Universal Studios

Wicked: For Good (2025): Can This Second Half Follow the Yellow Brick Road?

Posted on by Jack Drees

© Universal Pictures

“Wicked: For Good” is directed by Jon M. Chu, who also directed the prior “Wicked” installment. This film stars Cynthia Erivo (Genius, Widows), Ariana Grande-Butera (Victorious, Scream Queens), Jonathan Bailey (Jurassic World: Rebirth, Bridgerton), Ethan Slater (Lost on a Mountain in Maine, Gen V), Bowen Yang (Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, Saturday Night Live), Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day). This film is the second in a two-part adaptation of the “Wicked” musical, which itself is based on a book of the same name. In this story, we see our main characters from the first film return as they embrace their identities of Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

© Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

If you read my review for “Wicked” over the past year, you would notice that I have not offered the fondest of opinions regarding the film. While I acknowledge the film is by no means broken, I found it to be mostly slow. I thought a lot of the musical numbers were not doing it for me. And I thought some of the film’s technical aspects such as the color grading needed improvement. That said, I know that movie has its fans. I will even say there are things I liked about it. While most of the music failed to impress me, signature songs like “Popular” and “Flying Gravity” were well executed. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are excellent as the main duo. And even though I thought the film could have been more aesthetically pleasing in certain regards, I was impressed by the production design.

I was quite nervous for this sequel, because I acknowledge that I probably pooped on a lot of people’s parties when it comes to my opinion on the first film. A lot of people I know really dug it. Those people were also looking forward to this one. The film was a shining star over the past awards season, but I wish I aligned with those who praised it. Given how I am a Movie Reviewing Moron of the people, I used one of my A-List reservations to see this film opening weekend.

Having now seen the film, I cannot say “Wicked: For Good” surprised me in any way. I expected to not like the film, and that is exactly what happened. Of course, I go into every movie wanting it to be good. But in the case of “Wicked: For Good,” it did not do it for me.

© Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Believe it or not, there are plenty of positives in “Wicked: For Good.” Many of the things that I found to work in the first film also work here. Then again, this should not be a big surprise given how both titles were shot back to back. That said, much like the original film, the sequel wowed in terms of its production design. Oz feels just as grand as I recall it feeling a year ago. I thought the music was great, and in some ways, it was an improvement over the first part. There were bits of the first film where it felt like the characters were singing almost unnecessarily. In this sequel, every song seemed to have a purpose. They either fit the moment or enhanced a character’s arc. During my review for the first film, I pointed out that the music became so loud at my screening to the point where I almost had a headache. At the risk of torturing myself, I ended up seeing “Wicked: For Good” at the exact same theater and auditorium, which is a Dolby Cinema at an AMC location. I do not know if they turned the volume down in that theater, but I found the soundtrack much more comfortable to listen to than the one from the original. Speaking of sound, the sound editing was top notch. For example, I like the attention to detail the movie gives whenever Glinda is in her bubble. You can hear a little blockage coming through whenever she talks because the camera’s point of view is from the outside of the vehicle.

Another point of praise I would have to give is that most of the cast does a good job with the material they are given. Of course, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who had dynamite chemistry in the first film, work well together this time around, that is during whichever moments allow the two to be on screen together.

© PHOTO BY: UNIVERSAL PICTURES – © 2025 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

I am not going to pretend that I found the first film’s screenplay to be phenomenal, but there was at least a novelty to it even though it was based on both a play and a book. This film’s script is consistent with the first film in certain ways. Therefore, like the first film, I found a lot of the fantastical vocabulary to be rather annoying. I get that this film is not directly set on earth, but a lot of the diction dropped by select characters including “thrillifying,” “obsessulated,” and most especially “clock tick” felt too over the top. Every time a character in this film said the words “clock tick,” it felt tacked on. It did not feel authentic, even for Oz. It came off as a fantasy version of “Mean Girls” where instead of people trying make fetch happen, they were trying to make “clock tick” happen.

When I reviewed “Wicked” last year, I pointed out that there was a pink and green tint attached in my presentation. That was not the case this time. I can only make an assumption, but maybe the projector had a filter that should have been removed. I do not know if it was a 3D filter because the screen did not look that dark. Point is, the screen looked normal during “Wicked: For Good.” Shoutout to the staff at the AMC Liberty Tree Mall 20 for the upkeep. I found “Wicked: For Good” to look much better than the original “Wicked” did during my initial watch. The sequel’s viewing experience fully allowed me to see the film the way Jon M. Chu intended. Sadly, I do not know if his vision satisfied me all that much. “Wicked: For Good,” like its predecessor, feels lacking in color. Again, the set design is great. I will even say a quite a bit of the framing is pretty good. But I think the color grading could have been pinched up a little bit, and a lot of the shots seem to lack personality. I hate saying this, because I have a soft spot for these movies, but these “Wicked” films look like select MCU films. They look slapped together and almost done on the fly. Like the original, “Wicked: For Good” has some decent shots, but it is also packed with a lot of shots that look gray, digital, and lifeless.

© PHOTO BY: UNIVERSAL PICTURES – © 2025 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Overall, I found this film to engage me more than the original did. That said, this film will definitely be enhanced by watching the original, as much as I do not recommend doing so. I found “For Good” to start off with a bang. It quickly establishes the Wicked Witch as a threat amongst Oz, or at least a threat in people’s minds. That said, despite establishing Elphaba as a threat to Oz’s population, I can say that this film feels uneventful by the conclusion. Does this film have a beginning, middle, and end? Yes. But by the time the film is over, I had little attachment to any of the characters. Not Elphaba. Not Glinda. Not a single soul in the cast. This is a film that is supposed to cap off the story and instead of going out with an emotional bang, it closes things off with a dull whimper. I get that “Wicked” in essence paints the story told in “The Wizard of Oz” as an anti-Elphaba propaganda piece, but the way that the film showcases some of the events from “The Wizard of Oz” lacks something the classic tale had. Sure, “The Wizard of Oz” is a formulaic hero’s journey, but like a lot of formulaic hero’s journeys, it had stakes. As I watched parts of “Wicked: For Good,” I almost did not care about a single character in the cast. The film barely paints the Wizard as a threat, even if Elphaba most definitely sees him that way. The closest thing to an unforgivable act I can say he pulled off is him capturing a bunch of animals, which, okay, that is not something reasonable people do. Not to mention, such an action piggybacks off of material from the first film. But even that plot point feels like it barely gets any spotlight. It comes off as an afterthought.

Do things happen in “Wicked: For Good?” Sure. Do characters develop in “Wicked: For Good?” Sure. We see some characters change more than others, but there is some character development to be had. That said, by the film’s conclusion, I felt like nothing really mattered that much. There was not much in the film that left a significant impact on me.

There is quite a bit in this film that I do not like. I did say there are plenty of positives, but I utter such a sentiment with as much generosity as I can provide. That said, if there is one reason why you should watch this movie, especially on the big screen, I think I might be able to pull one out of my sleeve. The soundtrack to “Wicked: For Good” is not as solid as the original. In fact, the parts of the soundtrack I found to be the most memorable are throwbacks to songs from the original movie. There are some good songs, but not anything on the level of say “Defying Gravity,” except for one number. That number being “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.” There are so many fantastic elements that make this sequence worth writing home about. I almost want to shout out Cynthia Erivo for her ability to carry a tune in this scene like it is nothing. But then I remember that this sequence contains some incredibly dazzling showcases of visual effects. And while I do think the film could have been improved from a color perspective, I thought the overall aesthetic of this scene was perfect at times. Despite a lot of pizzazz going on in the frame, several shots feel kind of dry and rugged. It kind of matched the tension of the film at the time. It came at one of this film’s closest moments to what somebody could call a tipping point. The soundwork in this scene is great, and this was most definitely a treat to hear in Dolby. After seeing these two “Wicked” films, I would be totally fine if I never had any chance to watch them a second time. But I will not lie, part of me could see myself going on YouTube and either watching this clip again for fun, or listening to this song through my headphones.

I have not seen the “Wicked” play. Yes, I know, “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” is not a song that is original to this film’s soundtrack. That said, I like the way the song is utilized in this film. It satisfies both the eyes and ears. One thing I also like is that in the moments that follow, we have a crowd of people singing a similar sounding song called “March of the Witch Hunters” that changes the core lyrics ever so slightly. It is executed rather chillingly.

