hollywood movie review

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘rebel moon — part two: the scargiver’ review: zack snyder, netflix, rinse, repeat.

Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae and Anthony Hopkins are among the stars of this follow-up to the director's space saga.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

Wheat. So much wheat.

Related Stories

'rebel moon part 2: the scargiver' official trailer released by netflix, sofia boutella says harsh reviews for zack snyder's 'rebel moon' "really affected" her, rebel moon — part two: the scargiver.

Such musings are unavoidable when confronted with this would-be epic, which continues the story of a rag-tag group of farmers living on the moon of Veldt being threatened with extinction by the imperialistic Motherworld. Their military forces, the Imperium, are led by Darth Vader, sorry, Admiral Noble ( Ed Skrein ), who wakes up understandably cranky after his near-death experience in the previous film.

The farmers, meanwhile, have been organized into a fighting force by Luke Skywalker, sorry, Kora ( Sofia Boutella ), who’s assembled a mercenary team featuring such warriors as cyborg, lightsword-wielding Nemesis (Doona Bae), perpetually shirtless Tarak (Staz Nair), hunky farmer Gunnar ( Michiel Huisman ) and former Imperium general Titus ( Djimon Hounsou ). There’s also a very articulate robot, C-3PO (dammit, I mean, Jimmy), voiced by Anthony Hopkins , delivering the best performance in the film without even having to show up on set.  

If you thought the previous installment was all build-up, you may be distressed to learn that the follow-up is…a lot more build-up. Although this time it’s a little faster-paced and leads to an extended battle sequence comprising roughly the film’s second half. It’s hard to tell, however, since Snyder employs so much of his trademark slow-motion that you get the feeling the movie would be a short if delivered at normal speed.

The first film was roundly criticized for its lack of memorable dialogue, plot elements or characters, and this one doesn’t do much to improve those aspects unless you consider Titus singing a mournful lament prior to going into battle to be a plus (Hounsou does have a surprisingly nice voice). None of the actors can really be faulted, since they exhibit an impressive commitment to their physically strenuous roles, many of them displaying the sort of toned, muscular physiques that the mere mortals among us can only dream of. Boutella and Skrein are particularly notable in this regard, especially as demonstrated in a kick-ass hand-to-hand fight sequence, taking place on an out-of-control spaceship, that seems to go on for hours (I’m not sure that it actually doesn’t).

The extended battle scenes with which Rebel Moon concludes prove undeniably impressive, which is for the best since they’re the film’s raison d’etre. Snyder provides an ample display of the visual flair and skill for action that have endeared him to legions of fans who exhibit so much dedication that they’re willing to sit through numerous versions of his films. As is the case with these two, for which Snyder has announced he’ll soon be providing R-rated director’s cuts running some three hours each. Which makes one wonder: Why bother to watch these versions that clearly don’t have his full endorsement?

Full credits

Thr newsletters.

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Jenna fischer filmed ‘mean girls’ with a broken shoulder: “the wildest experience”, m. night shyamalan’s ‘trap’ trailer features josh hartnett as a serial killer at a concert, leonardo dicaprio had “a lot of great ideas” for lex luthor in ‘batman v superman’, critic’s notebook: the compellingly packaged cowardice of ‘civil war’, disney publicist marshall weinbaum departs for netflix’s awards team (exclusive), quentin tarantino’s 10-movie retirement plan has some flaws.

Advertisement

Supported by

Review: ‘Hollywood’ Gives Movie History a Sudsy Rewrite

Ryan Murphy’s latest for Netflix starts an intriguing journey into an alternative 1940s Tinseltown, then swerves into schmaltz.

• Share full article

By James Poniewozik

At the Golden Tip service station, somewhere in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, they pump more than gas. Drive up, tell the handsome attendant “I want to go to Dreamland,” and he’s yours, for a fee.

Everybody wants to go to Dreamland, right? That’s why people go to the movies, and why they go into the movies. This is how Jack (David Corenswet), a war veteran who wants to be a screen star, ends up at the Golden Tip in Netflix’s “ Hollywood ,” hustling to support his pregnant wife (Maude Apatow) while he chases his other hustle.

Jack is struggling, unconnected and of questionable talent. Yet he’s one of the lucky ones: He’s white, straight and easy on the eyes. The seven gilded episodes of “Hollywood,” arriving Friday, introduce a broad cast of would-bes and coulda-beens — black, gay, female — in a vivid but unconvincing ensemble fantasy about who gets to go to Dreamland and who has to keep dreaming.

“Hollywood” is the latest from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, a co-creator, with Murphy, of “Glee.” Beyond that musical hit, Murphy has often explored ambition and its discontents, in series as varied as “The Politician,” “Pose,” “Feud: Bette and Joan” and “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.”

The Golden Tip is run by Ernie (Dylan McDermott, looking like the porn version of Ronald Colman), a former silent-film star with the most conspicuous cough since “La Bohême.” It employs Archie (Jeremy Pope), a gay black screenwriter trying to sell a script based on the suicide of the starlet Peg Entwistle, who leapt to her death from the H in the Hollywoodland sign.

He finds a taker in Raymond (the Murphy regular Darren Criss), an idealistic young director who sees Archie’s script as a potential career-maker for his girlfriend, Camille (Laura Harrier). The problem: She’s also black, typecast in supporting roles as a comic-relief maid and constantly badgered to read her lines like Hattie McDaniel. (McDaniel later turns up, played by Queen Latifah, and recalls waiting to collect her “Gone With the Wind” Oscar in a segregated hotel.)

A starring role is not in the stars for someone like Camille in 1940s Hollywood. That’s just the way things were.

But “Hollywood” asks: What if they weren’t? The bid to make Archie’s movie starts as a glitzy, funny, gimlet-eyed dissection of bigotry and power. Then it lurches, halfway through, into a pep talk about what some kids can accomplish if they gather up their moxie and put on a show.

The pleasures of “Hollywood” are in its eye for historical details and its lusty, swellegant period cosplay. As Henry Willson — a real-life gay agent and power player — Jim Parsons pays out gleeful barbs like a sarcastic slot machine. Patti LuPone is a regal delight as a studio executive’s wife who hires Jack as a gigolo. (Lana Turner’s discovery story it is not — though Schwab’s drugstore is just a short hop away.)

The Golden Tip is based on an actual gas-station brothel operated by Scotty Bowers , one of several repurposings of history in the series. Henry signs Rock Hudson (Jake Picking), portrayed as a dim-bulb sweetheart. We meet Anna May Wong (Michelle Krusiec), robbed of a potential Oscar role in “The Good Earth.” A bacchanal at George Cukor’s mansion shows gay Hollywood at play. (Paget Brewster is a bawdy hoot as Tallulah Bankhead.) We’re told the story of William Haines, a gay decorator and onetime silent-film star who refused to live in the closet.

This is “Hollywood” at its most absorbing, nostalgic yet caustic. It serves up burnished postwar glamour while resurfacing the stories and bodies sacrificed to maintain the movies’ homogeneous sheen — the artists of color, the closeted executives, the overlooked women.

