Lightning Round Reviews: Shell, Other, Vicious and Play Dirty (2025)

This is something I’m going to experiment with, the “Lightning Round” will be for films that I will give quick reviews due to not having a whole lot to say about them.

Desperate to reclaim her career, once-beloved actress Samantha Lake is drawn into the glamorous world of wellness mogul Zoe Shannon -only to uncover a monstrous truth beneath its flawless surface.

Shell is directed by Max Minghella who previously directed Teen Spirit (2018).

I was considering on giving Shell a full review but then I realized I would just be echoing what the hundreds of other reviews are saying…that it’s a clone of The Substance (2024) and there’s just no way around that.

The positives here mainly come from the performances and the visuals, Kate Hudson is clearly having a blast throughout the movie and Elisabeth Moss as usual delivers a solid performance. The visuals are striking with this retro futuristic style which ends up giving the movie at least some legroom to standout. The cinematography from Drew Daniels compliments this very well with sharp and detailed touches.

Unfortunately the writing is where Shell struggles, halfway through the movie the pacing becomes incredibly uneven, the humor in the writing is a complete hit or miss (with most of it missing), plot threads are either not explored anywhere near enough to leave an impact or are just left dangling. The character motivations are also completely muddled and do not give the movie’s satire-like atmosphere any meaningful strength.

The final act switches gears and becomes a B-grade monster movie that might have worked if the buildup was far stronger and actually matched the tone of the movie. Instead it feels completely out of place and leaves the viewer with a giant question mark over their head.

Shell is a worse version of The Substance (2024) and you can easily spot this within the first 10 minutes of watching.

Shell is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Alice returns home after her mother’s death to find the house unchanged-and haunted by a dark presence. As fear builds, buried trauma resurfaces, and a terrifying truth is revealed.

I was pretty excited to see that David Moreau who previously directed MadS (2024) had another film releasing this year, sadly this was a misfire that I left more confused and not in the intriguing sort of way.

Other strangely likes to withhold information from the viewer and treats that like it’s crafting a mystery when in reality it’s only making the viewer quickly lose interest. There’s the repeated point of Alice (played by Olga Kurylenko) still dealing with childhood trauma, but the movie never elaborates on that or does not even explore it either, it’s like a pop up that is constantly telling you the same thing over and over again.

Kurylenko’s face is the only we see clearly throughout the movie, which in theory sounds like a neat stylistic choice. However the way the movie goes about with the execution is incredibly dull, the other characters who are supposed to leave this impact on the viewer do not end up doing so. Olga Kurylenko gives a fine enough performance but it’s not enough to make up for the botched execution.

Lastly there’s the writing which does not have any of the creepiness or thrills that MadS had, it’s a very confused mess that is way too cryptic for its own good and has nowhere near the amount of disturbing or engaging material to connect the viewer to the experience.

Other is available on Shudder.

4/10 D+

A woman spends the night fighting for her existence as she slips down a rabbit hole contained inside a gift from a late-night visitor.

Bryan Bertino director of The Strangers (2008), Mockingbird (2014), The Monster (2016) and The Dark and the Wicked (2020) is back with Vicious and the best way to describe this movie is it feels like this horribly put together Frankenstein’s Monster combination of all of his previous films.

First off there’s the nonconsensual premise of Mockingjay (2014) which at first is a bit interesting before Vicious starts to run into a wall with incredibly stupid decision making on Polly’s (played by Dakota Fanning) part. Next we have the claustrophobic feel of The Strangers (2008), there is a few moments here that do capture that feel decently well. But for the most part it comes off as a desperate attempt to aim for something that worked because it felt far more grounded, constantly trying to reach for it throughout the movie takes away from the writing and ultimately makes the movie suffer for it.

