Since 2024, there have been 3 films based off of Colleen Hoover novels released of…well, varying quality. It Ends With Us had a lot going for it but ultimately flounders its potential. Regretting You is almost unbearably flimsy and melodramatic, though that also makes it somewhat charming in that campy way(a 17-year jump where the characters look the exact same? It’s done so earnestly that one cannot help but giggle.). These two films have always been carried by one performer: Blake Lively and McKenna Grace, respectively. Reminders Of Him, the latest entry into the Hoover dam, leans significantly on Maika Monroe’s talents via Kenna, yes, but Tyriq Withers breaks the ‘only one good performance’ curse by holding his own very well, and having excellent chemistry with Monroe.
This film has a significant romance, yes, and it has its goofy moments, but it takes a backseat. The focus here is Kenna’s reintegration journey following release from prison, a sentence caused by a misconstrued driving accident that killed her fiancée, and her desire to meet the daughter she never got to meet. This motivation drives the film, and it is done in a way that really works beautifully. Monroe truly brings the character to life with an empathetic, emotionally strong performance. The script has its rocky moments, but Monroe elevates it. The emotional core of the film shines compellingly, truly drawing you into Kenna’s character and her desire to rebuild her life while her past keeps barking at her.
Reminders Of Him is also often visually striking. Beyond the great costuming and production design, the cinematography is overall very good with some particular shots that are excellent. It does have a distinct style, directed very well by Vanessa Caswill. Lots of very pleasant and careful colour grading good lighting, some sequences that are downright lovely visually.
As for the weaker side, some needle drops felt a bit overdone, and the romance, despite the chemistry between the leads, is definitely the much weaker aspect of the film versus the reintegration drama. This is both in terms of the general filmmaking being far superior in other scenes, whereas the sensual ones are a definite downgrade both in craft and penning. Many moments are cute, and some feel off-kilter. Most other performances are not very good, and the material they get can definitely get rough.
However. The film’s core has strong progression overall, especially with Kenna’s character, and the ending hits significantly. Whilst most of this film I like and some segments I am mixed on, I genuinely love the ending this film gets. Beautiful sentiment and sequences to end on that makes the ending 10-15 minutes some of the best minutes of the entire film. This film surprised me in many ways, and whilst definitely not perfect, I liked my time with it. It carries itself forward with a certain gait that the past two films have often lacked, and thanks to Maika Monroe, keeps itself alive. The melodrama is definitely here, one particular scene is aggressively stupid, and one almost wishes the romance was a non aspect. Yet, the sentiment of the film’s close carries it to a gentle, heartwarming ending feeling.
Phil Lord & Chris Miller are no stranger to making fantastic films, perhaps most notably the Spider-verse films as of late. Both are very talented directors and such is clear through most of their filmography. Project Hail Mary is no exception to the excellence and passion they pump into their work. This film truly burns brightly and never wears itself thin, and leverages all of its elements elegantly. Furthermore, it feels so pure in the way it exudes hope, and a grounded optimism.
A swelling feeling of hope that pervades even the more emotional, darker turns of the film. It balances these tones so perfectly in script and execution thereof, doing so in a way that feels both supremely skillful and wholly its own. Friendship, desperation, and science. Every part of the puzzle flows together superbly well. This is due in no small part to the excellent performances of Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller. These three create such a wonderful core to the film in tune with a fantastic overall script. The dialogue is very strong, the humour hilarious and witty yet not overbearingly done, carrying such a careful, strong sentiment in its bones with memorable characters and a thrilling narrative. A narrative that follows a mindset of execution over technically fresh plot points, something it does very well.
A narrative that is brought to exquisite life. With Greig Fraser handling cinematography, you can always expect some incredible visuals…and there is no shortage of that in Project Hail Mary. Many shots are absolutely ridiculous in how…insane they look, how fantastically and gorgeously this film was shot. The shot composition is stunning often and never truly falters, bolstered by some absolutely superb technical work elsewhere. The production design is absolutely immaculate, the puppet work fantastic, the VFX wonderful. There is never a dull moment in the craft of this film, a facet that extends beyond the visuals and into the incredible scoring from the ever-beloved Daniel Pemberton. A composer who can seemingly do no wrong, he knocks it the hell out of the park once again. His score here truly further elevates everything into what feels like a near-perfect cocktail, and carries that distinct touch that lets you know who composed it before ever seeing the credits.
