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Sisu: Road to Revenge review
SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE:
ANOTHER BLOOD-DRENCHED AND EXPLOSIVE ROAD FOR AATAMI KORPI!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
STAGE 6 FILMS AND SCREEN GEMS
Jorma Tommila in Sisu: Road to Revenge
Jorma Tommila (Raid, The Visitor, Big Game) returns as Finnish ex-commando, Aatami Korpi in Sisu: Road to Revenge, the follow-up to the 2022 (2023 in the United States) action war movie hit, Sisu. The first movie was fucking awesome and an unexpected surprise when I went to see it, I hadn’t seen any trailers for it nor did I know anything about it until people kept telling me it was like John Wick in World War II which convinced me to finally go see it and yeah, it’s great.
It is a revenge movie like John Wick, but it’s structured in a similar way to Mad Max: Fury Road or The Raidmixed with the cartoonishly over-the-top violence of Machete. 90 minutes of non-stop action with tons of explosions and bloodshed, but not at the cost of a good story or compelling characters and in these films’ case, it’s a mostly silent protagonist yet Tommila’s facial expressions are a performance in of itself.
Sisu is a damn entertaining action film and stood well on its own, wasn’t sure how to feel when news of the sequel came out. The first one was a pretty self-contained film, Korpi slaughtered the Nazis and had his gold exchanged for bills at the end, where do you go from there? Well, you have him kill a bunch of members of the Soviet Union, of course!
Tommila reprises his role as Aatami Korpi with Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, Big Game) back in the director’s chair and…fuck, it’s still awesome! I don’t know which Sisu movie I like more because both are incredibly entertaining and fun films, but Sisu: Road to Revenge gives exactly what you want to see in a sequel to this movie.
Non-stop bloody violence, explosions, and moments of dark humor, everything that made the first film great just replace the gold with…wooden logs of his house and replace the Nazis with Russians. It’s still the same formula and this is an instance where that’s a good thing and honestly, it doesn’t feel like a complete retread of the first.
The film is set two years after the first film and follows Aatami Korpi (Tommila) crossing the border into Karelia where his family was murdered during the war to dismantle his old family house, load it onto his truck, and rebuild it somewhere safe in their honor. When the Red Army hears of Korpi’s arrival, they send Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang-Tombstone, Avatar franchise, Don’t Breathe 1 and 2), the man who murdered his family to lead a group of soldiers to kill Korpi by any means necessary…that is not at all what happens!
The film also stars Richard Brake (Batman Begins, The Rhythm Section, Barbarian) as the KGB officer who sends Dragonov to capture Korpi.
Overall, Sisu: Road to Revenge gives exactly what it promises if you’ve seen the first and does so in the best way possible. Like its predecessor, the action is front and center and the film itself knows what people are here for and delivers non-stop grisly carnage, shit blowing up, and moments of dark humor and it doesn’t waste any time.
The film is just under 90 minutes so it never overstays its welcome like a lot of big releases from Hollywood, but it uses its time well to give audiences an explosive and gory time at the movies. One aspect about the movie I thought was interesting compared to its predecessor was in the first, the MacGuffin all the bad guys were after was gold which is a lot more valuable whereas here, Korpi is just hauling logs of his old family house to get it through the Finnish border which makes the ultimate goal feel a lot more personal this time around and adds tension to the action.
Speaking of which, the action once again is amazing though this certainly isn’t the most realistic of action sequences in movies, this is a film where Korpi fucking uses a tank with explosives strapped at the rear to launch it over the border, flips around, crashes, and he (and his dog) are somehow unharmed. This is a movie that’s just trying to be fun and it more than succeeds at it, tons of gunfire, blood spurting out, knife fights, brawls, and people getting blown up with some of my favorites being a motorcycle chase that I can only describe as the chase from John Wick: Chapter 3that ends with a Machete movie kill and the best train action sequence since Spider-Man 2 with Korpi raiding the cars to get to Lang’s Dragonov.
