Ranking The Pixar Movies (w/Hoppers)

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Here it is! My ranking of every single Disney-Pixar film from worst to best!

Everyone tends to have their own opinion of what constitutes as the very best and very worst work from Pixar! It’s one of the few studios to where you can name nearly any film as the absolute best or worst and it’s quite hard to argue with that! Whether we are talking about Toy Story 2 or Cars 2, I don’t think there’s a single Pixar film that doesn’t have at least one diehard fan defending it or hating it to their dying breath! Heck, I’m pretty sure there’s at least one lone soul out there that has The Good Dinosaur as their favorite Pixar film and Finding Nemo as their least favorite Pixar film!

Even so, there’s no denying that this is a company that has a huge impact on the way we all view animation and cinema in general! If someone claims there has never been one Pixar movie that has left a lasting impression on, they are lying through their teeth! To put it simply, they are one of the very best to ever make movies! And yes, while their quality has been quite inconsistent for the better part of the past 15+ years, there always comes at least one giant gem every now and then that reminds us all that when it’s done well, Pixar is easily the animation company to beat out there!

Now that Hoppers is now out in theaters, let’s rank all 30 movies they have released thus far!

30.) Lightyear

If there is one Pixar film that I find to be downright INFRUIATING, that would be Lightyear! Because on paper, this should be an EASY film to get right! (Especially since it has ALREADY been done right in the form of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.) Instead, for what is suppose to be Andy’s favorite film, it’s actually the most bland, generic and run-of-the-mill Buzz Lightyear film you could possibly imagine. The first 2/3rd’s play out as the most conventional space adventure ever that leads to a third act that contains one of the dumbest plot twists in Disney history (You wouldn’t believe me if I told you!). It’s so bizarre seeing Pixar spent so much of the Toy Story films building Buzz’s legacy and history as a space ranger only to just toss that aside completely for his feature film. Not even the excellent animation and the awesome sidekick in Socks could make this space opera even remotely appealing. Lightyear should have been a slam dunk for Pixar but instead, it’s far in a way their weakest film to date.

29.) The Good Dinosaur

The second worst Pixar film is probably one you either forget exist or didn’t even know it existed at all. The troubled production that The Good Dinosaur faced during the development of it is as clear as daylight when watching it. It’s got a neat and exciting premise (Dinosaurs never becoming extinct and living among human beings!) that it does nothing with. It’s got wonderful animation but there’s no creativity to it whatsoever. It’s got a story about a relationship between a young mute boy and a dinosaur that is told in the most dull and predictable way imaginable. And that’s not even going into the inconsistent tone, shockingly poor voice work (The kid’s voice for the dinosaur just doesn’t fit whatsoever!), and even a scene where the kid and a dinosaur are basically… high on drugs. (Yes, really!) It’s certainly more watchable than other bad animated films out there and there’s a few moments when the visuals are allowed to do the talking that are effective, but The Good Dinosaur is a dull, mediocre, and plain forgettable mess.

28.) Cars 2

Here is the one Pixar film that pretty much everyone agreed was bad. No one was really clamoring for a Cars 2, not even fans of the original Cars, but considering this was John Lasseter’s passion project along with one of Disney’s most successful toy brand, there just had to be a sequel somehow. This time around, Mater is put to the forefront and it doesn’t work for the same reason that most comic relief characters don’t work then they are given the spotlight, they just don’t work as their own character. You also have a bizarre premise surrounding spies and espionage, an overly complicated plot, and an incoherent narrative that it makes you forget that first film was literally about a race car learning humbleness. At least it still looks good with nice new locations added and some entertaining action scenes but those aren’t anywhere good enough to justify this sequel’s existence. While I can conceive that Cars 2 is slightly over hated, it’s also not a film that is deserving of being defended in any way.

27.) Brave

Pixar had finally shown a big crack in the armor with Cars 2 a year prior and their next film, Brave didn’t really do much to win back audience’s trust. Much like The Good Dinosaur, it’s just a confused mess with ideas you’ve seen many times before and done many times better in other films. Take every cliché you’ve seen done in every other Disney princess movie and every other “nature” Disney movie, use those cliches in the most half-baked way possible, thrown in some family and relationship dynamics that feels unbelievable forced, and put all of that in a blender and you get Brave. It’s well-animated and it was sure nice to see Pixar finally make a film with a female protagonist for once but all of that is put to waste in this lackluster bore fest. Brave may not be quite the worst Pixar film ever made, as it does at least feel more like a coherent vision than The Good Dinosaur and at least slightly more interesting than Cars 2 or Lightyear, but this is the one Pixar film I will always feels the least compelled to rewatch.

26.) Elio

Here’s yet another recent original Pixar movie that is cute enough in it’s own right but nothing to write home about! There’s nothing that Elio does particularly wrong but there’s not much it does to stand out among the very best of Pixar! It’s got a rather beautiful world, an engaging relationship between the lead human boy and his alien friend, and it’s message about finding acceptance is resonating. But, it’s still bogged down by a rather predictable narrative, plot turns and morals you can see coming from a mile away, and a very weak main bad guy. Like with 90% of Pixar movies, Elio has it’s charms and thrills but you can definitely feel the troubled production onscreen and how the film was clearly gutted from it’s original vision. Still would rather see more films like this than Cars 4 or A Bug’s Life 2!

25.) Onward

Here’s a Pixar film that didn’t hit me the way it did for most people. It has a fascinating premise with an emphasis on Dungeons & Dragons, a fun universe to explore with the two main brothers, and a very recognizable cast of celebrities that seems like they are having fun in their roles. But the journey with two brothers needed to take their deserted corpse of a father is quite off-putting and while the ending moved many people, it left me underwhelmed and made the whole journey feel like a waste of time. Although the doors are left opening for a VERY promising sequel, Onward never felt like a complete whole as a standalone adventure in it’s own right.

24.) Incredibles 2

Everyone and their mother had been waiting years for an Incredibles 2! With the original being one of the greatest superhero films ever made, everyone wanted to see more adventures with this super family! And after a 14-year long wait, we got a sequel that is aggressively…..just fine! The animation is great, the action sequences are a lot of fun, it’s quite funny throughout, each character get a moment or two to shine, Michael Giacchino’s score is on point, and it was cool to see Elastic Girl get more of the stoplight this time around. Unfortunately, all the good things that are presented are hindered by a weak narrative with a plot and themes that has been done a million times before in other superhero films with nothing new added to it. It also has probably the most predictable plot twist in animation history with the main villain of the Screenslayer, who pails EMBARSSINGLY to Syndrome! For those that just want to spend more time with the characters from the original, you will likely be satisfied. However, for everyone else, you will likely be underwhelmed. To put it simply, Incredibles 2 is simply too late…14 years too late!

23.) Toy Story 4

Everyone was worried about a Toy Story 4 and for good reason. After the perfect way that Toy Story 3 wrapped up, where exactly was there left to good? As it turns out, that’s exactly what Toy Story 4 is about and why it’s able to function despite the worst possible circumstances. It’s an interesting experiment of how to continue on with your new story after your previous story basically ended. The real key trick here it doesn’t so much functions as a “true” finale to Toy Story but more as an epilogue. You also got some great new characters, Bo Peep’s welcome return, and an ending that wraps up Woody’s story very well (if not quite divisive). I could have done without the “inner voice” jokes with Buzz tho. Toy Story 4 is like the equivalent of watching a friend perform a very dangerous stunt after they claimed they were done doing them a long time ago. While you are happy they succeeded by sticking the landing, you would rather they would NOT attempt that again!

(Unfortunately, because Toy Story 5 is yet coming out, it can no longer justify as being a satisfying epilogue to the franchise! It’s now of more as just…..a footnote! Because of that, it falters in the rankings!)

22.) A Bug’s Life

Here we have the film that takes the crown for being the most generally “okay” Pixar film that they have ever released. What makes it all the more ironic that this came out just around the time that DreamWorks’s Antz did, which would also take the crown for being the most generally “okay” DreamWorks film that they have ever released at the time. How is the story? It’s okay! How are the characters? They’re okay! How is the animation? It was okay for the time! How is the sound? It’s okay! How is the main villain? He’s….actually pretty awesome and probably one of the best Pixar villains ever, and also happens to be voiced by a real life villain himself! No, I will not mention him by name! There’s not much to say about A Bug’s Life other than what I’ve been saying throughout. It’s just okay!

21.) Cars 3

I never would have thought the most unnecessary of the Pixar sequels to come out in the 2010s was actually one of the better ones that didn’t involve toys or emotions coming to life. In a area of legacy themed sequels, Cars 3 is able to stand out uniquely on it’s own. This makes for a rather interesting tale about Lightning trying to compete in the age of younger, modern racers while also being able to teach a younger, modern racer in the meantime. The animation and racing sequences have never been better, Lightning McQueen’s arc is odd but also compelling, Cruz is a nice new addition to the series, and the way it ties back to the legacy of Doc Ock is very well done. Jackson Storm himself is a pretty bland villain and there’s too many “old” jabs at Lightning but for what it’s worth, Cars 3 makes for a fine successor to the original Cars in the ways that Cars 2 failed badly at.

20.) Elemental

I was quite generous to Elemental when I reviewed it a few years ago. While it’s still a fine film three years later, it’s not quite up to par with top tier Pixar. Although it looks gorgeous, has a beautiful score, mostly likeable leads, and resonate themes that folks will be able to engage with, it’s whole love story is quite standard with nothing new or different added to it, just filled with the typical rom-com cliches. Not to mention, Wade is quite annoying for a good chunk of it. It’s certainly enjoyable and I’m glad it was able to find an audience while gaining strong legs at the box office back in 2023, but Elemental is just one Pixar film I don’t see myself going back quite often.

19.) Monsters University

I don’t know how many people in the world were clamoring for a Monsters Inc. prequel that put focus on Mike and Sully’s early days in college but we got exactly that in 2013 with Monsters University. This is similar to Lightyear, where the first two acts plays out as predictable and straightforward as you could imagine with a third act that’s literally the exact opposite of that with a wild turn that either makes or breaks the film. Whereas Lightyear‘s third act completely broke the movie beyond repair, Monster University‘s third act makes the whole movie worth it, with a heart hitting message about how not everything is set in stone for everybody and there are other options for you out there if you are unable to follow the traditional path. While everything before then is enjoyable enough, the final 30 minutes of Monsters University saves the entire movie of being another useless prequel. I still would have liked to see a sequel of Boo all grown up though.