At the same time, it echoes what hasn’t changed, especially regarding sexual abuse. Henry preys on his own clients, including Rock, and in a pointed bit of casting, Mira Sorvino, who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein , plays a once-starlet trapped in a sexual arrangement with a powerful producer.

Then “Hollywood” takes a turn, which it seems to rationalize, in a meta way, through the discussions over Archie’s script. A studio executive asks, why make the audience fall in love with an actress only to have her lose her dream and end it all? Don’t folks deserve to leave the picture show with some hope?

So it is in the series, which becomes a bit like Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” except that the wrong to be corrected is not the Manson murders but the generational killing of careers and silencing of voices.

“Hollywood” joins a boomlet of other TV alt-histories , like HBO’s “The Plot Against America” (set in a fascist 1940s United States) and Apple TV Plus’s “For All Mankind” (which imagines how society and world history might have changed if a woman had set foot on the moon in 1969). It argues that the path of history was not set by intractable forces but might have been rerouted had a few of the right people done the right thing.

It’s a noble thought and an audacious premise. It doesn’t work here, not because of the fancifulness — you are allowed to take liberties in Dreamland — but because of the story and character strains that “Hollywood” visibly goes through to steer to its conclusion.

Story lines that start out cynical suddenly turn syrupy. Characters develop consciences and talents they had shown little evidence of. The production takes on a forced sunny tone, as if the whole series had landed in Oz and the screen turned from black and white to color. It’s meant to be inspiring, but it only makes the viewer more conscious of the contortions the series goes through to tie itself up in a neat bow. (The last episode is titled “A Hollywood Ending.”)

One character who maintains some measure of complexity is Parsons’s jaded, hungry Henry, who gives a meta critique after screening a cut of the movie-within-a-show: “There is something about the ending that I just don’t buy.” It’s a knowing, self-aware line, but in the end “Hollywood” doesn’t heed that voice. It is determined to haul you to Dreamland, no matter how bumpy the ride.

James Poniewozik is the chief television critic. He writes reviews and essays with an emphasis on television as it reflects a changing culture and politics. He previously spent 16 years with Time magazine as a columnist and critic. More about James Poniewozik

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

As “Sex and the City” became more widely available on Netflix, younger viewers have watched it with a critical eye . But its longtime millennial and Gen X fans can’t quit.

Hoa Xuande had only one Hollywood credit when he was chosen to lead “The Sympathizer,” the starry HBO adaptation of a prize-winning novel. He needed all the encouragement he could get .

Even before his new film “Civil War” was released, the writer-director Alex Garland faced controversy over his vision of a divided America  with Texas and California as allies.

Theda Hammel’s directorial debut, “Stress Positions,” a comedy about millennials weathering the early days of the pandemic , will ask audiences to return to a time that many people would rather forget.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

IMDb Charts

Imdb top 250 movies.