There’s also the supernatural violence and dark atmosphere of The Dark and the Wicked (2020), Kathryn Hunter tries her best to bring this sort of energy into the movie but the script flat out refuses to give any meaningful story or interesting developments with the supernatural parts of it to work with. It’s a very basic haunting type of movie that attempts to throw in a bit of Saw (2004) which quickly ends up being more ridiculous than anything else.

Finally there’s the anxieties and the thrills of The Monster (2016) something that once again this movie does not capture at all, there’s one or two jumpscares that are somewhat effective but a large majority of the movie is forgettable and has no investing way to bring the viewer into the movie.

Dakota Fanning and Kathryn Hunter give solid performances but they are nowhere near enough to save this movie from ultimately being forgettable, I can absolutely see why the plans to release this in theaters was changed.

Vicious is available on Paramount+

3/10 D-

A ruthless thief and his expert crew stumble onto the heist of a lifetime.

Play Dirty fails to capture the charm of Shane Black’s earlier crime films. While LaKeith Stanfield and Rosa Salazar do what they can with such a shallow script, the rest of the movie is yet again another terrible straight to streaming action thriller movie that offers very little to the genre.

There’s a few entertaining action scenes that somewhat attempt to bring back what made Shane Black a solid crime film director in the first place, but those are quickly overshadowed by Mark Wahlberg giving yet another phoned in performance that leads no depth to his character. This is yet another case of the supporting characters being more interesting than the protagonist and where you wish the movie was about them.

Whatever Shane Black had with The Nice Guys (2016) is long gone.

Play Dirty is available on Amazon Prime Video.

3/10 D-

NYFF Review: Scarlet (2025)

A sword-wielding princess embarks on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father. She soon meets an idealistic young man who shows her the possibility of a future free of bitterness and rage.

New York Film Festival Review

Scarlet is directed by Mamoru Hosoda director of One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (2005), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018) and Belle (2021)

Mamoru Hosoda is a director who has delivered consistently with tons of great films that lead to some fantastic and mesmerizing experiences, however coming off of Hosoda’s previous film Belle (2021) his newest film Scarlet is quite a big disappointment. The film undeniably has some gorgeous animation that leads to some strong sequences and the final act ends up being a bit better than the movie’s rough middle portion. However Scarlet is ultimately a very watered down version of Willam Shakespeare’s Hamlet that does not add anything new or compelling.

The voice cast is all around great, with such a shallow script the cast does what they can a while there are some well done moments and the side characters get some admittedly cute moments. It’s Scarlet herself that just does not have enough character writing to make for an investing character, during the first 30 minutes or so we get some decent character building for her and then afterwards it almost feels like the movie completely stops. So many different themes and characters are thrown at the viewer that the movie loses focus on its main character, Hijiri is a fine enough secondary main character but the whole plot point with him is incredibly predictable and can be seen coming from a mile away.

The writing wants to be more than a watered down Hamlet but fails to do so in any unique or interesting way, there’s a pop song sequence that seemingly comes out of nowhere and takes the viewer completely out of the film. The villains of the story are shallowly written most of them are nothing more but bloodthirsty henchmen and Claudius the big bad of the movie does get a solid introduction but is not seen again until the movie is almost over making any sort of intrigue as a character next to impossible.

The animation is without a doubt the best part of the movie, as I said before it leads to some genuinely stunning moments and fun sequences. The attention to detail is sharp, clear and makes the movie’s world stand out a bit more. But that’s about as far as it goes, the animation can really only do so much when you have such a shallow script that fails to elaborate on any of its characters.

Scarlet is a disappointment, it’s a shame because there was potential for something great here. The right materials are here and the way the movie tackles life and death is genuinely interesting. But unfortunately the middle portion heavily lacks strong writing and is way to forgettable for its own good.

Scarlet releases in theaters December 12th (Limited) and February 6th (Wide)

5/10 C

Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) Film Review

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team race against time to find the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence that can destroy mankind.

Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning is directed by Christopher McQuarrie director of Jack Reacher (2012), The Way of the Gun (2000) Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation, Fallout and Dead Reckoning (2015-2023). The film serves as a direct sequel to Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning and is the eighth installment in the Mission Impossible series.

While Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning may not have the absolute highs that the previous film did, it still ends the series (at least with Tom Cruise involved) on a high note and is what any fan of the franchise could really ask for.

The performances are all pretty strong here Tom Cruise is just as great as he has been in these films, he’s particularly strong during the film’s climax that is a rollercoaster ride. His commitment to keep pushing boundaries of stunt work continues to be impressive and that’s shown here in great detail. Hayley Atwell has solid chemistry with Tom Cruise and overall gives a strong performance by herself, Pom Klementieff gets some solid character growth and much like Atwell gives an overall pretty strong performance.

The writing does have its hiccups, for one thing there is a lot of callbacks to the rest of the franchise. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but doing too much of it can start hurting the writing and in some areas it does. I can absolutely see what people mean when they say “the first hour is a slog” although there’s some interesting moments going on here, it is admittedly incredibly slow and does end up hurting the pacing in the long run. I will give some credit that the flashbacks are decently edited and at least build some sense of paranoia for Ethan particularly about his past and future.

Thanks to this paranoia that’s built, the rest of the film is able to shine. The thrilling atmosphere ends up giving the viewer one of the franchise’s most thrilling sequences and the film only keeps going up from there, constantly upping itself filled to the brim of incredibly well done stunt work and an atmosphere that brings the viewer to the edge of their seat.

The stunt work is incredibly well done and as I mentioned before is a prime example of Tom Cruise pushing boundaries of stunt work, he tops a majority (arguably all) of anything he’s done in his career with the climax and ends the film on the highest note possible. You can feel the passion from Tom Cruise through the screen and immediately brings the viewer front and center into the action, it’s by far some of the film’s greatest moments and only feels appropriate to end this series (at least with Tom Cruise this way).

Overall Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning is flawed, but once it gets past the weaker first hour (although as I said before it does have its positives) the film only improves from there. The plot might not exactly have a lot going on here detail wise, however the film remains fun throughout the experience and ends on a high note that most fans will be satisfied with.

Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

F1 (2025) Film Review

In the 1990s, Sonny Hayes was Formula 1’s most promising driver until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team convinces Sonny to return to racing and become the best in the world. Driving alongside the team’s hotshot rookie, Sonny soon learns that the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.

F1 is directed by Joseph Kosinski director of Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only The Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Spiderhead (2022).

F1 is a great film that suffers from mainly narrative and character writing issues. Despite the however the film does manage to at least be fun, the technical aspects are mainly what’s carrying this film.

The performances are solid, although the script is not really doing the cast any favors. Brad Pitt gives a decent performance although it isn’t something exactly we have not seen from him before, if there is a standout here it might be Kerry Condon but even then the script is so limited and the character writing just does not give any of these characters any sort of depth that it’s incredibly hard to tell. Damson Idris and Javier Bardem are both pretty solid here but once again not a lot of depth for their characters. I will say though Pitt, Condon, Idris and Bardem are all fun to watch here and at the very least never bore the viewer.

The writing is unfortunately where this film suffers the most, from a narrative standpoint it’s exactly what you expect. Reading the basic plot synopsis tells you exactly what to expect and your guess as to what’s going to happen is more than likely correct, the film tries some emotional moments some of which do work for a few minutes but are then quickly forgotten about. Character writing wise there’s not a whole lot going on here, as good as the performances are they can only go so far. A lot of the character traits are mainly there for the plot to move forward, it’s a shame because these solid performances deserve a better script.

With that being said, the film is excellent when it comes to the technical aspects. Whether it be from the the booming and at times intense score from Hans Zimmer, the fast and electrifying editing from Stephen Mirrione or the incredibly well done cinematography that captures the racing scenes in a lot of detail from Claudio Miranda the film does such a great job of creating this thrilling atmosphere during the racing scenes that keep the viewer’s eyes on the action.