Speaking of singing, watching Jeff Goldblum try to sing in this movie is something else. Do not get me wrong, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, like many of his other roles, is charismatic. But the guy cannot sing. He can change your apartment, he can change the world, but he cannot sing. He tries. He puts some effort into his material, and even as he fails he still has a sense of star power. Although when the film has Goldblum singing, he comes off like a reserved, yet somewhat noticeably drunk dad who drags his family into the basement so he can try out his new karaoke machine for the first time. I love Jeff Goldblum, but this is not his best work. If I were to judge Goldblum for his performance in the first “Wicked” I would say his performance was perfectly acceptable. But when this movie asks him to sing, which is one of the most important parts of making a musical, that is where the corniness ensues.

In the end, the “Wicked” movies are 0 for 2. I do not mind musicals. I enjoy fantasy movies. To quote that one kid from “A Christmas Story,” “I like ‘The Wizard of Oz.'” If there is one adjective that I could use to describe these movies, it would be “consistent.” The films are consistently boring, consistently colorless, and consistently annoying. I never latched onto the universe that these two movies were trying to sell me. It has simply never once appealed to me. When I reviewed the first “Wicked,” I said it failed on the most important thing a part one is supposed to do, which is get me excited for this film, part two. Wait, sorry, I mean for “For Good…” The title card in the original says “Part One,” why does this one not say “Part Two?” Kind of weird. Anyway, now that I have seen “Wicked: For Good,” it fails at something of equal importance, which is getting me to care about the cast of characters. I like the actors in the film, and I think like the last movie, Ariana Grande easily gives the best performance. But their characters, like the story, rarely, if ever, engage me by the film’s conclusion. I am going to give “Wicked: For Good” a 4/10.

“Wicked: For Good” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for “Sentimental Value!” Stay tuned! Also coming soon, I will be sharing my thoughts on “Zootopia 2,” “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Jay Kelly,” and “Bugonia.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Wicked: For Good?” What did you think about it? Or, which of the two “Wicked” movies is superior? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

The Bad Guys 2 (2025): DreamWorks Delivers a More Entertaining Caper Than the 2022 Original

Posted on by Jack Drees

“The Bad Guys 2” is directed by Pierre Perifel and JP Sans, and stars Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Way Way Back), Marc Maron (Maron, GLOW), Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Renfield), Craig Robinson (Ghosted, The Office), Anthony Ramos (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, In the Heights), Zazie Beatz (Deadpool 2, Atlanta), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple, Orange is the New Black), Natasha Lyonne (American Pie, Orange is the New Black), Maria Bakalova (The Apprentice, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Alex Borstein (Family Guy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Richard Ayoade (The Watch, The IT Crowd), and Lilly Singh (A Little Late with Lilly Singh, Canada’s Got Talent). Struggling with acceptance from the general public, the Bad Guys, who have since turned “good,” are recruited for a job by an all-girl squad of criminals.

Kind of like Illumination, it is somewhat unusual for a DreamWorks animated property to not end up getting a sequel at some point. It was perhaps inevitable this would happen with “The Bad Guys.” The first film was well received by critics and was a hit with families. It is also based on a popular series of books. Naturally, it makes sense to create a “Bad Guys” sequel. As for my thoughts on the original film, I thought it was surprisingly fun, but also a bit disposable. There is also a problem I have with the film that, spoiler alert, I also have with this sequel. More on that later.

If you like “The Bad Guys,” chances are you will like “The Bad Guys 2.” I have my problems with “The Bad Guys” but I enjoyed it just enough to the point where I could say I had an okay time. “The Bad Guys 2” maintains everything that works from the original, and delivers it in a new, fresh package that I personally found to be more entertaining.

A lot of the original cast returns for this second outing. Of course you have the film’s big name stars including Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, and Marc Maron coming back as some of the core characters. Like the original, they unleash tremendous charisma in each of their roles. I appreciated this sequel’s continuation of having Rockwell’s Mr. Wolf (top right) break the fourth wall. It adds a welcoming touch and sucks you into this film’s world.

The film even welcomes back my favorite character from the first outing, Misty Luggins (center), once again voiced by Alex Borstein. Between the two films, she has been promoted from Chief to Commissioner, which ends up becoming one of the script’s many gags. The gag is a simple one… Mr. Wolf repeatedly messes up Luggins’ position. As far as gags go, one could call this lazy, and I would not blame anybody for doing that, but it is saved by how the voice actors, most notably Borstein, deliver their lines. You could feel the ire coming out of Luggins with each misinterpretation.

I like my characters to have depth, but sometimes the simplest character can work if done right. Luggins is one example of this. Because in each scene, much like the previous installment, I got a sense of the character’s passion. Whether it is represented through something as simple as being acknowledged correctly, or as complicated as capturing the Bad Guys once and for all. Luggins feels like DreamWorks’ version of Wile E. Coyote. Between what we saw of her in these two films so far, part of me wishes she could have her own spinoff. Maybe we could see her trying to catch the Bad Guys time and time and time again, and failing. Or maybe a life in a day film showcasing some crazy story or case she has encountered. I think it would also be a great way to showcase Alex Borstein’s chops. She is fantastic in the role.

© DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This is an animated film, so some suspension of disbelief is inevitable. But when the film gets to the climax, I felt the same way that I did during the climax of “Sisu.” The film spends a lot of time getting you immersed into this crazy, zany world, but things that happen on screen get dumber and less realistic by its conclusion. There is a whole concept involving gold that on the surface, sounds intriguing, but the resolution left me with a question regarding how this was handled according to the public eye.

Speaking of suspension of disbelief, much like the original film, I am left wondering why there are not more non-human characters in this world. If “The Bad Guys” were a video game, the only NPCs would be humans. No one else. There are plenty of non-human characters in the forefront, but not so much in the background. Why is this? If you look at a film like “Zootopia,” it has such a diverse group of creatures making up its universe. This film’s universe kind of feels less creative and lazy by comparison. This is not to say the film itself is lazily done. The animation style is stunning and unique. The script is sometimes clever, even if it does get a little too over the top.

© DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

When it comes to the DreamWorks Animation library, this is not the most memorable film of the bunch. But it is undoubtedly entertaining. One reason why I would love to go back to it one day is for the action scenes. The film has a couple of creative sequences that feel like they are straight out of a graphic novel. The scenes are flashy and full of life. There is one sequence that takes place in a wrestling ring that is a feast for the eyes.

Although this film is more than just style. As someone who experienced a little trouble finding work once graduating college, there are some scenes that I related to as it properly highlights the competition that comes with the job market. Although in the case of this film’s core group, it is much harder, because they are known for committing crimes, and therefore have a bad reputation.

Heck, they’re literally called the BAD guys! I wonder if Agent Burns from “Bumblebee” would have anything to say about this group.

Sure, the ensemble may have turned good, but their past does not appear to have gone over the general public’s head. Overall, the movie is a good lesson for younger audiences, reminding them to maintain a positive image, because one wrong move could change everything.

To my surprise, at the end of “The Bad Guys 2,” one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind is that I want to see another one. These characters are fascinating and seem to play off each other quite well. I would not mind hanging out with them one more time.

By the way, once the film gets to the credits, do not leave your chair, because there is a mid-credits scene that you might want to stick around for.

In the end, “The Bad Guys 2” is funny, brilliantly animated, and wonderfully paced. It is an all killer, no filler good time. “The Bad Guys 2” maintains many positives from the original and even improves upon some of them. Granted, it also contains some of the negatives. I still cannot get over the fact that there are not more non-human characters in a world like this one. Is that just a me thing? Is this not bothering anyone else? In all seriousness, I think families will have a blast with this film. It is filled with mile a minute humor and my theater, myself included, was laughing quite a bit. I am going to give “The Bad Guys 2” a 7/10.

Before I conclude this review, I would like to point something out in the film’s end credits. Just before the credits conclude, there is a short text that reads “This work may not be used to train AI.” I have no idea if that is a Universal Pictures policy, a DreamWorks policy, or if this was at the request of the director or a producer, but I fully endorse this. I understand that “the future is now,” but as an artist, I would prefer to see more work done strictly by people. We cannot have human stories without a human touch. Anything to have more human stories out there is always a good thing.