18.) Finding Dory

Here’s another solid “good enough” B/B+ movie to an A++ predecessor! While Dory was a beloved character in the original Finding Nemo, there was the question of whether or not she would be good enough to carry her own film considering she was the comic relief of that movie! Thankfully, unlike Mater, Dory has an engaging story of her own, where she looks to find her long lost parents while fighting her short term memory crisis. The animation is beautiful, the journey that Dory goes on to find her parents is both fun and funny, and the new characters that are introduced fit into this movie’s world quite well. There’s too much nods and winks to the original with a climax that’s a bit too ridiculous for what it’s worth but Finding Dory manages to exceed quite well when it comes to laughs, character drama, and even emotion. Just keep swimming Dory! Keep swimming indeed!

17.) Cars

There are plenty of folks that decried the original Cars when it came out in 2006 because it was no Toy Story or Finding Nemo. However, when looking at the film for what it’s trying to be, it’s actually a sweet, moving, and just plain nostalgic road trip movie that acts as a great tribute for Route 66. There’s also a nice story here where the main protagonist Lightning McQueen learns the value of life and how there’s more to it than just winning a race. Plus, you are lying if you claim that Doc Hudson isn’t a great character, the sequence of him driving in his “prime” form wasn’t breathtaking and the ending of Lightning going back to help Mr. “The King” finish his last race wasn’t brave and heartwarming. It’s world of cars may not make the most logical sense and does come across as a more kid friendly version of Doc Hollywood, but the original Cars still remains a cult classic that doesn’t deserve the scorn it’s gotten over the years. While it’s far from the best Pixar film, this is certainly one of the ones I’ve felt the most nostalgia for. Also, R.I.P. to the great Paul Newman!

16.) Luca

If there’s one film out there that I would describe as being the perfect “summer” movie, look no further than Luca. It’s a delightful and relaxing film about two best friends as human beings trying to spend their summer outside of their own comfort zone as actual fish. I don’t think I have seen an animated film that was able to capture the fun and spirit of summer vacation than this one! There’s just something so unique of seeing two best friends hanging out with a girl they just met, who then later becomes best friends with them! If you ever wanted to see a Pixar film in the style of traditional Studio Ghibli movies but in 3D, this is basically what you get. The first 20 minutes or so aren’t great, but once the kids get up to the surface, it’s a really fun time and makes for a perfect way to take time out of the summer heat.

15.) Turning Red

One of Pixar’s most divisive films to date is also one of their most important ones they’ve ever released. I can’t recall a film in the Pixar library that is has open and honest with itself as Turning Red. It take risks and tackles subject matter that at least 99% of other animation studios are probably afraid of tackling for a supposed kids film, it has a strong thematical and emotional core that holds the whole thing together near perfectly, and has animation that serves it’s purpose and executed in all of the intent and purpose imaginable. This is a wonderfully, lovable movie about an awfully, cringe-able time period that we all have or will have to go through. There are definitely some things you can criticize (The mother is way too much of a Karen for my liking!) and it doesn’t make for the most comfortable watch for those quite sensitive to it’s subject matter, but Turning Red is certainly a film that anyone that has gone through that awkward stage of their lives can get something out of. 

14.) Hoppers

Hoppers is a showcase of what happens with Pixar allows themselves to let loose and forge their own path to creativity. The film has it’s own distinct animation style that compliments the storytelling without it being too overbearing or “in your face”, the characters are all likeable with their own relatable goals that anyone can get behind, it’s easily among the funniest Pixar movie in years, and despite prior reports of Disney’s efforts to downplay the themes of environmentalism, it’s able to get that exact message across in as much of a profound way as Pixar was able to in 2008 with Wall-E. It may take it’s time in getting to that exact point in the ways that it was intend and does have one or two cringeworthy lines about how “aware” it is of it’s own premise but the pay-offs by the latter half of Hopper makes it the whole experience feel worth it!

13.) Monsters Inc.

Talk about a film that’s able to take a familiar idea but executing it in a way that makes it feel fresh and new. Even if you know it’s premise and ideas by heart, Monsters Inc. is able to exceed greatly on that front thanks to an exciting world in Monstropolis, some incredibly inventive set pieces (especially the end sequence with the doors), two very likable leads in Mike and Sully, and of course, a strong central and sweet relationship between the two monsters and the little human girl that is Boo. The main villain is pretty service level and I don’t recall remembering much about any character that is not Mike, Sully, or Boo, but Monsters Inc. is still a very strong watch that holds up incredibly well to this very day.

12.) Wall-E

There seems to be two sides to Wall-E: those that thought the film was absolute perfection from beginning to end or those that adored the first half but only REALLY liked the second half. I would say I’m part of the later category. The first half to Wall-E offers some of the best visual storytelling I’ve seen in any animated film, daring to go almost complete silences and let the animation and visuals do all the talking. Then comes the second half that while very good, feels more conventional compared to the first half, with more emphasis on dialogue and character exchanges to tell the other half of the picture. Thankfully, it all still works greatly because Wall-E is arguably the most lovable robot in all of action and his relationship with Eve is incredibly engaging. The film perfectly encapsulates innocence, purity, and hope in a world that is dying all around you. It might’ve missed my top 10 but make no mistake, Wall-E is still a wonderful animated film regardless!

11.) Toy Story

Not only the one that started it all for Pixar but the one that started the trend of 3D animation! The idea of toys coming to life when the kids are not around is executed to absolute perfection with a cast of characters that are all iconic in their own ways. Woody and Buzz makes for possibly the very best characters in Pixar history, the script is airtight, it’s paced marvelously, and there’s just not a dull moment to be found here. The overall formula of these movies have become more noticeable throughout the years and there are parts of the animation that don’t hold up. Plus, there’s also that one annoying little plot hole about how Buzz acts like a toy when humans are around even BEFORE he knows he is a toy. However, NOTHING can take away the amazing accomplishment that was the original Toy Story, even 30 years later!. The fact this is only #11 on the list is just more of a showcase of the amount of fantastic films that Pixar has made.

10.) Inside Out 2

The nine-year long awaited sequel might not be quite as “fresh” as it’s original counterpart but that shouldn’t discredit Inside Out 2 as being a really affective and worthwhile sequel, easily acting as the best Pixar sequels that is NOT Toy Story related. This is arguably the first Pixar sequel not related to Toy Story that seems to have more on it’s mind to justify it’s own existence other than branding and merchandising. Going from seeing Riley as a youth moving to San Francisco to a teenager looking to make it into the high school hockey team with the popular girls while making time for her current friends, this sequel takes the logical next step into showcasing the inner turmoil of taking the next step to puberty with Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment entering the picture, portrayed perfectly by newcomers Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adele Exarchopoulos, and Paul Walter Hauser. Even if it can’t quite top the original, Inside Out 2 is able to act greatly as a near perfect continuation and expansion of the first movie’s story and themes. This is probably the one Pixar series that I wouldn’t mind seeing more sequels to!

9.) Ratatouille

I can’t help but feel like this is the most overlooked Pixar film to date! In a sea of Pixar masterpieces, this one tends to get lost in the shuffle when talking about the best of the best from Pixar. Ratatouille might be the most thematically rich and inspiring film in Pixar’s library, showing how anyone has their own talent no matter who they are or where they came from. Patton Oswalt is perfect as the lovable lead rat that is Remy, the whole supporting cast of characters are great, it’s themes and messages are perfectly inspiring, and who can forget the pitch-perfect speech at the very end which is an absolute all-timer. It does suffer a bit from the main of character of Linguini being arguably the least good character in the film but his chemistry with Remy is so spot on and the film around him is so great that it really doesn’t matter. This is a food porn film at it’s absolute finest! Rock on, Brad Bird!

8.) Soul

This make for possibly the most human and relatable film that Pixar has ever made! Soul goes into great depth in showcasing the meaning of life and why it’s worth living to the fullest, even when you are not where you want to be. You aren’t going to last forever and there will be a day where you suddenly die like Joe does. Until that time comes, make sure your life was one that was worth living, because you may just NEVER get a second chance to do so. Jamie Fox is perfect as Joe and has perfect chemistry with Tina Fey as 22, the ideas are executed in the most creative ways imaginable, the animation is incredibly impressive, it’s extremely funny throughout, the whole building is exceptional, and the message of finding satisfaction in your life is one that anyone can relate to no matter what age they are! If you need a film that can lift your spirits, help recognizes the talent that you have within yourself, and shows why life is indeed worth living, look no further than Soul!

7.) Up

If we are judging strictly on the opening of this film alone, this would probably be #1. Up has the most perfect first ten minutes of any film that I’ve ever seen, perfectly showcasing the origins of Carl as a young kid to an adult along with being the love of his life that was Ellie. Just like Wall-E, it goes from that silent form of storytelling to something a bit more conventional. Thankfully, the rest of the film is done so well that it really doesn’t matter. Carl’s arc of moving on from his past to enjoying the rest of his life while he can is incredibly well done, the side characters such as Russell and the dogs are a lot of fun, the sequences with the flying house is breathtaking, and Kevin might just be the funniest animal side character in animation history. (I always DIE laughing at the “Squirrel” bit!” I know some like to dog (no pun intended) on this movie as being overrated because the film never quite lives up to the first ten minutes of the film! However, the rest of Up is still so fun, engaging, and emotional that I can’t help but still love it to death!

6.) Coco

This is one Pixar film that has only gotten better in age for me, especially in the wake of my grandma’s passing (RIP, Grandma!). Not only is Coco a perfect representation of Mexican culture, especially with the traditional holiday of Day of the Dead, but it makes for a perfect human story of a flawed family that love each other despite their beliefs and traditions wearing them down. The animation is some of the very best ever put to film, the family dynamics are great, the world of the afterlife is brilliantly realized, and it has perhaps the most emotionally draining final act in Pixar history (I am always sobbing at the section of Miguel singing and playing his guitar to Coco)! Even the incredibly obvious bad guy reveal that has been redundant now can’t bring it down because of how it connects perfectly to the themes of the film involving the cons of pursuing greatness. While there are comparisons to be had with The Book of Life, Coco strands strongly not just as it’s own thing but has yet another home run for Pixar.

5.) Finding Nemo

If there’s an animated film that perfectly captures every parent’s worst nightmare of losing their own child, it’s Finding Nemo! What might seem like a simple story of a father trying to find his son is able to be told in the best way possible! That is thanks to INCREDIBLE world building that’s full of side characters who are all memorable no matter their screentime and perfectly exploring the ins and outs of the deadly deep blue sea. It is world building at it’s FINEST! You also got a great emotional father/son core with Marlin and Nemo, a perfect counterpart with Dory, and a hard hitting message of never taking the ones you love for granted and it’s better to be safe then sorry. Oh, and this movie is like REALLY funny! (The scene in the dentist office KILLS me every time!) No matter how many times I watch Finding Nemo, it always manages to be fun, fresh and exciting all the same! If that’s not the best compliment to give a film, then I don’t know what is!

