Tag: 2025

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Movie Review

Good Boy (2025) Movie Review

Good Boy – Movie Review

"Good Boy" is a thrilling horror film about a loyal dog protecting his owner from supernatural threats in a rural home.

First Reaction – Good Boy is fantastic, intense and breath taking horror movie.

Where to Watch

Good Boy will be in UK Cinemas from 10th October.

Director: Ben Leonberg

Writer: Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.

Runtime: 1 Hour 12 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Good Boy starts when loyal dog Indy travels with his owner Todd (Jensen) to a remote rural family home. It has a reputation from their parent’s time there, but nothing was taken too seriously. However, when Indy begins sensing things around the home, it becomes clear something is not right there.

As Todd becomes more distance the sense of fear takes over Indy. However, it becomes a question about whether Indy is being haunted or facing a far more seriously consequence.

Verdict on Good Boy

Recap

The movie follows a dog dealing with a series of hauntings in his remote rural home. His owner is struggling with their own battles and when night falls, the dog senses an evil presence in the home.

Best Parts

The movie being told purely through the dog’s point of view is fantastic, is pulls us in and engages us into the story. It would be fair to say this might well be the most invested in any character I have been in years, yes, I like dogs more than humans. Elsewhere, there is a deeper story which pulls on a bigger heartstring that you would imagine going into this movie. The star of the dog itself, whose expression pull you through the movie.

Final Thoughts –Good Boy is a genius and truly intense story.

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Movie Review

Helloween (2025) Movie Review

Helloween – Movie Review

Helloween brings us a new psychotic killer to life who steals the show.

First Reaction – Helloween brings us a new psychotic killer to life who steals the show.

Where to Watch

UK debut on digital on 29 September 2025 courtesy of Miracle Media, followed by a Blu-ray release on 13 October 2025.

Director: Phil Claydon

Writer: Phil Claydon (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: During 2016’s “killer clown” craze, Dr. Marks and journalist Parker trace the source to jailed serial killer Cane recruiting followers for an anarchist movement. With Cane escaped, they race to stop his murderous Halloween scheme.

Runtime: 1 Hour 20 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Helloween starts on the 20th anniversary of serial killer Carl Cane’s (Summers) rampage. He has been locked up since his killing spree as a disturbed child. However, his clown make-up has spiralled into a viral sensation striking fear among the masses. His doctor Ellen Marks (Sothcott) faces a difficult situation with her children Leah (Wilde) and Alice (Marszal).

Elsewhere, John Parks (Pare) returns to follow up the stories. However, on the anniversary a bigger plan is unleashed and Ellen must protect her family from Carl and his latest attempted murderous rampage with his followers joining his hunts.

Verdict on Helloween

Recap

The movie follows the anniversary of serial killer Carl Cane’s rampage. However, this year, he has amassed a following who want to help him on his rampage. His doctor must protect her family who have become the highlight of his latest attacks.

Best Parts

The lore behind the serial killer is brilliant and builds on the strange clown appearances from the real world. It shows the serial killer being ruthless and psychotic in their behaviour. Ronan Summers is brilliant bring this character to life, in a disturbing fashion which makes us want to watch even more from him. Most of the story is kept simple to follow and is a battle to survive.

Worst Parts

When it comes to the attacks, they are not as interesting to watch, the camera cuts are too dramatic and often making it hard to watch and not because of the gore.

Final Thoughts –Helloween brings a fresh, complex and psychotic killer to life.

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Movie Review

The Final Frame (2025) Movie Review

The Final Frame – Movie Review

The Final Frame is a chilling, disturbing and at times uncomfortable movie.

First Reaction – The Final Frame is a chilling, disturbing and at times uncomfortable movie.

Director: József Gallai

Writer: József Gallai, Roy McClurg Jr (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An obsessed man follows and films women with his camera, but when he begins to pursue a mysterious woman, his strange hobby soon turns deadly.

Runtime: 1 Hour 9 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Final Frame starts when an obsessed man follows and films women. He breaks into their houses to steal from them, and his techniques have kept him out of sight. The latest woman (Yakimenko) he targets continues about her day without knowing she is being watched.

However, his latest target has a series of objects which confuse him. It leads to him wondering what he has gotten himself into and facing off against something he couldn’t imagine.

Verdict on The Final Frame

Recap

The movie follows a man who follows women around, stepping into their lives and stealing their belongings. His latest victim has something different about them, and he finds himself in a difficult and deadly situation.

Best Parts

The movie has a chilling feeling because the following innocent people around are disturbing to watch. Add the near silence of the camera operator doing their thing. While we know something more disturbing is coming, the wait is what keeps us wanting to see what the surprise will be. The way this movie shines comes from the tables turning on the man.

Worst Parts

There are moments when the intruder can come off more reckless for what seems like more of a professional way of operating.

Final Thoughts – The Final Frame is a chilling, uncomfortable and great horror movie.

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Movie Review

The Black-Eyed Children (2025) Movie Review

The Black-Eyed Children – Movie Review

The Black-Eyed Children is a suspenseful found footage film where a woman investigates an abandoned camp, uncovering eerie mysteries about missing children.

