Polygon

Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating Title/Year Author
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) Karen Han The film is the kind of gossip that doesn't have enough details about the people in it to get invested - it's fun, but ultimately not all that memorable. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Fantasy Island (2020) Jesse Hassenger Plainly put, it isn't very good. Yet there's something disposably entertaining about its mercenary approach. EDIT
Posted Feb 14, 2020
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) Matt Patches It's not for longtime Sonic fans, but it's guaranteed to be someone's nostalgic favorite in the year 2038. EDIT
Posted Feb 13, 2020
The Lodge (2019) Karen Han The Lodge reveals its hand too early, and too clearly. The magic disappears, and the prestige falls flat. EDIT
Posted Feb 6, 2020
Feels Good Man (2020) Matt Patches [Arthur] Jones' film is the complete saga, with all the dots connected. It does feel good, man, but it had to be said in this way. EDIT
Posted Feb 5, 2020
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) Susana Polo Birds of Prey's freedom to discard the classic superhero story is a freedom well won. EDIT
Posted Feb 5, 2020
Zola (2020) Matt Patches Zola is the movie of our times, and [Writer-director Janicza] Bravo bakes every idea into the script and visuals. EDIT
Posted Feb 3, 2020
The Rhythm Section (2020) Karen Han To describe The Rhythm Section in the musical parlance it employs: The action movie has no sense of tempo, and no melody. EDIT
Posted Feb 3, 2020
Gretel & Hansel (2020) Charles Bramesco If Gretel & Hansel doesn't turn out to be one of the year's genre highlights, 2020 will be a very good year at the movies indeed. EDIT
Posted Feb 3, 2020
Nine Days (2020) Tasha Robinson An absolute masterpiece. EDIT
Posted Jan 30, 2020
Possessor (2020) Matt Patches Horror is the clear priority for Cronenberg, and by god, the flesh wounds are jaw-dropping. Maybe even jaw-removing? EDIT
Posted Jan 29, 2020
Kajillionaire (2020) Tasha Robinson It's the kind of tale Miranda July specializes in... another distinctive, funny, gently sympathetic portrait of people who are poorly suited for society, but condemned to live in it anyway. EDIT
Posted Jan 29, 2020
Palm Springs (1936) Tasha Robinson The story may be familiar... But the execution here feels fresh and playful, with a new energy coming from Samberg and Milioti's go-for-broke performances, and some new iterations on the formula. EDIT
Posted Jan 28, 2020
Relic (2020) Tasha Robinson [Robyn] Nevin does a terrific job of building sympathy, then abruptly puncturing it. EDIT
Posted Jan 28, 2020
Minari (2020) Matt Patches Minari swells with life-affirming observations and deep performances. EDIT
Posted Jan 28, 2020
() Tasha Robinson There are so many laughs, and so many telling and relatable moments, and so many fascinating, colorful characters here, Boys State is utterly mesmerizing. EDIT
Posted Jan 27, 2020
Spaceship Earth (2020) Matt Patches Their story, flaws and all, is a wonder to behold. EDIT
Posted Jan 27, 2020
Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story (2020) Matt Patches Happy Happy Joy Joy did not have to deliver a verdict on the art-vs.-artist debate, but a more successful documentary might demand conclusions from its subjects. EDIT
Posted Jan 27, 2020
1917 (2019) Siddhant Adlakha In a purely technical sense, 1917 achieves exactly what it sets out to do. But in the process, it loses the relationship between images and cinema's ability to create meaning beneath the surface. EDIT
Posted Jan 27, 2020
() Matt Patches Between Extremely Online life and Keery's relentless performance, Kotlyarenko wrings every ounce of comedy out of a premise that could easily be "ok boomer"-ed out of the room by critical eyes who know their YouTube. EDIT
Posted Jan 25, 2020
Come Away (2020) Tasha Robinson Audiences may resist the moral of this movie, but they're likely to get caught up in the execution. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
The Gentlemen (2020) Karen Han Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch remain fun, but they're products of their time, and Ritchie doesn't seem to have grown as a director beyond having more money and bigger stars at his disposal. EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana (2020) Matt Patches Though Miss Americana is a mess of messaging, certain hammer swings should resonate with the musician's core fan base, which is destined to watch the film. It can't hurt to hear a genuine mega-celebrity say, "I have to deprogram the misogyny in my brain." EDIT
Posted Jan 24, 2020
The Turning (2020) Jenna Stoeber Although there are a some stylish and well-crafted shots, in the end The Turning has too little substance to keep itself going. EDIT
Posted Jan 23, 2020
Color Out of Space (2019) Keith Phipps Cage serves the film well, playing Nathan as a man whose personality seems to fluctuate as if being distorted by cosmic radiation. EDIT
Posted Jan 23, 2020
Weathering With You (2019) Tasha Robinson This is the kind of film where viewers can let themselves flow with the film's emotion, or entirely ignore the action and just get lost in the beauty of the imagination. Either way, it's a luscious trip to take. EDIT