Jorma Tommila is wonderful again as Aatami Korpi and like last time, doesn’t have a whole lot of dialogue, but his face, gestures, and actions very cleverly convey who he is and what he’s all about. It made me think back to performances like Charlize Theron’s Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road where sometimes all it takes is a character giving a look to convey the needed emotions though unlike that performance he either doesn’t speak until the end of the movie or in this film’s case, not at all.
Stephen Lang is a great antagonist which shouldn’t be much of a shock given he was also the main antagonist in James Cameron’s Avatar movies and his absolutely terrifying turn as the Blind Man in Don’t Breathe. His performance in this reminds me a little bit of Christoph Waltz from Inglourious Basterds where he’s doing horrible, nasty things and enjoying every second of it, but also has a lot of charisma on top of it leading to some pretty entertaining confrontations between him and Tommila, the kind of villain you just want to see get his blood-splattered comeuppance.
Yeah, Sisu: Road to Revenge gave me exactly what I wanted and expected out of a Sisu sequel and unlike other overblown blockbuster franchises, the formula hasn’t worn thin yet. If you loved the first then you’ll love this one too, it has gory, over-the-top violence with a twisted sense of humor and Jorma Tommila doing what he does best and making a name for himself as a new action movie star.
I had a great time at the theater with this one and I’m sure you will too, where’s Sisu 3 and how much longer do I need to wait for it!?!
Wicked for Good review
WICKED FOR GOOD:
A FITTINGLY MAGICAL CONCLUSION TO GLINDA AND ELPHABA’S STORY!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in Wicked for Good
Ariana Grande (Victorious, Sam & Cat, Focker In-Law) and Cynthia Erivo (Bad Times at the El Royale, Widows, Harriet) are back as Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked for Good, the much anticipated second part of the 2024 film adaptation of the Broadway stage musical, Wicked. I really enjoyed the first part of Wicked though I didn’t fall in love with it like a lot of other people did, but I found it to be a solid “What If?” take on Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz and a damn good musical with songs and dance numbers that will live rent free in my head until I die.
I had never seen the stage show or read the book, but as a movie, I liked Part 1 of Wicked a lot and was looking forward to seeing the resolution. Didn’t have to wait long as Part 2 now titled, Wicked for Good would be released one year later with Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me 2, Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) back in the director’s chair and Grande and Erivo singing their lungs out once again.
It’s…about as good as the first IMO, I don’t think it’s a perfect film and I do have some issues with it, but the stuff that works here overshadows most of its flaws. Ariana and Cynthia are once again fantastic here, the songs and dance numbers are lively and full of energy, and this chapter goes darker and has more conflict than the first.
The film is set after Elphaba Thropp (Erivo) defied gravity…and the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum-The Big Chill, Jurassic Park franchise, Thor: Ragnarok) who is now known as the Wicked Witch of the West and continues to fight for animal rights from a forest hideout in the Land of Oz. Meanwhile, her friend, Glinda (Grande) is celebrated in Oz as the Good Witch and is preparing to marry Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey-Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Young Messiah, Jurassic World: Rebirth) but is haunted by her separation from Elphaba.
Glinda hopes to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but her efforts unintentionally transform Fiyero and Boq (Ethan Slater-Lost on a Mountain in Maine) and puts Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode)’s life in danger when a house from Kansas falls from the sky and crashes into their lives.
The film also stars Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Everything Everywhere All at Once, A Haunting in Venice) reprising her role as Madame Morrible, Bowen Yang (Bros, Dicks: The Musical, The Wedding Banquet) reprising his role as Pfanne, Bronwyn James (Harlots, Wild Bill, How to Train Your Dragon (2025)) reprising her role as ShenShen, Colman Domingo (Rustin, Sing Sing, The Running Man (2025)) as the voice of The Cowardly Lion, and Sharon D. Clarke (Holby City, Doctor Who, EastEnders) reprising her role as the voice of Dulcibear.
Overall, Wicked for Good probably won’t leave as big a cultural impact as its predecessor, but it’s a worthy second half of the story that elevates the plot with a lot of focus on the rising tension between Ariana Grande’s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. This is where all the conflict that was built up in Part 1 starts to pay off with Elphaba now dubbed the Wicked Witch, Oz is being controlled by a Wizard that’s hiding a bunch of secrets, animals are going into hiding, and on top of all that, Dorothy Gale has now landed in Oz so…yeah, a lot happens!
