Eddington

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Eddington is set in the titular township during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film follows Joe Cross, an insecure and aggrieved sheriff who harbours deep resentment towards the mayor of Eddington. He uses the igniting tensions of the pandemic to try to secure a sense of control, manipulating the radical division into far extremes of the political spectrum.

I was really impressed with the way Ari Aster caught that snapshot of the United States as a boiling pot of tension, a place where conflicts were bubbling over and fears were extremely heightened. We track alongside the sheriff, Joe Cross. Joe is quite a conservative man; he refuses to wear a mask and openly combats against people who try to force the lockdown mandates on others. He has a turbulent home life; his mother-in-law, who lives with him, is deeply troubled, and his wife is erratic and often distant. This sheriff also harbours deep resentment towards the mayor of the town, believing himself to have been aggrieved by Ted at one point in his life. This is not your usual protagonist; he's an impotent and frustrated figure who yearns for a sense of control and power. Watching him fail to gain it time and again is a phenomenal setup to his eventual descent into darkness. I also enjoyed the witty cracks at the expense of the United States in the face of several key political ideologies or events. This was a tough element of humour to balance and capture, yet this is a film that manages it early on.

Ari Aster's strength is his incredible visuals. Eddington is so stark and washed out that the very town seems drained of life. Yet, these barren landscapes set the stage for some wonderfully framed standoffs that keep the tension palpable. The soundtrack for the film is a neat blend of tracks that ground us in the town of Eddington and a couple of lighter tracks played for comedy.

Deirdre O'Connell, who played Dawn Bodkin, is one of the most immersive performances in the feature; O'Connell's internet rabbithole-obsessed character is a scary reflection on how some older people are lured in by lies online. Pedro Pascal, who played Ted Garcia, is one of the strongest performances in this cast; Pascal is entirely charismatic as the mayor, but he knows how to engage in conflict in his own strategic manner. Clifton Collins Jr., who played Lodge, just disappears into this role; I think this homeless figure is one many can recognise, and it's shocking to me that Collins is inside all of that. William Belleau, who played Officer Butterfly Jimenez, is quite a brilliant contrast as an adept police officer in the face of the Eddington police crew; watching Belleau portray suspicion is one of my favourite aspects of the back half of this film. Rachel de la Torre, who played Paula, is a really fiery presence within this ensemble; de la Torre is quite combative in her delivery, which makes for some nice light conflict.

However, the best performance came from Joaquin Phoenix, who played Joe Cross. This is such an entirely repugnant and non-typical leading protagonist. I really enjoyed watching Phoenix flesh this role out and really show all the layers to Cross. This is a deeply insecure man, one who feels small in his home and within his relationship with his wife. At every turn, he tries to show a sort of weak-willed sense of control, tantrum-like outbursts as the town sheriff in a bid to win others over to his 'side'. Phoenix plays into a figure we can kind of recognise, someone who allows extreme media to manipulate him and who pushes back against lockdown mandates in a self-destructive manner. Joe Cross is an erratic, impulsive figure who seems entirely possible to play at times and yet Joaquin Phoenix is more than up to the task.

Eddington was an almost golden movie until that last half hour, where it decided to entirely jump the shark. The film descends deeper into the American social paranoias of the early 2020s, specifically a strange angle around ANTIFA being this shadowy, clandestine organisation hunting down local police authorities. The film has already pushed boundaries at this point, but this slips into the realm of incoherence. Characters start to be killed or survive life-threatening events without much rhyme or reason. There's a colossal shoot-out scene that just takes the bite out of Eddington; it feels like the movie lost sight of what it really wanted to say. The last few minutes present Joe Cross as a mentally and physically disabled mayor, a puppet of other figures, but even this concept is rather on the nose. The movie caps off by showing Joe's life as a disabled man to be almost perverse, which feels like a strange musing to end upon before we cut to the credits. It's this last half hour that makes me wonder if Ari Aster actually had anything to say at all. The film sort of sits in the middle and lashes out at both sides of the political spectrum, like an amateur comedy roast. But it's unclear what Eddington really intends, and maybe that is simply because Aster could not come to any meaningful conclusion.

The editing for this film is a bit tired and lingering. Eddington is a long movie, and you really feel that in how it is pieced together. I enjoyed the score when it was actually used, but there isn't enough there to comment upon. The music across this film has so much empty space between it that it felt like the concept of a score wasn't really accounted for.

Emma Stone, who played Louise Cross, is a remarkably absent presence in this film; Stone didn't really do anything within this role to greatly contribute to the overall experience of the film. Micheal Ward, who played Michael Cooke, is a deputy figure who never defines himself very much; I expected a lot more emotion out of Ward in that final act, but he didn't deliver. Cameron Mann, who played Brian Frazee, is an odd role at the best of times; his entire false outrage shtick wears thin after a couple of scenes. Matt Gomez Hidaka, who played Eric Garcia, is quite nondescript as one of the teen ensemble cast; I was disappointed that he and Pascal didn't flesh out their relationship more. Luke Grimes, who played Guy Tooley, doesn't really land as the comedic piece of the sheriff department; Grimes is pushed for laughs because his character is simple, but it just comes off as a bit obvious. Amélie Hoeferle, who played Sarah, was one of the more over-the-top performances when it came to delivery; her role was also reduced down to a love interest character most of the time. Austin Butler, who played Vernon Jefferson Peak, arrives in this film but never really justifies his own presence; Butler's strange evangelical role in the face of paedophilic abuse at the end of the film just comes off as bizarre and poorly imagined.

A film with a lot of potential, but just completely jettisons anything worthy it had in the last half hour. I would give Eddington a 5.5/10

Nobody 2

 This review may contain spoilers!

Nobody 2 is a direct sequel to Nobody (2021) and follows Hutch Mansell as he continues to try and pay back the debt he accrued when he torched the assets of the Russian mob. Once again struggling to walk the line between family man and hitman, Hutch elects to take his family on a trip to his favourite childhood vacation spot. However, it is only a matter of time before Hutch's violent nature lands him and his family in danger once again.

What this sequel got right from a very early point was capturing the thing that is most interesting about Hutch's character. Hutch is a figure who seems to have a loose moral code and a sense of justice to boot; both of these qualities fuel the thing he does best: beating the crap out of others. Hutch is a vigilante figure intent on 'doing the right thing' but often allowing this consuming rage to dictate violence as his method of response. This is a film that often posits that Hutch cannot escape his violent side, which is akin to his very nature. A fascinating internal conflict for our protagonist to have.

The strength of Nobody 2 is the stunt work; from start to finish, the thing that is unshakeable is how brilliant the action looks. I found this film had a real desire to get creative with the bouts of violence scattered throughout, which made you immediately tune in a little more during the fight sequences.

Christopher Lloyd, who played David Mansell, struggles with his delivery at times but manages a decent comedic performance; I enjoyed how uncouth and ready for action Lloyd was. Colin Hanks, who played Sheriff Abel, was probably the most interesting antagonist this film had; Hanks had a mean edge to him and a blind ambition to get to the top of his boss's good graces. Gage Munroe, who played Brady Mansell, was a lot more interesting with his own storyline in this feature; Munroe gets to explore a teenager lashing out with violence in the name of justice, the same way his father is. 

However, the best performance came from Bob Odenkirk, who played Hutch Mansell. Odenkirk is a pretty safe hand on the wheel with this character; he understands the balance between comedy and gritty action hero. Hutch is a lot more openly brutal this time around; in fact, he just can't contain his violent streak. I enjoyed seeing how Odenkirk grappled with Hutch's violent sense of justice, particularly when he tried to put a lid on it across the film. Odenkirk just sells the everyday suburban Dad figure so well that the contrast to the surprise action hero tends to work. He also understands how to pull elements of comedy out of a scene, whether that's finding the comedic throughline or just plain solid line delivery. Odenkirk is so sincere in his work, and that makes him a genuine protagonist you want to see come out on top.

