Jurassic World Rebirth — Movie Review

Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) is a high-ranking executive at a powerful pharmaceutical company. One of their most ambitious projects is to find a cure for a deadly heart disease. To make progress, they need rare biomaterial samples from three specific dinosaurs. These dinosaurs are located on a remote and heavily restricted island near the equator.

To retrieve the samples, Krebs hires Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a covert operations expert known for her experience with high-risk missions. Zora puts together a team for the job. She brings in Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), a friend and a seasoned field leader, along with LeClerc (Bechir Sylvain), Nina (Philippine Velge), and Bobby Atwater (Ed Skrein). Also joining them is Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist brought in for his knowledge of dinosaur behavior and biology.

Meanwhile, sailing nearby is Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) with her daughters, Isabella (Audrina Miranda) and Teresa (Luna Blaise), and Teresa’s boyfriend, Xavier (David Iacono). When their boat drifts too close to the island, they are attacked by a Mosasaurus. Their vessel is destroyed and they become stranded in open water.

Zora and Kincaid’s team finds the shipwrecked family and rescues them. But with no way to send them back to safety, the team takes the family with them as they move forward with the mission.

Once they set foot on the island, they realize the difficulty of this mission. The island is crawling with more aggressive and terrifying creatures. Among them is a monstrous, genetically altered dinosaur called the Distortus rex. It is probably the most brutal creature on the island.

Superman — Movie Review

After stopping a war between Boravia and Jarhanpur, Superman (David Corenswet) finds himself in hot water. Though he ended the conflict, he is now under scrutiny for entering a foreign country and interfering with political affairs. One of his most vocal critics is none other than tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).

Lex claims that Superman might be a global threat because of his involvement in the Boravia-Jarhanpur situation. He proposes a solution to the U.S. government, a special task force he calls Planet Watch. This unit includes his most powerful assets: the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), Ultra Man, and a fleet of flying armored soldiers. However, the government is reluctant to approve his plan unless he can present solid evidence that Superman poses a serious danger.

While Lex looks for a way to bring Superman down, Superman continues doing what he does best. He saves lives. Whether it is stopping an enormous kaiju or going toe-to-toe with a mysterious iron suit, he shows up. He is not alone either. Sometimes, he gets help from his loyal dog, Krypto. Other times, the Justice Gang steps in. The team includes Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi). But their support is limited. They are under Maxwell Lord and his company, so their involvement depends on the situation.

Outside of saving the world, Superman lives a quieter life as Clark Kent. He works as a journalist for The Daily Planet alongside his best friend Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and his girlfriend, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Lois knows the truth about Clark and Superman, and they’re secretly dating. Though, it’s not working out perfectly as both would've want to.

But despite everything, from relationship issue to world-ending problems, one thing remains clear. The world needs Superman. So when Lex finally makes his move and begins to carry out his plan to eliminate him, Superman must find the strength to face his biggest challenge yet.

KPop Demon Hunter — Movie Review

Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) are the stars of Huntrix, a wildly popular Korean girl group. Fans around the world adore them. Their songs, style, and energy can easily light up every stage.

But behind all the fame and glamor, the world doesn’t know their biggest secret.

They’re not just pop stars. They’re demon hunters.

For a long time, demons have roamed the Earth. They hide in the shadows and steal souls to feed their king, Gwi-Ma (Byung-hun Lee). Rumi, Mira, and Zoey were born with voices that carry a special power. When they sing, their music fills people with hope and courage. And when people are feeling fulfilled, the energy they give strengthens an ancient force called the Honmoon.

The Honmoon is what protects the world from Gwi-Ma’s evil. The more people believe in Huntrix and feel inspired by their songs, the stronger the Honmoon becomes. If enough hearts are awakened, they can create the Golden Honmoon, a shield so powerful that no darkness can break through it.

Meanwhile, in the demon world, Gwi-Ma is growing restless. His attacks have all failed and Huntrix is stronger than ever. That’s when a clever demon named Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) comes up with a new idea. Instead of fighting the group directly, why not destroy their fanbase?