The movie is once again visually dazzling with impressive production design that looks great on the big screen and very lively and bombastic musical numbers. I didn’t see this one on IMAX, but I am more than comfortable saying that this is an absolute theater movie and is the best way to experience the film.
Everything from the sets, song sequences, and special effects, it’s all big and epic and if you’re one of those jackasses that decides to wait for streaming for something like this, you’re part of the problem as to why the movie theater business is dying. Yeah, amazing looking and sounding movie!
Like last time, the songs and musical numbers are fantastic with the standout song sequence being Elphaba’s No Good Deed which is absolutely magnificent and I’m sure fans of the stage show will love seeing it brought to life on film. Even if you’re not well-versed in Wicked (Like me), the musical numbers have so much energy and passion in terms of the lyrics, choreography, and visuals, it’s impossible not to admire what you’re looking at and listening to.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are excellent once again as Glinda and Elphaba both of whom have a lot of charm and carry heavy emotional baggage throughout the movie. Grande is still very funny and brings back that lovable ditzy popular girl energy to Glinda while also delivering on the heavier and heartfelt moments between her and Erivo, both have wonderful chemistry the second time around…oh, need I mention her angelic singing voice makes a return?
Cynthia Erivo commands as Elphaba here as this tragic figure who was made into the enemy of Oz, she cranks the emotion up to 11 in this movie to the point where now I look at the Wicked Witch from the 1939 Wizard of Oz from a different perspective. One brilliant scene involving Grande and Erivo is done through a keyhole and involves a major Wizard of Oz plot point, but it’s done so effectively and the acting from both of them is incredible.
Jeff Goldblum is much better here as the Wizard and I already enjoyed him in Part 1, but he feels like he understood his performance more this time around and really brought this charismatic yet devious portrayal of the Wizard of Oz to life in the most Goldblum ways possible. He was a joy to have.
Even though I enjoyed my time with this movie, I felt the first film was better paced despite it being much longer. I thought everything flowed more naturally in the first movie whereas this one definitely had some bumpy points like Elphaba and Nessarose’s father dying offscreen (Unless I missed something from the last movie) and I’m not sure how I felt about the “duel” between Glinda and Elphaba which felt awkward in certain places to me.
If you loved Part 1 of Wicked, I don’t see why you wouldn’t love Wicked for Good given how much of a monster hit the last one was. Even if you’re like me and enjoyed the first movie but no nothing about the musical or book, it’s an impressive conclusion to the Wicked storyline with great songs, stellar performances by the cast, and a plot that raises the stakes, it’s wonderful.
Rental Family review
RENTAL FAMILY:
BRENDAN FRASER CHARMS IN THIS DELIGHTFUL COMEDY-DRAMA!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: **** out of 4
SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, and Bun Kimura in Rental Family
Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, The Mummy trilogy, The Whale) travels to Japan to act as a father in Rental Family, the second feature film from Japanese filmmaker, Hikari (37 Seconds) and Fraser’s much anticipated follow-up to his Oscar-winning performance in 2022’s The Whale. We’ve gotten to a point now where Brendan Fraser movies have become a top priority for me when it comes to film reviews partially because I met him once at a Comic Con, but I also think he’s an exciting actor, equal parts charismatic and endearing.
Whether he’s charming as the leading man like with George in George of the Jungle or Rick O’Connell in The Mummy, a tragic and sentimental figure like in The Whale, or…a parody of himself in Looney Tunes: Back in Action(Which I’m one of the few people who acknowledge his performance in that), Fraser is almost always a delight to watch whenever he’s onscreen…this being no exception. Rental Family is absolutely fantastic and I already thought the movie looked good when I saw the trailer, but this exceeded my expectations.
This is an incredibly funny and touching film with surprisingly beautiful cinematography and a deeply sweet storyline. It’s a movie that made me laugh hard and felt legit emotion for the characters and whatever conflicts they had.
