars that I have recently test driven and has a top speed of 140MPH and goes 0–60MPH in 7.4 seconds.

This is the moment where you need to be careful as the Jaguar XE Portfolio is so smooth and comfortable, you’ll hit 60MPH in a 20MPH without even realising. Actually, that statement is untrue. You can’t NOT notice how fast you are going as the Jaguar XE Portfolio has a reflective speedo in the right-hand side of the windscreen which shows your speed and also the speed limit you should be driving at that time. It’s a nice little touch which means you do not have to keep looking down at the speed-o-meter on the dashboard all the time.

As I cruised along actually, scrap that. As I glided along (I imagine that this is the closest feeling you’ll get to flying a spaceship) my mind started playing tricks on me. All of a sudden, those house shorts and wrinkled T-Shirt felt like an absolute NO GO. I started to feel a sense of unease. The Jaguar XE Portfolio made me want to change my clothes and fix up — look sharp.

At this moment, I felt like I should be wearing a suit. Not the Zara suits I sometimes wear in my general day to day work. But one of my Hugo Boss suits that I wear to special events and occasions. As I started questioning my attire I also started questioning my home.

How does my shiny new (unfinished in terms of interior decor) flat match up to the Jaguar XE Portfolio? I went through a like for like checklist in my head and it went something likes this.

The Jaguar XE Portfolio vs my home.

• Brand new build apartment and first owner — tick.
• 3 seater white suede sofa from Natuzzi –tick.
• A king size bed from Warren Evans that seduces me into a romantic sleep every night –tick.
• A one-of-a-kind, custom built, solid oak dining table with brushed copper legs –tick.
• Salt and pepper grinders from Cole & Mason –tick.
• Gunmetal grey dustbin from Brabantia –tick.
• Stainless steel knives from Global –tick.

Ok, maybe I am worthy, maybe this Jaguar has my name written all over it. My mind started to relax, I started to feel at ease. My home does match up to the luxury and comfort of the Jaguar XE Portfolio. I felt a sense of Zen and at the moment I wanted to drive into ye olde sunset as the old saying goes.

Jaguar XE Portfolio

1 of 4

Jaguar XE Portfolio floor panel

Jaguar XE Portfolio dashboard

Jaguar XE Portfolio circular gear shift dial

Jaguar XE Portfolio — The seats

“IF I WANTED A JERKY RIDE, I’D CATCH A BUS”

The great thing about this car is the supreme quality without the Bentley price tag. The Jaguar XE Portfolio epitomises pound for pound quality and style. You’ll have heads turning while you drive, but the Jaguar does not shout and scream ‘hey everyone, look at me’ like some other cars do, as It’s subdued style, it’s for those in the know.

I picked up a lady friend of mine who has a fetish for Jaguar’s based on a very vague memory at 8 yrs old, of her friend’s dad, driving them to a birthday party in his Jaguar. She doesn’t remember the model, she’d doesn’t even remember the colour of the car. However she does remember it was a Jaguar (she asked at the time), and she does remember the walnut dashboard and the leather interior and feeling like a princess on the way to a ball.

She hoped in and did as I done, and touched the leather and then relaxed into the seat. The Jaguar is the type of car that does all the talking for you (for those of us with no game). She had that nostalgic feeling again and said ‘I wish I was wearing from of my nice dresses today’. As we glided along, she also said ‘Leonard, this is so much smoother and nicer than those sports cars you have recently been driving, I mean, If I wanted a jerky ride, I’d catch a bus’.

You can find more information regarding the Jaguar XE Portfolio on the Jaguar website as well as information on the new launches such as the Jaguar E-Pace & F-Pace, that I will be test driving soon(ish) as well as the XF, XJ and the awesome F-Type.