Despite my complaints about F1 I absolutely would not call this a bad film, it’s just a very flawed one that at times feels like a missed opportunity to expand on the characters or to give the narrative the extra power it needs to really stand out. It’s undoubtedly entertaining and thanks to the performances from a talented cast combined with the film’s technical aspects that do make it as if you are in a race, the film is worth a watch in the end.

F1 is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) Film Review

Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and the Thing face their most daunting challenge yet as they defend Earth from Galactus and Silver Surfer.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman director of Cut Bank (2014) and WandaVision (2021). The film serves as the 37th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four movies.

For years Hollywood has been trying to get The Fantastic Four to work. First there was an unreleased film in 1994, then the Tim Story movies which much like a lot of the Fox Marvel movies that were releasing at the time weren’t good, finally there was Fantastic Four (2015)….there is a reason why a lot of people consider this to be one of the worst superhero movies ever made.

Luckily Matt Shakman stepped up to the plate because this is far more in line with what to expect from a Fantastic Four film. The characters mesh well together, each actor brings something exciting to the table and it’s clear that this time around this was handled with so much care to the source material. Combine that with a surprisingly captivating retro look to the film and you have yourself a quite strong film.

The performances all around were very well done, Pedro Pascal is fun and plays the whole scientist type of character incredibly well. There’s some moments where this plays into the film’s humor which works due to the lively atmosphere. Pascal’s chemistry with the rest of the cast is charming especially with Vanessa Kirby which leads to some genuinely cute and beautiful moments. The balance of being incredibly smart yet not knowing how to interact with other people makes for some compelling moments that actually do feel very real.

Vanessa Kirby is definitely the standout here, right from the beginning she completely makes the role of Sue Storm her’s. She’s the driving force of the story, the whole plot line of her trying to protect her son adds this family theme into the film. While it’s not done in any way that would be considered new, it still feels earnest and makes you care for the characters. Vanessa Kirby starts out with a more calm performance but quickly morphs into this powerhouse performance during the film’s third act. She’s an incredible actress who always gives it her all and here is no exception.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm are both incredibly fun, the two work perfectly with each other as well as Pascal and Kirby. The humor the two create feels genuine, it’s shared among the group which almost feels like organic conversations that a real family would have with each other. While the two don’t get these huge character writing moments, what we are presented with is more than enough to feel connected with their characters at the very least they are involved with the story and unlike some of the last Fantastic Four films we get this sense of teamwork and how they feel connected as a team. Maybe that’s due to the actors having such great chemistry whatever the case might be it’s very much present here.

Galactus is a very well done villain who is incredibly menacing as soon as his voice is heard. Ralph Ineson does such a fantastic job of bringing this character life as well as capturing the scale, fear and the menacing atmosphere of the character. The shadow that looms over the environment is more than enough to give the viewer chills, the build up to see his entrance to the film is well worth it and the final act of him taking action is truly large and powerful in scale.

The writing is quite excellent, the film combines its humor that feels much more natural than a lot of other MCU films and is able to capture the more dramatic moments well. As I said before the family element isn’t done in this brand new way, but it has this honesty that comes with it in this charming way that you can’t help but love. The fun banter between our heroes feels like the type of banter and dialogue you would hear from a family.

The film absolutely knocks it out of the park with the cinematography which has this blend of futuristic and 60s retro style. It makes the film standout a lot more and the color pops making this appealing to the eye, it helps that the cinematography from Jess Hall is large in scale, detailed and incredibly striking. There is this sense of wonder and exploration that you feel as the film goes on, which is fitting since a plot point of this film is space and that’s typically the feel and atmosphere you get when you think about space exploration in general.

Overall The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a very strong addition to the MCU, the story might not be anything grand. But it’s filled to the brim with passion, style and charm that you can’t help but fall in love with it.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

The Naked Gun (2025) Film Review

Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr becomes a police officer like his legendary father and must save the police department from shutting down by solving a case.

