A woman seeking isolation in the Australian wilderness becomes the target of a ritualistic killer, forcing her into a brutal fight for survival.
Apex is directed by Baltasar Kormákur director of 2 Guns (2013), Everest (2015), Adrift (2018), Beast (2022) and many others.
Apex is your very typical cat and mouse thriller, the material is elevated a tiny bit due to the talent of Taron Egerton and Charlize Theron being involved. But outside of that, this is a quite forgettable thriller that doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Charlize Theron gives a solid performance here, it’s not going to go down as one of her greatest but she still has her natural charm here that works effectively. Taron Egerton plays an unhinged maniac and it works perfectly, Egerton is able to take the movie’s more over the top moments and turn them into something genuinely creepy. Plus he captures the atmosphere the movie requires so that’s always a bonus.
What the movie struggles here with the most is just not having a whole lot of meat on the bone. The exploration of grief is very hollow and really is nothing more than a jumping pad to get Sasha (played by Charlize Theron) into the woods, when you take away the movie’s surprisingly decent production value it is just another Netflix thriller that really doesn’t go anywhere that interesting.
Overall Apex is not terrible, you could easily do a whole lot worse and if you are looking for a late night watch or something quick to put on the movie gets the job done. However if you are looking for something with a lot more substance, you are going to be disappointed with this one. Hadn’t been for Theron and Egerton, Apex would have sank far sooner.
During a grueling Army Ranger training exercise, recruits encounter a deadly, otherworldly machine, turning their mission into a fight for survival against an alien threat.
War Machine is directed by Patrick Hughes director of Red Hill (2010), The Expendables 3 (2014), The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021) and The Man from Toronto (2022).
War Machine is a very odd duck of a movie and not in an interesting way, the movie tries to take elements from so many other action and sci-fi films such as Predator (1987), The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986) and Independence Day (1996) all of which it fails to recapture. Also fun fact, this is the second movie to be released by Netflix called War Machine. The two films obviously have nothing to do with another as War Machine (2017) is a satirical film that’s based on real events (although fictionalized), this one however is just a very forgettable action movie.
Unfortunately this movie has its problems from the very beginning…it’s characters. A lot of the characters here are nothing but cannon fodder who get almost no time to get moments to shine. Alan Ritchson is admittedly not bad here and plays his role well enough, but without any sort of great character moments the movie struggles with making any of these characters at least memorable.
The stuntwork here is at the very least decent and somewhat makes up for the dodgy CG work, there’s a few moments that have this decent scale to them where it does feel like you are in this movie’s world. But then there are others where the CG takes you out of the experience simply due to how bad they look.
The biggest problem with War Machine is the lack of originality and director Patrick Hughes not having a distinct directorial voice. As I mentioned earlier, War Machine takes from a lot of different movies within the genre but rather than making the elements its own. It feels like the movie is lifting rather than being inspired, it becomes very apparent during the movie’s action scenes. Which leads into Hughes not having a distinct voice, I did not go into War Machine expecting anything fantastic given Hughes’s previous work, however I do think it is still incredibly lazy to not even attempt to try and find a way to make these elements your own.
Even if you took away the genre cliches, you are still left with incredibly corny dialogue and very strained attempts at emotional depth that by then the viewer has already caught on about how poorly written these characters really are.
Overall War Machine is incredibly forgettable, you could absolutely do a lot worse. If you want to just put something on in the background this gets the job done, but if you are looking for an actual great sci-fi action film you are better off looking elsewhere
Five ballerinas find themselves in a fight for their lives when they seek shelter at a mysterious roadside inn that’s run by a former ballet prodigy.
Pretty Lethal is directed by Vickey Jewson director of Lady Godiva (2008), Born Of War (2014) and Close (2019).
Pretty Lethal is basically if you took the John Wick franchise and put in five ballerinas, the movie has its flaws the major one being the character writing. However the final result is admittedly quite fun due to the action, kills, fight choreography and the chemistry between the cast.