4.) Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 is wildly considered to be one of the greatest sequels ever made and I have to agree 100%! It takes everything people loved about the first movie and expands upon it in every single way. With even more memorable characters, much stellar animation, hard hitting emotion, an incredible soundtrack, having Woody and Buzz go through reverse arcs that work perfectly, and timely themes anyone at any age can relate to, Toy Story 2 is one of the sequels that manages to be as good as the original, if not even better Also, the opening with Buzz Lightyear might legit be the best opening for any movie ever! (It gives me goosebumps EVERY single time!) I love this film when I was a young kid watching this film on repeat on my VHS and I still love it to this day! It’s so hard to believe that this was the film that nearly broke Pixar due to it’s very troubled production! But by the end, not only did Toy Story 2 NOT kill Pixar, it made them stronger.

3.) The Incredibles

I don’t know how it took until five films for Pixar to make a film with actual human characters but they finally did that with The Incredibles. Even in an era where superhero films have dominated pop culture for such a long period of time, The Incredibles still stands out as being among the very best that the subgenre has offered. Not only because it’s able to subvert the very tired tropes of most superhero films but it’s also able to embrace the very best and traditional tropes that comes from them as all, managing to execute them even better than over 90% that have ever come out. The characters and family dynamics is a lot of un, the themes are all ones that feels completely timeless even nearly two decades later, the action and set pieces are absolutely fantastic, the animation holds up very well, every member of the super family gets their own moment to shine, and how can anyone not love the main bad guy of Syndrome. It also has the funniest Pixar short ever with Jack Jack Attack! (That “BS” joke only gets funnier the older I get!) There’s not a lot I can say about The Incredibles that hasn’t been said by everyone else already. It’s just awesome!

2.) Inside Out

People were starting to doubt Pixar before this film came out with a handful of films that ranged from fine to aggressive mediocre throughout the early 2010s, but then Inside Out came out in the summer of 2015 and blew everyone away! This is an example of a film that takes an unique idea and does everything it possibly can with it. It showcases how negative emotions can be just as healthy as positive emotions and how to keep them all in check and finding the right balance is the most important thing of all. Plus, anyone that has gone through the struggle of moving and having to adjust to a new place/culture will certainly get a LOT from this film! The animation is beautiful, creative, and imaginative, the mind of Riley is as unique as any world in the realm of Pixar, each character is fully realized and engaging, the humor is great, the score is mesmerizing, the voice cast is prefect, nearly every idea and concept is flawlessly executed, and the emotional moments hit as hard as you could possibly imagine. (*sniffs* Bye bye Bing Bong! *sniffs*) While it’s not quite my favorite Pixar film, there’s a strong argument to be made that Inside Out is objectively the very best Pixar film! And I would NOT argue with you there!

1.) Toy Story 3

While I can concede that Inside Out is probably the best Pixar film overall, there is no other Pixar film that I would rather rewatch than Toy Story 3. There is just no other Pixar film (or possibly ANY animated film) that has hit me, moved me, entertained me, and satisfied me more than Toy Story 3. Acting as a perfect culmination of the entire Toy Story franchise up to this point, Toy Story 3 is a perfect showcase of what happens when the kids grow up and are ready to move on to other things. It’s all about learning to let go of the past and embracing the future while also never forgetting the fond memories that got you were you are now. It’s able to be the funniest, darkest, and most emotional of all the Toy Story movies, the stakes are at their highest and feels the most personal, it has perhaps the best villain in all of Pixar with Lotso, and who can forget the final sequence that made grown men and women bawl like a baby! It might’ve took 11 years to be made but at the time and even now, Toy Story 3 is that rare long awaited sequel that was able to succeed EVERY expectation that I had for it! Yes, it’s a shame that Disney and Pixar didn’t stop the series right here, but taking at it’s own thing, being an impactful film about growing up and evolution, and as being a fitting conclusion to the “golden era” of Pixar, Toy Story 3 is Pixar, animation, and cinema at it’s absolute finest! This film has been one of my all-time favorites since seeing it in 2010 and it still is over 15 years later!

Hoppers (2026) Early Movie Review- The Best Avatar Movie To Date

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There’s a line in Hoppers that is quite the eye roller. You might’ve already seen it in the trailers but it’s when the two doctors, Sam and Nisha, explain to Mabel, the main protagonist, what the actual concept of Hoppers is suppose to be. And it’s during that moment where Mabel says how the concept of a human using sci-fi tech to transferring themselves into a nocturnal animal in the hopes of forming a relationship within the inhabits of a forest and preventing a demise of that said forest from the government is just like the movie, Avatar! It’s in that moment where you think you know which movie you are getting with Hoppers because the film directly tells you it! And for the first half of Pixar’s latest original, that is basically the movie you get.

Yes, we get to see the main protagonist’s hivemind be transported into that of a realistic beaver robot. Yes, we get to see to see the main protagonist interacted with other beavers and animals among an enchanted forest, which she realizes they are all just as human as her. And yes, we get to see a town’s government try to destroy that forest in favor of their own personal wants and needs for that forest. While that is all competently done in an entertaining enough way, it’s when the second half comes around and pulls the rug from underneath you (everyone will know EXACTLY the moment that I am talking about) that Hoppers fully forms into it’s own unique identity. And that identity makes it the best Avatar movie since well…...Avatar. And even then, it might just be better than that!

Hoppers is a showcase of what happens with Pixar allows themselves to let loose and forge their own path to creativity. The film has it’s own distinct animation style that compliments the storytelling without it being too overbearing or “in your face”, the characters are all likeable with their own relatable goals that anyone can get behind, it’s easily among the funniest Pixar movie in years, and despite prior reports of Disney’s efforts to downplay the themes of environmentalism, it’s able to get that exact message across in as much of a profound way as Pixar was able to in 2008 with Wall-E. It may take it’s time in getting to that exact point in the ways that it was intend but the pay-off by the latter half makes it all the more worth it.

Premise: When scientists discover a way to transform human consciousness into robotic animals, Mabel (Piper Curda) uses the new technology to uncover mysteries of the animal world that are beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Hoppers is an animated feature with a lot on it’s mind, not so much interested in pushing itself in one certain directions but multiple, imaginative directions. Director Daniel Chong is able to explore the wonders of it’s premise, trying to create a world with logical problems that ben solved with the most logical answers imaginable. We see that perfectly through the main protagonist Mabel, a college girl who is fighting for animal and environmental rights, who wants to make a positive change in her hometown. However, as the film constantly states over and over again, it’s not as easy as it seems because the world itself isn’t one for solving logical problems with logical answers.

As much as Hoppers makes it’s case of being a story about optimism and unity, it’s not naive. It’s able to have that right brain in it’s head throughout the actions made by the characters without needing to contradicts itself to get it’s point across (Alyas, Raya and the Last Dragon!) A good example of this is with the character of King George (Bobby Moynihan), the leader of the beaver monarch. King George is someone that believes that everyone is a good person deep down, something which Mabel clearly disagrees with because of her past experiences with people. As much as she wants to be on King George’s side, she can’t because she know deep down that the ideal world that King George has in his head doesn’t exist. There’s a difference between an idealist and being a realist (something which a certain silver hedgehog from another certain franchise led by furry animal can attest to).

However, just because everyone can’t be a good person doesn’t mean you can at least change who they are if you work hard to do just that. Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) may seem like a one-sided greedy mayor on the service but allow him to see a different perspective on the way things function and how it affects others and it might just lead him down a much better path than he expected. It’s further proof on how Hoppers isn’t just a story about how everyone should be kind and good-hearted when they are not but some might just be able to when they are given the perspective of someone from the “other side”, or in this case….a beaver.

This is basically what makes Hoppers a distinct animated parallel to that of Avatar, and in many ways is a better film than any of the three hugely successfully but ridiculously expensive sci-fi opera adventures. While James Cameron was able to use the premise of a human being leaping into the body of another species to tell a story of a man going against the grain of his own kind in favor of helping out an indigenous tribe, Hoppers uses that exact same premise to tell a more complicated and layer story about an interloper who wants to make a positive impact on a community and have it lead to the best of both worlds for both her kind and the endangered animals she is trying to save.

When it comes to the other aspects as well, Hoppers is still quite rock solid. While the animation style won’t be to everyone’s taste (especially if the “civil” reaction to the animation style of Turning Red had anything to go by), it has enough novelty in it’s own cartoony style that benefits the way it tells it story in ways that are both funny and effective. The voice cast is quite strong, with Piper Curda and Jon Hamm being the main standouts as the main protagonist and antagonist respectively, with other worthy work done by the likes of Bobby Moynihan, Dave Franco, and Merryl Steep respectively. And despite having plenty of moments of levity, emotion, and even some shock value (again you will know EXACTLY the one turning point scene I’m talking about, it’s able to have a perfectly controlled tone that never contradicts one scene or the other. Oh, and it’s ALWAYS nice to hear SZA’s voice when doing music.

I won’t said that Hoppers is an instant Pixar masterpiece on par with the likes of Up, Inside Out, Coco, or Soul. As I said, the film takes a while to get it’s engine going, playing like the standard “human turns into animal” premise the trailers depicted it as along with one or two cringeworthy lines about how aware and “meta” it is of the kind of premise it is taking inspiration off. It’s once things are put into place and the film starts throwing more twists and personal dilemmas into it’s conflicts that the film become more than meets the eyes. It’s a film you have to be patient wait but I assure you, your patience will be awarded by the halfway point.

After last year’s Elio, it seemed like Pixar was no longer able to make original and thought-provoking animated films with a distinct message of it’s own without it getting gutted like a fish by the higher-ups of Mickey Mouse. However, Hoppers, seems to prove otherwise. It’s prove that Pixar is still allowed to make original films that are smart, wacky, funny, complex, and enough relatable and charm that it might just become a hit among mainstream audiences. While it might fall just short of a classic, Hoppers is prove that perhaps we can make a difference! Enough said!

Ranking The Super Bowl (2000-2026)

AdamLeave a comment

It’s been several weeks since the latest Super Bowl match-up between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots! Just like I did at the end of the World Series last year, I’m gonna rank each and every Super Bowl match-up that has occurred since 2000!

