paultreloar75

Was so much looking forward to this one, after loving The Lighthouse and the imagination that bought to the screen. However, having to sit through almost two and a half hours of leaden plodden CGI, where we're told again and again "He's coming", we were both so disappointed as the credits rolled and the yawns were stifled. It's not a bad film as such, although the two female leads are drawn so thinly, you almost wonder why they bothered. But it's style over substance, all fur coat and no knickers as my old boss used to say.

If you want something bombastic and macho, this will probably satisfy but don't expect any consistency in the story telling, there are some many continuity errors, it's remarkable, and maybe some old things should be left undead. Worst of all, it really isn't very scary or sexy at all. And for a vampire film, that really is a curse.

I think I've already seen the best movie of 2025 in going to watch Nickel Boys. I had a rough idea of what this was about but at the same time, was completely and utterly unprepared for how well this production has been put together. The craft and care that has been taken by RaMell Ross is evident from the off as we're ushered into a dreamy world of distorted perspectives and points of view that you don't usually see in a movie about the brutality of incarceration. I've not read the book by Colson Whitehead on which this is based but I fully intend to chase it down and give it a go now.

The two lead performances from Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson are just pitched just right and I have to praise Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor for the warmth and depth she gives to her role as Ellwood's grandmother. The story unfolds in a dizzying way that isn't always clear but you are required to think and imagine as part of your viewing experience, this is a movie for people who want to be challenged and not spoon fed with the same old same old. As well as great camera work, the score and soundtrack are perfectly matched to the visuals and as a package, it's been put together seamlessly and lovingly.

The last time I went to the cinema and the film ended to a stunned silence due to the power of what we'd just witnessed was The Zone Of Interest, another literary adaptation. There aren't too many movies that bring books to life like this, so get along and fill your boots and your mind.