(film review) - Backrooms

I remember watching Cloverfield for the first time and by the end of it asking myself, "What the hell was that?" Not because it was bad. Quite the opposite. I was fascinated by it, but I also had that lingering feeling of, "What exactly did I just watch?" By the time the credits rolled on Backrooms, I found myself having a very similar reaction.
Now, one of the things that intrigued me going into this film was learning that the director is only twenty years old and originally made a name for himself as a visual effects artist. Pair that with A24, a studio that seems incapable of avoiding interesting projects, and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.
I can safely say I discovered what the fuss was about. Whether I completely understood it is another matter entirely.
I'll be honest: a lot of this film went straight over my head. After watching a few reviews and ending explainers, I realised I'd picked up on some of the themes and ideas being presented, but the deeper CreepyPasta lore and mythology surrounding the Backrooms? Yeah, I was completely lost there.

Backrooms stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, an architect who now finds himself working in a furniture store. While investigating a lighting issue, he discovers a hidden doorway that leads to a seemingly endless maze of interconnected rooms. After discussing his discovery with his therapist, Mary, she decides to investigate the mysterious space herself, and from there things become increasingly strange, unsettling and difficult to explain.

One thing that immediately stood out to me was how little this film must have cost to make. This genuinely feels like it was made for the price of a bag of fish and chips, a portion of mushy peas and maybe a cup of gravy if the budget stretched that far.
The film mostly revolves around two central characters, with only a handful of supporting roles, and the majority of the story takes place within a single environment. Normally, when films work with those kinds of limitations, they need one of three things: a brilliant script, brilliant performances or brilliant ideas. Backrooms definitely have at least two of those.

The story itself is where things become a little complicated for me. On paper, there is absolutely a narrative. We meet Clark, we learn about his problems, we follow his journey, and eventually we reach a resolution. But this isn't a film interested in traditional storytelling.

It isn't concerned with explaining itself. It isn't interested in answering every question. And that reminded me of Cloverfield, I did not mind that.
Mary's storyline in particular felt underdeveloped to me, or at least they could have added a little more to really flesh out her character. I found myself wanting more from her character and more exploration of what she was going through. However, I also recognise that the film is deliberately designed to leave gaps and allow the audience to fill them in themselves.

The film seems far more interested in exploring ideas surrounding accountability, guilt, trauma and possibly forgiveness than it is in explaining what the Backrooms actually are. And honestly, the film never even attempts to provide those answers.

As a horror film, though, it absolutely succeeds. The cinematography is fantastic. There are moments that genuinely made me uncomfortable despite very little actually happening. Slow camera movements, endless corridors, dark corners, strange sounds and objects that appear slightly distorted or out of place all combine to create an atmosphere that feels consistently unsettling. The Backrooms themselves are often filled with furniture, objects and environments that look familiar at first glance but feel wrong the longer you look at them. That uncanny feeling becomes one of the film's greatest strengths.

The sound design deserves a lot of praise as well. There isn't a huge amount of music throughout the film, but what it lacks in score it more than makes up for with atmosphere. Every creak, hum, distant noise and echo is used to make you feel uneasy. Then there are the performances.

These kinds of films live or die based on the actors carrying the audience through long stretches of uncertainty, and thankfully, the cast is more than up to the task. Chiwetel Ejiofor is superb, as he usually is. He plays Clark with an intensity that constantly keeps you guessing. There were several moments where I wasn't entirely sure whether I trusted him, understood him or even fully believed what he was experiencing.

Alongside him, Renate Reinsve delivers a strong performance as Mary. She spends much of the film attempting to maintain control while clearly carrying unresolved trauma beneath the surface. Watching her navigate the increasingly bizarre situation reminded me at times of the characters in The Descent.

Ultimately, Backrooms is a film that has a lot to say, but it absolutely refuses to spoon-feed its audience. It doesn't explain the rules. It doesn't explain the mythology. It doesn't tell you how or why things exist. They simply do. I did not mind that, but perhaps I needed just that little bit more, but another part of me found it fascinating.

