Good Fortune (2025)

 The set up of the film sees Arj who is trying to make a living but life seems to be screwing him at every opportunity, Keanu Reeves is Gabriel who is an angel that saves people from crashing their car whilst they are driving and texting and Seth Roger is Jeff who is a rich boy who spends his time mainly shopping and hanging around his pool when Gabriel decides to try and show Arj that his life is worth living and swaps his life with Jeff’s but things do go to plan and soon all three of. The message of the film is that money doesnt make you happy but other people make you happy.

This was a film that I was a little unsure was going to be my sort of thing as comedies have tended to be a tad disappointing (I’m looking at you The Naked Gun!!!). However I found myself liking this film very much. Firstly Aziz Ansari’s Arj is a likeable character although he did approach being unlikeable when he pretended to have lost his memory so that he wouldn’t have to go back to his old life. Thankfully he just about gets away with it and Arj’s relationship with Elena was quite nice as Keke Palmer manages to make Elena strong but not too strong and independent to come across as obnoxious. Seth Rogan can be extremely irritating and despite being a rich boy with more money than sense I didn’t find myself hating Jeff. How much of that is down to the writing and how much is down to Roger is debatable. Keanu Reeves came very close at several points from stealing the movie. Gabriel just wants big wings and is trying to do something good to get them but ends up causing a huge mess that forces him to re-evaluate himself and I didn’t have Keanu Reeves playing someone that is obsessed with Chicken Nuggets, Taco’s and chain smoking on my 2025 bingo card. 

If I had one gripe with the film and it wasn't one I was expecting and that is I could have done with it being a little bit longer. Not a huge amount but 10 minutes maybe. I would have liked a goodbye scene between the three of them. Instead what we get is Jeff insisting that they ditch robots and AI, Arj getting his life together with Elena and Gabriel seemingly getting his wings back as a taco is folding suggesting that the movement was his. It’s not the worst issue that I have had with a film in 2025 but it's the only one that I could really come up with. Perhaps they could have spent less time hammering the idea that people who collect peoples orders dont have the best life and used that time for the happy ending.

Good Fortune isn’t the best film of the year or even the funniest but it is a charming film. Most times the word charming is used in a negative way but not for me. I think that films that are charming often stick with me longer than a lot of other films. The writing was good, the performances were good and it does make you appreciate the idea that there is someone always worse off than yourself. It has a feel good message without coming across too preachy and that is a tough needle to thread. Good stuff.    

Black Phone 2 (2025)

This sequel comes four years after the first which Scott Derrickson directed after leaving Doctor Strange 2 due to ‘creative differences’. I remember liking that film thinking that it was atmospheric and felt like a stripped down film. This definitely does have some of that.

The setup for this film sees Gwen travel to the Alpine Lake camp because Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) has been having dreams and in an attempt to cock-block Ernesto (Miguel Mora), Finn (Mason Thames) decides to join them. Due to a massive snow storm the camp which is due to have loads of kids ends up having Finn, Gwen and Ernesto along with Mando (Damian Bichir) who owns the camp, Mustang (Arianna Rivas), Kenneth (Graham Abbey) and Barbara (Maev Beaty). The connection to the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) is then revealed and that three children that the Grabber killed were never recovered and finding the bodies is what the film becomes about so that they are freed and the Grabber is defeated. 

There are things that I liked about this film. Firstly the setting is perfect. The roads are snowed in and so there is this superb isolated feeling going on. The isolated feeling along with the snow means that there is a lovely atmosphere to what’s going on. Madeleine McGraw is the lead of this film and she does a decent job. This is the second mason Thames film I have seen in 2025 (the other being How to Train Your Dragon) and he gets a bit of a raw deal as he is involved in things but doesn't really do anything. The trailers make his involvement seem more substantial but sadly he does seem like a supporting character which is quite a step down from the previous film.  The character of Barb is unintentionally hilarious because she is the bible bashing person who is reluctant to help because Gwen is being fowl mouthed and just has amusing lines pretty much every time she speaks. 

