Den Of Thieves 2: Panera (2025) Film Review

Lawman “Big Nick” O’Brien gets embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves as he pursues career criminal Donnie Wilson to Europe.

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera is directed by Christian Gudegast who previously directed Den Of Thieves (2018). This film serves as a sequel to Den Of Thieves (2018).

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera could have easily been one of those sequels that felt like it came out way too late and just end up being forgettable. In some ways it is but for the most part I do think this is a pretty solid sequel, that may not do a whole lot different but there’s actually some surprisingly great bits here worth acknowledging.

For starters I do think the acting this time around is actually quite great, a large part of what the film focuses on is chemistry which may seem odd given that the previous film was filled with action and such but it works here. Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. are given a real lot to work with here in the dialogue and they go all out. This is definitely one of Butler’s better performances in quite awhile, he’s able to really into his character Nicholas O’Brien (or Big Nick) and expand upon the character from the first film. There’s a decent amount going on here with the chemistry of the two and the conversations they have, it feels like natural progression for these characters and the film’s direction of where it takes these two characters is quite interesting. The supporting cast while great don’t have a whole lot to work with, this is very much the Butler and Jackson Jr. show, which in this context isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it would have been nice to see the rest of the cast have bigger moments and be more involved.

Pantera is less action filled than the previous film, the action scenes that are here are very well done and take advantage of the atmosphere that the film builds. They aren’t quite as over the top or expansive as the first film but they are fun in their own way, especially the third act’s big heist showdown that is grand and really makes all the build up the film was creating worth it in the end. The suspenseful atmosphere and the chemistry between Butler and Jackson Jr. make it all the more satisfying when the third act rolls around.

The main flaw mostly comes from the exact same problem the first film suffered from and it’s going on for a bit too long, to be fair this film isn’t as bad when it comes to that but it’s still a very noticeable problem. There’s filler here that really doesn’t serve the plot all that much that could have easily been trimmed.

However between the chemistry, third act and the surprisingly solid acting Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera at least has a lot going on here, it’s a film I may not ever return to (much like the first one) but I still do think it’s a satisfying film that accomplishes what it’s sent out to do!

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera is currently in theaters.

6/10 C+

Back in Action (2025) Film Review!

Former CIA spies Emily and Matt are pulled back into espionage after their secret identities are exposed.

Back in Action is directed by Seth Gordon director of Four Christmases (2008), Horrible Bosses (2011), Identity Thief (2013) and Baywatch (2017).

I don’t think anyone should be surprised that a Netflix January action comedy ends up being terrible, the whole selling point of this movie was that Cameron Diaz came out of retirement from acting. Which that’s great we all love Cameron Diaz but coming out of retirement for this movie really leaves me with a lot more questions than answers.

Cameron Diaz isn’t terrible here and is trying her best with the script given, but her performance is not exactly great here either. She’s capable of far better performances and here it just seems like we get almost absolutely nothing, a lot of what people love about Diaz as an actress is absent and feels more like “we got Cameron Diaz but everything that audiences love about her acting is not here.”

Jamie Foxx falls in the same boat, while the chemistry between Diaz and Foxx isn’t bad and has a few sweet moments, it’s not quite enough to really save the movie. Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are stuck with such a terrible script that tells horrible jokes and throws as many sequences at the wall with none of them sticking, Glenn Close is just kind of here and is nothing more than a poorly written side character.

The movie itself as I said before is so poorly written, this is about as dull as you can get when it comes to action comedies. Everything that you expect is going to happen unfolds almost immediately, there’s no sense of direction with the plot being strangely convoluted for such a straightforward premise. The movie is also Spy Kids (2001) but instead of kids it’s adults, which doesn’t work mainly because 90% of spy films are already like that. Spy Kids at the very least had an audience in mind and is goofy fun even if the movie doesn’t hold up well, Back in Action is just a mishmash of terrible ideas and cliches thrown into a blender nothing more and nothing less.