The film follows Phillip Vandarploeug (Fraser), an American actor living in Tokyo who struggles to find a solid acting job until he lands an unusual gig; working for a Japanese “rental family” business playing stand-in roles for strangers. This leads Phillip to single mother, Hitoni (Shino Shinozaki) and her daughter, Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman) whom the former hires him to be her husband and Mia’s father and his perception on performance and reality begins to blur as Phillip forms strong bonds with Hitoni and Mia.
The film also stars Takehiro Hira (Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Gran Turismo, Captain America: Brave New World) as Phillips boss and Rental Family owner Shinji, Mari Yamamoto (Allure, Kate, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) as Aiko, Bun Kimura as Kota, and Akira Emoto (Godzilla VS Spacegodzilla, Shin Godzilla) as retired actor and Rental Family client Kikuo Hasegawa.
Overall, Rental Family adds another high quality film to this new renaissance of Brendan Fraser movies and is a delightful and delicate look at family and human relationships. What makes the film work is Fraser himself who once again gives a truly spellbinding performance as a man who essentially has to use multiple personalities in order to satisfy clients while also questioning how much good he actually is doing with his work.
Fraser is extremely charismatic in this and delivers on both laughs and drama, but what really makes his performance shine are his uses of very subtle facial expressions to convey the necessary emotions for the scene. Yes, there is still plenty of dialogue from him, but honestly, his facial acting is the driving point for his performance because I got so much out of his expressions.
The supporting cast isn’t focused on that much outside of brief interactions, but over the course of the movie, I became very invested in them too particularly with Takehiro Hira as the Rental Family business owner who gives one of the greatest plot twists I’ve seen in a while, I’ll leave it at that.
While the film is a comedy-drama, the plot and execution are very melancholy with some genuinely hard-hitting and gut-wrenching scenes. It’s a movie about a man lying to a little girl about being her father and there’s a beautiful albeit sad subplot involving a retired actor that Fraser’s character befriends, but you can kind of piece together what’s eventually going to happen to this character by the end.
The movie is also gorgeous in terms of the cinematography with large shots of bustling cities and the Japanese countrysides, it honestly makes me want to travel to Japan because of how beautiful this film made it look. In this time where the new Wicked movie is seen as the absolute must watch on the big screen which I’m sure will look and sound amazing, but I was relishing at these scenes of Japan from Rental Family in the theater.
Rental Family is a funny, wholesome, and hard-hitting movie with an incredible Brendan Fraser performance and equally amazing cinematography that should be seen in theaters. Even if you’re not well-versed in Brendan Fraser, see one of the best films of 2025 anyway because this film made me laugh, cry, and warmed my heart all at the same time.
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Keeper review
KEEPER:
OSGOOD PERKINS’ BUMPY DESCENT INTO MADNESS!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** out of 4
NEON
Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland in Keeper
An anniversary weekend turns into a nightmare in Keeper, the new horror film from director Osgood Perkins (Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs, The Monkey). I was curious to see this movie; I loved both Longlegs and The Monkey and Perkins seemed like a new voice for horror judging by those two films with this being the second film of his released in 2025 after The Monkey.
So, I went and watched the movie and…boy, are there things to say about this film! I admire Perkins’ ambition behind the film and his reliance on atmospheric horror mixed with dark humor, but coming off of his previous efforts, this is the weakest of his work in terms of story and characters.
The film follows Liz (Tatiana Maslany-Orphan Black, Destroyer, The Monkey) and her doctor boyfriend, Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland-ER, Reign, Orphan: First Kill) going on a weekend trip to a secluded cabin in the woods for their one-year anniversary. However, Liz begins to notice strange things occurring in the cabin and a dark, terrifying secret about it.
The film also stars Kett Turton (Saved!, Blade: Trinity, iZombie) as Malcolm’s brother Darren Westbridge.
Overall, Keeper definitely deserves points for being an unsettling and downright bizarre horror movie with some genuinely suspenseful sequences throughout, but there really isn’t much outside of that. The movie just kinda hits every beat from other cabin-themed horror movies and you can piece together exactly where it’s going to go, but with a director like Osgood Perkins helming it, even when he does derivative things, he’ll do it in a crazy fucking way.