Jinu believes that if people stop listening, the Honmoon will grow weak. Perhaps, it will fade away.

As pressure builds for Huntrix to unlock the Golden Honmoon, Rumi faces a personal struggle. She is hiding a terrible secret to her group.

Rumi is part demon.

Every day, it gets harder to keep the truth from Mira and Zoey. She’s afraid that if they find out, it will break their bond and weaken the group’s power.

Rumi’s fear grows as Gwi-Ma and Jinu draw closer to victory. If she loses her friends’ trust, Huntrix might fall apart. And if they do, the world could fall with them.

28 Years Later — Movie Review

The film is set 28 years after the Rage virus. While the virus has almost completely died out across continental Europe, as most of the infected have perished from starvation, Great Britain remains under indefinite quarantine.

On an island separated from the mainland by a causeway lives Jaime (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), one of the community's most skilled scavengers. He resides with his wife Isla (Jodie Comer), who is battling a mysterious illness, and their 12-year-old son, Spike (Alfie Williams). As part of the community’s coming-of-age ritual, Jaime takes Spike into the forest to teach him the art of survival and scavenging.

During their trip, they encounter different types of infected, from a fat one to a child. But the most terrifying of them all is an Alpha, a rare variant that is faster, stronger, and smarter than the typical infected. These Alphas are nearly impossible to outrun or outfight, making them a threat to be avoided at all costs.

While staying at an abandoned house, Spike spots a fire in the distance. Jaime mentions that it is probably Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a former survivor who now lives in isolation. According to locals, Kelson has lost his mind, and most people are afraid of him. However, Spike later discovers that Kelson is actually a doctor. With hope building inside him, he wonders if Kelson might be able to help treat his ailing mother.

Everything changes when Spike witnesses his father having an affair. The betrayal shakes him to the core and becomes the turning point of the story.

Spike decides to break the community’s rules to bring Isla to Kelson, risking everything to save her. With infected still roaming the land and the threat of Alphas making every step more perilous, Spike traverses the dangerous land with courage, love, and a bow in hand.

Deep Cover — Movie Review

Deep Cover follows a group of improv comedians who are unexpectedly recruited by a police officer (Sean Bean) to infiltrate a dangerous drug gang.

Leading the team is Kat Boyles (Bryce Dallas Howard). She’s a struggling stand-up comedian who also teaches improv on the side. Joining her is Marlon Swift (Orlando Bloom), an aspiring dramatic actor and one of Kat’s improv students. Completing the trio is Hugh (Nick Mohammed), a socially awkward IT worker who gets pulled into the mission despite his poor improv skill.

At first, everything goes surprisingly well. Using their skills, the trio manages to earn the trust of the drug lord, Fly (Paddy Considine). Their improvisational talents keep their cover believable, and for a moment, it seems like the mission might actually succeed.

But things quickly spiral out of control.

Suspicion starts to build and Fly begins questioning their identities. To make matters worse, the police seem oddly uninformed by the operation, leaving the trio out in the cold with no backup.

Now trapped in a dangerous game and with their lives on the line, the three have no choice but to rely on what they know best: improv.

How to Train Your Dragon — Movie Review

If other islands worry about pests like rats or insects, the island of Berk worries about something much bigger: dragons.

Dragons are vicious creatures. They steal sheep for food and destroy homes and crops with their fire. Every attack is a reminder that life in Berk is dangerous and unpredictable.

But Berk is home to the toughest and meanest Vikings. They don’t back down from anything, not even fire-breathing, high-flying dragons. The people of Berk are fearless. When a dragon appears, they fight it, capture it, punch it, or kill it.

Hiccup (Mason Thames) is the son of the Viking chief, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). As the chief's son, everyone expects great things from him. But Hiccup doesn’t fit the Viking mold. He’s thin, weak, clumsy, and far from fearless. He often ruins whatever he touches, much to the disappointment of his father.