At it’s heart, Project Hail Mary is a film about friendship. Perseverance, hope, and a deep love for human intellect are all significant and important, yes, and play major roles both in the narrative and characters. But the core of the film is truly about a key friendship that pervades much of the film. This is for the better, as Gosling and his main co-star really craft a wonderful bond throughout that often tugs at the heartstrings, with a very uplifting feeling to it all. It feels exactly how one would want a blockbuster like this to feel, thanks in no small part to Lord & Miller’s dedication as well as the fantastic craft displayed throughout, and Gosling’s gravitas.
Project Hail Mary succeeds wholeheartedly, definitively making itself a must-see film this year. Hopeful, beautiful, and resilient against its faults enough to make for something that feels special. Truly, a pure-hearted film.
The first film of this trilogy, filmed all in sequence a couple of years back, was a disaster despite some strong cinematography and a committed performance from Madeleine Petsch. The second was heavily flawed yet actually enjoyable with enough of a solid flow to be decent, if nothing much greater than above-average. It was, at the very least, enough to generate my interest in seeing this third film and the conclusion to an absolute mess of a trilogy. It released less than half a year after the second film, and it is…
Well, interesting, to say the least. It definitely takes the most swings and tries the most different things out of the three, and has some of the most standout moments. It definitely retains many of the problems of its predecessors, and is not exactly spectacular in its penning. Whilst perhaps being the most outright enjoyable, it is also a disaster. Beyond atrocious dialogue and acting from anyone whose name is not Madeleine Petsch, A lot of it can come off as bland writing-wise even with a clear overall thesis for the trilogy…thematically hardly touched on. It so clearly wants to say something about the normalization of violence, yet succumbs to certain tropes and decisions that undermine it. Not entirely erased on this note, as the flashback sequences indicate, yet lacking therewithin.
At the very least, the knack for cinematography is still present, as all three films are well-shot and visually interesting many a time. This entry, like the others, sometimes knows exactly how to use its camp, and sometimes cannot properly pick tone for its life. But it has probably the best or secondly so example of good camp in the climax, where it goes absolutely off the cheesy wall in a way that was both delightfully hilarious and stupid, and not a horrible closing.
And yet…it does overall come closer to the first film than the second in terms of overall package quality. I definitely enjoyed this film, yet cannot wholly bring myself to like or defend it that much either. Too many bad performances and decisions and far too much poorly formed dialogue. Whilst Chapter 2 had many issues, it at least delivered on some tension enough to keep itself alive. Chapter 3 fails to do this and becomes outright stupid and mean-spirited at times, and meanders around what could have been something very interesting, limping over the finish line. Not with zero points to show for itself, but it is a major disappointment after the surprise of the second part, to receive…whatever this film was.
Maya could have been so much more interesting, and she was in the previous instalment, but this third part makes her come off as a generic final girl and even affects Petsch’s performance in ways. Due in no short part to wonky direction and a half-vibe that never fully congealated.
This is a failed experiment overall, across all three films. However…it is far from the worst of 2026. At the very least, it has more going for it than the likes of Scream 7, which was just an unequivocal disaster of lame proportions. The lame killer reveals in this series are all somehow better than any of that film’s attempts to gotcha the audience. I do not entirely detest The Strangers: Chapter 3, and as previously stated, even enjoyed my time with it despite some of the most obnoxiously loud jumpscares you will ever hear, but it is a complete misfire of a film nonetheless.
One of the more prominent examples of a film that had much hype and interest around it, especially for myself…yet dropped the ball at the end. Maggie Gyllenhaal clearly has directorial talent and a vision for this film that ultimately got buried under a lot of mess. Beyond the script, perhaps what is most shocking is the manner wherein many performances falter, even the secondary performance from Christian Bale. Jessie Buckley is decent here, yet a far cry from her year-defining performance in Hamnet. So much potential within what may be the biggest disappointment in a long time.
The Bride! is too often a messy, unfocused film that feels shredded. Executive meddling feels like a near guarantee, because there is clearly a more concise, thoughtful vision here that is obscured under a hatcheted script and cut. It is unfortunate, as whilst there are clear attempts to make a powerful feminist message, as many great films of recent times have done, this film ultimately falters into saying nothing much at all. Some symbolism in places is undercut by dialogue and actions that muddy the flow, tone and vibe to bizarre lengths. A random dance sequence in the middle that feels at odds with the film around it. The feeling of drag towards the end, wherein it begins to lag as its course feels well-run and its energy has completely died off.