Posted Jan 21, 2020
The Wave (2019) Karen Han The artistry at work in The Wave isn't enough to keep the film from caving in under its middling story. EDIT
Posted Jan 16, 2020
Dolittle (2020) Karen Han Dolittle is the result of the kind of taxidermy that gave us jackalopes. Huge chunks of the animal are missing, and other bits and pieces have been superimposed in a way that doesn't make sense. EDIT
Posted Jan 15, 2020
Bad Boys for Life (2020) Matt Patches In an exhausted, introspective, dad-jokey way, Bad Boys for Life gives these boys a definitive ending. It isn't one fans ever expected, but it's highly watchable. EDIT
Posted Jan 15, 2020
Underwater (2020) Karen Han A diverting knockoff, but it isn't as deep or as cohesive as its apparent inspirations. EDIT
Posted Jan 9, 2020
Doom: Annihilation (2019) Ben Kuchera Doom: Annihilation never rises above a slog. EDIT
Posted Jan 9, 2020
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Jesse Hassenger It's by turns delightful, muddled, cathartic, and frustrating, sometimes within the same scene. And what could be more post-1977 Star Wars than that? EDIT
Posted Jan 6, 2020
The Grudge (2020) Jesse Hassenger Yet it's never clear what all of this grimness is actually for, or what the likes of Cho, Riseborough, Bichir, and the others are doing here. EDIT
Posted Jan 3, 2020
John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019) Karen Han John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch is a perfect special debuting at the perfect time. EDIT
Posted Dec 30, 2019
The Two Popes (2019) Karen Han What do the two popes of Netflix's new film The Two Popes have in common with Sherlock Holmes and a murderous robot doll? Great stars, and unfortunately, an inability to break free of source material that doesn't matter all that much. EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2019
Cats (2019) Karen Han Three good things to be said about Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway musical Cats: It's an impressive showcase for dancers, the costumes are inventive, and the songs, while nonsense, are catchy. Tom Hooper's film adaptation neuters all three aspects. EDIT
Posted Dec 19, 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Tasha Robinson Even as The Rise of Skywalker's characters claim their ultimate triumph, the film feels clumsy, hurried, and above all, like an admission of creative defeat. EDIT
Posted Dec 18, 2019
6 Underground (2019) Karen Han What kills me most, however, is that amid all the cacophony, there's one joke that hints at the kind of joyful mayhem Bay is capable of. EDIT
Posted Dec 16, 2019
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) Siddhant Adlakha The future of the Force, it would seem, lies in the ending of suffering, rather than in answering the call to violence; or, as Rose puts it, "Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love." EDIT
Posted Dec 13, 2019
Uncut Gems (2019) Emily Heller Uncut Gems is so chock-full of Chekhov's guns, it could arm a small country. EDIT
Posted Dec 13, 2019
Black Christmas (2019) Karen Han [Director Sophia] Takal and co-writer April Wolfe have crafted a smart slasher that lays all its cards on the table, and it absolutely rules. EDIT
Posted Dec 13, 2019
Bombshell (2019) Jesse Hassenger The real problem is that the movie doesn't have much of a point of view on anything, apart from the fact that harassment is bad. EDIT
Posted Dec 12, 2019
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) Karen Han The switcheroo helps keep The Next Level fresh, even though it isn't doing anything notably different from Welcome to the Jungle. EDIT
Posted Dec 11, 2019
High Flying Bird (2019) Karen Han McCraney's script is whip-smart and sharp as it digs into the sports industry, and Soderbergh remains at the top of his game as one of the most exciting directors working today. EDIT
Posted Dec 10, 2019
Atlantics (2019) Karen Han Stunning, capturing the migrant story and its effects in a new light. EDIT
Posted Dec 6, 2019
Togo (2019) Karen Han [Willem Dafoe] loves the dogs, the dogs love him, and I love Togo. EDIT
Posted Dec 4, 2019
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (2019) Karen Han As simple as the film is, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is tremendously affecting for how well it's acted, edited, and filmed. EDIT
Posted Dec 2, 2019
I Lost My Body (2019) Tasha Robinson I Lost My Body is fundamentally weird and potentially off-putting. But it's also visually and emotionally beautiful, one of 2019's most ambitious, engaging films. EDIT
Posted Dec 2, 2019
Knives Out (2019) Karen Han It's a murder mystery with colorful characters and a central location - but it unfolds into something more complicated and immediately relevant, creating a story that's been dazzlingly updated for a modern audience. EDIT
Posted Nov 27, 2019
The Knight Before Christmas (2019) Karen Han These little details, good and bad, are the points that end up standing out about The Knight Before Christmas, as the rest of the film follows a well-worn path. EDIT
Posted Nov 25, 2019