There’s tons of creepy imagery in the film and solid buildup to the scares with Tatiana Maslany being perfectly cast as a woman who’s clearly on-edge when all the supernatural stuff starts occurring. But then, the film ultimately leads to this last act in which all Hell breaks loose that is absolutely chaotic and left me with similar feelings as the ending of Chris Stuckmann’s film, Shelby Oaks (Which I did really like for the most part).
I guess it doesn’t surprise me that the reactions to this film are very polarizing now that I’ve seen it (Hell, IMDBgave The Monkey a pretty abysmal rating which I find ridiculous!), but there is plenty to admire about it. The movie is still well-made with good camera work, chilling sound design, and atmospheric scares that leave you on the edge of your seat, Perkins didn’t half-ass this film in terms of the craftsmanship.
However, as great as Tatiana Maslany is in this movie, I didn’t find her character to be nearly as compelling as Maika Monroe from Longlegs or both Theo James performances from The Monkey. Her performance is solid as a woman losing her mind over creepy things in the cabin and nobody believes her, but she doesn’t have much of a character here nor is there much time devoted to her and Rossif Sutherland’s Malcolm’s relationship which was kind of what kicked the plot off.
You could argue that maybe she’s supposed to be a blank slate where you imagine yourself as her in this creepy situation, but I wish her character was more fleshed out. I will say it was gleefully bizarre seeing Tatiana Maslany pigging out on a chocolate cake made from the secret ingredient Octavia Spencer uses in pies, but I digress.
Rossif Sutherland also gives a strong performance as Liz’s boyfriend, Malcolm, but he is like the ultimate red flag character in a horror movie. Without going into spoilers, he is mysteriously absent for a large chunk of the movie and from his mannerisms and the way he speaks, he is clearly hiding something from her, that’s all I’ll say.
Keeper is certainly the black sheep in Osgood Perkins’ filmography and while without a doubt it heavily pales in comparison to Longlegs and The Monkey, it’s an ambitious and well-crafted horror movie with effective scares and atmosphere. I may not have loved this movie, but in this era of constant assembly line movies cranked out by committees that play it safe, we need more risks taken in the film industry and directors to bring their visions no matter how unhinged to the screen.
Now You See Me: Now You Don't review
NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T:
THIRD MAGIC HEIST RELIES ON OLD TRICKS, BUT QUITE FUN OLD TRICKS!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** out of 4
LIONSGATE
The Four Horsemen, Morgan Freeman, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Sessa, Justice Smith, and Ariana Greenblatt in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
The Four Horsemen are back with more magic tricks in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third installment of the Now You See Me film series dating back to 2013. I liked the first two Now You See Me movies though I hadn’t thought about them for several years, but I thought they were perfectly fine films for what they were with an interesting blend of magic and heists.
Honestly, it’s a fascinating concept with a lot of potential, a group of con men (and women) that perform elaborate magic tricks to pull off an impossible heist. However, these films aren’t exactly like The Prestige meets American Hustle or Ocean’s Eleven, but like I said, they are fine for what they are.
Now we have this new film released nearly ten years after 2016’s Now You See Me 2 with Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland 1 and 2, The Social Network, A Real Pain), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street, The Disaster Artist, Together), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, The Great Gatsby (2013), The Beach Bum), Woody Harrelson (Zombieland 1 and 2, The Hunger Games franchise, Venom: Let There Be Carnage), Lizzy Caplan (Freaks and Geeks, Mean Girls, The Night Before), and Morgan Freeman (Driving Miss Daisy, Bruce Almighty, The Dark Knight trilogy) reprising their roles and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland 1 and 2, Venom, Uncharted) in the director’s chair this time. Easiest recommendation ever, did you like Now You See Me and Now You See Me 2? If so, then you’ll probably enjoy Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
It isn’t really a threequel that takes the Now You See Me franchise to the next level or something like that, it just gives people exactly what they enjoyed about the previous films and it’s done well enough. These are crowd-pleasing movies and aren’t trying to be these deep and complex films that subvert people’s expectations or blow their f*cking minds, if you’ve seen at least one Now You See Me movie then you know the formula.