“The Bad Guys 2” is now playing in theaters. Tickets are available now.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures – © Paramount Pictures

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for another animated family film, “Smurfs.” Stay tuned! Also coming soon, look forward to my thoughts on “Together,” “Oh, Hi,” “Weapons,” “Freakier Friday,” and “Nobody 2.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “The Bad Guys 2?” What did you think about it? Or, which installment of “The Bad Guys” do you prefer? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

M3GAN 2.0 (2025): Does Not Compute

Posted on by Jack Drees

“M3GAN 2.0” is directed by Gerard Johnstone, who also directed the original “M3GAN” installment. This film stars Allison Williams (Get Out, Girls), Violet McGraw (The Haunting of Hill House, Black Widow), Ivanna Sakhno (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Pacific Rim: Uprising), and Jermaine Clement (Moana, The Flight of the Conchords). This sequel sees the return of the original cast a couple years after the titular character went on a rampage. Despite her dangerous antics, said title character is tasked with taking down a robot named Amelia.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures – © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

If you told me in 2023 that I would walk out of the original “M3GAN” having a great time, I would summon a lightning cloud and strike a bolt into your head. But to my surprise, the film is solid. And not just because the robot does a funny dance. I found it to be a fine metaphor for technology always being there for you, perhaps to extremely dangerous levels. I liked the first film so hopefully “M3GAN 2.0” would keep up the good work.

“M3GAN 2.0” had an unusual marketing campaign. The trailers seemed to indicate a shift similar to that of a James Cameron sequel like “Aliens” or “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”  The first film is at its core, a horror movie. This sequel has horror elements, but it is a bit more action-oriented. It is definitely not as scary as the original film, at least not in a direct sense. Although if there was something that was as scary this time around, it would be the overhanging commentary. Another key difference this time around is that M3GAN goes from being a bad robot to a good gal. The film finds a less than buyable way to have her make amends with those she either harmed or nearly killed in the previous installment to justify her goodness, but still.

That is just one of several wrongs in this film’s screenplay. “M3GAN 2.0” is not that scary. Sure, this is less of a horror film than what the first film turned out to be, but there are attempts at horror in this film that do not stick the landing. The film clearly tries to be funny and edgy, but if anything it just sounds like M3GAN is trying her darndest every other second to join the cool kids table. If anything she comes off as a PG-13 robot “Deadpool.” There are select moments and lines where I think the film would have been better if they were done in a more R rated fashion. I am not saying that this film needs to go overboard like it’s the next “Wolf of Wall Street,” but I think it would have helped if M3GAN had a tad less of a filter. Granted, the original film was PG-13, so I guess logically this one had to be as well. If the film goes for an R, that would risk losing the younger audience who likely checked out the last film. But seriously! This sequel changes the genre as well as the titular robot’s personality. Why not a maturity shift? Is it to get more money? Because I do not think your $10 million opening weekend is not doing you any favors.

Honestly, the only genuine laugh I remember having in the film involves a line having to do with a yeast infection. If I did laugh at all for the remainder of the runtime, then said laughter was not that hard or it ended up being for the wrong reasons.

As previously established, “M3GAN 2.0” is an action movie. Is the action good? Well… It is competent. I do not have a ton of complaints regarding the action, but I am not going to pretend any of it was that memorable. Although there was one fun scene between the film’s antagonist and a wealthy individual in his erotic cave. Remember how I said the film was not that funny? Well, this part actually had me laughing for, you guessed it, the wrong reasons. It was not necessarily comedy gold. I was laughing at the movie rather than with it.

One thing that people seem to remember distinctly from the first film is the scene where M3GAN jumps around and dances. That moment is still ingrained in my mind and its memability is noticeable. In this sequel, the filmmakers appear to create a scene inspired by the roaring response that scene got. And quite frankly, it seems that is the only reason why that scene was put in the film. It felt kind of forced.

Speaking of memes, this movie introduces some new meme potential for the M3GAN character… She sings now. I do not want to spoil much about it, but I was so thrown off by this moment to preposterous levels. The moment that M3GAN sings is so out of left field that I would not have been surprised if at one point Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn showed up in the background asking to perform a duet. It kind of reminded me of the musical planet from “The Marvels,” but at least that moment had some greater context and purpose in the story.

That said, I can somewhat appreciate the film’s commentary, which presents a double edge sword. Part of me wonders how this movie, and the more I think about it, the last one, is going to age. I saw the last movie as a warning that being too attached to your phone, or in some cases, your phone being too attached to you, can be dangerous. If anything, this film is a warning about artificial intelligence. You can argue the last film was as well, but this one feels stricter in that regard. It shows the dangers of advancing technology to a point where it could potentially kill us, and it may lead to an inevitability where we have to adapt to the technology being in our lives rather than ignoring it. As campy as these films occasionally come off, there are moments where they feel down to earth.

Unfortunately, the commentary feels like a downgrade from that of the original because as I said before, this film is not that scary. Part of what made the commentary work in the original movie is that it had a hand in the film’s scares. Here it is just littered throughout the script.

In a way, I can appreciate the crew behind “M3GAN 2.0” for trying something different rather than resorting to the same old tricks. I was looking forward to a more action-centered installment. But what makes this film different either felt too out there or simply put, poorly executed. As for what felt the same, it was kind of lame this time around. It does not matter if you try to go for something different or the same as before. If all of your material is bad, then it is bad. Plain and simple.

In the end, “M3GAN 2.0” was kind of disappointing. It is one of the weakest films of 2025. I was really looking forward to this film after the original turned out to be a delightful surprise. In a way one could say that this sequel was a surprise of its own, but not in the way that I would want it to be. The film differentiates from its predecessor in more ways than one. This is more of an action movie than a horror movie. But no matter what genre it shoots for, I simply wish it were a good movie. And unfortunately, it is not. I am going to give “M3GAN 2.0” a 3/10.

“M3GAN 2.0” is now playing in theaters and is available to rent or buy on VOD.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for “F1: The Movie.” Stay tuned! Also, coming soon, look forward to my thoughts on “Superman” and “Guns Up.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “M3GAN 2.0?” What did you think about it? Or, what is a sequel you enjoy that shifts its genre from the original? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

The Odyssey IMAX 70mm Tickets Going on Sale One Year Early – Let the Hype Begin

Posted on by Jack Drees

© Courtesy of NBCUniversal

Hey everyone, Jack Drees here! You know that feeling when you were going Black Friday shopping in the 1990s or the 2000s? You found a parking spot at Walmart, and you were trying your best to get your hands on that new TV and would push hundreds of people out of the way just to get your hands on it? Imagine that, but online, and with movie tickets. “The Odyssey” is about to do something that as far as I know, no movie in history has done before. Not even a “Star Wars” or Marvel title.

Tickets are going on sale for “The Odyssey” a full year before its scheduled release. If I had to be honest though, part of me is not surprised this is happening. The film, which comes out July 2026, is expected to be one of the biggest of that year and unleash a first in cinematic history.

If you look on several ticketing sites right now, you will notice that there are times available for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” a year in advance. This kind of push rarely, if ever, happens for films. If the tickets are not sold out by the time you are reading this, they are likely ready to buy. This post is being published on July 16th, 2025, one day before these tickets officially drop. That said, if you are reading this hours after publication, check Fandango. Check AMC. Tickets are available!

There are a few caveats however… The showtime options are limited, and the tickets are only available at select locations. “The Odyssey” is expected to have a wide release, but if you are looking for times in cities like Boston, which is where I live for example, be patient. Also, these are for IMAX 70mm screenings. If you want to see the film in a standard theater or another format such as Dolby Cinema or IMAX digital, you will have to wait a bit longer. But if you are eager to see the film early the way it was intended, now may be a good time to buy your tickets.

Based on Homer’s epic poem of the same name, “The Odyssey” centers around the character of Odysseus as he ventures home following the end of the Trojan War. The film features an all star cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and Anne Hathaway. That is just scratching the surface! Christopher Nolan is writing and directing the film, as well as producing it alongside his wife Emma Thomas. You might think with an all star cast and an Oscar-winning filmmaker who is hot off of “Oppenheimer” these reasons would be enough to sell tickets early. But perhaps the biggest selling point for me is the opportunity to see the film in IMAX 70mm. 

Those who know Christopher Nolan are well aware that he champions the IMAX format, most especially IMAX 70mm, the company’s original film format that has decreased in use throughout the current century with the rise of digital filmmaking and projection. But in recent years, it has regained popularity following the releases of certain movies. Christopher Nolan’s most recent film, “Oppenheimer,” released in a list of theaters playing it in IMAX 70mm. The presentation allows the IMAX-shot scenes to cover the entire screen in a resolution that is theoretically as high as 18K. That movie was Nolan’s latest effort where he would combine traditional 35mm or 70mm film with IMAX film while shooting. But “The Odyssey,” which is also showing in IMAX 70mm, is a different story.