Further strange is the acting. Jessie Buckley is, at times, enigmatic dynamite, and at times, completely unintelligible and adrift. Bale has far fewer great moments and gives what is easily one of his career worst outings. Penelope Cruz does…fine, and nobody else is noteworthy on an acting level. Even the chemistry between the leads is lacking and often feels forced or stiff, not helped by the script. Gyllenhaal clearly has talent, but her directorial eye feels misused or even butchered here. What these odd performance and narrative choices point to seems to clearly be a sanitization of what was once off the wall, had much more to say and better ways of attempting to communicate these themes. Instead we got the remnants.
That is not to say, though, that the film has zero merits. Much of the score is excellent and memorable, and the film often is visually striking and shot strongly. These are the best elements of the film and often keep it afloat. Production design is also quite solidly executed. Some pretty good costuming and sets.
At the risk of repeating myself ad nauseam, it is indeed an unfortunate, rocky and unfocused state this film has wound up in. Including a minor spoiler: Mary Shelley’s existence in this film and how she is used in the narrative is absolutely misguided and poorly executed. It is also a turnoff that harms the film in numerous moments…including right from the get-go where it creates a feeling of confusion and exasperation as a poorly-crafted performance excretes nonsense. Much more fault to the page though than the acting and direction, as this dialogue is both bizarre and honestly one of the most damaging creative choices in the entire film. It also simply further fuels the messy nature The Bride! finds itself in. In fact, the film directly brutalized its own ’empowerment’ narrative by stripping its lead of agency.
Furthermore on that subject, because…oh dear. The Bride! fails entirely to deliver a strong message. Instead it winds up regressive, confusingly so, and definitely does not sit well overall, especially with how poorly it treats its lead. She basically gets thrown around and assaulted and gets to do nothing about it. The more one dwells on these aspects of the film, it becomes infuriating in the execution.
It is not with a smile that I rate this film so severely, yet its potential is burned down by its attempts in vain to be an unabashed fiery romp. That intent is never truly met, the vibe strewn on the streets, and any powerful message reduced to ash.
Pixar, you have done it again! Well worth the wait and undeniably a joyous experience to attend the February 28th early access showing, Daniel Chong’s Hoppers is dam excellent. An absolute victory on all fronts, highly memorable and extremely loveable. Delivers on all the emotional fronts and is downright hilarious with highly memorable characters, and makes such perfect use of its absurd premise. An insane film to have as your theatrical debut (Chong’s only other film is technically a TV movie), and one that is executed in such a fresh, charming way.
Hoppers follows a loveable environmental activist, Mabel, whose battle over an abandoned natural glade against the mayor of Beaverton takes a turn when she uses technology developed by her college professor to put her consciousness into a robotic beaver body. The film skillfully uses this concept with its heartfelt, bold, hilarious tonal blend to communicate its ideas and extrapolate off of its spine. Daniel Chong’s style is distinct, and works wonderfully with that magical touch that Pixar has sometimes struggled to find post-Wall-E. As much as I liked last year’s Elio, as an example, that film was lacking in a certain respect that Hoppers very much is not lacking.
The beavers, especially Piper Curda’s Mabel and Bobby Moynihan’s George, are adorable.
The obvious points: character design. Yes, the humans are designed very well and have this really nice, unique feeling to them whilst holding a couple of Pixar-isms that don’t overwhelm the style, but the heart really lies with the animals. The beavers, especially Piper Curda’s Mabel and Bobby Moynihan’s George, are adorable, expressive, and visually engaging on their own. Let alone with the full cast all forming a very memorable world that is crafted with such clear care and love. The visuals are fantastically crafted overall, excelling in vibrance and personality, with very strong animation and colour grading. The production design and cinematography are all excellent as well, the film near always visually interesting. The sound design is great, and the score is highly memorable. Great editing as well. You can really feel this perfect blend of Chong’s artistic passion, and the storytelling love from Pixar, in every corner of this film. Has a certain refreshing feeling that emanates off its very core.