While the performances here aren’t going to hit the ball out of the park, they are far from bad. Maddie Ziegler, Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds and Avantika all work together quite nicely especially during the action scenes where they use some team up techniques. You can really feel the passion and fun through these scenes, as I said before the character writing has its issues. We really do not get a whole lot of information about the girls outside of Bones (played by Maddie Ziegler) and Princess (played by Lana Condor), even then it is very surface level at best. Despite that however the girls are able to make it work and deliver satisfying enough performances. Uma Thurman gives an incredibly campy performance that is entertaining enough to stand (although the dialogue really does not help in some cases.)
The fight choreography combined with the kills are the movie’s best parts, the kills are surprisingly brutal and match the thrilling atmosphere the movie is going for. The fight choreography is especially impressive when the previously mentioned team up techniques are shown off, it feels like the cast is in sync with one another which actually tells a lot more about their bond than the script ever does.
The main problem here as I said before is the character writing, it ranges from not being really present to surface level and that becomes apparent later on when the movie tries to bring in the emotional moments which sadly do not really work. They feel very tacked on and while the acting works decently enough, the corny dialogue that rears its head is not doing the movie any favors.
Overall Pretty Lethal is decently fun, it’s not a great movie and it’s completely understandable if someone checks out of this movie early on. However I would be lying if I said I did not have fun with it, the movie does just enough to satisfy the viewer if they are looking for great kills and excellent choreography.
Michael Mason is a recluse on a remote Scottish island who rescues a girl from the sea, unleashing a perilous sequence of events that culminate in an attack on his home, compelling him to face his turbulent history.
Shelter is directed by Ric Roman Waugh director of Snitch (2013), Angel Has Fallen (2019), Greenland (2020), Kandahar (2023), Greenland 2: Migration (2026) and a few others.
There is only so much you can say about these Jason Statham action thriller movies at this point, some of them such as The Beekeeper (2024) have a lot more going on than others. If you go into Shelter wanting more you are going to be disappointed, with that being said the movie is ultimately very forgettable.
Jason Statham does a decent job once again, there is a classic saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and that absolutely applies to Statham and his performances. He’s good at what he does and he undeniably has the charisma to back it up, although I will say that finding out Michael Mason (played by Statham) was a former government assassin could be seen coming from a mile way especially if you have seen other Statham films. Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Jessie is great here as well, there’s times where it almost feels way too good of a performance for this movie, luckily the movie does take advantage of this and ends up making Jessie somewhat of an interesting character.
The action is pretty standard, there isn’t anything truly exciting going on here. However when you combine it with some of the set pieces (the club scene in particular) you do get something pretty neat every now and then. The cinematography from cinematographer Martin Ahlgren is solid and he manages to capture the movie’s atmosphere and suspense that it’s going for, even said suspense does not always land.
Overall Shelter isn’t terrible, it’s ultimately just another Jason Statham movie that is forgettable but does have a handful of good elements about it.
A father trains his daughter to survive monsters from an alternate dimension that have invaded Earth, but they are eventually found, forcing them to fight for survival.
Worldbreaker is directed by Brad Anderson director of Session 9 (2001), The Machinist (2004), TransSiberian (2008), The Call (2013), Fractured (2019) and many others.
Not a whole lot to discuss here which is why this one is not getting a full review. The main notes I took during this movie were.
It’s an incredibly formulaic post apocalyptic movie, at times there is decent world building but not nearly enough to save this movie or make it interesting.
Luke Evans gave a solid performance, most of the movie it’s him training a teenage girl how to swing a sword. Yet he somehow squeezes a good performance out of it (whatever it takes to get a good performance I guess.) It might be because Evans is just naturally a great actor but there are some parts of his dialogue that are interesting enough.
Mila Jovovich is barely in this movie, if you are going into this movie as a Jovovich fan you are going to leave incredibly disappointed. Despite the poster making it seem like she’s a huge part of the movie she barely shows up, it’s kind of hilarious but at the same time it’s an incredibly odd choice.