“The Odyssey” has many distinctions of being a cinematic event, including the fact that this is the first Hollywood feature to be shot entirely on IMAX film cameras. This is a feat that yours truly thought might never see the light of day. IMAX film cameras are traditionally known for being loud and bulky, Despite their magnificent results through the lens, they are not always the most realistic camera to use. One reason why “Dunkirk” in particular has so much IMAX-shot footage is due to the film having minimal dialogue.

Dropping the tickets this far in advance is not just a great way to get people talking and push this film’s marketing campaign into gear, but it is essentially an invitation to be a part of history. People who buy tickets for these shows on opening weekend not only get to see the movie, but they earn the right to say that they are the first people to see a Hollywood film shot entirely on IMAX film. Seeing any movie on IMAX film is worth bragging about, especially today when much of the moviegoing market is digital. I had the opportunity, by complete coincidence, to see Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” on IMAX film a week into its release while it was playing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Like some of Christopher Nolan’s previous movies, “Sinners” combines multiple film formats. But “The Odyssey” is a different animal. Whereas with the “Sinners” IMAX experience, where that movie will switch between black bars and full screen, “The Odyssey” will show the entire movie with the picture covering the screen from top to bottom.

Do any extra perks come with these tickets? Other than bragging rights, it does not look like that will be the case. At least for now. That said, it would be cool to include something special for the attendees whether it means a Q&A, getting to meet one of the film’s stars, or maybe an exclusive t-shirt or popcorn bucket. Just spitballing ideas.

Thankfully, if these theaters are too far for you, IMAX film has a digital equivalent capable of showcasing the IMAX-shot scenes in all their glory through their 4K laser projection system. The projector is available at a short list of IMAX’s “true” theaters, and definitely worth seeking out if you cannot watch the movie on film. That said, tickets are not on sale for any of those locations. But it is nice to have options closer to the film’s release.

As of writing this, a part of me is planning to buy a ticket for one of these screenings, perhaps at the AMC Lincoln Square 13 in New York City since as of now, it appears to be the closest theater to me with showtimes. If you know me, I am such an avid Christopher Nolan and IMAX fanatic that being one of the first to see this film in IMAX 70mm would be a dream. I am honestly willing to fly to another state if New York starts selling out and they have tickets over there. Move over, Taylor Swift, the Eras Tour is so 2023! As a cinephile, my moment is here, and I am “ready for it!” For my fellow New Englanders, the Providence Place Cinemas in Providence, Rhode Island has an IMAX with a film projector. However, due to certain issues it had during “Oppenheimer’s” run there, I do not think that theater is going to end up screening “The Odyssey” in IMAX 70mm. One can hope, but I am worried it will not make the list.

Do you have to buy “The Odyssey” tickets right now? Not necessarily. Again, the showtimes available are limited. The film is not out for a year and they are inevitably going to add more times. Heck, the film could end up getting delayed, thereby making all these advance purchases irrelevant. But if you want to guarantee your spot as a part of film history, this might be a solid investment. Should the ticket gods by on my side, I plan to be a part of this cinematic event, and I hope to see you there in July 2026.

I also very much look forward to potentially bonding with my new best friend, the “refresh icon.”

Thanks for reading this post! This was a bit impromptu, but I had to get this off my chest because to be honest, the hype is real and I choose to be a part of it. There are probably people reading this right now, including my own friends and family that think I would be a madman for buying a movie ticket a year in advance in a theater far from home. They might be right, but I make no apologies. What if I move to that city? Who’s crazy now? That’s one less travel ticket I have to buy! That’s less gas in the car! I should not have to apologize for being a fan. That said, if you are getting tickets for “The Odyssey” a year in advance? What theater are you going to? What showtime? Maybe we will run into each other. I would love to meet my fellow movie fans. Let me know down below! In the meantime, please check out the official Facebook page if you want to be updated on my latest posts through social media! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

PS: If you plan to sell scalp tickets for this, do the world a favor and get off this page. In fact, even better, get off the Internet.

Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025): Dinosaur Dullness

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” is directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, The Creator) and stars Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Under the Skin), Mahershala Ali (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Moonlight), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Wicked), Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Pride & Prejudice), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (Sicario: Day of the Soldado, The Lincoln Lawyer), and Ed Skrien (Alita: Battle Angel, Deadpool). This film is about a group of people who are on a mission to extract DNA from dinosaurs in order to achieve a medical breakthrough.

Photo by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Here we go again. “Jurassic Park” is undoubtedly a well known franchise. But so far, it is, at best, two for six as far as yours truly is concerned. Maybe three if I am being generous. Of course, the original “Jurassic Park” is peak cinema. I also enjoyed “The Lost World.” The film had some engaging sequences. The other films as far as I am concerned are dinosaur fodder, but I will admit when I watched “Jurassic World” in the theater a decade ago, it was a cool experience, especially in IMAX 3D. But having watched it at home, I think the film as a story and character piece is mediocre at best.

I went into “Jurassic World: Rebirth” with little expectations. After all, the odds were against this film being good based on the data I have provided thus far. Plus, I thought the last film, “Jurassic World: Dominion,” is one of the most abysmal blockbusters of all time. They say you are only as good as your last project.

Photo by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

I saw “Jurassic World: Rebirth” with a friend. Upon walking out of the film, I told my friend that I thought it was one of the weaker installments. Because that is the truth. I thought compared to the original, this was a waste of time. It is really hard to establish myself as a “Jurassic Park” fan when there is only one outright memorable installment. Yes, the second film has its moments. But other than those two, I have no desire to go back to watch any of the “Jurassic Park” movies, including this one.

There are positives to this film, and thankfully, as a narrative, it is slightly more entertaining than whatever the heck “Jurassic World: Dominion” turned out to be. It certainly helps that this movie chooses to focus more on dinosaurs than it does locusts. The biggest positive I can give to this film is that it is scary. The previous film had only one dinosaur sequence that had me scared for the characters. This latest film improves upon that. Part of that has to do with the direction from Gareth Edwards.

While Gareth Edwards may not be my favorite director working today, he is a name I respect. He can bring a lot to a big budget project. I love how he demonstrates the scale of titans in his work between establishing the titular character in 2014’s “Godzilla” and the AT-ATs in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Unsurprisingly, there was a sense of wonder to be had with the dinosaurs on screen. There is one particular sequence involving two dinosaurs with long tails in the middle of the grass that honestly took me back to the original “Jurassic Park” when Alan Grant takes off his sunglasses and marvels over the sight of a living dinosaur. There is also some okay dinosaur action… When said action actually happens.

Photo by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Gareth Edwards does a good job at handling the action sequences in this film, but much like his “Godzilla” movie, my big problem with it is that I thought the film’s action does not become truly exciting until the film’s second half. There is some action in the first half, but it is honestly kind of a bore. You could argue that the crew wanted to spend time establishing the human characters, and there are snippets where you get to know the film’s cast. But I am honestly not going to remember most of these people. Yes, some of them are played by well known, award-winning actors, but I failed to connect with their respective characters. If you want a better monster movie that perfectly balances characterization with monster action, I hate doing this because Edwards did not direct this installment, but I highly recommend “Godzilla Minus One.”

When it comes to story, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” seems to have an identity crisis. While many movies have a plots and b plots, this movie has a couple different plots that feel like they distract from each other for the most part. The movie spends so much time establishing one set of characters only to suddenly introduce another set who quite frankly do not feel like they belong in this particular narrative.

Photo by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

But maybe the screenplay will utilize these plots to their full potential and unleash some memorable characters and line delivery! Ha! I wish. Some of the dialogue is cliche. The film seems to have attempts at humor that do not stick the landing. Some lines sound like they are out of a bad Michael Bay movie. And as I said before, the characters could have been better. Even the main ones feel relatively shallow. Do I like Scarlett Johansson? Yes. A lot actually. I think she is talented. I could tell she wanted to be in this film and she looked like she was having fun. But I wish I had more of a reason to care about her character of Zora Bennett.

These are not even the biggest faults of the screenplay. For some time after watching the movie, I thought this was a bad “Jurassic Park” installment. But the more I think about it, the angrier I get based on one particular complaint I have. For reasons I do not understand, the film establishes early on that public interest in dinosaurs has waned since the last movie. I’m sorry, what?!

How is that possible?! Look! Dinosaurs might just be one of the most consistently amazing concepts in history. Think about it! These are magnificent creatures from ages ago who dominated the planet until all of sudden they were taken out by space junk! They’re humungous! They’re boisterous! They come in many different shapes, sizes, types, and colors! Some of them will probably rejoice in the thought of straight up annihilating you! How on earth do dinosaurs become tiresome to the general public? In fact, let’s talk about this franchise alone! Four of these movies made more than a billion dollars! Yes, if you read my review for “Dominion” I thought that film accomplished the unthinkable feat of making dinosaurs boring. But that does not mean dinosaurs as a concept is boring. They were boring in a certain context. Ask ANY young boy living today if they like dinosaurs. I guarantee all of them would answer with a “yes.”

