Predator: Badlands (2025) Film Review

Cast out from its clan, an alien hunter and an unlikely ally embark on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

Predator: Badlands is directed by Dan Trachtenberg director of 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer Of Killers (2025). The film serves as the seventh installment in the Predator franchise.

When Prey (2022) revived interest in the Predator films I was very excited to see what he had in store next. To everyone’s surprised he had not one but TWO films planned out. Earlier this year Predator: Killer Of Killers released and as I said in my review it was excellent and that trend continues with Predator: Badlands, watching all three of these films it’s very clear that Trachtenberg loves the Predator franchise and that is especially clear here. Badlands has excellent performances, satisfying action scenes, this large in scale exploration and beautiful yet simple character writing that really goes a long way.

The performances are excellent, the center focus is Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Elle Fanning both of who give some of the best performances of the year. The two also dive quite deep into their characters and really bring out some truly fun and beautiful moments. Koloamatangi plays Dek a young Yautja outcast, while his character may seem like the typical warrior who needs to prove himself. The film goes a lot further than that, as he goes on his journey we get to see his character slowly but surely build over time, Koloamatangi’s performance really puts in the work as well. We can hear tons of emotion even through the Yautja speech, it gets to the point where you want to root for him and hope he accomplishes his mission. There’s a surprising amount of depth here that you do not see very often with these films, it might be a bit simple yes but it’s there and it helps build Dek into this quite interesting character we follow.

Elle Fanning plays a dual performance, Thia a damaged Weyland-Yutani Corporation synthetic who travels with Dek and Tessa a Weyland-Yutani synthetic and Thia’s sister, she serves as the antagonist of the film. What Elle Fanning captures the excellent balance of good and evil masterfully here, in one corner you have Thia who is hilarious, fun and a person who just wants to see the good in people. Then you have Tessa the cold, evil and whose only goal is to complete her mission. She puts up this fake act of caring for Thia all for taking advantage of her to get what she wants. Elle Fanning does such a brilliant job of bringing depth to both these characters, she’s able to show off just how wonderful she is as an actress while having so much fun with the performances. The trope of clone/evil versions of characters can be a bit on the lame side, however it absolutely works here due to just how much personality and power Fanning puts into both her performances.

The world building is quite fantastic, it’s definitely one of those films where the visuals of the film’s world as well as the large in scale nature does all of the talking. The film feels like an open world video game, that you lose yourself in and never want to leave. This large in scale nature lets the viewer explore all the different landscapes and creatures on the planet, even if some of the creatures are on screen for a few minutes it still feels like we know a lot about them simply due to the detail and how large in scale the film really is.

The film’s writing has this depth to it that really adds on as the film progresses, the underdog story that may have started as something simple evolves into a bigger beast. The film’s depth also has plenty of fun moments of dialogue, the humor works surprisingly well which is mainly due to the bond of Dek and Thia. The two characters have this fun and surprisingly wholesome bond that we slowly get to see form throughout the film. Which makes later scenes a bit more devastating when future events unfold.

Overall Predator: Badlands is yet another fantastic installment to the Predator franchise. It’s not known yet if Trachtenberg will be directing another Predator film, but I sure do hope we get to see even more of his love for this franchise.

Predator: Badlands is available in Theaters!

10/10 A+

Elio (2025) Film Review

Elio, an underdog with an active imagination, finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, he starts to form new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he’s truly meant to be.

Elio is directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi which is the former’s directorial debut with the latter previously directing Turning Red (2022).

Elio is a pretty solid addition to the Pixar library, while there might not be anything new thematically or even story wise going on here, the huge amount of charm is undeniable and it all adds up to make an incredibly fun and adventurous experience for the viewer.

First and foremost the voice cast does a pretty solid job here, Yonas Kibreab plays Elio a character that the viewer can quickly relate to as soon as the film starts. Losing both his parents at a very young age, Elio’s imagination roams free which leads to some genuinely raw moments that, he’s obsessed with communicating with the outside world. Something a lot of kids did when I was growing up and I’m sure the viewer will have the same sort of feeling. The film portrays all of this in such a beautiful way that makes Elio feel like a very real character, yes the film does take liberties in throwing in fantasy elements when it gets to the aliens. But throughout the film the raw feeling of Elio as a character never goes away.