The dad is sort of pointless. It seems like he is just there for the scene where we see him discover Gwen’s mom after she hung herself and they make a point to reference that he is a recovering alcoholic but it never plays into anything so there is no point to it and also he call in to his place of work to use their snowplough and that just seems to allow him to get to the camp to have a heart to heart to heart with his kids but his role is quite small. They also seem to suggest a romance between Finn and Mustang and I don't know if this got cut but it's never referenced again until a line from the dad at the end. 

I got Nightmare on Elm Street vibes with this and I don't know if that was obvious during the previous film but it felt like the film leant into that a bit too much to the point that I was half expecting Freddie Kruger to pop up at the end. The main issue with the film is the run time. It’s 114 minutes and it felt like the film was about 20 minutes too long. Horror films shouldn’t be more than 90 minutes because the stories usually don't have a plot that can last longer than 90 minutes. It’s only 11 minutes longer than the first one and yet this one seemed that it was outstaying its welcome because the plot takes too long to get going. Ethan Hawke is fine in this although it's the mask that was memorable from the first one and it looks really good in this film. As the villain, the Grabber is very good and the fact that he is just out for revenge is a simple case of motivation. I liked that as it wasn't overly complicated, which is the sort of thing that could have happened in a sequel.

This is a major let down after the first one. I thought that they struggled to get the film started and when they did it felt like some of the characters were under developed and the film ends with the Grabber at the bottom of the like like Friday the 13th: The New Blood so there might be a third one which isn’t out the realms of possibility and if this makes enough money then we will get one and if they do something new with it then I wouldn’t mind but I’m done with the Gwen/Finn story. This is worth seeing but maybe when it makes its way to streaming. 

TRON: Ares (2025)

So after the last TRON film didn’t lead to anything. Disney decided to wait 15 years because…..well just because i suppose. The story follows Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) who runs Dillinger Systems with his mother Elisabeth (played by Gillian Anderson) as they are trying to bring the weapons from the grid but the problem is that they can’t last more than 29 minutes, meanwhile Encom run by Eve (Greta Lee) has managed it with the aim of trying to solve world hunger and Ares who is a Dillinger soldier suddenly wants to be a real boy.

First the positives, the visual effects are stunning. I just loved the colour schemes and the chase sequence with Aries and Eve trying to escape was stunning to watch. That is the only time in history that the words Jared Leto and stunning have been used seriously in the same sentence.  I thought that bringing back the original TRON effects was a smart choice and a nice bit of nostalgia.  I also thought that the score was pretty good. Not quite on the same level as what Daft Punk did but still pretty good. 

One day there will be a Jared Leto performance that makes me re-evaluate him as an actor but this film isn’t that one. This isn’t the worst Leto performance (I’m looking at your Suicide Squad). It took a long time for me to warm to Eve Kim but I think that is more down to the writing than Greta Lee’s performance. Evan Peters is fine as Julian Dillinger who is the grandson of Ed Dillinger (David Warner from the first film). The only issue is that there isn’t anything really to the character apart from being a bad guy. Gillian Anderson was fine although her character's purpose felt a bit weak. Her first couple of scenes felt like she was trying to mimic Margaret Thatcher and then that changed so I wonder if there was some discussion behind the scenes. Jodie Turner-Smith was my favourite part about the performances. She made that role much better than it would have been with someone else. She felt like the proper menace to Aries but it's just a shame that she was carrying the film on her back and getting little support. Jeff Bridges pops up for 10 minutes to mumble his way through the film. We are way past the point of where Jeff Bridges needs to have subtitles put up on the screen for his films otherwise it's just mumblecore. 

The overall issue with this film is that it doesn't feel like there is any point to it. Don't get me wrong I love being in that world but there didn’t feel like the world needed a new TRON film. The thing is that they set things up for a sequel that will most likely not happen because I can’t see this doing mega business at the cinema. The sequel-bait tease is that Julian is going to be the new Sark and that might give the character something to make him seem like a credible threat but it will for a sequel that doesnt happen cause Disney will wait too long and hit the reset button again. Feels like a wasted opportunity.

Good Boy (2025)

Original ideas are very rare nowadays. Good Boy was a mystery screening at my cinema and the set up of this film  was that it was a horror film but from the perspective of the dog.  The film follows Indy who along with his owner move to an isolated house in the middle of the woods and as you can imagine things go wrong.

