Ballerina (2025) Review

 

When Eve Macarro's assassin father is killed, she sets out to avenge his murder within the deadly underworld of the John Wick universe.

Set before John Wick 4 Ballerina slots confidently into the John Wick world, delivering a visually striking, atmospherically rich action thriller. It may not break new ground narratively, but it delivers brutal, balletic action and seamless integration into the established mythology.

Ana de Armas impresses both physically and emotionally, handling intense stunt work with conviction. She crafts a character distinct from Wick while honouring the franchise's style.

Franchise regulars return effectively: Anjelica Huston's Director, Ian McShane's Winston, and the late Lance Reddick's Charon (handled with care). Both Norman Reedus and Gabriel Byrne are welcome new additions, their grizzled presences fitting naturally into this world. Keanu Reeves also appears briefly in subtle, non-intrusive cameos as John Wick, a nod that enhances the film's connection without overshadowing the new lead.

The film looks superb. Romain Lacourbas' cinematography bathes scenes in moody blues, ambers, and deep shadows, echoing Parabellum while giving Ballerina its own visual identity. Despite behind-the-scenes changes and additional photography overseen by Chad Stahelski following poor test screenings, Len Wiseman directs with clarity, staging tight, inventive action sequences.

Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard's score complements the visuals, weaving industrial synth and mournful cues that nod to the series' established soundscape.

Overall, while Ballerina doesn't greatly expand the mythology, it's a satisfying revenge yarn and a well-produced chapter. A sequel led again by de Armas would be very welcome.

28 Years Later (2025) Review

 

After a dangerous journey with his father to the mainland, witnessing firsthand how the Rage virus has evolved, Jamie and his mother Anna return to a devastated Britain, seeking help and answers they can't find in the heavily fortified tidal causeway seclusion of Lindisfarne Island - with deadly consequences.

Danny Boyle takes back directing duties for this third instalment, retaining the signature observational grit and raw tension from 28 Days and Weeks Later. The tone is familiar but fresh, and it lives up to its title.

Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle frames the post-apocalyptic landscape with haunting visuals - ruined buildings, forests overtaking roads and settlements, beautiful sunsets and sunrises. Boyle includes Hadrian's Wall and the Sycamore Gap tree (which was criminally cut down in 2023), grounding the film in unsettling reality.

Editor Jon Harris crafts a suspenseful rhythm using old film clips - silent half-beats broken by sudden bursts of violence or ominous breath. Music by Young Fathers, along with the sound design, builds atmosphere: from distant growls to echoing footsteps, the world is alive - or infected - beneath the quiet.

28 Years Later echoes thematic threads from Survival of the Dead (the island idea), the "Alpha" concept in Army of the Dead, and Dawn of the Dead (2004)'s pregnancy scene, yet avoids copying. Danny Boyle, with a new story written by Alex Garland, expands the Rage universe while playing against audience expectations.

Young Alfie Williams delivers a quietly powerful performance as Spike - vulnerable, fierce, and believable. Oozing screen presence Aaron Taylor-Johnson Jr. Is impressive as Jamie, even if the script gives him limited screentime. Jodie Comer brings depth to Isla, though her character never quite earns the full sympathy the heroes did in earlier films. Ralph Fiennes' affecting presence is a welcome addition.

Like the stunts the gore and make-up effects are stomach-churning - visceral, wince-inducing, and startlingly real. Surprisingly classified with a 15 certificate in the UK, the film isn't afraid to get its hands dirty. In its left-field ending, it teases a connection back to the original's opening, leaving a chilling sense of continuity and the promise of more violence and death to come.

Overall, 28 Years Later is bloody, and unexpectedly heartfelt. It honours the legacy, surprises expectations, and leaves you haunted. An entertaining, if occasionally uneven, expansion of Boyle's dark, virus-ravaged world.

Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) Review

 

Ursa the Viking (Lindsay LaVanchy), Kenji the ninja (Louis Ozawa), and Torres the WWII pilot (Rick Gonzalez) each face Predator infested arenas in their respective eras, where their journeys collide in a climactic clash on the Predator homeworld.

Prey director Dan Trachtenberg returns (this time co-directing with Joshua Wassung) to animate the Predator mythos, teaming up again with writer Micho Robert Rutare. Produced by John Davis, Trachtenberg, Marc Toberoff and Ben Rosenblatt, with Benjamin Wallfisch scoring, the film delivers an entertaining globe trotting Predator yarn. That would have also made a good live action film with some tweaks. Visually, it's Unreal Engine animation with painterly textures, striking characters, but the low game frame rate is occasionally jarring, lacking some fluidity.

Michael Biehn's gravel toned voice as Vandy is a delightful addition. The connection to Prey (also Predator 2) is welcomed. The engraved "Raphael Adolini 1715" pistol, the cryosleep pods, and Naru's cameo extend the narrative arc. Still, it's a shame that Dutch, Harrigan, Royce or McKenna are nowhere to be seen. Their absence feels like a missed nod to fans of the original live action sagas.

Overall, Danny Yranburg and team succeed in charting new ground: dynamic, gory, tightly paced, and reverent to Prey's spirit. Despite the frame rate, Predator: Killer of Killers is a bold and striking addition to the canon.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Review

 

Three gunslingers compete to find a fortune in buried Confederate gold amidst the violent chaos of the American Civil War.

One of the greatest Westerns ever made. While Spaghetti Western For a Few Dollars More is debatably the better tale, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is grander in scale and scope (thanks to director of photography Tonino Delli Colli), with the main characters even getting caught up in the New Mexico Campaign of 1862 — complete with war camps, prisoners, and an exploding bridge.

Clint Eastwood returns to the genre as protagonist Blondie (aka The Man with No Name), alongside Lee Van Cleef, who this time plays Angel Eyes (The Bad). Both Eastwood and Van Cleef are outstanding, with Sergio Leone’s 1966 offering benefiting from the addition of Eli Wallach, who delivers a sterling and memorable performance as Tuco Ramirez (The Ugly). The characters, written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, and Leone (with additional material provided by an uncredited Sergio Donati), are well-defined archetypes, constructed perfectly.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly features one of the greatest crescendo-building endings ever, and the film is complete with Leone’s perfectionist directorial trademarks. Ennio Morricone’s iconic theme completes the package, with a score that complements the three players double-crossing each other throughout to the closing Mexican standoff.

You can feel the heat and taste the dust in this highly influential, recommended Western.

For a Few Dollars More (1965) Review

 

Two bounty hunters — the enigmatic Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood) and the vengeful Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) — cross paths while tracking the sadistic outlaw El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté). Initially at odds, they forge a wary alliance as the hunt spirals into a violent reckoning.

Of the three films in Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, For a Few Dollars More arguably boasts the strongest emotional narrative of his Spaghetti Westerns. Where Fistful was primal and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly sprawling, this entry finds perfect pacing and character interplay. Eastwood returns in fine form, but it’s Lee Van Cleef’s steely, vengeful Mortimer who provides the film’s moral spine and one of the genre’s finest performances.

Volonté, this time as the deranged Indio, chews every sun-bleached frame, while Mario Brega and other Leone regulars return in new guises — a clever touch that lends the trilogy a strange, shifting mythic quality. Morricone’s score is again magnificent, with the recurring musical watch motif providing one of cinema’s most memorable audio cues.

Leone’s command of pace, widescreen compositions, and operatic violence is unmatched here, with costumes and set design evoking a lawless, surreal frontier. It’s a film that lingers long after the final standoff.

Overall, it remains the finest story of the three Spaghetti Western classics — expertly acted, perfectly paced, and driven by Morricone’s unforgettable music

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) Review

 

A lone, nameless gunman arrives in a dusty border town torn apart by two warring families. Playing both sides against each other for his own gain, the drifter becomes a catalyst for violence, betrayal, and bloodshed.

