'I'm a die-hard Bridget Jones fan and this is my honest review of the new movie.'

I was just eight years old when I first met Bridget Jones. And I loved her just as she was — leopard print undies and all, scandalous as they seemed.

I've always loved romantic comedies. I was occasionally described as an old soul when I was a kid, which is to say I was a loser who liked to keep up with the golden age of rom-com cinema by hanging out with my mum a lot.

While other kids played games, I sat with her watching Runaway Bride, You've Got Mail and Ever After. I'd routinely beg her to bring me to the movies or drive me down to Video Ezy to rent the latest release — and she did, god bless her. 

Watch the trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. Article continues below.

Romantic comedies were our shared area of interest, and Bridget Jones was where we really found our stride. Mum had Hugh Grant and Colin Firth fighting in the streets, I had this weird woman and her penchant for sliding down fire poles, together we had the soundtrack (the CD of which is still floating around her car somewhere). 

When Bridget Jones's Diary was released in 2001, Renee Zellweger's Bridget was a self-described spinster and beacon of chaos who struggled against societal pressures to 'have it all'. 

She was the butt of the joke amongst her friends and family. And so she was riddled with self-doubt, despite the fact she had a stellar job, cool friends, a gorgeous apartment in the middle of London, and all the hottest men fighting for her hand.

And she was just 32. 

I loved this frazzled English woman with her rag-tag group of friends and her weird, off-putting-yet-beguiling personality. She was entirely too formative for me as a human being and, as it turns out, I've followed in her footsteps in more ways than one.

I'm a journalist myself, and somewhat of a royal fuck-up in social situations with 'verbal incontinence' I wish I could get a hold of. I carry around a red filofax which we can attribute fifty/fifty to Bridget Jones's Diary and 27 Dresses. I do not have the most eligible bachelors in the city chasing after me, but also, you can't have everything. And I'm not 32 yet, so you know, stay tuned for an update in a few months.

I love you, Bridget. Exactly as you are. Image: Universal Pictures.

I watch Bridget Jones's Diary on a routine basis for comfort, emotional reprieve and inspiration when I need it most. I know Bridget as though she is my own closest confidante, so when I was asked to cover the red carpet for the premiere of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy I immediately said 'yes' before spending the next seven business days freaking out internally. 

Let's be honest, the external reaction wasn't great either. When I met Renee Zellweger at the Sydney premiere on Sunday night, my face started twitching with excitement. 

But I persevered through the twitchiness and the surreal experience of standing opposite the actress who brought my fictional icon to life, and I managed to converse with the tiny Texan woman behind the British icon. We spoke about all the ways Bridget was fearless in the face of expectations. About how the public perception of this character has changed in the 24 years since we first saw her on screen, when she was supposed to be the epitome of the single spinster. 

"I think that was [author] Helen Fielding sort of pushing back and making fun of all the noise, you know?" Renee said. "It was a symptom of that moment where the media was just throwing out this image: here's the paradigm for beauty and success that you're meant to conform to. Bridget subverts that notion.

"Yes, she keeps her diary and her checklist like you're supposed to about how you're measuring up. How you're supposed to do your best to match society and your family and your friends' expectations, but ultimately she triumphs when she's her authentic messy self and I think she's inspirational in that respect."

As mentioned by my new close personal pal Renee, Bridget Jones was the brainchild of Helen Fielding. First introduced in a column in London's Independent newspaper, she later came to us in novel form in the international bestseller Bridget Jones's Diary. 

When she then burst onto our screens in 2001, she stressed about being eaten by alsatians and wondered if she'd ever find a man to rescue her from spinsterhood… or whether she could lose a few pounds… or be good at her job… or ever be impressive enough to garner respect from her peers. 

Set to the upbeat backdrop of It's Raining Men, this modern twist on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice brought fresh life to the regency era enemies-to-lovers marriage plot. 

Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. Image: Universal Pictures.

Much like Elizabeth Bennett before her, Bridget Jones was trapped in a love triangle of handsome men with confusing feelings and a ticking clock. Not to mention, mounting weight of societal expectations. But over the course of three highly entertaining (if not repetitive) films, we neatly wrapped up her romantic endeavours in martial bliss with the man of her dreams: Mark Darcy. 

As for the pressure to do it all, she continued to have a thriving career, even more wonderful female friendships, and, eventually, took motherhood in her stride.

She finally got what she wanted. Where could we possibly go next?

Roughly a decade beyond the events of Bridget Jones's Baby, our heroine is navigating her next life stage in the fourth film of the franchise. And it's not one I would've picked for her. 

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is set five years after Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) died in a bombing in Darfur, leaving behind Bridget and their two children, Billy (Casper Knopf) and Mabel (Mila Jankovic). It's a life stage we simply don't want to relate to, but loss is the one thing we all have in common. In some form or another, grief is universal.

