watchitwombat
Joined Dec 2018
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watchitwombat's rating
One Battle After Another is an enthralling, exhilarating, and surprisingly heartfelt film that defies easy categorisation, and that's exactly why it works. Benicio Del Toro delivers his best performance in years, effortlessly commanding the screen without overshadowing the ensemble.
Leonardo DiCaprio, often cast as the leading man with a capital L, takes a step back here. His portrayal of a washed-up, morally ambiguous deadbeat dad is refreshingly understated and surprisingly believable. Even with A-listers like Sean Penn and DiCaprio on board, the film avoids the usual pitfall of star power pulling you out of the story. Every character, even the supporting cast, feels fully lived-in and essential to the strange, gritty world the movie creates.
Genre-wise, One Battle After Another is a bit of a shapeshifter: part heist thriller, part redemption story, part political drama, and at times, even a road movie. There are hints of Tarantino in the dialogue and violence and a definite nod to 70s Blaxploitation aesthetics, though it never settles into homage or parody. The film wears its influences lightly and confidently carves out its own identity.
Despite its long runtime, the pacing is impressively taut. Scenes move quickly, yet organically, and there's a constant sense of forward momentum. Unlike many recent films that feel over-engineered or obsessed with subverting expectations, this one keeps you in the moment. You're not second-guessing plot twists; you're too absorbed in what's happening right now.
The music choices are quirky and unexpected, but they land perfectly with each scene, evoking mood without being overbearing. It's one of those rare soundtracks that enhances without distracting. In an era where many movies feel like they've come off the same conveyor belt, One Battle After Another is a welcome jolt of originality.
It may not reinvent the wheel plot-wise, but it restores faith in filmmaking by reminding us that execution, character, and risk-taking still matter. For the first time in a long while, I walked out of the theatre feeling reconnected with why I love movies in the first place.
Leonardo DiCaprio, often cast as the leading man with a capital L, takes a step back here. His portrayal of a washed-up, morally ambiguous deadbeat dad is refreshingly understated and surprisingly believable. Even with A-listers like Sean Penn and DiCaprio on board, the film avoids the usual pitfall of star power pulling you out of the story. Every character, even the supporting cast, feels fully lived-in and essential to the strange, gritty world the movie creates.
Genre-wise, One Battle After Another is a bit of a shapeshifter: part heist thriller, part redemption story, part political drama, and at times, even a road movie. There are hints of Tarantino in the dialogue and violence and a definite nod to 70s Blaxploitation aesthetics, though it never settles into homage or parody. The film wears its influences lightly and confidently carves out its own identity.
Despite its long runtime, the pacing is impressively taut. Scenes move quickly, yet organically, and there's a constant sense of forward momentum. Unlike many recent films that feel over-engineered or obsessed with subverting expectations, this one keeps you in the moment. You're not second-guessing plot twists; you're too absorbed in what's happening right now.
The music choices are quirky and unexpected, but they land perfectly with each scene, evoking mood without being overbearing. It's one of those rare soundtracks that enhances without distracting. In an era where many movies feel like they've come off the same conveyor belt, One Battle After Another is a welcome jolt of originality.
It may not reinvent the wheel plot-wise, but it restores faith in filmmaking by reminding us that execution, character, and risk-taking still matter. For the first time in a long while, I walked out of the theatre feeling reconnected with why I love movies in the first place.
- Nick
'Him' sounds great on paper, but in practice feels like someone spiked Friday Night Lights' drink with absinthe. What we actually get is a two-hour training montage, interrupted by surreal scenes that make you wonder if every bizarre moment might just be a dream sequence - and therefore inconsequential. You can only yell "Wait, was that real?" at the screen so many times before you stop caring.
Jim Jefferies is... there. Sort of. His line delivery has the energy of a man trying to remember if he left the oven on, and it never clicks. Letting him improvise might've at least added some life. Meanwhile, Marlon Wayans goes the other way entirely, hamming it up so much I half-expected him to turn to the camera and yell, "Wazzzuuup?" It's never grounded in anything resembling reality.
The marketing leaned hard on Jordan Peele's producer credit, but this feels less like Peele and more like someone doing a Jordan Peele impression after watching Get Out once on a plane.