My final note was simply “how did they get Brad Anderson to direct this movie?” Not every single one of Anderson’s films have been great, but Worldbreaker in particular feels very phoned in. At least with some of Anderson’s weaker films you can tell there was some sort of attempt to bring some charm, you simply don’t get that with Worldbreaker. The ending in particular is especially laughably bad, it really does feel like we watched a prologue scene from a bad video game and as soon as you get into the actual game it just ends.
The surviving Garrity family must leave the safety of the Greenland bunker and embark on a perilous journey across the decimated frozen wasteland of Europe to find a new home.
Greenland 2: Migration is directed by Ric Roman Waugh director of Snitch (2013), Shot Caller (2017), Angel Has Fallen (2019), Greenland (2020), Kandahar (2023) and a few others.
Greenland (2020) was a surprise for a lot of people myself included, it took the disaster movie genre and brought a ton of emotional moments for its characters. Was it groundbreaking? Absolutely not, it was a flawed yet satisfying movie and a breath of fresh air from the genre. Unfortunately Greenland 2: Migration does the direct opposite and ends up being another case of someone asking the question “was this sequel really needed?”
The acting for the most part is fine enough, Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin are by far the best of the pack. Each of them are able to give a few decent moments and the charm of Butler and Baccarin from the first movie is mostly still intact. The rest of the performances unfortunately are a mix of bad and below average, that’s mainly due to the writing just not doing anyone any favors at all.
Speaking of which the writing this time around throws out a ton of the emotional moments from the first movie and opts for lazy conveniences as well as a very dull journey. It’s quite clear that Greenland (2020) was not made with a sequel in mind so this movie has the feel of making something up as it goes along. The character writing does not fill the screen at all, I guess the final moments of the movie do somewhat of a decent job closing John Garrity’s story, but admittedly it’s something you could see coming during the movie’s final moments.
Overall there is just not a whole lot to comment on when it comes to Greenland 2: Migration, it’s a sequel that surely does exist and will be quickly forgotten about due to how dull the whole movie is. It’s not anything offensively bad, however it lacks so much of what made the first movie interesting that it ultimately does not matter.
Greenland 2: Migration is available on all VOD platforms.
A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the seizure, making them question who to rely on.
The Rip is directed by Joe Carnahan director of Smokin’ Aces (2006), The A-Team (2010), The Grey (2011), Stretch (2014), Boss Level (2020), Copshop (2021), Shadow Force (2025) and a few others.
The Rip is yet another January Netflix original film that isn’t bad (the first being People We Meet On Vacation), while that’s not exactly high praise and admittedly is the bare minimum. A lot of Netflix original January films would wish they are at least middle of the road. There’s a decent amount to like about The Rip from the cast to the action scenes which brings a decent enough experience to fans of the genre.
The main reason why The Rip works is mainly due to the cast. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are undeniably a great duo who work incredibly well together, their dialogue bounces off of each other naturally and the two are already great actors which does help make the material of The Rip a bit more interesting. Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle also get some great moments here, even if they sometimes feel a bit underutilized in certain sections of the film.
The writing for the most part is decent, the first two acts help establish the film’s atmosphere in surprisingly great detail. The atmosphere is thrilling enough due to the writing and gives these characters some sort of alert to check their surroundings, it’s not a case where everything feels like it’s safe. There’s a few moments in particular that are decently tense thanks to this. With that being said, the writing does drop the ball during the film’s final act. The tension that was built up filters away in a very predictable and empty conclusion that really does feel like the writers couldn’t think of way to close the story. It’s unfortunate because there was some genuine intrigue going on here prior to the incredibly empty final act.
The action scenes are solid, they are not anything groundbreaking and won’t change the landscape of the action thriller genre. But due to the film’s atmosphere the scenes work decently enough, especially when you combine them with the settings which the movie does a pretty good job of incorporating them into the mix. The cinematography is also shockingly really solid, cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz captures some beautiful shots here that add to the overall detail of the movie even if they are little moments.
Overall The Rip is a serviceable action thriller that despite having struggles to close out the film, does just enough to stick the landing and give something that fans of the action thriller genre will have a decent time with.
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.
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.
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.
Jerome Reviews... 