This was not a case of the scriptwriters adapting because Colin Firth didn't want to return — he did, to film some truly crushing scenes. It was a bid to stay true to Fielding's original stories.

By following Fielding's plot as set out in the novels — whether I agree with killing off Mark Darcy or not — the fourth instalment has taken us to a new realm of possibilities in the Bridget Jones universe. One in which she is exploring the depths of grief and how to move on with life, when the person you want to spend it with is gone. 

But it also took us through life as a single woman in the mid-life dating scene, the complexities of returning to work after being a stay-at-home mother, and what I'm sure is a very real representation of school-yard mummy politics. And in these respects, she does seem more self-assured than she's ever been.

Sally Phillips and Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. Image: Universal Pictures.

Despite the devastation — and let me assure you, the entire cinema was left in tears throughout the film — this storyline allowed us to follow Bridget someplace new. And that wasn't always someplace sad. 

Something director Michael Morris has so lovingly done is take us to this next phase of Bridget's life without losing her signature Bridget-isms. In fact, this new film is something of an homage to the original, with small details and clues for the fans to pick up on throughout. 

"That was the challenge and the hope and the approach really, to say let's honour Bridget and all of the stuff that we love about her but try and make something that has space in it to really feel," he told us at the Sydney premiere. "Where comedy and tragedy touch for me, is in warmth. And we have all these warm characters."

Whether it's the subtle nods in her outfits, her embarrassing faux-pas, or her frazzled off-centre ponytail that drove me up the wall, the essence of Bridget remains unchanged no matter how her life evolves. 

When her friend signs her up to Tinder as a "tragic widow seeking sexual reawakening" Bridget crosses paths with 29-year-old Roxster (Leo Woodall). They partake in this season's hottest trend: a subverted age-gap romance. And while I think we can all agree the genre needs to pull back a little so it's not the crux of every modern rom-com, in Bridget's case, a vibrant and crackling romance is exactly the spark she needs to pull herself from the fear she will never move on.

Woodall is perfectly charming as Roxster, particularly when he's paying tribute to Colin Firth's Mr Darcy with a swimming scene. He's sweet, he's alluring, he's a means to furthering the plot. I get it, Bridget. 

We love a wet-shirt moment. Image: Universal Pictures.

Elsewhere, Chiwitel Ejiofor starring as school teacher Mr Wallaker is reminiscent of our curmudgeonly Mark Darcy. He's got a familiar charm, while still maintaining his own uniqueness of character.

"Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy, obviously, I mean those are irreplaceable, iconic characters, and so you'd be crazy to even try to step into anything like those shoes," Ejiofor said of his new gig as a Bridget Jones love-interest. 

"But he's a really fascinating character in his own right. Bridget's in a different stage in her life and meets these people.I loved playing Mr. Wallaker, you know, I just thought he was such a fun character to play. A little buttoned up and straight laced when we meet him, but you know there's a lot to him, I'd say."

I really, really loved Mr. Wallaker. 

Chiwitel Ejiofor joins the franchise as school teacher, Mr Wallaker. Image: Universal Pictures.

Sally Phillips, James Callis and Shirley Henderson all reprise their roles as Bridget's debaucherous friends. While some of the original snarky characters make brief returns to their friendship circle, including that one very smug couple. You know who I mean.

Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones return to their roles as her parents, making brief-yet-poignant cameos. Emma Thompson gives another stellar performance as Bridget's gynaecologist.

There's a seamless mix of nostalgic characters along with fresh additions to reflect Bridget's changing world. Though, I must say, a rogue two-second cameo of Isla Fisher in an unidentified role made little-to-no-sense. 

But the standout, beyond any shadow of a doubt, is Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver. 

Describing himself as "a fraction tragic," Daniel has certainly not evolved in the time that Bridget has. He's still a womanising menace to society, though he holds a soft spot for Bridget and her children that adds a heart-tugging sweetness to his arc. 

As he reckons with his own lack of personal growth and maturity (and, um, his secret child?), Grant's wit and sincerity as Daniel is the glistening bow tying this final chapter together. 

Have we wrapped things up very neatly and sweetly and, perhaps, a little too easily? I guess so. But I wasn't wanting Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy to reinvent the wheel. Exploring grief and loss through comedy, with an ultimately uplifting tone setting the scene, this film is what I thought it would be: a warm hug goodbye.

Nothing could possibly compare to Bridget Jones's Diary. I've said it once, I'll say it until I'm blue in the face: it is a perfect film. But Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy felt like a perfect homage to the woman we've loved — who seems to finally love herself. And it doesn't hurt that a certain reindeer jumper makes an appearance. 

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is in cinemas now.