His peers don’t see much value in him either. Snotlout (Gabriel Howell), Fishlegs (Julian Dennison), Ruffnut (Bronwyn James), and Tuffnut (Harry Trevaldwyn) each have unique strengths and bravery that makes them useful in battle. Even Astrid (Nico Parker), Hiccup’s crush, is a fierce and skilled warrior. She’s easily the best Viking of their generation.

Still, not everyone has given up on him. Gobber (Nick Frost), Hiccup’s mentor, sees potential in the boy. He believes that maybe Hiccup doesn’t need to be a typical Viking. Maybe he just needs to stop pretending to be someone he’s not and start embracing who he really is: a thinker, a builder, a problem-solver. Someone who sharpens swords, creates strange gadgets, and invents new things.

Then one day, everything changes.

Hiccup encounters a trapped dragon. Not an ordinary dragon, but a Night Fury. Night Furies are known to be incredibly fast, dangerously powerful, and extremely rare. According to Viking law, if you see one, you must kill it on sight.

But Hiccup can’t do it. He raises his knife, then lowers it. Instead of killing the Night Fury, he sets it free.

The dragon, however, can’t fly away. Hiccup soon realizes that the Night Fury’s tail fin is damaged, making flight impossible. Hiccup decides to do something crazy, he builds the dragon a prosthetic tail fin.

Before he can test it, though, he must first do the impossible: earn the dragon’s trust.

As Hiccup spends more time with the dragon he named Toothless, he realizes something that could change everything: dragons might not be the enemy after all. They’re not mindless beasts. In actuality, they’re intelligent and emotional creatures.

This revelation forces Hiccup to question everything his father and his entire community believe. Maybe they’ve been wrong about dragons after all.

Predator: Killer of Killers — Movie Review

Predator: Killer of Killers is an anthology film told in different chapters.

The first story follows Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), a fierce Viking warrioress leading her son Anders (Damien Haas) and their clan to destroy the Krivichs. Ursa harbors a personal vendetta against the Krivich leader, Zoran, who was responsible for her father's death.

After a brutal battle between Ursa and Zoran, a Yautja suddenly appears and slaughters what remains of both clans.

The next chapter centers on two samurai brothers, Kenji and Kiyoshi (both voiced by Louis Ozawa), sons of a powerful warlord in feudal Japan. One day, their father demands a duel between the two to determine his successor. But Kenji, unwilling to fight his own brother, runs away. Kiyoshi, bound by honor, stays behind and accepts his father's title.

Years later, the brothers reunite, and a fateful duel begins.

Unbeknownst to them, a Yautja has been watching from the shadows, studying their combat. When one brother emerges as the clear victor, the Predator steps in to face the superior warrior in a deadly one-on-one battle.

The next part is set around 1941 to 1942, during the Battle of the Atlantic. This chapter follows fighter pilot John Torres (Rick Gonzalez).

While on a mission, John realizes the enemy aircraft they are fighting isn’t from Earth. It is actually a Yautja starship. Despite orders to stay grounded, John takes to the skies to warn his squadron.

But, it’s too late.

Outgunned and outmatched, John pushes his skills to the limit in a desperate dogfight to bring the alien vessel down.

In the final segment, all surviving “fighters” find themselves captured and taken to a distant planet ruled by the Yautja.

There, they are pitted against each other in a gladiator-style deathmatch. The goal? Prove themselves worthy to face the ultimate Predator warlord. Only the strongest will survive.

Ballerina — Movie Review

Ballerina (2025)

When Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) was a young girl, she witnessed the murder of her father by a man known as the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). From that moment on, she swore to track him down and avenge her father's death.

Following the tragedy, Winston (Ian McShane), the owner of the New York Continental, brings Eve to the Ruska Roma. There, she meets the Director (Anjelica Huston), who takes her in. In Ruska Roma, Eve trains as a ballerina and a deadly assassin, becoming one of their most capable operatives.