In the meantime, here is the full (not so boring) tech spec of the Jaguar XE Portfolio:

BASE PRICE (OTR*): £35,425.00
PRICE AS TESTED (INC. OPTIONS): £46,886.00

STANDARD SPECIFICATION:

• 8-Speed automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift
• Intelligent Stop/Start
• Torque Vectoring by Braking (TVBB)
• Jaguar Drive Control
• 10×10-way electrically adjustable front seats
• Power Steering (inc EPAS)
• Cruise Control with Automatic Speed Limiter (ASL)
• All Surface Progress Control (ASPC)
• Bi-function HID Xenon headlights
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Brake Pad Wear Indicator
• Electric Parking Brake (EPB)
• Speed Proportional Steering
• Meridian Sound System (380W)
• 8” Capacitive Touchscreen
• Windsor Leather seats with Herringbone
• Auto-Dimming interior rear view mirror
• 2-Zone climate control
• Dynamic Stability Control & Traction Control
• Rear Parking Aid
• Traffic Sign Recognition and Intelligent Speed Limiter
• Passive Front Head Restraints (Whiplash Protection)
• Emergency Brake Assist
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Hazard lights under heavy braking
• Bluetooth® telephone connectivity
• Bluetooth® Streaming
• 1 x USB socket* supports iPod integration
• Hill Launch Assist
• DAB Digital Radio

OPTIONS FITTED TO THIS CAR:

• Ammonite Grey (£635)
• Jet/Light Oyster Taurus Leather (no cost)
• 18″ Arm 6 spoke (£410)
• Pro Services and Wi-Fi Hotspot (£310)
• Spare wheel (£150)
• Premium carpet mat set (£105)
• Interior Mood Lighting (£310)
• Adaptive Dynamics (£800)
• Side door treadplate illuminated (£424)
• Heated + powerfold mirrors (£275)
• 40:20:40 split fold rear seat (£410)
• Power convenience pack (£920)
• Navigation package (£1,125)
• Parking Pack (£545)
• Head-up display (£1,020)
• Electric 10-way seat adjust (£765)
• Veneer-satin grey figured ebony (£310)
• Heated washer jets (£445)
• Infrared windscreen (£445)
• Chrome Grille Chrome surround (£297)
• Heated Front Windscreen (£310)
• 4-way lumbar (£240)

Ibiza, Ibiza, Ibiza… This is a guide on how to smash Ibiza in 3 days, by hitting the best events the party island has to offer.

Travelling to Ibiza can be a world-wind experience. Ibiza is the type of holiday that you’ll probably need another holiday on your return to recover from it as it’s the epitome of sex, drugs and rock n roll (if you are that way inclined).

Places like Ushuaïa, Hï Ibiza, Hard Rock Hotel, Ibiza Rocks & Ocean Beach will have you raving for 12 or so hours straight. Some people rave so hard, they barely see the light of day. However, if you plan your trip in advance, you can literally smash Ibiza in 3 days… Here’s how to do it.

Book your return flights to Ibiza via Easy Jet or British Airways and be sure to land in Ibiza on either a Thursday or Friday.

If you land on a Thursday you’ll get the chance to see Craig David at Ibiza Rocks in Sant Antonio and then you can head over to Ushuaïa for Martin Garrix plus special guests.

Craig David’s TS5 Pool Party at Ibiza Rocks

Craig David’s TS5 Pool party at Ibiza Rocks is an unmissable event. The man himself delivers hours of non-stop hit after hit tracks that will keep you bubbling for the entire time you are there. Not only will Craig David deliver the music you want to hear, but he will also Rap & Sing mid track which adds a spectacular element to the TS5 Pool Party at Ibiza Rocks.

The crowd at the TS5 pool party are young but very friendly and there to party. Half of the ladies at the event, look like they have literally just flown from the Love Island set, to come to the event. You’ll see people jumping in the pool, having fun, drinking and raving and as soon as Craig starts singing his hit records, you’ll get that nostalgic feeling that will remind how good he’s songs were.

Book your flights to land in Ibiza on Friday

If you book your flights to land in Ibiza on Friday, you’ll be laughing, as you’ll have the pick of all the best events that you can imagine.

Go to bookings.com and choose your perfect Ibiza Hotel we suggest staying in Playa d’en Bossa as this is where some of the biggest events on the Ibiza calendar is happening. Playa d’en Bossa is where you’ll find, Ushuaïa, Hï Ibiza, Hard Rock Hotel and at these 3 places you’ll find Ant’s (Saturday at Ushuaïa), Glitterbox (Friday at Hï Ibiza), Children of the 80’s (Friday at Hard Rock Hotel) Black Coffee (Saturday at Hï Ibiza).

