Category Archives: Action

07.30.26
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Four years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker has been forgotten by the world and has isolated himself as he fights crime full-time as Spider-Man. His past and future converge as he investigates a new threat and undergoes a potentially dangerous evolution.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is very much a continuation of the web-slinger’s MCU arc, while marking a new chapter and direction for the hero. Peter’s sacrifice leaves lasting consequences of guilt and grief for him as he enters a humble era in his life where he’s become a private detective of sorts and a city-wide hero. This sleuth side of Spidey is very fun to see, as are the changes and solitude he’s put himself through since losing everything. That said, though we’re out of the high school era of the character and in a far more emotionally heavy arc, the movie still has plenty of humor to offer. Jon Bernthal’s inclusion as the Punisher fits seamlessly into Spider-Man’s MCU tone, especially thanks to the fun dynamic he and Tom Holland form onscreen. Zendaya continues to prove herself to be one of the most outstanding performers in these films, as MJ has evolved significantly. It’s also a delight to see Tramell Tillman and Liza Colón-Zayas here, who are perfectly cast and deliver so much presence and intrigue.

The conflict itself takes many unexpected directions, and even if it treads familiar ground, all of it feels emotionally true and fleshed out. The stunt choreography is also one of the film’s most glowing stars, with expertly crafted action scenes and some of the coolest across all four of the films. It feels like the conclusive nature of No Way Home is still honored here, as Destin Daniel Cretton sets out to rewrite the DNA of the Tom Holland Spidey saga, but all the heart we felt from his portrayal of the character before, as well as his bonds with Zendaya and Jacob Batalon’s characters, are all there, too. That former film is still honored with the fresh direction here, but what feels strongest in Brand New Day is that we’ve seen the character truly mature over his multi-film cinematic journey, and while all that comic and film fans hold dear about one of cinema’s most beloved heroes is front and center, there are also plenty of surprises for fans and casual moviegoers alike.

07.18.26
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The Odyssey

It’s never a surprise when a Christopher Nolan film proves to be the most epic theater experience of the year. But what constantly continues to impress is his ability to transport us on journeys that feel so much bigger than our own lives, even though they look so much like our own world. Majestic, nail-biting, and outright spellbinding, The Odyssey turns one of the great mythological stories into one of the greatest cinematic journeys ever told. Homer’s epic proves the perfect battleground for Nolan’s love of telling stories out of linear order, and the movement of different storylines and events across time is thrilling to follow and creates an even more powerful experience than if we were to have discovered the story in sequence. Nolan also assembles a massive ensemble cast led by Matt Damon, who leads with a loyalty mixed with a dangerous hubris Odysseus has, who desires to “defy the gods”. Tom Holland gives possibly his best performance yet as Odysseus’ son Telemachus, though Anne Hathaway steals the show in that corner of the story as Penelope. Robert Pattinson and Jon Bernthal are also excellently cast, and Elliot Page is also a special standout, no matter how minor his role is. The many big players who also leave a huge impression include Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, and Charlize Theron.

The most incredible effect The Odyssey has is making everything feel real, thanks to Nolan’s disdain for CGI, while we also don’t have the same sweeping extreme wides we’re used to in almost all his other films, at least not the same amount. We’re immersed in the sets that are right in front of our eyes and often look visionary. The action is so thrilling it’ll have you leaning forward into your seat, while maintaining that brutality and harshness that never make the fighting look outright entertaining the way they might in other action epics. Part of what makes the magic so breathtaking is Ludwig Göransson’s score. It’s exhilarating, overwhelming, and grandiose in new ways every scene. Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography allows everything to feel real, even though the imagery stems from mythology, and Jennifer Lame’s editing is expertly meticulous. Despite its long runtime, the film moves at a fast pace, and every second matters. Everything we love about Nolan is here: the epic scale, the practical sets, the jumps in time, but the film is so much greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that delivers in beauty and scope, demanding to be seen on the world’s largest movie screens, then unpacked, before going back to watch it again, and again, and again.

06.27.26
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Supergirl

Kara Zor-El, one of the last remaining Kryptonians, reluctantly joins a young girl’s quest for revenge across the galaxy against a powerful adversary.

Milly Alcock is cast well in the titular role, but unfortunately, the material she works with consistently fails to make the character stick with us. Nobody from the supporting cast really resonates, with an awful villain and a dull ally Kara makes along the way, and Jason Momoa’s casting is a bit weird considering the recency of his stint as DC’s Aquaman, even if the performance is fun. 

The movie chooses to go for the most tried and true aspects of the recent slew of superhero action movies, let alone those set in space. None of the world building sticks out in a look that feels too digital and uninspired, while the story we’re given is generic and frankly even empty. Supergirl is introduced to us as a young adult who travels the galaxy binge drinking and spits in the face of virtue. However, the film’s energy doesn’t match her chaotic spirit, instead going for a very black and white “good vs evil” story. The movie ultimately focuses this reckless, hard-drinking drifter with genuine emotional baggage, a unique character, into a very conventional hero’s journey. A few moments of music use feel inspired, as do the very interesting flashbacks to Kara’s origin, which maybe should’ve been placed earlier in the runtime. However, Supergirl has ultimately the same action sci-fi feel we’ve seen so many times before, with a very lackluster visual look and missing of the rebellious tone for the character who needed a far more anarchic and emotional anthem.

