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The Creator
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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At last, Gareth Edwards has made a movie that’s as good as everyone says it is; the humanist science-fiction war movie that Rogue One wasn’t and could never be, so long as it was burdened with so much Star Wars continuity and so many in-universe rules.
Posted Sep 26, 2023
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Meg 2: The Trench
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...it might be the metaphorical Citizen Kane of brain-dead, expensively upgraded Syfy channel-style sharksploitation that flatters China.
Posted Aug 16, 2023
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The Last Voyage of the Demeter
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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To call The Last Voyage of the Demeter predictable is like calling Count Dracula a carnivore – absolutely self-evident, yet still underselling things just a bit.
Posted Aug 16, 2023
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Blue Beetle
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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If Blue Beetle encourages viewers to look into the real history behind the references, it could potentially do more good than any other DC movie.
Posted Aug 16, 2023
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem may be no Spider-Verse, but the fact that it even tries to be puts it way above the level of so much family animation these days.
Posted Jul 27, 2023
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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Obviously, nobody’s going to touch Raiders of the Lost Ark or Temple of Doom, at least not by doing anything remotely similar. But in the second tier of Indy movies (i.e., the rest of them), Dial of Destiny earns its spot.
Posted Jun 15, 2023
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Nimona
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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While it may not smash the state, it may open a few minds — or at least endear viewers to a different sort of anti-hero.
Posted Jun 14, 2023
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The Flash
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...if not for all the baggage, there’s a real chance Miller’s performances here could have been in the awards conversation.
Posted Jun 06, 2023
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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If you like any iteration of Transformers, it’s still a respectable mech fight spectacle. But even as the mechanical stars gain more personality, the eye behind the cameras appears to lack some confidence in his own.
Posted Jun 06, 2023
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4/5
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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What’s already clear is that it’s a visual triumph; what’s not is if the narrative will go much beyond the obvious.
Posted May 31, 2023
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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It’s Gunn’s farewell to Marvel, and he wants us to feel the Shakespearean sweet sorrow of parting. It also makes a pretty good case that he’s had a master trilogy plan all along
Posted Apr 29, 2023
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Peter Pan & Wendy
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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P.J. Hogan’s Peter Pan remains the champ, but Lowery has made a solid contender that actually improves upon the animated version.
Posted Apr 29, 2023
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Evil Dead Rise
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...while it may not ascend to the same level of horror-comedy master class as its predecessors, Evil Dead Rise makes a delightful gorefest for the bloodthirsty viewer. But it’s rarely more than that.
Posted Apr 21, 2023
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Renfield
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Cage as Dracula, fortunately, is all he ought to be, in a cinematic reality where he fits quite nicely.
Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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A similar story that wasn’t full of spot-the-reference could be even better, but since this is DC, and they know their characters are the selling point, at least they’re going to crazy places.
Posted Apr 05, 2023
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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The Easter eggs were clearly made and placed with love. But the movie is just a collection of Easter eggs and references in search of a story.
Posted Apr 04, 2023
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...it’s not hyperbole to suggest that for a new generation of kids, this may become a formative fantasy classic.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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When it comes to the tone that DC films need, David F. Sandberg just might be the master...The bad news is the story gets away from him this time.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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If it were a meal, it would have magnificent plating and the fanciest sauce, but cut into it, and deep down it’s just a Big Mac underneath.
Posted Feb 14, 2023
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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James Cameron has more than equaled the visual spectacle bar he set for himself, once again creating a world you might feel sad you can’t actually visit.
Posted Dec 13, 2022
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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It is to Coogler’s credit that the movie manages to be as entertaining as it is. But it would take more than a heart-shaped herb to give the final product the power to keep the seams from showing
Posted Nov 08, 2022
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Wendell & Wild
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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The fact is, for most of its running time, Wendell & Wild is far and away one of the most creative, imaginative movies of the year, animated or otherwise.
Posted Oct 28, 2022
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Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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It’s only 79 minutes long and the story is so simple that it’s impossible to spoil. And the film remembers, crucially, that comics are fun. Or they should be.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
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Black Adam
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...a Mountain Dew suicide mix. It’s full of colorful things that fizz and pop, it gets your heart racing, and you’ll have little idea where any of the flavors came from, except feeling fairly certain they don’t exist in nature.
Posted Oct 19, 2022
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Werewolf by Night
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...its relative lack of characterization suggests that Marvel Studios may have forgotten how to do something fully self-contained, as the main protagonists cry out for more.
