2025 Movie Reviews

Companion is a very good movie. The characters are interesting, the performances are solid and the storyline is intriguing. Some good twists and turns keep this movie entertaining throughout. Definitely recommend this one. 7/10

This movie is everything wrong with the modern day mcu. It relies on random cameos from characters from like 16 years ago that nobody even cares about, in hopes that they will make up for the lack of a decent story or script. The movie has atrocious dialogue, no character arcs, no memorable action, no interesting shots, and pretty mediocre visual effects. The movie also completely fails to make Sam Wilson anywhere near as interesting as Steve Rogers. Unlike the previous Captain America movies, this film does not have a clever script. The movie literally just opens with an exposition dump because they know the mcu is all over the place now, and so much more difficult to follow than it used to be. The movie has nothing to say politically, despite it being a political thriller. The film is so lackluster that it’s painful. 4/10

Mickey 17 is a solid sci fi film from Bong Joon Ho. The premise is pretty cool and I like the way they explore it. Robert Pattinson is fantastic. He manages to make Mickey 17 and 18 feel like entirely different beings. Mark Ruffalo is an absolute seven stealer. He is absolutely hilarious here as he plays up his comedically evil role to perfection. The movie does have a few plot points and characters that get too much attention and they cause the movie to drag a little bit. But overall I enjoyed Mickey 17 quite a bit. 7/10

Novocaine is a fun movie with plenty of laughs and cool action. Jack Quaid does a good job leading the movie. 7/10

O’Dessa is a mess of a movie. The film feels soulless. The directing and editing are weird and distracting. The music isn’t well written. The characters are flat and the lead romance has nothing going for it. Sadie Sink is a star and does everything she can with the lead performance but that doesn’t help the movie much when everything else is as bad as it is. 3/10

Minecraft is a really fun time if you grew up with the game like I did. The movie has tons of spirit and some genuinely funny moments. Jack Black and Jason Momoa have insane chemistry. Every scene with them was comedy gold. Some of the other characters weren’t as entertaining but that’s not a huge issue. The movie also captures the world of Minecraft pretty well. It’s not perfect but honestly I really enjoyed Minecraft and I love when a movie is able to create a party for the audience. 7/10

Drop is a solid thriller with a good amount of tension. I love some of the shots in this movie. It’s nothing that special but it’s very entertaining especially with an audience. 7/10

The Legend of Ochi is a very ambitious project for someone to tackle as their directorial debut and I give praise to Isiah Saxon for really going for it. The world building here is pretty solid for the most part and the movie starts off with a strong setup and some good action. The main Ochi creature himself is very endearing and his connection with the young girl is very sweet. The fact that the creatures are practical is awesome. The movie has some funny moments especially the scenes with Willem Dafoe and that main duo. However the movie loses the plot a little bit in the second half. Character actions feel like they’re forced in order for the plot to continue and some of the pay off feels cheap. The movie’s ending feels a little cliche and because of that I feel like this movie is going to have a hard time really engaging general audiences. Overall it’s an entertaining enough movie and I love that Saxon got to express his creative vision, but some more fleshing out of the world and characters could’ve helped. 6/10

Sinners is an absolute spectacle on so many levels. The way Ryan Coogler really sucks you into this world and story is super impressive. The community and characters are all very well established which makes you care about what’s at stake. The movie’s vampire lore is very interesting and seamlessly fits right into the film’s narrative. The cinematography here is beautiful and the score by Ludwig Goransson is fantastic. Michael B. Jordan leads a stellar ensemble cast here. Everyone in the cast gives in their all. The movie tackles themes of family, redemption, forgiveness, culture and race while managing to be an entirely entertaining and compelling story about crazy vampire magic. Ryan Coogler has proven yet again that he just doesn’t miss. 9/10

