Movie Film Reviews

While seemingly focused on self-indulgent first-world problems, Jay Kelly unpacks highly relatable emotions. Its minimal plot leaves space for a developed character study. Ideas of identity, success, family, passion, regret, and loneliness are soberly contemplated. Self-aware, the script balances satire with heartfelt humanization. Plus, there's snappy dialogue, witty humor, earned exposition, paralleling timelines, and consistent setup/payoff. Its conclusion unites everythin

Driving home bittersweet resolution, Hamnet  is cathartic. The drama is tethered to one plot point (slightly confining its characters), but that launches profound emotions as well as soulful themes. Ideas of faith, acceptance, self-worth, love, sacrifice, and grief are carefully contemplated. However, its main message explores the healing power of art, which brings people together to revel in the human experience. Foreshadowing, arcs, and motifs also contribute to the script'

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You spotlights overwhelming expectations. Flawed yet sympathetic, the protagonist's complex obligations tangle into external and internal obstacles. As she juggles a barrage of stressors, the real tension becomes her battle against a verging breakdown. This invites themes of perception, attachment, resilience, anxiety, and guilt while also critiquing the impossible standards imposed on mothers. Dark humor, spontaneous dialogue, escalating stakes, and a

Train Dreams is gentle existentialism. The sparse plot leaves space for drama to delicately yet thunderously intertwine with themes. It contemplates aspects of the human condition like purpose, memory, nature, connection, impermanence, loneliness, and guilt. However, it refrains from providing easy answers, instead choosing to immerse in bittersweet nuance. Relatable motivations, elusive flaws, and inspirational growth are woven into the protagonist. Its dialogue balances po

Zootopia 2 has all the competent pieces. Its contrasting protagonists earn intertwining arcs, solidifying legitimate (albeit regularly sidelined) drama. Though a bit belabored and simplified, there are themes surrounding prejudice. The plot may be convoluted, but it follows a textbook investigation formula. There's consistent humor, motivated characters, setup/payoff, and twists. Conversely, its script leans on exposition-heavy dialogue as well as shoehorned callbacks. Still

Wicked: For Good is incomplete. It has a recontextualized (though somewhat stagnant) plot, fitting themes of otherism, and drama centered on a torn friendship. However, the script is all confrontation with minimal setup, reducing an extravaganza to a clunky episode. This is felt most in the protagonists' internal conflicts. Because their relationship was earned in another film, their emotional stakes feel distant. Meanwhile, its performances required more nuance plus layers

Die My Love is a mood piece. Its minimal plot allows the story to reflect on elusive drama. As its protagonist unravels, themes of purpose, isolation, sorrow, escape, social norms, and attachment permeate. United, these qualities weave profound intimacy. None of this would work without the acting, which fearlessly embraces the challenging script. Lawrence is a force, ranging from complex layers to vulnerable outbursts to expressive physicality. Despite feeling authentically

The Running Man is quality. Its high concept is rich with social commentary. Themes of inequality, surveillance, militarism, propaganda, and commercialism are satirized. By preserving its emotional core, the script blends adventure alongside sobriety. The protagonist isn't complex, but his motivation is relatable. In turn, an internal conflict arises between familial responsibilities and revolution. Though the arc feels muddled, these pieces are present. There's setup/payoff

Frankenstein is fueled by timeless storytelling. Some might find it cliche, but that's inherent when faithfully adapting such a foundational tale. It has an iconic plot, Shakespearean drama, and vast themes. Ideas like mortality, creation, forgiveness, obsession, identity, abuse, grief, and loneliness all trace back to contemplations on the human condition. Each character bears flaws plus internal conflicts, yielding opportunities for poignant arcs. Intensity, layers, physic

Predator: Badlands constructs a simple storyline, earned arcs, and mild themes. However, the script rarely exceeds these adequate standards. Cramped by excessive action, drama is rushed plus exposition-heavy. This broadens emotions while muting relatability. Since dialogue overexplains, subtext becomes belabored. There's minimal survivalism, pointless franchising, numbing stakes, clunky humor, contrivances, and predictability. Internal conflicts are weak, making growth less

Mixing absurd satire alongside tragic intimacy, Bugonia is potent. Its thriller plot sustains tension, sharp dialogue, surprises, and decisive character choices. With internal conflicts on full display, drama feels effortless. Social commentary (spanning from dehumanization to self-destruction) anchors itself to a central thesis of control. Black humor heightens juxtaposition while forging a playfully cynical worldview. It has setup/payoff as well as motifs. Remarkably dynami

Despite its plot feeling slight or aimless, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is a portrait of depression. It explores themes of identity, generational trauma, isolation, escapism, artistic expression, and confronting inner demons. Never oversimplified, the characters are humanized with flaws. Although it sometimes waxes poetic, the dialogue remains natural. There's earned vulnerability, a creative process, and minimal cliches. While somewhat one-note plus largely interna

Shelby Oaks is all premise. Preoccupied with exposition plus plot cliches, it never develops drama beyond initial motivations. As a result, characters are generic tropes, rendering the story broad and thin. With no internal conflicts, there are no arcs. Its intense, vulnerable, and code-switching performances eventually feel one-note due to one-dimensional roles. The mystery becomes shallow because the detective work is incidental as well as contrived. Its dialogue is often

After the Hunt introduces themes of power, intellectualism, ethics, consent, generational differences, trauma, and identity politics. Many might find its conclusions indecisive and, consequently, counterproductive. However, the story's core message is about our willingness to bend our beliefs for personal gain. Though its dialogue can be pretentious while the protagonists (plus their drama) feel distant, this detachment reflects how they posture for optics. Elevating these p

Despite developing an immersive mood, Black Phone 2 struggles to solidify dynamic substance. The script unpacks themes of PTSD, but stagnates around that. Its plot is thin yet oddly convoluted with backstory. Missing direct internal conflicts, the protagonists' arcs ultimately seem mild. When these core literary flaws merge into a slow-burn approach, the writing becomes slight and monotonous. Awkward quips as well as heavy exposition make the dialogue feel unnatural. There a

Convoluting its formulaic narrative while sapping its drama, Tron: Ares is all exposition. Because it wholly prioritizes the plot,...

Despite a thin plot, Good Boy 's high concept cultivates emotional insights. Showing instead of telling, it has minimal dialogue plus...

The Smashing Machine harnesses an understated story for perceptive drama. Thin but subversive, its plot allows emotions to radiate. This...

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey uses a high concept for earnest drama. Though heavy-handed, it examines themes of hindsight, opening up,...

Fearlessly addressing hot-button political issues while maintaining an intimate heart, One Battle After Another is a statement. Built...