For a few disclaimers, I will be referring to each Super Bowl that was played in the exact year that it did and NOT based on the regular season from a month prior of that Super Bowl match! Because of that, I will also include the Super Bowl match-up that took place in February 2000 between the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans, even if those teams are based on a regular season that took place in 1999!

Also, since I’ve been making people wait long enough for this and wanted to get this piece out before March rolls around, I’m just gonna get straight to the point with each Super Bowl match-up! Just a sentence or two summary about how each SB went down and why they are placed where they are! This might change in the future if I’m still doing these rankings but for now, keeping it brief!

Let’s get right now to it!

27.) 2014- Super Bowl XLVIII- Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos

Champion: Seattle Seahawks

Score: 43-8

MVP: Malcolm Smith, Linebacker

About as uninteresting and as much of a blowout as you could imagine for a Super Bowl event! What was expected to be a tight match-up between two highly competitive teams between the Seahawks and Broncos ended up being a laugher, leading to Seattle’s first ever SB crown! This was a game that was over from the very start and lacked any suspense of any kind!

26.) 2026- Super Bowl LX- Seattle Seahawks vs New England Patriots

Champions: Seattle Seahawks

Score: 43-8

MVP: Kenneth Walker III, Running Back

Sadly, the 2nd SB victory from the Seahawks wasn’t a whole lot better. Going up against a young Patriots team who cakewalked their way to success thanks to having the easiest regular season schedule in over 20 years, this was expected to be a steamroller for Seattle and we got exactly that. New England did make some fireworks in the 4th quarter, which does keep it from being dead last, but they were simply no match for Seattle, who was bare none the superior team in every way.

25.) 2001- Super Bowl XXXV- Baltimore Ravens vs New York Giants

Champion: Baltimore Ravens

Score: 34-7

MVP: Ray Lewis, Linebacker

It’s nice to see Baltimore achieve ANY kind of sport success this century but their matchup against the Giants was quite a sleeper. Baltimore’s defensive lines absolutely dominated New York, leading Ray Lewis to winning the MVP, and the offense did just enough damage whenever it could to take away any kind of advantage for their opponent. Unfortunately for the Giants, Eli had yet to show up to help get them a ring.

24.) 2003-Super Bowl XXXVII- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Oakland Raiders

Champions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Score: 48-21

MVP: Dexter Jackson, Safety

Infamous known as the “Jon Gruden Bowl”, Chucky, A.K.A. the head coach of the Bucs, ended up beating his former team in the Raiders, demolishing them in every single aspect of play. It was more of the behind the scenes drama that took the spotlight here than the actual game itself.

23.) 2021-Super Bowl LV- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs

Champions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Score: 31-9

MVP: Tom Brady, Quarterback

What was expected to be an absolute dream match between young Patrick Mahomes and grandpa Tom Brady turned out to be quite a snoozer! If somehow you weren’t tried of Mr. Brady winning half a dozen SBs in New England, you get to see him do it again for the 7th and final time in just one year with Tampa Bay! Oh, and this also happened to take place during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a half-filled crowd and more people watching the match-up alone through their streaming devices than actual television with their friends and families.

22.) 2025- Super Bowl LIX- Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs

Champions: Philadelphia Eagles

Score: 40-22

MVP: Jalen Hurts, Quarterback

After a devastating SB loss just two years prior, Philly was able to get their revenge against KC, with an absolute dominant performance from QB and MVP Jalen Hurts! The Eagles defensive exposed a deeply flawed and aged offensive lines that had plagued the chiefs all season, securing Philly a championship they had been so desperately craving in recent years. Despite best efforts from Mahomes and Kelece, the Chiefs didn’t stand a chance this time around!

21.)  2019- Super Bowl LIII- New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Rams

Champions: New England Patriots

Score: 13-3

MVP: Julian Edelman, Wide Receiver

While this is easily among the most boring Super Bowls of this century, it still gets some credit from the incredible defensive lines from both New England and LA, which kept it a close game the whole way through. However, when you don’t score a touchdown until the last quarter and no points are on the scoreboard for a good chunk of the game, you don’t get much love from mainstream audiences! Oh, this also ended up being the last SB for New England through their near 20-year long dynasty!

20.) 2007- Super Bowl XLI- Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears

Champions: Indianapolis Colts

Score: 29-17

MVP: Peyton Manning

Talk about a game that started off in shock, giving Chicago all the hope and momentum in the world and then just…..died. After a magical kickoff return from Devin Hester, things went downhill from there for his team. The Colts under Mr. Manning was able to bounce back from a rocky start, taking advance of a sloppy and messy game from the Bears’ point of view. It’s like watching a perfect teaser trailer for a movie and then you watch the movie itself and it….kinda sucks.

19.) 2006- Super Bowl XL -Pittsburgh Steelers vs Seattle Seahawks

Champions: Pittsburgh Steelers

Score: 21-10

MVP: Hines Ward, Wide Receiver

Ah yes! The one time where Pittsburgh was able to BS their way to a Super Bowl ring, more thanks to Refball and questionable calls rather than anything the Steelers or even Seahawks actually did on the field. Guess it’s time to take a ride on the Yinzermobile! *YINZER MODE ACTIVIATED*

18.) 2016- Super Bowl 50- Denver Broncos vs Carolina Panthers

Champions: Denver Broncos

Score: 24-10

MVP: Von Miller, Linebacker

Peyton Manning was able to end his career on a high note by helping the Broncos win their lone Super Bowl of the century! However, the real star here has to go to Von Miller, helping keep the Panthers defense in check and letting the offense do their business!

17.) 2010- Super Bowl XLIV- New Orleans Saints vs Indianapolis Colts

Champions: New Orleans Saints

Score: 31-17

MVP: Drew Brees, Quarterback

A super talented QB like Drew Brees had to grab at least ONE Super Bowl throughout his impressive career and he was able to do that for the Saints against the Colts! After a shaky first half, the onside kick by Sean Payton to kick off (no pun intended) the second half gave New Orleans all the momentum they need for their magical SB run! That in of itself knocks it up to around middle-of-the-pack!

16.) 2011- Super Bowl XLV- Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Champions: Green Bay Packers

Score: 31-25

MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback

Speaking of super talented QBs (at least ON the field) that deserves a ring, Aaron Rodgers was able to get the job done here for the Packs against Benny Boy and the Steelers, securing his legacy in Green Bay with the likes of Brett Favre and Bart Starr.

15.) 2020- Super Bowl LIV- Kansas City Chiefs vs San Francisco 49ers

Champions: Kansas City Chiefs

Score: 31-20

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback

Back when the Chiefs were lovable underdogs that people wanted to see win, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid were able to secure their first Super Bowl ring in come from behind fashion in a solid and dramatic game. 49ers fans still probably don’t what the heck was going through the players’ heads in the 4th quarter and Shannon still continues to be the meme of the NFL!

14.) 2005- Super Bowl XXXIX- New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles

Champions: New England Patriots

Score: 24-21

MVP: Deion Branch, Wide Receiver

Any doubt of the New England Patriots NOT being a dynasty was put to rest here. Tom Brady was able to win his third Bowl in just four years, confirming that the Patriots were indeed the evil empire of the NFL! While Reid and the Eagles were left with disappointment, little did they know that they would find their own level of SB success later on down the road.

13.) 2004- Super Bowl XXXVIII- New England Patriots vs Carolina Panthers

Champions: New England Patriots

Score: 32-29

MVP: Tom Brady, Quarterback

Damn, I’m ALREADY tired of talking about the Patriots and Tom Brady but here we go again! This was quite a tight match-up that made everyone thought it would go to overtime for the first time ever in a Super Bowl! But of course, Brady and company were able to take good care of business. Just how many more Super Bowls with Brady and the Patriots do we got here?!?!

12.) 2018- Super Bowl LII- Philadelphia Eagles vs New England Patriots

Champions: Philadelphia Eagles

Score: 41-33

MVP: Nick Foles- Quarterback

Welp, here we go again with the Patriots AND Eagles?! However, this time around, Philly was able to come through, with one of higher scoring SB match-ups this century. Despite Tom Brady’s impressive performance at throwing over 500 yards, he was still no match for backup Nick Foles, who won MVP and led the Eagles to their first-ever Lombardi trophy!

11.) 2023- Super Bowl LVII- Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles

Champions: Kansas City Chiefs

Score: 38-35

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback

Easily the better of the two SB matchups between KC and Philly, Mahomes was able to throw the game of his life despite playing with a near broken ankle in 2023. A very tight and competitive that was decided by a last minute field goal and controversial ref ball, the latter of which is the main reason why this was kept out of being in the top 10! This victory for the Chiefs proved that 2020 was no fluke and that KC was indeed a legit threat to the rest of the NFL!

10.) 2022- Super Bowl LVI- Los Angeles Rams vs Cincinnati Bengals

Champions: Los Angeles Rams

Score: 23-20

MVP: Cooper Kupp, Wide Reciever

This SB came super close to being a great underdog story for Cincy but unfortunately, the LA version of the Rams were just too good to put away! Putting aside the completely utter contempt for the owner of the LA Rams, this was a likable bunch that came together to win a tight game that could have gone either way from both angles. Maybe next time Bengals!

9.) 2012- Super Bowl XLVI- New York Giants vs New England Patriots

Champions: New York Giants

Score: 21-17

MVP: Eli Manning, Quarterback

Speaking of underdog NFL teams making it to the Super Bowl, good little Eli was able to lead his New York Giants to a swift and decisive against the stormtroopers from New England in 2012! They defied expectations and prevented Brady and Belichick from getting their fourth ring at the time. While not quite as satisfying as that OTHER super bowl match-up victory against the Pats, this was still a very tight and rewarding game all around.

8.) 2013- Super Bowl XLVII- Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers

Champions: Baltimore Ravens

Score: 34-31

MVP: Joe Flacco, Quarterback

Here’s a match-up that had a little bit of everything. From personal family drama to shocking twists to numerous points on the board to even a power outage, the “Harb-Bowl” made for one of the more intriguing Super Bowls of this century. Despite all of the sports odds from Baltimore throughout the past 25+ years, they were able to make lightning strike twice by snatching another SB victory!

7.) 2000- Super Bowl XXXIV- St. Louis Rams vs Tennessee Titans

Champions: St. Louis Rams

Score: 23-16

MVP: Kurt Warner, Quarterback

Before they were forced back to LA due to crappy ownership, the Rams were able to grab a Super Bowl ring at St. Louis with an absolutely nail biter of a finish! Kurt Warner was able to rise to super stardom with an amazing underdog story, leading a Super Bowl that still is quite a classic! I’m sure Titans fans still cringe in horror of being a yard short from tying the game, LITERALLY!

