Magazine Dreams

Killian Maddox dedicated himself to bodybuilding and dreams of one day leaving his mark on the sport and the world. With a traumatic childhood and struggling to connect with others, Killian forges forward toward his goal with reckless abandonment.

This movie takes a very artistic approach to bodybuilding. The story has many different things occurring quickly, with little backstory given to the protagonist, making it a challenge to follow. The two-hour and four-minute runtime is wild, from intense lifting to posing to twists and unexpected turns. This movie is not for everyone but might be worth a stream for someone looking for something different and artistic.

I had been wanting to see Magazine Dreams for a very long time, ever since hearing it described by my favorite movie podcasters who caught it on the festival circuit a couple years ago. I had no idea it had been picked up for theatrical distribution, so its seemingly sudden appearance completely took me by surprise.

Jonathan Majors's performance as Killian Maddox, an aspiring yet struggling bodybuilder, is truly next level here. Killian is a fractured man, at moments childlike and charming, at others he's like a pot of water boiling over. This can make him unpredictable scene to scene. Easily the most effective scene was his dinner date with the girl from the supermarket. Talk about a cringe moment!

My feelings are most mixed about the script, with my main complaint being it that it doesn't seem to know when to quit. There are multiple moments where I was certain the story was close to conclusion, that it was building to a moment, yet only to further continue in layering misery on thick. I found this exhausting. When the movie finally does conclude I don't know if I find the resolution entirely believable for Killian's character.

I like the movie enough to recommend, but keep in mind this can be a dark, dark film.

Jonathan Majors is incredible in this. His performance is so powerful, it pulls you in and makes you really feel what his character is going through. There are a bunch of scenes that hit hard emotionally, and it's all because of how committed he is.

The movie dives into some really heavy and complex themes, and when it works, it really works. But the last act gets a bit messy. It tries to cover too much at once, especially when it comes to unpacking such a complicated and violent character. It feels like the movie loses focus a bit near the end.

Still, it's absolutely worth watching for Majors alone and the bold ideas it tries to explore.

What can I say , movies to me are meant to take me out of reality and transport me into other worlds as I escape my own issues and problems , not to mention battles with reality.

That being the case this movie does just that although it specifically took me into a place that mad me very uncomfortable not in a bad way just in a way that I wanted a lil more payoff that I feel I didn't get .

Majors does a great job carrying this weight around and giving ,I believe an honest and compelling performance. It just needed a tiny bit more action at certain spots that could have taken this movie to the next level . Again a worth while movie theater experience.

Wow saw this at Sundance. Honestly had no idea what this was going in. This was intense! Jonathan Majors is great, no surprise there. He is totally believable as Killian, a probably somewhat developmentally disabled amateur bodybuilding competitor. It ranges from cringeworthy to edge of your seat to weird to shocking to horrifying. Such an amazing performance.

The cinematography was claustrophobic and off putting and the music was often jarring, with dramatic shifts that mirror Killian's mental state.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but this wouldn't be one to take your grandma to. It gave me Nightcrawler vibes in the way it just keeps escalating and getting more frantic and surreal, mixed with a little Bullhead. Unless that sounds like something your grandma would be into, in which case, take her, she'll love it!