Years later, during one of her assignments, Eve encounters a cultist bearing a distinct mark that resembles one she saw on her father's attackers. The mark reignites her thirst for revenge. Ignoring direct orders from the Director not to meddle with them, due to a longstanding truce between the Ruska Roma and the Chancellor’s faction, Eve turns to Winston for help in tracking the cult down.

Her investigation leads her to the Prague Continental, where a man named Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) is staying with a young boy. It isn’t long before she discovers the hotel is filled with cultists and assassins, all hunting Daniel.

When the situation spirals out of control, Eve agrees to honor Daniel’s wish to protect the boy at all costs, all the while continuing her pursuit of the Chancellor.

Meanwhile, because Eve disobeyed the Director’s orders, the Director sends her most formidable enforcer to stop her: none other than the Baba Yaga, John Wick (Keanu Reeves).

Karate Kid: Legends — Movie Review

4 decades, 3 karate kids. Now, we have a new one!

Li Fong (Ben Wang), a teenager from Beijing, moves to New York after his mother (Ming-Na Wen) lands a new job in the city. He brings with him a deep knowledge of kung fu, having trained under his great-uncle, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). However, as Li moves to a new place, he makes a vow to leave martial arts behind. This promise is in respect for the tragic loss of his older brother, who was stabbed by a vengeful opponent following a tournament match.

Life in New York proves to be challenging. Li struggles to connect with others and feels like an outsider in his new environment. Things begin to change when he meets Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley), the daughter of a pizza shop owner and the only child of Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson), a former local boxing champion. Mia is kind, outspoken, and welcoming, and the two quickly form a close friendship. As they grow closer, Li begins to develop feelings for her.

However, not everyone is happy about this new bond. Mia’s ex-boyfriend, Connor Day (Aramis Knight), takes issue with it. Connor is a local karate champion known for his aggressive attitude. Jealous and threatened, Connor targets Li, looking for an opportunity to bully and humiliate him. Eventually, he challenges Li to settle things in a local martial arts tournament.

Li finds himself torn. His promise to never fight again weighs heavily on him, especially with the memory of his brother’s death still fresh. But if he declines, it's an invitation for Connor to bully him more. Plus, the prize money could help Mia and Victor with their pizza shop. Seeing his student’s internal conflict, Mr. Han reaches out to someone who might be able to guide Li in a different way. So he enlists the Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), a former karate champion and longtime student and friend of the late Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).

Daniel introduces Li to Miyagi-Do Karate and helps him rediscover what martial arts are truly about. It’s not about revenge or proving strength, but about finding balance, peace, and the courage to face life’s challenges.

Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning — Movie Review

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in another explosive Mission: Impossible. But this time, he’s not facing a terrorist leader, a contract killer, or a rogue double agent. This time, the enemy is far more dangerous, unpredictable, and unrelenting, an artificial intelligence known only as the Entity.

Ethan’s mission, should he choose to accept it, is to stop the Entity from unleashing global destruction, erasing all of humanity. The only way to stop it is to retrieve its source code, which lies at the bottom of the ocean in a sunken Russian submarine called the Sevastopol.

There are just some problems: Ethan doesn’t know where the Sevastopol is, how to reach it, or what to do with the source code once he finds it. And time is running out. With every passing minute, the Entity grows smarter and more powerful, slipping deeper into the world’s nuclear systems and becoming nearly impossible to contain.

To make matters worse, an old enemy is after him. Gabriel (Esai Morales) is back. And he will stop for nothing to gain control of the source code before Ethan can.

As always, Ethan assembles his loyal, tight-knit team. Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), the ever-reliable tech field agent. Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), a veteran hacker. And Grace (Hayley Atwell), a skilled thief turned IMF operative.

Together, they devise a high-stakes plan to outmaneuver both Gabriel and the Entity. It’s not perfect, and unexpected problems always seem to find them, but if there’s one thing this team knows, it’s to find a way.