1. The Shawshank Redemption

2. The Godfather

3. The Dark Knight

4. The Godfather Part II

5. 12 Angry Men

6. Schindler's List

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

8. Pulp Fiction

9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

10. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

11. Forrest Gump

12. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

13. Fight Club

14. Inception

15. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

16. The Matrix

17. Goodfellas

18. Dune: Part Two

19. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

21. Interstellar

22. It's a Wonderful Life

23. Seven Samurai

24. The Silence of the Lambs

25. Saving Private Ryan

26. City of God

27. Life Is Beautiful

28. The Green Mile

29. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

30. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

31. Back to the Future

32. Spirited Away

33. The Pianist

34. Parasite

36. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

37. Gladiator

38. The Lion King

39. Léon: The Professional

40. The Departed

41. American History X

42. Whiplash

43. The Prestige

44. Grave of the Fireflies

45. Harakiri

46. The Usual Suspects

47. Casablanca

48. The Intouchables

49. Cinema Paradiso

50. Modern Times

51. Rear Window

52. Once Upon a Time in the West

54. City Lights

55. Apocalypse Now

56. Django Unchained

57. Memento

58. 12th Fail

60. Raiders of the Lost Ark

61. The Lives of Others

62. Sunset Blvd.

63. Paths of Glory

64. Avengers: Infinity War

65. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

66. Witness for the Prosecution

67. The Shining

68. The Great Dictator

70. Inglourious Basterds

71. The Dark Knight Rises

72. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

73. American Beauty

76. Amadeus

77. Toy Story

78. Das Boot

79. Avengers: Endgame

80. Braveheart

82. Princess Mononoke

83. Good Will Hunting

84. Your Name.

85. Once Upon a Time in America

86. High and Low

87. 3 Idiots

88. Singin' in the Rain

89. Capernaum

90. Requiem for a Dream

91. Come and See

92. Toy Story 3

93. Oppenheimer

94. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

95. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

96. The Hunt

97. 2001: A Space Odyssey

98. Reservoir Dogs

100. Lawrence of Arabia

101. The Apartment

102. North by Northwest

103. Citizen Kane

104. Incendies

105. Vertigo

107. Double Indemnity

108. Scarface

109. Amélie

110. Full Metal Jacket

112. A Clockwork Orange

114. To Kill a Mockingbird

115. The Sting

116. A Separation

117. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

118. Die Hard

119. Metropolis

120. Like Stars on Earth

121. Snatch

122. Hamilton

123. L.A. Confidential

125. Bicycle Thieves

126. Taxi Driver

127. Downfall

128. Dangal

129. For a Few Dollars More

130. Batman Begins

131. The Wolf of Wall Street

132. Some Like It Hot

133. Green Book

134. The Kid

135. The Father

136. Judgment at Nuremberg

137. All About Eve

138. The Truman Show

139. Top Gun: Maverick

140. Shutter Island

141. There Will Be Blood

142. Casino

143. Jurassic Park

145. The Sixth Sense

146. Pan's Labyrinth

147. Unforgiven

148. No Country for Old Men

149. A Beautiful Mind

150. The Thing

151. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

152. Kill Bill: Vol. 1

153. Yojimbo

154. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

155. The Great Escape

156. Finding Nemo

157. Rashomon

158. Prisoners

159. Howl's Moving Castle

160. The Elephant Man

161. Chinatown

162. Dial M for Murder

163. Gone with the Wind

164. V for Vendetta

165. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

166. The Secret in Their Eyes

167. Inside Out

168. Raging Bull

169. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

170. Trainspotting

171. The Bridge on the River Kwai

172. Spider-Man: No Way Home

175. Catch Me If You Can

176. Warrior

177. Godzilla Minus One

178. Gran Torino

179. My Neighbor Totoro

180. Million Dollar Baby

181. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

182. Children of Heaven

183. 12 Years a Slave

184. Blade Runner

185. Before Sunrise

186. Ben-Hur

187. The Grand Budapest Hotel

188. Barry Lyndon

189. Gone Girl

190. Hacksaw Ridge

191. The Gold Rush

192. In the Name of the Father

193. Memories of Murder

194. Dead Poets Society

195. Wild Tales

196. On the Waterfront

197. The General

198. The Deer Hunter

199. Mad Max: Fury Road

200. Monsters, Inc.

201. Sherlock Jr.

202. The Third Man

203. The Wages of Fear

204. Wild Strawberries

206. How to Train Your Dragon

207. Mary and Max

208. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

209. Ratatouille

210. Ford v Ferrari

211. Tokyo Story

212. The Big Lebowski

213. The Seventh Seal

217. Spotlight

218. Hotel Rwanda

219. Platoon

220. The Terminator

221. The Passion of Joan of Arc

222. Before Sunset

223. La haine

224. The Best Years of Our Lives

225. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

226. The Exorcist

228. Jai Bhim

229. Network

230. Stand by Me

231. The Wizard of Oz

232. The Incredibles

233. Hachi: A Dog's Tale

234. The Handmaiden

235. Into the Wild

236. My Father and My Son

237. The Sound of Music

238. The Grapes of Wrath

239. To Be or Not to Be

240. The Battle of Algiers

241. Groundhog Day

242. Amores Perros

243. Rebecca

244. The Iron Giant

245. Cool Hand Luke

246. The Help

247. It Happened One Night

248. Aladdin

249. Dances with Wolves

250. Drishyam

The Top Rated Movie list only includes feature films.

• Shorts, TV movies, and documentaries are not included
• The list is ranked by a formula which includes the number of ratings each movie received from users, and value of ratings received from regular users
• To be included on the list, a movie must receive ratings from at least 25000 users

More to explore

Top box office (us), most popular movies, top rated english movies, most popular tv shows, top 250 tv shows, lowest rated movies, most popular celebs.

• by Rebecca Rubin
• Variety Film + TV

• by Rodrigo Perez
• The Playlist

• by Christopher Marc

• by Rafael Motamayor

• by Matt Donnelly
• Variety - Film News

Top Rated Movies by Genre

Recently viewed.

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

‘North Hollywood’ Review: Vince Vaughn Goes Indie in a Skateboarder Coming-of-Age Story

David ehrlich.

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on LinkedIn
• Show more sharing options
• Submit to Reddit
• Post to Tumblr
• Print This Page
• Share on WhatsApp

There are countless different coming-of-age movies about kids who learn to blaze their own trail and become the best possible version of themselves (shoutout to the pride of Sacramento, Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson), but “North Hollywood” is one of the rare few that actually embodies the courage of its convictions both on-screen and off. On second thought, make that less on-screen than off.

Written and directed by Mikey Alfred (a 25-year-old renaissance man whose prior accomplishments include founding the skateboard company Illegal Civ and co-producing Jonah Hill’s “ Mid90s ”), “North Hollywood” grinds out a familiar but knowing portrait of a scrawny California teen who’s forced to choose between the beaten path and his dream of becoming the next Tony Hawk. Half-sketched as its drama can be, Alfred’s feature-length fiction debut is sustained by a complete lack of poser energy and a few new tweaks on some classic tricks; come for Vince Vaughn downshifting into his indie dad phase, stay for the woozy retro vibe that evokes a timeless sense of starry-eyed youth by layering mid-century Doo-wop from the likes of Arthur Lee Maye and The Chiffons over modern skate footage.

But nothing in the movie itself is as memorable or convincing a testament to the power of self-belief as the story of how it became a hit. Rejected by Sundance — despite a relatively stacked cast and a motley crew of producers that includes hitmaker Pharrell Williams and Netflix heartthrob Noah Centineo — and declined by distributors who hadn’t forgotten how A24 struggled to generate any traction with “Mid90s,” Alfred eventually opted for a straight-to-the-people approach that saw him skip the (virtual) fest circuit and upload his baby to iTunes with all the fanfare of an amateur podcast.

As we near the end of its first week in the wild, “North Hollywood” is currently the second-most popular movie on iTunes, behind “The Marksman” (starring Liam Neeson, the Lebron James of VOD) but ahead of “proper” indies like “French Exit,” well-advertised new rentals like “Chaos Walking,” and Oscar-winning stalwarts like “Nomadland” and “The Father.” Yes, some of those titles are also available to stream at no additional cost on other platforms, but they also had seven-figure PR campaigns and prime berths at Venice and TIFF. “North Hollywood” had three nights on an Inglewood drive-in screen. Whatever assortment of niches lifted this thing towards the top of the charts (skate kids, Miranda Cosgrove superfans, uncles who are still ride or die for Vaughn, etc.), it’s compelling evidence that people can still forge their own “yes” from a world that keeps telling them “no.”

“North Hollywood” strives to convey a similar message, but things get a bit muddled once you actually start watching the movie. Ex-professional skater Ryder McLaughlin — doing all of his own stunts, none riskier than the slick-backed hair style he sports to sustain that vintage Americana vibe — delivers a raw yet elusive lead performance as Michael, the kind of 18-year-old kid who spends a lot of time looking at the bathroom mirror in search of whoever he’s supposed to be. His construction worker single dad (Vaughn) offers him one of two options: Go to college, or slap on a hardhat and start working alongside his old man. Oliver isn’t necessarily a dick about it, but, well, he’s Vince Vaughn. He talks fast, he stands tall, and his worldview is about as flexible as the cadence of his jokes.

If Michael feels handcuffed to a future he doesn’t want, his ultra-believable yet perilously under-written best friends are both stuck in holding patterns of their own. The rich and spacey Jay (“Booksmart” standout Nico Hiraga) is going to have to get serious about his life by the time Labor Day rolls around, while the inexplicably named Adolf (played without a false note by Aramis Hudson) doesn’t share Michael’s ambition to go pro. For him, the “North Hollywood” trio — so named for the locale they’ve all written in Sharpie along the sides of their matching Converse sneakers — is more than just a safety blanket or a means to an end. So when Michael starts ditching his friends to flirt with the Stanford-bound Rachel (Cosgrove) and follow the local skate legends around like an overeager puppy, it’s the worst thing that’s happened to Adolf since the day his dad named him.

On that note, the movie is oddly mom-less — a strange wrinkle to a story that mines personal experience for palpable verisimilitude (Alfred’s first brush with showbiz resulted from his own mother working as Robert Evans’ personal assistant for 37 years). “North Hollywood” keys into masculine coding and inheritance as something of a zero-sum game, as it plunges into the heart of Michael’s crew and paints a vivid picture of how they operate together. With years of skate videos under his belt and an eye-popping cinematographer (Ayinde Anderson) at his side, Alfred knows exactly how to crystallize the kinetic energy that teens create from tormenting security guards and goofing on each other. The early scenes of Michael, Jay, and Adolf grinding on stairwells or loitering outside a restaurant that’s lit like a neon sock hop convey a bone-deep sense of belonging. “North Hollywood” drops in like a house on fire and builds an extremely promising foundation in the span of a few choice moments.