The film is set ten years after Now You See Me 2 and follows a new group of aspiring magicians consisting of Charlie (Justice Smith-Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, I Saw the TV Glow), Bosco (Dominic Sessa-The Holdovers), and June (Ariana Greenblatt-Avengers: Infinity War, In the Heights, Barbie) who catch the attention of J. Daniel Atlas (Eisenberg), the former leader of the Four Horsemen who have since been disbanded and proposes a plan to steal a valuable diamond from the wealthy and powerful, Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike-The World’s End, Gone Girl, Saltburn). Atlas and the new band of magicians bring the remaining Horsemen back together including Merritt McKinney (Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Franco), Henley Reeves (Fisher) as well as former fourth Horseman (or woman), Lula May (Caplan; reprising her role from Now You See Me 2) and former grandmaster of the Eye organization, Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman) for one last magic-filled heist.
Overall, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is a film that gives exactly what it advertises, a third Now You See Memovie and doesn’t try to be anything more. It understands the franchise’s formula and gives audiences more of what they enjoy about it, sexy people performing magic tricks while also performing a heist and showing the elaborate ways of how they pulled them off.
I came in with absolutely zero expectations and came out having a good enough time, in this age where people expect greatness out of their cinematic franchises, sometimes a movie or franchise can just be good and that’s fine. That’s essentially what the Now You See Me films are to me, good junk food movies with bursts of wit and intelligence here and there.
The magic sequences are fun though much of them are repeats of what we’ve seen in the previous films. However, there are times where the franchise’s creativity does shine with my favorite example being this action scene involving the Horsemen and the aspiring new Magicians are escaping from the police in this old estate owned by the Eye with rooms that go upside down, a hallway of infinite stairs, a funhouse of mirrors, and a room where people and objects’ sizes change, it’s easily the best part of the movie.
All the Horsemen actors work well off each other which is probably a given since this is only movie #3 and have enjoyable chemistry with the newcomers. Everyone has their moments to shine and are very funny to listen to and see interact with one another, what you’d want to see from this cast in a movie like this.
There’s this really great scene where the Horsemen and the new magicians are in this one room together and they’re just exchanging illusions and tricks in this one continuous shot. It’s a visually and technically impressive sequence and a great way to exchange banter and character development between the leads, loved that moment.
Rosamund Pike is a fun antagonist complete with a South African accent, this snooty and wealthy woman who you just want to see shit happen to and boy, shit does happen to her. Probably won’t be a legendary performance of hers like Gone Girl, but Pike delivers on evil ham and cheese.
If you enjoyed the previous two movies then you’ll likely enjoy Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. It gives you everything from the earlier films with some new faces and a few new tricks along the way, might not be a very magical formula but it is a working formula.
The Running Man review
THE RUNNING MAN:
GLEN POWELL RUNS HIS WAY THROUGH EDGAR WRIGHT’S SLICK STEPHEN KING ADAPTATION!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Glen Powell in The Running Man
Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, Twisters) goes from Hangman to Running Man in…well, The Running Man, the new film from director Edgar Wright (Cornetto trilogy, Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Baby Driver) and the second movie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name following the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger version. I rewatched the original movie recently in preparation for this film and review and I gotta say, it holds up pretty well not just as a cheesy Schwarzenegger action film where people get shot and blown up, but also its satire on how the entertainment industry will subvert the truth for the sake of television.
The original works in a similar way as Total Recall (Another sci-fi Schwarzenegger film) as both are over-the-top and ridiculous sci-fi action movies with underlying themes and social commentary when you dig deeper into them. Now we have this new version of the film which I normally would be skeptical about since it’s a remake, but all it took to convince me was the director attached.
I really admire Edgar Wright and his work, adored the 3-Flavor Cornetto trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End) with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as three of the most hysterical comedies of the 2000s-2010s, Scott Pilgrim is an underrated as f*ck comic book movie and a chaotic visual gasm of a film, and Baby Driver has some of the best editing I’ve ever seen in an action film (Also, Last Night in Soho is really good too!). Yeah, I was onboard for this right from the start and even more so after seeing the first trailer on top of 2025 just being THE year for Stephen King movie adaptations between this, The Monkey, The Life of Chuck, and The Long Walk.