There really isn’t a whole lot else to say about Back in Action it’s a movie you are going to remember 30 minutes after watching and then move on. The only reason why this movie is known is because of Cameron Diaz coming out of retirement, without that this movie would not have gotten a single ounce of advertising.

Back in Action is available on Netflix.

1/10 F

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (2024) Film Review!

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails reunite to battle Shadow, a mysterious new enemy with powers unlike anything they’ve faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, they seek out an unlikely alliance to stop Shadow and protect the planet.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is directed by Jeff Fowler who previously directed Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic The Hedgehog (2022). This film is the third installment to the Sonic series.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is the best of the series so far, it improves on the already incredibly solid Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022) and adds in elements that fans will instantly recognize and people who haven’t played the games can still really enjoy.

In terms of performances this is the best they have ever been. Jim Carrey this time around is in a dual role Ivo Robotnik (Eggman) and Gerald Robotnik Ivo’s grandfather. Once again he does such a fantastic job, he’s able to balance the two performances incredibly well, one doesn’t take away from the other. Gerald as a villain is quite great, the couple flashbacks we do get do a solid job of explaining his character without needing to over explain.

Keanu Reeves as Shadow The Hedgehog was an absolute genius casting decision, right from the moment he appears on screen he already hits it out of the park. Reeves captures the spirit of the character and really works in the whole emotional core of Shadow’s story as well. For those that don’t know the film takes elements from Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) and Shadow The Hedgehog (2005) and part of those elements is Shadow’s emotional story, it’s a story that absolutely needed someone who could play a strong Shadow and luckily Reeves went all in.

The writing this time around is quite strong, maybe it’s because the film focused on Shadow’s story a part in the video game franchise that is among one of the most cherished moments by fans. The way the film goes about telling the story is quite excellent, it doesn’t feel skimmed and it doesn’t feel drawn out. It has this perfect balance that is able to please fans while also bringing people unfamiliar on board. Understandably there’s far less jokes which makes a lot of sense, but even when there are jokes there’s at least balance and those moments don’t take away from the serious ones.

Overall there really isn’t a whole lot to Sonic The Hedgehog 3 but there really doesn’t have to be, it’s a very strong installment to this franchise that is only going to go up from here!

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is playing in theaters.

8/10 B+

Gladiator II (2024) Film Review!

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Gladiator II is directed by Ridley Scott (I don’t think I need to list what he’s directed) the film serves as a sequel to Gladiator (2000).

Gladiator (2000) is one of those films where even if you aren’t into film you have probably seen or heard of it referenced somewhere and rightfully so. It’s an iconic film that won Best Picture at the Oscars and is still talked about, examined and celebrated to this day. A sequel to Gladiator (2000) was always talked about but for one reason or another it never happened until it was announced officially in 2018. Gladiator II is one of those cases where it’s a prime example of just leaving the original as is, because outside of a few scenes and performance this was really a whole lot of nothing.

As you probably have heard by now, Denzel Washington is far and away the standout of the movie. He brings this interesting balance of this calm and collective villain behavior and mixes it with a chaotic one, he doesn’t going over the top with it which I think really makes his character Marcinus all the more intimidating. Washington is just also a blast to watch on screen and continues to show that here, his moments with Tim Mclnnery although small are actually quite fun. The two have this bond that strangely works well (I wish the movie explored Mclnnery’s character Thraex a lot more but that’s a common theme with this movie I’ll get to soon.)

Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are also quite fun, their characters Emperor Geta (played by Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla (played by Hechinger) don’t have a lot of depth to them and the most we really get about their characters is that they are evil emperors but the way Quinn and Hechinger go about playing them is genuinely hilarious and chaotic. I’m not sure if I would call these “good” performances but at the very least they stood out in a movie that is painfully dull and get a reaction out of the viewer. Pedro Pascal is also pretty decent here, again we don’t get much on his character General Acacius but he does have some good moments such as the action scenes.