Nobody 2 is akin to watching a star pupil suddenly have a bad week and rush their latest assignment. You expect and hope for good things, but there's no denying that many corners were cut, and a significant amount of thought just isn't there. This sequel throws Hutch back into the same grinding day-to-day pattern, with a renewed focus on him being a hitman/mercenary figure. Yet, this is presented with a lot of exposition and a strangely familiar sensation to the opening act of the first Nobody. Hutch still can't get it right with his family; he's still trying to prove himself in their eyes, and the inciting incident is still something bad that happens to Sammy. This is a sequel that just does not know how to grow from itself. The idea of a family vacation winds up landing as more of a novelty element, so we can have Hutch fight in a water park in the final act. There is a whole local conflict between two crime bosses that Hutch gets tangled in, but this crime story is remarkably underbaked. The main antagonist of Lendina enters the feature quite late and is played crazy for the sheer randomness of it, and not for effect. This film also tries to indicate that Hutch's wife, Becca, has a mysterious, cool past and skill set. This doesn't really track from the first film and feels more like a plot thread to hook the leading actress back than something done to serve the plot. The film ends with all the fighting being resolved, but Hutch is still in debt, and the circumstances of his life haven't really been resolved. Overall, the movie fails to really move the Mansell family along at all.

The most disappointing thing for me was that this movie just didn't look good; it was often obvious how shots were set to capture a pyrotechnic or a squib shot. The editing also set a rather dull pace that didn't support the speed of the stunt choreography. I found the soundtrack of the film to often be played for an easy joke or a cheap moment. 'The Power of Love' by Celine Dion really added nothing to the final act.

Connie Nielsen, who played Becca Mansell, really played a character who seemed like she was waiting for her big moment all film; I just found Nielsen's big swing into the limelight in this feature to be very artificial. John Ortiz, who played Wyatt Martin, was completely miscast as a local crime boss; Ortiz, being a single father crime boss was a peculiar blend of a character that lacked impact on the story. RZA, who played Harry Mansell, had this strange spiritual element this time around that didn't gel with everything else going on; RZA was just hankering for a fight scene with a katana, and he got it. Sharon Stone, who played Lendina, is in this to play an over-the-top, crazy crime boss with vague motives; Stone is really overselling it in every scene she has. Paisley Cadorath, who played Sammy Mansell, is used more to kick the story off, but without any of the engagement with her actual role; Cadorath sits in the background of scenes a lot and doesn't get her time to shine. Colin Salmon, who played The Barber, is used in a rather boring way this time around; Salmon is merely leaned on for exposition and fed nothing exciting to deliver within that. Lucius Hoyos, who played Max Martin, is a pretty stereotypical teenage bully character; he's in this film a surprising amount, but doesn't really lend anything to it.

A family vacation film done for the novelty, and lacking a decent plot. I would give Nobody 2 a 6/10.

Weapons

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Weapons is a horror film in which 17 children run out of their houses at 2:17am one night and disappear, leaving behind only one student and their teacher from that class. The town is divided over who the culprit is, while many circulate closer and closer to the darkness at the centre of this mystery.

I really admired just how creative and original Zach Cregger is with the script for Weapons. It has lots of elements and points of inspiration from other works, but it remains remarkably its own thing. This film tells a multi-layered POV story, delivering us tidbits of everything from the eyes of different characters. I loved being across this small American town, wondering where the clues that would provide some answers were going to emerge. I also liked that as the film drew us deeper down the line of perspectives, we got a greater sense of how depraved this little town can be. The teacher who lost her students has been demonised; she's an alcoholic, and she wants her students to be found. The Dad missing his son is preying on the most likely suspect, the police officer tries to cover up an assault, and the homeless man discovers some of the more surprising elements. This is a film that just invites you further in and will have fun keeping you guessing. I loved how the opening two acts are a boiling pot of tension, fright, and mystery that makes you guess at the answer to the disappearance of the children. When you understand the backstory to the missing children, there are some serious dark elements there. Unravelling the evil behind the disappearance and what steps were taken for the children to disappear is unnerving and unlike your typical horror antagonist plot. I love this film so much because it has dynamic characters, a town that feels lived in, and it managed to be a horror that wasn't afraid to be comedic or thrilling.

I really enjoyed Zach Cregger's pallid style; there's this washed-out grey that sets our landscape as a tragic, morose place. I think it must be difficult to capture horror in a manner that feels fresh, but there are entire sequences that just surprised me so much in their ingenuity. The editing set a very consistent pace, hitting key story beats and moving the tension of a scene along quite well. The score wasn't certainly eerie, and the soundtrack was a neat blend of tracks, with the opening use of 'Beware of Darkness' by George Harrison a surprising and effective moment.

Scarlett Sher, who voiced the Narrator, is an eerie start and end to this feature; she has this chilling quality that comes both from her age and her delivery. Cary Christopher, who played Alex, is incredibly versatile for his young age; Christopher is as much of a leading presence in this film as his adult co-stars. Josh Brolin, who played Archer, really has a protagonist with a serious, mean edge; Brolin is marred by grief and a drive to fix the wrongs that have been visited upon his family. Benedict Wong, who played Marcus, is such a genuinely kind role; I really think the work Wong put into making Marcus such a reasonable, good character makes his fate all the more tragic. Austin Abrams, who played James, is such a wildly comedic and entertaining standout role; Abrams is an almost manic, irrational character who gets into some absurdly scary and funny scenarios. Alden Ehrenreich, who played Paul, is a character with paper-thin resilience; Ehrenreich's police officer is entirely insecure and prone to destructive behaviour. Amy Madigan, who played Gladys, breathes some real menace into a rather erratic character; it is clear Madigan is one of the performers having the most fun with the script. Toby Huss, who played Captain Ed, was a quietly entertaining character performance; Huss navigated scenes with deference and good humour alike.

However, the best performance came from Julia Garner, who played Justine. This character is openly quite compassionate and displays a real sense of care for the children she teaches. I enjoyed seeing how combative she was, and how the town turning against her hadn't completely decimated her resolve. She is fiery and unwilling to be beaten around by more domineering figures. Garner also made sure that Justine was inquisitive, a curious individual who often let her curiosity be her own undoing. I enjoyed that this character was morally grey as well, prone to alcohol and bad choices of bedfellows. This is one of my very favourite roles from Garner so far; she really leads this feature brilliantly.

This is such a standout film due to its complete creative outlook; it really shoots for the moon and has fun with that. However, Weapons also doesn't make sense in a few places. It leaves a lot of questions open-ended, and not in a particularly well-reasoned way. This could range from something small like the cloudy assault rifle in Archer's dream sequence, right through to how the police weren't able to identify what seemed a very obvious antagonist in the first place. Weapons has a lot of plot holes; it doesn't suffer egregiously from them, but it does leave you feeling like sections of this were incomplete or needed more development. I also found the antagonist, Gladys, to be well-performed but not very well-written when she's in a scene that doesn't involve Alex. Her character really oversells herself to a point that it feels quite cartoonish. Gladys has some menace to her, but those moments where she dons the wig and becomes this wildly eccentric woman about town really fail to make me enjoy her as a horror antagonist.

Whitmer Thomas and Callie Schuterra, who played Alex's Dad and Alex's Mom respectively, never get developed enough to be interesting parental figures; these two are here to be props to the horror more than anything.

Weapons is that kind of original, bonkers horror film that is making going to the cinema a real point of excitement right now. I would give Weapons a 7.5/10.

Freakier Friday

This review may contain spoilers!

Freakier Friday is the sequel to Freaky Friday (2003) and once again follows the Coleman family through a body-swapping comedy. Anna is now a single mother to a rebellious teenager who loves her helicopter grandmother, Tess. When Anna meets Eric, a new love, it appears her family is set to grow. But with her conflict with her Mum, and her daughter fighting with Eric's, it will take another body swap curse to teach this dysfunctional family a lesson.

I think this is a film that desperately wanted to be made because those involved in the first wanted to have fun. And it shows, there are a lot of moments where the scene is being played for humour that have the most commitment of any scene in the film. I really enjoyed it when this film finally got on with the body swap curse and all the antics that could be had were explored. I really think this film knew what it was doing and gave itself a little bit more permission to be quite nutty this time around. The entire storyline with Jake and his interest in Tess being brought back up really stole the show.

I also quite enjoyed the soundtrack for this feature. Freakier Friday has some very fresh pop music that keeps the mood peppy and the energy levels high. It was an absolutely electric moment to hear 'Take Me Away' played once more, but this time as a big screen viewing for myself.

Lindsay Lohan, who played Anna Coleman, might be in her best form since she returned to acting; Lohan really dives into the comedy and also shoulders the responsibility of being the central protagonist quite well. Mark Harmon, who played Ryan, really has something quite special with this character; Harmon manages to pull off these deep emotional dialogue deliveries that really strike home. Chad Michael Murray, who played Jake, is a true comedic delight in this; he absolutely runs away with the gag from the first film that he's into older women. 