If only the 90 minutes that follow were able to build anything on it. The personal yet increasingly scattershot movie that Alfred churns out of his memories is as wayward as its leading man. Like Michael, “North Hollywood” is told with a steely determination and an eye toward something big. And, like Michael, the oodles of natural talent that it relies upon are defused by an uncertainty over how to use them.

The vague concern that Michael is outgrowing his friends and his father — voiced aloud by Adolf in a last-minute scene that lacks the muscle required to carry the whole story on its shoulders — is the closest the film comes to a consistent through-line, but “North Hollywood” is far too shapeless to meaningfully funnel its characters toward their futures. Cosgrove brings plenty of doe-eyed sweetness to the table, but Rachel’s only job is to pull Michael out of his comfort zone, and the stilted romance between them never passes the smell test (Michael won’t even drink out of a water bottle that’s touched her lips). Meanwhile, Vaughn disappears until the time is right for a wallop of tough love, Gillian Jacobs is stuck playing a guidance counselor in a weird scene that only seems to exist because Gillian Jacobs agreed to be in it, while Adolph and Jay are forced into the background as Michael convinces himself that his dreams can’t come true so long as his best friends — the realest part of his life — are still by his side.

Where does the time go? Most of “North Hollywood” is spent on an aimless free skate through Michael’s post-adolescent fog. That might have been a less enervating choice in a film that leaned into its shapelessness, but Alfred can’t peel himself away from the basic contours of a coming-of-age story. The result is a lived-in movie that knows its characters by heart and remains ineffably true to them during their most candid moments, but can’t muster the momentum it needs to push them towards places they aren’t ready to go. Michael’s journey ends with such a shruggy line of unmotivated voiceover that it almost feels as if “North Hollywood” has lost faith in its hero’s ability to succeed on his own terms. One way or the other, that faith has finally been restored.

“North Hollywood” is now available to rent or buy on iTunes.

Most Popular

You may also like.

Select a City

• Nashik Times
• Aurangabad Times
• Badlapur Times

You can change your city from here. We serve personalized stories based on the selected city

• Edit Profile
• Briefs Movies TV Web Series Lifestyle Trending Medithon Visual Stories Music Events Videos Theatre Photos Gaming

Taapsee Pannu praises Ajay Devgn's 'Maidaan's and indirectly condemns its dull box office response, 'Then Let's Not Say Our Big Films Lack Soul'

How Shah Rukh Khan and Yash Chopra convinced Shiamak Davar to choreograph 'Dil To Pagal Hai'

'Fallout' renewed for Season 2; Ella Purnell teases what's in store - WATCH

​Sobhita Dhulipala enchants in her cultural outfits​

Chief of NCB SIT that gave Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan a 'clean chit' in drugs case takes VRS on 'personal grounds'

Salman Khan travels to Dubai with heightened security following shooting incident

• Movie Reviews

Movie Listings

The Legacy Of Jineshwa...

LSD 2: Love Sex Aur Dh...

Do Aur Do Pyaar

Luv You Shankar

Mamu Makandaar

Detective Nysa

30 Hours Survival: Gau...

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan...

Visual Stories

Jaw dropping pictures of Eesha Rebba

Sai Tamhankar To Amruta Khanvilkar: Marathi Actresses Who Stunned In Blue

​​Surbhi Jyoti looks heavenly in a graceful salwar suit​

Captivating pictures of Bhavana you can't miss

Tamannaah Bhatia radiates in a captivating light blue saree

​In pics: Silambarasan's stunning fashion game​

Rashmika Mandanna Steals the Fashion Trend in Sleek Black Outfits

Office style essentials ft. Shweta Tiwari

Keerthy Suresh’s cheerful pictures

Filmfare Awards

National Awards

Oscar Awards

Zee Cine Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Crew Box Office collection: Kareena Kapoor Khan,Tabu and Kriti Sanon starrer earns Rs 6.67 crore in its third week

Maidaan Box Office Collection Day 8: Ajay Devgn's film off to a slow start on second weekend, earns just around Rs 1.15 crore on Thursday

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan box office collection day 8: Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff's film crosses Rs 50 crore mark in its first week

Crew Box Office Collection Day 20: The Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon starrer sees a spike of 40% on the occasion of Ram Navami

Alia Bhatt has taken extensive basketball training for her next film Jigra - Exclusive

Maidaan Box Office Collection Day 7: Ajay Devgn starrer sees minimal growth at box office; grosses Rs 30 crore at end of week 1

Animal Preview: Ranbir Kapoor and Sandeep Reddy Vanga are set to shake up the box office hierarchy

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar

‘Kuttey’

Shilpa Shetty visits Salman Khan's residence with her mother following Enforcement Directorate's action in Bitcoin ponzi scam

Happy Birthday KL Rahul: Suniel Shetty's touching message for 'Son' and LSG skipper melts hearts online

Shriya Saran's elderly fan's viral video takes over the web: 'Bachchi kitni garmi main hai'

Rs 6600 crore scam: ED attaches Raj Kundra's properties worth Rs 98 crore; Shilpa Shetty's Juhu flat and Pune bungalow also seized

Malaika Arora's question on son Arhaan Khan's 'VIRGINITY' irks netizens; trolls label them, 'society ke virus'

Internet thinks Shah Rukh Khan was 'very sad' after KKR lost their IPL match: 'This will haunt me...'

Kaam Chalu Hai

LSD 2: Love Sex Aur Dho...

Silence 2: The Night Ow...

Amar Singh Chamkila

30 Hours Survival: Gaur...

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

Pon Ondru Kanden

Double Tuckerr

Oru Thavaru Seidhal

Boomer Uncle

Inti Number 13

Family Star

Tillu Square

Babu: No.1 Bullshit Guy

Om Bheem Bush

Happy Ending

Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Nar...

Varshangalkku Shesham

The Goat Life

Jananam 1947 Pranayam T...

Manjummel Boys

Anweshippin Kandethum

Avatara Purusha 2

Chow Chow Bath

Hide And Seek

Somu Sound Engineer

Bonbibi: Widows Of The ...

Pariah Volume 1: Every ...

Shri Swapankumarer Bada...

Manush: Child of Destin...

Bogla Mama Jug Jug Jiyo

Sarabha: Cry For Freedo...

Zindagi Zindabaad

Maujaan Hi Maujaan

Chidiyan Da Chamba

White Punjab

Any How Mitti Pao

Gaddi Jaandi Ae Chalaan...

Buhe Bariyan

Alibaba Aani Chalishita...