6.) 2009- Super Bowl XLIII- Pittsburgh Steelers vs Arizona Cardinals

Champions: Pittsburgh Steelers

Score: 27-23

MVP: Santonio Holmes, Wide Receiver

In what has been the only Super Bowl that the Arizona Cardinals have played in, they gave it all they hard but not enough to beat the Steelers! Kurt Warner was able to beat Father Time and put together a heroic effort but not enough to beat Benny boy and Santonio Holmes to victory! This was a solid back-and-forth effort from both sides that Pittsburgh was able to come out on top on! Definitely one of the better Super Bowls this century!

5.) 2015- Super Bowl XLIX- New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks

Champions: New England Patriots

Score: 28-24

MVP: Tom Brady, Quarterback

Over a decade before we would see a match-up between the two, the prequel to that remains one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory! Seahawks fans are still haunted by the baffling decision towards the tail end to throw the ball at the goal line instead of just running with Marshawn Lynch to win the Super Bowl! For the Patriots, this made for their first Super Bowl victory in a decade, proving that their dynasty still had plenty left in the tank and can defy any kinds of odds..

4.) 2024- Super Bowl LVIII- Kansas City Chiefs vs San Francisco 49ers

Champions: Kansas City Chiefs

Score: 25-22 (OT)

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback

This might be just two years old but I still stand by the fact this was an instant classic in 2024 and still is now! Only the second Super Bowl match-up to go into overtime, the Chiefs and 49ers gave all they got, delivering the best kind of SB rematch you could possibly ask for. Just like what happened four years prior, San Francisco had a lead but just couldn’t hold it in the final minutes. For the second year in a row, the trio of Reid, Mahomes, and Kelce prevailed, winning their third ring and establishing themselves as the new NFL dynasty. Some might bark about this one being too high on the list but I don’t care, this was a great game altogether!

3.) 2002- Super Bowl XXXVI- New England Patriots vs St. Louis Rams

Champions: New England Patriots

Score: 20-17

MVP: Tom Brady, Quarterback

This Super Bowl was quite iconic for two reasons: 1.) it was the first Super Bowl that occurred after 9/11 and 2.) it ended up being the first of many rings won by Brady, Belichick, and the Pats! In a tense game which saw the scrappy underdog Patriots going up against the juggernauts Rams (trying saying that when these two teams faced off again nearly two decades later), New England was able to get the job done, with a final field goal that gave the team their first Super Bowl victory in history and would just the beginning of many successful sport stories in Massachusetts to come!

2.) 2008- Super Bowl XLII- New York Giants vs New England Patriots

Champions: New York Giants

Score: 17-14

MVP: Eli Manning, Quarterback

If there was one person and team that managed to be the kryptonite of Brady and the Pats in the Super Bowl, that would be Eli Manning and the New York Giants! They were able to match every moment against New England, proving that any team didn’t have to simply roll over against the Evil Empire without a fair fight. If we are going by Super Bowl matchups that is favored by the haters of the Patriots, then this would likely be #1. However, if we are talking about Super Bowl matchups overall, then I think you know what #1 really is!

1.) 2017- Super Bowl LI- New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons

Champions: New England Patriots

Score: 34-28

MVP: Tom Brady, Quarterback

Regardless of if you view this matchup as being the greatest comeback in sports history or greatest choke in sports history, there is no Super Bowl that even compares to what the NFL scriptwriters cooked up in February 2017! The Atlanta Falcons were up 28-3 and were on their way to crushing Brady and the Pats, securing their first Lombardi trophy in franchise history. But….then, Atlanta repeatedly shot themselves in the foot for the rest of the game, Brady took advantage of literally EVERY single opportunity that the Falcs through at him, and the Patriots pulled off a come from behind victory that is still shocking nearly a decade later! Even if you hate the Patriots or Tom Brady with a burning passion, you can’t deny that there is simply no Super Bowl matchup this century and possibly even all time that compares to this game-flipping masterpiece!

Ranking The Scream Franchise

AdamLeave a comment

Another Scream movie is out and is proving to be a good hit at the box office in it’s first weekend. As a result, it’s time to rank all seven Scream movies that have came out!

While I’m sure people have their own significiant thoughts on the Scream franchise, I still believe that this is one of the most consistent horror franchises out there. Although nothing that has come after the original as been able to top it (*mild spoilers for my rankings*), this series has been driven successfully since then from (mostly) good follow-ups that (most) often tend to justify their existence!

Anyways, let’s rank them from worst to best!

7.) Scream 7

Scream 7 is the first installment in this franchise that attempts to answer questions that it never really fully intended to when production first started. After firing Melissa Barrera over personal “matter” and allowing Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon to walk, this seventh (and hopefully final) installment answers the question of what happens when a franchise has royal s**t the bed so hard that it has no choice but to bring back the old characters they’ve previously abandoned and lean balls deep into nostalgia. Unlike with most franchises that has to use that template because of screw-ups in front of the camera, this film has to use that template because of screw-ups from BEHIND the camera. And the results are embarrassingly on screen!

The whole film has a choppy feel to it throughout it’s entire runtime, none of the returning characters or callbacks feel earned, it brings up common modern day topics that it has no business in exploring or commentating on, and it never fully justifies why Sidney Prescott is back at the forefront that makes the whole behind the scenes drama with Melissa Barrera worth it. And don’t get me started on what is hands down the worst killer reveal of the entire franchise!

While Neve Campbell is still as great as ever (and has aged like a FINE wine) and there a couple of solid kills and character moments scattered throughout, Scream 7 is the first installment in this beloved horror franchise that never seems like it has a point to make. It’s a combination of corrupted studio politics and producers and what happens when a franchise is too in love with it’s past that it can’t bother to push forward for the future. As much as I’m a fan of this franchise, it’s probably time to put it to rest.

6.) Scream 3

Scream 3 tends to get a bad rep for two reasons: for being the “funniest” of the Scream movies and the blood & violence being reduced following the Columbine High School massacre. While the later element is underwhelming, the former one actually fits quite well with the series. After all, this series has always tended to be spoofs of other horror movies along with providing meta/self-aware commentary on the horror genre and movies in general.

When the comedic elements are used when talking about trilogy capers, it’s hilarious. However, what makes the comedic element come across as tone deaf is when dives deep into the misogynic nature of Hollywood during a pre-#MeToo era time. And while that commentary is still more than relevant today (and that’s not even mentioning the fact that Harvey f***king Weinstein is the actual producer of this film), it doesn’t fit well at all and should certainly not be treated as a joke. There’s also the reveal of Ghostface which is easily the worst killer reveal in the franchise. Not only does it come out of no where and is just plain ridiculous, it falls into the same trappings that the movie claims it’s avoiding since this twist help making this entry easily inferior to the first two and all of the other entries in this franchise thus far.

Despite it’s shortcomings and being weaker than the first two entries, there’s still quite a bit to like about this one. When the humor hits, it hits quite well. The kills themselves despite being watered-down is still fun. And the original trio of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette are all always great to see together on-screen!

5.) Scream (2022)

This entry contains some of the bloodiest and most brutal kills in the whole series, the most likable new characters this series has had in a while, and has hands down the best and haunting opening sequence since the original! The meta commentary on “re-quels” and fandom is spot on and shows just how well this franchise has stood the test of time with what it’s trying to say with every entry that comes out at the right time!

Where it falters is the returning of the original characters which feels more forced and underwritten than ever before and feels like they’re here just because it’s a Scream movie and they gotta be involved in it somehow. There’s a lack of a personal conflict with Sidney and the rest of the legacy characters that makes their returns not as engaging as it could have been. And it also contains probably the most predictable killer reveal in the whole franchise, one that you will see coming from at least the second or third scene which that person is in.

An enjoyable outing in it’s own right and delivers what you want and expect out of a Scream sequel but it lacks the proper balance between old and new that some of the other sequels did so well!

4.) Scream VI

I basically flipped a coin between this one and the last one but because it’s more recent, I find myself siding with this one a tad more.

While the third act is worse than the previous one, I found everything up to that point to be just as engaging, if not more so. The new cast (especially Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega) equipped themselves admirably and don’t need the legacy characters themselves to carry it, the kills are still effective and satisfying, the returning cast involving Courtney Cox and Hayden Panettiere are better utilized here than the last movie, and it does give you a brighter sense of the future that lies ahead for these kind of franchises that actually dare to move forward without their main lead.

Next time however, I do hope the spoofs and meta commentary are more effective and it finds more of a fresh voice without needing to cling on it’s subtext surrounding legacy characters. Maybe play around with the multiverse concept or something. Even so, I had fun but you probably have to break the mold even further for VII so you don’t feel the fatigue.

3.) Scream 4

I still find this movie to be mistitled. It feels like this is the installment that should just be titled Scream instead of the newest one. It would fit perfectly as a title since this one is exclusively about reboots, remakes, and such. Like why have it be about that but still called it Scream 4? Beats me!

Aside from the questionable title, this is easily the second best Scream sequel for me. It tackles many of the similar themes that is presented with 2022 but does a better job of it. Going deeper into the themes of legacy, it’s commentary of reboots/remakes (so much so that there’s an argument to be made that this is the first real movie that can be described as a “requel”) and finding the right balance between the new and old cast than any of the sequels up to this point. The new teenagers themselves are easily some of the best of the series (especially Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed, who’s an easy fan favorite) and does a great at showcasing the social life of both teens and adults in the age of social media and smart phones.

This also has my favorite killer reveal of the whole series. It’s the most unpredictable and ridiculous reveal but yet also the most absolutely genius and smartest reveal imaginable. Unlike with 3, the reveal itself isn’t so ridiculous that it makes it unbelievable, it’s the casting of the killer that makes it remarkable. It was the last possible person I would imagine but the actor/actress is able to sell it so well that I never would have guessed it would have been them. Similar to Halloween 2018, this just feels like an entry that could be the very first entry for someone and it may have just as the same impact as the original. It’s the only follow-up I feel makes for the perfect parallel to the very first Scream.

Seriously, though, you should have just called this one, Scream or Scream 2011 or something like that. It just doesn’t make sense for this one to be called Scream 4.

2.) Scream 2

How exactly do you follow-up one of the best original horror movies ever made that plays and subverts horror movie tropes people back then were grown accustom to, by playing and subvert tropes about horror sequels of course!

Part 2 does a better job than any of the sequels of standing as it’s own thing. It knows that it can’t match the original on it’s own merits so instead, it creates new merits of it’s own to match with. This second installment creates a sandbox all by itself offering enough of it’s own witty meta humor, unique scares, and bloody, badass kills to make this good enough to justify it’s own existence than most horror sequels out there.