I thought that Indy was adorable and did wonder whether a lot or some of his performance was achieved with CGI or AI but it looks like it was 100% genuine and the IMDB says the film took 3 years to film which if true explains why the film was only 73 minutes. Dogs are always going to be adorable and easy to like in film or television but the way that the film makes you root for Indy is quite impressive and when he comes across the skeleton of the previous dog it was such a sad moment. His owner Todd is suffering from a lung issue and he appears to being taken over by the mysterious shadowy figure and at the end is seems to be suggested that the shadowy figure has taken Todd into the darkness and ended his life seemed a bit random because the downside of just having Todd on his own for 90% of the time means that we don't get things explained and I am not talking about a full detailed exposition scene but just something to tie things together. The character of Vera is pretty much useless as she doesn't seem to do anything except pester Todd and then appear at the end to rescue Indy.  I was literally amazed when the cinema lights went up at the end of the film cause I was expecting a final scene but there wasn't and I must admit that it did feel like 

Whilst the film doesn't win any awards for originality when it comes to story structure it does win originality awards for the fact that Indy is the focus of the film. We never see the faces of the humans apart from brief shots or when there is something obstructing the view. It did remind me (in a good way) of a Tom & Jerry cartoon when you would never see above the humans knees and so we were in the world of Tom & Jerry and the adults/humans were not really the main focus. 

I thought overall that Good Boy was a good horror film and a lot better than the premise suggested. The novelty of filming things from the dogs POV or level was used well and the director resisted the urge to break away from that and have a traditional scene with the humans. 

HIM (2025)

HIM is a Jordan Peele produced horror which sees Tyrian Withers play Cam who is given the chance to train with his childhood hero Isiah (played by Marlon Wayans). Cam suffers a brain injury and so it is a sort of last chance type thing. The thing about Cam is that he seems like a nice guy who wants to do well for his family and to honour his deceased father but as the film progresses it becomes clear that this bootcamp will require to go above and beyond what is expected if he wants to be the new G.O.A.T.

I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed with this film. It seemed like it was being pitched as Whiplash with some occult thrown in for good measure. Strange things happen in this film just for the sake of it so ultimately this is a slightly disappointing film. It is one that has some good points but it wouldn’t have taken much to make it one of the best horror films of 2025.

That’s not to say that there aren’t things to like. I thought that Marlon Wayans stole the show. I haven’t been the biggest fan of his and felt like he didn't have a good performance in him but this film proved me wrong. It was clear that he was not what he appeared to be and Wayans seemed to be enjoying playing this type of character and showing the world he has range. I also thought that Tyriq Withers. Last time I saw him was in the ‘I Knew What You Did Last Summer’ rehash and this is by far the stronger performance. The change that he goes through is subtle and even at the end you still end up rooting for him.

The final scene is what redeems the whole thing for me. I think because it felt like the closest the film came to something making sense happening although for some it might have come too late. The idea of a football owner being in league with the devil and trying to get someone to sell their soul for fame and fortune is potentially a bit cliched but at least it was something that made sense in a film that seemed to be style over substance. I think sticking ‘from producer Jordan Peele’ was to try and get people who liked his other stuff to come a see this film cause otherwise it might struggle although I still think that it's going to struggle because people may not want to spend 100 minutes watching a film about football.

The Smashing Machine (2025)

 The Smashing Machine tells the story of MMA fighter Mark Kerr. I’ll be honest I didn’t know the story or particularly interested but the idea of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson transforming himself was something that got me interested. The story takes place between 1997 and 2000 when he is already a fighter and we follow Kerr as he tries to win some Pride event in Japan.

The story isn’t that interesting which is a major problem in a biopic. He has a drug problem, tries to kick it and win a competition whilst having issues with his girlfriend. There have been better stories to tell and I wonder what it was about this that people thought was worth making a story about. The other issue with Dawn played by Emily Blunt. I like Emily Blunt and think she’s a very good actress but I did not like Dawn because she just seemed to be there to start an argument with Mark. This seemed to be the pattern in the film that they would be ok, have an argument and then a little while later would be ok again. The last we see of her is when she is wheeled off in a police car on the way to seek treatment after trying to kill herself. Blunt makes the role better than it otherwise would have been but it was hard to like the character.