First Reaction – The Black-Eyed Children brings a slow, but intense found footage movie to life.

Director: József Gallai

Writer: József Gallai, Roy McClurg Jr (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A young woman takes a job at an autumn camp in the woods, only to arrive to find that all the children have mysteriously disappeared. But as night falls, much to her dismay, some of them return.

Runtime: 1 Hour 10 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Black-Eyed Children starts when Claire (Kuna) takes a role at an Autumn camp. However, when she arrives, the camp is abandoned, and she searches for answers. After discovering contact numbers, it creates an even bigger mystery for her.

Claire continues searching for answers and gets an uncomfortable feeling that something is watching her, and she discovers toys scattered around the grounds.

Verdict on The Black-Eyed Children

Recap

The movie follows a young woman who takes a role at a camp. However, when she arrives, she finds it abandoned, and she begins to investigate what happened. She makes a shocking discovery as she must figure out what has happened.

Best Parts

The isolation factor created by the camp’s abandonment creates a massive mystery. It keeps us wondering what happened and what could have caused it to become abandoned. Plenty is going on without giving away too much too quickly. Kata Kuna carries the movie with her performance, and the small appearances add something to what is happening.

Worst Parts

The pacing is not going to be for everyone, as it does take a while before the scary moments are unleashed.

Final Thoughts – The Black-Eyed Children is a great addition to the found footage collection.

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Movie Review

One Battle After Another (2025) Movie Review

One Battle After Another – Movie Review

"One Battle After Another is an overly long thriller featuring good performances but suffers from weak character motivation and storytelling issues."

First Reaction – One Battle After Another is an overly long thriller.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson, Thomas Pynchon (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own’s daughter.

Runtime: 2 Hours 41 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: One Battle After Another starts when Bob (DiCaprio) joins a revolution group with Perfidia (Taylor). They aim to cause chaos and fall in love along the way. However, they make an enemy in Col Steven Lockjaw (Penn), who aims to bring them down.

After the group is forced to hide, Bob and his daughter Willa (Infiniti) begin a new life. 16 years later, Steven needs to tie up the loose ends and targets the family. They are forced to go on the run with others to escape him, but he will stop at nothing to keep them quiet.

Verdict on One Battle After Another

Recap

The movie follows a former revolutionary who went into hiding, needing to reconnect with others. Their former enemy is looking to track down the remaining members and will do anything to make it happen.

Best Parts

The performances are the highlight of the movie. Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro are hilarious, while Chase Infiniti is great to watch, too. In the final act, we get most of the action, and it is the best part of the movie, watching things haplessly falling into place.

Worst Parts

The story lacks motivation for the revolutionary group; they seem more like criminals causing chaos than wanting change. It makes it hard to support most of their cause, even if they have better morals than Lockjaw and everything around him. Elsewhere, DiCaprio is a very strange choice for the role, and his character is more confusing than anything else. He goes from the concentrated character to a washed-up drunk and druggie, without any reasoning.  Meanwhile, the movie felt overly long at times, too, and it doesn’t help that it tries to cram so many characters in.

Final Thoughts – One Battle After Another is an overly long thriller which lacks tighter storytelling.

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Movie Review

Mantis (2025) Movie Review

Mantis – Movie Review

Mantis, directed by Lee Tae-sung, emphasizes power dynamics over action, as an ace assassin strives to reclaim his position in a changing industry.

First Reaction – Mantis spends more time on the tension for power, than the operations of the assassins.

Director: Lee Tae-sung

Writer: Byun Sung-hyun, Lee Tae-sung (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Mantis, an ace assassin, returns to the contract killer industry after a hiatus, encountering his trainee friend Jae-yi and a retired legendary killer Dok-go, who now runs the organization.

Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Mantis starts when an ace assassin known as Mantis Han-ul (Si-wan) returns to the business. He reconnects with his trainee, Jae-yi (Gyugoung), and the retired killer Dok-go (Woo-jin). They are facing a change in leadership, with their roles being reassigned to other fighters.

However, Han-ul refuses to let Jae-yi be pushed out of the organisation and challenges the leadership. It leads to him trying to open his own group to give her a chance to prove herself and take the jobs he wants to do, using the team he wants to use.

Verdict on Mantis

Recap

The movie follows a former ace assassin who wants to return to the industry. However, he discovers the world has changed a lot, and now, he must prove his place in the organisation. It leads him to begin a change in the system, which could overthrow everything people have worked towards.

Best Parts

The movie does create a world similar to John Wick, where assassins work together and follow rules. It has good performances throughout, which help us understand the characters’ decisions. Elsewhere, the deeper story of power and control is interesting to see.

Worst Parts

The idea of a movie about assassins have such little action is disappointing. It focuses more on the dynamics of everyone involved than on diving deeper into how they operate in the world.

Final Thoughts – Mantis lacks the action expected from an assassin world.

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Movie Review

Unseen Enemy (2025) Movie Review

Unseen Enemy – Movie Review

Unseen Enemy is a late-night action film about a private investigator solving a friend's sister's mysterious disappearance amidst danger.