It’s not quite as clever with playing by/breaking the rules of horror sequels as say the original was with playing by/breaking roles for original Horror classics but it does enough to make this sequel worthwhile. And I haven’t talked a lot about it up to this point but man, is the music and the score in these movies quite something special!

1.) Scream

But yep, the original is still the best! This is one that absolute redefined the genre is was based on at the time that it came out and continues to do so to this very day!

This is one classic that it could come out today and you wouldn’t even notice the difference. All you have to do is remove a couple of pop culture references along with mixing in some new ones and you wouldn’t guess for a second that this came out the time it did with all it has to say about horror and movie making in general. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

It’s also plays perfect as a spoof than most movie out there. Unlike with most of it’s sequels, it’s able to make fun of the tropes and clichés that horror has grown accustom to without actually MAKING fun of it! It acknowledges the tropes and clichés for what it is and it’s importance but it’s more interest in being something completely different from that.

There’s not a single moment here that falls flat for me. Just about everything that it tries to accomplish works as good as it could! The twists, the turns, the reveals, the blood, the gore, the kills, the cast, the themes, the commentary, the score, and the best Screen queen herself, Neve Campbell! Everything here works so well that it’s actually scary and makes me want to scream!

Scream 7 (2026) Movie Review- Weak And Stab-less

AdamLeave a comment

Scream 7 is the first installment in this franchise that attempts to answer questions that it never really intended to when production first started. After Spyglass fired Melissa Barrera over “personal matters” and allowed Jenna Ortega and Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon to walk, this seven entry now finds itself addressing social commentary about what happens when a franchise royally s**ts the bed so hard that it has no choice but to bring back the legacy characters that everyone loves and lean balls deep into nostalgia. Unlike with most franchises that has to use that template because of past screw-ups in front of the camera, this film has to use that template because of past screw-ups BEHIND the camera! And oh man, are the results EMBRASSINGLY on screen!

Scream 7 plays like an apology letter to the franchise for excluding Sidney Prescott from the last movie and an outright hostile takeover (And I’m NOT just talking about the one which Paramount had just accomplished) of the previous two movies. Imagine if they made a fourth Creed movie that brought back Sylvester Stallone but left out Michael B Jordan and spend the entire runtime saying sorry for leaving Rocky out last time. This film is all about how great Sidney Prescott is, how the original movies with her are the best of the best, and how the previous two films felt more like Stab movies than Scream movies and…..basically nothing else.

The whole film has a choppy feel to it throughout it’s entire runtime, none of the returning characters or callbacks feel earned, the new characters that are introduced don’t make much of an impression, it brings up current topics that it has no business in exploring or commentating on, and it never fully justifies why Sidney Prescott is back at the forefront that makes the whole behind the scenes drama with Melissa Barrera feel worth it. While Neve Campbell is still as great as ever (and has aged like a FINE wine) and there a couple of solid kills scattered throughout, Scream 7 is the first installment in this beloved horror franchise that never seems like it has a stab point to make.

Premise: When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter becomes the next target

As stated previously, the most tone deaf element of Scream 7 has to do with the handling of Sidney Prescott and why she’s the main focus once again. It plays in the exact same fashion as every other modern series when they feel the need to go into full course correction mode after previously divisive and/or poorly received installments (Anyone that is able to write a review for Scream 7 that does NOT mention The Rise of Skywalker gets an achievement unlocked!) sank its reputation and feels the need to address it.

The problem here is that Scream (2022) and Scream VI were NOT divisive and/or poorly received installments. Both installments got solid reviews and fan reception while making just as much money as you could make for this franchise. It was able to successfully pass the series baton to a new generation of Scream queens and actually bothering to blaze a path forward for this long-running horror franchise. It’s only because of studio politics that forced this film to have a massive half a million dollar rewrite and needing to pay Neve Campbell her due to come back. It’s not course correction because the previous two films that put the spotlight on Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega were rejected by the fandom or mainstream audiences, it’s course correction due to pure incompetence from Spyglass.

Thankfully, Neve Campbell still has it as Sidney Prescott. She has never given a half assed performance in any one of these movies and is still fully committed here. She is given an actual mother-daughter dynamic to play with this time around, an aspect that Scream (2022) absolutely hand-waved, with Isabel May (A.K.A. Tim McGraw’s daughter in 1883 and 1923) as Sid’s daughter, Tatum (Try not to think too much about the Scream timeline to avoid a brain malfunction). It’s during these moments where the film become the closest to have an actual beating heart to it and gets the best performances out of these two.

Unfortunately, the film can never escape the stormy raincloud that has been raining above it since the departure of Melissa Barrera. The absence of the Carpenter sisters is never addressed and you could almost swear you can swap these characters with two other ones in the movie and nothing much change. You can just put Sam in the same role as Tatum and Tara in the same role as Mckenna Grace’s character or Michelle Randolph’s (A.K.A. Billy Bob Thornton’s daughter in Landman) character in the opening sequence and you basically get the exact same movie. I don’t mean to harp on the studio politics surrounding Scream 7 too much but it just goes to show you how much Paramount and Skydance shot themselves in the foot here.

While the newer characters and returning cast members from the last two films do have plenty of young talent that seems like they are having fun, they all remain rather disposable cannon fodder. Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown are giving less to do here than the last two movies with the latter not even given the chance to deliver her deliciously ham-fisted speech that’s suppose to go into detail what modern day tropes this latest Scream installment is suppose to be mocking. Mckenna Grace and Celeste O’Connor seem to be only here because they have become more popular actresses among Gen Z that you just had to thrown in here. Joel McHale plays the straight forward police officer well but doesn’t have any chemistry with Neve Campbell as her distinct husband. It’s really saying something when the new cast members that give off the best impression are the ones that show up in the opening scene just to get killed by Ghostface.

In terms of returning characters from the original Scream movies, they might be even more underwhelming. While it’s always great to see Courtney Cox’s Gale and ESPECIALLY Matthew Lillard’s Stu, their presence somehow manages to feel even more like an afterthought than the legacy characters in Scream (2022). It particularly uses Stu to address a major global crisis we are all dealing with right now and…..then proceeds to do literally NOTHING else with it. Not only is there no shock value to Stu’s return because the film proceeds to explain right out of the gate why Stu is suddenly back with NO unique twist to it, the methods to his presence makes even less sense with the way the film explains it. I know tech is pretty good in our own world but there no way it’s THAT good as it is in Scream 7.

And in case you are wondering about the Ghostface actors, they are all hands down the worst killer reveals in the entire franchise. While it might leave you with a big “Oh!” in an interesting way at first glance, it falls completely apart the moment you even start to think about their motives and how little sense they actually made. It’s about the most random people you can imagine and have the most tacked-on connections to Sid imaginable, given the indication that this franchises has run out of ideas on how to shock people with who Ghostface is. When even the killer in last year’s I Know What You Did Last Summer have a more justifiable motive, you know something went completely wrong here.

Kevin Williamson makes his return to the Scream franchise after writing the first two Scream movies and Scream 4 while getting a chance for his seat in the director’s chair. Even if the whole film has a feeling that the whole thing was cobbled together at the last second (which I can’t imagine why), he is able to stage the stabbing and killing as best as he could. There’s a handful of real and effective stabbing scenes spread throughout, with the main standout being the opening sequence and the final stand by Sid herself. I’m not even gonna pretend they make even the most logical sense as to why each Ghostface scene is happening but to give the film credit where it’s due, it’s sequences of blood, gore, and kills do work whenever they need to.

Scream 7 is the first movie in the franchise that feels like it belongs more in the world of Stab than it does Scream. For all the faults of Scream 3 or the last two installments, they still did feel like proper Scream entries that was able to get the points they were trying to get across worth it. Scream 7 doesn’t even attempt to be as fun or intriguing as the weakest of Scream movies. Aside from trying to carry favor to Neve Campbell and those that rejected Scream (2022) and Scream VI because they actually dared to push the series forward, I can’t recommend this movie to anyone unless you are a Scream fanatic.

In my review for Scream VI back in 2023, I said that the next movie needed to up it’s game on the spoofs and meta commentary in order for the series to continue moving strong or else the fatigue will set in. While I’m sure the opening box office numbers will say otherwise, Scream 7 confirmed my worst fears in spectacular fashion. It’s a combination of corrupted studio politics and producers and what happens when a franchise is too in love with it’s past that it can’t bother to push forward for the future. As much as I’m a fan of this franchise, it’s probably time to put it to rest.

Microsoft Is Toast

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Did anyone know that Microsoft literally has their own toasters that they have been selling since like 1998?!?! Nothing like a bit of delicious irony in the morning, huh?!

But yeah, Microsoft isn’t doing so hot these days! From it’s terrible handling of the Xbox brand for the past several years to it’s lackluster support over Windows and their PCs to it’s absurd pricing with their latest RAMs and consoles to going completely balls deep into A.I., it has not been a great time to be a fan of Microsoft! And as if the Xbox starting to dip their toes into the third-party gaming pool with Gears of War and Halo wasn’t bad enough, this latest leadership shake-up might just be the final nail on the coffin!

A few days ago, it has been reported that current CEO and longtime employee of Microsoft, Phil Spencer, has announced his retirement. Mr. Spencer has been working for the company since 1988, joining the Xbox team in 2001 and later gaining significant leadership roles as his tenure with the company grew. He became the general manager of Microsoft Studios in 2008, the leader of Xbox division in 2014, and the CEO of Microsoft gaming in 2022! He was the man tasked into trying to right the wrongs that was caused by previous Microsoft/Xbox executive Phil Spencer after the company’s disastrous launch handling of the Xbox One. And after the results of that aftermath have been mixed at best, he is set to leave Microsoft after nearly four decades.

Another person that is set to leave their role in leadership is current president of Xbox operations, Sarah Bond. Arriving at Microsoft in 2017 and even winning the VentureBeat Visionary Award in 2022, Ms. Bond was thought of as being the clear successor to Mr. Spencer for Xbox gaming divisions after his time with Microsoft has passed. However, that is not meant to be as she is too suspected to resign from her presidential role after nearly a full decade working on Xbox.

Who is expected to replace the two you may ask? Well, the new CEO of Microsoft gaming is expected to be Asha Sharma. And if you don’t know who she is, she is currently the Microsoft’s top executive with AI. Yes, you read that correctly!