The film works purely because of Dwayne Johnson. This isn’t the sort of role we are used to seeing him in but it was a surprisingly restrained performance we saw from him which unfortunately does have ‘Oscar Bait’ written all over it. Whether we will be talking about it in February or March of next year is a mystery but it definitely worth talking about. The thing about Mark is that he seems to be a nice if flawed person. Another thing that was good about this film were the fighting scenes. They seemed like the fighters were have the hell beaten out of them. They are edited together to make them seem like MMA fights are quite entertaining even though the idea of the fights sounds barbaric to some. 

Overall this film is little bit underwhelming. It is worth seeing just for Dwayne Johnson although there is probably a more interesting documentary or series about this guy that you be able to find because despite the great performance from him and the incredible fights, there is something lacking to make this a great film and will probably fail in its Oscar bait plan.

Radiohead X Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (2025)

Radiohead X Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror takes the 1922 classic which is a blatant Dracula rip off and mixes it with two Radiohead albums (KID A and Amnesiac). This intrigued me because of the idea of taking something from 100 years ago and mixing it with music not related to it in any way. 

As for the story itself, I enjoyed it. I saw it for the first time a couple of years ago and I don't know if it was because it was on the big screen or it was because of the music but I thought the story was just as good as ever. I think that this film’s version of Nosferatu is iconic and works for this film but I prefer the 2025 Robert Eggers version. The film did try and inject some colour into the film with weird bits of red and blue in an attempt to emphasise the evil???

The choice of using Radiohead didn’t work for me. It felt like they pressed play on their Radiohead Spotify playlist and left the film running. The songs didn’t have any connection to what was going on and there would be a gap between songs and yet things would still be happening. I think that you could probably use Radiohead’s back catalogue and put them together to fit better with the pace of the film. Also I don’t know if it was the cinema I was in but the volume was way too loud and it felt like my ears were going to start bleeding. To be fair my cinema is probably nearly 40 years old so it does need a major upgrade.

Overall I thought that this experiment didn’t quite work but I am glad that I went to see it on the big screen. It did make me think that you could give this film to Alexandre Desplat or Michael Giacchino or someone else to produce a more appropriate score for this film. I suppose the Robin Carolan score for the Robert Eggers version is the closest we will probably ever get. There is supposedly a R.E.M X Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr coming out in 2026 and I want to see that to see if this experiment has any future or whether we need to put this sort of thing to bed.

One Battle After Another (2025)

 The film follows Bob (Leonardo Di Caprio) who was part of a freedom fighting group known as the French 75 when his girlfriend disappears after being arrested and leaves his with their baby. 16 years later, the baby is now grown up and Bob is a wasted loser. The Colonel that was after them is again after them.

I have to admit that I haven't seen that many PTA films (this being my third) but this is my favourite film of his. Firstly the fact that the film doesn't rush itself and takes its time letting things play out. I was genuinely worried when I saw that the film was over two and a half hours long but to be honest I thought the runtime was perfect. I was never bored and it never felt like they padded things out or were rushing to get to the end. 

The casting is really good. Leonardo Di Caprio gives another solid performance and each time he shows how good he is I am reminded that this is the same Leonardo Di Caprio that was not very good in Romeo and Juliet and The Beach. It’s one of his better performances because its understated just still feels important. Chase Infiniti is a huge discovery and does very well surrounded by Oscar winning actors. Her best scenes are when she is with Sean Penn. She is trying to be strong in the face of Penn’s creepy Lockjaw. 

Sean Penn is the real star of this film. Every second that he was on screen made me feel like I wanted to take a shower. Just the fact that he is after Bob and Willa is enough to make him a villain in the film but the idea that he wants to wipe his daughter out because he wants to join some KKK-type club but they wouldn’t haven’t him in if he told the truth but there is 

The cinematography is very nice. The last 20-25 minutes take place on one long winding road with the desert either side and yet Michael Bauman makes it look quite nice. Johnny Greenwood’s score is something that I have heard good things about and it works for this film but I don’t think that its the best of the year.