Aata Vel Zaali

Shivrayancha Chhava

Delivery Boy

Sridevi Prasanna

Sur Lagu De

Chhatrapati Sambhaji

Devra Pe Manva Dole

Dil Ta Pagal Hola

Ittaa Kittaa

Jaishree Krishh

Bushirt T-shirt

Shubh Yatra

• Movie Reviews /
• Trending Now:
• Shah Rukh Khan
• Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Collection
• Chunky Panday
• Vikrant Massey
• Ananya Pandey
• Arbaaz Khan
• Tarun Karthikeyan
• Adil Hussain

English Movie Reviews

• Release Date
• Alphabetically
• Theatre Movies

Kirsten Dunst , Wagner Moura , Cailee Spaeny , Stephen Henderson , Sonoya Mizuno , Jefferson White , Karl Glusman , Juani Feliz , Evan Lai

19 Apr 2024 | 1 hr 50 mins

City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust

Akira Kamiya , Kazue Ikura , Mami Koyama , Tesshô Genda , Yôko Asagami

05 Apr 2024 | 1 hr 34 mins

Gillian Anderson , Billie Piper , Rufus Sewell , Keeley Hawes , Romola Garai , Amanda Redman , Connor Swindells

05 Apr 2024 | 1 hr 42 mins

The First Omen

Nell Tiger Free , Sonia Braga , Ralph Ineson , Bill Nighy , Maria Caballero , Charles Dance , Andrea Arcangeli , Tawfeek Barhom

05 Apr 2024 | 2 hrs 0 mins

Anthony Hopkins , Lena Olin , Johnny Flynn , Alex Sharp

05 Apr 2024 | 1 hr 49 mins

Love Lies Bleeding

Kristen Stewart , Katy O'Brian , Jena Malone , Anna Baryshnikov , Dave Franco

05 Apr 2024 | 1 hr 45 mins

Featured in english.

Taylor Swift drops heart-wrenching 'The Tortured Poets Department' album; Swifti...

Actresses who shot movies while pregnant

Tom Holland's X account HACKED by crypto scammers; share link access 'Spidervers...

Henry-Natalie expecting 1st child together!

Trailers music.

Transformers One - Official Trailer

Ulajh - Official Teaser

Main Ladega - Official Trailer

Srikanth - Official Trailer

Joker: Folie a Deux - Official Teaser

Lucky Baskhar - Official Telugu Teaser

Pushpa 2: The Rule - Official Teaser

Do Aur Do Pyaar - Official Trailer

Ruslaan - Official Trailer

Kill - Official Teaser

Maidaan - Official Trailer

The Sabarmati Report - Official Teaser

Amar Singh Chamkila - Official Trailer

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan - Official Trailer

Monkey Man - Official Trailer

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Official Teaser

Do Aur Do Pyaar - Official Teaser

Bhaiyya Ji - Official Teaser

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Official Trailer

Vedaa - Official Teaser

Main Na Jaanu Kyun By Jubin Nautiyal

Woh Bhi Din The | Song - Higher

Amar Singh Chamkila | Song - Vida Karo

Kashmir By Pawandeep Rajan And Arunita Kanjilal

Khwabon Wali Raat Hai By Saaj Bhatt

Ruslaan | Song - Dil Phisal Gaya

Ae Watan Mere Watan | Song - Dua E Azaadi

Srikanth | Song - Tu Mil Gaya

Baras Jao By Shruti Pathak

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan | Song - Rang Ishq Ka

Hamare Baarah | Song - Mere Mustafa

Good Luck | Song - Anguri

Do Aur Do Pyaar | Song - Ta Ra Ta Ra Ta

Crew | Song - Sona Kitna Sona Hai

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan | Title Track

Crew | Song - Kiddan Zaalima

LSD2 | Song - Gulabi Ankhiyan

O Mere Humnava By Sonu Nigam And Teesha Nigam

Naam Kar Mere By Laqshay Kapoor

Amar Singh Chamkila | Song - Baaja

Knox Goes Away

Michael Keaton , Al Pacino , James Marsden , Marcia Gay Harden , Ray McKinnon , Joanna Kulig

29 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 57 mins

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Rebecca Hall , Brian Tyree Henry , Dan Stevens , Alex Ferns

12 Apr 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Adam Driver , Penelope Cruz , Shailene Woodley , Alessandro Cremona , Gabriel Leone

08 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 10 mins

Chabak: Night Of Murder And Romance

Danny Ahn , Min-Chae Kim , Hong Kyoung-in

Arthur The King

Mark Wahlberg , Simu Liu , Juliet Rylance , Nathalie Emmanuel , Ali Suliman

15 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 30 mins

DeWanda Wise , Tom Payne , Betty Buckley , Taegen Burns , Pyper Braun , Veronica Falcón

22 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 44 mins

Jake Gyllenhaal , Daniela Melchior , Conor_McGregor , Billy Magnussen , B.K. Cannon , Joaquim de Almeida

21 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 1 mins

Lindsay Lohan , Ed Speleers , Alexander Vlahos , Ayesha Curry , Jane Seymour

15 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 33 mins

Kung Fu Panda 4

Jack Black , Awkwafina , Viola Davis , Dustin Hoffman , Bryan Cranston , James Hong , Ian McShane , Ke Huy Quan , Lori Tan Chinn

To Kill A Tiger

10 mar 2024 | 2 hrs 7 mins.

Millie Bobby Brown , Ray Winstone , Robin Wright , Angela Bassett , Nick Robinson , Shohreh Aghdashloo

08 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 49 mins

All Of Us Strangers

Andrew Scott , Paul Mescal , Jamie Bell , Claire Foy

08 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 45 mins

The Color Purple

Taraji P. Henson , Danielle Brooks , Colman Domingo , Corey Hawkins , Fantasia Barrino

08 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 23 mins

Ricky Stanicky

Zac Efron , Jermaine Fowler , john cena , William H. Macy , Andrew Santino

07 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 58 mins

Adam Sandler , Carey Mulligan , Paul Dano , Kunal Nayyar , Lena Olin , Isabella Rossellini

01 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 48 mins

May December

Natalie Portman , Charles Melton , Julianne Moore , Andrea Frankle

01 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 57 mins

Dune: Part Two

Florence Pugh , Austin Butler , Timothee Chalamet , Stellan Skarsgard , Zendaya , Rebecca Ferguson , Lea Seydoux , Josh Brolin , Javier Bardem , Dave Bautista , Christopher Walken , Charlotte Rampling , Stephen Henderson

01 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 46 mins

American Fiction

Jeffrey Wright , Tracee Ellis Ross , Issa Rae , Sterling K. Brown

27 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 58 mins

Mukul Chadda , Rasika Dugal , Nikhil Desai , Asmit Pathare

1 hr 30 mins

Poor Things

Emma Stone , Mark Ruffalo , Ramy Youssef , Willem Dafoe , Christopher Abbott , Jerrod Carmichael , Margaret Qualley

27 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 21 mins

The Zone Of Interest

Sandra Hüller , Christian Friedel , Ralph Herforth

01 Mar 2024 | 1 hr 47 mins

Kelly Rowland , Trevante Rhodes , Kerry O Malley , RonReaco Lee , Sean Sagar , Shannon Thornton , Nick Sagar

23 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 0 mins

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - To The Hashira Training

Natsuki Hanae , Kengo Kawanishi , Akari Kito , Yoshitsugu Matsuoka , Hiro Shimono

23 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 44 mins

Angourie Rice , Auli'i Cravalho , Bebe Wood , Jenna Fischer , Avantika Vandanapu , Renee Rapp