Zoe Saldaña as Olga Solís (Elio’s aunt) is a very important part in this story, there’s sort of an emotional separation between Olga and Elio. Olga gave up on her dreams of becoming an astronaut so she can raise her nephew. Elio’s obsession nearly costs Olga’s job which causes a distance between them. The film explores the pain of both sides incredibly well, it’s done in this thoughtful and genuinely touching way that really makes the viewer immediately care for Elio and Olga.

The animation is stunning, the use of color is very top notch, when the film reaches the space portion of the film it really does feel like you are in another world. While yes the space theme does feel a bit familiar in a lot of ways, what Sharafian and Shi are able to do with it is what makes it so fun, they are able to bring this fun aesthetic and a silly atmosphere that it’s enjoyable. You have your heartwarming moments as well to even things out. It’s some nice world building that while may not going into very deep territory, is still solid enough to capture the main mood of the film’s world.

The writing has many themes going on here such as feeling out of place, loss and loneliness all of which the film does a pretty solid job of exploring. The theme of feeling out of place in particular is beautifully done, combining it with the whole space theme is a smart move as well. Elio is in this spot where he doesn’t know where he belongs due to the loss of his parents, his connection to the outside world can only help him so much. This all leads to beautiful moments that are captured quite well and really are striking in their own ways.

The main criticism here comes from most of the aliens, outside of Gordon who does get quite a bit of development. The rest of the aliens don’t really get a huge amount of development, sure they have a few key differences from on another but there really is not anything that stands out. The antagonist Lord Grigon is just kind of there, he’s fine and he gets the job done but that’s really about it. I do find it interesting that the world itself has a lot more personality and gets more development than most of its inhabitants.

But as it stands Elio is a very strong addition to Pixar’s library, it’s touching, heartwarming and such a sweet film that you can’t help but smile after watching.

Elio is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Lilo & Stitch (2025) Film Review

Stitch, an extraterrestrial entity, comes to Earth after escaping prison, where he tries to impersonate a dog. Things take a turn when a lonely Hawaiian girl, Lilo, adopts him from an animal shelter and he helps mend her broken family.

Lilo & Stitch is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp who previously directed Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2021). The film serves as a remake to the 2002 film of the same name.

Lilo & Stitch might be the better than Snow White when it comes to Disney live action remakes that came out this year, but is that really worth celebrating? I will admit that there’s parts of Lilo & Stitch that work well enough, but much like a lot of these other live action remakes the end result is complete inferior versions of the original.

As far as the cast goes seeing Chris Sanders return as the voice for Stitch is great, he does a great job here and his connection with Maia Kealoha is easily some of the movie’s best moments. Speaking of which Maia Kealoha absolutely carries this movie, she captures the spirit of Lilo from the original and has a lot of sweet moments. You can easily tell there was so much charm that went into her performance and she was able to bring that to the viewer front and center, if it hadn’t been for Kealoha and Sanders this remake would fall flat almost immediately at the start. The rest of the cast are fine enough, Billy Magnussen as Pleakley has some good moments but that’s really about it, a lot of the other characters such as Jumba just don’t have the charm or energy of what made them so great in the original. A lot of the character writing here felt very half baked and severe lack of passion, which is incredibly unfortunate.

The writing is strange to say the least, this is an instance where the movie is at its best when it follows the original not when it brings new things into the mix. The character writing is especially noticeably dipped in quality the main offender being the choice to make Jumba a villain, it’s an out of nowhere decision that hurts the movie in the long run. Jumba being a villain takes away a lot of what made his character so great in the original, he doesn’t have that same connection with Stitch, while yes he was technically a “mad scientist” in the original but he was ultimately a goofy guy, the destruction he made was accidental because he was mostly insensitive and mean in this goofy way. Think about it this way, imagine if someone tried to make Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb into a very serious villain. That’s the equivalent of what this movie did here with Jumba. In this movie Jumba is evil for the sake of being evil, he hates everyone, takes away a lot of what made him such a great character.

