Hamnet

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Hamnet is an adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's historical fiction novel of the same name. This story depicts the young love of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes. It also more impactfully focuses on the death of their young son, Hamnet, and how their family grieves his passing.

This film is a genuine emotional journey that will tug on your heartstrings hard. There is such human beauty in this film that it becomes so difficult not to feel those intense moments of despair and grief yourself. Hamnet is a historical period drama that grounds you in a quaint rural setting, a wilding place that has the call of the woods just on the cusp of its township. Here, two lives intersect. Agnes, who is accused of being born to a witch and is, in fact, a herbalist and a falconer. And then there is Will, a tanner and learned tutor who finds no passion in these works but a call to write. Will finds himself in complete infatuation with Agnes; her eccentricities are a wonder to him. Their love for one another tumbles together, despite societal customs being truly set against them. They labour in life together, their family grows, and Will comes to work in London. Agnes is a pillar for her children, keeping them healthy and happy through every season. The crux of the movie sees this family dynamic harried by Judith's poor health. On the cusp of falling to plague, we see a dramatisation of Hamnet trading places with his twin sister, 'tricking Death' into taking him instead. A shroud falls over the family, and we see each of them mourn in their own manner. Agnes and Will grow divided, blame is held, and neither can find comfort in their pain. And then a play is forged. Hamlet, Will's great tragedy. Here we see a beautiful response to death, to loss, to the spectre that lingers still. It is a moment of real beauty in the film, where Agnes and Will both find connection in their shared grief. For theatre and literature lovers alike, this is one of the greatest reads of Hamlet that I have ever watched. It is an emotionally harrowing film brimming with raw emotion that you will feel entirely bonded to. Hamnet is one of those films that everyone ought to see; it's cinema at its very finest form.

Chloé Zhao is in fine filmmaking form here, crafting a feature that might just be her very best to date (which is saying something). The style of this film took me a moment to understand, but it is rather picturesque once you have sat with it enough. The whole film sets the camera up as if it is capturing a stage; very still shots that hold a whole room or space. The wilder places are lovingly caught, and higher emotion sees the camera start to shakily run alongside its subject. Max Richter's score for this film is a melancholy piece, really beautiful and emotional. This is a cinematic score that really understands the work it is pairing with deeply.

Paul Mescal, who played Will, isn't always a confident character, but he wears his heart upon his sleeve; Mescal gives a man who can be entirely wretched in his own sense of self but who can bare himself entirely through story. Joe Alwyn, who played Bartholomew, is very much a stoic patriarch of his family home; yet he has a softness for and great chemistry with his onscreen sister, Buckley. Emily Watson, who played Mary, hasn't got her strongest role here, but serves as a good challenge to pair against Buckley; Watson's role has experienced loss and bears this like a stone upon her back. Louisa Harland and Faith Delaney, who played Rowan and Young Agnes respectively, mark a very special moment of joy in this film; a glimpse into what makes Agnes and the point at which she was truly happy with her mother. Jacobi Jupe, who played Hamnet, is an absolutely inspired young performer, given his age; Jupe pours such complex emotion into such a young character. Olivia Lynes and Bodhi Rae Breathnach, who played Judith and Susanna respectively, are also really capable as Will and Agnes' young daughters; I loved the sibling chemistry between Jupe and Lynes, especially. Noah Jupe, who played Hamlet, gives an incredible classic rendition of this famous theatrical role; that moment of wonder at the end of his performance is a moment of cinema I really won't forget.

However, the best performance came from Jessie Buckley, who played Agnes. This character is a very difficult one to get a bead on at first, and Buckley isn't interested in unshrouding that mystery to the audience too soon. Agnes is a wild character, better in the company of the local forest than in polite society. Buckley has such grace with moments like when her character is falconing or concocting natural remedies from the plants she discovers. Agnes can seem very abrasive and quick to anger; she doesn't fall in naturally with the expectations of her station or the Church. Buckley crafts a woman who is fiercely and unapologetically a force unto herself, a fighter and a free spirit. Buckley and Mescal have a very steady chemistry that grows to passion and love before dimming and then finding connection again. Watching Buckley perform the birth scene of the twins was a difficult watch, as were the scenes in which she was treating her childrens' sickness. Buckley presented emotions in such a raw, powerful way that her grief and sorrow felt authentic. I loved seeing her in those final moments of observing the play, seeing some moment of recognition and peace spark within her.

Hamnet is a prickly movie at first. This isn't the sort of story that immediately welcomes the viewer in; it begins rather askance and gives you characters rife with eccentric qualities and a love story that takes time to ignite. The cast of characters isn't always likeable and there are severe abrasive moments that you have to learn and understand. The film is also quite a slow-burning piece; it moves at a very gentle pace that meanders through the lives of Shakespeare's family.

The editing is a big proponent of why this film takes time to really get off the ground. This is cutting at a crawl, which moves us at a very meandering pace.

Justine Mitchell, who played Joan, gives a pretty classic, stereotypical portrayal of the unlikeable stepmother; Mitchell's antagonism with Buckley could have been more deeply explored. David Wilmot, who played John, is just this abrupt force of fatherly abuse; Wilmot has nothing to give beyond a mean-spirited edge.

An emotional juggernaut that captures love and the process of grief with sincerity and expertise. I would give Hamnet a 9.5/10.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

 

This review may contain spoilers!

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the fourth film in the 28 series and a direct sequel to 28 Years Later (2025). Our story picks up with Spike having been taken and inducted into the Jimmy gang, a crazed band of Satan worshippers who attack the living and dead in equal measure. At the same time, Dr. Kelson has made a discovery through the Alpha, Samson, that will change things forever.