Further delving into the craft side of things, Hoppers is truly stellar in its animation. Expressive and dynamic, without any real hitches. Charming and full of personality, its characters and environments shine in motion. Mabel especially just has so much energy and care put into her beaver model, easily becoming one of modern Pixar’s most memorable protagonists just on the visual side alone. Its style is intrinsic to its design, evident in the overall construction of the world, down to minute details. An attention to which, as we often expect from the best of Pixar’s expansive catalogue, is very much adored. The colour grade leaning warm most often fits the playful, earnest vibe the film graces itself with.
This also contributes to the film feeling so vibrant and alive. All of that love pours deeply into how it is shot and put together, the woodlands and forest feel brimmed with life and passion. All of this is further enhanced by the cinematography and shot composition. A particular set of shots I adore is seen often in the trailers, when Mabel first realizes she can understand other animals. The cute little zoom-in, followed by the front runnng shot, really does well at establishing a contrast between the human and beaver body and how her personality melds to both bodies.
Whilst an environmental message is not, at a base level, reinventing the wheel per se, Hoppers does an excellent job at keeping its messaging and themes fresh-feeling with its writing and execution. It feels wholly original in its own way, and its bold swings are absolutely excellently taken. ‘Tis also perhaps the most meaningful film from Pixar in years thematically, and says what it wants to very well. It is most focused on a loving support of environmental/nature preservation and a pure love of the natural world. The sentiment it comes around to on this level is a beautiful one, using all of its craft and characters to evoke this core theme to excellence. There are many great character arcs within as well; Mabel and George are particular highlights, as well as Jon Hamm’s Jerry. Their voice actors bring them to life so wonderfully in tune with the screenplay and craft, these characters in particular being highly memorable.
Their arcs all take great directions, and the core dynamics – Mabel/George and Mabel/Jerry – really take the film to further heights both on thematic and character levels. Mabel, you root for from the minute she appears, and she is such a fantastic lead, whilst George is instantly likeable as well. Jerry has a very good arc that progresses at just the right frequency.
The pacing is airtight, and all the film’s stakes are grounded, believable, and in line with its characters and premise. Perhaps, yes, you will recognize some tropes and feel some beats at a barebones level. But within the bones lies marrow that feels distinct and unique in the best way. The way it concludes is pure beauty.
Hoppers proudly stands in the upper echelons of the star-studded Pixar filmography.
Something unexpected was how hilarious this film was. It blends its tones very well, yes – keeps the humour just right to not overwhelm its more heartfelt, thoughtful core – but truly is a home run with the funnies. There are some places this film chooses to go that caught me off guard in the best of ways, especially a perfect moment in the midpoint of the second act. This particular moment lands so well because it is perhaps the last thing you would expect to happen given how the scene plays out for the most part, and is executed with such flawless visual hilarity that turns it into a great reversal and catalyst. In general, there was rarely a joke or comedic beat that missed its mark. This plays into how well the film also nails its entertainment side, being wholly enjoyable and engaging throughout.
All in all, Daniel Chong’s Hoppers is a fantastic film, clearly borne from love, that feels deeply at home with Pixar in themes and its tonal blend. With a loveable main character, a colourful cast and engaging plot, it is easily one of Pixar’s best in years. Perhaps since Inside Out, or even further? Wall-E will forever reign supreme, but Hoppers proudly stands in the upper echelons of the star-studded Pixar filmography nonetheless.
What an absolute downfall. The Scream franchise has usually been very consistent, sporting even some strong requels(5 and 6), the latter of which is actually great. So, it turns out, with 7…when you fire your star and ditch the meta satire aspect of the franchise, you end up with…well, this but backwards, the H and I’s places swapped. It is pretty incredible how much of a middle finger to the franchise this film comes off as, to the point of having one of the dumbest reveals I have seen in any film in a long time. The killer reveal in this film is possibly one of the worst twists – if you can even grant it that moniker – of recent memory.
To her credit, Neve Campbell does well, and carries this film on her back. Genuinely the only decent performance in here, though there are also pitfalls here as well. McKenna Grace is wasted beyond belief in this film, despite her out acting basically everyone besides Sidney. Everyone else has a performance ranging from atrocious to bland, due in no part to the incredibly lacking directorial attempts from Kevin Williamson. Without Wes Craven or Radio Silence’s touch, this just ends up feeling incredibly amateur and lazy, harping on the golden tit of nostalgia to the point of nauseum. I say amateur, yet an amateur would put more heart into this than the studio-mandated crap we got.