The film even tries a twist or two, but when the "big reveal" is something you guessed an hour ago while opening your popcorn, it doesn't land, and neither do the jump scares.
For a movie about football players, there's zero actual football. No games, no touchdowns, no emotion, just endless drills and the occasional surreal bloodbath. On the plus side, the x-ray technique showing bone-crunching hits is pretty inventive. Like Mortal Kombat, but with more sweating and less fun.
To its credit, the film tries to say something meaningful about the crushing pressure young athletes face, and that part almost works. But it's buried under a pile of misfires, tonal whiplash, and characters flatter than a deflated footy.
If you're into training montages spliced with fever-dream horror, you'll probably have a blast. For everyone else, Him is the cinematic equivalent of the beep test - punishing, confusing, and not entirely sure why you agreed to it.
Jim Jefferies is... there. Sort of. His line delivery has the energy of a man trying to remember if he left the oven on, and it never clicks. Letting him improvise might've at least added some life. Meanwhile, Marlon Wayans goes the other way entirely, hamming it up so much I half-expected him to turn to the camera and yell, "Wazzzuuup?" It's never grounded in anything resembling reality.
The marketing leaned hard on Jordan Peele's producer credit, but this feels less like Peele and more like someone doing a Jordan Peele impression after watching Get Out once on a plane.
The film even tries a twist or two, but when the "big reveal" is something you guessed an hour ago while opening your popcorn, it doesn't land, and neither do the jump scares.
For a movie about football players, there's zero actual football. No games, no touchdowns, no emotion, just endless drills and the occasional surreal bloodbath. On the plus side, the x-ray technique showing bone-crunching hits is pretty inventive. Like Mortal Kombat, but with more sweating and less fun.
To its credit, the film tries to say something meaningful about the crushing pressure young athletes face, and that part almost works. But it's buried under a pile of misfires, tonal whiplash, and characters flatter than a deflated footy.
If you're into training montages spliced with fever-dream horror, you'll probably have a blast. For everyone else, Him is the cinematic equivalent of the beep test - punishing, confusing, and not entirely sure why you agreed to it.
- Nick
Where most modern horrors have become predictable, 'Bring Her Back' keeps you guessing. Delivering tense scenes, cover your eyes moments and genuine shock, rather than cheap jump scares.
You feel every bone crack and every piece of skin tear, thanks to the ingenious stunt work and makeup effects, bolstered by incredibly savage sound design. Making it easy to see why some of the body horror gear may be too much for the faint hearted - featuring one of the most brutal moments I think I've ever seen on screen.
The Philippou Brothers, Danny and Michael, excel at finding great young talent and this is no exception, with a cast of up-and-coming stars plus Sally Hawkins, who delivers an unsettling performance (and a flawless Aussie accent). For a pair of lads that come across as nutters in every interview they do, the brothers show a lot of maturity, especially in their camerawork and originality.
Like most horror films it's a very clear allegory, but it's still entertaining. There were some moments that could've been a bit clearer without needing to spell everything out, but then I guess we'd have had nothing to discuss in the car park afterwards.
You may need an exorcist to remove this movie from your brain, not just because of the body horror but because you'll probably be trying to piece the puzzle together the whole ride home.
You feel every bone crack and every piece of skin tear, thanks to the ingenious stunt work and makeup effects, bolstered by incredibly savage sound design. Making it easy to see why some of the body horror gear may be too much for the faint hearted - featuring one of the most brutal moments I think I've ever seen on screen.
The Philippou Brothers, Danny and Michael, excel at finding great young talent and this is no exception, with a cast of up-and-coming stars plus Sally Hawkins, who delivers an unsettling performance (and a flawless Aussie accent). For a pair of lads that come across as nutters in every interview they do, the brothers show a lot of maturity, especially in their camerawork and originality.
Like most horror films it's a very clear allegory, but it's still entertaining. There were some moments that could've been a bit clearer without needing to spell everything out, but then I guess we'd have had nothing to discuss in the car park afterwards.
You may need an exorcist to remove this movie from your brain, not just because of the body horror but because you'll probably be trying to piece the puzzle together the whole ride home.
- Nick