The rest of the movie however is a complete and total mess, it’s basically doing a lot of what the first film did but nowhere near as interesting. A huge problem I hinted at earlier is the characters, while the acting is strong for the most part. It’s the characters who get absolutely no depth to them at all, Paul Mescal’s character Lucius is very typical protagonist that really doesn’t bring anything new to the table. He’s a less interesting Maximus from the first movie and his journey is way too similar to Maximus’s, we get some flashbacks that try to give Lucius some more depth and explanation of his past but it’s very skimmed over. It ultimately does not lead to anything compelling or exciting for the viewer it’s just there to briefly try its best to try to fill in some holes.

The action scenes here are fine enough, thanks to the cinematography from John Mathieson who does a beautiful job with the filming. But unfortunately that doesn’t stop the CGI fights from being ugly, it’s a very weird mishmash between some genuinely great shots with some terrible CGI that easily takes you out of some of the action. It’s a shame because I do think the fights themselves in concept are neat and actually do have some solid atmosphere, but to say the CGI doesn’t take away from these scenes would be lying.

Overall there really isn’t much more to be said, Gladiator II is one of those sequels that exists that also doesn’t do anything better or interesting to its predecessor. It’s a shame because I do think with a far better script and a more focused direction this could have been something great.

Gladiator II is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Venom: The Last Dance (2024) Film Review

Eddie Brock and Venom must make a devastating decision as they’re pursued by a mysterious military man and alien monsters from Venom’s home world.

Venom: The Last Dance is directed by Kelly Marcel which is her directorial debut, this film serves as the final film in the Venom trilogy and is the fifth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

Going into this one I was hoping it would be somewhat fun. I liked the last film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) decently enough but did not like Venom (2018). Unfortunately The Last Dance is a very nothing movie, it really does seem like everyone involved had no clue how to wrap up the trilogy so they threw as many ideas as the wall as they possibly could.

Tom Hardy is still quite fun here, the interactions between him and Venom are still great and have some decently funny moments. They aren’t on the scale as they were in the past but considering how empty the rest of this movie is that should be considered a compliment. I also do like some of the action scenes, the special effects are quite bad in some areas but the action is just silly enough to be considered entertaining.

Unfortunately the rest of the movie is a mess, we are introduced to a lot of new characters who quite frankly should have been in the previous movies. Because tell me why this is the last movie of the trilogy and we are only now getting introduced to bare bone characters? Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple in particular have very little to work with, the movie also wastes so much potential with Knull (played by Andy Serkis) as the villain. Knull suffers from not being in the movie that much and really fails to show how interesting the character can be. Instead the movie wastes so much time on plot points that should have been explored far earlier in more depth.

Perhaps the most jarring thing about this movie is the final moments, it ends with Maroon 5’s Memories in just such a so bad it’s hilarious type of way that is so baffling. It’s by far the most memorable part of the movie in all the wrong ways, it makes you wish that the rest of the movie at least attempted to try and be that silly. But that’s not the case here, unfortunately you are stuck with dull characters that you couldn’t care less about with some mediocre action and a very bland wrap up to a trilogy.

The ending also really makes you question what was even the point of the trilogy to begin with, it’s obviously trying to go for this emotional “let’s look at the old times” sort of deal but it doesn’t work narratively and that it’s just so laughably bad.

Overall Venom: The Last Dance is a very nothing movie and adds nothing to the trilogy, it’s a shame because as I said earlier the stuff with Knull had potential. There was just absolutely no focus whatsoever at all in this movie.

Venom: The Last Dance is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Quick Review: Watchmen: Chapter II (2024)

Former heroes face threats. The Comedian is dead, Dr. Manhattan exiled to Mars, Ozymandias survived an attack and Rorschach is arrested.

Watchmen: Chapter II is directed by Brandon Vietti director of Superman: Doomsday (2007), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery (2014), Batman: Death in the Family (2020) and Watchmen: Chapter I (2024)

Much of what I said in my review for Chapter I can be applied here for Chapter II. It’s a very serviceable retelling of the Watchmen comics and much like the previous movie is decently fun and somewhat interesting.