Maybe a sequel will explore more of the lore. Maybe the director intends to build an anthology around the Backrooms mythology. Or maybe the mystery is entirely the point. What I do know is that this is one of those films that sticks with you after the credits roll, especially with what you see. I would definitely watch it again. And who knows? Maybe the second time around, I'll finally understand what on earth I just watched.

(film review) - Masters of the Universe

I grew up on 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' cartoon, and when I think of ‘80s cartoons, not many hold the kind of place in my heart that He-Man does. There have been a few attempts over the years to recapture that magic—a good example being the 2011 ThunderCats reboot, which I thought was actually really strong in its anime style, but it never caught on. And then there was the Netflix Masters of the Universe series, directed by Kevin Smith. That was a continuation of the ‘80s show, and for a while, I was completely hooked. It dug deeper into the lore, gave us new angles, but at a certain point, it lost me. I’m not sure if it was all canon or if they were just experimenting, but some of the choices didn’t sit right with me. Still, even when it veered off, it had brilliant ideas, and the animation was top-tier.

So when I saw Travis Knight was directing the new Masters of the Universe movie—this is the guy who gave us 'Bumblebee', which was a breath of fresh air in a Transformers franchise that was losing steam—my interest piqued. Then I saw the pedigree of the film. Knight gave us 'Paranorman' and 'Kubo and the Two Strings', so he’s proven he can handle imaginative worlds with heart. And for me, overall, Masters of the Universe was entertaining—but it left me disappointed as it could have been so much more.

The film follows Prince Adam of Eternia, a young boy sent to Earth after a cosmic event. As he searches for the Sword of Power, he’s eventually found by Teela and brought back home, where Skeletor has left Eternia in ruins. Adam must discover his inner strength, do the right thing, and defeat Skeletor.

Is the movie bad? No. It’s fun, it’s got energy, and I’d absolutely watch it again because I did have a good time. But it’s a film that could have been so much more with a few key improvements—mainly in the dialogue, tone, and execution. The story is fine—it hits all the beats—but the supporting characters, though not the focus, could have been fleshed out a bit more. The acting was a mixed bag—some performances skirting between decent and flat-out weak—and I think a lot of that fell on the direction. The dialogue didn’t always land, and the tone was all over the place. At times, it felt like a throwback to the ‘80s cartoon—made to sell toys—while I know there are films out there that balance being kid-friendly but still sophisticated—like Pixar or Marvel, for example. Here, it felt like they didn’t quite know how to strike that balance.

I’d heard before going in that the humour didn’t always land and that serious moments were undercut by offbeat jokes—there’s a lot of rapid-fire innuendo, and yeah, a few went too far and broke the tone. That said, there was a thin layer of camp that, surprisingly, I didn’t mind. And even though Nicholas Galitzine was solid (despite some of the character choices they went for), and Idris Elba was good, Skeletor stole this movie. I know Jared Leto gets a lot of hate—some of it totally fair after his Joker antics—but as Skeletor, he brought a perfect balance of menace and camp. I think people either do not know or forget he is an Academy Award-winning actor, because he captured that iconic laugh, the sinister charm, and gave the role his own twist. If you love Skeletor from the cartoon, you’re going to love him here—he was, for me, the highlight.

The score is fantastic, the special effects are mostly great, and the action sequences are solid, but where the film really falters is in its tonal execution. It didn’t quite know how to balance a film for adults aimed at kids—or vice versa—like Pixar or even Marvel often manage. And I can’t help but think, maybe Knight had a better cut, and due to studio interference, this is what we got, because with someone who brought us earlier films which are deemed as really good to great by many, what happened here? Everything about the world, the world-building and even how they explained the character names was very well done and it worked, but as a whole, for me, I was simply disappointed because they played it simple and safe. I really hope they do a sequel and, due to the post-credits, open up the world a bit more, but maybe the movie will do well internationally, leading to a sequel where they can learn from what went wrong in this one and improve on it.