It is extremely laughable, then, that Williamson co-wrote this as well, while also being the writer of the classic 1996 film. Confounding, in fact, how this even approached existence, let alone embraced it. Guy Busick has done some really good work in the past, which makes his involvement equally bizarre. The dialogue is trite, the pacing needed extensive retouching, and all of the characters are less than one dimensional. Its a shame that this script feels like a rough draft, rushed out hastily, bland beyond any comprehensive belief. There are no real themes here, and what does barely exist is not touched upon or used properly whatsoever. The main character relationship between Sidney and her daughter, Tatum, is shown, barely advanced, and then hastily wrapped up in the climax. Not to mention again just how much this film relies on nostalgia, attempting to twinkle the audience’s eye with almost offensively asinine desperation. It does not even do anything with the AI aspect, failing to make even a basic point of commentary.
Desperation. That is what this film is, at the end of the day. An uninterested, bored, tasteless cash grabber doing the absolute bare minimum to qualify as a film while really just being a nostalgia slideshow. By scooping out any possible meta-comedy angle, what is left is a void. A void devoid of creativity or care. Scream 7 is quite literally the film that the franchise has been mocking for 20 years, the type of generic slasher that leaves eyes rolling and groans escaping. Its myriad of issues conjure up something that is not even entertaining, and makes one actively want to leave the cinema. But with its disastrous pacing, it is over before you know it…in all the worst ways possible.
Scream 7 spits on the franchise’s grave and is, essentially, pathetic. The type of film that makes you feel angry afterwards, and not in an empowering way – the way that makes your brain hurt. A deeply unfortunate disaster.
Viewed at the February 16, 2026 Monday Surprise Premiere.
Obvious comparisons to No Other Choice aside, this film from J.P. Ford has much to like about it, yet also not enough. The bones of something great are present in How To Make A Killing yet it does ultimately falter too much to reach the heights its potential sat on. Much of this ultimately came down to the script and pacing, as well as most performances outside of the main two being quite lacklustre.
Furthermore, it ultimately struggles to carve a fresh enough identity to its lead to make him as a character memorable. Glen Powell has that ever-so-likeable charisma on screen as he always does, and does turn in a superior performance to The Running Man—yet his performance is hampered by the writing here as it was there. Beckett simply does not have enough extra juice as a character to leave an impact, and is truly carried around by performance. As much as I like Powell, these scripts and several haphazard directorial choices are doing him negative favours. The framing device of the film also, while resolving nicely, was sometimes detrimental to the flow and cohesion.
However, Margaret Qualley’s character, on the other hand, finds herself being quite memorable. Qualley’s performance is easily the best in the film, her character memorable both on her own and from how she is written as it all progresses. Particular aspects to her character and decisions made are very interesting, and she presents an interesting slowburn effect that was honestly the most intriguing part of a film that, while made with enough heart, does not try hard enough on the execution to stand out otherwise.
Production design was very solid overall. The sets are good, as is the costuming. Pretty solid cinematography and visuals in general, and the score is well-composed albeit not wholly memorable. Editing-wise is where many pacing issues can present themselves, as the film would absolutely have benefitted from more runtime. Thankfully, the whole package is crafted nicely and ends well enough to not falter too heavily.
With that being said, the film could have been as thematically deep as it clearly wants to be, yet the style of the film gets in its own way. It often feels as if it didn’t know if it wanted to be stylized or not, and never truly commits to an overall vibe, and occasionally the tones can clash, though not often. The direction is a significant factor here. Thusly, it lacks a lot of extra seasoning and meat that it could have had. The narration framing ultimately feels unneeded and is part of this confusion the film feels at times
Whilst I definitely had a good time watching How To Make A Killing with the ever-likeable Powell and ever-fantastic Qualley, I would be remiss to deny the film losing grip far too many a time. It circles around to being good eventually, but really teeters that line. An unfortunate case of a really great cake, with a stellar recipe, being pulled out of the oven a few minutes too early. Not to say the film misses every mark…but with some tweaks, ‘twould be excellent
Iron Lung, directed by Mark Fischbach, aka Markiplier, is a success through and through. Long-awaited and pushing through distribution difficulties, it finally hit cinema screens this January, and proved that it was well worth the wait. Conceptually it could have dragged with the 2 hour runtime, yet it is executed well enough to be an excellent slowburner where you never feel the length. It turns out to be deeply immersive and engaging throughout, and a commendable debut effort.
