The Fantastic Four: First Steps

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is a 2025 Marvel superhero movie based off the popular Fantastic Four comic book series. This one stars Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible-Fallout), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), Julia Garner (Ozark), and Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai).

It’s the 1960’s and four astronauts, who are also family, go into space on a mission. When their suits become compromised, they come back to earth with unique superpowers. They become earth’s protectors. When a powerful being who devours planets comes for earth, it’s up to the Fantastic Four to come up with a plan to stop him before it’s too late.

This looked like it would be good, I’m not a big Fantastic Four fan but Marvel makes great movies so I gave it a try. I like how they stayed true to the comics, and set it in the 60’s. That was a nice touch. There’s not a lot of action in this one, especially for it being a superhero movie, but no pun intended, it’s fantastic. The casting is great all the way through, the story is really good, the writing is phenomenal. It’s a two-hour movie but doesn’t feel any bit of it. There’s not a single part that felt like it lulled. It’s a heartfelt movie, that will have you tearing up, even though you know it turns out okay, you’re still on the edge of your seat. It’s one of the better movies I have seen in a while. They tease there will be a second one, and I can’t wait. This is a must see movie, that I give a 10/10.

Road House (2024)

“Road House” is an Amazon Prime 2024 action/thriller that is a remake of the 1989 cult classic with the same name. This one stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), MMA fighter Conor McGregor, Jesssica Williams (Booksmart), Billy Magnussen (Game Night), Lukas Gage (You), and superstar Post Malone.

Ex MMA fighter (Gyllenhaal) with a troubled past takes a job as a bouncer in the Florida Keys at a bar called the Road House. The owner (Williams) is having troubles and is hoping her new bouncer can clean up the place.

The original “Road House” is a classic, but honestly it’s pretty cheesy. The only reason it’s still so popular is because of Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott, but they make it great in its cheesy way. This new one follows the original story line but also adds its own special twist on it. It’s like “Road House” on steroids mashed with “John Wick.” It is full of fight scenes and action, it’s great. Jake Gyllenhaal pulls off a phenomenal performance. I was worried about McGregor, I wasn’t sure how well he would do and questioned that casting. He nails his part as well, I think he just runs around and acts like himself, but he nails it. This is a much watch for anyone who is a fan of the original or just looking for great action flick. I give it a 10/10

Oppenheimer

“Oppenheimer” is a 2023 Biography/Drama about the father of the atomic bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer. It has an impressive cast starring Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Robert Downey Jr., (Iron Man), Matt Damon (Downsizing), David Krumholtz (The Santa Clause), Josh Hartnett (The Faculty), and Dylan Arnold (You).

I feel this is one of those films you’re either going to love it or hate it with zero in between. If you like nonstop action, then this movie is not for you. It’s a three-hour movie, mostly about the process in Los Alamos, the development of the bomb, then later on in Oppenheimer’s life when he was trying to keep his security clearance. So, if you don’t like history, I don’t think you’ll enjoy it. I however, loved it. The timeline wasn’t linear it jumped between the actual process of building the bomb and Oppenheimer going through a trial process for his security clearance. Even though the movie is three hours, it doesn’t feel it. The acting is phenomenal on all fronts especially from Cillian Murphy and Matt Damon. I will be shocked if they don’t at least get nominated for an Oscar for their performance of these roles. Cillian Murphy is such a great actor, and his portrayal of Oppenheimer may be his best role yet. I feel this is a must-see movie. I give it a 10/10.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is 2023 action/superhero movie and newest installment of the “Transformer” movie series. It stars Anthony Ramos (Hamilton), Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah), Peter Cullen (The Transformers), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island).

It’s the mid 90’s and Noah Diaz (Ramos) a young US soldier, who is looking for his lucky break, gets caught in the middle of a battle to save earth against the Unicron. Now, Diaz, the Maximals, and the Autobots all team up to save earth before it’s too late.

I haven’t seen many of the newer Transformer movies, and I don’t think I’ve seen many or even any since Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox were the main stars. However, I didn’t feel like sitting through 2.5 hours of “The Flash” so, I went and saw this instead. I figured it would be good because the others are, but I didn’t have the bar set too high. To my surprise the theater was packed, so Transformers still has a huge following. It’s a little over 2 hrs which starts to get on the long side for any movie, but this one does a great job of being good throughout the entire movie without the feeling of any lags. It is filled with plenty of action, comedy, and enough drama to pull on your heart strings and get you emotionally invested. Also, you have Pete Davidson as the main Transformer, who wouldn’t want to see that? It also teases an epic crossover at the end of the movie. Not only is this a must-see movie, but it’s probably the best one in the series (out of the ones I’ve seen anyway). I give it a solid 10/10.

Vampire’s Kiss

I’m going old school with this one, all the way back to 1989 to “Vampire’s Kiss”. I’m actually a little surprised I haven’t seen this one before. “Vampire’s Kiss” is a 1989 Dark Comedy starring Nicholas Cage (National Treasure), Maria Conchita Alonso (The Running Man), Jennifer Beals (The Book of Eli), and Elizabeth Ashley (Just Getting Started).

A publishing executive (Cage) is bitten by a bat in his apartment, who he believes is a vampire. He starts to experience erratic behavior and starts to spiral out of control. Unfortunately for his secretary, she becomes the object of his focus.

This is easily the most ridiculous movie I have ever seen, and the whole reason is because of Nicholas Cage. It’s also one of the funniest movies I have ever seen because of him too. His acting is so over the top it is insane. All the eye popping and erratic memes you have seen of him is from this film. His facial expressions and body language are enough to make you cry with laughter. Nicholas Cage is supposed to be pretty eccentric in real life, I imagine this is how he really is just walking around. This film is going to leave you asking more questions than what it gives answers for, but just because how ridiculous he is in this, it’s worth it. It’s easily a movie I could watch over and over. I give it a 10/10. You can currently catch it on Tubi.