One could argue that the idea of the general public being bored by dinosaurs was written based on the ongoing consensus of the recent “Jurassic Park” installments. The films do not appear to be impressing audiences as much the previous ones did. But even if that is true, it does not change the fact that dinosaurs are still exciting. I live 20 minutes away from Boston, so we have the Museum of Science, and just about every time I go, I cannot help but look at the giant t-rex exhibit.

Saying that public interest in dinosaurs has deteriorated is like assuming that people today are no longer interested in other animals. We still go to zoos! We still go to aquariums! We still have pets! We still go on YouTube and watch cat videos every once in a while! But sure, the general public thinks dinosaurs are boring.

Now I would defend this idea for one reason, which is that dinosaurs spent so much time terrorizing the planet to the point where so many people were afraid to so much as look at one again. After all, they were unleashed into our world between “Fallen Kingdom” and “Dominion.” I do not recall “Jurassic World: Rebirth” making such a point clear, so I continue to question the film’s logic.

By the way, this film is written by David Koepp! The writer for the original “Jurassic Park!” Oh how the mighty have fallen. It is not like he has a perfect resume. After all, in recent years he did “You Should Have Left” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” but I cannot recall being as infuriated by one of his screenplays as much as I am with this one.

Photo by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Also, going back to what I said about the film’s wonder factor and how it reminded me of a certain scene from the original “Jurassic Park,” some of “Rebirth’s” highest points are those that are borderline nostalgia bait. While Alexandre Desplat is doing the score this time around instead of John Williams, the best musical beats are, unsurprisingly, those that clearly springboard off of John Williams’ original music. Do not get me wrong, these are iconic tunes. But the film does not really individualize itself from a musical perspective. There is, admittedly, a pretty fun chase scene in the climax of the film that feels at least partially inspired by the kitchen scene from the original movie. I will not go into spoilers, but the very end of the film reminded me of the original as well. As I watched it play out, I got the sense the filmmakers were trying to pay tribute to the original’s ending.

That said, if anything, this film makes me want to go back and watch the original “Jurassic Park.” Not necessarily because this film was fun, though there are one or two moments that stand out, but because it spent so much time reminding me of the original’s superiority.

I have nothing against dinosaur movies, and “Jurassic Park” is a franchise with potential. But unfortunately that potential is repeatedly shattered from one bad movie to the next. My interest in dinosaurs has definitely not waned. But my interest in this franchise definitely has.

© Universal

In the end, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” is further proof that this franchise needs to be wiped out by an asteroid. This is one of the worst films of 2025. I honestly think if they continue to make these movies they are going to achieve a fate similar to the “Transformers” franchise when it was under the helm of Michael Bay. These movies have had their moment in the sun, but I think audiences are going to open their eyes and either ask for the filmmakers to aim higher or decide to stop going to these films altogether. Then again, these are literally the only relevant dinosaur movies on the market, so maybe not. This franchise should be exciting but for whatever reason, each movie finds a way to spiral into awfulness. I am going to give “Jurassic World: Rebirth” a 3/10.

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” is now playing in theaters. Tickets are available now.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures – © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for “M3GAN 2.0.” Stay tuned! Also, coming soon, look forward to my thoughts on “F1: The Movie” and “Superman.” Blockbuster season is kicking into gear so I hope you are ready to hear what I think about the hottest movies of the summer. Hopefully these movies will end up better than “Jurassic World: Rebirth.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Jurassic World: Rebirth?” What did you think about it? Or, what is your favorite “Jurassic Park” movie? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025): This Quirky British Comedy Hits the Right Notes

Posted on by Jack Drees

© Courtesy of Focus Features

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” is directed by James Griffiths and is based on a short film he helmed by the name of “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.” Frankly, I am glad they went with a different title. Saying that out loud is kind of a mouthful. Nevertheless, the film stars Tom Basden (Plebs, The Wrong Mans), Tim Key (See How They Run, Mickey 17), and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, Maestro). This film is set on island and follows a quirky lottery winner who successfully brings two formerly coupled musicians to said island, so they could perform for an audience. That audience being himself.

Alistair Heap/Focus Features ©2/Alistair Heap/Focus Features ©2 – © 2025 Focus Features, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” snuck up on me last minute. If you have read my reviews before, you may know that I often go to see movies with my mom and grandma, so I have to find some sort of equalizer for the three of us. “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” which was not playing in a ton of places in my area, is the latest example. Having not seen any trailers, I was sold by this film’s basic premise alone. This film sounded bonkers, and having seen it, it is. But I was also surprised by how raw it feels at times. “The Ballad of Wallis Island” immersed me in its environment and I did not want to leave. Not only was I captivated by this film’s serene location, but I was constantly engaged with its characters.

Tim Key and Tom Basden play off each other very well in their off and on relationship. And speaking of Tom Basden, I thought he and Carey Mulligan made for a cute former couple. Every cast member is great in this film. I have no complaints. No one feels out of place.

In the world of Screenwriting 101, it is often best to write characters who stand out because of their problems. For example, in some of the Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” movies, we see Peter Parker in situations where he must fight tooth and nail to make a quick buck and pay rent, making him easy to root for. The protagonist in “The Ballad of Wallis Island” appears to have much better luck, and financial stability, than Parker. We find out early on in the film that Charles wins the lottery. Not many people can say that. Winning the lottery is one of the least relatable and most envy-inducing events that one can experience.

Amazingly, I was able to find some relatability in Charles. The character lives on an island, which again, is not exactly relatable, but it also presents a problem that even some “normal” people run into, like limited communication. I also felt bad for the character, as it is also established he lost his wife, so he lives by himself. Tim Key does a really good job at delivering Charles’ eccentric charm and wit. We quickly learn he is a master of puns. There is an early one involving a famous actress that had me in stitches.

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” is a fine line between the impractical and the buyable. This movie goes out there in terms of its concepts but somehow manages to make each one work. This film has everything from Charles’ lottery backstory, to getting two people who dissolved their band as well their partnership to somehow reunite on an island and play together again, to letting this reunion not only respark their interest in each other, but as well the idea of doing bigger and better things. The breakdown of this movie is like an extended sitcom episode, where people are precisely where they need to be at the most convenient, but nevertheless understandable times.

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” has plenty of laughs. Aside from the recently mentioned out there situations and admirable puns delivered by this film’s lead, I thought Tom Basden, who plays Herb McGwyer, did an excellent job handling his character’s bewilderment in a series of situations. There is a problem McGwyer runs into early on in the film regarding his phone, and I found the solution to not only be fitting, but also amusing. The film’s humor also comes from Charles’ lack of connections. While is not entirely lonely on his island, he is not close to friends or family. There is a funny scene where we see Charles and Herb playing tennis. Again, going back to that fine line between impractical and buyable, we find out Charles usually plays tennis, a sport usually played by multiple people, by himself. Therefore, we find out he has a killer serve.

On occasion, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” sort of reminds me of “The Banshees of Inisherin.” And no, nobody’s fingers come off in this film. But both films take place on islands, center around quirky leads, and feature limited casts. I think “Banshees” is the superior movie, but both films do a great job when it comes to implementing stories about music. “The Ballad of Wallis Island” seems to be slightly more music-centered than “Banshees,” so if that is something you are looking for, this film seems to have you covered. That said, despite this film being about music, I cannot say I walked out of it thinking I would need to buy the soundtrack or listen to the songs again on YouTube. The songs were not bad. Maybe with a rewatch that could change. When it comes to the context of each song, I cannot say there are any that were not used wisely. The songs were good, but to me that is probably the highest praise I can give to them. None of them floored me or left me gobsmacked. That said, I cannot say I outright hated any of them, so there is that.

Without spoiling anything, I really enjoyed the film’s conclusion. It ends on a solid, upbeat note. In fact, this whole movie, even with its characters having their own ups and downs, is a consistent delight. This is a solid flick to watch if you want a dose of joy. It is funny, charming, and lots of fun. Additionally it is sentimental, and I can see a story like this triggering the feels for select viewers. Would I watch it on a Friday night? I do not know if it is my first choice if I am by myself. But I could see it being an okay date movie perhaps.