I really liked this film. A lot of people are saying that this is their favourite film of the year and whilst its in my top 3, it doesnt make it to top spot although I can see why. When people say there are no original ideas in cinema anymore then we can show them films like this

The Lost Bus (2025)

 The Lost Bus was a film I knew pretty much nothing about. Normally this is the sort of film that I would have waited to see it on streaming, however when I discovered that Paul Greengrass was directing it then I changed my mind because I knew that there was a good chance that this was going to be spectacular. It made sense since he directed two of the best of the Jason Bourne films (as well as the final one). The plot is that Matthew McConaughey plays Kevin who is a school bus driver who after the fire starts is tasked with taking some students to a drop off point along with their teacher Mary played by America Ferrera. For most of the film, the action centres around Kevin and Mary as they try and do what seems impossible.

The plot is straightforward and what makes the film work as well as it does is that it has the intensity that it needs to and the sort that is common in Greengrass’ other films such as United 93 and 22 July. 

If I had an issue with the film is that the shakey cam is really bad. I dont think that I have seen shakey cam this bad since Monkey Man. I understand that in most of his films. When there is daylight then it works because at least you can see what is happening and so you know how to react. When its dark then there is nothing for me to connect with and there was one scene where people were running around and so there were people and then flames and lights and at one point I couldn’t see anything even though there were things happening. That is it as far as the criticisms go because the film works due to keeping things simple and letting the chemistry between McConaughey and Ferrera drive the story (pardon the pun). It is Kevin’s story so McConaughey is technically the lead but when Ferrara enters the story it feels like they are both equal and to be fair to the kids they also help make this feel tense and you are happy when they manage to escape the smoke.

On the subject of the smoke, the constant shots of smoke and fire and people coughing just kept making me go for my drink and that is a sign of good storytelling. There was a good 40-45 minutes that were totally gripping and it seemed like the scenes where we were out with the fire Marshall’s and the bus depot were there to give us a breather for a few minutes. I also liked the shots where we were flying through the air like we were the fire almost seeing it from its point of view. There were moments mainly at the end where it felt like wheepy melodrama but I felt like the film had earnt this right because of everything that had happened. It did feel like the whole business of Kevin and his son could probably have been left out but I suppose when you are telling a true story or a story based on true events then sometimes you have to leave the less than minor details in. 

The Lost Bus was a gamble for me but I am happy to report that this gamble paid off. In the hands of a lesser director then this wouldn’t have had the impact and we might have been left with a story that got bogged down in special effects and characters that weren’t well written but thankfully we got the best of everything. Not sure whether its better on the big screen but I didn’t mind spending my money on a Saturday morning.  

The Roses (2025)

 I tend to shy away from comedies because they are usually quite unfunny (The Naked Gun is a perfect example). However I thought that the trailer looked quite good especially with Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. Colman plays Ivy Rose who is an aspiring chef struggling to get her crabs business off the ground and Benedict Cumberbatch is Theo who is an architect and during one eventful evening their fortunes change and Theo becomes a stay at home dad and Ivy becomes the next Gordon Ramsey.

Both Cumberbatch and Colman have great chemistry. It was already well known that Colman could do funny things as she could do it in her sleep but it was a revelation that Cumberbatch could do it just as well. Adam Sandberg and Kate McKinnon pop up every so often as the couple who seem to be in a different movie. McKinnon’s Amy seems to spend every chance she gets trying to hit on Theo. Ncuti Gatwa plays Jeffrey and being a Doctor Who fan it's always fun seeing someone from Doctor Who in a film. Colman herself was in Doctor Who back in 2010 so it was fun having a double Doctor Who connection. Alison Janney pops up for about 3 minutes playing Ivy’s lawyer and it's a shame that she is in the film so little cause Janey is always good in whatever she is in.

If I had a problem with the film it's that it feels like they spent too long getting to the part where they start falling out. I think too much time was spent establishing their lives and their family because by the time they do end up with their reversed fortunes, it feels like the film is on fast forward. The film is just short of 1 hour 50 minutes and in its current form, it should have been 10-15 minutes longer. Once Ivy and Theo start to fall out and try to wreck each other’s life it becomes a lot more fun and I could have done with more of this because we only ever see the fallout from it not the build up. The final fight is possibly the best and we see them throwing knives and oranges at each other along with Ivy firing a gun and its actually a shame when they decide to stick together just as the gas is implied to set fire to the house and kill them.