Where it especially shines is in the craft. Fischbach proves to have a great eye for the direction and construction of the film, bringing a very clear vision into strong, steady execution. It carries a distinct style to its presentation and production. The cinematography and editing is all very strong – save for an amount of messiness, albeit functional messiness, in the climax – and carries a very interesting weight to how it comes together. As a chamber piece it is also excellent, tense and engrossing without ever losing that. Besides two small sequences, the camera is constrained inside the submarine for arguably 99% of the runtime, and that is only to its benefit. The pacing is absolutely excellent and borrows a certain patience and procedure from slow cinema that is just pure bliss. It keeps the slow unraveling contained, especially as it becomes psychological and at times surreal. Another appreciated element is the entire lack of jumpscares, creating great atmosphere and tension without ever throwing a loud sound in your face for a quick rise. The score is also excellent and memorable. Strong colour grading and general shot composition, as well as skillful creation of atmosphere.
Fischbach gives a better performance than you may expect. Perfect? No, but he is at worst competent. Other performances are minimal and, besides one very early scene, entirely vocal. Our lead performance does have its weaker moments, but he is gripping in many others. Though, I never felt lost during the film, able to follow the narrative, character and concept even without any exposure to the game it is based on. The film does not necessarily explain everything to a T, but that is also arguably not necessitated, as the purposeful leaving of question often adds to the atmosphere. What we do learn of the world and the mission Fischbach’s character is sent on lends itself to that isolated feeling that the chamber piece angle facilitates in quite an engaging fashion. A particular sequence where very little technically occurs is immensely beneficial overall in further demonstrating this craft and said isolation.
Whilst I absolutely appreciate the cosmic horror in the back end of the film, it does occasionally lose itself in some of the editing there. However, it is thematically successful in its ending. It arguably may have been less successful if we did get more information than what is presented to us in the film’s present state. Some of the dialogue definitely could have been reworked to varying degrees.
Iron Lung is a genuinely quite impressive film on many accounts, providing fantastic tension and intrigue with wonderful camerawork and very committed direction. There is so much care and passion put into the project as a whole that makes its release and box office success one to cheer on with enthusiasm. Fischbach has proven his prowess behind and in front of the camera, and formed a very memorable debut film.
Viewed at the February 2 Monday Surprise Premiere.
Despite being someone whom has never seen the show this film takes off from, I never felt lost once. It is great at instantly settling you into the dynamic the leads function on, as well as its lovable stylings. Matt Johnson thoroughly impressed me with 2023’s BlackBerry, and even more so with this absolute riot of a mockumentary. Truly the type of film that grabs you right from the outset and never quite lets go. Something particularly wonderful and special with BlackBerry was how it used the mockumentary format, and Matt Johnson’s specific style thereof. This approach is even further heightened with Nirvanna and takes it to wacky yet greatly composed levels.
Particularly, the film’s plot gives an absolute middle finger to realism in favour of borderline absurdist yet heartfelt comedic intentions. The journeys the characters go on are not only well-composed character arcs, but laugh-out-loud hilarious both in-fiction and in meta ways. Something the mockumentary approach obviously lends itself to, but really feels perfected by Johnson & co. His and Jay McCarroll’s performances are lively, vivid, and the choice writing-wise of using their real names is nothing short of delightful. Usage of meta-humour like this never feels tacky or obtuse, especially because of how it is written and delivered. Johnson has such a great eye for craft and direction, his distinct voice making this film feel so unique and fresh.
Every escalation in the plot feels earned and sublimely timed. Its all very well penned to be engaging both in terms of the comedy and antics, but also investing you into the leads. A particular stylistic choice I really adored was how it handles the reveal of information, occasionally using a small flashback to a previous scene but with dialogue that was cut out of the documentary edit originally. It all works very well whether used for laughs or drama. This film also is partly a love letter to the time travel mechanics and logic of Back To The Future, and it is executed in a way that feels loving rather than fanservice-like. Even when it gets fantastical, the film never loses itself or its roots.
Beyond just the style of the film being so appealing, it also just generally looks fantastic. The colour grading and composition really pops, the general editing is strong, and the use of different aspect ratios and cameras really pays off for immersion. Furthermore, the sound is all great.