Courtesy of Focus Features © 20/Courtesy of Focus Features © 20 – ©  2025 Focus Features, LLC. All RIghts Reserved.

In the end, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” is a thumbs up. It is not my favorite film of the year so far, but it is one I do not regret watching. It is a solid British comedy with a likable cast that rides a fine line between fantasy and reality. The film has its fair share of laughs. I am not sure if the humor will be for everyone, but I would say it was for me. I am going to give “The Ballad of Wallis Island” a 7/10.

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” is now playing in theaters and is available to rent or buy on VOD.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for a film that I am very excited to talk about. It is on a story I have heard a bit about ever since I was a kid. The review is for a documentary called “Secret Mall Apartment.” Stay tuned! Also coming soon, look forward to my thoughts on “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” “Thunderbolts*,” and “The Ruse.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “The Ballad of Wallis Island?” What did you think about it? Or, what is a movie that you feel is a perfect balance between reality and fantasy? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

The Brutalist (2024): A Fantastically Constructed Three Plus Hours at the Cinema

Posted on by Jack Drees

“The Brutalist” is directed by Brady Corbet (The Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux) and stars Adrien Brody (King Kong, The Pianist), Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, On the Basis of Sex), Guy Pearce (Memento, Iron Man 3), Joe Alwyn (The Favourite, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk), Raffey Cassidy (Tomorrowland, Vox Lux), Stacy Martin (Vox Lux, All the Money in the World), Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown, A Haunting in Venice), Isaach de Bankolé (24, Black Panther), and Alessandro Nivola (Jurassic Park III, Amsterdam). This film is about a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor’s struggle to achieve the American dream.

“The Brutalist” was a movie that I have been trying to get to for nearly a couple months at this point. Unfortunately, I just never had the time to sit down for three and a half hours and commit to it. Thankfully, an opportunity opened up recently, and I went out of my way to a theater further away from home, because I wanted to get this movie under my belt before the Academy Awards. After all, despite the body’s questionable practices and relevancy, the film did win Best Picture – Drama at another awards show, the Golden Globes. Well that, and quite frankly, I was in much more of a rush to watch “The Brutalist,” instead of “Emilia Perez,” which won Best Picture – Musical or Comedy in the same show. That movie seems to have gotten a lot of praise during the 2024-2025 awards season. However, I have not seen as many people outside the core voting bodies share the kindest words about the film.

When you make a commitment to any movie, it has to be worth your money and time. That last part is extremely emphasized with a more sizable runtime. Thankfully, “The Brutalist” is worth both of those things.

Most of the movies I have reviewed on Scene Before are from the 2010s or 2020s, therefore I have not had the opportunity to talk about many titles that include intermissions. “The Brutalist,” released at the end of 2024, is one exception. An intermission itself is not a core part of a movie experience if you break it down, but in this case I thought it added to a nice, throwback feel.

That said, having an intermission introduces a problem that stood out to me, which is that if I had to pick one half of the movie to watch over the other, I would pick the second half almost every time. Granted, I understand why the first half exists. Without it, the movie would not work the way it does. But I found the second half to be better-paced. I found the characters to be at their most compelling. I thought the acting and atmosphere was upped a notch. I felt more passive watching the first half and more active in the second.

The movie was shot on 35mm, which for the record, is still a format used in modern movies. Last year’s “Twisters” is one such example. The film also used VistaVision, which I arguably did not experience to the fullest given how I watched the movie on digital projection. But the film itself, kind of like another Adrien Brody project, “The Artist,” has all these little touches of older cinema. The movie had all sorts of imperfections from frame to frame.

This movie also makes great use of color, or lack thereof in some cases. The film is not necessarily the most vivid, but despite the film’s grainy, dusty look, there are certain colorful objects in the film that stood out to me. There is a shot where two characters are hugging in front of a green bus that pops. This film also has really effective use of beige. There are some shots inside of a home where that color stands out. It is the little things that catch my attention in this picture. Speaking of shots, the opening of this film is one of the trippiest I remember seeing in recent memory, where we see an upside down shot of Lady Liberty. That part of the movie is ingrained in my memory not only for its unconventional yet immersive shot choice, but it is just the start of what “The Brutalist” stands for as a work of art.

When you break down “The Brutalist,” it is a representation of one’s journey and struggle to achieve the American dream. The movie starts off with a staple of that dream with the main character, László Tóth, a holocaust survivor and an architect, coming into Ellis Island, set for a better life. His journey comes with obstacles, such as leaving people he knows behind or sometimes taking jobs one can consider painstaking or filth-inducing.

I also find it interesting how the film is set in the 1940s to the 1980s. I did not see this at a festival or a special screening, but if I had a chance to talk to the film’s writers, Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, I would want to know if they think the idea of “the American dream” is still alive. This film does represent the continued aspirations of the American dream in regard to seeking a better life, but it begs the question as to whether the American dream is a thing of the past, or if it is still obtainable in the 2020s.

Pacing-wise, this film sometimes reminded me of “Blade Runner.” The film is very much a slow-burn. Combine that with a three and a half hour runtime, you have a recipe for a movie that I imagine will turn off a fair amount of the general audience upon their first impression. I say this because there are a lot of pauses between the characters’ utterances of dialogue. Very rarely do the characters actively respond to another individual right away. I thought this direction choice sometimes worked and tied into the film’s atmosphere, but at other times, was a bit distracting.

I liked Felicity Jones before watching “The Brutalist,” but she is a different kind of great in this film. She is not in the entire movie. But she ends up taking the spotlight in every scene towards the end. As the film culminates, she unleashes the most unhinged supporting performance I have seen in a 2024 film. I have not seen “Emilia Perez” so I cannot comment on Zoe Saldana’s performance. I am aware Saldana won the Best Supporting Actress category at the Oscars, but if I had to cast a vote, it would be for Felicity Jones because of not only how she represents her own pain, but also her urgency to relieve the pain of those around her. By the end of this film, I left thinking that I would do anything to avoid a screaming match with this individual. I did not know Jones had that kind of power in her.

In the end, “The Brutalist” is not my favorite movie of 2024, but it is one of the more well-crafted films of that year. Part of it has to do with the production design, but also the solid direction from Brady Corbet that has also led to excellent performances from actors like Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. Breaking this film down, I found the film to pick up a bit in the second half compared to the first, but I still found the film as a whole to be worth watching. I know an Adrien Brody-led three and a half hour movie with an intermission set decades prior to its release shot on VistaVision sounds like the most pretentious movie that has ever pretentiated in the history of pretentiousness. Trust me, if you give it your time, you might enjoy it. The acting is great. The directing is even better. The story is one I think many people, especially those living in the United States, can relate to. I am going to give “The Brutalist” a 7/10.

“The Brutalist” is now playing in theaters and is available to rent or buy on VOD.

Thanks for reading this review! Coming soon, I will be sharing my thoughts on “I’m Still Here,” “Riff Raff,” “Nickel Boys,” and “Mickey 17.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “The Brutalist?” What did you think about it? Or, should more movies coming out today have intermissions? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Love Hurts (2025): Sparks Barely Leap Off the Ground in This Action Flick

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Love Hurts” is directed by Jonathan Eusebio (300, The Fall Guy) and this is his directorial debut. The film stars Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story, Wish), Daniel Wu (American Born Chinese, Into the Badlands), Mustafa Shakir (The Deuce, Luke Cage), Lio Tipton (Warm Bodies, Two Night Stand), Cam Gigandet (Reckless, The O.C.), Marshawn Lynch (Bottoms, Westworld), and Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). This film is about a realtor whose past comes back to haunt him when he receives a message from his former partner-in-crime.

Everyone loves a comeback story, although in the case of Ke Huy Quan, I am going to channel LL Cool JJ and say that he has been here for years. The reality is, whether we knew it or not, Ke Huy Quan has remained the slightest bit active behind the scenes leading up to his big return in front of the camera, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” If it were not for the deserved success of that movie, chances are we would never get a film like “Love Hurts,” which I was looking forward to. It kind of had a mainstream, 2010s, 2020s-esque action flick feel that you would get out of a film like “John Wick” or “Nobody” with some twists and turns, but like those movies, the choreography and scenes looked stellar in the marketing.

As off and on as I am about “star power” in a movie, Ke Huy Quan is the reason why I watched “Love Hurts.” But how could he not be? The actor played a significant role in my favorite film of 2022, won an Oscar, and when he is not busy taking names, he is taking selfies with every star he can find. This is part of why I am disappointed to say that “Love Hurts” is not that great.