23 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 52 mins

The Teachers’ Lounge

Leonie Benesch , Anne-Kathrin Gummich , Michael Klammer , Eva Löbau , Rafael Stachowiak , Leo Stettnisch

1 hr 38 mins

A Game Of Two Halves

Saaj Raja , Lucy Jackson , Nikkita Chadha , Swaroopa Ghosh , Harish Khanna , Pawan Chopra , Rajiv Kumar Aneja , Chizzy Akudolu

23 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 40 mins

Land Of Bad

Russell Crowe , Liam Hemsworth , Milo Ventimiglia , Ricky Whittle , Luke Hemsworth , Daniel Macpherson , Lincoln Lewis , Gunner Wright

16 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 55 mins

Bob Marley: One Love

Kingsley Ben Adir , James Norton , Lashana Lynch , Anthony Welsh , Tosin Cole

16 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 47 mins

Dakota Johnson , Sydney Sweeney , Isabela Merced , Celeste O'Connor , Tahar Rahim , Mike Epps , Emma Roberts , Adam Scott , Kerry Bishe , Zosia Mamet

16 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 57 mins

The Holdovers

Paul Giamatti , Da Vine Joy Randolph , Tate Donovan , Carrie Preston , Gillian Vigman , Michael Provost , Dominic Sessa , Brady Hepner

16 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 13 mins

This Is Me...Now: A Love Story

Jennifer Lopez , Sofia Vergara , Ben Affleck , Keke Palmer , Trevor Noah , Post Malone , Alix Angelis , Neil deGrasse Tyson , Trevor Jackson , Derek Hough , Kim Petras

16 Feb 2024

Gina Rodriguez , Damon Wayans Jr. , Tom Ellis , Augustus Prew , Joel Courtney , Liza Koshy , Marin Hinkle

14 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 45 mins

Nico Parker , Laura Linney , Woody Harrelson , Daniella Taylor , Ella Anderson

09 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 49 mins

Sakura Ando , Eita Nagayama , Soya Kurokawa , Hinata Hiiragi

09 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 8 mins

Lucy Hale , Grant Gustin , Christine Lee , Al Miro , Jane Seymour , Michael Hitchcock

09 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 46 mins

The Iron Claw

Zac Efron , Jeremy Allen White , Harris Dickinson , Maura Tierney , Holt McCallany , Lily James , Michael Harney , Michael Papajohn

09 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 12 mins

Archie Renaux , Camila Mendes , Marisa Tomei , Lena Olin , Anthony Head , Thomas Kretschmann

09 Feb 2024 | 1 hr 45 mins

Dua Lipa , Sofia Boutella , Henry Cavill , Bryce Dallas Howard , Ariana DeBose , Sam Rockwell , Samuel L. Jackson , john cena , Catherine O Hara , Bryan Cranston , Rob Delaney , Jing Lusi , Jason Fuchs

02 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 19 mins

Anatomy Of A Fall

Sandra Hüller , Swann Arlaud , Antoine Reinartz , Samuel Theis , Jehnny Beth

02 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 31 mins

Next Goal Wins

Michael Fassbender , Rachel House , Taika Waititi , Will Arnett , Elisabeth Moss , Uli Latukefu

02 Feb 2023 | 1 hr 43 mins

Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning

Fukujurou Katayama , Junko Noda , Arthur Lounsbery , Naozumi Takahashi , Megumi Ogata

19 Jan 2024 | 1 hr 27 mins

Wyatt Russell , Kerry Condon , Nancy Lenehan

19 Jan 2024 | 1 hr 38 mins

The Beekeeper

Jason Statham , Josh Hutcherson , Minnie Driver , Jeremy Irons , Emmy Raver Lampman , Phylicia Rashad , Enzo Cilenti , Jemma Redgrave , Bobby Naderi

19 Jan 2024 | 1 hr 35 mins

Anyone But You

Sydney Sweeney , Glen Powell , Alexandra Shipp , Darren Barnet , Bryan Brown , Joe Davidson , Rachel Griffiths , Michelle Hurd , Dermot Mulroney , Hadley Robinson

19 Jan 2024 | 1 hr 43 mins

Popular movie reviews.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empir...

Featured in Movies

Taapsee praises Ajay's 'Maidaan'

Shiamak on choreographing Dil To Pagal Hai

'Fallout' renewed for Season 2

​Sobhita enchants in her cultural outfits​

NCB Chief who gave Aryan 'clean chit' takes VRS

Popular in movies.

• Shah Rukh Khan's darling daughter Suhana Khan sets internet on ...
• SHOCKING! 'Sadak 2' actress Chrisann Pereira REVEALS she washed...
• 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023: Complete list of winners - W...
• Rahul Vaidya and Priya Mallick celebrate the success of 'Mehndi...
• Raveena Tandon, Bhumi Pednekar amp up the glam quotient
• Mrunal Thakur to Tamannaah Bhatia, Alia Bhatt to Janhvi Kapoor ...
• Varun Dhawan bags Maharashtrian of the Year Award
• Alaya F opens up about what made her take a 'U-Turn' to Bollywo...
• Akshay Kumar turns entrepreneur, launches his clothing store in...
• Did you know Sridevi refused to work with Sanjay Dutt after thi...
• Murder or suicide? Bhojpuri actress Akanksha Dubey's death myst...
• #CelebrityEvenings: From Raveena Tandon to Shilpa Shetty Kundra...
• 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023: From Alia Bhatt to Rekha, ce...
• Mrunal Thakur says 'allow me to reintroduce myself' as she ups ...
• Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Rinku Singh reveals Shah Rukh Kha...
• Monalisa sets the internet on fire as she poses in a transparen...
• 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023: Alaya F, Rakul Preet Singh a...
• 'Goa tan in Mumbai': Here's how Mrunal Thakur started her day t...
• Kareena Kapoor Khan gets spotted with Taimur; fan asks, 'Is she...

• Daily BO Update
• Daily Breakdown
• Hits & Flops
• All Time Grossers
• Highest Grossers
• Highest Openers
• Highest Weekend
• Best of Overseas
• Hollywood Highest
• Fact-o-meter
• Entertainment News
• Bollywood News
• Television & Web
• Fashion & Lifestyle
• Bigg Boss 17
• Hollywood News
• What To Watch
• Bollywood Movie Reviews
• Hollywood Movie Reviews
• All South Movie Reviews
• Tamil Movie Reviews
• Telugu Movie Reviews
• Kannada Movie Reviews
• Malayalam Movie Reviews
• Marathi Movie Reviews
• Web Series Reviews
• Music Reviews
• Box Office Reviews
• Trailer Reviews
• BO Filmometer
• Stars’ Power Index
• Directors’ Power Index
• 100 Crore Club
• Worldwide 200 Crores+
• Profitable Films
• Recommended Movies
• Upcoming Movies
• Released Movies
• Web Stories
• About Koimoi

Home » Reviews » Hollywood Movie Reviews

Road House Movie Review: Jake Gyllenhaal’s Performance Is The Highlight Of This Strange Remake!