This is a film that really takes the ground floor of what 28 Years achieved and really runs away with it. I absolutely enjoyed 28 Years Later, but it gave us a familiar zombie apocalypse world in some aspects. The Bone Temple is a refreshing spin that had me horrified, laughing and saddened across the entire story. There are two branching narratives here that both have plenty to give. The Jimmys, as an antagonistic force, are quite unique. These aren't your typical Satan-worshipping nut bars at the end of the world; they are adorned in blond wigs and bright tracksuits with a manic sense of hilarity to everything they do. They have a stunted, childlike way of navigating this world that harks back to their leader, Sir Jimmy Crystal. Sir Jimmy's childhood saw the zombie outbreak come, and the fractured jigsaw of his mind has pieced it all together very badly indeed since that origin. Sir Jimmy is also a little aware that he is holding his band together through lies and theatre, which leads to a great scene where he meets Dr. Kelson. Kelson's story is intriguing in a different sense. He is so achingly lonely here, moving forward with his work and surviving the infected. However, he starts to find an unlikely ally in the Alpha, Samson, which is an incredible surprise in itself. Yet, as this bond goes on, we see that Kelson believes himself capable of curing the infection and freeing Samson from his own mind. Kelson is one of the more noble figures to emerge from the 28 series, and one of the more cunning. The big Satan scene at the climax of the film is worth the price of admission; it's a moment that shows how far Sir Jimmy will go to keep his power, alongside Kelson's prowess as a survivor. The ending is bittersweet and not without a sense of tragedy. The Bone Temple makes you sit inside this apocalyptic world, it's not about being one character's story but rather, a glimpse into exisiting within this world and watching it try to evolve.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Nia DaCosta taking the helm here, but she has sculpted something that must be her best film to date. The style of this film makes the horror feel fast and lethal again; there is a real effort placed on capturing moments of despair and terror in a gripping way. The camera doesn't let you turn away, but it also rewards you with these beautiful moments of colour and performance that are rather powerful to watch. The editing dashes along at a great pace, holding a very deliberate pace for longer dialogue scenes and shifting into action effortlessly. The score for the film is intense and bone-chilling at times; I adored that the soundtrack we were given is a real triumph. A film that can use 'Girls on Film' just as impressively as 'The Number of the Beast' deserves a lot of praise.

Jack O'Connell, who played Sir Jimmy Crystal, is an absolutely unhinged antagonist here; O'Connell plays a rabid showman clutching on to his sense of power for dear life. Alfie Williams, who played Spike, is a very talented young performer; Williams isn't pushing things along as much as the first film, but he really dives into those more emotionally complex scenes. Emma Laird, who played Jimmima, is perhaps the most insane of the Jimmys; Laird really brings the venom to this antagonist. Chi Lewis-Parry, who played Samson, really takes physical performance to an impressive level; both convincing as a raving zombie but also as a creature finding his humanity again. 

However, the best performance came from Ralph Fiennes, who played Dr. Kelson. I found Fiennes to be the best part of 28 Years Later as well, and he certainly knows how to carry this momentum on. Here we see Kelson as the lonely and tired observer that he is. Fiennes puts great care into making Kelson someone we see as truly good, even caring for a hulking infected across the feature. The bond Fiennes crafts with Lewis-Parry's Samson is quite sweet, if not boggling at first. Kelson is a character who is trying to find the moments of hope still in this world, and the fact that he finds that even with the infected is rather special. I love the quick wit Fiennes is capable of; he runs away with the dialogue of his character and is the sharpest tack in any scene. Fiennes and O'Connell squaring off is one of the greatest verbal duels I've seen in a while. While Fiennes' big performance as Kelson pretending to be Satan is the very height of the feature. His softer nature appears when he attempts to save Spike, which is a pure moment of good in the film, a point where Fiennes lifts Kelson up beyond just a survivor, but as a truly good man.

This movie took a moment to get going, without much of a precursor, the freewheeling absurdity of the Jimmy gang is thrown in our faces. I really enjoyed watching this group as things progressed, but the start is initially a bit of a ridiculous ride. The same thing can be said for Kelson and Samson's friendship, which had very real moments of absurdity in the early stages. I also felt The Bone Temple and 28 Years Later suffer from the same issue, pushing a sequel in their final moments. Watching Jim from 28 Days Later trotted out like some legendary cameo actually didn't wow me very much as a viewer.

Erin Kellyman, who played Jimmy Ink, is a performer who really struggles to capture focus in a scene; Kellyman's role has no bite to her that makes her interesting. Cillian Murphy, who played Jim, is quite a jarring appearance at the end of the film; Murphy's lone moment feels dull and a bit predictable as far as appearances go.

Another solid entry in the 28 series, probably Nia DaCosta's best film to date and one of the most creative works we've had in the zombie genre for a while. I would give 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple an 8.5/10.

People We Meet On Vacation

 

This review may contain spoilers!

People We Meet On Vacation is an adaptation of the Emily Henry romance novel of the same name. In this film, Poppy and Alex kindle a friendship driving home from college to Linfield, Ohio. As they become close, they decide to make a pact to go on a vacation with one another every summer for the rest of their lives.

This is the sort of film that starts pretty well; there's a bit of intrigue about Poppy's past relationship with Alex, and we get a flashback of how they met. It's that early stage, when they seem to grate on one another before realising that they actually quite like the company of the other person and become friends in the motel room scene, when the film is strongest.

The current pop music soundtrack of this film really plants us in romance territory, but more than that, it makes our protagonists feel entirely wild and free. 'Forever Your Girl' by Paula Abdul is such a good anthem track for our two leading roles.

Molly Shannon and Alan Ruck, who played Wanda and Jimmy respectively, were some of the funniest characters in the film; the scene in which they are trying to talk to the two young leads about safe sex is one of the best in the feature.