The Naked Gun is directed by Akiva Schaffer director of Hot Rod (2007), The Watch (2012), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022). This film serves as a legacy sequel to Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) and is the fourth film of the Naked Gun franchise.

One of the hardest genres to tackle is the comedy genre, if your comedic timing is just a bit off that can potentially sink the whole ship. You also have to consider whether or not the material you are working with/creating is genuinely funny. A major problem with a lot of studio comedies from the last several years is a lot of them tell almost the exact same jokes, the jokes themselves aren’t very clever and the comedic timing is dreadful. A lot of studio comedies focus more on cramming in as many unfunny jokes as possible which sacrifices just about everything else that goes into making a great comedy.

This is exactly why The Naked Gun is a huge breath of fresh air, it’s a rare studio comedy that understands how to be funny, even when not every single joke lands you can still feel the writers were very passionate behind said joke. The film’s story is simple yes but the way the humor is integrated into the story is incredibly charming and ends up being such a fun and hilarious ride from beginning to end.

This film reminds you of how great Liam Neeson is at comedy, there’s also a strong argument to be made that this is one of Neeson’s best performances in years. Neeson completely makes the film, his comedic timing is clever and his interactions with the rest of the cast are filled with fun and hilarious moments that you can’t help but love. Neeson also does a brilliant job as Frank Drebin Jr. he’s not trying to be a direct copy of Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen’s character) he’s borrowing a few elements while also making this new character different.

Pamela Anderson is fantastic here as well, Anderson has fantastic chemistry with Liam Neeson and is genuinely hilarious in her own right, a fantastic femme fatale type of performance that captures the atmosphere the film is going for. It blends so well together with the spoof nature of the film and even feels earnest at times as well that brings you into the film’s story. Something that both Neeson and Anderson do incredibly well is they capture the silly nature of the film and their conversations only show that in such shining detail that is bound to make the viewer laugh.

The writing is quite clever, I said at the beginning that comedic timing is incredibly important and luckily that’s what this film has. The film’s main goal here is to make the viewer laugh and it does that incredibly well, there’s a wide range of jokes even if you don’t laugh at one joke you could laugh at the next one. Some of the film’s best moments is when the characters take expressions literally, it’s simple yet incredibly effective due to the direction from Akiva Schaffer being filled with personality.

The spoof movie atmosphere is also incredibly charming, it never feels cheap or lame. There’s always this sense of passion from the writers and Schaffer, something we hardly ever see in these sort of movies anymore. There characters feel incredibly fitting in the film’s world, the character writing might be straightforward but the way the film goes about developing these characters is what makes it work and quite hilarious as well. There’s a lot of attention to detail when it comes to the humor, the facial expressions of the characters and the comedic timing. It all combines together in this nice little package that never fails to make the viewer laugh.

Overall The Naked Gun is an incredibly fun film that knows its goal and accomplishes it well. The film has this warmth and playfulness that you just don’t see in a lot of studio comedies nowadays, if you haven’t seen this one I recommend giving this a go.

The Naked Gun is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Nobody 2 (2025) Film Review

Workaholic assassin Hutch Mansell takes his family on a much-needed vacation to the small tourist town of Plummerville. However, he soon finds himself in the crosshairs of a corrupt theme-park operator, a shady sheriff, and a bloodthirsty crime boss.

Nobody 2 is directed by Timo Tjahjanto director of May the Devil Take You (2018), The Night Comes for Us (2018), May the Devil Take You Too (2020), The Big 4 (2022) and The Shadow Strays (2024). Nobody 2 serves as a sequel to Nobody (2021).

When I saw that Timo Tjahjanto was taking over directing duties for Nobody 2 I was pretty excited, Tjahjanto has consistently put out great work and is definitely one of the most engaging action film directors currently working. So it is quite disappointing to see that Nobody 2 doesn’t quite reach the highs of its predecessor, granted it is definitely not a bad movie at all. It’s an entertaining ride from beginning to end but that’s really all it is, there isn’t an added flavor here that helps the movie stand out on its own unfortunately.