Friendship is an absolute gem of a movie. The film is laugh out loud funny during its entire runtime. Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd are both hilarious and everyone else in the ensemble is very funny as well. The movie balances physical humor, funny situations, and well written jokes very well. The movie has some great set up and pay off jokes. Andrew DeYoung wrote and directed this movie and he did a great job in both of those aspects. The film is also shot very well, especially for a comedy, the cinematography here is fantastic. The movie is also very well edited and uses typical comedic editing tropes usually found in older movies or cartoons to full effect in this movie. I highly recommend this one if you like comedies. 8/10

Thunderbolts is definitely a breath of fresh air in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film’s focus on mental health is a huge highlight and gives the movie depth and emotion. The film’s antagonist, Sentry, represents the dangers of suppressing emotion and bottling yourself up. This gives the movie lots of room to play with the idea of being stuck in your own bad thoughts or memories which I thought was very clever. Sentry’s actor, Lewis Pullman does an excellent job brining life to the character and he’s one of the more complex villains we’ve seen in a Marvel movie. Florence Pugh steals the show as Yelena and once again proves she is the best post-Endgame addition to this franchise. Her range here is fantastic and I always love exploring more of the Red Room. In many ways this film serves as a sequel to Black Widow and that is prominent with David Harbour’s Red Guardian also getting a lot to do. His dynamic with Yelena is even more fleshed out here and I love their scenes together. I do wish that Bucky, Ghost, and John Walker all had a little bit more to do. For a movie exploring regret and haunted pasts I think Bucky was underutilized. Nobody really has a more traumatic backstory than Bucky and I know over the years we’ve seen a lot of Bucky dealing with that, but I think giving him some of his own flashbacks like Yelena got in this movie could’ve been great. I also think the first two acts were paced a bit odd. But I think the third act was absolutely beautiful and I love how they flip the whole final third act fight scene into something much more personal and character focused. This isn’t a perfect film but it’s very enjoyable, full of heart and one of Marvel’s most unique movies. 7/10

The live action How to Train Your Dragon is passable. This is the very definition of a safe blockbuster. This is basically a beat for beat remake of the animated original story wise. Universal surely has a box office hit on their hands. As a film, the basic story structure works. However, since we’ve already seen this story I needed something else to make this film stand out. And nothing did. The acting here was actually pretty poor for the most part. Neither Hiccup or Astrid really felt like those classic characters and they were pretty one note. The supporting cast was a mixed bag. The dynamic between Hiccup between and Toothless still works. And I’m very thankful they kept Toothless a little more cartoony in design, instead of going full 2019 Lion King. The dragons all looked pretty good for the most part. There are moments with good cinematography, but overall the film is visually bland. Dean DeBlois did a solid job directing his first live action film, but I wouldn’t liked some more style and personality from his directing. The big issue here is that it’s just a less magical version of the original. The scene where Hiccup and Astrid ride Toothless through the night sky reminds me of the live action Aladdin. It’s still a cool scene but it just doesn’t hit the same way that the animated version does. Some of the costumes here also feel like a fan film. The film is over twenty minutes longer than the original but doesn’t add anything that I can think of. I wish they made a more original take on the story. They could’ve done a more mature version of the movie or added something to it story wise. But this movie will be a crowd pleaser. I’d be shocked if this movie doesn’t have great audience scores. It hits the beats of this beloved original and I think overall people will like that. And the soundtrack still slaps. The original is one of the best animated films of all time so there are definitely things I liked here, but overall this movie falls flat for me. 5/10

Honestly Prom Queen is fun enough. It’s very cliche and predictable but I had an enjoyable enough time. Not as good as Fear Street 1978 but definitely better than the other two in my opinion. 6/10

This movie was fine. Definitely one of the weakest Mission Impossible movies. I would say it’s on the same level as Mission Impossible 2. The movie has way too many flashbacks and the plot just has so much going on. The way the villain dies was also kind of goofy and anti climactic, which is kind of weird for a finale. As always Tom Cruise definitely impressed with his stunts and dedication to do them practically. The story just wasn’t as engaging as it should’ve been and even though the stunts are cool and risky I don’t feel like the actual set pieces are nearly as fun or inventive as the past couple of films. The movie also goes on for a little too long. It’s still entertaining enough but I was hoping for more out of a Mission Impossible movie, especially the last one. 6/10