However, the best performance came from Emily Bader, who played Poppy. I love it when a young performer sees the chance of leading a major film for the shot it is and really puts their everything into it. From the moment she hits the screen, you can tell Bader is really invested in telling this awkward travel blogger's story well. Poppy is a bit of a chaotic force to be reckoned with; her attention span is scattered, and she runs at a million miles a minute. The character isn't written to tell jokes, yet I found Bader to be an absolutely hilarious lead. Poppy is a character who has faced hardship and dedicated her life to running away from that moment in time. It's really interesting seeing how Bader pushes those tiny moments of feeling broken through. As a whole, this is also just such a fun leading character for a romance movie, and Bader does a good job of showing that moment where her character falls head over heels in love.

This is a film based on a BookTok book, the sort of trend-driven romance that relies on stuffing as many tropes into a read as possible. People We Meet On Vacation watches exactly like that. Poppy and Alex don't really like one another at first, we get a one-bed at the motel situation, the whole thing is unrequited love and friends to lovers. The film doesn't even try to hide the possibility that these two will wind up together; there's no mystique to any of it. But they do have to work unbearably hard to get there. For the most part, this is a film with two characters yearning for one another the whole time, while we deal with them being with other people or an engagement or their lifestyles being too different for one another. Even when the film finally pulls this couple together, it then shatters them apart so that we can have one more reunion scene. I also wasn't a very big fan of the structure of this feature. The fact that we had a modern-day setting where the character personalities yoyo-ed between their usual personalities to grave stoicism was bad enough. But the fact it became broken up with a constant series of flashbacks to every summer holiday between this couple would be jarring and obvious. The flow of the film always wound up feeling interrupted, while you had to listen to characters bluntly say to one another, "Norway was my favourite trip..." seconds before the flashback strikes. Poppy might be a travel writer, but her job seems to be more of an afterthought to the film to make it all work. I also struggled with the dialogue as the film went along, lines like "You're my vacation" coming at the audience by the end of the film felt like the writers just gave up.

The style of this film is nice in those establishing shots, postcard moments. But a movie can't just be pretty on the cover; it has to show a sense of style the whole ride through. People We Meet On Vacation makes some settings feel staged (as they are), places the camera in obvious spots and struggles with lighting problems throughout. I also found the editing of this film to be agonisingly dull; often, scenes had a habit of lingering too long on a shot or a narrative beat. The score for this film is probably the sort that could be applied to any Hallmark romance film; it lacks character and identity.

Tom Blyth, who played Alex, didn't really feel like a great lead for a romance feature; Blyth was often so expressionless and didn't pour enough emotional variance into a scene. Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount and Spencer Neville, who played Sarah, Trey and Julian respectively, failed to present anything resembling characters; these were the fictional exes that sort of held on tightly to the lead performers in a handful of scenes. Miles Heizer, Tommy Do and Ian Porter, who played David, Nam and Ed Nilsen respectively, were Blyth's onscreen family but added little to the film; even the moments where Porter and Blyth could have had an emotional connection failed to amount to anything. Jameela Jamil, who played Swapna, struggles to play roles very differently from one another; there was no part of this movie where I felt Jamil helmed a successful travel magazine or blog, nor did I feel she even resembled Bader's boss. Lukas Gage, who played Buck, is a bit of a novelty sexy character played for comedy; Gage feels more propped up to be laughed at than to actually play a part in this movie. Alice Lee, who played Rachel, is a friend type tossed to Bader early on and then promptly snatched away; Lee's place in this film feels like a rather unnecessary element.

A remarkably shallow streaming romance film that proves smushing corny dialogue and Booktok-level pining doesn't make for much of a story. I would give People We Meet On Vacation a 2/10.

Song Sung Blue

 

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is an adaptation of the documentary of the same name, which follows real-life musicians, Lightning and Thunder. This pair were an acclaimed Neil Diamond tribute band who found some very real small-time fame and success before tragedy struck them and their family.

I didn't really know much about Lightning and Thunder, nor have I listened to a whole lot of Neil Diamond going into this. I was initially captivated by the eccentric characters, the cover artist scene, but most significantly, by the chemistry between our two leads. This film sets up a love story between Lightning and Thunder that feels so relatable, as if it could happen to anyone. He is this cover musician who is a recovering alcoholic with a daughter living in a whole other city, while she's a single Mum raising two kids who finds joy in singing. They could be a collision or awful for one another. But they ignite something passionate together and craft a musical experience that pulls people in. It is an electric feeling watching this duo perform together, and it will leave you grinning and humming along in your seat. The flip side to this? Lightning and Thunder went through some trauma, which is difficult to see play out, but it makes for good drama. Watching Claire/Thunder lose her sense of purpose and self after losing her leg was gruelling, and the effect that event had on the family was difficult to watch played out as well. I liked the little difficulties too; Rachel having to lean on Lightning/Mike after she discovers she is pregnant while her Mum is in a psychiatric facility is a significant scene. I felt that whole final concert like a ghost hanging over my shoulder as we learn of Mike's fate; it was a very sobering conclusion to this narrative.

The soundtrack for this film is excellent and hits the right emotional beats all the way through. 'Song Sung Blue' is an obvious triumph that will probably have you tearing up at the end, but special mention to 'Cherry, Cherry', 'Crunchy Granola Suite' and 'Holly Holy'.