However, the best performance came from Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Tess Coleman. I have no doubt in my mind that Lee Curtis was the most excited to be back. She really runs at this script headfirst and commits to the intent of every scene. I enjoyed how her character is still quite capable of serving herself without communicating with her daughter, as can be seen with her being a sort of 'helicopter grandmother' throughout the film. But once Lee Curtis gets to be Lily? Then the gloves really come off. This is a comedic performance with no holds barred. Lee Curtis goes for it if the dialogue is funny or if a major physical slapstick moment needs to be played out. You have a sense of delight because Jamie Lee Curtis is clearly having the time of her life.

Freakier Friday is kind of what I expected the original Freaky Friday to be like. I saw the first film only a couple of months ago, and I expected a simplistic comedy with minimal care for the plot and a heap of overacting. I was delighted by the surprisingly resonant story and the incredible performances, particularly the chemistry between Lee Curtis and Lohan. This time around, it feels like there wasn't as much effort to deliver a quality story. The plot is basically the same thing. A blended family situation is on the horizon, and the family is fighting, bodies are swapped, and now that everyone has walked in one another's shoes, the conflict is resolved. It often feels like the story is sluggishly paced and the same narrative beats are being ticked off, rather than delivered with much heart. There's also this weird style to the writing that comes off as an older person trying to keep up with the kids. Moments of slang, jokes about safe spaces and gentle parenting, right down to how social media is used, come across as quite dated and yanked me out of the film quite a bit.

The film has no real sense of style to speak of, which is nothing new for your stock-standard American comedy. The camera is a blockish element that captures exactly what needs to be obviously captured and no further. The editing is also very simple and downright a bit too obvious in places; when scenes were cut to hide Jacinto's poor accent work felt like a real blunder. The score is present but unremarkable, providing nothing to lift the quality of the movie.

Julia Butters, who played Harper Coleman, is far too neutral a figure in this film; Butters just didn't feel confident in her part. Sophia Hammons, who played Lily Reyes, often plays her character as a bit of an over-the-top, snobby role; Hammons really leans into the obvious and doesn't have much depth to her performance. Manny Jacinto, who played Eric Reyes, is entirely charming but struggles with the British accent he has to do; Jacinto's fake British accent is one of the worst on-screen accents I have seen this year. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who played Ella, is apparently playing a pop star in this, but she struggles to capture the viewer's attention; Ramakrishnan all but disappears in her big concert scene, which just makes this role seem superfluous to the requirements. X Mayo, who played Principal Waldman, really doesn't feel much like a principal figure at all; she tends to sell the comedy too hard that I never really found much funny in her performance. Vanessa Bayer, who played Madame Jen, gives quite an uncomfortable performance that borders on melodrama; I feel Bayer was intended as a comedic insert, but that falls pretty flat. Stephen Tobolowsky. who played Mr Elton Bates, is a holdover legacy character that just isn't as fun this time around; the classic old teacher who rants at kids for being on their phones doesn't really feel effective.

Like most legacy comedy sequels, Freakier Friday seems to only exist as a hollow echo of the original film. I would give Freakier Friday a 4.5/10.

The Life of Chuck

 

This review may contain spoilers!

The Life of Chuck is an adaptation of a Stephen King short story of the same name. In this film, we see a world that is fast coming to an end, with the only consistent thread being an ad thanking Charles Krantz. As the movie draws us into Chuck's life, we come to understand the world carried within the single life of an individual.

I was entirely blown away by this feature; it imparts a theme that struck a chord with me. The film opens in a sort of end-of-days setting; the entire world, the very universe, is coming to an end. Within these end of days, we get a macabre look at what things we rely on that we lose, a neat criticism upon our technological dependencies that weirdly doesn't feel like it's punching down. At the same time, it's a look at human connection and a push on how we face disaster and loss. The way people in this film face such tremendous despair with such raw emotion shared with others, while still remaining joyful or even hopeful, is staggering. It's a very beautiful framework for the world, for how humanity can be innately. Yet within this incredible tableau is an oddity: Charles 'Chuck' Krantz. Advertisements for a man are everywhere; no one knows him, but the audience has the extended privilege of learning all about him. Chuck is a remarkably ordinary individual; it's the point that he feels so recognisable. This is a man who will endure and has endured something terrible, but the film isn't about the end or even really hardship. This film about Chuck manages to capture the feeling of dreams never pursued, what it can be to want to dance or perform art, but give your life to something safer. This is a film about facing death, recovering from the death of others and even accepting that death walks the journey of life. But overall, this is a film that tells you to look at yourself and recognise the vastness of all the experiences you have captured and carried with you. It's a beautiful thing to carry so much as an individual, and this film celebrates this perspective brilliantly.

I really found this quite a gorgeous film to watch, especially in those intimate moments of dialogue scattered throughout. How conversations were held is very well staged here to make each interaction rather dynamic. Yet, I also found this film had a nice colour palette that ranged across different moments in the film. Even simple special effects, such as the stars winking out, hit with intentional impact. I found the score extremely moving and poignant. This was a film where a sense of music gliding us along was really required. The soundtrack is also perfect for grounding us in the setting, and the final track 'The Parting Glass' by Gregory Alan Isakov, makes this whole film come together like poetry.

Tom Hiddleston, who played Charles 'Chuck' Krantz, was remarkable as the title character; Hiddleston is effortlessly charming, and his dance number is a highlight of the film. Karen Gillan, who played Felicia Gordon, was a figure who seemed like she was being drained of resolve; Gillan's connection to Ejiofor when she is seeking hope is such a beautiful scene. Mia Sara, who played Sarah Krantz, was wonderful as Chuck's kindly grandmother; Sara is the bright spark in the film that livens scenes she is in. Carl Lumbly, who played Sam Yarborough, is such an earnest figure holding remarkable wisdom; Lumbly lends a good deal of weight to his lines, which lets you sit and reflect upon them. Mark Hamill, who played Albie Krantz, is a tragic figure and a great mentor figure simultaneously; Hamill is placed as a storyteller and a man deeply troubled by his life experiences here. David Dastmalchian, who played Josh, is one of those early character conversations around the world ending; the scene shared between him and Ejiofor about Pornhub is one of those really iconic moments in the feature. Matthew Lillard, who played Gus, comes in to his scene entirely shellshocked but with a massive story to tell; Lillard takes us through this beautiful and powerful monologue that stole the show completely. Rahul Kohli, who played Bri, is a spot of comedic relief that lands well in the chaotic opening act; he really bounces dialogue off Gillan neatly. Annalise Basso, who played Janice Halliday, really captures the comedy elements of a recent break-up initially very well; I loved seeing her spark with life as she connected with Hiddleston's performance. Samantha Sloyan, who played Miss Rohrbacher, really comes in as this bold and confident force; I liked how Sloyan commanded the screen without trying to push into the limelight. Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who played Cat McCoy, was quite a fun role; Bliss is entirely likable, and the way she livens scenes is a delight. Nick Offerman, who voiced The Narrator, brings some entirely hilarious delivery to this piece; Offerman contains such range that he could easily switch across the feature.

However, the best performance came from Chiwetel Ejiofor, who played Marty Anderson. This is our leading performance for the first act of the film, and it stays with me long after I left the theatre. Ejiofor gets to be our eyes for the end of the world, a school teacher with a penchant for science who watches the parents of his students crumble into hopeless cases before his eyes at parent-teacher interviews. Ejiofor is very grounded in this; he seems so easy to connect with and extraordinarily kind. He feels the weight of the end of the world as much as everyone else, yet he is still capable of delivering a beautiful, hopeful monologue about the life of the universe when folded into an Earth calendar year. His chemistry with Gillan is palpable; there's some distance there, but also this unspoken thing of wanting to fold into one another's arms. I loved Ejiofor leading us into this beautiful journey. What an introduction, what a guide.

The Life of Chuck is really hemmed in by the non-linear abstract elements it uses to frame the narrative. How the story opts to jump around can be quite muddling; the film as a whole can really be driving home a point while also losing focus on its main task. The film is called The Life of Chuck, but I struggled to access Chuck for the first half of the film, which is a very unique problem given how good the film is. I would have liked to connect with Chuck as a character a lot more than in the time he was a child.

The editing for this film can set a strange pace at times; the most common problem would probably be a shot lingering on for too long before actively cutting away.