Bob Odenkirk as Hutch Mansell is just as great as he was in the first film, he once again knocks it out of the park with the action scenes and delivers some charming dialogue and interactions with his family. These moments are not anything special mind you but they are sweet and give the movie some sort of emotional core. Connie Nielsen has strong chemistry with Bob Odenkirk, which makes for some strong moments between the two.

The action is once again quite great, although Tjahjanto isn’t able to fully go all out like he usually does with the action scenes. They are still very entertaining, seeing Bob Odenkirk just completely wreck so many henchmen is more than satisfying enough to forgive the movie’s very standard plot. The movie’s vacation theme makes for a good background for these action scenes, the fight choreography is fun and the action scenes in general are well filmed.

Honestly the biggest problem with Nobody 2 is it really doesn’t add anything and ultimately feels like a lesser version of its predecessor. The writing is not terrible, but it’s far less exciting and thrilling. Nobody 2 goes in the direction you think it’s going to go, which is not always a bad thing but when you come off of such a fun and clever first film it’s very disappointing to see such a step down.

Despite that however I still do think Nobody 2 is a fun time, it’s not something you would probably ever revisit again. But thanks to the performances and the well done action scenes I would at least recommend this one if you liked the first film even if it’s a lesser version of that film.

Nobody 2 is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires (2025) Film Review

the time of the Aztec Empire, Yohualli Coatl – a young Aztec boy – experiences tragedy when his father and village leader, Toltecatzin, is murdered by Spanish Conquistadors. Yohualli escapes to Tenochtitlan to warn King Moctezuma and his high priest, Yoka, of imminent danger. Using the temple of Tzinacan, the bat god, as a lair, Yohualli trains with his mentor and assistant, Acatzin, developing equipment and weaponry to confront the Spaniard invasion, protect Moctezuma’s temple, and avenge his father’s death.

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires is directed by Juan Meza-León which is his directorial debut.

Another take on Batman and a take that I’m not entirely sure really worked even after watching, admittedly it is a unique take on the Batman mythology but that’s quite honestly the only thing that stands out.

The voice acting is at least decent and makes for some engaging moments, even if the characters are a bit on the bland side of things. There were attempts at different spins on certain characters such as Two-Face and The Joker, some spins are definitely more elaborate and detailed than others, but none of them are incredibly noteworthy. Two-Face definitely gets the bigger end of the stick as he’s a huge part of the film and actually done decently, The Joker feels more of an afterthought (the movie sets up for a sequel.)

The writing is a mixed bag, on one hand you have some solid interactions between Batman and Acatzin and Batman with Catwoman, but on the other you have a story that despite having a unique setting often feels like you have seen this before. A lot of the familiar beats from these DC animated films are present here and unfortunately hurt the story in the long run. The story itself has its moments which mainly come from the voice cast trying their absolute hardest to sell the movie to the viewer, but a lot of the time it’s painfully predictable and fails to give some of these characters the writing they need to standout.

Finally there’s the animation which mostly works, it takes a bit to get used to since admittedly it is a step down from other DC animated films. But it’s really not all that bad, the best thing you can say about it is that it’s unique and whereas the writing fails to really take advantage of the setting, the animation at the very least steps up to the plate and works with what’s available. There might not be any jaw dropping moments with the animation, but it’s consistent and gets the job done.

Overall despite a unique setting Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires is very bland and doesn’t really offer anything exciting. There is moments of promise, but those are quickly overtaken by more forgettable ones and a bland story that feels very thrown together.

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Red Sonja (2025) Film Review

Captured, chained and forced to fight for survival, Red Sonja must battle her way through the blood-soaked pits of a tyrant’s empire while rallying an army of outcasts to reclaim her freedom and take down Dragan and his ruthless bride, Dark Annisia.