“Love Hurts” is not horrible, but if I have any real highlights for the film, they certainly would not be for the characters. Some could argue that since this is an action movie one does not always come for the characters, but the way I see things, the less engaged I am with the characters, the less engaged I am with the action. I will defend the action scenes from a technical perspective. I do not think there was a single bad sequence. In fact, there are a couple that I am still thinking about and find to be incredibly creative. But this film seems to be more concerned in showing off what its talent can do, as opposed to what its characters can do.

If you are seeing this movie solely for Ke Huy Quan, then he is probably not going to disappoint you. Other parts of the movie might, but I do not think Quan is going to be one of them. Not only does Quan solidify himself as a buttkicking action star with his role of Marvin Gable, but he is charismatic. He brings a unique energy to this genre of filmmaking. A lot of our modern action stars like Jason Statham, Keanu Reeves, and Liam Neeson tend to have this obviously masculine aura to them both in terms of the way they look and act on screen. Ke Huy Quan very much screams cute, but not cuddly. I think the movie was smart to make him a dedicated real estate agent. Even if his character was not hiding something underneath, I think Quan is a good fit to play someone working in that industry.

This is a movie that I cannot see myself revisiting in its entirety, but instead rewatching certain clips on YouTube. Because there are a couple cool scenes where we see Marvin Gable either trying to defend his award, or dodge some baddies while trying to keep a house together for example. The movie goes at a brisk pace, and with an 84 minute runtime, that should not be a shocker. For the most part, the film is simple and effective in terms of progressing the narrative. It is not a unique narrative. But does have a soft flair one does not typically find in these types of action movies. As the film continues, however, things get more convoluted, and therefore, unmemorable.

Also, Ariana DeBose is in this film, a great actress in her own right, but I am convinced she needs a new agent. Yes, she was fantastic in “West Side Story.” But just about everything afterwards was critically panned or unmemorable. Between “Argylle,” “Kraven the Hunter,” and now this… She is not on the hottest of streaks. Yes, I liked “Wish.” I stand by that opinion. Yes, I liked “I.S.S.,” but not a lot of people thought it was worth seeing considering it failed to make its budget back. As I am writing this paragraph, I forgot the name of her character. That is not the best of signs. Granted, I have also forgotten the names of characters for movies I enjoy, but I bring this up because you might as well just name this character “the love interest” or “the girl.” The movie could have fleshed out this character more and individualized her to a better degree. It does however do okay when it comes to establishing Ke Huy Quan’s infatuation with her, but sometimes the film tells such a concept when it really should just show it.

Interesting enough, for those who do want to know the name of DeBose’s character, that, my friends, is Rose. For the record, I know people named Rose, and I am aware it is not the most uncommon name. But that has to be on purpose. It reminds me of a theory my dad has about Cliff Booth in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” He thinks the character, who is accused of killing his spouse, has the last name Booth, just so the script can allow for someone else to refer to him as “John Wilkes Booth” in a scene. 

The film is centered around Valentine’s Day, and this presents a potential problem for rewatchability in the same way I look at Christmas movies. I have nothing against watching “Fred Claus.” But I would not watch it outside of November or December. Unfortunately, “Love Hurts” is barely good enough for February. If you want a good Valentine’s Day-centric action movie, there is one already, and it is called “Deadpool.” Heck, it could even be a good watch around Christmas. Or literally any day of the year, it is perfect.

“Love Hurts” is the directorial debut from Jonathan Eusebio. I do not think he should automatically give up directing based on this one lackluster product. Although if he were to continue, I hope his sophomore outing is better than this. On the bright side, Eusebio at least has some credibility in the industry. He has shown his talents helping coordinate stunts and choreography in films like “The Fall Guy,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” and the first three “John Wick” installments. Some of this film’s strongest elements are the action scenes, and it comes as no surprise knowing who helped direct said scenes.

In the end, “Love Hurts” neither left me infatuated or brokenhearted. If anything, the movie is just okay. If you put the film on silent, I would still pay attention to the visuals. But as I said before, this movie packs a lot in it by the time it is over that I did not really care about the film’s substance. I would love to see Ke Huy Quan in more projects. I am glad he is voicing a character in the upcoming “Zootopia” sequel, but I would also be open to more live-action roles as well. I think he is talented and would not be a surprise if he puts another Oscar on his shelf in the future. However, I do not think anyone will be winning any Academy Awards for this film. I am going to give “Love Hurts” a 5/10.

“Love Hurts” is now playing in theaters. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next reviews are going to be for “The Brutalist” and “I’m Still Here.” Stay tuned! If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Love Hurts?” What did you think about it? Or, who is an actor that has not done any work in a while that you think has a pretty good chance of making a comeback? Is there anyone you would like to see who has not been on screen in a while? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Dog Man (2025): Part Dog, Part Man, All Mid

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Dog Man” is directed by Peter Hastings, who also provides a few voices in the film, including the titular character. Joining him is a casting including Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island, Big Time Adolescence), Lil Rel Howrey (The Carmichael Show, Get Out), Isla Fisher (Tag, Now You See Me), Poppy Liu (No Good Deed, Sunnyside), Stephen Root (Office Space, Finding Nemo), Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Outlander), and Ricky Gervais (Night at the Museum, The Office). This film is set after an event so nonsensical it might just work… Sewing a dog’s head onto a man’s body so both sides can live on as a singular being. The film follows Dog Man’s mission to bring a halt to Petey the Cat’s desire to stop all do-gooders.

My interest in “Dog Man” was almost next to none. There was no way I saw myself paying my hard earned money to see something like this. The trailers barely did anything to motivate me to go see it. I enjoy a good animated flick, but there was nothing about “Dog Man” that made me think it would be worth my time. The humor did not seem to land with me. The general tone felt overly silly for my taste. That said, I ended up watching the film at a free screening a week before it came out. They say the best things in life are free right? Well, that is not always true. Because “Dog Man” is just okay.

“Dog Man” is the latest DreamWorks animated movie. I am rather fond of DreamWorks. I grew up watching several of their animated titles. In fact, I recently rewatched one of my childhood films, “Kung Fu Panda,” and found more layers to unpack from it that I probably did not realize were there when I was watching it for the first time at eight years old. Not every DreamWorks movie hits, but “Kung Fu Panda” packs a mighty punch. Similar to that movie, I can see kids watching “Dog Man” when they are young, revisiting it at a later age, and unpacking more of the film’s lessons. The problem is, I am wondering if they will enjoy the movie as much as they did when they were growing up. This film definitely has material that adults can appreciate, but I think the kids will end up latching onto this film more.

The film cleverly handles Dog Man’s communication. A lot of animated movies will personify animal characters, including dogs. Dog Man is an exception to the rule. Despite having man in his name, the communication style is strictly canine. He does not speak English. He only communicates through barks and howls. Sometimes it is a little over the top, but there are also times where it works. As for the character himself, he is a decently fleshed out center of the film. The story does a good job at meshing the personalities of the two characters we see during the first few minutes as they merge and become one.

You can kind of say this about other major studios too, but I feel like we are experiencing an era in DreamWorks history where each film delivers a different animation style than the previous one. Sure, “Kung Fu Panda 4” felt rather familiar to its predecessors. But if you look back at “The Bad Guys” or “The Wild Robot,” you would probably get a sense that you are looking at something that could only exist in its respective universe. Granted, those two properties are also based on books that have a distinctive style of their own. “Dog Man” is no exception. I saw one review that compared the animation style to “Captain Underpants,” another book series that also became a DreamWorks movie. Turns out, both book properties are by the same author, and “Dog Man” was originally teased in a “Captain Underpants” book. It only makes sense that the two productions look alike.

For the record, I did not watch the “Captain Underpants” movie. If I had to pinpoint something “Dog Man” reminds me of, and I do not know how many people would actually agree with me, the first thing that comes to mind is the “Backyard Sports” series of video games. Remember those? You had the animated characters with the crazy thin eyes? Every time I look at a character’s eyes in this film, I am convinced they were borrowed from a “Backyard Sports” game.

If you go into this movie expecting realism, you are going to be severely disappointed. I mean, come on. The movie is literally about what happens following the stitching of a dog and a man. The movie has a fast-paced, TikTok sort of style to it, to the point where just about every line of dialogue is incredibly piped up and quickly edited. It throws a lot of information in such a short runtime. The film does poke fun at certain tendencies we see in everyday life, especially from pets. We see Dog Man on the chase, completing his task, but he gets distracted by a squirrel. The main rivalry of the film is between a dog and a cat. The cat has a variety of evil plans to capture his rival, including the use of a vacuum cleaner. What is this, “Spaceballs?” The movie reminds me a bit of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.” Because upon my first watch of both projects, I got the sense that there were so many blink you’ll miss it details to the point where you would have to watch the movie a second time to see what flew over your head. Thankfully, I understood the film’s basic plot, structure, and character motivations. It is not like the film is broken. The film is paced like “Run Lola Run” and contains perhaps a thousand times more instances of dialogue.