Jacob Tremblay, who played Teen Charles 'Chuck' Krantz, doesn't really have much time to give this film anything of note; Tremblay holds the space to serve the character, but provides no real substance to the central character. Benjamin Pajak, who played Young Charles 'Chuck' Krantz, is quite awkward and gawky to watch; Pajak's performance shows a range that is still developing, but not enough to hold such a prominent position in the film. Q'orianka Kilcher, who played Virginia 'Ginny' Krantz, is glossed over so much in this that you don't really feel the emotional weight of her character; Kilcher and Hiddleston have no chemistry as a husband and wife duo. Violet McGraw, who played Iris, is another young performer who doesn't quite hit the mark; McGraw's character felt odd, and I didn't enjoy the scene she shared with Ejiofor. The Pocket Queen, who played Taylor Franck, is perhaps not so confident within the acting scene as she is doing a musical performance on the drums; this is a role that feels like she is here for the drum performance and less to contribute to the film as a character. Kate Siegel, who played Miss Richards, felt a bit thin in her struggling teacher role; Siegel delivered some poetry, but there was little impact in her words or performance. 

In times like these, I think I needed a little story like this one about Charles Krantz; thanks, Chuck. I would give The Life of Chuck an 8.5/10.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

 

This review may contain spoilers!

The Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and introduces Marvel's first family to the saga. Set on an alternative 1960s retro-futuristic Earth, the Fantastic Four are established and champions for their world. But when faced with a new threat, the world-devourer, Galactus, the team will be faced with their greatest challenge yet.

The film hits the ground running by taking us into a refreshingly creative superhero world, something entirely new and unique to this Fantastic Four team. This is a world captured with retro-futuristic technology, but with a 1960s aesthetic tipping its hat to the time this hero team debuted in the comics. I was really impressed with the simple manner in which this world was delivered to us; technological leaps were caught simply in a home that is furnished with an antiquated style but adorned with handy gizmos. The costumes are a sharp contrast to the high-flying Fantasti-car and the modern monorail, which navigates the city. It's a world that tells us Marvel is still willing to keep playing, reimagining and offering us something fresh nearly forty films deep. But that's just where this film gets points for being creative; this is actually a Marvel feature with a significant amount of heart. At its very core, the Four are truly a family here, and that's what matters most. This is a film where our leads have some beautiful chemistry with one another; they feel entirely bonded. The film centres upon how these characters can save a new member of their family without sacrificing their commitment to save their world. The value of being able to show up and depend upon your family is pretty special, and I liked that the character storytelling shown throughout really uplifted that value. Watching The Fantastic Four: First Steps felt the most like watching a comic book leap right off the pages I have seen in a while. But right here, we have the Thing, who is entirely a big softie, a Johnny Storm who loves to tease, the most powerful member: Sue Storm and Reed grappling with the dark side of his logic-first manner of thinking. Not to mention Galactus and Silver Surfer being perfectly adapted for the big screen, with Galactus feeling like an entirely unmatchable threat.

This is a very aesthetically unique film to watch. The film is shot and styled around capturing the special effects world it had developed without shredding a moment of intimacy between the core cast. I was really blown away by the CGI in this; it was clear Marvel had been banking big on The Fantastic Four because the attention to detail was unreal. There are some obvious wins like the design of The Thing or the Silver Surfer, but it gets right down to some truly impressive design work like the space chase sequence or Galactus arriving upon Earth in the final act. The musical score Michael Giacchino has crafted here is bubbly and brilliant, entirely fresh and leaves me feeling quite reverent towards a superhero team I didn't feel this strongly about previously.

Vanessa Kirby, who played Sue Storm, is the backbone of the Fantastic Four team; Kirby's moments of fury and especially her moments of strength are some of the top scenes in the film. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who played Ben Grimm, really is the gentle giant at the heart of this team; I liked the way Moss-Bachrach always brought out the kindness in Ben. Joseph Quinn, who played Johnny Storm, is often hilarious and has some great teasing dialogue between many of his co-stars; despite being the cockiest in the team, I enjoyed that Quinn always found a purpose to the boldness of his role. Ralph Ineson, who played Galactus, truly breathes life into this cosmic monolith; Ineson's voice radiates power, and his presence as this character holds your attention completely. Julia Garner, who played Shalla-Bal, is convincing as an otherworldly presence; the scene where Johnny makes her feel the guilt of her actions is emotionally painful to watch and played to perfection by Quinn and herself.

However, the best performance came from Pedro Pascal, who played Reed Richards. There is no denying that Reed has always been captured on-screen as the smartest member of the Fantastic Four team. But few films have found what Reed's moral centre looks like, not in the way Pascal cuts straight to it. From his first scene, this Reed is shown to be easily distracted and leading with a mind trying to solve a problem, but not necessarily leading with emotional intelligence. Yet, this same man is capable of a steady, gentle expression of love towards his wife and family, which extends entirely to his more soft-spoken manner across the feature. It's really interesting to watch Pascal lead this team confidently and with surety, and yet entirely without the bravado of past MCU heroes in his position. I entirely believed in Pedro's portrayal of raw intellect and moments of social awkwardness; he found his own flavour here. The really powerful moment that stemmed from an actor as great as Pascal taking on Reed is the moments in which his character sat with a dark solution to a problem in a rough contrast to the rest of the Fantastic Four family. Definitely the most well-realised portrayal of Reed to date and a hero I'm looking forward to seeing more of.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a fun but very tumultuous beginning. There is a quick introduction to our heroes via a talk show narration recap. This is a nice way to get the proverbial ball rolling and set us up with the key information, but I was disappointed that so much of the start was basically a headlining introduction of 'here's what to expect from the characters you came to see'. I think there were more creative ways to skate around the big origin story. I also found the entire world uniting to be teleported away from Galactus quite optimistic, if not entirely too cheesy. This film does tend towards a soft and lighter pitch, so it's an unsurprising if not unlikely narrative beat. I also didn't much care for a number of the side characters across this film, and the feature pushed these roles to the side with a lack of care that held the whole thing back.

Natasha Lyonne, who played Rachel Rozman, had this flirtatious connection with Moss-Bachrach's Ben that felt extremely underdeveloped; I enjoyed Lyonne having fun with her lines, but she seemed uncertain of her purpose in this piece. Paul Walter Hauser, who played Harvey Elder, seemed like a cheap comedy character tacked on for laughs; this was a performance that played things too big in every scene he was in. Sarah Niles, who played Lynne Nichols, was an entirely dull side character; an administrative role to the Four that was far too present across the feature. Mark Gatiss, who played Ted Gilbert, wore thin pretty fast as this talk show host; Gatiss's long stint of narration-style exposition was far less thrilling than the action being played out.

This is probably the best superhero film of 2025. I would give The Fantastic Four: First Steps an 8.5/10.

Friendship

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Friendship follows Craig, a rather inept and lonely suburban Dad who finds his whole world changed when he makes friends with his neighbour, Austin. As Craig poorly navigates the world of adult friendships, we come to see his personal failings and poor character tarnish his life.

This is a fresh comedy from A24 that really leans on the brand of humour you will be accustomed to from Tim Robinson if you have seen his body of work. Scattered throughout this feature are wildly absurd scenes that feel like contained skits, blips of humour that will have you rolling. These moments of comedy might be camouflaged as a group of guy buds handing out before tilting into a perfectly rehearsed chorus rendition of 'My Boo' by Ghost Town DJs. Likewise, we get a classic American comedy drug trip scene, but this film makes me think of films like Booksmart in how it makes this moment unique. The protagonist quietly drifts into a Subway eatery, orders a sandwich from Paul Rudd and suddenly comes back to his senses an instant later. This movie is riddled with some wild points and sincerely fun comedy concepts.

This film is surprisingly sharp-looking for a comedy, transforming American suburbia into this insular and claustrophobic world that is Craig's life. I also have a real sweet spot for a comedy that uses its soundtrack for full punchline material; I mentioned 'My Boo', which steals the show, but putting Slipknot in for the punk rock stage was brilliant as well.

Paul Rudd, who played Austin, seems a little off the beaten path at times, but is clearly having fun here; Rudd really leans into the charming and charismatic aspects of his role keenly. Kate Mara, who played Tami, is probably playing this whole thing the most straight-edged, which works surprisingly well; Mara is a very sobering presence that counters Robinson's antics nicely. Billy Bryk, who played Tony, is a deceptively heavy hitter when it comes to comedy; Bryk gives us the toad scene, which is one of the best parts of the film. Josh Segarra, who played Devon, is in a fairly two-dimensional role, but he fills it very notably; Segarra just has to be the most captivating person in the room for a moment, and it works perfectly. Conner O'Malley, who played Patton, played a small role that stole the show for me; O'Malley turns a small interaction between himself and Robinson into the most side-splitting interaction of the feature. 