So, I went to my IMAX theater to go watch Glen Powell run for his life and…greatly enjoyed this film. I’m not sure how most people are reacting to this movie, but I was very entertained throughout though I will admit this is probably Wright’s weakest film compared to his other work.
The film is set in the near future where corporate media networks rule the United States and follows Ben Richards (Powell), a down on his luck father and blacklisted worker who participates in the television series, The Running Man in hopes of raising money for his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson-The Batman, The Woman King, Sinners) and sick daughter. However, The Running Man is quite literally a blood sport as Ben must survive for 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins and every move he makes being broadcasted to a bloodthirsty public, the longer he lasts, the greater the cash reward is.
The film also stars Josh Brolin (Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sicario 1 and 2, Weapons) as Running Manproducer Dan Killian, Colman Domingo (Rustin, The Color Purple (2023), Sing Sing) as Running Man host Bobby T, Lee Pace (The Hobbit trilogy, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Foundation) as Evan McCone, Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno, Scott Pilgrim VS The World) as Elton Parrakis, Emilia Jones (Utopia, CODA, Locke & Key) as Amelia Williams, William H. Macy (Fargo, The Lincoln Lawyer, Room) as Molie Jernigan, Daniel Ezra (All American) as Bradley Thockmorton, Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding, Twisters, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning) as Jenni Laughlin, Karl Glusman (The Neon Demon, Nocturnal Animals, Civil War) as Frank, Please Don’t Destroy’s Martin Herlihy as Tim Jansky, Sean Hayes (Will & Grace, Cats & Dogs, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!) as Gary Greenbacks, and David Zayas (Dexter, Oz, The Interpreter) as Richard Manuel.
Overall, The Running Man is an adrenaline pumped, no holds barred thrill ride that fires on all cylinders from the opening up until the end credits with a compelling and charismatic Glen Powell at the center of it all. He is perfect for this rendition of The Running Man and what makes the movie work because while he isn’t as macho or over-the-top as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Glen Powell’s charm and balance between loving father and tough as nails action hero makes him a very endearing lead for this film.
With all the chaotic violence and bloodshed, I legit cared for Powell’s version of Ben Richards and his family and wanted to see him win the cash prize so he can get medicine for his sick daughter. Even when the film gets silly, there is still high stakes and emotional leverage steering it along.
The movie taps into a lot of themes about the government and entertainment industry and how they’ll subvert the truth for the sake of entertainment. This is a fictionalized movie where the U.S. government and media corporations merged together but tell me you can’t see someone like Donald Trump wanting to take control of the entertainment industry.
The action scenes are awesome though not quite as kinetic as the ones from Baby Driver, but they’re well-choreographed and edited and get your adrenaline pumping. Some of my favorites are the firefight between Glen Powell and a bunch of assassins in the hostel which was seen in the trailers and a glorious sequence of Powell and Michael Cera escaping through the latter’s booby-trapped house like it was the last Rambo movie…except this movie’s actually good.
I will say the ending sort of snuck up on me and even after seeing the movie, I’m not sure how I felt about the note it ended on. I was expecting more of a resolution after the Running Man show was over, but it ends somewhat abruptly and once the credits started I was like “Oh, the movie’s over?”, even the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie had more of a conclusion.
Despite a few shortcomings, I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition of The Running Man and is definitely worth watching on the big screen. Glen Powell’s charm, over-the-top action, and relevant social themes about the parallels between the government and media, Edgar Wright ran far for this one and in my opinion, delivered.
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Predator: Badlands review
PREDATOR: BADLANDS:
KILLER ALIEN HUNTER BECOMES UNEXPECTED HERO IN SOLID SCI-FI FOLLOW-UP!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
Dek in Predator: Badlands
An outcast Predator teams up with a robot android and embark on a treacherous journey in Predator: Badlands, the latest installment of the Predator film series and director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane)’s highly anticipated follow-up to 2022’s Prey which injected new life into the franchise after a bumpy past. 2025 has truly been the year of Predator as not only did we have this in theaters, but also Trachtenberg’s stellar fully animated Hulu movie, Predator: Killer of Killers which was released over the summer and in my opinion dethroned the original 1987 Predator and even Prey as the absolute best Predator movie.