You can start off with a bit of Tinie Tempah plus guests at Ushuaïa, and if you’re really clever, you’ll land on a week that DJ EZ is playing and watch the man himself, deliver some of the best and nostalgic vibes you can think of. The night is called Disturbing Ibiza and features Tinie Tempah with a range of special guests, you’ll find everyone from EZ to French Montana and more. One of the good things about this event is that you get a moments respite from the hard core house music scene. It’s a refreshing change, to a wild holiday line up.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…

After you’ve had your dose of Disturbing Ibiza, you’ll now have to make the hard choice of either Glitterbox at Hï Ibiza (literally across the road from Ushuaïa) or the Children of the 80’s party at Hard Rock Hotel (3 mins walk from Ushuaïa). I couldn’t decide between the two, so I went to both, Yikes!

Glitterbox is a party like no other, filled with lights, amazing tranny dancers and of course glitter. Lots and lots of Glitter. If you haven’t got your face made up, then simply pop around the side and visit the ladies of InYourDreams and they will sort you out in a jiffy. Once you’re glittered up and ready to party, it’s none stop disco house music until six in the morning.

The crowd is friendly and nice, the dancers are flamboyant and fun and you might even end up having people commenting and asking to take pictures with you and you glittered face.

Children of the 80’s at the Hard Rock Hotel is surprisingly fun, you find a large mix of people all smiling and partying to the disco classics. This is where the old and young party like there’s no tomorrow and with a range of performances throughout the season, you’ll be hard pressed not to love this event.

On the night I attended, there was a live performance from SNAP! yes, SNAP! playing classics like ‘Rythm Is The Dancer’ and ‘I’ve Got The Power’ which sent the crowd into a full on party frenzy. You’ll love Children of the 80’s for its happy vibes and fun sense of spirit. If you are celebrating a birthday, or hen party, or simply celebrating being in Ibiza then you have to visit the Hard Rock Hotel for this party.

Saturday Night in Ibiza

Once you’ve recovered from your Friday in Ibiza, you’ll be thinking what to do for Saturday Night in Ibiza. This is where you have choices upon choices, everything from Elrow to Black Coffee is available for your party pleasure.

But where you need to go is the award winning ANTS at Ushuaïa.

SEE THE FULL ARTICLE AND IMAGES HERE

Would you dive in? These 14 swimming pools are proof that sometimes, nature is better. Dive into Mother Nature’s finest.

8 dishes you need to see to believe — Scorpion Anyone?

Blue water + bungalow = dream holiday — See 10 Stunners

10 stunning overwater bungalows from Bora Bora to the Maldives.

Shhh… these amazing places are hidden gems! Get the details

Take a look at these 10 amazingly beautiful places you might not know. You’ll be surprised at what’s awaiting you around the corner.

So much space and our own private pool! — See all holiday Rentals

Holiday rentals are an increasingly popular alternative to traditional hotel stays. Why? Because they offer travellers the space, amenities, and privacy of home when on holiday… along with incredible value! Forget anonymous hotel rooms — from entire oceanfront houses with private beach access to city condos in luxury buildings, TripAdvisor Rentals offers you places with personality to make your trips unforgettable.

Choose from thousands of different rentals across the globe: chic apartments for solo business trips, cozy cottages for romantic getaways or spacious villas for family holidays. For stays to suit your needs and individual travel style, there’s nowhere better.

Low airfares from London (LHR)* recently found by travellers like you.

Thinking of heading to Down Town, Las Vegas for your next holiday? Want to or don’t want to end up like Zach Galifianakis or Ed Helms from the Hangover?? Well, look no further than our spectacular round up of where to stay and what to do in Down Town Las Vegas.

But before we start, let’s look at Flights to Las Vegas. Head on over to Virgin Atlantic and book your flights to Las Vegas for as little as £507. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but that doesn’t mean we won’t spill some details about the city’s glittering charms. Like its carnivalesque Strip, home to colossal casino-hotels, lavish shops, and world-class performers, from the acrobats at Cirque du Soleil to resident A-listers like Celine Dion and Britney Spears.

