People who think 'use-by-dates' on condoms don't mean anything are why we have a population problem!

In the past, it was easy enough to cheer for Bridget, because she was positioned as the 'plucky underdog' - but I don't ever remember her being as dumb as in her first visit to the doctor's office... If you're 43 and you don't understand the finer points of conception (or how foetal alcohol syndrome works, for that matter),you're less of an underdog, and more of a simpleton! No wonder the biggest comedic weapon that Emma Thompson employs here is to roll her eyes... she's mirroring what the reaction of every right-thinking audience member should be.

It's strange when Richard Curtis writes Bridget better for the screen than her own creator does!

Having said all of this in criticism, if you treasure Bridget Jones as a character, then I don't think any of this will bother you. She has to work harder to win my sympathy, though, and this time - in contrast to the previous two films - she didn't get much of it.

'Bridget Jones's Diary' was an immensely enjoyable film. It had a lot going for it, and succeeded on almost every level. It didn't cover much new ground and didn't break any conventions, but it was warm, charming, hugely funny and sometimes poignant, with a great cast. 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' was however a big step down, despite being adeptly played it lost a lot of what made 'Bridget Jones's' Diary so good.

Heard a lot of different opinions on 'Bridget Jones's' Baby. Some people said that it was a return to form and a huge improvement over 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'. Others said that it was worse and had no point to it. Having seen it myself, initially worried but really wanting to like it and judge it as mindless entertainment, to me it was an improvement but not by much. Not a return to form and nowhere near as good as 'Bridget Jones's Diary'. There are things that are done better here, but there are also the same mistakes and also a few different ones.

It has its good points certainly. 'Bridget Jones's Baby' looks good, being mostly attractive visually in a film that doesn't require epic sweeping cinematography or opulence while still being beautifully shot and with striking locations.

Again, like the previous two films, 'Bridget Jones's' Baby' is adeptly played. Renee Zellwegger, whose Bridget is nowhere near as much a parody or the butt of the joke like in 'Edge of Reason', overdoes it in the facial expressions (on a side note, and no shallowness intended, the Botox does not help),but really attempts and succeeds at bringing out the great qualities of her acting in the previous two films, trying to bring out the funny, adorably awkward and sympathetic sides of her character when the material allows it and her accent more than game.

Colin Firth is sophisticated, understated and charmingly stoic. Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent seem incapable of giving bad performances, though they did deserve more to do, while Sarah Solemani brings an enjoyable amount of sauciness. The casting highlight however is Emma Thompson, who is a hoot and is a breath of fresh air with the funniest material. On that note, there are more amusing moments here than there were in 'Edge of Reason', Thompson's material mostly but also the reason for Hugh Grant's absence and Ed Sheeran. The soundtrack is more appealing this time round with better choice of songs.

For all those good things, the story is even more contrived and predictable than 'Edge of Reason', and, apart from a few good moments, too much of the writing and gags are tired, recycled and even more stale, freshness was sorely lacking here. The romantic elements are lacking in heart and warmth and, despite a subject that so many people would relate to, 'Bridget Jones's Baby' does little with the subject and offers nothing illuminating.

Some of the subplots are strange and clumsily used, especially the one dealing with the punk rock, which didn't seem to fit. Patrick Dempsey is a comparatively fairly weak and mediocre at best substitute for the much missed Hugh Grant (who excelled so well at playing against type previously),having much less of his charm and charisma and instead coming off as both bland and annoying.

While the songs themselves are good, the placement for some isn't, with some misplaced randomness going on. Sharon Maguire's direction is more competent here but is still uninspired, while there is some amateurish editing and obvious, cheap use of green screen.

Overall, not awful but a disappointment and should have been so much better. Instead of laughing consistently, being touched or oohing and ahhing, found myself questioning 'Bridget Jones's Baby's' necessity and thinking "so what?". 5/10 Bethany Cox

Renée Zellweger returns as Bridget Jones and this time she gets pregnant and not sure who the father is.

Is it long lost beau Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) now a big shot barrister and also married or hi tech numbers guy Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey) whose dating algorithm and website has made him immensely rich.

No room for cad Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) in this film as he is presumed dead in a plane that crashed. We get to see a huge picture of him in a memorial service attended by mainly young blondes from eastern Europe.

Jones herself is in a dilemma, not as to how to let the potential dads know as to which one of them knocked her up. She is now middle aged and at work where she is a producer of a news show, the younger and punchier network executive with her trendy young Turks in tow want something more edgy and in tune with the demographics.

The film is actually consistently amusing, the makers know what made the other two films work but it still has this brand of humour that started with Four Weddings and a Funeral but that was over twenty years ago and London and indeed the world has moved on since then and I am not sure that I found the film's smugness too endearing.