As far as the ending is concerned it’s a very puzzling decision and really defeats the purpose of the original, not only that but it’s incredibly out of character for Nani. The original had this message of being Ohana which means no one gets left behind, to see a complete whiplash from this movie is bizarre to say the least.

Overall there really isn’t not much else to be said about the live action remake of Lilo & Stitch. It has its moments that capture the original decently well but then you have moments that completely miss what made the original so fun, adventurous and why people love it so much.

Lilo & Stitch is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Superman (2025) Film Review

Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.

Superman is directed by James Gunn director of Slither (2006), Super (2010), The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trilogy and The Suicide Squad (2021). Superman serves as the first film in the new DC Universe and as a reboot of the Superman franchise

I’ve said before in the past (at least I think I did) that I was never personally a Superman fan, outside of the first two Christopher Reeves films and the Superman animated series that came out in the 90s (which you should absolutely watch if you haven’t it’s such a fun series.) I was never that invested into Superman…with that being said I am absolutely amazed by Superman (2025).

It’s absolutely no surprise that Superman is high in quality given that this is yet again James Gunn showing he knows his talent for directing incredibly well done comic book films, much like he did with The Guardians Of The Galaxy movies (2014-2023) and The Suicide Squad (2021) not only does he put excellent action in the film but he captures so many important themes of Superman that has been missing from a lot of these other films for quite a while now.

The major part of what makes Superman so excellent is the cast, whether they play a major role or a small role they all feel like a natural fit into the film’s world. For starters David Corenswet embodies the role of Superman, whether he’s fighting the villains of the film or in more quiet scenes with the many characters of the film. There’s always this kind, empathetic and vulnerable person we see when we look at Superman or Clark Kent, this debunks the idea of Superman being this perfect and unstoppable person. There’s so much heart that Corenswet gives to his portrayal to the character that it even captures a lot of what made Christopher Reeves’s Superman so iconic, his chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan (who plays Lois Lane) is some of the best moments of the film, the conversations they have with another feel surprisingly grounded and we see Clark Kent open up about how he feels about being Superman, what it takes and how much it affects him. Corenswet masterfully captures all of these moments so well and so earnestly that this ends up being one of the best performances in a comic book film in recent memory.

Rachel Brosnahan is also quite fantastic here, when it comes to portrayals of Lois Lane there’s an argument to be made that she’s the absolute best. I’ve said before that the chemistry between her and Corenswet is absolutely beautiful, but her interactions with the rest of the characters are a lot of fun as well. The film starts with Clark Kent and Lois Lane already dating, for some that might be rushing into things but I think that works here. Mainly due to how it’s talked about and acted during one of the film’s first scenes. We can almost immediately gather that the two really care for each other and the chemistry is just oozing out of the screen. Her portrayal of Lois Lane determined to find the truth is also fantastic and leads to some of her best moments throughout the film.

Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor is quite possibly the best portrayal of the character, he captures the incredibly unhinged parts of what makes Lex Luthor such a fantastic villain. He’s both comically evil and genuinely terrifying mainly because he believes every single word he’s saying and believes every action he is taking is justified, we especially see this towards the end where his determination to destroy Superman goes from already being an obsession to downright psychotic. Hoult captures all of this so wonderfully in this incredible performance that ends up being one of the best takes on a comic book villain in recent memory. His interactions with Superman are filled to the brim with destruction and desire that we see how much more corrupted he really gets.

The rest of the performances are fantastic, The Justice Gang which consists of Michael Holt/Mister Terrific (played by Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner/Green Lantern played by Nathan Fillion) this is one of the many versions of the Green Lantern this universe is going to have) and finally Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl (played by Isabela Merced) are all a lot of fun here. Merced does not get a whole lot of scenes but it’s a nice introduction to Hawkgirl as a character and Merced still delivers. Nathan Fillion gets some great moments as well and his interactions with the rest of the group and even Superman have some genuinely funny moments, there’s a moment towards the end while short does a great job of capturing his character. Edi Gathegi gives such a neat performance as Mister Terrific, he’s given the most to do in the group and especially gets one particular moment that is one of the film’s best. It’s very much like some scenes from The Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy but still manages to be incredibly fun especially combined with the song choice, camerawork and the attention to detail with the action.