Jake gyllenhaal's road house feels more like a special pilot to a tv series than an actual theatrical film release. read on..

Star Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Conor McGregor, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams

Director: Doug Liman

What’s Good: Gyllenhaal’s performance is electric, and Daniel Melchior also brings a lot to the table, their chemistry is quite satisfying to see.

What’s Bad: The film definitely feels like something that should be on streaming, from the production values to the way the story moves along.

Loo Break: The first act of a movie should be quite important but here it feels like the story doesn’t start, but on the second act, quite curious.

Watch or Not?: The film becomes a must-see only if you are a huge fan of Gyllenhaal.

Language: English (with subtitles).

Available On: Amazon Prime Video

Runtime: 120 Minutes.

Remakes and reboots will never stop, at least for the past couple of decades; it seems like Hollywood will always choose to go back to something that worked in the past, even if it was a long time ago, before even thinking to do something new and fresh. Doug Liman’s new Road House remake fits the bill of something that maybe shouldn’t exist, but it does, to the teeth, and the result is a film that can be quite entertaining, but it definitely doesn’t have the quality to be a big theater release.

Road House Movie Review: Script Analysis

Road House comes to us after a big controversy dealing with how to measure if a film belongs as a streaming release or if it should be released in theaters. The situation is quite interesting and really speaks to the ways the film business has changed in the last decade. Before the pandemic, a film like this Road House remake would have gotten a theatrical release, no doubt about it, but in a post-pandemic world, the truth is that people would probably prefer to see something like this at home.

Why? What is the difference between this film and those that reach cinemas worldwide, well, for once, there is the situation of the scale and the way the film moves. At times, the movie feels more like an episode of a TV series, a sort of special pilot episode, than a movie. The first act is especially guilty of moving along as if nothing is really happening in terms of story or characters. It definitely sets a mood, but it is curious that the movie doesn’t think that it should grab people’s attention right away as if it believes there will be more episodes after this one.

In a sense, the film could be a better prestige TV series than a film franchise, but it is hard to say if Jake Gyllenhaal is ready for that commitment. Outside this strange TV vibe, the movie goes crazy when it comes to presenting its fight club type of plot, and it definitely feels like it is happening in another reality, one where every single person wants to fight, and they live for it. This hyperreality is quite fun and makes for one of the best elements in the film.

As it stands, the film does one thing right, and that is giving Gyllenhaal a chance to really show what he can do as a performer; you can feel that he is definitely committed to the role, transforming his body and creating a character that is worth following around. The dialogue and the way the scenes play out are not the most elegant examples of filmmaking you will see this year on screen, but they do their job of transmitting the essence of the characters and what they want to do.

Road House Movie Review: Star Performance

Jake Gyllenhaal has become quite an attraction as an actor; his skills as a performer cannot be overestimated, and yet, his results at the box office seem to be quite inconsistent. Hollywood has tried many times to make Gyllenhaal into a mainstream actor, but audiences seem to reject him again and again in the format but embrace him in smaller and more serious acting work. Thus, the fact that Road House got a streaming release feels right at home with Gyllenhaal’s record, but this doesn’t diminish his power as an actor.

Daniela Melchior, on the other hand, is proving to be quite a captivating presence on screen, matching Gyllenhaal’s energy beat for beat and just looking incredibly on the screen, all beauty and charm. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor debuts as an actor in this film, and it is quite surprising that the fighter manages to be an actual character in the film. It is unclear if McGregor can establish himself as an actor in the future, but at least here, his energy fits completely, and he makes for a great villain.

Road House Movie Review: Direction, Music

Doug Liman is quite a solid director; sometimes, and some other times, he can be quite inconsistent with the quality of his work; here, in Road House, the work of the filmmaker leans more to the second option, where we see the movie have this TV quality that you wouldn’t expect from someone like Liman, and also creating a strange sense of fakeness during the fights, which at the core of the movie are some of the most important scenes in the film.

Almost every single fight feels fake in some way; at times, they can be really blood-pumping, but this feeling is never retained throughout the entire film. The music composed by Christopher Beck does the job, but this is not a soundtrack you would listen to on its own, and no one really expects to. At the end of the day, the film stands as a production that clearly didn’t meet the new standards for a theatrical release. Liman might not like it, but he made a TV movie, and that is where people will watch it.

Road House Movie Review: The Last Word

Road House feels more like a special pilot to a TV series than an actual theatrical film release, and while the movie can be fun, it can also be inconsistent in its narrative and visual choices. At times, the film definitely has the intent to go all crazy and deliver exactly what people want to watch, but this is also accompanied by a strange first act that really doesn’t do the movie any favors in hooking audiences to the screen. Nevertheless, it is a perfect movie for a lazy Sunday in bed.

Road House Trailer

Road House was released on 21st March 2024.

Share with us your experience of watching Road House.

For more recommendations, read our Madame Web Movie Review here .

Must Read: Dune: Part Two Movie Review: Denis Villeneuve’s Brilliant Storytelling & Timothee Chalemet’s Stellar Act Deliver A Memorable Experience

Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Related articles.

The Family Man 3 Is Happening Sooner Than We Knew! Writer Shares An Exciting Update About Manoj Bajpayee’s Series!

Shah Rukh Khan In & As IPL 2024 Player Jos Butler In His Biopic? Rajasthan Royals Player Wants So After Victory Against Kolkata Knight...

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Box Office Collection Day 20: Crosses 1 Crore Mark Again!

Check this out.

Lata Mangeshkar Once Thought Kishore Kumar Was Following Her & She...

Beyond Big Stars & Big-Budget Movies: How Music Can Make Or...

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Day 1 Box Office: With 129.57% Higher...

Ravi Kishan’s First Wife Files FIR On The Alleged Second Wife,...

Daniel Radcliffe Reveals Being Intimidated By Alan Rickman For The First...

Aavesham Box Office (Worldwide) Collection Day 4: Fahadh Faasil’s Film Holds...

Don't miss.

“Pushpa 2 Will Create More Gadar”, Allu Arjun’s Movie Gets A...

Sherlock Movie Ft Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman Update: Co-Creator Shares...

Manjummel Boys At The Worldwide Box Office (After 54 Days): Crosses...

LSD2 Movie Review: Amazingly Pretentious Narrative Makes You Wonder, ‘Is This A Film?’

Civil War Movie Review: Alex Garland Returns With A24’s Biggest Film, But The Film’s Refusal To Examine Its Characters And World Makes It Empty

Do Aur Do Pyaar Movie Review: Vidya Balan & Pratik Gandhi Starrer Echoes The Pain & Passion Of Strained Relationships While Displaying Vulnerabilities At...

Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout Movie Review: Good Performances Mark Average Thriller

• Privacy Policy

site categories

20 questions on deadline podcast: rebecca ferguson talks ‘silo’, ‘mission: impossible’ memories & what she’d watch in the apocalypse.