I was excited to see this movie when it was announced, I thought Prey was a very pleasant surprise when I watched it and the already mentioned, Predator: Killer of Killers I love on a Spider-Verse level. However, I was concerned when it was revealed to have a PG-13 rating unlike its R-rated predecessors and the last time a Predator movie had that rating was 2004’s Alien VS Predator which let’s be real is not a very good film.
Well, even with that significantly less gory and violent rating, Dan Trachtenberg delivered a really solid follow-up to Prey with this movie. What I really admire about Trachtenberg whether he’s directing a Predator or Cloverfieldmovie is how experimental he is in terms of his filmmaking and how he’ll subvert audiences’ expectations with a franchise.
In Predator: Badlands’ case, it’s ditching the horror element from previous entries and going into an action/sci-fi direction where a runt Predator is the protagonist and ends up becoming the hero. Aside from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Hollywood has had a difficult time with trying to take characters that were villains originally and make them the heroes in the follow-up (Don’t Breathe 2, M3GAN 2.0, etc.), but this is easily the best attempt at it since T2.
The film follows Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi-Red, White & Brass), a runt Predator from the planet Yautja Prime who is an outcast amongst his clan and takes a vow to hunt the most powerful creature in the universe in order to gain his father’s approval. This leads him to Thia (Elle Fanning-Super 8, Maleficent 1 and 2, A Complete Unknown), a damaged Weyland Corporation (The evil company from the Alien films) android whom he reluctantly allies with on his quest to find and hunt down the Kalisk while several other Weyland androids including Thia’s “sister”, Tessa (Also played by Fanning) are hot on their tail.
Overall, Predator: Badlands once again takes the Predator franchise to exciting new places in terms of storytelling and gives an odd couple adventure with a Predator and a robot that ironically humanizes the killer alien creature. The film is essentially about a Predator not respected by his clan going on a quest to this dangerous planet that’s like if Avatar’s Pandora wanted you dead at every given moment to hunt down the ultimate prey and ends up taking a hero’s journey instead.
Honestly, this is the first movie where the sole focus is on the Predator itself and not on any human characters and it’s done exceptionally well. I’ll go on record and say Dek surpasses Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch Schaefer from the original movie and even Amber Midthunder’s Naru from Prey as the most compelling Predator film protagonist, an outcast Predator not respected by his clan and through his journey becomes an unexpected hero.
I legit cared for Dek in this movie and thought he and Elle Fanning’s Thia had wonderful chemistry throughout the film, their banter was incredibly fun to listen to and I loved seeing them interact with each other. Also, much of the dialogue and emotional weight does come from Dek himself with an entirely new Predator language invented specifically for this film and subtitles at the bottom of the screen in a way that reminds me of the human and alien communication from District 9 with Thia understanding his language and responding in English.
The movie is also just a really fun action film and the PG-13 rating does not hamper it at all. Even though there are no humans whatsoever, there is still plenty of carnage, limbs getting ripped off, creatures/robots getting eaten with bursts of green slime and/or mechanics in place of red human blood, Trachtenberg found a great workaround for this and best of all, the hits feel satisfying every time a character lands one.
The action scenes are very well executed and look magnificent on the big screen (I saw it in IMAX with 3D) whether it’s giant alien monsters attacking Dek and Thia on their adventure or Dek mowing down a bunch of androids or even the climactic duel between Dek and his father. It’s Predator-style action through and through to the point where you forget about the PG-13 rating.
Between Trachtenberg’s Predator movies and Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus from last year, we’re in a new golden age for both the Alien and Predator franchises with Predator: Badlands being a damn good sequel to Prey that takes the series to the next level and greatly expanding upon its world. Here’s hoping we’ll eventually get an Alien VS Predator movie that’s actually good this time around given the ties to both franchises in this film, but whether or not that happens, go seek this film out in theaters, Disney/Fox did good with this one.
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