A woman that has played a role in the controversial “copilot” features of Microsoft Windows and shoving A.I. “slop” down everyone’s throat with Microsoft’s own products is now about to be the next person up as the CEO of Microsoft gaming. And there’s also Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty that is also being promoted to Chief Content Officer, expecting to work closely with Ms. Sharma as she is believed to have very minimal experience in regards to gaming development.

I don’t think I need to explain any further why these leadership moves seems like a disaster waiting to happen. You are taking the two people that (despite their flaws) have been basically the glue that has been holding Microsoft together for the past 12 years and you are replacing them with folks that champion the “A.I.” bubble features that no one likes and has cost Microsoft billions plus throughout for the past year. That surely seems like the ideal candidates!

And that’s not even going into recent reports that confirms that Phil Spencer’s retirement was not actually planned and Microsoft might have actually fired him in secret. And that because Sarah Bond wasn’t offered the role as oversight of Xbox and Microsoft or massively disagreed with Spencer getting cannoned, she chose to step down herself. That’s TOTALLY a sign that everything is going just fine at Microsoft!

If I’m going to be as fair as I can be, Asha Sharma has been doing everything in her power to say all the “right” things since it’s been announced she’s taking over for Microsoft gaming. She’s been getting into nice and friendly banters with players on Twitter/X on what their favorites games are and what they may want for the Xbox. She even claims she doesn’t want to just turn Xbox games into “A.I. slop”, valuing human creativity when it comes to gaming development! And there’s even been a not-so subtle hint of her intent to commit to gaming exclusives that’s only for the Xbox!

However, if you are being completely honest, can you trust a single thing that Microsoft says or does nowadays? This is a company that has constantly tripped over themselves and have done everything in their power to annihilate their consumers since at least 2013! Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Activision-Blizzard-King, Former IPs going Third-Party, Windows, CoPilot, OpenAI, etc… Do you really believe after pulling all of that B.S. for nearly the past 15 years that THIS is the leadership shake-up that will help them turn things around after so many years of their brand being tarnished?! I’m pretty sure you know your answer to that question!

As cool as it’s been to make fun of Microsoft and Xbox for the past several years, it really is sad how far they have fallen! I still have great and fond memories of the original Xbox and the Xbox 360, the latter of which might just be my favorite gaming console of all time. I even gave the Xbox One a chance when I got it for Christmas in 2015 since there was still exclusives I wanted to play on it. But once I switched over to my PS4 and PS5, I have not given an Xbox a second thought ever since. And with all that has gone one since the release of Xbox Series S/X, it looks as though I made the right decision.

To be sure, I HOPE I am wrong here and that Microsoft doesn’t turn out to be literal toast with this leadership shake-up. I do hope that Asha Sharma and Matt Booty turn out to be the people that helps save the Xbox brand. I do hope that Microsoft is able to return to form in amazing ways with their next console, giving them the comeback that helped fuel Sony and Nintendo after their previous missteps surrounding the PlayStation 3 and Wii U. But if hope is the only thing you have in this day-and-age, you can expect nothing but disappointment.

Once again, Phil Spencer is set to retire from Microsoft and Sarah Bond is set to step down as President of Xbox. They will be succeeded by Microsoft’s top A.I. executive Asha Sharma and Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty! The transition is expected to come into effect today, February 23rd!

Here’s a full piece on Microsoft Blog about this latest shake-up:

And here’s Greg Miller’s brief mention about how Phil Spencer’s retirement might’ve actually not been planned:

Wuthering Heights (2026) Movie Review- Sex Over Substance

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When adapting a well-known book onto the big screen, there always comes a very tight rope you need to walk on in order to make a winner out of it. Not only do you have to make it work as a faithful adaption to it’s source material that longtime fans will love, but you also have to make it work as it’s own self-contained story that can land with mainstream audiences who have never read the book (or any book) beforehand and coming into this one with fresh eyes. We’ve seen many times where film adaptions can make changes to it’s source material but still win the hearts of everyone by staying true to it’s origins such as Jurassic Park, How To Train Your Dragon, and (hopefully) Project Hail Mary while also seen adaptations surprisingly fall short BECAUSE of sticking to close to it’s origins and refusing to make changes such as The Running Man (2025) and (hopefully not) Dune: Messiah! Then you get adaptions like Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, that doesn’t seem interested in celebrating it’s successful book series it’s based on but more of making it’s own engaging story of it while wanting nothing to do with it’s book’s origins and is basically only a film adaption in name only. An adaption that seems to wants to be EVERYTHING but have to do with it’s own source material.

I’m not gonna pretend like I’m an expert on the Wuthering Heights series because I sure as heck am NOT but after doing my research on it before seeing the film, I can see why longtime fans of the book would have a grudge against this latest film iteration done by Emerald Fennell. Yes, the film puts the spotlight on a tragic yet heartfelt love story that puts the novel’s themes surrounding abuse and trauma to the wayside. Yes, the two main leads are about 10 to 15 years older on screen than they are in the novel! Yes, Fennell seems to be less interested in exploring the longing of the source material and more interested in plain lust here. And yes, the dark skinned male lead from the novel is replaced by a white, caucasian man (No fault to Jacob Elordi!) in the finished film.

This isn’t so much a fan fiction of Wuthering Heights but more of just plain fiction that’s a response to other fan fiction out there. It’s more of Emerald Fennell wanting to tell her own romantic tale that I’m sure she’s dreamed off since she was a little girl while desperately trying to do her best Greta Gerwig’s Little Women impression. Regardless of what angle you chose to look at this latest take on Wuthering Heights, it just doesn’t work.

Premise: A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie).

As much as there has been a strange hate boner towards Emerald Fennell in the film twitter community, I do find her to be a very talented director. Her debut feature film, Promising Young Woman, was a masterclass of a thriller that was perfectly executed in it’s social commentary of the post-Me Too era while containing one of boldest endings of any film in recent memory. Saltburn made for a worthy sophomore follow-up even though you can hear the gears turning and the perfectly straight forward pathway that Fennell lays out from the very beginning this time around. Say what you will about the narrative and structural choices of those films but you can at least see where she was going with it and her vision felt 100% present throughout. With Wuthering Heights, I’m not entirely sure what Emerald was trying to do here.

For the first half, you think it’s about a broken man and woman who grew up together and bonded under the shadow of abuse of their elder while slowly and chaotically becoming obsessed with one another the older they got, similar to the themes of it’s source material. But then, as soon as the first passionately loving scene between the two comes around at the halfway point, nearly all of that gets shoved entirely to the background in favor of several sequences of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi making out and relentlessly having sex with one another.

I’m sure there are many men out there that are in love with Margot Robbie and many women out there that are in love with Jacob Elordi but Emerald Fennell seems to think that’s all what anyone is coming to this film for. Just for two very attractive people doing things that two very attractive people like to do with one another. And if she thinks that’s the case, then what was even the point of teasing your faithfulness to Wuthering Heights in the first place if you wanted to make your own hot and steamy film about two people that just wanna pork each other with for an hour and a half?

To be sure, the sex scenes in particular are quite tasteful and well done. Fennell clearly is getting the best out of Robbie and Elordi in these sequences, even if the two are about seven years apart in real life. Their chemistry only ever works during these parts, of being two individuals so chained to their tragic lifestyles that it’s only when they are together and f**king that they feel the most like themselves. But considering, these sequences don’t take place until around the halfway point and I’m sure if you combined every sex scene all together that you will only get around ten total minutes of the film’s 136 minute long runtime of them, you might be better off just waiting for the film to hit digital or until someone uploads a compilation of every one of those scenes on YouTube.

The problem here is that the film doesn’t particularly care about wanting the audience to root for Cathy and Heathcliff to get together. It thinks that just because the two knew each other since they were kids and went through some form of childhood trauma that we are expected to invest in their love triangle when they become adults. And considering both show constantly throughout the film that they can’t even be bothered to care about the partners that they are ALREADY committed to, I can’t even imagine a world where the two end up together in the end as a real happy ending.

I don’t want to be the person that compares the new Wuthering Heights to Fifty Shades of Grey but at least the latter is well aware that the audience is ONLY there for the love scenes and sexual tension throughout. It knows that the plot, characters, and themes are absolute dog water that makes Twilight look like a competently told love story in comparison. You only want to see Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan find weird and disturbing ways to bone one another in ways that is only BARELY suitable for film form. While nowhere near as bad or offensive as Fifty Shades of Grey and the best parts certainly work better as a more sexually satisfying experience, Wuthering Heights can’t function properly on it’s own merits because it’s trapped underneath it’s own weight of it’s source material that it’s actively trying to avoid.

That’s not to say there’s no redeemable qualities whatsoever that doesn’t involve the two main leads doing the awkward parent talk. The production design is absolutely lavish, with convincing costume designs, set aesthetics, and location shootings that perfectly mirror the time period that the film itself is set in. Margot Robbie NEVER phones it in with any movie that she is a part off, making an unwinnable situation to her best advantage and taking a great oath to making 2026’s Wuthering Heights work as a theatrical experience. And while there will be (much deserved) discourse surrounding the potential resurrection of whitewashing which may or may not be Hollywood’s ill-fated response to the current political climate, Jacob Elordi works well as the handsome, lustful male lead that is masterful at making his charms disguise his chaotic hidden nature.

When viewing Wuthering Heights as a proper date night movie for Valentine’s Day weekend to get a certain young couple in the “mood” by the time the credits roll, it’s passable at best. When viewing Wuthering Heights as a faithful adaption or a stand alone cinematic experience, it’s a misfire. It’s caught between trying to be a slow burn haunting tale of two people that believe they are faithfully forced to be together and being a straight up sex-filled craved fantasy with no substance required. If the runtime consisted of 90 to 105 minutes, it could have gotten away with it. At a total of 136 minutes, no chance.

I don’t know how this film would have fared if Fennell chose to stick with the actual roots of the source material but it feels like she went over her head here. Not necessarily because she believes she’s better than the source material but more she believes the source material is better than her. When taking that into consideration, it makes sense as to why you shouldn’t try honoring the material because it’s too special to be messed with and just create new material of your own that may or may not bring new medium to the title which the book is based on. If this is how Emerald truly saw her head at here, than this was basically doomed from the start.

Strong performances and production values can not mask the faults of a film so empty, overlong, and directionless in it’s own vision. I’ll still defend Promising Young Woman and Saltburn but as for this one, sorry Emerald, you are on your own!