Overall I enjoyed The Roses a lot more than I thought I would but this works pretty much entirely because of Cumberbatch and Colmann. If neither of them were in this then it would probably be a less successful film but as it is this film is a fun watch and one thing I haven't commented on is the director because it's directed by Jay Roach who previously directed the Austin Powers trilogy and Bombshell which I quite enjoyed and this film walks a fine line between comedy and making characters who are completely unlikable and Roach manages to pull it off although it might not work for everyone but it works for me.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025)

I have never seen the TV series although I thought I should give the films a go. The first one is not very good as it's just the King coming for dinner and everyone getting flustered. The second one is the best one as its a mystery about how Violet (Maggie Smith) got given a fancy house in France. The highlight being when Robert breaks down in tears and I don't know whether its because he might be illegitimate or French. This one deals with change and pretty much every aspect of the film is about that in one way or another. 

One of the things that has worked in the film’s favour is that it doesn't lean on the assumption that you have watched every episode of the TV show before watching any of these. I think it would help as there have been references that didn’t mean anything to me but to people who are fans of the show it would remind them of a particular episode.  

One plot strand comes from the fallout from Mary’s divorce. It’s weird to think that there was a time when divorce made you a social pariah. Someone doesn't want her to present an award because she is divorced. How times have changed. I did laugh when a line was used about the house being full of yanks but Mary is the controversial one. Another plot strand is that Harold (Paul Giamatti) is trying to get money as suggested by Gus (Alessandro Nivola) but it is then revealed that Gus is a con-artist or confidence trickster as they refer to him as. 

The performances are all really good. Michelle Dockery managed to achieve something that none of the other cast managed and that is to make me feel sorry for one of these characters. Mary is suffering just because she is a divorcee and manages to come across as a smart person who doesn't like what is happening but accepts that this is the way the world works. She is the one at the very end standing tall having become the mistress of downtown. It is impossible, I think to dislike Hugh Bonneville. He spends the entirety of this film stomping around acting like a spoiled child with his unwillingness to accept that things have to change. Paul Giamatti is fun to watch in this and even though he has a secret that could ruin the family, he still manages to come across as a likeable person and I think that is more to do with Giamatti himself.

The thing about these films is that it's very hard to empathise with them. They are people who are staggeringly wealthy for so long and the film (and TV series) asks us to connect with them. Ok their finances are not what they were but whenever they do a  wide shot of the house they live in then I find it hard to feel sorry for them. 

Despite not being emotionally connected with these characters, I wasn't bored by this film. At two hours it is basically a two parter of the tv show which is a main issue with all these films but the plot, the cinematography (Ben Smithard) and the score (John Lunn) help me enjoy this film far more than I was expecting. I don't think that this film is quite as good as the second film but there is still plenty to like although my mom went to see this film as was slightly disappointed with it but i think that it ends in a way that they could pick this up again with time having moved on but if this is the grand finale then they have ended on a satisfying note.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)

 Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is the sequel to the cult classic 1984 Spinal Tap. I must confess that I don't have quite the emotional connection with that film as most people did. In fact I didn’t see it until just a couple of years ago. This sequel follows the band mates after they reunite following a 15 year absence. They are coming back due to a contractual obligation and are playing their gig in Louisiana because Stormy Daniels had to pull out. The mockumentary follows them 10 days or so before the concert. 

The film doesn't quite have the underground vibe that the first one had yet the mockumentary is more concerned with the trio and how they deal with coming back together and building up to the concert. The mockumentary is on for 90 minutes long and I think that the time flies. It could probably have done with it being 10-15 minutes longer. It would have been nice to have a nice send off because lets be honest Guest is 77, McKean is 77 and Shearer is 81 so the odds of us getting another outing from these three is slim to non-existent.

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are all very funny for the entirety of the film. There is friction between Tufnel and St. Hubbins and Smalls manages to stay out of the drama although the drama centres around the fact that St. Hubbins believes that Tufnel slept with his wife when at the end of the films it is revealed that Smalls is the one who slept with St. Hubbins’ wife. The dynamic between the three of them is one of things that I enjoyed about the film. Rob Reiner does well doing double duty of directing the film and as Marty DiBergi who is like the fourth member of Spinal Tap. He is the viewer's voice as asks the questions that we are all asking and has fun doing it. 