Speaking of which the action is quite exciting, it really captures the whole Superman vibe especially with the cinematography from Henry Braham, while there might be a few silly shots they actually do fit with the film’s world and they most certainly do not take away from the world building of the cinematography. While Metropolis is not given straightforward world building development it is through the cinematography and it’s citizens, as the viewer when you look around you realize that the film is large in scale and that’s reflected through the action scenes and cinematography. It’s not closed off or limited the film wants you to explore, it’s incredibly fascinating and even quite beautiful at times.

Finally there’s the writing and the themes of the film that are genuinely beautiful, the character development that goes on with Clark Kent, Lois Lane and many of the other characters really feels natural. There’s a few particular moments here that really highlight this, one of them being the conversation Clark has with his parents Pa Kent (played by Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Ma Kent (played by Neva Howell) it’s such a touching scene that really does capture a lot of the heart of the film and even Superman as a character, it helps that the acting in this particular moment is especially fantastic. Ma and Pa Kent are down to earth, humble and care for their son Clark, they are proud of Clark yet are still worried about him. Even if Clark might be one of the planet’s strongest they see that he still needs to understand that he is loved, this is a very real take on parenthood even if it’s only for this scene it’s still incredibly impactful.

The themes of what makes being a hero and the people believing in Superman even when things are dire is captured so beautifully here. There’s one particular scene where Raising The Flag (one of the film’s many great tracks) is played, it’s the song from the first trailer and it perfectly fits here. From the people chanting Superman, to the booming and quiet moments of the song. It’s a beautiful and powerful representation of who Superman is and why so many people love him both in the film’s world and our world, it’s the theme of a hero determined to help the people because it’s the right thing to do. He does not expect anything in return he just does it because it’s bravery and his actions saves lives.

Overall Superman is one of the best films of the year, this is quite a fantastic way to start off the new DC universe. If this is the quality that a lot of these upcoming projects will showcase then I am very excited to see what happens next.

Superman is currently in theaters.

10/10 A+

The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Film Review

Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

The Phoenician Scheme is directed by Wes Anderson director of Bottle Rocket (1996), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle Of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), Asteroid City (2023) and many others.

Wes Anderson is back again with another incredibly strong film, while in some areas the film very much does feel like what you would expect from a Wes Anderson film at this point. There is a lot of excellent character writing, humorous moments and fun dialogue that ultimately lead into some genuinely touching moments.

The cast like in most Wes Anderson films does a fantastic job here, I would argue that this film highlights that even more than some of his other films. Benicio del Toro, Mia Therapleton and Michael Cera are all hilarious together each in their own way. The father and daughter bond between Benicio del Toro and Mia Therapleton that builds over the course of the film is genuinely touching, what starts as a rough bond quickly evolves into something genuine, there’s some quite beautiful moments towards the film’s final moments that actually does make the viewer shed a tear. There’s this theme of rebuilding and learning to communicate and the film does that incredibly well with del Toro and Therapleton, it depicts this in such a raw way that quickly connects with the viewer.

Michael Cera is hilarious all around, he captures the bizarre atmosphere the film is going for. The build up to what his character is ultimately revealed to be would have never worked if this were almost any other director, but due to how hilarious Cera is combined with being just born to be in a Anderson film the reveal works and makes Cera all the more fantastic. Cera’s chemistry with Therapleton is also charming, fun and is genuinely sweet, it’s something we also get to see build up over the course of the film and ends up being very well developed.

The rest of the cast is fantastic, although we don’t get to see more of them they stick around long enough to have a lasting impact on the viewer. Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffery Wright and Riz Ahmed in particular are a lot of fun here.

The writing this time around is genuinely hilarious, this is perhaps Anderson’s most hilarious film since The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Which I believe is mainly due to how the film’s premise is presented, going around recruiting people to help you in business dealings while being constantly hunted down is shown in this humorous way that Anderson absolutely hits out of the park. The theme of scaling down ambition is shown here in this striking way, too much ambition can lead to crashing and even dangerous results. This is explored quite well and especially is well executed during the third act of the film.