Kate Hudson, who played Claire/Thunder, is so passionate and enchanting when she's giddy over the music and her relationship with Lightning, but the moments in which Hudson had to present the horrors of losing a limb were a captivating moment within her performance. Ella Anderson, who played Rachel, is a really interesting young performer; I loved watching her character thaw towards Jackman's across this feature. Hudson Hensley, who played Dana, just feels like a kid living in the joy of being surrounded by family and music; Hensley makes the final scene of the film so powerful. King Princess, who played Angela, really feels quite close in mannerism to Jackman here, which makes her an awesome onscreen daughter; she has a tough know-it-all streak that makes her rather likable. Michael Imperioli, who played Mark Shurilla, feels quite unique as a sort of respected leader amongst the cover artist musicians; Imperioli also has a great rapport with Jackman here that marks a solid onscreen friendship. Jim Belushi, who played Tom D'Amato, is just a really loveable cast member; Belushi carries the comedic weight of this film very nicely. Jayson Warner Smith, who played Earl, is quite funny as the highly strung Elvis impersonator; I think he runs away with his scene and makes the film get off to a solid start. Shyaporn Theerakulstit, who played Somechai, is rather funny as the impassive restaurant owner who gives Jackman a job, but I loved the small connection they made with their characters over the handful of scenes they had going forward.

However, the best performance came from Hugh Jackman, who played Mike/Lightning. Mike is a character who is lost in chasing the thrill of the music. I loved watching Jackman play a character who is pretty self-aware of his emotions in some ways. Mike tends to be pretty reflective of his own behaviours as an alcoholic.  Yet, we also see Mike get lost in chasing after the style of performance he wants, to the point of downright aggression in one scene. The strength of this film is the steady chemistry between Jackman and Hudson, which is absolutely electric in their first few scenes together. It was torturous watching the scenes around hardship; Jackman really sells you in those moments and puts his character on the rack. The final concert scene was dazzling, but it also hurt. You could see Jackman playing it to the 9s, but it's those quieter moments of fear as he felt his life slipping away that really sold me on this performance.

This is a long film that pivots around a love story between Lightning and Thunder, Mike and Claire. Yet, after they get together and are quickly married, I couldn't help but feel like the film didn't have them acting together as often. They might be in the same scene, but they talked around one another or at one another; a lot of the deeper emotional moments were lost for lovey eyes being made at one another. I also felt like this film had a repetitive tonal whiplash problem. Song Sung Blue often introduced a terrifying moment of tragedy, a smash cut to the horrific aftermath, and then a few scenes later, we had Belushi making some good-natured quip about how much he loves Lightning. It's hard to really know if this movie wants to be one of those charming biopics or tearjerkers, and there probably needed to be a better way to move forward with these moments. The film isn't short by any means, and the heavy dramatic moments, followed by easy-going comedy or warm fuzzies, before going back to something grim, really impacted the pacing. I also found a point in the middle where I started to dislike both Lightning and Thunder; their relationship seemed toxic, and I didn't really buy Lightning being this noble rock to his broken family.

I didn't find the visuals of this movie very interesting until a musical number really started ramping up. For most of Song Sung Blue, the camera feels like it's doing a simple job, capturing all that has to be in front of it and dealing with the uninspired settings. The editing for the film felt sluggish as well. This is a movie that felt very formulaic in terms of visual design. No stops were pulled out to bleed some creativity into this.

Fisher Stevens, who played Dr. Dave Watson, is a very odd character that I struggled to believe in; the whole manager doctor shtick wasn't really played well for comedy or friendship. Mustafa Shakir, who played Sex Machine, hams up the cover musician thing a bit too much; Shakir always feels a bit on the fringes of the crowd. John Beckwith, who played Eddie Vedder, wasn't a particularly inspired choice to play the Pearl Jam singer; Beckwith has no screen presence beyond a good singing voice. Cecelia Riddett, who played Grandma Stengl, does the grouchy grandma stereotype to death; I don't know if we really needed such a played-out trope in the film.

It is often a melancholy watch because nothing really could go right for this pair, but it is a life immortalised in song if nothing else. I would give Song Sung Blue a 7/10.

The Best and Worst Films of 2025

 

In 2025, I watched 70 films I had never seen prior, according to my Letterboxd diary. This represents approximately 40 fewer films than last year, which suggests that I didn't watch many films outside of my weekly reviews. It's always a shame to miss movies others have recommended to me; this year, I only really covered a bit of horror in my spare time, with the V/H/S and Anaconda series being my main contenders. While I was often left feeling disappointed with some of the entries this year, I felt that overall, watching around 26 movies that I really loved and could recommend made for some worthy outings. It's also worth noting that there has been a steadier decline in streaming original movies worth watching, with only Netflix's Wake Up Dead Man making that aforementioned 26. I'm also quietly a bit sad that the animated film scene has been pretty unremarkable this year. Zootopia 2 made a strong impression, but it is also the only animated feature I felt was really worth reviewing. In total, across the 2025 new releases, I reviewed 62 feature films.

I have found 2025 to be a pretty draining year; there's always so much to do and so little time to achieve it in. I think when a movie lacks life, or when it feels made to generate money? That became extremely apparent very fast. There is a smattering of blockbusters in my 7.5/10s or higher, and that says a lot about what sort of story wound up being worth my time this year. I think features that really decided to lay out a story first approach won 2025, comedies weren't about the next big Adam Sandler thing on Netflix, but creative endeavours like The Roses or Eternity. Horror continued to dominate outside of franchise spaces. I was completely wrapped up in movies like Sinners and Weapons. I also think 2025 was draining because the world keeps feeling tough to live in; every other news broadcast is about the cost of living, political division, mass deportations, education reforms that make no sense, terrorist attacks and here in New Zealand, an effort to undermine our core commitments to the indigenous Māori people. I think those reasons are why I wound up falling for One Battle After Another so much, which understood those feelings of division. It's also why The Life of Chuck stands so high, because it is the sort of movie that helps you understand what life is about and where to find joy.