Bring Her Back is a solid second feature from the Philippou brothers. They succeeded in making a truly disturbing film. The movie features solid performances from the entire cast and gives Sally Hawkins the most unique role of her career, where she definitely shows range. The movies builds an interesting mystery while also having good character exploration. The movie is very well shot and directed. There are plenty of twists and turns and there are tons of well thought out horror moments. While I still think Talk to Me is the better movie, this film shows that the Philippou brothers know what they’re doing, and that their first film was the start of a successful career rather than a one hit wonder. 7/10

The Life of Chuck is an absolutely beautiful movie. I love how original this movie is. The way the movie is set up naturally builds intrigue and it ends up delivering a very emotional and thought provoking story. Mike Flanagan’s writing and direction is a huge reason as to why the film works as well as it does. The way he goes about telling this story, makes it endlessly captivating. He takes a coming of age story and also makes it a tragedy and throws in elements of suspense and mystery. You have to piece it together as it goes along and it makes you question what it really means to live and makes you think about all the people you create stories about in your own head. The spontaneous nature of Chuck highlights how beautiful it is to live in the moment. The entire cast here is fantastic but I want to shout out Mark Hamill specifically. He does such a great job and is a huge reason why the emotional pay off works so well. I really enjoyed The Life Of Chuck and would highly recommend it. 8/10

Celine Song’s second movie is definitely a bit more generic than her directorial debut, Past Lives. The script is pretty cliche and doesn’t offer much of anything you haven’t seen before, but it’s still a fun time in my opinion. The directing here is pretty good and there are some really nice shots. I think the lighting and the costumes are very good. Dakota Johnson is decent in the lead role. Chris Evans is pretty good, but I wish his character was a bit more interesting or dynamic. Pedro Pascal stole the show for me. He has endless charm in this movie and he’s very fun to watch on screen. This movie isn’t anything new but I enjoyed it enough overall. 7/10

This movie was disappointing for me. I appreciate Alex Garland wanting to write a very personal and character driven film, and I usually think he does a great job blending that into narratives with action and a large scale. Just look at Civil War from last year. However I just didn’t care about these characters. I just didn’t think they were that interesting. For a zombie action movie I also just thought it was very slow and kind of boring. The editing was off putting and weird in my opinion, especially some of the music choices. The ending was goofy and felt out of place, while also feeling abrupt. I think this movie has some really good world building. The village and bone temple are both really cool locations with cool backstories. They also feature some very well detailed sets. The movie is visually very good. Danny Boyle’s directing is obviously good and I he cinematography is beautiful. The acting is good. I genuinely do like Ralph Fiennes character in this. I think he is the most intriguing part of the film and I’m excited that it seems like he’ll get more focus in the next part. I definitely felt the lack of Cillian Murphy this time around. Overall this movie has some very good things going for it and there are parts of it that are certainly entertaining. I don’t think it’s a bad film but I just didn’t necessarily care about it. The next film has more of a focus on the Bone Temple and will feature Cillian Murphy’s return, so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy that one more. For this one I’ll give it a 6/10

M3GAN 2.0 has the problem of trying to do way more than it has to. It thinks it needs to comment on so many different issues, and it tries to focus on too many characters and storylines. By the third act this movie has so many twists and turns that it just becomes convoluted and confusing. That’s not to say there aren’t some fun moments though. Once again the character of M3GAN is tons of fun to watch on screen and there’s some decent action. What I liked so much about the first movie was the fact that the whole movie was about the dynamic between the aunt and the niece. This movie still somewhat has that dynamic but with all of the shenanigans, it loses focus of what made the original special. This is a movie that’s so simple on paper and I probably would’ve liked it better if it didn’t try and make the plot more complicated than it needed to be. I also wish they kept some of the horror elements. I still had a good time watching it for the most part but it’s definitely a step down from the first one. 6/10

