Author: Alex

“Bigger, louder, and significantly dumber. SISU: Road to Revenge trades the gritty myth-making of the original for Looney Tunes physics and over-the-top spectacle. It’s a fun ride, but don’t expect it to make sense.” The 2022 sleeper hit Sisu introduced the world to Aatami Korpi, a Finnish legend who refused to die. It was a gritty, violent, and semi-grounded fable about a man pushing past his limits. Its sequel, SISU: Road to Revenge, looks at that grounded tone and says, “Forget that.” This sequel is an exercise in escalation. It takes the most ridiculous moments of the first film and…

Remaking a cult classic is always a gamble. Remaking the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle The Running Man—a film beloved for its cheese, charisma, and over-the-top violence—requires a bold vision. Director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead) attempts to pivot back toward the original Stephen King (Richard Bachman) novel, delivering a grimier, more satirical take on the dystopian game show. The result? A confusing, tonal mess. The Running Man (2025) trades the electric charisma of the 80s for a sluggish, melodramatic narrative that feels twice as long as its runtime. While Glen Powell brings intensity to the lead role,…

“It’s like Fast and Furious with magic, but without the charm. Now You See Me 3 is a ridiculous, CGI-filled mess that introduces unlikable new characters and kills off legends for no reason. If you turn your brain off completely, you might be entertained.” The Four Horsemen return for a third outing, but the magic seems to have run dry. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t attempts to inject new blood into the franchise with a fresh generation of illusionists, but ends up feeling like a tired, over-the-top parody of itself. The film leans heavily into the absurdity, treating…

Predator fans have long dreamed of a film told entirely from the Yautja hunter’s perspective. With Predator: Badlands, director Dan Trachtenberg (Prey) finally delivers on that promise, giving us a deep dive into Predator culture, language, and lore. However, this ambitious sci-fi adventure is held back by a surprising tonal shift: it’s rated PG-13, and at times, it feels like a Disney movie. The film follows “Deck,” a young Predator who is an outcast and a “runt” within his clan. To earn his cloak and respect, he must embark on a solo hunt on a hostile alien planet to kill…

The Black Phone was a grounded, tense horror film that balanced supernatural elements with gritty, serial-killer realism. Its sequel, Black Phone 2, looks at that balance and throws it out the window. Director Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill have returned to craft a sequel that goes full Dream Warriors, turning “The Grabber” (Ethan Hawke) from a creepy kidnapper into a powerful, reality-warping poltergeist. Set four years after the original, the film follows Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), now older and dealing with the trauma of their past. When Gwen’s visions lead them to a winter camp…

Disney’s relentless attempt to make Tron a viable blockbuster franchise continues with Tron: Ares, directed by Joachim Rønning. Starring Jared Leto as the titular AI program who crosses over into the real world, the film is a stunning technical achievement backed by a pounding Nine Inch Nails score. But beneath the neon glow and thumping bass lies a hollow, poorly written story that struggles to justify its existence. This is a film of extremes. The visuals and audio design are top-tier, especially if experienced in IMAX or HDR theaters. The plot, however, is a “cotton candy” experience—flashy, sweet, but ultimately…