Frankly, the most striking thing about this year in terms of films I watched was seeing the short film Homecoming on a cinema screen. Homecoming is a wonderful exploration of returning home as a transgender woman and being forced to face internal and external anxieties head-on. It is directed and written by a close friend of mine, Grae Meek, and watching it was one of the fulfilling experiences of the year. It is a story steered with a lot of care and a very personal hand, but it will also leave you entirely fraught in places. The cast and crew behind this put their all in, and it shows. Homecoming has already screened at the Top of the South film festival, where it won Best Film, Best Script, Best Director and Best Actress for lead, Awa Puna. It has also screened at the British Urban Film Fest, the Canterbury Short Film Spotlight and will be at the Capricorn Film Festival in 2026!

There has been such a wide variety on offer throughout this year. I sometimes have to remind myself that the same year I watched the 28 zombie series make a comeback is the same year The Minecraft Movie became a viral craze. There have been some true peculiarities, only one 9/10 and a plethora of Stephen King adaptations. The highs are a bit of a strange mix, but rather suit my temperament for this year, and the lows should be cast into the fires of Mount Doom. Without further ado, beginning with my Top 5, the films of 2025:

The Best:

5. The Roses - 8.5/10

This is just an ironclad black comedy, a loving relationship that sours and turns toxic. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman leading a comedy is not really what I expected to be their powerhouse feature film of the year, but this had me and the audience in stitches. The Roses takes a rather complicated deconstruction of a marriage and laces it with witty dialogue, brilliant scenarios and oddball side characters. Sometimes a relationship is bad, and a break-up or a divorce is a fireball. The Roses very deliberately lights the match, lets chaos reign and invites you to roast marshmallows over whatever is left.

Check out my The Roses review!

4. Zootopia 2 - 8.5/10

There wasn't a lot going on this year with animation, but Disney showed up hugely with Zootopia 2. It's a major player and has already broken major box office records worldwide. The Zootopia films really have some interesting narratives around unpacking prejudice. In this feature, not only were the origins of Zootopia, the city, presented to us, but we learned that the animal species that designed it were pushed out by a greedier animal. I think stories like these help us grow, and the morals in them are worth imparting to children. The lead fox/rabbit duo of Judy and Nick is exceptional; Bateman and Goodwin have built an absolute rapport there. And if nothing else, it has Ke Huy Quan as the most charming, friendly animated snake I have ever seen.

Check out my Zootopia 2 review!

3. Eternity - 8.5/10

I have really developed an appreciation for a solid, creative romantic comedy over the years. There was an awful period of time recently where Hollywood tried action romantic comedies. I'm glad that dark chapter is behind us now (yes, I'm talking to you, Ghosted). This little A24 film at the tail end of the year was pretty unassuming. It was a unique idea to set everything in the afterlife. But this film sat comfortably in all the fun antics that emerge from a romantic comedy love triangle; it knows how to be playful. It doesn't always take every scene seriously, but it is undeniably sincere. We learn this beautiful message about constant love versus first love throughout the feature, with an ending that really works hard to warm your heart. I adored Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner and Da'Vine Joy Randolph in this. They had an ensemble approach that really meant every scene was either hilarious or left you feeling a bit emotional.

Check out my Eternity review!

2. The Life of Chuck - 8.5/10

The power of Walt Whitman in this... "I am large, I contain multitudes." What is a human life? What is the end of the world? Are they the same thing? Possibly, The Life of Chuck posits. Our lives can feel plain or ordinary, but we carry with us hopes and dreams and connections that make us so vast. This film has a non-linear approach to storytelling that can really turn you on your heels at times, but it serves a great purpose. We see a fictitious world ending, a place where people still radiate hope in their final moments. Where a hand is held for comfort. This world is Chuck, and Chuck is a man who has endured his own type of hardship in life. But the movie isn't about the hardship; it's about the joy we can discover. Dancing with someone else in the middle of the street. Feeling alive. I loved The Life of Chuck; it made me feel like myself in a rather unexpected way. Thanks, Chuck.

Check out my The Life of Chuck review!

1. One Battle After Another - 9/10

My only 9/10 this year and majorly deserved. One Battle After Another is about revolution and control; it is about the fight between those who hate one another. In this film, we watch a far-left revolutionary group commit acts of violence in the service of the disenfranchised; those who are quashed by the system of power around them. We also watch the far-right militant figure Lockjaw, and his buddies in the Christmas Adventurers Club (Ku Klux Klan, anyone?) attempt to bring the boot down hard against those who do not share in their views. The world is the this great struggle, but the one who suffers ultimately is Willa, the daughter of two French 75 revolutionaries. Hounded by Lockjaw with her father nowhere in sight, Willa must take up a fight she was born into and never asked for; she carves her own path and has to be her own hero. The film points at this heightened conflict that bears a striking semblance to the political environment of today and then turns back to us, knowingly, to declare: "Guess your kids are going to have to fix this shit too."

Check out my One Battle After Another review!

This was a real medley of content sitting across my top films of the year. I definitely felt a lean towards levity, love, being kind to yourself and really prevalent themes to the current state of the world had a strong guiding hand in these pieces of cinema. The bottom five definitely have a lean towards genres with more action, violence and adventure. Jumping into my Bottom Five...

5. Hedda - 3.5/10

I have often found myself pretty entertained by Nia DaCosta's work with well-known IP. The Marvels was a pretty fun time, and her work on bringing Candyman back to the big screen was commendable. Does it feel a bit hollow that her first solo expression of self lands as a streaming original film? Absolutely. Is there not much to this adaptation of 'Hedda Gabler'? Well, not really. In truth, this is a film that wants to be that large, whirling period piece, biting a chunk off Luhrmann's Gatsby. But in truth, the film comes off as trying a bit too hard to land an aesthetic, while dragging a disinterested plot to some kind of conclusion. The branching character interactions here have little bearing, as the ensemble cast leaves much to be desired. Tessa Thompson tries to hold it all together, but sometimes a poorly realised period drama is quite simply that.