First Reaction – Unseen Enemy is an easy to watch late-night action movie, with solid action sequences.

Where to Watch

(VOD Release 9/30/25).

Director: Mathew John Pearson, Salvatore Samperi

Writer: Salvatore Samperi (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An isolated private investigator is convinced by a friend to come out of hiding to help find her missing sister, putting him back in reach by those who want his family dead.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Unseen Enemy starts when Levi (Samperi) is convinced to come out of hiding to search for a missing person Suzy (Vaughan). She has gone missing around a notorious criminal and her sister Marissa (Conway) needs Levi to do her a favour and use his private investigation skills to locate her.

However, his investigate leads him down a series of nightmares from a past incident. Levi refuses to leave this case unsolved and does everything to try and locate the people behind the disappearance.

Verdict on Unseen Enemy

Recap

The movie follows a private investigator drawn out of hiding to locate a friend’s missing sister. He is drawn into a shady criminal world, where people take what they want, and the fight brings back horrendous memories.

Best Parts

The movie gives us an interesting glimpse into the criminal world and a private investigator trying to solve the missing person case. We get good performances from the whole cast, who help drive the story forward.

Worst Parts

While the mystery is interesting, it does turn more into a one man army styled movie, without enough to make Levi standout. We have seen a lot of these movies in the past and this doesn’t hit the hieghts of the very best ones.

Final Thoughts – Unseen Enemy is an easy to watch late-night action movie.

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Movie Review

The Drowned (2025) Movie Review

The Drowned – Movie Review

The Drowned is a supernatural heist film where thieves confront both external threats and internal secrets after an art robbery.

First Reaction – The Drowned brings a new twist to the heist gone wrong story concept.

Where to Watch

The Drowned will be available on Digital Download from 6th October in the UK, 7th October in the US & 8th October in ANZ.

Director: Samuel Clemens

Writer: Samuel Clemens (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: After pulling off an art heist, three men arrive at a secluded coastal safe house to discover their fourth accomplice missing. Was one of them responsible, or is there a malevolent ancient myth lurking at the water’s edge?

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Drowned starts when an art heist goes well and Eric (Calton), Paul (Fortuzzi) and Matt (Vulliamy) take shelter in a remote coastal safe house. However, three women Opal (Lemon), Noe (Salyeres) and Pixie (Catalifo) interrupt the shelter.

The guys decide to help the standard women, but soon notice strange things around the safe house. However, the time together sees things turning supernatural, with a malevolent ancient myth lurking in the water.

Verdict on The Drowned

Recap

The movie follows a group of thieves hiding out after a heist. However, their safe house becomes compromised by three strangers. It leads to them trying to understand what they want and how to keep their secrets, but is something bigger going on?

Best Parts

The location creates an isolated location and motivation for remaining isolated for the three. It shows in crime things can spiral out of control and other things can take over. We get solid performances throughout, which guide the characters on their journey. In the end, this pulls off the heist with a supernatural twist nicely in the story concept.

Worst Parts

The events don’t come off as convincing, and it makes things look odd rather than scary. Elsewhere, the bigger picture doesn’t seem to shock in the same light it would imagine.

Final Thoughts – The Drowned has creepy moments and shines in the heist gone wrong story.

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Movie Review

The Boatyard (2025) Movie Review

The Boatyard – Movie Review

The Boatyard is a violent horror film where five friends face survival challenges against cannibalistic residents after a wild party goes wrong.

First Reaction – The Boatyard is a violent nasty horror movie.

Where to Watch

On digital 22nd September from Reel 2 Reel Films

Director: Dale Stelly

Writer: RG Graham (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Mike Ferguson (Dracula Eternal)
  • Meghan Carrasquillo (Four)
  • Susan Lanier (The Hills Have Eyes)
  • Bri Ana Wagner (Scare Me)
  • Cody Duke (Initiation)

Plot: A group of friends go on a cruise then things go terribly wrong and they find themselves fighting for their lives.

Runtime: 1 Hour 18 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Boatyard starts when five friends, Dana (Carrasquillo), Chad (Roosa), Franklin (Averett), Jess (Rose) and Brandy (Byrd) head out on a wild party. As the party begins, the drinks and drugs fly, and the friends forget the basic care of the boat.

Barry (Ferguson) retrieves them and takes them back to land. However, he and the other residents on the island have other ideas for the friends. They must fight to survive while getting picked off by cannibalistic locals.

Verdict on The Boatyard

Recap

The movie follows five friends looking for a party weekend. However, they end up in a remote town where the residents have other plans for them. They must find a way to escape and survive against the blood-hungry residents.

Best Parts

This has the core idea of reckless party animals caught by a cannibal down a well. It shows them being outnumbered and unsure where safety can be found. We also get a few surprises along the way.

Worst Parts

The town feels too big for this to have everyone involved. It does feel like the characters are in a place where they could easily get out of. Elsewhere, it makes some strange decisions on the order of characters being taken. Meanwhile, the group on the boat only seem to be creating their own problems in the first place because of their reckless behaviour.

Final Thoughts –The Boatyard is the typical violent late-night horror.