Red Sonja is directed by M.J. Bassett director of Deathwatch (2002), Wilderness (2006), Solomon Kane (2009), Silent Hill Revelation (2012), Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019) and Endangered Species (2021).

Since 2008 there has been several attempts at trying to make a second Red Sonja film, the 1985 Red Sonja was the very definition of an 80s fantasy movie that was quite honestly never good to begin with. Despite bombing at the box office and getting torn to shreds critically, a second Red Sonja film was released.

While I do think this one is actually better in a few ways than the 1985 one, that is really not saying a whole lot. I absolutely admire the attempt by M.J. Bassett to try and take a very 80s fantasy film and figure out how to make it work in 2025 even if the attempt is ultimately a misfire.

The best part about Red Sonja is Matilda Lutz, she does the best she can with such a very weak script but still ends up giving a better performance than Brigitte Neilson did in the 1985 film. Lutz just gives a more convincing performance as Red Sonja and goes for a more quiet yet effective approach that ultimately fares better in the end. The acting overall is a step up from the 1985 movie, while a bit goofy at times the supporting cast the very least this time around offer some entertainment during the movie’s more drawn out parts.

The 1985 movie is better when it comes to technical aspects that’s mainly due to a higher budget which is something this version does not have and is very evident almost immediately. While the cinematography, production design and such aren’t awful, they very clearly worked with what they could do it unfortunately does take the viewer out of the movie during certain moments. With a higher budget I think M.J. Bassett could have actually done a lot more here to give the movie’s world more life and perhaps may have resulted in a more focused and imaginative experience.

The movie’s world feels very empty and just does not have a whole lot of personality, which leads into the main problem with this version of Red Sonja….the writing. This movie is not much different than your bad early 2000s fantasy movie, it’s very reminiscent of films like Eragon (2006) or Dungeons & Dragons (2000s) a collection of fantasy elements that ultimately don’t add up into anything new or special. The villain Emperor Dragan the Magnificent is a very nothing villain despite a somewhat entertaining performance from Robert Sheehan.

It’s admirable what M.J. Bassett was trying to go for here with Red Sonja. But unfortunately the technical aspects combined with the bland fantasy tropes really hold this one back from being great.

Red Sonja is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Eenie Meanie (2025) Film Review

A reformed teenage getaway driver is dragged back into her unsavoury past when a former employer offers her an opportunity to save the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend.

Eenie Meanie is directed by Shawn Simmons which is his directorial debut.

Eenie Meanie is a movie I appreciate more than I like it, don’t get me wrong I still think it’s a fun time and it’s a decent movie to put on. But Simmons tackling a Baby Driver (2017) sort of approach with his directorial debut is an interesting move that partly works!

The acting is pretty solid here, Samara Weaving is always fun to see and here is no exception. This might not be one of my favorite performances of hers but she is so much fun here and it’s admittedly different from what she usually does. Karl Glusman, Steve Zahn and Marshawn Lynch are all pretty great here as well, they are fun in their own right even if their characters leave a lot to be desired in the character writing department.

The action scenes are what makes the film, incredibly high of energy and they capture the atmosphere the movie is going for. The car chase scenes are a whole lot of fun and give the film’s world more flavor, they aren’t anything we have not seen before but they are filled to the brim with style and capture this grindhouse movie feel that does make them standout a bit.

The atmosphere of the film has this 70s and classic B-movie feel, it’s something that remains consistent throughout the film and captures a lot of the fun nature that B-movies typically have.

The main problem comes in with most of the character writing, while there are some decently heartfelt scenes towards the end that are actually quite touching. A majority of the film does not have that and it becomes a bit of a too little too late sort of situation. I still recommend giving this one a go if you are just looking for a blast, just don’t expect any spectacular character work.

Eenie Meanie is available on Hulu

6/10 C+