Category Archives: 2025 Reviews

Nuremberg (2025) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating film that inevitably feels flawed in its very focus.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

The Tribunal.

Nuremberg Review Introduction –

Today, in the last film we will be looking at for 2025, we have come across one that has given me pause as to how conflicted I am towards it. On the surface, we have a film that could not be timelier as a reminder to a lot of people out there that their time will come and “I was only following orders” will not stand. But it also feels like a film that found the wrong anchor to focus on, and that is an issue for me.  

So, to set the scene, Adolf Hitler is dead. It is in the closing days of WW2 and Nazi Germany is falling apart. The remaining members of the regime are working out whether to run, hide, turn themselves in, or follow Hitler. On May 7th, 1945, the last day of the war in Europe, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) surrendered himself in Austria. In Bad Mondorf, Luxembourg, Dr Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) and his translator, Sgt. Howie Triest (Leo Woodall) had been tasked with a secret mission to look after the mental health of the German regime as they prepared to put them on trial. Kelley sees this as an excellent money-making exercise, but is he truly prepared to investigate the awfully benign face of evil incarnate?

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Frankenstein (2025) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating reinterpretation of the classic work that both works as an adaptation for a modern audience, but also holds true to the core of the original work, creating a fascinating juxtaposition to find a muse about the nature of life itself.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that screened this film.

The Monster looms on the horizon.

Frankenstein Review Introduction –

It is time for the final review before we start our best of 2025 list. We started the year with a rich Gothic-Horror romp with Nosferatu; it is only fair that we finish it returning to that same world, and if we are going to dabble in this world, it is only right to return  to where it all began with one of the greatest minds that helped build the foundation of Science Fiction with the eminent Mary Shelley’s work.

So, to set the scene, in Farthermost North, 1857, the snows and ice creep over the sea as a ship becomes beset in its cold embrace on its way to the North Pole. While stuck, they find an injured man near a pile of blood and being hunted by a monstrous visage, one who cannot be stopped by bullets. Sinking The Monster (Jacob Elordi) to the bottom of the ocean, they wake the wounded Baron Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), who tells the tale of how he came to make the very monster that has come to kill him.    

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The Long Walk – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A brutal, uncomfortable film that is anchored in some of the best performances I have seen all year.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

The group walking through a field.

The Long Walk Review Introduction –

Few people have had as many adaptations to their name as Stephen King. Indeed, we already got The Running Man this year. However, before I wrap up my 2025, I knew I needed to explore the other adaptation out this year. A film full of brutality and also camaraderie in a combination that I don’t think I have watched before.   

So, to set the scene, after suffering a brutal civil war in the 20th century, America now lives under a brutal military regime amidst an economic collapse. As a way of ‘bringing the country back together’, every year there is The Long Walk, where one boy from each state has to start walking and keep walking at three miles an hour until there is only one left. If they win, they win money for their family; if they stop, they “get their ticket taken”. Raymond “Ray” Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) is assigned number 47 under the harsh visage of the Major (Mark Hamill). One gunshot, and the slow march begins with all 50, but it doesn’t take long for the first ticket to get punched.

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The Lost Bus – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A film filled with tension from almost the opening minutes that keeps you hooked for every spark, every change in wind, and every explosion.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the AppleTV+ service that screened this film.  

Smoke rises over people fleeing.

The Lost Bus Review Introduction –

Today is the last day of 2025 movies catch-up before I complete my best of lists [yes, I have said this before, but I mean it this time]. I am catching up on the films of technical excellence that I want to see unfold. The first cab off the rank is a film based on a real event of a fire catching a city unprepared, which does hit a bit close to home as I look out my window at a dry forest sitting there.   

So, to set the scene, the land is parched, the grass is dead, and the trees are tinder in the town of Paradise, California, as it has been 210 days without rain. It is the sort of situation where one spark is all that is needed for tragedy. It is here that local bus driver Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey) is not having a very good time at all; he can’t catch a break anywhere. What he does not know is that today is the day that California will experience its worst wildfires in its history so far when wind damages an electricity tower and the sparks set all the grass ablaze. With wind gusting and an isolated location, there is very little anyone can do to stop it from becoming something.       

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KPop Demon Hunters – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Half Musical, Half Action Romp, Half Romance, Half Meditation on the Power of Art, Half Exploration on the Consuming Power of Shame, and All Style.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service to view this film.

Huntrix fights a wave of demons on the top of a train.

KPop Demon Hunters Review Introduction –

As we get to our final films from 2025 before we write our best-of lists, it becomes very clear that no list would feel right if I didn’t engage with the most-streamed movie of the year. If any film has earned the right to be declared a cultural phenomenon this year, it would probably be this. It would be wrong to look at the year without exploring something with such a large cultural impact. Well, then, it is time to dive in and see if it lives up to all the accolades.  

