Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
8.2
How they seamlessly patched together such a solid romantic comedy with a slasher, I’ll never know… but here we are! It was so adorable and then so abhorrent, and then back. I couldn’t believe how intense it got in some sequences, or how hard I laughed at others. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding’s chemistry is ELECTRIC, which really helps this thing cook. A perfect date-night movie with your arm candy… even if it’s a popcorn bucket.
6.6
Ghost POV was a fun ride… I could have done without the constant threat of witnessing a sexual assault, but the rest of the movie was so-so to almost solid. There were just so many unnecessary tangents and strange side quests that distract from what could have been a truly original and cool film. IT ends up being kind of predictable and overall “meh.” Also, be careful of mirrors. Pro tip.
7.6
So, uh… this is what happens when the sex robots become sentient and revolt. We’ve been due this film in the new age A.I. sci-fi genre… and this didn’t disappoint! A funny, insightful, dread-inducing thrill ride that’s “Promising Young Woman” meets “The Terminator.” A bloody good time at the theater! I can’t give Sophie Thatcher enough credit in this role, as she takes over and doesn’t relinquish her on-screen domination until the credits are done rolling! Bravo!
4.2
Save yourself two hours of your life…
It’s aggressively insulting to the intelligence of the audience as it tries to be 6 things at once. It’s “Pride & Prejudice,” as the daughters fight for the right to be married off? Is it a ripoff of “Duel,” the amazing vehicular thriller by Steven Spielberg? Is it a slasher, akin to “Saw” or “Texas Chainsaw Massacre?” The answer is – it tries to be all of these things, and thus fails at all of them. What could have been an amazing premise is pissed away on cheap jump scares, laughable hijinks, and dialogue that sounds like ChatGPT had a stroke.
Instead – enjoy this 38 Special tune (or really any of their catalogue)… they’re mentioned in the movie, and I would have rather watched two hours of their music videos.
7.9
Part of my initial beef with this movie was the number of times I had to watch the same trailer for it at my local AMC. I had to work not to hold that against it.
Working past that, I really enjoyed this one! It adequately expanded on the lore without losing the magic that made the original standout in a year of great horror flicks. Great jump scares, some legitimately terrifying twisting of reality (what’s real and what’s not), and a fair amount more gore than expected (the “Terrifier” effect on modern horror). Naomi Scott really makes the movie with her strong performance in the lead position. Without her, I’m not sure this one works and am not sure we would get the impending third installment. She really kills it (no pun intended) from beginning to end here.
Studio horror continuing its comeback, and I’m here for it!
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 