Check out my Hedda review!

4. Fountain of Youth - 3.5/10

What a surprise, another streaming original film. In saying that, Apple has been delivering some quality productions, just look at F1 this year. However, I think there's a reason Guy Ritchie's latest stumbled straight to streaming without a theatrical release. In a world brimming with Indiana Jones, Lara Croft and Nathan Drake all performing badly on the big screen, it is perhaps no surprise that this very dull, aimless adventure original film struggled to hit the mark. John Krasinski tried to find a hero worth rooting for, but when nothing else in the movie has much going for it, it becomes an impossible task. From scenes in which a child solves an ancient puzzle by playing the drums to watching the worst CGI imaginable lift a twitching Domhnall Gleeson into the air, this film has a little bit of nothing for everyone. Guy Ritchie used to be a directing hero of mine; it's sad to see him bringing out films like this.

Check out my Fountain of Youth review!

3. The Monkey - 3/10

In my review, I called this film little more than a montage of death scenes, and I think that is the main driving problem behind The Monkey. Within this film, the main story is quite absurd and revolves around characters so dislikeable that it becomes hard to find an in at any point in the story. I think there are cool deaths visually, but they are scattered throughout to keep it all going; it feels like the kill sequences here are like watching a Jackass montage of gory death. The performances don't really have much chance to shine, as all the characters either die rapidly or have no depth to them as people. Osgood Perkins has been propped up as this new force to be reckoned with in horror cinema, but between this and Longlegs, I think I have lost my faith in this entirely. But hey, at least there's an entirely hilarious scene with Elijah Wood playing a celebrity parenting coach.

Check out my The Monkey review!

2. A Working Man - 2.5/10

Three years Jason Statham has ambled his dreary looking mug to my Bottom 5 films of the year. Probably because Statham will attach himself to any action project in which he gets to play a gruff sounding hero. Watching a Statahm movie is about watching a blunt instrument being hammered into a bunch of goons over and over again these days. A Working Man is the most everyday hero of them all, he a construction worker, a veteran, a single Dad, beloved by diverse bosses - I mean who could hate this hero? He's the sort of character made for any audience member, which is probably why his character is quite difficult to get a bead on throughout all this. David Ayer is a director who did brilliant work once with Fury, but he keeps making average action schlock like this that feels mind-numbing. David Harbour plays a former soldier who is blind, a conspiracy theorist and declares himself a "weapons sommelier" in this. If that doesn't tell you what sort of forgettable punch-em-up this is, I don't know what will.

Check out my A Working Man review!

1. Tron: Ares - 2/10

Tron: Legacy was one of the movies that first made me such a passionate film watcher. I think I watched that wild sci-fi adventure six times in the theatres, and then bought the Daft Punk film score. Tron as a film series made a decent impression upon me growing up. Then Ares was announced, and I was excited but nervous about Leto like everyone else. But Jared Leto? He's surprisingly not what's wrong with this film. Tron: Ares is the sort of blockbuster I worry more and more film studios are getting comfortable with making; a CGI flashy piece that is riddled with simple camerawork and a cast of characters devoid of personality. Greta Lee leads this movie and she doesn't show star quality when she isn't in some sort of awards season flick. The struggle here is between two companies and their employees, but where's the humanity in that story? Do we really care about two organisations wrestling over a piece of code as it darts between two corporate headquarters. And you know what else? For all the publicity it got, the Nine Inch Nails score kinda sucks. And as Jeff Bridges would say, that's just like, my opinion man.

Check out my Tron: Ares review!

And so another year of film comes to an end! 2026 will certainly be interesting, January is already tempting me with Marty Supreme and Hamnet on the horizon for New Zealand release. To see where all the films I watched placed this year, I have them ranked below: 

1. One Battle After Another – 9/10
2. The Life of Chuck – 8.5/10
3. Eternity – 8.5/10
4. Zootopia 2 – 8.5/10
5. The Roses – 8.5/10
6. The Fantastic Four: First Steps – 8.5/10
7. Tinā – 8.5/10
8. How To Train Your Dragon – 8.5/10
9. Conclave – 8/10
10. Nosferatu – 8/10
11. We Live In Time – 8/10
12. F1: The Movie – 8/10
13. The Long Walk – 8/10
14. The Accountant 2 – 8/10
15. 28 Years Later – 7.5/10
16. Mickey 17 – 7.5/10
17. Warfare – 7.5/10
18. The Smashing Machine – 7.5/10
19. Sinners – 7.5/10
20. Avatar: Fire and Ash – 7.5/10
21. Wake Up Dead Man – 7.5/10
22. Wicked: For Good – 7.5/10
23. Weapons – 7.5/10
24. Ballerina – 7.5/10
25. Thunderbolts* - 7.5/10
26. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t – 7.5/10
27. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – 7/10
28. Captain America: Brave New World – 7/10
29. Predator: Badlands – 7/10
30. The Wedding Banquet – 6.5/10
31. Caught Stealing – 6.5/10
32. Materialists – 6.5/10
33. Ballad of a Small Player – 6.5/10
34. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey – 6.5/10
35. Nobody 2 – 6/10
36. Jurassic World: Rebirth – 6/10
37. Snow White – 6/10
38. Black Bag – 6/10
39. Mountainhead – 6/10
40. September 5 – 6/10
41. Companion – 5.5/10
42. Eddington – 5.5/10
43. Death of a Unicorn – 5.5/10
44. Friendship – 4.5/10
45. The Running Man – 4.5/10
46. The Amateur – 4.5/10
47. A Minecraft Movie – 4.5/10
48. M3GAN 2.0 – 4.5/10
49. Good Fortune – 4.5/10
50. Freakier Friday – 4.5/10
51. Roofman – 4.5/10
52. Swiped – 4.5/10
53. Wolf Man – 4.5/10
54. Superman – 4/10
55. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy – 4/10
56. Anaconda – 3.5/10
57. Novocaine – 3.5/10
58. Hedda – 3.5/10
59. Fountain of Youth – 3.5/10
60. The Monkey – 3/10
61. A Working Man – 2.5/10
62. Tron: Ares – 2/10

Anaconda

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Anaconda is a parody/spiritual successor to Anaconda (1997). In this feature, a band of filmmaking hopefuls make an unprecedented bid to reboot the cult classic Anaconda film franchise. Unfortunately, after an on-set accident with the trained snake, they must venture into the Amazon jungle to find a substitute.