For those of you thinking of heading to Down Town Las Vegas, especially those of you wanted to attend the Life is Beautiful Festival there are lots of great hotels in the Downtown area which are all within a 15 min walk from the festival. Buy tickets for Life is Beautiful here: lifeisbeautiful.com/ticket

Hotels such as El Cortez, The D Las Vegas, Golden Nugget and Downtown Grandare perfect options for those attending or for those just visiting Down Town Las Vegas in general.

As for things to do and see, the Fremont Street Experience (where a lot of these hotels are located) is a covered street that features bars and restaurants and is a great place to head out to, especially in the evening as it hosts a colourful lights display.

In addition, there are lots of great bars and modern eateries located on or around Fremont Street, which is the road running towards the festival grounds. We would recommend people try out Atomic Liquors (which plays on the idea of atomic bomb testing which used to attract lots of tourists in the 50’s), Therapy, Commonwealth, Park on Fremont and Downtown Cocktail Room.

Attraction wise, the Neon Museum is a short taxi ride away and is home to lots of old neon signs which are being preserved (well worth going to!), alternatively the Mob Museum provides a great overview of Vegas’ history.

Finally, Downtown Container Park is Vegas’ version of Shoreditch Box Park, offering lots of little boutique shops, eateries and bars, with a laid back vibe and live music and events in the summer.

I must admit, I had a Fast and Furious moment when I thought about how low to the ground the car was, and how fast I was going to drive it. I must admit that after driving and reviewing the Toyota C-HR, I felt that the GT86 would blow my mind in a different capacity.

However, and again I must admit (sorry Toyota) that I was a tad disappointed when I first started driving the GT86. I wanted it to to be faster, I wanted it to feel like Vin Diesel in fast and furious. I wanted it to give me a white knuckle ride of thrills and spills. In fact, I assumed that the GT86 would be a car I would love and would want to keep, but it wasn’t.

The GT86 model I drove was the GT86 Pro 2.0L Manual T+G
0–62 MPH in 7.7secs
Top Speed 140MPH
Transmission 6 Speed Manual
Max. Power (bhp/kW @rpm) 197/147 @7,000
Max. Torque (Nm @rpm) 205 @ 6,400–6,000
OTR Price — £28,005
Options — Toyota Touch2 with Go £750 & Metallic Paint £545
Total OTR Price — £29,300

Can you see why I was excited? So when I started driving and realised it didn’t feel as fast as it sounded on paper, I’m sure you can understand my initial disappointment.

But then came a light bulb moment, that only someone who has driven lots of cars would know. I remembered when I had my Toyota Corolla GT Twin-Cam 16Valve hatchback waaaay back in the day and it was my favourite boy toy at the time.

It was that same light bulb moment that I remembered the high revs and the way how Toyota’s drive. It was that moment that I adjusted my driving skills to match the revs and torque of the GT86. It was that moment that I stopped changing gears so quickly. It was that moment that I literally revved each gear to almost the maximum rpm and it was at that moment that I started enjoying the Toyota GT86.

You simply can’t drive a car like this in your normal way. You have to rev it, and I mean rev it hard. You have to be absolutely die hard with your gear shifting. You have to rev each gear to its limit to feel the power and prowess.

See the full review here

I’m sorry Jaguar, but I still can’t believe you decided to unveil the brand spanking new E-Pace while I was away. I’m not happy about this at all.

Ok, fair enough. Yes, I was on a Novalja beach in Croatia, lapping up the sun and drinking Tequila sunrise cocktails. Yes, I was partying on Zcre Beach with thousands of women running around in bikinis during the festival season. But the truth is… I really wanted to be at the unveiling of the E-Pace amongst the stunts and celebs and of course the car itself.

The Jaguar E-PACE is the newest member of Jaguar’s SUV family and is a five-seat compact SUV that packs the design and performance of a Jaguar sports car into a spacious, practical and connected all-wheel-drive vehicle. The Jaguar E-Pace follows on from Jaguar’s first all-electric SUV, the I-PACE Concept and the World Car of the Year-winning F-PACE performance SUV.