While not the first spaghetti western, A Fistful of Dollars (1964) is widely regarded as the film that redefined the genre, shattering the influence of traditional American westerns. Sergio Leone's landmark offering took cues from Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo and, to a lesser extent, Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest, stripping away heroic archetypes in favour of morally grey antiheroes, ruthless violence, and dusty cynicism. Its DNA is so durable it would later inspire the likes of Walter Hill's Last Man Standing (1996), a direct reworking of the same core plot.

Over sixty years since its release, Leone's direction remains razor-sharp, conjuring a bleak, dangerous frontier where survival comes at the barrel of a gun. With some impressive makeup effects, Ennio Morricone's iconic score - sparse, eerie, and punctuated by whistling and gunfire - set a new standard for western soundtracks, becoming as essential to the film's character as its visuals.

Clint Eastwood, shedding the clean-cut image of his Rawhide days, delivers a career-defining performance as The Man with No Name. Taciturn, cunning, and lethal, Eastwood's portrayal laid the foundation for a new kind of western protagonist. Gian Maria Volonté offers suitably volatile menace as Ramón Rojo, while Marianne Koch brings quiet strength as Marisol, a woman caught in the crossfire.

The film builds steadily toward a memorable, tension-soaked finale - a showdown as stylish as it is brutal, solidifying Leone's gift for staging violence as operatic spectacle.

Fistful of Dollars changed the western forever, dragging it into rougher, dustier, and more morally ambiguous terrain. A genre milestone that still holds power.

Timebomb (1991) Review

 

After watchmaker Eddy Kay recuses a woman and her baby and is recognised on the News by a shady agent ad then an attempt is made on his life triggers haunted violent visions and latent combat skills and he is caught in a deadly conspiracy.

Timebomb feels oddly dated for a 1991 release. Directed by Avi Nesher, known for inventive genre projects, it echoes the tone of an '80s action-thriller. The plodding plot brings to mind elements from The Bourne Identity, The Manchurian Candidate, Total Recall.

Michael Biehn leads with his usual magnetic intensity as Eddy Kay. Best known for genre-defining roles in The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss, Biehn help lifts the film well beyond its modest production values. Supporting cast include Patsy Kensit (Lethal Weapon 2), Richard Jordan (Logan's Run, The Hunt for Red October), and martial artist Billy Blanks (The Last Boy Scout). Behind the camera, cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond (Don't Look Now, Candyman) and composer Patrick Leonard (At Close Range, The Secret of My Success) provide notable craftsmanship. The synth-heavy score fits the film's retro-futuristic mood, with the closing theme The Changing Man sounding like a lost demo Marillion track.

Despite the assembled talent, Timebomb never quite escapes its low-budget '80s B-movie vibe. Still, for fans of paranoid, retro action thrillers, it's a curious odd footnote - made watchable largely thanks to Biehn's committed performance.

Karate Kid: Legends (2025) Review

 Li, a young kung fu prodigy played by Ben Wang, moves to New York City where a confrontation with a local karate champion throws him into a culture clash of martial arts. With the help of his former master Mr. Han and veteran sensei Daniel LaRusso, Li must find his balance in life and combat.

Directed by Jonathan Entwistle and written by Rob Lieber, Karate Kid: Legends blends franchise nostalgia with contemporary coming-of-age drama. The New York locations are smartly used, grounding the film in a gritty, urban authenticity absent from recent franchise entries. It's a loose continuation of The Karate Kid (1984) and its sequels, also The Karate Kid (2010) and the television series Cobra Kai (2018-2025).

The first three quarters of the film treads new ground, with Lieber and Entwistle attempting to subvert expectations around relationships, mentorship, rivalry, and martial discipline. Jackie Chan brings warmth and quiet authority reprising his Mr. Han role, while Ralph Macchio steps easily back into Daniel LaRusso's shoes, adding depth and a few moments of genuine poignancy. Ben Wang makes an impressive lead debut, carrying both the action and dramatic weight.