However, the best performance came from Tim Robinson, who played Craig. This film is almost exclusively built around Robinson's brand of comedy so there is little surpise he shines the best within that. This is an off-kilter character who wanders away from good intentions at every turn in favour of his own self-interest. Robinson builds a good gag here around making Craig a sort of 'everyman'. We could bump into this guy on the street easily, and the humour lies in watching this everyman figure alight his whole life so easily. Robinson is a loud, destructive force who can play with jokes that subvert expectations or aim to make the viewer uncomfortable. I like how clear it was that his character was a complete narcissist who would happily toast his chances at a good life for one single second of self-satisfaction. A bizarre and captivating time from Robinson.

The moments where we get to sit in the comedy are great, but they're so brief and often swallowed by long sweeping moments of discomfort. This film is hooked around a character who is quite bad at being a husband and a father, he feels immense dissatisfaction and loneliness in his own life. You might think the 'friendship' element that is so titular might be the hinge on which this film swings for dealing with that. But not so! After a brief, failed stint at making friends, Craig just impulsively torches his life. We get an over-the-top comedic figure who is innately unlikable, marching through scenes, blowing up his life. He's a jerk, people don't like him, and the rest of the supporting characters aren't exactly underdogs worth rooting for either. This film basically generally points at middle-aged middle-class guys and says you're the problem, and then fails to evoke much more substance than that. It's a perfectly fine comedic theme, there are some good jokes, but the story and characters presented aren't easy to connect with. I also felt really pushed to the edge of my comfort levels when Craig started chewing on soap or when his teenage son kissed his mother on the lips; it felt like an attempt to be provocative just for the sake of it. There may have been a push for this to fit the A24 portfolio in terms of narrative style more than there needed to be.

The way this film is edited sets a sluggish pace that really ambles us along, considering how energetic Robinson can be; this is quite surprising. I also didn't like some of the circle wipes and other dated transitional effects that were scattered throughout. The score for the film was downright wild tonally. There was this low-toned chorus that sang across several scenes that didn't work for me. I felt like the score was intended to paint this film as a little more thought-provoking than it actually managed to be.

Jack Dylan Grazer, who played Steven, doesn't really serve much purpose here; I found he didn't play his part for comedy, and he added nothing to the overall story.

A phenomenal cast and some skit-like moments of hilarity don't salvage a film that is too busy trying to make you uncomfortable and unsettled. I would give Friendship a 4.5/10.

Superman

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Superman marks the first feature in the new DC cinematic universe. We join the titular hero amidst his third year of being a superhero as he comes up against the intellect of his adversary, Lex Luthor.

One thing I strongly feel about this film is that it's nice to see a Superman who is just a good person. He is motivated by his positive values, and he acts on them; that's the character at his core. It also felt like Superman was genuinely immersed in a comic book world already full of heroes and villains, which is much more interesting than anything done with the DC superheroes in a few years.

Mikaela Hoover, who played Cat Grant, embodied the flirty gossip columnist well; Hoover really plays up her role's curiosity and hunger for juicy info. Skyler Gisondo, who played Jimmy Olsen, was made to play this character; Gisondo manages to be nerdy and awkward while also entirely confident within himself. Frank Grillo, who played Rick Flag Sr., genuinely gives off the impression of a man who has seen conflict; Grillo is quite interesting as a character at the top who is trying to speak to the good side of heroes. Edi Gathegi, who played Mr Terrific, is a real scene stealer; Gathegi has this stoic detached thing going that makes his character one of the most badass. Milly Alcock, who played Kara Zor-El, is only in one scene, but it's a massive show of talent; her more reckless Supergirl was a lot of fun and presents an upcoming film I'm much more excited about.

However, the best performance came from Nathan Fillion, who played Guy Gardner. At first, this outwardly grumpy and arrogant superhero figure is an abrasive one. But the longer you sit with him, the more you realise that's kind of the point. Guy Gardner has always famously been one of the worst Green Lanterns when it comes to attitude, and this iteration gets right to the heart of that. Fillion's Guy is entirely self-obsessed, paints himself the leader of the 'Justice Gang' and is constantly butting heads with his team. His cocky, derisive air results in some brilliant and funny moments of dialogue. Even within all that tough-guy bluster, Fillion presents a hero with a heart of gold at his core. Seeing the worst Green Lantern shine as one of the very best live-action Lanterns was a spectacular treat.

Superman was an unusual superhero film experience to me; it felt like someone I didn't know particularly well had tossed episode seventeen of a random cartoon onto the TV for me to watch. This is a film that hurtles you smack dab into a superhero universe that is well underway, but there's nothing much to the padding in that worldbuilding. There are so many characters here, and so many things going on, that it becomes so very easy to actually lose Superman in all this. The dialogue for many of the characters also feels unnatural and a bit forced to evoke a style or era of comics. This just didn't feel like the best story to reintroduce Superman with. The whole film hinges on Lex Luthor essentially 'cancelling' Superman in the court of public opinion, via talk shows and social media. We even get a weird scene where Lex has trained a bunch of monkeys to hurl insults about Superman onto the internet. Given that the film's director was cancelled online and fired from projects he was involved in a few years back, this is all pretty on the nose stuff; but even removed from all that, why waste the big new Superman film on a commentary about cancel culture? Why are online trolls and incel billionaires so present here? This Superman has been hyped for bringing the good-natured, classic Supes back, but it also presents some very ugly and uninteresting elements of our current society that don't feel particularly necessary to the character of Superman. The humour and moments of parody in this film are bizarre or downright uncomfortable. The film feeds us a global conflict between two sovereign nations that is very clearly an oddball parody of the Israel/Palestine conflict. Meanwhile, other characters are making jokes about their ex-girlfriend's weird toes, or we have scenes of Lex musing that Superman has a space harem of Earth wives. I guess a part of me wonders who all of that is for? Sometimes the humour gets downright simplistic. We all know Krypto is here for this film outing, and he's fun for a couple of scenes. But the Superdog is just here to be badly behaved and played for comedy, so when his presence hinges on winning the final act conflict, I felt quite disappointed as a viewer. I also thought the final act devolving into a simple Superman vs. Superman brawl was ridiculously lazy. If you thought the pseudo-science problems of Jurassic World: Rebirth were shocking, you are in for a real treat here. 

I am a massive fan of James Gunn's filmography up until this point; his works are often visual treats. So it was quite the moment of whiplash for me watching the cinematography of this feature. The flying or action sequences in general looked blurry, flight motion looked awkward and the way the film shoved constant close-ups that looked like a 0.5 phone shot made this one of the worst-looking superhero films I had watched in a while. The visual effects really did very little for me either; there were several instances of CGI characters plastered badly against a CGI background. Once again, fight scenes or flight scenes just looked completely blurry and poorly rendered. The musical score was a warbling affair that didn't feel much like a homage, so much as it felt like a mismanaged imitation. It surprised me that Gunn (who is known for his soundtrack compilations) put together such poor picks for Superman. The fact that this film weirdly mischaracterises Superman as kinda liking punk to the point that the film ends with Iggy Pop is the most ridiculous ending imagined.

David Corenswet, who played Superman, lacks the presence required to really stand out as a leading man; I felt he lacked the range to flesh this character out for the more interesting moments of conflict. Alan Tudyk, who voiced Gary, is becoming a voice presence I'm getting a bit tired of hearing in all my robots and DC characters; Tudyk is a talent, but the monotonous tone played for comedy wears thin. Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan, who played Jor-El and Lara respectively, were some of the most lifeless portrayals of Superman's parents yet; it's a good example of when a celebrity cameo undercuts what could have been a good character performance. María Gabriela de Faría, who played The Engineer, is a rather forgettable henchwoman role that gets buried in CGI; de Faría's over-the-top portrayal of anger and hatred makes her character more of something to laugh at. Sara Sampaio, who played Eve Teschmacher, really oversells this airhead girlfriend role; Sampaio presenting the social media addicted, lustful attache to the villain is a role that doesn't work for a variety of obvious reasons. Nicholas Hoult, who played Lex Luthor, is the same whiny Lex we got from Eisenberg that makes me wish they'd cast Lex older; Hoult's lean into the exaggerated incel billionaire feels completely off character for Luthor. Wendell Pierce, who played Perry White, is quite happy phoning in the caricature of Perry; Pierce plays the newspaper editor like he's in a cartoon. Beck Bennett, who played Steve Lombard, is some of the laziest comedic relief the film has on offer; Bennett could have been cut, and nothing would have been lost. Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince, who played Ma Kent and Pa Kent respectively, fail to really evoke an emotional connection with their on-screen son, nor seem like the origin of his morals; Pruitt Taylor Vince could win an award for really dragging out every single word of dialogue his role had. Rachel Brosnahan, who played Lois Lane, just didn't feel like she gave the role much punch; Lois is often a real fighter, but Brosnahan was used to be more of the girlfriend than anything else. Zlatko Buric, who played Vasil Ghurkos, feels like a strange parody of a real-life figure; I found the way Buric leaned into this parody of a dictator to be borderline perverse at times. Isabela Merced, who played Hawkgirl, is perhaps just too young for this role to be taken seriously; for my money, I'd say her actually shrieking like a bird might be why her performance sucked. Anthony Carrigan, who played Metamorpho, not only looked awful in this role, but his voice did not suit who he was playing; this shrill, panicked figure just comes off as a bit of a joke. 