Migration: Movie Review

It feels like 2023 is a year of breakthroughs in animation. There were so many good animated movies released last year, like TMNT: Mutant Mayhem and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Both of which defied the boundaries of the genre. But while everyone is pushing the envelope of what animation can do, we get movies like Illumination’s Migration, which is content just to be part of the flock.

Migration is about the Mallard family and their first migration from New England to Jamaica. The head of the family is the always-anxious Mack Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani), who loathes the idea of ever leaving their home. But he decided to migrate anyway after his always optimistic wife, Pam (Elizabeth Banks), and his always dopey uncle, Grand Dan (Danny DeVito), convinced him.

Upon their arrival in New York City, the film immediately shows us the impact of modernity on animals. They almost hit a crane, a car, a building, and a billboard. Their journey was impeded by this so-called progress, and now they're lost.

The Mallard family then meets a pigeon named Chump (Awkwafina). Chump shows them around the city and introduces them to Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key), a Jamaican-accented parrot. Delroy knows the way to Jamaica, but they must free him first from the clutches of an evil chef so he can help them out.

From there, it feels like we're at an impasse with the story. With no grand message about the human-animal relationship, the story heads nowhere. The overall message about family lacks the genuineness to make an everlasting impact. The only good thing that remains in the end is the voice work of Caspar Jennings, who played Dax Mallard, and Tresi Gazal, who played Gwen Mallard, and their funny banter with each other.

Migration never turns into the movie that director Benjamin Renner wants it to be. It awfully still feels like an Illumination comedy that relies on zaniness over emotions, story, and relevance.

It also didn't bring anything new to the table. The movie is a typical animated family movie meant to entertain kids and amuse adults. It's not even smart or fab. It has no splash. It's happy to just float along the ocean as the waves of bigger and better animated movies keep coming along.

2/5

The Beekeeper: Movie Review

When you watch Jason Statham movies, you can always count on him to wear a jacket and a cap and punch some bad guys in the face. He beat up hired guns in Expendables 4 last year. A few years before that, he beat up thieves in Wrath of Man. In The Beekeeper, he fights a global scamming agency and white-collar crooks led by an asshole Josh Hutcherson.

Statham plays Adam Clay, a beekeeper. The film opens with him talking to a kind woman named Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad). Eloise is the owner of the bee farm where he works; she also handles the finances of some charities on the side. Clay thanks Eloise for taking care of him. We'll never find out what that means, but things then become quite dumb. Eloise lost all her savings and the money from the charities to a group of swindlers. But instead of calling the police, she took her own life. The film never establishes that Eloise is suicidal or depressed. Hence, her death feels a bit crass and a total cheap move by David Ayer to give Adam some kind of motivation.

Like a true justified action hero, Adam didn't waste any time going to work to find the scammers. Apparently, he's a former agent for a secret group called Beekeepers. And with his connections, he managed to find the scammers location and burn it down to the ground, much to the chagrin of the company's president, Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), and his security slash advisor, Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons). He then warns them that they're next. 

Adam's violent ways also caught the attention of Eloise's daughter, FBI Agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), who disapproves of his method. But this plot has zero effect on where things are going. It never developed into something exciting or important.

The whole movie feels so half-baked. It feels like there's still a lot about it that's left unsaid. It also didn't help that the script was terrible. But Jason Statham's effort to make it work is admirable. He does everything here. He gets into some hand-to-hand combat. He gets into loads of gunfights. He gets into a knife fight. He even got to say some bee puns. He's basically like John Wick, minus the sophistication of Keanu Reeves.

The Beekeeper is formulaic, but it works in a way since the people involved in it kind of accepted its silliness. While I'm not sure if this movie fits in the "so bad that it's good" tier, I believe it comes pretty close.

2.5/5

The Princess: Movie Review

A princess, a wedding, and a castle — the perfect formula for a sweet fairy tale. But nothing is sweet in this story.