The films final moments I find to be incredibly sweet, not only do we get the beautiful moments of father and daughter bond we have gotten throughout the film. But the film’s themes are tied together in this nice little bow and shows that starting from scratch and a new life can be welcomed.

The Phoenician Scheme is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

Tornado (2025) Film Review

When her father’s puppet samurai show gets ambushed by a notorious gang, Tornado vows to seek vengeance and forge her own destiny by stealing their ill-gotten gold.

Tornado is directed by John Maclean director of Slow West (2015).

Tornado has this interesting idea going on here where it combines samurai and western films, even if the story being told here does not have the full emotional firepower it needs to. There is still a decent amount to appreciate here that does end up help the film ultimately stand on its own.

The performances are great, Kōki gives a solid performance as Tornado. She absolutely carries the film even when it’s in some rough patches, she balances the action moments along with the quiet moments where she is just bonding with her father very well. The writing may not give her a whole lot to go in depth with, but she’s able to turn certain scenes into decently exciting ones from just being quite talented.

The supporting cast is fine here, the best by far has to be Tim Roth who’s just really great at playing a villain. His character Sugarman might be a very generic villain but Roth as an actor helps elevate the role into something a bit more (I’m being generous when I say that), we really do not get a whole lot of information about Sugarman as a character from the script. So it’s really Roth’s acting that does a lot of the talking.

When it comes to the technical aspects Tornado is quite great. The cinematography from Robbie Ryan has this atmospheric feel that you immediately get from a lot of samurai and western films, the decision to shoot on 35mm gave this film a very gorgeous look that actually helps standout well. It’s a smart creative choice and combined with the locations of the film, we get to see how effective this decision really was and how it benefits it in the long run. We get to see how the filming compliments the woods, trails, fields and such in this beautiful and striking detail.

The script is what is mainly holding this one back from being great, the story is a very typical revenge story that you can almost immediately guess what is going to happen. There’s just not a whole lot going on here with the characters, while the film does give some genuinely great character moments such as Tornado bonding with her father Fujin by doing a puppet show for the children. There’s not nearly enough of these moments to really say that the film gives the viewer a lot of emotional depth for the characters.

Overall I do think Tornado is a decent film, visually it’s quite fantastic. When it comes to the writing it drops the ball but it’s not a complete misfire, there’s just not a whole lot going on here narratively and with some writing adjustments this could have been much better.

Tornado is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

The Old Guard 2 (2025) Film Review

Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.

The Old Guard 2 is directed by Victoria Mahoney director of Yelling to the Sky (2011). The film serves as a sequel to The Old Guard (2020).

The Old Guard 2 is one of the most disappointing films of 2025 so far and there’s definitely an argument to be made that it’s THE most disappointing. The Old Guard (2020) was a really great film that was fun and quite engaging, it came out at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and was one of the films that still gets talked about often (I feel like a lot of the films that went to streaming or were going to be released on streaming anyway during that period of time are often forgotten.) that’s mainly thanks to the great cast, fun action and the excellent direction from Gina Prince-Bythewood. A sequel was greenlit in January 2021 which given how great the first film was I was interested to see what they would do next.

Half a decade later The Old Guard 2 releases….and it’s quite a trainwreck, everything that the first film did so well at is just not present here. Instead it’s replaced with terrible dialogue that is actually quite baffling, unfocused direction (Bythewood did not return) and the feel of a straight to DVD sequel is brought in rather than this strong and fun feel from the first movie.

Charlize Theron is the one thing the movie has going for it and even then she can only do so much. When the rest of the cast either gets very little to do or are flat out not great there is not much a single actor can work with. How this movie does not go far enough with a face off between Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman is quite unbelievable and one of the several questions that the viewer is bound to ask after watching. What’s frustrating is the great supporting cast from the first film are wasted here particularly Chiwetel Ejiofor, with very little to work with due to such a shoddy script.

There are some decent hand to hand combat moments, but the action is still heavily downgraded from the first film. It’s nowhere near as thrilling, exciting or has the cinematic feel of the first. It feels very cheap and way too many quick cuts that make it hard to make out what exactly is going on.