This is one of the ugliest Superman films I have ever seen. I would give Superman a 4/10.

Jurassic World: Rebirth

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Jurassic World: Rebirth is the seventh instalment in the Jurassic series, featuring a new group of adventurers trapped on a dinosaur-infested island. Martin Krebs assembles a team of mercenaries led by Zora Bennett in an attempt to collect dinosaur bio-samples that could cure heart disease. After picking up a shipwrecked family, things start to go awry for the group, and they soon find themselves landlocked on an island abandoned to dinosaurs.

I enjoyed this film when it knew what familiar beats would actually resonate with audiences. The moments that worked, or the emotional stakes we could buy into. For example, the ragtag band of main characters soldiering about on Dino Island looking for a cure for heart disease weren't especially interesting. Still, the innocent family that got swept up into this unfamiliar landscape was. To resonate with a young family that could be anyone in the theatre made the stakes feel a little more present. I also greatly enjoyed the action sequences and horror elements present across the film. The Jurassic series is at its best when it's chasing thrills. When it allows itself to be scary? Well, that's when these dinosaur films come alive.

The real strength of Jurassic World: Rebirth lies in its impressive visual presentation. Gareth Edwards is no stranger to shooting for monolithic visual effects while also immersing the audience in stunning environments. The special effects just continue to look better and better. I was in awe of how detailed and expressive the dinosaurs were as beasts in this one. Alexandre Desplat weaves a beautiful musical score for this film, and I really felt the moments of danger just as strongly as the moments of wonder.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who played Reuben Delgado, is quite a comforting role as the signature Dad of the film; this is a character who can be quite high-strung but has so much care for his family at all times. David Iacono, who played Xavier Dobbs, is the strongest point of comedic relief in the feature; I actually enjoyed watching Iacono take his character from slacker to protector. Audrina Miranda, who played Isabella Delgado, is quite a strong performer for someone so young; Miranda does an especially good job at showing a child who is riddled with fear come out of that state.

However, the best performance came from Jonathan Bailey, who played Dr. Henry Loomis. I've really been enjoying Bailey's rise to the big screen; he has a lot of talent to give. This is our scientist hero, often the smartest character in a scene, but also the most naturally at home with the dinosaurs. I found Bailey's ability to grandstand and play to the wonder of the Jurassic series highly infectious. This is the sort of character who feeds your excitement of seeing dinosaurs brought to life. I also loved the chemistry Bailey built with Johansson; there was something very playful in their dialogue with one another. I like characters like Henry in the Jurassic series because it just grounds the viewer in a role who loves the very thing we have all turned up to see.

Jurassic World: Rebirth has possibly one of the worst scripts of the series to be frank. When it actually manages to land something right in the story, it is often because the visual and musical production elements are working overtime to lift that moment up. When this film isn't set against an action sequence, there is a very stark reminder that these storylines and characters don't have much bones to them. The whole film hinges on our characters hunting for a cure for heart disease; they need dinosaurs to do it for some reason, and it has to be the biggest earth, sea and air dinosaurs because they have the biggest hearts (the earth, sea and air aspect is still kinda hazy). This driving thing pushes a very odd band of roles together, who fail to become an intriguing main cast of characters. The main mercenary barely feels like a soldier, the financier is the same evil businessman we've had in many other films, the boat captain is here to weep over every character death we experience, and the rest of the roles could be easily described with the words: 'cannon fodder'. These characters could have been made interesting, perhaps even a little three-dimensional, if they didn't fire backstory/character-defining information at one another like it was a one-liner quip. The film fails to really make you buy into it a lot. For example, the opening scene shows a dinosaur laboratory fall into chaos because a Snickers wrapper (woohoo product placement!) gets sucked into an automated door system. The movie also bares no teeth at the end, by cheating the audience out of a semi-decent main character death. This is a film about dinosaurs that has an opening title sequence that states, "The world has begun to lose interest in dinosaurs". Perhaps after this film, that might be true.

Scarlett Johansson, who played Zora Bennett, is in one of her worst leading roles to date; Johansson puts no work in to making us reasonably think her character is even capable of a mercenary occupation. Mahershala Ali, who played Duncan Kincaid, really struggles to make himself known in this; the fact that Ali is playing to quite a tacked-on backstory point makes him difficult to connect with. Rupert Friend, who played Martin Krebs, struggles to get out from the stereotypical qualities of his role; Friend is comfortable in the sleazy, selfish nature of the role and doesn't add any dimension to that. Luna Blaise, who played Teresa Delgado, is the weak link in the family storyline; the obstinate teenager who lashes out shtick wears pretty thin.

It may be time for the Jurassic series to go extinct. I would give Jurassic World: Rebirth a 6/10.

M3GAN 2.0

 

This review may contain spoilers!

M3GAN 2.0 is a sequel to M3GAN (2022) and follows Gemma and Cady a few years after the M3GAN incident. Now, a new weaponised android called AMELIA has gone rogue and is after everyone ever linked to her creation. With Gemma in the crosshairs, they must rely on an android adversary long thought to be dead.

They really stumbled into the right thing when they decided to make M3GAN camp and irreverent. This could very easily have been a sci-fi horror that played itself too seriously; having fun with the material is what found this film its audience. The sequel holds the exact same strength. While this film shucks the horror elements for the most part, it holds on tight to all the comedy elements that made it so beloved in the first place. Yes, M3GAN hates Gemma, and she lets her know it in what is some of the funniest dialogue in the film. Is M3GAN in a stealth operation? Sure, but you're getting a dance number. Cady just got kidnapped, so of course, M3GAN is going to serenade us with Kate Bush. This is a film that wants you shrieking with laughter now instead of fear.

I really felt like the special effects got a bit of a boost this time around, the M3GAN design still works incredibly well, and her big glidersuit scene is an impressive step up from the first outing. The soundtrack takes a little while to give something, but once it starts, you will have some hilarious additions. Though, as I previously mentioned, nothing beats M3GAN singing Kate Bush's 'This Woman's Work'.

Allison Williams, who played Gemma, seems to be having remarkably more fun with the material this time around; Williams really leans into the humorous rivalry between her character and M3GAN. Jemaine Clement, who played Alton Appleton, absolutely ran away with his scenes in this; Clement took the self-absorbed and idolised billionaire role to a hilarious place. Timm Sharp, who played Tim Sattler, was a really funny new addition to the cast; I loved how Sharp just played up his intelligence agent as a low-intelligence moron.

However, the best performance came from Jenna Davis, who voiced M3GAN. This was my favourite performance in the first film, and it is an easy pick in the second feature. Davis is naturally a bit snarky and biting as M3GAN; she is the reason this role is iconic. I often found the way M3GAN winds up on a pedestal is just how much Davis can go for it in a delivery. When the best you have is your title character, it makes sense to see who is lending all that personality to it. Jenna Davis might not be a performer hurtling through stunts, but every moment of comedy, rivalry or pure entertainment often has her at the centre.

M3GAN 2.0 is quite like the first film, with all of the same flaws, only louder and more obvious. These films have always struggled with their identity somewhat; the first film was supposed to be a horror, and this sequel might be an action sci-fi. Yet somehow, both movies are more comedy than anything else. The genre elements are quite confused, and because this follow-up isn't as sure of what it wants to be, there's not much surprise when we're left with a staggering overcomplicated film about AI threats grappling for saving or destroying the world. The film attempts to ground us with M3GAN, Gemma and Cady rather optimistically. But that's not really the light touch the film hopes for; Gemma and Cady's familial problems are even more underdeveloped than in the first film. Ultimately, the idea that M3GAN and co. are required to rout the oldest, most evil AI is a strange follow-up to 'evil toy goes rogue'. The more the film introduces M3GAN, the more it tends to lose focus on the main story that it too knows is boring. The theme is also buried somewhere along the way, it skews towards the AI is evil path again, while mumbling about technology in moderation. M3GAN feels pretty safe this time around; she is treated like a character who isn't really going anywhere, and therefore, the ending feels neither surprising nor particularly gratifying. It's a pity that the stylistic touch of the first horror outing seems to have been lost in the glamour of a big-budget Hollywood sequel.