I must admit that, despite a story that makes no sense, this film is absolutely hysterical in places. I found myself often laughing at the strangely specific material surrounding Hollywood, as well as the bizarre references and Easter eggs that called back to the original Anaconda. This is a film that is at its strongest when it plays to absurdity; that's why Steve Zahn is here.

The special effects for the feature actually hold up rather well; I found the ridiculousness of the giant CGI anaconda to be effective due to the effort given to the design. The post-production for this movie must have been an absolute blast, or this is an editing team with a wicked sense of humour. Each scene feels well and truly cut with a strong punchline in mind, not to mention the many scattered, hilariously dramatic transitions throughout.

Jack Black, who played Doug McCallister, is really the glue of this film; Black understands the comedic intent of this movie the most and does a lot to push this story along. Paul Rudd, who played Ronald Griffin Jr., hasn't found his strongest role here, but is having fun in it; Rudd and Black have some undeniable charm when paired with one another. Steve Zahn, who played Kenny Trent, is an absolute scene-stealer in this; Zahn's unpredictable and chaotic brand of comedy really stands out. Ice Cube, who played himself, really has some fun hamming up the gangsta archetype; Cube is here to look tough and draw laughs doing it.

However, the best performance came from Selton Mello, who played Santiago Braga. I have to believe that Mello studied the famously bad performance Jon Voight gave for the original Anaconda to give us Santiago. This snake tamer feels entirely too wild, too unlikely to be true. Mello is hamming up every scene with a strange lilt to his voice and musings that wander nowhere at all. He feels so deeply immersed in the fictional snake world of the Amazon that you almost want to believe in his eccentricity. I loved the wild bursts of emotion; his scenes around grief were particularly brilliant and really cemented Mello as the funniest amongst a strong comedic cast. Mello constructs a real parody character of Voight, a true snake man to the end.

This film is about amateurs remaking a cult classic film franchise, and the art is imitating the process a bit. A lot of this movie feels very half-baked; the ideas only loosely connect with one another. There are whole story moments that only happen because the writers want us to go that way, not always because the moment has been well set up or because it makes sense for the characters. The characters themselves aren't always 'in the room', sometimes a moment of adlib will remind you the scene is being steered by the performer and not the script. There is a subplot weaving through this comedy that is an attempt to lend something serious to the film. This storyline revolves around illegal gold miners in the Amazon; it's a distracting script element and doesn't really advance the story along. This is a film that is hard to believe in the moment you think about it for too long. The characters couldn't achieve the sort of expedition they set out on, and they certainly couldn't function in the moments following. This film mainly wants to have a conflicted comedy bromance between Black and Rudd with an Anaconda movie sort of around that premise. As a whole, the premise for this movie alone is so specific that it becomes hard to imagine who is out there clamouring for the parody reboot of Anaconda that is also a meta-commentary on Hollywood. This is the sort of movie that looks like it was probably fun to make, but it never really had the vision to be a major comedy player.

This movie has a few good visual gags here and there, but for the most part, this film is shot with a simplistic vision. Everything that needs to be held onscreen is done so, but there are very few moments of inspiration or playfulness with the camera. Beyond a comedic rendition of the original Anaconda theme by Jack Black, the score for this film is a bit of a basic horror lean. The soundtrack is a really scattered use of music in a hopeful effort to find that funny musical moment that will stick.

Thandiwe Newton, who played Claire Simons, seems to struggle in the setting of a comedy film; Newton seems out of her element in the environment of a comedy feature. Daniela Melchior, who played Ana Almeida, is a performance that feels entirely on the periphery of the actual film; Melchior's antagonist role is entirely forgettable and unnecessary. Jennifer Lopez, who played herself, is one cameo too many; where Ice Cube's felt functional, Lopez's cameo comes off as being tacked on.

Weirdly niché, awkwardly slapped together and probably more worthy of being in the 'so bad, it's good' pile than the original Anaconda. I would give Anaconda a 3.5/10.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Avatar: Fire and Ash marks the third instalment in the Avatar series and serves as a direct sequel to Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). In this feature, the Sully family must once again face the threat of humanity, as well as Quaritch and a new enemy, Varang, and the Ash People.