The mythology from the first film now feels convoluted and confusing throwing in a bunch of immortality transfers and even more immortals quickly makes the viewer wonder “what exactly am I watching?” The movie never bothers with any sort of explanation or even deep dive as to why there is so much going on it’s all just sloppily put together. It doesn’t help that the movie bounces from subplot to subplot which again is thanks to poor editing and writing.

Within the first 10 minutes you can feel Gina Prince-Bythewood’s direction is missing, it’s a shame because she really brought this focused and thrilling direction that helped the first film find an identity. The Old Guard 2 never finds an identity in fact it does not come close to finding one, Mahoney’s direction settles for a very cringe (I hate using that term but when you hear some of the lines from this movie you will be saying the same thing) inducing script that tries to playoff like it’s trying to be something cool when in reality it’s embarrassing.

The cherry on top in all this mess is the movie ends on a cliffhanger that will absolutely piss off even casual viewers, I really hope that the potential third film was shot back to back with this one because otherwise it’s such a baffling decision when it took five years just to get this one out the door.

Overall The Old Guard 2 is a disaster, it’s the equivalent of those terrible straight to DVD sequels that are quickly forgotten about. This movie will face the same fate while its predecessor will still be looked at in an even more positive light.

The Old Guard 2 is available on Netflix.

1/10 F

Tribeca Film Review: How To Train Your Dragon (2025)

On the rugged isle of Berk, a Viking boy named Hiccup defies centuries of tradition by befriending a dragon named Toothless. However, when an ancient threat emerges that endangers both species, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.

Tribeca Review

How To Train Your Dragon is directed by Dean DeBlois director of the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy and Lilo & Stitch (2002) along with Chris Sanders.

The How To Train Your Dragon films are incredible and are a prime example of a series that really focused on introducing new elements with each installment and figuring out ways to get better and better. Each one has something unique to them which truly makes them special and well remembered. To say that a live action film for the first film is an odd choice would be understatement, even though the clear reason as to why is money. Despite that however this one manages to be one of the far better live action remakes and I really have to attribute that to DeBlois being in the director’s chair because he did quite a splendid job here.

The performances work very well, Mason Thames does a great job as Hiccup. He had a lot to carry on his shoulders but he manages to really put his own energy into the character, he’s not trying to do an impression of Jay Baruchel. He’s doing his own thing while also being faithful to what makes Hiccup such a great character. The bond between him and Toothless is something the film is able to capture quite well and really does bring a smile on your face, it’s mainly thanks to Thames’s performance that really holds these memorable moments together.

Nico Parker as Astrid is quite great, much of what I said about Thames making Hiccup his own can be applied here with Parker making Astrid her own. It helps that the chemistry between the two is genuinely adorable and their acting bounces off of each other very well. Gerard Butler reprises his role as Stoick and much like in the original film does really well, the father-son dynamic is strong and translates well. Nick Frost as Gobbet is different yet it’s welcome, he actually does have some genuinely funny lines here that worked.

When it comes to a technical aspect the film is excellent, the cinematography is genuinely beautiful and the film is undeniably very well made. Combined with the location you do get this sense of adventure and wonder that the original film had and that’s felt throughout film. This is something that a lot of other live action remakes tend to miss so it is refreshing to see one of these films actually look beautiful as well as managing to capture the spirit of the source material, some might say “that’s the bare minimum they should all be doing that” and that is not necessarily wrong but seeing how a majority of them have completely opted to not do that I say this is kind of shocking,

With all of that being said at the end of the day this is very much a shot for shot live action remake with small differences in between. Even though it’s a faithful one and admittedly a pretty well directed one, it does not really do anything that the original film did not do. The original film is far and away a better film simply because the emotional impact is far more present in that film than it is here, while there are touching moments here that can get the viewer to connect with these characters all over again. Seeing the same film again but in live action does not quite strike up the emotional impact.

Overall How To Train Your Dragon is still a fun time, if you liked the original film you will probably get a lot out of this one. Just don’t go in expecting anything different because you will not get that here. This is a film I will probably never go back to, but I would be lying if I said I did not have a decent time with this one.