While I felt the increased budget allowed for nicer effects, it is a pity that the visual cinematography of this film was less. Every scene had more of a lazily paced feel to it, and none of the framing was especially dynamic. I also didn't take much note of the score; the film didn't really lean on this to bleed emotional beats into the film.

Ivanna Sakhno, who played AMELIA, is quite a dull antagonist to pit against our protagonists; where M3GAN is quirky, Sakhno gives AMELIA nothing defining. Violet McGraw, who played Cady, is a young actress the series is sadly saddled with; McGraw struggles to lend her characters much emotional range, which limits any interest in this central character. Brian Jordan Alvarez, who played Cole, really stood out in the first film, but I really wish we had used him less this time around; Alvarez really tries to be the funniest in this film and comes off as a bit over the top. Aristotle Athari, who played Christian, was a letdown as the surprise human antagonist; Athari just doesn't seem to know when to play for humour or when to play a scene dramatically. Jen Van Epps, who played Tess, fell into the background in the first film and struggles with this issue once again; Van Epps just doesn't really seem equipped to make herself known amongst the ensemble.

M3GAN 2.0 is right to lean into its more comedic side, but flounders when it tries to morph into an action AI film. I would give M3GAN 2.0 a 4.5/10.

F1: The Movie

 

This review may contain spoilers!

F1: The Movie follows Sonny Hayes, a man who chases first place in all major automotive circuits ever since a life-threatening crash from a Formula One race in his youth. When his friend and former rival, Ruben Cervantes, offers him a spot on his Formula One team, Sonny reluctantly agrees.

I was immediately drawn into this racing film. We see Sonny smash through NASCAR like it's the easiest competitive circuit in the world. It is clear Sonny is a prodigy, and there is no doubt in the audience's mind that he could be the answer to Ruben's failing F1 team problems. The film is smart in how it handles introducing Sonny back to F1. He's not a natural winner from the first scene; he crashes, but he shows incredible potential and insight not present in the other members of Ruben's team. The film then spends a lot of time telling us who Sonny is. He physically trains himself for the race, he studies and learns both the car and the track, and he works to build up the other members of the team. One of the big challenges here is the other APX driver: Joshua. Throughout the film, Joshua is resistant to Sonny, disobeying him and insulting him, which eventually leads to the extreme of Joshua getting into a life-threatening crash. The pair then build back up, Sonny especially learning how to become a natural teammate to someone with a lot of talent but who needs to develop respect. This film felt like a very traditional Hero's Journey pathway done right, which will be no surprise to Joseph Kosinski fans post Top Gun: Maverick. I also felt extremely impressed with how immersive this film was. A lot of the racing places you right in the action and makes you feel like the driver behind the wheel.

This film is a technical masterpiece, which is no surprise if you're familiar with Joseph Kosinski as a director. This film uses incredible camera techniques to live-capture real cars positioned within real Formula One races. More than this, the camera work used throughout challenges itself to stay dynamic and is a massive contributor to why this film feels so immersive. The editing present here is some of the strongest this year, piecing shots together in a way that makes the visual storytelling of this film stand out even stronger than the narrative work at play. The soundtrack used throughout is full of comfortable rock and some fresh pop and hip-hop tracks, marking F1 as the trendy forefront of the racing world that it is. I also feel the whole thing being sewn together by a powerful score from Hans Zimmer is well worth noting.

Damson Idris, who played Joshua Pearce, really earnestly plays the young hotshot with an ego bigger than his talent; I appreciated Idris because he really brought Joshua on a journey that humbled the role and lifted him up. Javier Bardem, who played Ruben Cervantes, is entirely charming in this film; I also liked it when Bardem and Pitt got to portray a friendship with some conflict in it. Tobias Menzies, who played Peter Banning, was an oddball left-field antagonist role that I quite liked; Menzies has a couple of insanely good scenes where it feels like he is satirising Elon Musk. Kim Bodnia, who played Kaspar Smolinski, is a character I enjoyed seeing become increasingly frustrated by Pitt's lead; yet Bodnia also quietly built his character's camaraderie with Sonny up too, which worked well. Sarah Niles, who played Bernadette, really grounds Idris' role morally; I enjoyed seeing Niles play a sort of conscience while also having to reach the point of being a distraught mother in this film. Will Merrick and Joseph Balderrama, who played Nickleby and Fazio respectively, are a fun ensemble to the APX race team; I enjoyed the fast banter that adds a bit of levity to the racing or team briefing scenes. Shea Whigham, who played Chip Hart, gives a strong start to the film; this is a character who feels like a seasoned pro really passing grudging respect to Pitt's Sonny.

However, the best performance came from Brad Pitt, who played Sonny Hayes. At this point in his career, Pitt is picking roles and scripts that really excite him or allow him to stretch his legs. Hayes has that classic 'chip on his shoulder' aspect that Pitt tends to gravitate towards, which results in a nice storyline around living a life post-severe injury. I really felt this character had a gruff yet charming front, while holding deep personal fear behind closed doors. I liked that Pitt's role could be very aloof in one scene, while nothing but hard edges in the next. Yet across all of it, we saw a character with almost superhuman drive and willpower, someone who became self-sacrificing to win. I remember when the latest Mission: Impossible came out, people said Tom Cruise was the last true movie star, but I feel a similar affinity for Brad Pitt.

I think that at the core of this film, the thing holding it back from being an absolute knockout piece of cinema is how safe the story can be at times. I often felt it took the path most travelled, especially early in the film, with Joshua being a punk rival to Sonny. It felt like their antagonistic start could have had more of an edge to it. The ending also felt very cheesy, bringing Sonny back down from all of his development and reducing the feeling I had been sitting with after the big final race. Perhaps most annoying was the really poor romance subplot. The absolute lack of chemistry between Sonny and Kate is unbearable, yet the movie keeps pushing it up the hill. This is a love story that feels like it was mandated to be in the feature; there's no real love in it whatsoever.

Kerry Condon, who played Kate McKenna, just feels like she struggles to make herself be heard or stand out in this; I also really felt like there was no romantic chemistry whatsoever between Condon and Pitt. Abdul Salis, who played Dodge, was a character who really struggled to make himself known; I felt like Salis made little connection on set as his role paired well with nobody. Callie Cooke, who played Jodie, is a character who constantly fails and goes through growth we never really see; I expected more from Cooke and felt this character might have been interesting with some proper screen time. Samson Kayo, who played Cash, is a staggeringly annoying performance; Kayo gives a superficial and easy-going performance that makes him feel like the laziest we get.

Between Joseph Kosinski's ability to weave a visually superior film and Brad Pitt's knockout performance, this is certainly a must-watch on the big screen. I would give F1: The Movie an 8/10.

28 Years Later

 

This review may contain spoilers!

28 Years Later is the third film in the 28 Days Later franchise, and as the title suggests, takes us 28 years after the outbreak. In this feature, Spike is due for the rite of passage his island village partakes in. He and his father, Jamie, venture out onto the mainland to survive six hours alone surrounded by the zombie hordes.

The zombie genre is a realm that hasn't produced as many major hits on the big screen in a while. I certainly haven't been this entertained by a zombie feature since the second Zombieland graced our screens. The thing worth getting excited about for 28 Years Later is the reunion of the creative team; seeing the radical storytelling of Alex Garland partnered with the filmmaking expertise of Danny Boyle is a treat. It's what made 28 Days Later such a timeless gem for the genre. In this film, for nearly the entire first half, we get some of the best onscreen tension I have seen all year. Watching Spike and Jamie stagger through this decaying world is terrifying; any scene can tilt into danger, and even on the cusp of their village gate, they are faced with a spine-chilling threat to their mortality. It's a nice way to tell the audience from the very beginning that the stakes haven't gone away, they're still high, and if anything, the world for our characters is more dangerous than ever. So when the film decides to take a heel turn and have Spike venture out into the world with his ailing mother in the back half, you know this film is prepared to surprise you. The difference is quite worthwhile watching. Spike depends on his father when they leave, but he visually learns what he needs to survive. When he ventures out with his mother, he becomes the person leading them through the wilderness, and he has to grow in moments of danger. The second act was revelatory and held moments of surprising beauty. The Momento Mori tribute to the dead is actually quite a remarkably poignant point in the script. It is a setting in which Spike changes the most; he lets go of his boyhood while still holding on to the love that made him shine out from the others. This film is a beautiful character arc for Spike, and I felt like he really saw a complete journey as a character.