That said, even if I did have any interest in picking up on details I missed the first time, I simply do not see myself watching “Dog Man” again. The film is not for me. I do not have a lot of younger children in my social circles, but I have heard from people either in conversation or online that they know kids who love the books on which this film is based. Maybe they will enjoy the movie, but I am not sure how the film will age. The film has good lessons about being a role model and how some people emulate their parents, but it is surrounded by a visually obnoxious series of scenes that almost overwhelm the senses.

Speaking of details, that is also where the devil seems to lie. By that I mean, the devil probably came in and fiddled with them. Because there are parts of this film that are genuinely funny. In fact, there is one gag involving characters exchanging money that had me in stitches. It makes no sense but that is why it works. But going back to this film’s TikTok pace, that can most definitely apply to the humor as well. Forget a mile a minute, the humor in “Dog Man” flies at a kilometer per minute! Having so many jokes could be a good thing. Again, going back to “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” that film had me laughing nonstop and uncontrollably. That is a film where if I watched it with the windows open, I would probably get a noise complaint from a neighbor. They would probably think I’m a madman. But in the case of “Dog Man,” the movie shoves so much comedy into its script that a lot of it inevitably fails to stick the landing.

The film also has a noticeable amount of news exposition. This is common in a lot of movies and television, but I will give credit to the news sequences in this film having a unique flair to them. Granted, they did add to the film’s overall obnoxiousness, but I will not deny that Isla Fisher does a good job in her role as Sarah Hatoff, a news reporter with tons of screentime.

In the end, “Dog Man” is just fine. I am not a dog person, and I am barely a people person. But I can say, as a movie person, this is as middle of the road as animation gets. There is nothing remotely offensive about “Dog Man.” At times it is undoubtedly creative, but the film ultimately prioritizes quantity over quality. This is particularly noticeable when it comes to comedy. Having a lot of jokes is great, but it is better when all of them land. A noticeable number of them did not do that for me. This is not my least favorite DreamWorks film, but I am still going to give “Dog Man” a 5/10.

“Dog Man” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

© thelove.me

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for “Love Me,” the brand new sci-fi film starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun. Stay tuned! If you want to see this review and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Dog Man?” What did you think about it? Or, do you have any experience with the “Dog Man” books? Are they any good? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Nosferatu (2024): Cinematic Production Value Meets Campy Choices in This Horror Flick

Posted on by Jack Drees

“Nosferatu” is directed by Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Witch) and stars Bill Skarsgård (Barbarian, It), Nicholas Hoult (Juror #2, The Menu), Lily-Rose Depp (The Idol, Voyagers), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Godzilla), Emma Corrin (Deadpool & Wolverine, The Crown), and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, Spider-Man). This film centers around a married couple, and the events they go through in connection to a vampire.

© Focus Features

When I reviewed “Kraven the Hunter” last week, I said that at this point, I go to see Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Movies out of obligation. I love the genre “Kraven” falls into, but I cannot pretend that movie or any films closely related to it are the best representations of said genre. In addition to both of these movies featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, that is something “Kraven the Hunter” and “Nosferatu” have in common.

If I were to name a director who I do not particularly admire, even though many people say they are really hot right now, Robert Eggers is the one that comes to mind. I am not saying he is a bad person, nor am I saying he is incapable of making something great. But I think my tastes have not aligned with what he has delivered so far. It is not because I find all of his films to be too out of left field. In fact, “The Lighthouse” is a movie I find to be delightfully weird. I have not watched the film from start to finish since the theater, but I often go on YouTube just to watch the clip of the two main characters dancing to “Doodle Let Me Go.” It is one of the most oddly memorable pieces of cinema I have witnessed in my life. But I did not like “The Witch,” and if you read my review for “The Northman,” you would know I gave the film a barely passable score, but looking back, I have no real plans to watch the movie again and since watching it, I found the film itself to be quite forgettable. I remember it more for its quirks than anything else. If I were to review it again, my score might not be as generous. Admittedly, I was rather conflicted when I put my initial score down.

But as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. With that in mind, I ventured through “Nosferatu” at a surprisingly packed screening. I was shocked to find out how many people were going to see this movie at 1 p.m. on a Friday at an AMC located inside of a dying suburban mall. Granted, it was also two days after Christmas and there are a good amount of people who had time off from school and work, but still, I am happy the movie is doing well business-wise. That said, I do wish the movie itself impressed me more.

I am not going to pretend “Nosferatu” is a terrible film that should be avoided at all costs. But in terms of script and directorial choices, there are some things that did not stick the landing for me. My experience with this film kind of reminds me of “Malignant.” That film’s contains a serious vibe, but also feels unpleasantly campy. While definitely less campy, “Nosferatu” also falls into the same boat. I say this as someone in a state of shock. Because I watched the trailers for this film and even though this was not my most anticipated release of the year, there are parts that legit looked like nightmare fuel. However, there are some choices that are made in the film that I found to be questionable at best, most notably regarding Lily-Rose Depp’s character, Ellen Hutter. The more I thought about this movie after seeing it, and this character is perhaps the biggest testament to this, this felt like a live-action cartoon. There is so much over the top acting, line delivery, and random motions to the point where the film feels like it belongs somewhere on Fox’s Animation Domination lineup.

I almost think “Nosferatu” would make for a good video game. Maybe that would be the case if they added a little more to the story or world, but I say this because this film has some over the top characters like the recently mentioned Ellen Hutter and Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok, AKA Nosferatu. I say this because one of the film’s main characters, Thomas Hutter, played by Nicholas Hoult, is easily the most down to earth individual in the story. This is noticeable by a significant margin when you consider the other characters in the cast. I think as a center of the film, if you can call him that, Thomas works because he feels the most like an everyday man. So in a sense, it makes the rest of the movie feel extraordinary, even if it occasionally results in something that feels tonally inconsistent. Hoult’s character has dialogue in the movie, but he reminds me of a typical video game protagonist because if you play certain titles like “The Legend of Zelda” or “Portal,” you would notice that the protagonists in those games never talk. Similarly, Thomas Hutter is definitely the quietest character on this film’s roster.

While this film is not the best for me in terms of its substance, I will compliment it in terms of its style. If I were to watch “Nosferatu” with the volume off, I would be okay with it. Because the film has astounding production design that took me back in time to 19th century Germany. All the architecture and streets looked stunning. The color palette for this film is on the darker side, and it works completely. There are moments of the movie where there is more vivid color on display, and those moments feel all the more appealing when they happen. It comes off as a breath of fresh air.

Similarly, the cinematography is also very good. This film is shot by Jarin Blaschke, who also shot all the previous Robert Eggers-directed films. The two have proven to have a loyal partnership and seem to understand each other. As much as I do not love Eggers’ work, the cinematography is by no means offensive. It is actually a standout element in each of these projects. The film, like Eggers’ others, has some immersive closeups and shots where we center on the characters’ faces. There are some cool looking dolly techniques. There is one shot that caught my attention where a hand’s shadow is flying in the air. Even if I forget about some things in “Nosferatu,” and that is honestly looking like it is going to be the case. That shot is probably going to be something I will remember. Robert Eggers, like many directors, has his consistencies. If there is one that I could call a favorite, it is his continued collaboration with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke. I hope these two continue to work together as much as possible, even if their next film ends up not being great.

In the end, “Nosferatu” is yet another point as to why Robert Eggers is not my favorite filmmaker. I know he has his fans, but I am not one of them. While “Nosferatu” is far from the worst horror title I have ever seen, I did find it to be rather dull. Additionally, it is also the worst thing that a horror title can be. Not scary. I do not recall a single moment where I felt terrified during this entire film. The scare attempts range anywhere between lazy to overdone. There is no goldilocks zone in between these extremes. Is the film pretty to the naked eye? Sure. But I do wish the narrative compelled me just a little bit more. I am going to give “Nosferatu” a 5/10.

“Nosferatu” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next reviews are going to be for “Babygirl” and “A Complete Unknown.” Once those are done, it is time to talk about my best and worst movies of 2024! If you want to see more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Nosferatu?” What did you think about it? Or, what is your favorite horror movie released in 2024? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!