F1 is fantastic. This is the type of old school blockbuster that we’ve desperately been needing. Director, Joseph Kosinski, has proven that his Top Gun Maverick success was not a one hit wonder. This man is at the top of his game. He goes all out in this movie. The amount of effort put into the racing sequences is insane. I was on the edge of my seat watching the races. The way the cameras follow the cars is exhilarating and it leads to truly thrilling sequences. Doing so much of this practically, on actual tracks, helps make this movie feel so real and immersive. Kosinski has clearly found his genre. Yet again this is a movie about an underdog teaming up with a newcomer and he just knows how to direct actors and get great performances out of them. Brad Pitt’s movie star charm is in full effect here. His charisma lights up the screen and just makes this movie so easy to enjoy.
The entire supporting cast does a very good job too, and because of that you get really invested in the characters and story. The emotional and comedic moments both work excellently, and a lot of that is due to Ehren Kruger’s great screenplay. This movie also utilizes sound and music very well. The film is big and goes all out on every level. F1 is everything blockbuster entertainment should be. 9/10

It’s predictable and pretty basic. It’s not breaking any new ground but I honestly had a fun time with it. I think Gareth Edwards did a good job directing, especially with the action scenes. The movie did a good job building tension and utilized some fun set pieces. It’s nothing crazy but I honestly enjoyed it quite a bit. 7/10

This movie is a blast. The film features some beautiful looking animation. It has a fun and unique premise. The characters are all pretty interesting and well written. The musical numbers are pretty catchy and the direction of the film is very stylish. This movie is very entertaining and enjoyable from start to finish. 8/10

This is the Superman movie we’ve been desperately wanting for decades and the one the world needs right now. This is the Superman that represents truth, justice, and the American way. It has the heart and soul of the 1978 film that made audiences believe a man could fly. James Gunn’s beautiful script emphasizes that this character is supposed to be a symbol of hope. David Corenswet is phenomenal as Superman and Clark Kent. He has that Christopher Reeve energy 100%. Rachel Brosnahan is a great Lois and Nicholas Hoult brings the most evil Lex Luthor we’ve ever seen to the big screen. Edi Gathegi is a scene stealer as Mr Terrific. The entire supporting cast is fantastic as well. This movie has made Krypto one of my favorite DC characters. It’s so nice seeing a man’s best friend with a character who is meant to be the best of humanity. And this movie makes sure to get Superman’s humanity across, and make sure we know it’s his greatest strength. Gunn’s directing is just as good as always. The action scenes hit and all the humor lands. I especially love how colorful and fun this movie is. Superman isn’t supposed to be dark and gritty and I’m happy that for the first time since the eighties we have someone who understands that making these movies. The plot calls out evil and war profiteers and does it very effectively. Luthor’s storyline also just so happens to remind me of a certain someone sitting in the Oval Office. Superman is revitalized and DC is BACK. I loved this movie. I loved its message. I loved its music. I loved its vibes and I loved its characters. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for DC moving forward, starting with Supergirl. 9/10

Fantastic Four is definitely a step in the right direction for the MCU. While it doesn’t reach the heights of the Infinity Saga, this is an attempt at doing something different in this tired franchise. The four leads here are all very charming and the family dynamic works very well. Silver Surfer and Galactus are very good villains. Realistically this is the movie that should’ve been released four/five years ago right after Avengers Endgame because now it feels like a last ditch effort to pull fans back in before the next Avengers movie. A lot of my complaints come from the overall mcu as a whole but I really did find this movie quite fun. I already said I liked the characters. The action is good and I really love the production design and costumes. It’s good but I still think the non spider man related parts of this franchise are in trouble. 7/10

It’s really fun. It’s not as funny as the original but it’s a good time and I’d be down to see Liam Neeson do another one of these. 7/10