See all the images and full review here

I have to be honest with you. I didn’t know what Ford was up to with the B&O Play / Ford Fiesta thingy until a recent trip to Valladolid (Spain) where I got to experience the new Ford Fiesta Vignale and ST-Line, fully loaded with B&O Play.

If you don’t know what B&O Play is, I suggest you click here or google it, otherwise, half of this article will not make sense. If you do know what B&O Play is, then continue reading…

I’ve been a fan of Ford dating back to my teenage and first car days. To be precise, my first car was a 1983 silver Ford Escort 1.3L (I’m showing my age). My second car was a 1985 red Ford Fiesta XR2 and this was manner from heaven. It was fast, it was bright red, it had power and it was (at the time) my ultimate boy toy.

But that’s all in the past, and now we are looking at the future. And that’s the reason why I was excited to test drive the all new Ford Fiesta Vignale and St-Line, maybe I wanted to feel my youth again, maybe I wanted that nostalgic feeling of driving a Ford Fiesta or maybe I simply just wanted to test drive this new car.

Read the full review here

Hollywood quickly gained a starlet in Scarlett Johansson after she received critical accolade from her breakthrough performance in 2003’s Lost in Translation.

Johansson has since gone on to become one of the most successful actresses this generation, and in recent years, has graced our screens in a string of science-fiction blockbusters. As her latest futuristic endeavour — Ghost in the Shell — becomes available for digital download on July 24th, let’s look back at the films which have crowned Scarlett Johansson a sci-fi screen-queen!

Marvel Cinematic Universe

For nearly the last ten years, Scarlett has been suiting up as Natasha Romanova, AKA Black Widow. Making her first on-screen appearance in 2010’s Iron Man 2, Johansson’s Black Widow has since gone on to become a much-loved member of The Avengers team and a major character in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Her incredible fighting abilities and exceptional intelligence certainly verifies the fierce and formidable Black Widow a celebrated hero. As Marvel continues to expand their team of cool and kick-ass characters in preparation for the highly-anticipated Infinity War, this hugely successful franchise has enabled Scarlett to stand strong at the helm.

Her

In Spike Jonze’s 2010 sci-fi/romance hybrid, Johansson ascertains that her acting abilities can transcend beyond on-screen performances. Scarlett dazzles lending her silky, husky-toned voice to a high-tech computer operating system, which leading man Joaquin Phoenix falls for. The movie went on to be nominated for a string of major awards, including Best Picture and Best Song at the 2014 Academy Awards but scooped the win within the screenwriting category.

Lucy

In this sci-fi thriller, Johansson plays the title character Lucy, who gains psychokinetic abilities after a nootropic drug is absorbed into her bloodstream. Released in the summer of 2014, the film was a box-office success, grossing over $463 million, however, critics were left disappointed by a nonsensical plot that focused on being able to gain conscious control over the entire brain. Despite this, the film was praised for Scarlett’s charm and empowering performance.

The Island

Partnering up with Ewan McGregor for this futuristic adventure, Scarlett stars in her first of many science-fiction blockbusters. Set midway through the 21st century, Michael Bay presents an alternate world where human clones are harvested to provide needed organs for their original counterpart. The clones, however, are not aware of the reality they are destined to fulfil. When the movie flopped at the box-office, producers blamed the minor status of Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson for its commercial failure. The pair both went on to become household names and Scarlett continues to shine as a leading sci-fi action star.

Under the Skin

April 2013 saw the release of two Scarlett Johansson sci-fi movies: Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which starred Johansson’s Black Widow, and the alien flick Under the Skin. The Captain America sequel may have been far more successful at the box-office, but Scarlett still brought a haunting and highly praised performance to Under the Skin, portraying a man-hunting, other-worldly woman.

Ghost in the Shell

Based on the Japanese manga of the same name, Scarlett Johansson is the titular Major, a cyborg tasked with taking down a diabolical hacker with her squad of investigators. In probably her biggest and most elaborate sci-fi role, Scarlett was initially met with Hollywood ‘white-washing’ criticism, but the movie overall was praised for a faithful visual style, exciting action sequences and stirring musical score.

Originally published here