Him

4.5/10 Man, I was so hyped for this movie, and it sucks to say it just didn't deliver.

The acting was great-Marlon Wayans especially killed it-but the script and pacing really dragged it down. The movie honestly needed to be longer in order to have more time to explain things, because so much felt half-baked. From the injections to everything Cam goes through, it all just came off kind of hollow. Even the way the story kicked off didn't feel right. The movie isn't clear on itself, and makes the whole thing feel disjointed.

Also thought to mention, not sure if it was just my theater or the movie itself, but the sound mixing was rough. Everything was super loud and clear except the dialogue.

By the end, it felt like Tipping had a bunch of cool ideas but was unsure of what direction to go. Which in turn caused execution to suffer.

The actors were great, no complaints there. But this should've been a guaranteed success about a movie with a horror/occult twist of telling the dark side of fame, sports, parental expectations, and how many suffer and those above them profit; but instead just really fell short from its potential.

People aren't giving it a fair shake I don't think. It does have its problems, for one "tense" dramatic scenes feel goofy, whether it be bad directing or writing or acting I can't really tell but that does hurt the movie. However; there also is a lot of good to say, The message is on the nose but its also very worth telling, not many movies will have the guts to do it so I will applaud it for that. The cinematography is amazing, the scenes in the desert look amazing. The plot is a little confusing and I can see how people would think that it's "Fake Deep" or whatever but I can't wait to actually dive into all the symbolism when I can watch it again. On the negative side It's also hard to judge what the characters are about or what they want.

I didn't plan to go see this one, but I got so bored on a Thursday at work. I decided to sneak out and go see it. I figured that I would just walk out if the movie weren't good; I have Regal Unlimited ... In the end, the movie is flawed yet watchable. It's not a good movie; but I was able to make it to the end. It's not as bad as critics say

So I'll start with the good: I like the lead actor Tyriq Withers (he kinda seems like a blend of Paul Walker and Channing Tatum), and Marlon Wayons is credible as the aging quarterback. Marlon Wayons may be 52-53, but he really got in shape here. He looks fantastic physically. The movie has some beautifully-filmed scenes, kinda reminscient of the 2000 movie "The Cell." The X-ray scenes are cool.

The movie also has a good set-up and premise. From the opening scene to Tyriq Withers' arrival at Marlon Wayans' camp, the movie sets up an ominious atmosphere. The scene where a rabid fan shouts "We Don't Want You!" at Tyrik Withers is well-done. The movie really could have been an A+, Longlegs-type of horror with the right execution

Ultimately, too many issues remain. The big one is that I'm just unclear about what the movie is trying to say. The movie has some grandiose, elevated scenes that hint at a message (e.g. There's some religious imagery connecting Marlon Wayan's character to Christ). But I can't really tell what's the message? Is there something about sports? About violence? About masculinity? About race?

The movie's weird scenes are visually aesthetic, but they often seem more random and meaningless than powerful or insightful. My reaction was more in the sense of, "Hey, that looked cool. But what was the point?"

The movie film teases too much the possibility that Tyriq Withers is hallucinating everything because of his head injury. They introduce his brother, mother, and girlfriend early. They all get forgotten to the point where the film could have scrapped all of them without affecting anything

The behavior of Tyriq Withers's character is sometimes eye-rolling. He takes too long to realize that there's something nefarious going on . There's a part where he witnesses an individual brutally take a football to the face. Yet not long afterwards, Tyriq Withers goes on like normal, having buddy-buddy moments with Marlon Wayans. An imbecile would have sensed that something was off with the place

And finally - the conclusion may have some beautiful imagery, but it doesn't work from a storyline perspective. What's supposed to happen to him now? And what Tyriq Withers does at the end seems disconsonant with his character's actions throughout the movie. If the rest of the movie was supposed to build up to this transformation in his character where he's able to do what he does, then the movie failed to convey it

5.5/10.

Greetings again from the darkness. Here is my PSA (Public Service Announcement): This is not a "Football" movie. If you are expecting FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS or ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, you will be disappointed. This is a Psychological Horror film (think BLACK SWAN) featuring a couple of football players, and it's produced by Jordan Peele, he of NOPE and GET OUT fame. Writer-director Justin Tipping (KICKS, 2016) and co-writers (co-creators of "Limetown") Zack Aker and Skip Bronkie serve up few X's and O's, and plenty of commentary on fame and the quest for greatness.

Marlon Wayans is best known for his comedy work, and here he delivers his best dramatic performance since REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000). He plays Isaiah White, the ultra-successful quarterback of the fictional San Antonio Saviors. Many consider White the G. O. A. T. (Greatest of All-Time). His issue is that he's aging and is likely at the end of his career. On the other end of the spectrum, we have rising star Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER), the young hotshot who many predict will replace White as the GOAT. Cameron's problem is that a surprise causes possible brain damage, knocking him out of the combine and leaving him undrafted.

Cameron's off-kilter agent (Tim Heidecker) arranges for him to train with White for a week. Having worshipped Isaiah White for most of his life, Cameron jumps at the chance. Upon arriving at White's isolated desert compound, he quickly discovers dreams don't always match reality. White greets him warmly, but we all notice (well, Cameron's a bit slow) that things are a bit off. From a sadist trainer (MMA fighter Maurice Greene) to a sardonic doctor (a funny Jim Jeffries), to a creatively made-up and creepy Mrs. White (Julia Fox), the setting for a horrific week is in place.

White pushes Cameron past the point of decency in training, and the doctor delivers some curious blood transfusions. White preaches to Cameron that this unorthodox approach is what's required for peak performance and greatness. The commitment must be to excellence, not some mushy family-first mentality. Some of the drills are violent, while others turn a bit nuts. This is psychological warfare mixed with physical extremes.

There are some cool x-ray effects, and the music from Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) adds a nice touch; however, this is about envy and power. The first two acts have some eye-opening moments, but things really fly off the rails in the finale. Brutal violence seems too mild as a description, and the commentary on team ownership expectations seems a bit heavy-handed. We all know billionaires are accustomed to getting what they want. This one is worth seeing for Marlon Wayans' performance, but we find ourselves thinking "what if" through much of the film.

Opens in theaters on September 19, 2025.

I am a football fiend. I am a movie fiend. I don't normally go for sports movies since they all seem to use the same underdog template. But a football horror movie? Sign me up day one.

Unfortunately I had a pretty bad time with this movie. I could tell something was off early on. It has inconsistent tones and weird editing. Some of the music is beastly but some feels out of place. And it gets loud seemingly at random, even over dialogue, making it hard to hear it.

There are so many ideas and themes crammed into this movie. Most of them are barely touched upon. Crazy fans, annoying news media and concussions are all included but as unnecessary afterthoughts. It's all over the place.

I found a bunch of parts weird and dumb. And while I like Marlon, I think he was completely miscast in this role. All I kept imagining is how much more intimidating and creepy the character would be if he was played by Mahershala Ali.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday UltraScreen 9/18/2025)