Thematically, Nirvanna really emphasizes the shifts in the bonds of the leads. Uses the comedy to accentuate the rifts and repairs this journey takes them through, particularly as Jay chases fame and attempts to detach himself from Matt after a particular plot goes awry. This arc is really well executed, as is Matt’s own internal growth, though the emphasis overall being on Jay’s arc, ending on a small yet significantly heartful beat. The film executes its familiar themes – what themes aren’t? – in such a unique way that truly makes it stand out amongst the crowd of friendship-focused films.
It was absolutely not the film expected for this surprise premiere, yet it is ever so welcomed. It was fantastic all throughout, drawing out a constant stream of hard laughs and massively engaging and interesting craft. Really inventive in so many ways and bold in immensely memorable ones, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is already a very high contender in what has been a considerably solid year of films so far, one to revisit for sure.
Viewed at the Jan 19, 2026 Monday Surprise Premiere.
This film may have some of the worst marketing in recent memory. Concerningly so, and plus the release timing…the expectations were relatively low. It came as a welcome surprise, then, when Mercy grabbed me. Not with flawlessness – there are definite flaws – but its more interesting than one may expect. Comparing this to War Of The Worlds seems absurd. This film has plenty going for itself, particularly from its ability to command attention and have an engaging style.
Set almost entirely in one room, the film is nearly entirely focused on the performances of Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. Rebecca Ferguson does really well, as one might expect, and makes her AI character very memorable and interesting to watch…strong screen presence and she eats the screen up. Chris Pratt gives one of his better performances in years and was compelling. They aren’t perfect performances per se, and Pratt has some really weak moments, but they were engaging and both well cast in their roles. The supporting cast, particularly Annabelle Wallis, all do pretty solidly. Though truly, the dynamic and interaction between Ferguson and Pratt is the show here, and it honestly delivers.
There is wonky dialogue. A few, small in proportion moments, with a haphazard visual…Its far from fantastic as an overall package. It chooses to focus on closeups that work most of the time, and the visual stylization of the investigation and trial worked quite well. I particularly found the method of delivering outside visuals to be quite interesting – almost always either from drone recording, a phone, or bodycam footage, and this style works, all paced together nicely. It does tension pretty solidly and pays it off with decent effect. The climax ending definitely needed some tweaks as it goes a bit too far for its britches, but it was far from a disaster, and has some glorious camp from Ferguson. On that note, this film’s humour was surprisingly effective, and evoked multiple laughs. A couple of contrived moments that hurt the script yet don’t crumble the castle.
Thematically, the film doesn’t fully reach its potential despite it narratively working quite well. The overall message gets a tad muddied, what what it is mainly aiming for is a critique of a lack of emotional intelligence in individuals with power. It toes a line of neutrality on some aspects politically that could be frustrating in other circumstances, but actually works decently here to further this key idea that drives the film. As for its stance on AI, it is not wholly a condemnation of it. It uses its AI character in this examination of emotional illiteracy and the danger that causes to others around an individual with power whom is afflicted by this. Should it have said more on its themes, overall? Yes, though it is effective enough in places to not be completely drab. It helps that the concept itself – proving one’s own innocence to an AI – is a very interesting concept that lends itself to a lot of great possibilities in the construction of the film itself. Some ideas get pretty undercooked, but the core thesis remains prominent throughout the film.
A small side note: it is refreshing to see a non-Avatar film use 3D in a way that actually makes a difference. Whereas most films that slap 3D on screenings barely use it – sometimes you cannot even tell it is 3D besides the fact the glasses shade the screen – Mercy actually decided to make use of the gimmick in a fun, immersive way.
Mercy is a film that is a lot better than marketing makes it look and sound. All of these elements work really well together to make one heck of an enrapturing that holds your attention from the moment the film truly begins to the very end. Pratt does better than expected, if not amazing, in this more dramatically inclined role than a lot of what he appears in, Ferguson delivers as expected, and the film has a surprising amount of style to it that keeps it feeling interesting and fresh alongside the tension. Tones are balanced pretty well, and the climax, while a bit messy, circles back up when they introduce the truly delightful camp work. Quite a fun watch as well. Not a great film, but an enjoyable middle grounder.
Karma Is A Critic 