So, to set the scene, throughout history, there have been demons escaping into our world to steal souls that are used as power by their dark lord Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun). However, throughout history, there have always been those with strength of voice and character who have fought back and banished these demons back to the world they spawned from. Every generation, there are a new trio of Hunters that use their voices to reinforce the barrier between the worlds, the Honmoon. The current generation is a K-Pop band Huntrix featuring Rumi (Arden Cho/Ejae), Mira (May Hong/Audrey Nuna) & Zoey (Ji-young Yoo/Rei Ami). When a demon incursion goes very wrong, things get tense in the underworld because soon the Honmoon will turn golden and the demons will be stopped forever. It is this moment of desperation when the demon Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop/Andrew Choi) comes up with a novel plan to defeat Huntrix: go after their fans by creating a demon boy band called Saja Boys.    

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Twinless – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating and often confronting look at a very particular type of grief.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Roman and Dennis dressing up as Simms.

Twinless Review Introduction –

Today, we are looking at a film that is probably the penultimate film of the year for 2025. A movie that was much requested and with which I knew nothing about before pressing play beyond a vague understanding that it was delving into the dark comedy space. Sometimes this can be a burden, but today’s film is one of those interesting jaunts that may be better with the viewer knowing as little as possible before walking in.

So, to set the scene, we open with a screech of tyres, a sound of a thud, and then an awkward funeral. It is very difficult for Roman (Dylan O’Brien) because the deceased in this case is his identical twin brother. After a difficult fight with his mother, Lisa (Lauren Graham), Roman decides to seek out some help and joins a support group for those who lost their twin. It is here that he meets Dennis (James Sweeney), another twin who lost their twin. Roman’s life is spinning out of control, and Dennis is a stabilising factor, until…

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The Diplomat: Season 3 – TV Review

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TL;DR – While there is joy in watching this cast eat up the screen in every frame, this is a messier season as they try to transition to something different.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this series.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Military Helicopters flying over Big Ben.

The Diplomat Review –

My background is in International Relations, and it does not come up here as much as I would like, other than the occasional The Hitman’s Bodyguard jaunt. Well, today, given the situation of the world, I thought I would take a chance to have some wishful thinking in a world where the right things still matter, integrity still matters, to pretend for a couple of hours that everything hasn’t just gone to shit everywhere. But to understand why Season Three feels so volatile, we need to look at where Season Two left us.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Season Two, things went from bad to worse when the person, Grace Hagen Penn (Allison Janney), behind the scheme that blew up the British Ship in Season One has become the new President of the United States after the former suffered a heart attack during a conversation with Hal (Rufus Sewll). What was the conversation you ask? Well, it was informing him that his Vice-President may have committed a terrorist act on an ally, that very same Vice-President who is now the President of the United States. This is not a good day for Kate (Keri Russell) because the person she wanted removed just became the most powerful person in the world. Now, from here, we will be looking at the series as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Warfare – Movie Review

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TL;DR – An emotionally charged film that uses every bullet strike to bring you into this world, whether you are ready for it or not.  

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that was used to view this film.

Looking down a sniper scope.

Warfare Review Introduction –

After Alex Garland came out swinging with Civil War in 2024, I was interested to see what he would follow it up with next. Unfortunately, I just was not able to get to a screening when it had its theatrical release, but before I put my best films of 2025 list together, I knew I had to make sure I crossed this one off the pile of shame.  

So, to set the scene, on November 19th, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq, a Navy SEAL platoon took up sniper watch to support operations in the area. Two platoons take up position in an Iraqi family’s house to provide overwatch. Watching. Waiting. People peeking and probing their defences. All preparing themselves for that first shot or explosion.  

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Novocaine – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A chaotic ride from start to finish, with a cast that commits to the bit all the way.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service used to view this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Jack Quaid showered in falling glass.

Novocaine Review Introduction –

It has been a gangbuster year for action in 2025, and before I write my best-of-2025 list, I knew I had to catch one more action beat from the year, or in this case, a beatdown. Jack Quaid is always a solid lead, as we have seen in the three other films he released this year [Companion, Neighborhood Watch & Heads of State], so it is only fair that we take a look at number four.  

So, to set the scene, Nathan “Novocaine” Caine (Jack Quaid) is, by all respects, just a normal, mild-mannered bank executive, other than the fact that he actually cares about his clients. He is more reserved than you would expect, but that is because he has a nerve issue where he can not feel pain. Which you would think would be a good thing until you realise just how much your interaction with the world is based on that. His self-imposed isolation is brought to a sudden end when he finds a kindred spirit in Sherry Margrave (Amber Midthunder), which is suddenly interrupted by Santa-dressed bank robbers who take Sherry as a hostage. Now, only Novocaine is available to save her.

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Roofman – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A slow meditation on isolation and despair when who you are is not who the world wants.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Channing Tatum dancing through a Toys R Us store

Roofman Review Introduction –

Today, we are looking at a sort of odd film as we wrap up 2025. Going into Roofman, all the marketing implied that this was a quirky, fun romp of shenanigans. To be fair, there is some of that there. However, the film we got is very different from the one that was marketed.

So, to set the scene, in 1998, Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) made a living by breaking into McDonald’s via the roof. He felt it was the only way he could provide for his family after leaving the military. After being arrested, he is sent away for 45 years, but the same skills that allowed him to rob the burger places allowed him to escape prison. Prison plans and a truck trip later and he was a ‘free’ man, but with everyone looking for an escaped prisoner, Jeffery had only one place to hide, in a Toys R Us store.

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