The princess (Joey King) of our story is chained up on her bed, and before she can process what is happening, two soldiers barge into her chambers. It is clear that they want to molest her, but she will not go down easily. With a few clever tricks, she manages to dispatch her foes. As it turns out, this princess is unlike any other. She’s strong and smart, and she will fight.

The whole castle is under the control of her cruel betrothed, Julius (Dominic Cooper). And he has one order for his men: capture the princess so he can force her to marry him. In that way, he will be king. Of course, his plans come with assurance. Julius holds the royal family hostage, and if the princess disagrees, their lives will be the consequence.

But the princess will not surrender quickly. Her trainer, Linh (Veronica Ngô), didn't teach her martial arts just to yield so easily to her adversaries.

Enola Holmes 2: Movie Review

After helping the young Viscount Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) inherit his father's land and titles and become a progressive reformer, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) opens her own agency to be a detective in her own right. However, she still does not have the kind of respect that her brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) has. People still belittle her skills and capabilities, until a penniless little matchstick girl finally enlists her help. Her name is Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss), and she’s looking for Sarah (Hannah Dodd), her sister, who seems to have disappeared without a trace.

The game is afoot.

Enola starts her investigation in a match factory run by business moguls Henry Lyon (David Westhead) and Charles McIntyre (Tim McMullan). She found out that Sarah had discovered something in the workshop, forcing her to hide from the authorities headed by Superintendent Grail (David Thewlis). Whatever it is, it’s huge.

Soon enough, Enola begins to uncover more vexing mysteries behind Sarah’s disappearance. Her snooping around and finding clues got the attention of Sarah’s friend and co-worker, Mae (Abbie Hern). Much to her displeasure for her determination and taking the job, Mae threatened Enola to let go of the case. But the young detective can smell that something is already burning and that it’s getting bigger. She must figure it all out before they capture Sarah and before it’s too late. To do that though, she will need some help from the great Sherlock Holmes.

John Wick: A Review

After his wife died of a terminal illness, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) retired from assassination and moved to an isolated home. Wick received a beagle dog named Daisy a few days after her death as a farewell gift from her wife. They lived in harmony together. This peace, however, was disrupted one night by a group of Russian gangsters led by Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen). They beat up John Wick, stole his 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 and murdered his dog.

Horrified and upset by this, John Wick is forced to come back to ask for the payment from what was taken. It turns out he’s not just an ordinary assassin; he’s the most terrifying person in the world. The so-called Baba Yaga

Zombieland — Movie Review

Want to know the secret to surviving in a zombie apocalypse? Follow a set of rules.

Ruben Fleischer's 2009 zombie movie banners an all-star cast of Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone.

The film is set in a post-apocalyptic United States where an outbreak of mutated "mad cow disease" has turned people into zombies.

Following the outbreak, Columbus (Eisenberg) decided to travel to Ohio to check on whether his parents had survived the apocalypse. Along the way, he met Tallahassee (Harrelson), who was searching for the last Twinkie on Earth.

They eventually meet Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), the cunning sisters who just want to take refuge in Los Angeles' Pacific Park. They believe that it is the only place in the USA free from zombies.

Maria — Movie Review

When her supposedly happy life is disturbed by her past, she must channel the killer within her to avenge the life they took from her.

The story follows Lily (Cristine Reyes), who decides to leave her employer by faking her death in order to live a simpler life. She changed her name to Maria and began a new life with her husband, Bert (Guji Lorenzana), and their daughter, Min-Min (Johanna Rish Tongcua).

However, Maria's ex-partner, Kaleb (Germaine de Leon), spotted her while on a mission to dispatch a politician. He was so enraged by Maria's lie that he wasted no time in wreaking havoc on her life, beginning with the murder of her husband and only child.

Maria is very upset that her family died, so she asks her mentor, Greg (Ronnie Lazaro), for help in getting revenge for them.