Also much like the previous movie the animation is what sticks out the most, there’s definitely some hiccups at times but for the most part the animation is consistent from the first part and does have some really great moments. The voice acting is fine enough here, Phil LaMarr is probably the standout as his narration gets your attention quite easily. Outside of LaMarr there really isn’t anything particularly special about the voice acting, it’s fine enough and gets the job done.

This movie wraps things up from the previous movie and it’s done and told in an a competent way, the two parts together paint a very competently told way to tell the story of Watchmen it’s not a bad place to start for newcomers. There are parts where admittedly the movie does sort of feel rushed particularly towards the end which is an odd decision given how the pacing of the rest of the movie was balanced decently well.

Overall not bad, but I don’t think I will ever come back to this movie nor its predecessor.

Watchmen: Chapter II is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Elevation (2024) Film Review!

Post-apocalyptic survivors find refuge in the Rocky Mountains to hide from giant, insect-like creatures that can’t live above 8,000 feet. However, when one needs life-saving supplies, they risk it all to venture into the danger zone.

Elevation is directed by George Nolfi director of The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Birth Of The Dragon (2016) and The Banker (2020).

Didn’t have a lot of expectations going into Elevation and well it’s exactly how you think it is if you simply watched the trailer. It’s a bare bones copy of A Quiet Place (2018) just with a little less horror and more action, so there really is not a whole lot to be said here.

Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin and Maddie Hasson do a fine enough job here but due to the lacking script that’s filled with cliche character types, there’s no depth here to make their characters interesting or to bring the viewer in. It’s a huge problem that becomes incredibly noticeable by the middle section of the movie, where despite being only 90 minutes long you feel like you have learned absolutely nothing about these characters.

The Rocky Mountains backdrop is beautiful at the very least and there was some potential to really mix it in with the story in such exciting ways, it’s just such a shame that the movie executes the story in such lackluster ways that are way too similar to a lot of post apocalyptic films. There’s never any risks or any sort of moment that could surprise the viewer, it’s all just cliches that you can see coming from a mile away.

Despite that however I don’t think Elevation is a horrendous movie, the acting is fine enough, the camerawork has beautiful moments and the locations are often great. The movie just suffers from introducing an interesting premise and really not doing much else with it.

Elevation is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

The Shadow Strays (2024) Film Review!

Skilled in the art of killing, a young assassin defies her mentor to save a boy from a ruthless crime syndicate.

The Shadow Strays 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) and a few others. He’s also co-directed a few films such as Killers (2014), Headshot (2016) Macabre (2009) and a few others!

Timo Tjahjanto is a director I always look forward to when I hear a new film of his is coming out. Tjahjanto is arguably one of the best modern action film directors, he very clearly has a passion for them and really goes all out with each of his films. The exact same can be said for his most recent film The Shadow Strays.

The performances are fantastic but the main standout by far is Aurora Ribero who prior to this film did drama and comedy films, so it’s really impressive to see how much she really goes all out here. You would think she had to have done at least a few action films before this considering how incredible she really is here. Ribero pours everything she’s got into this performance both emotionally and physically which leads it to be such a thrilling and exciting performance. Her character 13 or Nomi is very well developed and really brings so much emotion towards the end of the film which leads to one of the best choreographed one on one fights I’ve seen in a while.

The action scenes are Tjahjanto’s specialty so it’s no surprise that they are once again top notch, they are just as violent and well choreographed as they have always been. Seeing Ribero crushing anyone in her path is just truly satisfying and really gets the viewer pumped and brought into the film. She’s on this journey and we are along for the ride, sure the action might be a bit more of the same thing from Tjahjanto’s previous work but if it isn’t broken don’t fix it.

There really isn’t much more to say, if you love Tjahjanto’s work you already know what you are getting into with this one!

The Shadow Strays is available on Netflix.

9/10 A

Transformers One (2024) Film Review!

Optimus Prime and Megatron, as former friends, bonded like brothers. Their relationship ultimately changes Cybertron’s fate forever.

Transformers One is directed by Josh Cooley who previously directed Toy Story 4 (2019).

