IT seems the Isle of Man has a hit film on its hands in TT3D: Closer to the Edge.

And it would appear – as his TT trophy cabinet shelves continue to gather dust rather than winners’ trophies – the event’s perennial nearly man Guy Martin has become the poster boy for the event.

How his more successful rivals react to that at this year’s event remains to be seen, but reviewers have been lapping up his unique brand of eccentric banter and hectic racing style.

The Daily Mirror, giving the film four stars, was just one of many publications to notice the huge appeal of Guy Martin. Their reviewer called him a ‘mutton-chopped maverick’ and a ‘laugh-a-minute lunatic who doesn’t mind speaking his mind, even if it lands him in trouble with the organisers’.

Film magazine Empire agrees, calling Guy ‘the star of the show’.

As the film went on general release in the UK last week, there were hardly any reviews which gave the film fewer than four out of five stars.

Even The Guardian, not always a fan of the Isle of Man, seemed impressed. Its reviewer called it ‘a saturnalia of excitement, saturated with thrills and a sense of danger that is almost spiritual’.

The Daily Mail said the film ‘has no business being as engrossing, moving and amusing as it is’.

The Irish Times called it ‘a punch-the-air sports movie, replete with underdogs, family tragedies, old masters and young upstarts’.

While the Independent, despite deriding the film’s title for being confusing and offputting, called it ‘enthralling’.

‘TT3D is a persuasive advertisement for the races, with their warm sense of community, breathtaking scenery, and, of course, the heart-in-mouth exhilaration of seeing people hurtle around mountain roads at 130mph,’ said the Independent reviewer, adding: ‘For the first time ever, I’ll be interested to know who wins the TT races this year.’

That kind of comment is clearly what Isle of Man Film and CinemaNX were hoping for – Closer to the Edge is as much an advert for the island as it is a piece of entertainment.

Promisingly, most reviewers make the point that you don’t have to be a racing fan to enjoy the film, but it certainly has been a hit with bikers.

An exit poll of readers conducted by MCN after the film’s London premiere confirmed a unanimous five-star verdict from motorcyclists.