How To Train Your Dragon releases tomorrow in theaters.

7/10 B

The Legend Of Ochi (2025) Film Review

A young girl learns to never go outside after dark because of reclusive forest creatures known as the ochi. However, when a baby ochi is left behind by its pack, she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to reunite it with its family.

The Legend Of Ochi is directed by Isaiah Saxon which is his directorial debut.

The Legend Of Ochi is one of those E.T. (1982) movies, you know the ones where a child discovers a creature and has to protect it and help it return home? You have probably seen at least one of these films before, while this one does not do a whole lot differently there is still a lot of charm here especially when it comes to the visual style.

The performances are solid, Helena Zengal who plays Yuri gives a lovely and charming performance. Her performance is not that much different than what you would expect from these types of movies, however there is heart here she clearly pours so it ends up working in the long run. Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson are both great here as well, their performances might not be some of the most memorable they have ever done but they are clearly having a blast and are committed to the roles.

The visual style of the film is what stands out here and quite honestly makes the film worth a watch. It takes on this dreamlike children’s book style that you almost feel like you are being transported into the film’s world. Saxton is primarily a music video director so it is no surprise that the visual style is the main priority here, a lot of the visuals do so much of the talking when it comes to world building mainly due to the script just not being that investing (we will get to that in a second.) So when you have some large in scale scenes that show off the visuals you get a bit more of a description of the world, the Ochi as creatures are also cute and while they may not be the most developed creature ever put to film. The bond between Yuri and the baby Ochi is admittedly very cute and filled to the brim with charm.

What holds this film back from being great mainly comes down to the script, it is a very basic E.T. (1982) like film at the end of the day. There’s not a whole lot going on here character wise, while the performances have charm the characters unfortunately do not get a lot of development and very much fit the character types you would expect from a film like this. Finn Wolfhard’s character Petro for example just feels there, the movie does not do all that much with his character. The only element that’s really keeping the viewer invested is the charming bond between Yuri and the baby Ochi, if you take that away you are left with some incredibly neat visuals but that can only keep the viewer invested for so long.

Overall The Legend Of Ochi is flawed but it has just the right amount of charm to give this one a look, the visuals are fun and the acting is decent. This is one that I’m probably never going to come back to, but despite my issues I do recommend giving this one a look if these are your types of movies.

The Legend Of Ochi is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Fountain Of Youth (2025) Film Review

Two estranged siblings partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an adventure that will change their lives and possibly lead to immortality.

Fountain Of Youth is directed by Guy Richie director of Snatch (2000), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011), Aladdin (2019), Wrath Of Man (2021), The Covenant (2023), The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) and a few others.

Fountain Of Youth is basically if you took National Treasure and Indiana Jones but made them both incredibly dull. This movie is a straight to streaming film and it’s one of those cases where you can really feel that, sure the movie might look big and scale and the filming is actually quite decent at times. But it really does end up being a shrunken down version of better films.

The performances are fine enough, nobody here really does anything noteworthy which is a bit of a disappointment because you have John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González and Stanley Tucci (who is very underused) all in the same movie yet all their performances are either forgettable or are not impressive. It does not help that Krasinski and Portman have zero chemistry, sure there’s a few decent moments of dialogue but the chemistry feels like dead air right from the start.

The action scenes I will say provided some surprisingly entertaining moments, they are not anything mind blowing but they are at the very least fun enough. Christopher Benstead’s score is also pretty solid as well, it definitely gives off the feel of an adventure and manages to capture this adventurous atmosphere that actually does a lot of the heavy lifting in the atmosphere department.

The writing is what kills this movie, there’s just not a whole lot going on here narratively, it’s all very predictable and goes on for way too long. The “twist” the movie tries to say is a surprise reveal is incredibly predictable and narratively is incredibly ridiculous, it’s odd because the first half of the movie is not that bad. It’s when the movie becomes an unimaginative version of National Treasure and Indiana Jones it really falls off a cliff and never recovers.

There is not much more to say about Fountain Of Youth, outside of some decent actions, a solid score and fine enough acting you are not going to get much else out of this one.

Fountain Of Youth is available on Apple TV+

4/10 D+