Joshua Jackson adds presence, while Sadie Stanley and Ming-Na Wen effectively round out the cast. The cinematography by Justin Brown gives the film a polished, modern feel without losing the series' classic spirit, and Dominic Lewis's score pays respectful nods to Bill Conti's original themes while injecting fresh energy.

The final act, while fun and well-staged, plays out much as one might expect, but it's executed with sincerity. The icing on the cake is a humorous, self-aware cameo from William Zabka, delivering some of the film's sharpest laughs.

Overall, it's a worthy, heartfelt continuation elevated by strong performances, crisp direction, and a few smart narrative turns, even if its conclusion sticks closely to genre tradition.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) Review

 

With the IMF shut down, Ethan Hunt becomes a fugitive, uncovering the Syndicate — a secret network of rogue agents sowing global chaos. Teaming with an enigmatic assassin operative, he faces one of his most dangerous missions yet.

Christopher McQuarrie steps into the director’s chair for the first time in the series and delivers a streamlined, tension-packed thriller. The film famously opens with Cruise literally hanging off a real ascending Airbus A400M — a jaw-dropping set piece that’s tough to top. Still, Rogue Nation keeps the pulse pounding with a breathtaking Vienna Opera House sequence, a nerve-fraying underwater heist, along with car, motorcycle chases and more.

Cruise, as expected, brings physicality and relentless drive to Ethan Hunt, while Rebecca Ferguson makes an unforgettable franchise debut. She’s sharp, unpredictable, and effortlessly holds her own against Cruise. Simon Pegg’s Benji is the heart of the team, his growing friendship with Hunt adding warmth to the peril. Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, and a cold, calculating Sean Harris round out a solid supporting cast, with Alec Baldwin adding bureaucratic weight as CIA chief Hunley.

Joe Kraemer’s score deserves mention — one of the stronger franchise efforts. He cleverly weaves Lalo Schifrin’s original Mission: Impossible motifs with bold, brassy orchestration. Recorded at Abbey Road, it’s a soundtrack that elevates both action and quieter exchanges without overplaying its hand.

Right down to the moody London spy thriller scene Robert Elswit’s cinematography keeps things visually slick, whether it’s dusky Vienna rooftops or sun-drenched Moroccan highways. Editor Eddie Hamilton ensures the film moves at a confident, unrelenting momentum, never outstaying its welcome.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation confidently ranks among the series’ best. Smart, sharp, and packed with standout moments, it’s another reminder of Cruise’s death-defying dedication and McQuarrie’s tight, considered direction.

Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009) Review

 

A broken, isolated Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) forced back into action when terrorists seize Chernobyl, armed with a next-gen UniSol and a familiar ghost from his past.

2009's Universal Soldier: Regeneration wisely disregards the string of iffy sequels that followed the 1992 original with director John Hyams striping away the glossy sci-fi trappings in favour of a cold, brutalist action-thriller. The grim Eastern European setting, bleak colour palette, and bone-crunching fights lend it a pared-down, dystopian feel that works in the film's favour. Interestingly, renowned director Peter Hyams (Timecop, Outland, Sudden Death to name a few) carries out cinematography duties.

Van Damme gives one of his more restrained, haunted performances a Luc/GR44, while Dolph Lundgren returns as a cloned Andrew Scott, adding menace without tipping into parody. Andrei Arlovski's NGU is a relentless physical threat, with Hyams staging long, violent sequences full of raw, sweaty tension.

It's a low budget film of tight focus, jettisoning any high-concept sci-fi for hard-edged action, clinical military conspiracies, and bleak tragedy. Michael Krassner and Kris Hill's cold, minimalist score suits the mood perfectly.

It was followed by Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012) which is more of a Scott Adkin's vehicle, where Van Damme and Lundgren take a back seat.

Overall, Regeneration remains a surprisingly effective, stripped-down revival - and one of the franchise's best entries.