Violent Night

“Violent Night” is a 2022 Christmas dark comedy/ action film starring David Harbour (Stranger Things), John Leguizamo (The Menu), Alex Hassell (The Boys), Beverly D’ Angelo (National Lampoons Christmas Vacation), and Leah Brady (The Umbrella Academy).

Santa is down on his Christmas spirit, and he gets stuck at a house that’s being robbed by a team of mercenaries. One of the house’s occupants is a little girl who still believes in Santa and needs some Christmas spirit herself. Santa now must kill the mercenaries and save the little girl and her family while trying to find the spirit of Christmas.

As I stated in my last review, it’s the season for Christmas movies, and majority are cheesy and bad. This one looked like it could go that way, Santa in a John Wick style movie killing mercenaries. It is original, so the question is, how is it? Simple, amazing. They made it work. It’s a fast-paced violent ride while still maintaining a way to capture it as a Christmas movie. Where else are you going to watch Santa Clause killing bad guys in creative ways such as with a sharpened candy cane, sledgehammer, and woodchipper while Christmas Carols play. This one is going to go down as a Christmas Classic. Even with all the violence and bloodshed, you leave feeling the Christmas spirit. David Harbour plays an excellent Santa and embodies this role. I give it a 10/10.

Smile

“Smile” is a 2022 horror starring Sosie Bacon (13 Reasons Why), Kyle Gallner (Outsiders), and Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar go to White castle).

An ER therapist (Bacon) witnesses one of her patients kill themselves in a brutal fashion in front of her after the patient claimed she was being hunted/forced by a supernatural/demonic force. It creates a pattern, whoever witness the suicide will face the same fate a week later if not sooner. Now Dr. Rose Cotter (Bacon) must find a way to break the pattern before she faces the same fate while she slowly spirals into insanity.

This movie is insane. It takes a look at the fragility of the mind and mental illness while Sosie Bacon’s life starts to spiral out of control. She begins to not be able to decipher reality from nightmare. This movie is not predictable, it’s creepy, and it will have you leaving the theater saying holy crap, and probably a feeling of unease. There are very few movies that leave me mind blown, but this is one of them. Sosie Bacon plays an amazing role, and she deserves some sort of an award for it. This is a must watch for any horror fan, it will go down as the best horror film of 2022. I give it a 10/10.

Bullet Train

“Bullet Train” is a 2022 Action/Comedy starring Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Joey King (The Princess), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Brian Tyree Henry (Hotel Artemis), and Michael Shannon (The Iceman).

Hired killer and recently turned pacifist (Pitt) believes he is taking a simple snatch and grab job by taking a brief case on a bullet train. What he doesn’t know is there are five other assassins on the bullet train, and they all have more in common than he thinks. Now it’s a fight for survival in order to get off at a stop.

I was excited for this movie since I saw the first trailer for it. I love Brad Pitt, and it’s full of violence. Sounds perfect, this movie did not let me down. It is two hours of nonstop violence mixed in comedic relief from Pitt, and Henry. It gives off series “Kill Bill”/ Tarantino vibes mixed with “Seven Psychopaths”, it’s awesome. It is star studded and also filled with cameos from some big names as well. It will have you glued to your chair and rooting for Pitt to hopefully find his way off the bullet train. I give it a 10/10.

Escape from Pretoria

“Escape from Pretoria” is 2020 thriller/drama starring Daniel Radcliffe (The Lost City), Daniel Webber (The Dirt), and Mark Leonard Winter (Elvis).

“Escape from Pretoria” is based on the true story of two political prisoners who escape prison in South Africa in 1979.

If you’ve read my other reviews dealing with Daniel Radcliffe, you know that I’m a huge fan, and not because of the “Harry Potter” series, but because of his offbeat obscure movies he has done since then. He always nails the role; this one is no different. “Escape from Pretoria” is a powerful movie, that has you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Even though you know it’s a true story based on the prisoners escaping you can’t help but having your heart racing the entire time. It ranks up there with the other great prison escape films such as “Shawshank Redemption”, and “Escape from Alcatraz.” It is a must watch, and you can currently catch it on Hulu. I give it a 10/10.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is the 2022 sequel to the 2020 movie “Sonic the Hedgehog.” It brings back Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), James Marsden (X-Men), Jim Carrey (The Mask), Tika Sumpter (Ride Along), and Natasha Rothwell (Archer) while adding Idris Elba (Luther), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Danny Phantom), and Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds).

Sonic 2 picks up where the first one left off. Dr. Robotnik is on the mushroom planet trying to find a way back to earth. He manages to open up a portal allowing Knuckles to come through, Dr. Robotnik develops an idea to get back to earth and have Knuckles help him take care of Sonic once and for all. Meanwhile, Tails comes to earth to warn Sonic and help him stop Dr. Robotnik.

If you go back and look at my review on the first one (https://kingsblog.movie.blog/2020/05/09/sonic-the-hedgehog/) you’ll see, I was surprised at how good it was, so I was looking forward to the second one. This one actually surpasses the first. It’s a two-hour movie, but it doesn’t feel like it. They do a great job of finding the perfect blend of comedy and action that the whole family will love. The addition of Idris Elba as Knuckles is great, he reminds me of Drax from “Guardians of the Galaxy”, also Natasha Rothwell plays a very funny role in this one. They tease a third one in the post credits scene, so keep an eye out for it. You can watch the second one as a stand-alone film, but I suggest seeing the first if you haven’t. There are also several nods to the video game throughout the movie. They knocked this one out of the park, I give it a 10/10. It’s just a great lighthearted watch.