05.23.26
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Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

In the age of the New Republic hunting down the remnants of the fallen Empire after the events of Return of the Jedi, Mandalorian Din Djarin and his adopted son Grogu embark on an exciting new Star Wars adventure.

The Mandalorian’s big-screen debut isn’t his most dramatic or revealing, but honestly, it’s refreshing that the stakes are changed up from “fate of the galaxy” level to focused more on crime syndicates and bounty hunters. The Neo-Imperial and Mandalore stories from the series aren’t revisited or touched on much, but that’s honestly a breath of fresh air to see Mando go in a new direction this time. The visuals are splendid, as always with Star Wars, and the action is expertly choreographed. Grogu is absolutely adorable and everything he does is a standout here, and Ludwig Goransson’s excellent score elevates the whole movie.

Jeremy Allen White also stands out in a motion capture role, playing Rotta the Hutt, who’s far gentler than any of the other Hutts we’ve met in Star Wars lore. Sigourney Weaver is no stranger to space action, and is yet again a delightful badass who gives much heart and authority to her character of Ward.

The Mandalorian and Grogu might not end up changing the game for the franchise, but it’s got just enough fun visuals and action, as well as the touching father-son dynamic at its center, to be worth a watch for action/sci-fi/fantasy fans and those who are invested in the galaxy far, far away.

04.05.26
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Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Moments after surviving an attempted Satanic ritualistic sacrificial game of Hide and Seek by her in-laws, Grace is pulled into a greater, global stakes world of survival by a game she hadn’t realized she’d triggered, only this time, her sister is in danger too.

Though not as funny, shockingly original, and nail-biting as the first, this is a worthy sequel that boasts the same level of insane violence thanks to Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s direction. Samara Weaving gave one of the most iconic horror “final girl” performances in the original film and continues here to solidify herself as one of the generation’s most outstanding scream queens. Her commitment to the role and the sheer terror Grace is unrivaled, though she’s been toughened by her prior experience with this madness.

What this film leaves to be desired that the first film nailed is the hilarious ensemble cast of antagonists, while here, only Shawn Hatosy and Sarah Michelle Gellar really stand out as the central villains, twin siblings whose dynamic twists and turns as the runtime progresses. Hatosy’s performance in particular is impressive and interesting to watch in every scene he’s in, while Kathryn Newton is great as Grace’s sister Faith, though the backstory between them is a bit haphazard and thrown in just for the sake of having some sort of conflict between them that needs to be resolved. Still, it’s thanks to the energy that the directors and writers provide to offers more than enough entertainment and satisfying irreverence and macabre, with an expansion and execution that makes this one of the more inherently earned sequels of the last few years.

02.20.26
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Crime 101

An expert theif, his rival, a police detective, and a disillusioned insurance broker all cross paths in LA leading up to a major job being planned by the former.

Crime 101 assembles a cast and plays to all their strengths while allowing its slow pace to breathe without an overabundance of massive action scenes, though when they come, they’re rather tense. Chris Hemsworth is fun in the leading role and refreshingly understated, but its the players around him who really shine here. Halle Berry is given her strongest role in years as a character attempting to take charge of her own life, while Mark Ruffalo is great as a detective on Hemsworth’s tail. Monica Barbaro also stands out as one of the film’s most interesting characters, while Barry Keoghan is always captivating and unpredictable.

The movie takes the time to flesh out its characters, even if it takes a bit of time to get invested into the conflict. Simple dialogue scenes shared between Hemsworth and Barbaro or Ruffalo and Berry are just as important to the story as the stakes and cat-and-mouse element of the lead character trying to get away with his crimes. It never quite challenges any expectations it sets, but the film’s patience rewards its audience, many of whom will enjoy the ride if they’re already fans of the action/crime thriller genres.

02.17.26
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Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die

A mysterious man (Sam Rockwell) claiming to be from the future steps into a bar looking for recruits to fight the impending apocalypse with him, but who will be the right group of heroes to survive the night? And is making it to the finish line even possible?

Gore Verbinski assembles what truly feels like a dream cast for a sci-fi action comedy that’s absolutely nuts and isn’t ashamed of it. Sam Rockwell often does a great job of playing guys who seem insane but are actually the only one in the room who’s right, and here is no exception. Haley Lu Richardson and Juno Temple are additional standouts and anchor the film emotionally as well. Though the future hints to be bleak in the story, the clever non-linear narrative pulls down the curtain on a seemingly grounded diner in the present, to reveal that this world and its past is nothing like our own, only it could be. The satire is very unsubtle but also truer than we’d like to admit; we’re often so glued to our phones and so overly reliant on social media and virtual/artificial creations for everyday tasks, and worse, gratification and comfort, that we miss the world around us and forget to use basic common sense and human decency.