The film has quite a few cameos and most of them literally phone it in or at least video it in. The two big cameos are Paul McCartney who seems to annoy St. Hubbins even though the other two welcome the criticism of the former Beatle but the biggest cameo comes from Sir Elton John who at first waddles into the scene but does get to do some singing and ends up getting squashed by the giant Stonehenge. 

Tony Hendra died in 2021 so Kerri Godliman steps in as his daughter and is quite good with what is a fairly small role. I think those outside the UK will not be familiar with her but they might be more familiar with Chris Addison who seems to be channeling his inner Simon Cowell as Simon Howler and is technically the film’s bad guy and he does what he does very well although his character just walks away with something about meeting his birth mother and I thought there might be some comment at the end when we get loads of funny moments but no….nothing. Seemed a bit odd to me.

The film ends with the concert and it must have been fun to be a part of. I think if you go in expecting it to be on the same level as the first one then you will be disappointed but if you go in wanting a fun 90 minutes then this will definitely satisfy you. Despite not having the emotional connection that most people have with the first one I probably look at this more favourably than other although the people in the screening that I was in laughed more than once.

The Long Walk (2025)

 The Long Walk is a relatively straightforward story.The film is Speed mixed in with Hunger Games and Battle Royale. The premise is that in a world where the economy has basically ruined the world (could be set in 2025), 50 teenage boys take part in a contest where they have to walk and walk until there is just one person left and that person gets a life changing amount of money and one wish. It’s what they would call the elevator pitch. 

Based on a Stephen King novel, these tend to have a mixed record but I have to say that this is one of the better ones. The simplicity of the plot means that this film is more of a character piece than anything else. The film centres around Garetty (played by Cooper Hoffman) and his small band of friends. For all but two scenes the film takes place on the road 

There is one thing that I could have done without and that is the defecating. We see it not once, not twice but three times and that's gross. I understand that they would need to do this at some point but we didn’t need to see it actually be done. I’m surprised they showed restraint and didn’t zoom in on the butt cheeks. Thank heavens for small mercies.

The film centres around Garraty but the film has other people for us to be interested in. McVries is someone that becomes a close friend and ultimately wins the contest and I liked David Jonsson’s performance. To strike up a solid duo with great chemistry so quickly isn’t an easy thing and yet both Hoffman and Jonsson achieve this. I also liked Tut Nyuot as Baker. There were people who we were clearly not supposed to like as much and they did their job perfectly. Garrett Wareing as Stebbins was one of those and it was clear that he had some relationship with the Major so it wasn't a surprise when that was revealed. He did manage to claw back some empathy by the end of the film but for the most part I disliked him and that was what he was supposed to do.  Charlie Plummer was the film's antagonist as he just came across as such a horrible person and it was his actions that led to someone dying. Like Stebbins, he does claw back some empathy by the end but it took him stabbing himself with a spoon to achieve this.  

Mark Hammil pops up as the major and there is very little we know about the Major except for a few flashback scenes where he killed Garraty’s dad. I think this might be the first new film I have seen Hammil in since The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. It’s a great performance by him and in a few short scenes he makes you dislike him. If he is on screen for 10 minutes in total then I would be very surprised yet he still felt like a big part of the film. The Major’s involvement is what motivates Garraty to do what he is doing, he is walking barefoot at one point and the pain must have been indescribable and so its this that makes Garraty more of a hero in the world of this film than he probably would have been without the flashback.

I don’t know how much the film differs from the book but what we got in this film was very good. Except for the defecating, this was a highly enjoyable film with strong characters and credit to Francis Lawrence for making a film about walking seem intense and dramatic. This isn’t a film that feels the need to include a bunch of sentimental stuff into the plot because the performances have enough of that and I also like the fact that we know very little about the world except for the explantation at the beginning and then the story ends, the film ends with McVries walking into the sunset. The film gets in and gets out which I can appreciate. At 108 minutes, the film is the perfect length and doesn't feel the need to pad things out. 

Overall I really enjoyed ’Speed on Foot’. Great performances, good direction and a story that works very well in today’s society.