Danny Boyle is a master behind the camera, and there is no point in this film where that was put into doubt. The visuals on display here are incredible and make this world feel so expansive, the way we had these massive wides that showed the scale of the decaying world. I also really liked how shaky and frantic the action sequences got; it was nice that the camerawork didn't feel polished and only served to heighten the tension. The editing is going to be fun for some and awful for others, and at first, I thought it was janky. But the more the film went along, I really got onboard with the purpose of the editing, the tension of the kill and the way a scene was cut perfectly to the beat of the narrative. The soundtrack has a few numbers that will get under your skin, and the working of Rudyard Kipling's 'Boots' poem into the mix really heightens that transition into the world of the dead. I also found the score to be a terrifying piece that only really helped to ramp up those moments where I had my theatre chair armrests in a vice-like grip.

Alfie Williams, who played Spike, is an incredible young protagonist who really makes his mark on this series; Williams' progression from scared child to defiant explorer protecting his mother made this movie at every turn. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Jamie, has found himself a tough apocalypse hunter role that he absolutely dominates in; how he plays a Dad who often fails his son is something I was very impressed by. Christopher Fulford, who played Sam, is another caring communal figure whom I enjoyed; Fulford also lends himself to being a bit of a storyteller in this role, which worked. Jodie Comer, who played Isla, is a tragic character performed beautifully; Comer's bouts of sickness worked just as wonderfully as the moments where she played heartbreaking clarity. Edvin Ryding, who played Erik, is a surprise addition in the back half, but he does good work; Ryding works the angle of being a complete outsider to this zombie world very well.

However, the best performance came from Ralph Fiennes, who played Dr. Kelson. I found the moment Fiennes appeared onscreen, it was clear we had a performer who was on a whole other level. Fiennes knows how to work the material he is given, when to have some levity with it or when to play it like a master. This is a film that offers him the opportunity to do both. By the time Fiennes first appears, his role has already had a lot of mystique built up around him. So to see this more casual character dressed in terrifying apparel was quite the about-face. Dr. Kelson is someone who has held to his humanity within the end of the world; he can joke with good humour. Fiennes is careful to not present Kelson as mad; he has eccentricities, but he feels fully capable. The way he describes the Momento Mori monument his character has been building is a real moment of beauty in the script that can only have been performed with someone capable of such poetry. In Isla's death scene, Fiennes is a remorseful participant. A true Ferryman. I think the gentle nature of this transition to death is owed greatly to Fiennes' portrayal of the moment. A man who can really craft moving moments in the projects he is in.

I found 28 Years Later to be excellent, but it had a few off-kilter moments, particularly in the second half. When the Swedish soldiers showed up with their guns and heavy-handed comic relief, I felt like the story lost itself to something else for a moment. When it was time for Ilsa to pass on, the whole premise of her flesh being melted off and her skull being handed back to her waiting son would have played for comedy if the acting wasn't behind that moment. The most egregious one was the ending with the introduction of the Jimmys; it was an oddball tonal shift that completely decimated my view of this film. I felt it was a sequel sting that did nothing for the feature and left me less excited for a potential sequel. The other aspect of the film I really didn't like was the zombie pregnancy. It was a perturbing, almost fetish-fueled moment that didn't really add a lot to the story. I've seen this done in Army of the Dead too, and it's an element of the zombie genre I really don't care for at all.

Jack O'Connell, who played Sir Jimmy Crystal, struts into the movie and immediately soured the whole thing; O'Connell's ability to just generate some of the most grating characters in 2025 needs to be studied.

A few narrative oddities aren't enough to undermine one of the more viscerally creative and constructed zombie films of the past few years. I would give 28 Years Later a 7.5/10

Materialists

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Materialists is a romantic-comedy following Lucy, a New York matchmaker who starts a relationship with a wealthy man through her job. However, when she reconnects with John, her struggling actor ex-boyfriend, she has to decide between financial stability and love.

What I really enjoyed about the latest film from Celine Song is the message clearly presented throughout. The deep criticism of modern dating and the commodification of finding your 'soulmate' is such an interesting premise. This film features several sequences in which a character rattles off very specific traits they desire in a partner, often developing an outlandish idea of the perfect partner. This is countered neatly by Lucy criticising the vanity and narcissism on display before her, often doing her best to wrangle her clients' expectations. There is always an underpinning point that emotional connection matters the least in the dating scene; it often boils down to looks, career, status and wealth. When this film shatters Lucy's 'perfect' world of pairing opulent partners together by exposing the dangers of blind matching people, the film really takes an intensive turn. Lucy is confronted with the fact that, though people have good-looking attributes on paper, there is still a danger to personal safety in the world of dating, no matter how luxurious the service. Watching Lucy face a client undergoing something traumatic and then absorb the guilt from that to grow as a person is one of the finer narrative points of this film.

The sophisticated visual style of Materialists is probably its winning feature. This is a film destined to be beautiful, with shots that are exquisitely framed and that do well at holding on to lingering moments of artistic decadence. I quite liked the soundtrack for this film; it had an almost rustic indie feel that also evoked a gentle love for New York City, rough edges and all.

Dakota Johnson, who played Lucy, is in one of the better roles I have seen her portray; Johnson's sense of self and how that changes between the men she dates, her work and the trauma she experiences makes for an emotionally compelling watch. Zoe Winters, who played Sophie, almost steals this entire film out from under the leading stars; Winters' raw emotion when she is confronted by Johnson is undeniably the best scene of the film. Dasha Nekrasova, who played Daisy, had some good dialogue exchanges with Johnson; Nekrasova's work friend character really painted the perfect illusion that the matchmakers lived within well. Louisa Jacobson, who played Charlotte, gave a pretty classic rendition of the 'cold-footed' bride; though I found Jacobson's role being coerced back to the relationship by the promise of status and money to be very sobering.

However, the best performance came from Chris Evans, who played John. In any other romantic-comedy, John would be the rough ex from the good old days who has a heart of gold deep down. However, what I liked about John in this is that he can be this constant rock to Lucy, while also making mistakes or not reading the room every time. He's not perfect, but he wants to be a good person for this woman that he cares about. Evans develops a man who is living a poor life well; he hasn't lost sight of his dreams and what he wants. But within the events of the movie, he also learns to grow and show some appetite for life, a drive to progress and show effort in his relationship. I found Evans and Johnson's portrayal of a relationship the most strikingly honest; they are so frank and sincere with one another that they almost crash and burn while sharing a warm smile. Yet, at every turn, this film proved that their immediate chemistry and Evans' phenomenal portrayal of longing made this leading man one worth watching.

This film really held a beautiful message, but I couldn't help but feel my teeth grinding against one another at times. Why, you might ask? Simply put, this film fails to make me feel like I was watching real people. The characters in this are so asinine, sultry and living in an easy-going diamond world that it gets hard to connect with as an average moviegoer. The concept of what a working-class relationship is like versus a more material one often presents a bit ludicrously, and the way the main character splits hairs between them makes her extremely hard to like come the end of the feature. This issue is also presented within the dialogue used throughout the film. No one really sounded like an authentic person; everyone was rattling off dialogue like they were within a play. This might make sense with Celine Song's background, but it made the medium flounder here. Yet, while this film is trussing itself up to position itself as the most poignant romance film of the year, the outcome winds up feeling very predictable. Also, let's get real: the whole caveman thing was stupid.

The editing for this feature seems almost ambling, in a lazy manner. A scene can just linger a little too long with a particular shot, and transitions in general feel like a weak point. I also expected a lot more from a Daniel Pemberton score, beyond a tantalising spike in emotion when things were going wrong, but there's nothing much to write home about.

Pedro Pascal, who played Harry, really just feels like he's here because his name brings a crowd; Pascal's range is not present at all, and he strikes me as emotionless. Marin Ireland, who played Violet, could really do with better control over her facial expressions; watching Ireland's whole head act a different way from how her voice was delivering a line weirded me out.

Despite a decent message and some impressive visuals, I couldn't help but find Materialists to be a little conceited. I would give Materialists a 6.5/10.