I remember watching the first Avatar with my family in the cinema, 3D glasses on and looking up at that screen with awe. James Cameron had crafted a visual landscape that was entirely unlike anything done before. The story held a central protagonist in an alien world with a military antagonist; it wasn't perfect, but it did enough. Then 2022 came along, and we got The Way of Water, a film that also significantly raised the bar visually but entirely dropped the ball narratively. That feature expanded the world of Pandora, but didn't do anything very different with the central character's story. My biggest surprise with Fire and Ash is that the narrative finally finds some focus. This is a film that has a few moving pieces, but it knows exactly the story it wishes to tell. The Sully family is still on the run from the Sky People (humans) and is also grieving Neteyam at the same time. Yet, there is a new threat - the Ash People led by Varang. This is a group of Na'vi who have chosen to reject Eywa and instead use more ritualistic 'magicks' linked to destruction and fire. Quaritch becomes entangled in this struggle, and within this conflict, Spider gains the ability to breathe the air of Pandora, making him significantly more valuable to humankind. The rest of the film becomes quite interesting, with a central struggle around Spider and how desired he is by the Sky People and whether that means the Sullys should kill him to protect the Na'vi. We also watch as Quaritch introduces advanced military technology to Varang's people, while becoming enthralled himself. There's an interesting commentary here around colonialism and the manipulation of native people by the colonising force, which I found quite interesting to see play out in a blockbuster feature. Watching Varang become coerced into aiding Quaritch due to the destructive power he had to offer became a dark reflection of moments that have happened throughout centuries, as Quaritch guides a Na'vi tribe to work against the rest of the Na'vi people. I also found the whale-like creatures being attacked to be a much tighter story this time, and alarmingly more visceral too. All of these weaving threads culminated well in what can only be described as a climactic war-like battle. That final act battle was a conflict that had been extremely well built towards and a very worthy conflict to end the film on. This movie is over three hours long, but I was surprised by how well the entire package held my attention.

The strongest component of the Avatar films has always been how stunning they are visually, and Fire and Ash is no exception. The camera work is fluid and often in motion alongside entirely CGI characters and through CGI environments. Yet, despite the visual artifice all around, it looks immersive and real. The visual effects are some of the highest quality to grace screens this year. Many frames are pure art in their design from beginning to end.

Sigourney Weaver, who played Kiri, is quite a curious and spiritual character brimming with mystery; I like how Weaver brings forth a younger character who is trying to understand her own identity. Stephen Lang, who played Quaritch, gets his teeth back a bit in this film; Lang starts holding a few more cards and playing the game, showing what made him such a good antagonist in the first film. Oona Chaplin, who played Varang, has a lot of this film built around her character and for good reason; Chaplin crafts an antagonist who is always sinister and often cruel. Kate Winslet, who played Ronal, has a little less to do this time around, but has such great onscreen chemistry with Saldaña; these two actresses challenge one another, and it is interesting to see how their characters grow as a result. Brendan Cowell, who played Scoresby, is a surprisingly engaging antagonist in this sequel; Cowell's character is really callous and out for blood. Jemaine Clement, who played Dr. Garvin, is a fun addition to this cast; Clement's little act of rebellion is quite a fine small moment of heroism in this film. Giovanni Ribisi, who played Selfridge, is a decent minor antagonist to have back; his self-entitled grandstanding never misses. Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who played Tuk, is easily one of the most likable young performances; I liked watching Bliss act out and make Tuk a bit more daring this time out. 

However, the best performance came from Zoe Saldaña, who played Neytiri. This is a performer who I think best understands what Cameron wants to achieve with these films. Saldaña is so immersed in Neytiri that she understands the character on a rather deep level. At the beginning of Fire and Ash, Neytiri is grief-stricken over her son's death; she is angry and lashes out at others. Across the film, she also faces tremendous physical hardship, and we have to watch her struggle with healing, too. Neytiri is an interesting character; she's probably the toughest fighter in these films and will do anything to protect her family. I like the conflict that she carries with Champion's character, Spider. Watching her try to ostracise him from the family before later realising her error is quite a journey of growth for Neytiri. There's also some brilliant character work between Saldaña and Winslet around what their roles face as mothers. The birth scene that takes place during the final conflict is quite an intense moment, played extremely well by both parties. I think Saldaña really is a major component of Avatar, and these films just don't work without Neytiri.

I think the largest glaring problem this movie has is how absolutely foul the dialogue is. The script for this film is riddled with some of the worst lines I have ever heard. Listening to a group of blue cat aliens bicker and argue using the language a 2025 American household family would use is jarring and lazy writing. This is an issue throughout the feature, and I think these movies don't get taken as seriously because the characters never really have too much to say. More than this, there are a few narrative beats across the feature that feel tired. Repetition is a tough concept to sell your audience on when the film is this long; staying original and inventive needed to be a priority.

The score for the film probably should have impressed me; it is meant to be this grandiose piece interwoven with choral numbers. However, I felt pretty bored by the music in the film and didn't really think anything new was achieved in this space. I also felt the ending bleeding into the awful credits song by Miley Cyrus took a decent bit of weight out of the ending.

Sam Worthington, who played Jake, has never been much of a leading performer in Hollywood; it is almost a shame that the Avatar franchise is stuck with such a weak leading performer. Cliff Curtis, who played Tonowari, is pretty listless as the most dull Na'vi of the film; Curtis has no deeper emotion to give and struggles to make an impact. Joel David Moore and Dileep Rao, who played Norm and Max Patel respectively, feel like unneeded holdovers at this point; the science exposition duo are really just here to continue to dump info on the audience. Edie Falco, who played General Ardmore, has to be one of the performers who struggles the most in these films; Falco's bland and dispassionate line delivery completely undercuts the gravitas of her character. Britain Dalton, who played Lo'ak, is quite similar to Worthington in that he is positioned as a major leading performer but struggles with the responsibility; Dalton just doesn't have the range to make his character interesting. Jack Champion, who played Spider, is one of the most annoying characters of the past two films; Champion is a goofball and seems directionless in his character work. Jamie Flatters, who played Neteyam, is rather unimpressionable as a performer, so it was dull watching him come back; Flatters had no extra emotional edge to lend this film. Bailey Bass, who played Tsireya, is quite underwhelming as Dalton's love interest; her character is never really offered the opportunity to show substance. Filip Geljo and Duane Evans Jr., who played Aonung and Rotxo respectively, are essentially window dressing in this film; even Evans' big final scene left no real impact on the story.

Mix an advance with the visuals to a closer return to narrative form, and this might be my favourite Avatar film yet. I would give Avatar: Fire and Ash a 7.5/10.