Young CriticThe Amateur
A Spy Thriller That Plays It Too Safe Spy thrillers have largely disappeared from film slates in the last decade, with the only iterations of this once-lucrative genre coming from established franchises like Mission: Im
Movie Review
Young Critic
Young CriticSinners
Ryan Coogler Struggles to Harmonize Horror and History Ryan Coogler was pulled into the franchise machine soon after his debut feature Fruitvale Station (2013). Since then, he’s revived the Rocky franchise with Cree
Young CriticWarfare
A Gripping War Story That Forgets Some of Its Victims There have been anti-bellicose films since the early days of cinema. You can trace a throughline from All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), to Paths of Glory (19
Young CriticA Minecraft Movie
A Blocky, Soulless Cash Grab Fails to Build Anything Worthwhile It seemed that the “video game” curse that had plagued movie adaptations was broken a few years ago with the halfway-decent Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Unch
Young CriticSnow White
Mirror Mirror, Why Remake This at All? Many blockbusters spend half a decade or more in development before their release, which often causes them to miss prevailing trends or audience cravings. Disney smelled big money i
Young CriticDeath of a Unicorn
A24’s Latest Misfire Tramples Its Own Potential A24 cultivated a distinct brand of quirky and bold fare from the mid-2010s to the early 2020s. This curation arguably peaked with the Best Picture Oscar win for Everything
Young CriticBlack Bag
A Spy Thriller Where Secrets Cut Deeper Than Betrayal Steven Soderbergh continues his prolific filmmaking schedule, delivering his second film of the year—and we’re only three months in. These two films are also vastly d
Young CriticNovocaine
Jack Quaid Charms in a Clever but Overextended Action Comedy Jack Quaid is slyly becoming a movie star—at least, as much as movie stars can emerge nowadays. The son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, the American actor has un
Young CriticMickey 17
A Sci-Fi Spectacle Derailed by Chaos and Indecision Following up a cultural hit is always daunting—expectations are raised to the max and often prove unrealistic or impossible to meet. Parasite (2019) struck the perfec
Young CriticThe Monkey
Osgood Perkins Stumbles with King Adaptation Osgood Perkins comes from horror film royalty, being the son of Psycho (1960) star Anthony Perkins. He began directing in 2015, sticking to the genre that made his family na
Young CriticBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
A Witty, Heartfelt Comeback That Balances Romance, Grief, and Charm Bridget Jones has become one of the most beloved female movie characters of all time, consistently topping polls over other iconic characters such as Er
Young CriticCaptain America: Brave New World
A Spy Thriller Suffocated by MCU Obligations Marvel has lost much of the goodwill it built with audiences after its grand climax in Avengers: Endgame (2019). The ensuing years featured a barrage of TV shows and films w
Young CriticPaddington in Peru
A Heartfelt Adventure That Doesn’t Quite Match Its Predecessor but Still Charms with Marmalade-Sweet Warmth The Paddington films have brought a delightful and earnest warmth with each entry, showcasing originality in t
Young CriticCompanion
A Promising Horror Debut That Shows Its Cards Too Soon In an ideal world, moviegoers would enter films knowing only the title and director. This would allow them to experience a story without expectations regarding genre
Young CriticI'm Still Here
Walter Salles' return to directing delivers a cinematic and acting achievement A dictatorship is one of the most traumatic events a country can endure. Art has long attempted to portray the horrors people suffer under su
Young CriticPresence
Steven Soderbergh's haunted house spin brings an original perspective Steven Soderbergh hasn’t been able to stay away from filmmaking, despite multiple “retirements” from the industry. Since returning with his heist film
Young CriticThe Brutalist
A new American epic showcases the dark-side of the American dream There is a common refrain when people complain about long films: “ A movie is as long as it needs to be .” While many films are unnecessarily lengthy, som
Young CriticA Complete Unknown
James Mangold delivers Bob Dylan's definitive, if sometimes overly-familiar, biopic Bob Dylan’s enigmatic nature has inspired many films attempting to capture his essence and revolutionary influence. Todd Haynes took the
Young CriticThe Room Next Door
Pedro Almodovar's first English-language film is slightly distant Pedro Almodóvar has been hinting at a jump into English-language filmmaking since the late 1980s, yet he previously admitted to feeling intimidated by the
Young CriticSeptember 5
The journalism thriller is irresistibly gripping Journalistic thrillers capture the insatiable curiosity and inherent dangers of pursuing the truth. The subgenre has produced some of cinema’s greatest works, including Ac
Young CriticBabygirl
The erotic film is too timid in its plotting and creativity to grasp attention The erotic romance had its moment in the 1980s and 90s, with 9 ½ Weeks (1986), Fatal Attraction (1987), and Basic Instinct (1992). It phased
Young CriticMufasa: The Lion King
Barry Jenkins' prequel is intriguing, but falls into familiar beats Hollywood is split between studios churning endless arrays of sequels and small auteur-driven cinema. Every once in a while there is crossover between t
Young CriticParthenope
Paolo Sorrentino's latest continues to keep viewers at arm's length Paolo Sorrentino is a director mesmerized by beauty, be it in art, landscapes, architecture, or human beings. His Oscar-winning film The Great Beauty (2
Young CriticNosferatu
Robert Eggers' adaptation is the most faithful Dracula adaptation yet Despite Dracula being one of cinema’s most indelible figures, there has never been a truly definitive adaptation. Bela Lugosi’s iconic portrayal in