By this point there’s been a ton of Transformers films after so many live action ones a new animated one takes the stage. Do not let the trailers fool you this is actually a really great Transformers film.

Transformers One sort of serves as an origin story and focuses on the friendship of Optimus Prime and Megatron and how they drifted apart, the way the film executes this is surprisingly quite great. This could have easily went completely wrong and even come across as silly or nonsensical, but the script and the direction the film takes has a lot of passion behind it and these characters are well developed to make the whole idea work.

The voice cast all around are quite great Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron are the standouts by far, seeing the two’s back and forth is truly investing and their voices gives these characters so much power and depth. The two have great chemistry and really make a lot of crucial scenes shine, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee is a fun performance, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime makes for a great villain and Steve Buscemi as Starscream is just excellent casting. Even if he doesn’t get a lot of screen time he absolutely embodies Starscream and is a dead ringer to Chris Latta’s version of the character.

The animation is actually quite great, it takes a bit to get use to how the characters look but as the film goes on it becomes more clear that this art direction was the best move and incredibly fitting. The film has some gorgeous moments that really do make it shine and capture the world of Transformers. Plus the visuals do a very good job of building the world of the film, combine that with the dialogue that does not over explain itself and you have yourself a simple yet beautiful world.

The film exploring the friendship between Optimus Prime and Megatron plus leading into the downfall of it is the film’s main strength. It’s very reminiscent of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005) and I mean that in a good way, you get the excellent action scenes, some really powerful dialogue that reflects the two’s bond and how much it’s slowly being broken. There’s a lot of loud and quiet moments between the two and it’s enough to get the viewer invested in these characters, although we know what’s going to happen it’s still incredibly powerful and well written.

There’s of course minor flaws such as Sentinel Prime being a very obvious villain from the start and some of the jokes don’t quite land. But those are nowhere near enough to take away how much fun and overall well written Transformers One really is.

Transformers One is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

Azrael (2024) Film Review

Years after the apocalypse, a devout cult of mute zealots hunts down Azrael, a young woman who escaped her own imprisonment.

Azrael is directed by E.L. Katz director of Cheap Thrills (2013), A is for Amateur from ABC’s of Death 2 (2014) and Small Crimes (2017).

Azrael is an interesting one filmmaking wise, outside of a few moments (and I mean very few) there is absolutely no dialogue. It’s an incredibly bold move and I really have to say they really nail it down.

The performances are all great but nobody comes close to Samara Weaving who really goes all out here and shows how great her facial acting and body language when trying to communicate is. She hits it out of the park and captures the dark and post-apocalyptic atmosphere the film has all over it, her interactions with the other characters without speaking a word are incredibly investing. They lead to suspenseful moments that truly capture the darkness of the film’s world where anything can happen at any given moment.

The atmosphere as I said is incredibly suspenseful and it remains that way throughout the film, the writers depicting their version of hell adds so much to the film especially with the creatures running around. It’s a world where anything can come right out of nowhere and chase after you, the no dialogue just adds to the terror of the film. The religious horror elements that are added later on in the film mesh well with the final moments of the journey and give you a pretty good idea of its meaning.

The gore is really great as expected, Samara Weaving is once again covered in blood (like in many of her previous films) so you know that means a ton of gore is going to be included and you would be correct. The gore combined with the creature designs is truly fun and ups the more action like moments, a balance of fun and suspenseful is all the film really needs to bring the viewer into these moments. Especially when you have some nice camerawork from Mart Taniel who does a really nice job of showcasing the world of the film.

Azrael does suffer from some genre cliches during the middle of the film (some moments being a bit too convenient) and paper thin written characters outside of Azrael (played by Samara Weaving) which is kind of the negative of choosing to have no dialogue at all. However seeing as how the film is more interested in building its world and moving along at a solid pace, the lack of character stuff doesn’t really hurt the film all that much.

Overall Azrael is both fun and suspenseful, not exactly anything brand new going on here but between the world building, the performance from Samara Weaving and the gore this is one worth watching!

Azrael is available on Shudder

7/10 B