At some point, the movie gives up on trying to explain itself and just starts throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, but Verbinski’s imagination make this feel like a large-scale film with scale and a ridiculous self-awareness that’s less concerned with making sense and more so with big excitement that very much succeeds at violent and endearing yet cleverly structured irreverence.

12.22.25
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Avatar: Fire and Ash

James Cameron succeeds yet again in teleporting the audience from their seats into the lands, airs, and seas of Pandora and anyone who buys a ticket for Avatar: Fire and Ash may experience one of the most visually arresting things they’ve ever seen. The complexity of the water, the Na’vi people themselves, and the incredible settings are so detailed and breathtaking to look at, immersing you into an action sci-fi saga with epic scale that only Star Wars and Dune have reached recently. Every character is challenged to the brink to make the most difficult choices, and the child characters from the last film are even stronger here. Jake and Neytiri’s son Lo’ak earns a lot of spotlight he’s given, and Jack Champion’s performance has definitely improved. Zoe Saldaña is again a highlight as Neytiri and given much more to do, while Sigourney Weaver impresses in her strong performance as Kiri. Stephen Lang eats up the scenery as the ruthless and vengeful Quaritch. It’s interesting to examine his grievance against Jake, as they’re both once-human military men now in Na’vi bodies, but even more interesting is the dichotomy between Neytiri and new antagonist Varang, played fantastically by Oona Chaplin. She’s the leader of the Ash People, who reject the Na’vi belief in the goddess Eywa and is hellbent on spreading chaos.

The action sequences are brought to life with such a might and grandeur that it truly feels like the culmination of decades of blockbuster filmmaking. The journey is so stunning that you may not want it to end, but if anything holds the film back, is action set pieces feeling recycled from the last film. The similarities to The Way of Water, especially in the final act, are glaring, including numerous character dynamics/arcs and action scenes. The human characters get a lot of screen time and are rather annoying, especially Giovanni Ribisi, who is needlessly brought back from the first film. However, it looks so gorgeous, particularly a jaw-dropping final battle, and the emotional stakes are so high that the immersive adventure forgives much of its unoriginality and some narrative shortcomings. Those looking for another thrilling experience will be amazed by the sheer beauty of what may be one of the most intricate and astounding CGI achievements of all time. If you can forgive some familiarity, Fire and Ash will lift you out of your seat and take you to worlds away that feel so tangible that watching it in big formats like IMAX and 3D is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

11.27.25
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Zootopia 2

Zootopia 2 expands on its titular setting in ways that contrary to many big sequel, feel natural to the world of its story and quite visually intriguing. Though it can’t recapture the magic of Zootopia (to be fair, almost no animated movie can), this sequel is engaging, charming, and incredibly funny, despite a rushed start. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman contribute to the great, if rocky, dynamic duo that is Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, now partners on the Zootopia police force and looking to do some good together. Though at first it feels like Nick has unlearned much of what he learned in the first film, we soon come to understand his motivations and where their friendship goes is very heartfelt and excellently written. Fortune Feimster, Ke Huy Quan, and Andy Samberg stand out the most as new characters in the mix, particularly Feimster as a lovable new ally of the duo.

The film may miss the thematic weight of the first film, but still has an interesting, if unsubtle, message that parents can grasp onto profoundly and discuss with their children. It does rely overly on reference and callbacks to the first film for laughs, but also is its own film when it needs to be, with engaging settings and a conflict that starts off predictable but gets more and more fun. Even if it’s a significant step down from its predecessor, it’s got fun for all ages and a ride that was worth the wait.

11.15.25
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The Running Man

In a future ruled by an authoritarian government, Ben Richards joins a deadly game show to win money to support his family. There’s one catch: to win, he has to survive one month on the run from expert assassins who are trying to kill him.

The Running Man is not the first film adaptation of the Stephen King novel, but it’s also the rare reimagining that not only justifies its existence by taking a completely different and more faithful direction, but also tops the original film by far. Edgar Wright’s love of filmmaking shines through in all of his projects, no matter the scale or setting. This one is a lot more self-serious than his other works, but still enough irreverence and humor shines through to balance that out. Glen Powell’s action star material gives the film much flare and entertainment, making Ben Richards a fun character to root for, even when some of his characteristics don’t always add up (a subplot about his anger issues becomes rather irrelevant after the opening minutes). Colman Domingo is also a riveting standout as the host of the titular game show, giving the dialogue and performance his all. His scenes of commentary and theatrics elevate much of the film.

Though its themes have been explored in other films, including many recent ones, it still very intriguingly explores how capitalism and consumerism enslave the working class through sadistic entertainment. It hits both close to home while evoking something different from our reality. The pace is just fast enough for the audience to root for our hero and be interested in its vibrant world-building and energy. The action is bloody and creative without feeling overly cartoonish and fitting within the world of the film, and the directions it takes are thrilling while the humor and dark satire work perfectly together. This modern adaptation not only works far better than its predecessor, but it’s a winning ride for action fans and for the always charismatic Powell.