(trailer review) - How to rob a bank

 

There are trailers that look good, and then there are trailers that look like they were made specifically for me, and Wow. Just wow! If you know me, you know I absolutely live for films like Bullet Train and Deadpool—that perfect, chaotic blend of ultra-slick action, sharp wit, and stylized violence. So when this trailer dropped, I was already all over it. And let me tell you, it does not disappoint.

First of all, I absolutely love Nicholas Hoult. He is front and center. I genuinely think he's one of the most versatile actors working today. One minute he's playing a complete psychopath, the next he's playing someone charming, funny or completely awkward. He seems able to slide into almost any role as he switches gears so effortlessly, and make it work, and from this trailer alone, he looks like he's having an absolute blast and he looks absolutely brilliant here. The thumbnail did actually make me think it was Ed Skrein at first.

​The casting across the board is just hitting all the right notes for me:

​Seeing the black boy from Marvel's The Runaways, Rhenzy Feliz, who many people will more recently recognise from The Penguin, he's one of those actors who always seems to bring a lot of energy whenever he appears on screen and has a very cool demeanor and presence.

Pete Davidson isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he is likely to bring a bit of levity to the group among the chaos. The film looks like it knows exactly when to be serious and exactly when to let the audience laugh, and Pete feels like a big part of that balance.

Then you've got John C. Reilly, who seems to be playing it more straight than comedic with a few comedic notes here and there laced throughout the trailer. I haven't seen Christian in much of anything recently, so seeing Christian Slater genuinely made me smile. Having him back on screen doing his thing is a massive treat. 

Seeing Zoë Kravitz was another great get. She has such a natural screen presence that whenever she turns up in a project, I immediately become more interested. She is great in pretty much everything she has been in from X-Men: First Class to Mad Max Fury Road, to Blink Twice, to The Batman. Absolute bonus. She just adds that extra layer of cool to the whole aesthetic.

The trailer kicks off with a brilliant line that perfectly sets the tone for our digital age: "You know what is more powerful than money? An audience." From there, it hits us with a hilarious breakdown of success rates—comparing the abysmal odds of actually owning your own home or earning a six-figure salary against the surprisingly high success rate of... well, robbing a bank. All of this is delivered by Hoult’s character, casually wearing a mask and talking straight into a camera as they are literally turning bank heists into content for the masses!

We get a glimpse of the crew of four in a van, setting up the ground rules for their next engagement. But when they rush the bank doors, only to politely step aside and let an old lady walk out and a reference to The Golden Girls is mentioned. She doesn't even notice she’s walking past a fully armed heist crew. 

As we see a montage of them hitting banks and recording it all for socials, enter John C. Reilly. His character tells his team: these kids have robbed 15 banks and are making the FBI look like absolute fools.

To level the playing field, the feds enlist a hacker who is currently under house arrest. Their mission? To use a bespoke program she created to track down people who explicitly do not want to be found. What follows is a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, with John C. Reilly hot on their heels until he has a breakthrough. He realises the key to catching them lies in one very specific bank—one that has a major, mysterious tie to the robbers themselves.

The final stretch of the trailer is just pure, unadulterated adrenaline. We’re treated to a barrage of explosions, a flawless dropkick, and intense police chases, but the dialogue remains the star. In the middle of commandeering a getaway vehicle, the driver looks at them in shock and asks, "Is this 'How to Rob a Bank'? I love your show!" Hoult’s crew doesn't even blink: "Thanks for watching!"

The trailer leaves us on a high note with a massive police chase. A cop car smashes into another vehicle, completely flipping it over, prompting one of the robbers to yell out the window: "Dude, you just blew a stop sign!"

Honestly? The comedic timing is impeccable, the action looks incredibly slick, and the premise is brilliant as it also seems to have a lot to say. I cannot wait for this.