• ‘Abigail’ Review: Melissa Barrera And Dan Stevens Battle Dracula’s Child In Cheeky Vampire Flick

By Pete Hammond

Pete Hammond

Awards Columnist/Chief Film Critic

More Stories By Pete

• ‘The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Review: A Down And Dirty Henry Cavill Leads Unorthodox Mission Against Nazis In Guy Ritchie’s Swell WWII Adventure
• From CinemaCon To Cannes: Has The New Oscar Season Rung Its First Bell?

Universal has struggled to in recent years to bring back its classic horror franchises like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mummy, etc., attempts that were perhaps too literal. But thanks to the filmmaking collective known as Radio Silence they have, with Abigail , perhaps stumbled onto a way to keep the party going. In this case it is back to the immortal vampire story to end them all, Dracula, but here the bloodsucking title star is his 12-year-old daughter, not the infamous man himself who is reduced to a mere cameo.

Related Stories

'Civil War' Faces Three Wide Adversaries In Second-Weekend Box Office Battle - Preview

'Parish' Stars Giancarlo Esposito & Skeet Ulrich On The Scene That Didn't Make The Cut & Crafting A Show "Rich In Soul" - Contenders TV

Not to be confused with killer doll movies like Annabelle, this young girl is such a seemingly innocent budding ballerina it comes as a shock to see her whole-hog transformation into daddy’s little demon later in the film. Alisha Weir , morphing into the most terrifying child since Linda Blair got an Oscar nomination for doing it in 1973’s The Exorcist, is the title star who becomes the victim of a kidnapping plot by a group of badass, but kinda dumb, criminals enlisted by Lambert ( Giancarlo Esposito , in for a couple of scenes), who has been hired to bring them together by an unseen but fearsome crime boss in order to snatch Abigail and demand a $50 million ransom to be paid by her very wealthy father. The job goes relatively easy as they infiltrate the family mansion and steal her away to a deserted, gothic-like house while awaiting payment for the gig. But as they will soon learn this is no ordinary job. “I am so sorry for what is about to happen to you,” Abigail innocently says at one point to one of her clueless kidnappers.

Watching this unfold I kept thinking of Agatha Christie’s endlessly copied and remade And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians ), and sure enough later in the movie the screenwriters, Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, do indeed reference that inspiration quite literally. Any casual moviegoer knows when you gather a group of strangers in a dilapidated mansion, one by one they are going to be goners. It is just a matter of time — and how. After a lot of bickering between them, plus the discovery that Abigail is no ordinary little ballerina, we start to see some imaginative, bloodcurdling sequences, and the movie earns it stripes in the genre; this is definitely hard-R horror. Of course, with Frank leading the resistance, they turn on each other in a bid to survive as Abigail shows she inherited the family genes and talent for sucking the blood out of their misbegotten plans while at the same time niftily shows off her balletic talents in dispensing with this crowd.

Although I have been getting weary of the same old tropes used in so many horror films of late, the endless parade of sequels doing basically the same thing, Abigail is actually a lot of fun, perhaps part of its inspiration coming for a lesser-known 1936 Universal classic, Dracula’s Daughter, but still a completely different storyline than that one. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka Radio Silence), who managed to freshen up the tired Scream franchise over the last two installments and are also responsible for the original Ready Or Not, show a real flair for injecting humor and horror in equal doses into the proceedings and really keep this thing building to the inevitable crescendo required of such a premise. Short of giving this material to a genius like Guillermo del Toro, they do a fine job in bringing it all to life, helped enormously by Brian Tyler’s sensational Grand Guignol-style score.

You can see why Stevens, an otherwise serious actor, might want to take on a gonzo role like Frank as he completely devours it without a worry that too much is, uh, too much. Barrera, who worked with the directors on Scream, shows she also has the chops for this sort of thing. Newton is pure fun, as is Durand who gets some of the best lines. Cloud has the real nutso character but sadly is out of the film much too early, though it’s enough to shows the potential the Euphoria star had for creating some out-there characters. Gone way too soon. The film is dedicated to him.

Producers are William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, Tripp Vinson and Chad Villella (the latter also part of Radio Silence).

Title: Abigail Distributor: Universal Release date: April 19, 2024 Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett Screenwriters: Stephen Shields and Guy Busick Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode Rating: R Running time: 1 hr 49 min

Must Read Stories

Q1 revenue & earnings beat street; streamer to stop reporting subs numbers.

Sony In Talks To Team With Apollo In Bid For Paramount Global

‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ stalking $54m u.s. bow next month, a smart, funny, beautifully sung ‘suffs’ & all of deadline’s 2024 reviews.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Read More About:

No comments.

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

London Theatre

• Regional Theater
• Movie History
• Documentary
• Boom! Studios
• Dark Horse Comics
• Social Media
• Emerging Tech
• Broadway (NYC)
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• Washington D.C.
• Visit Theatrely.com Discover & Purchase Live Theater Tickets in One Spot!

London West End Theatre, Broadway Theater, and Movies

Broadway shows.

Back to the Future

The Book of Mormon

The Lion King

The Mousetrap

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Someone Like You

The First Omen

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Zendaya in Movies: From Disney Darling to Hollywood Powerhouse

Alien’s 45th in photos: as the science-fiction original returns to theaters, we look at how ridley scott gave us jaws in space, kids movies in theaters now, comedy movies in theaters, new movies this weekend, the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare: our gentlemanly interview and review, the walking dead: the ones who live fails rick grimes and here are all the reasons why he deserves a better fate, ‘civil war’ review: a hauntingly refreshing take on war films, monkey man: how dev patel survived broken bones and jane fonda workouts to make his dream movie, movies in theaters now, how samuel l. jackson went from taking martin luthor king sr. hostage in real life to becoming damaged’s serial-killer-chasing detective dan lawson, the true(ish) story behind the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Civil War Link to Civil War
• Monkey Man Link to Monkey Man
• Scoop Link to Scoop

New TV Tonight

• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• Conan O'Brien Must Go: Season 1
• Our Living World: Season 1
• The Spiderwick Chronicles: Season 1
• Orlando Bloom: To the Edge: Season 1
• The Circle: Season 6
• Dinner with the Parents: Season 1
• Jane: Season 2

Most Popular TV on RT

• Fallout: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• Parasyte: The Grey: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• The Sympathizer: Season 1 Link to The Sympathizer: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Video Game TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer

MGM: 100 Years, 100 Essential Movies

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

TV Premiere Dates 2024

Hulu’s Under the Bridge : Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone on Respecting Reena Virk’s Memory

• Trending on RT
• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
• Play Movie Trivia
• Baby Reindeer

Where to Watch

Watch Hollywood with a subscription on Netflix.

Cast & Crew

Ian Brennan

Ryan Murphy

David Corenswet

Jack Castello

Patti LuPone

Jake Picking

Rock Hudson

Jeremy Pope

Archie Coleman

Popular TV on Streaming

Tv news & guides, this show is featured in the following articles., series info.