Posted Oct 07, 2022
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Hellraiser
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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It mistakes spending time with characters for actually developing them. Once the second hour fully unleashes the Clive Barker-ness of it all, however, it doesn’t let up.
Posted Oct 05, 2022
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The Munsters
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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To paraphrase Herman’s true inspiration, Boris Karloff, in his most acclaimed movie monster performance, this belongs dead.
Posted Sep 27, 2022
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Prey
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Trachtenberg remembers the most important rule: the Predator is just a character. The movie around it has to be a good one too.
Posted Aug 03, 2022
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Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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For the most part, provided you already like these characters and their storylines, everything’s entertaining enough to cover the gaps in story logic.
Posted Jul 05, 2022
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Lightyear
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Individual moments work really well; the whole feels as tonally disjointed as time initially does to Buzz.
Posted Jun 20, 2022
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Jurassic World Dominion
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Any given audience member’s appreciation for Jurassic World Dominion will likely vary inversely to the degree they prefer their cloned dinosaur movies to take things seriously.
Posted Jun 08, 2022
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Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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While its central narrative runs simpler and less compelling, mirroring the structure of a typical Rescue Rangers cartoon a bit more, the throwaway gags are laugh-out-loud hilarious. And there are lots of them.
Posted May 19, 2022
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Like The Force Awakens, Raimi puts enough things in play here that it would really suck to have a follow-up filmmaker simply treat them all as disposable red herrings.
Posted May 03, 2022
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Morbius
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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The best thing about Morbius is it keeps the utterly obvious plot moving along, and isnt exactly boring. But thats hardly a ringing endorsement.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
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The Adam Project
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Ryan Reynolds is a natural, but not since Anna Faris has he found such a worthy adversary in verbal sparring.
Posted Mar 10, 2022
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The Batman
(2022)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Even as it may neglect or deviate from aspects of canon in minor ways, it pulls off a few essential new tricks. Perhaps the most essential? It's actually a movie about Batman.
Posted Mar 04, 2022
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The Matrix Resurrections
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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The script is impeccable. Its execution - quite possibly hampered by COVID like everything else - delivers that gnawing feeling that something's not quite right.
Posted Dec 22, 2021
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...it delivers the way a pinata at a party might. Despite several awkward beatdowns, it ultimately delivers the candy.
Posted Dec 14, 2021
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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If it occasionally goes overboard on the familiarity, it's forgivable for the moments where it gets it just right.
Posted Nov 19, 2021
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Eternals
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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For viewers with an interest in theology and the repackaging of same as superhero subtext for the masses - this is compelling stuff. But for those who expect the tightly wound Marvel machine... this isn't that.
Posted Oct 28, 2021
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Dune
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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This film deserves recommendation for its sights and sounds alone. But the story, so far, only gets a big fat incomplete.
Posted Oct 21, 2021
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Venom: Let There Be Carnage
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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This isn't a Venom for everyone. But it most definitely is the Venom for everyone who applauded Hardy's take the last time around.
Posted Oct 01, 2021
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Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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...it's probably best, as a viewer, to assume the answer to everything is, "Because it's cool, Beavis! Shut up!"
Posted Sep 03, 2021
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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does develop connections to the larger Marvel universe. But the best compliment to the movie is the fact that it doesn't need them.
Posted Sep 03, 2021
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Free Guy
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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While much of the movie feels like the sum of its influences, it builds to something pretty great
Posted Aug 08, 2021
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Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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A step above the usual DC animated offerings, The Long Halloween, Part 2 delivers its gut punch in a manner that creeps up on the viewer.
Posted Aug 05, 2021
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The Suicide Squad
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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while Gunn maintains his usual baseline of irreverent humor and character work in The Suicide Squad, this is the first of his movies that suggests he could stand to learn some new tricks.
Posted Aug 04, 2021
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Jungle Cruise
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Jungle Cruise so blatantly borrows from other movies that, yes, it suffers by not equaling any of them. But as its own thing, for current audiences who may not even get the old references, it's a fine, fun romp
Posted Jul 30, 2021
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Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Even if you don't know his backstory as told in this movie, you actually do. It's the same story (at least onscreen) as Batman, Wolverine, and every out-for-revenge action lead.
Posted Jul 22, 2021
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Space Jam: A New Legacy
(2021)
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Luke Y. Thompson
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Space Jam: A New Legacy is exactly what it looks like. Nobody thought it looked like a well-written movie, or anything more than an expensive, gaudy distraction to keep the kids' attention for two hours, right?
Posted Jul 18, 2021
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