GOAT (2026) Early Movie Review- I’m One With The GOAT And The GOAT Is With Me

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Anyone remember when the term “GOAT” used to be described as a bad thing?! Remember when “GOAT” was meant to refer to someone as a scapegoat whenever their sports team suffered a humiliating loss that put a dark cloud on them that made them lose sleep overnight?! Remember when “GOAT” symbolized “sinners, rebellion, or those separated from God for judgment” like it was depicted as in the bible?! Well, just like about every single meme, gif, slang, and cultural touchstone that Gen Z has gotten their greasy hands on for the past decade, “GOAT” now means something else entirely.

In modern times, “GOAT” now refers to someone as strictly the “GREATEST OF ALL TIME”! “GOAT” is simply someone that is just the best of the best at what they do! Or in the case of Sony’s newest animated feature, GOAT, it’s simply about a teenager named Will Harris, who just so happens to be a literal goat, trying to work his way up to the top and become the professional roarball player he has always dreamed of so he may one day become a “GOAT” of his own! (I don’t think I’ve ever said the word, “GOAT” more times in my life than I just did in the first two paragraphs of this review!)

While I wouldn’t put it on the same level as Sony Animation’s recent animated masterclasses such as Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs the Machines, and K-Pop: Demon Hunters, GOAT still works well on it’s own merits as a cute if not very déjà vu-like story thanks to it’s amusing gags, stunning visuals, likable characters, and relatable messages that everyone can get behind! It does move a bit too fast for my liking, giving the impression it was designed to appease the fast-scrolling TikTok obsessed crowd, and I don’t know if it will win over those that are not fond of the standard cliches that are found in these sports movies but for a new animated original film released in our year 2026, you can’t ask for anything more competent.

Premise: The story follows Will (Caleb McLaughlin), a small goat with big dreams who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball – a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Will’s new teammates aren’t thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionize the sport and prove once and for all that “smalls can ball!”

When reading that description alone, you can basically tell where GOAT’s head is at right from the get-go! We have a small fry who has great ambitions to one day live out his childhood dreams of become the “GOAT” in the sport that he loves and become the ultimate superstar that changes the game entirely, just like his idols before him. It hits the same beats you would expect from a typical underdog story and very rarely tries to subvert way from those tropes. However, there are elements that GOAT does on it’s own that helps distances it enough from those typical underdog sport stories.

First off, it has the guts to acknowledge that one players does NOT equal to one whole team. No matter how good one particular player maybe, they can’t win a darn thing if they don’t have a fully form team to back them up. We see that perfectly with Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union). She might be a GOAT of her own (even though she’s actually a black panther) and Will’s idol but she’s not a fairy that can magically wish her team, the Thorns, a championship if she wants, she needs her magic pixie dust of her own that she can spread around her squad so they may one day play together to actually win the big game. It’s only when she meets Will that she is now given that chance to live up to her superstardom and have a trophy around her head.

It’s also quite refreshing to have a sports movie that pits the male and female dynamic together without making a big deal about it or even acknowledging it. There’s not one moment where one specific gender takes down another or vice versa because they are of that one specific gender. The film treats boys and girls working together as completely natural and not something you should think too much about or portray in a completely different light. Each member of the team is given their own individual moment to shine and eye popping imagery of their own while also able to serve Will’s arc of working hard to make a difference in roarball. It makes for a nice if not quite subtle commentary on gender equality and the importance of putting differences behind in order to work together to achieve your main goal.

And if you are looking at strictly as a basketball movie, then it definitely works too. The basketball sequences are quite entertaining, delivering some of the best sequences of the entire film with each member of the Thorns getting the opportunity to score some points of their own. It also does help to have veteran basketball stars to the cast such as Stephen Curry as Lenny the giraffe, Dwyane Wade as Rosette, Kevin Love as Daskas, Angel Reese as Propp, and a few others to help evaluate the experience. The film doesn’t offer a brand new perspective on the sport other than perhaps how a player handles the press and social media but it does deliver the goods on what fans of basketball would want in a movie that represents their sport.

Speaking of which, the voice cast is a lot of fun here and helps bring extra depth to their characters. Caleb McLaughin is likable and engaging as the main lead Will, even if you can see his development going from the very beginning. Garbielle Union stands out as perhaps the most engaging character of the film as Jett Filmore, the player that wants to win it all the most but lacks the resources and shared will in order to do so. Nick Kroll is entertaining as the komodo dragon who can breath fire, David Harbour plays the same father figure role he did in Black Widow, Thunderbolts*, and Stranger Things but still manages to make it work, and Patton Oswalt delivers the best laughs of the whole movie as the head coach Dennis (although he will still always be Remy to me whenever he voices an animated character!).

The animation is of course gorgeous and helps bring the film its own distinct personality without it feeling like it’s trying too hard to ape recent animated films with this similar visual style. The world itself is fun to explore and is loaded with a bunch of colorful animated furry animals that would make for a proper home next to the worlds of Zootopia and The Bad Guys. And while there are times where the soundtrack by Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot) is trying a bit too hard to capture the same punkrock lightning of the bottle of the Spider-Verse films, it does work to the film’s advantages whenever it needs to.

If there is one thing that holds GOAT back, as mentioned before, that would be it’s very familiar and paper thin plot. As mentioned before, there is nothing here that we haven’t seen before in these underdog sports movies. Even if this story hasn’t been this told before in the form of animation that is THIS beautiful and includes a couple of elements thrown in that aren’t included as much nowadays with these movies, you will likely see major story beats coming from a mile away. Even if the road getting to the destination takes a few different turns and routes than expected, the destination is still all the same.

The pacing can also be a bit too breath neck, not giving certain moments the time to breathe because the film is anxious to get to the next slam dunk moment to another, giving the indication that the filmmakers thought kids would get bored too quickly if it wasn’t constantly moving from Point A to Point B without a big visual or setpiece happening on screen. And while there are jokes in here that are quite funny, there are certain ones that are too obvious and quite eyerolling (They just HAD to include a screaming goat gag somewhere because…..of course!), with a few too many “modern” references to boot.

Thankfully, all the flaws for GOAT can be forgiven because of the amount heart and enjoyment the film itself brings. There’s plenty in here for lovers of basketball and those that enjoy a good animated family flick to chew on here, with many easter eggs and references scattered throughout that diehard NBA and WNBA fans will have a blast looking for through the 95-minute long runtime. It’s amusing, charming, beautifully animated, and even if it tells a very familiar story, it’s able to stand well as it’s own original animated film with no established franchise or prior entries to weight it down.

Between this, Pixar’s Hoppers, DreamWorks’s Forgotten Island, and Disney’s Hexed, 2026 seems like the year where western animation studios will have to work hard to get their latest original animated films to be a success, proving that they don’t always need to rely on nostalgia and endless sequels to make a smash hit in theaters. If the early box office projections for GOAT and Hoppers are anything to go by, we are off to a good start but let’s hope the actual audiences are “GOAT” enough (I swear that is the LAST time I will do that in this review!) to show up and prove exactly that.

Ranking The Films of Sam Raimi

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16.) Oz: The Great And Powerful

Remember when Sam Raimi kinda sorta tackled the spiritual prequel to The Wizard of Oz? You don’t! Well, that might just be for the better! The decision to try to tackle the lore of Oz using the story template of Army of Darkness is a neat idea on paper but very iffy in execution. From the obvious green screen effects to the bizarre casting choices (James Franco as Oz?! Really?!) to the baffling treatment of the witches themselves, Oz: The Great and Powerful offers Sam Raimi as his safest and weakest! This feels like the only film on this list where it felt like literally ANYONE other than Sam Raimi could have directed it. There’s some entertaining bits scattered throughout and is certainly watchable but you are better off just watching the original Wizard of Oz or the Wicked films if you want your cinematic fix in the Land of Oz!

15.) Crimewave

Following his first notable success with The Evil Dead, Raimi decided to take matters into his own hands with his follow-up Crimewave, a slapstick comedy about an innocent man accused of numerous murders. Unfortunately, the studio had other plans. Bruce Campbell wasn’t aloud to be casted as the lead role, Raimi’s personal composer and editor was replaced entirely, and you can really tell the inexperience that young Raimi had when it came to production and being able to make a film with a studio breathing down his neck. The good news is that several elements from this film would make way to later productions from Raimi down the road, leading directly to Evil Dead II. There’s a handful of moments that capture Raimi’s visionary lightning in a bottle but not enough to hide the compromised mess that Crimewave is.

14.) For Love of the Game

Here’s the one time that Raimi tried to make his own sports movie! He even went as far as to cast baseball movie star veteran Kevin Costner and even got the late great broadcaster Vin Sully (RIP!) to come in the booth! The end results however are just okay! The baseball scenes themselves work well enough and there’s enough of a beating heart to keep him from being in any way detestable. However, the sluggish pacing, by-the-numbers storytelling, and a shockingly bloated runtime (This is two hours and 18 minutes long!), keep For Love of the Game from being an all-time sports classic. Still, for those that are fond of baseball movies and your typical baseball movie cliches, this should do you just fine.

13.) The Gift

With what was his last indie project before promoting himself to blockbuster territory with Spider-Man (2002), Raimi made a supernatural thriller about a fortune teller getting roped in a small-town murder investigation (Doesn’t that ring a small bell from earlier?). This contains a stacked cast with Cate Blanchett, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Michael Jeter, future Spider-Man stars J.K. Simmons and Rosemary Harris, and Keanu Reeves, in EASILY his most unlikeable role to date (And I mean that in the best way!) The main issue has to do with the main protagonist being overly stupid, making for the worst psychic and detective you can possibly imagine. Even if that’s part of the joke here (which it isn’t), it doesn’t make the experience that much better. The Gift has an intriguing premise that never feels like it lives up to it’s 100% potential!

12.) The Quick and the Dead

Raimi decided to dip his toe into the western genre and the results are mostly pretty good. Aided by the proper cast with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackma, Russell Crowe Leo DiCaprio, and many others, pretty sharp direction that manages to feel properly Raimi, and the characters manages to all be quite intriguing and entertaining in their own right. It does suffer from an overlong middle stretch and the film’s entire build up is strictly on a quick draw tournament, which results in a crap ton of build up to not a ton of payoff. The Quick and the Dead still makes for a fun time and is worth checking out if you are a sucker for a solid western.

11.) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Arguably the most divisive MCU installment since Iron Man 3, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a film that uses it’s set pieces and effective imagery to flirt with and mock the kind of fandom that cares more about filmmakers making their bizarre fan theories coming true instead of making a genuine work of art. It doesn’t quite reach it’s ambitions with the characterization being paper thin, a script that doesn’t seem to care about what happened during WandaVision, and not taking as much advantage of the actual multiverse as much as say the Spider-Verse films do but Sam Raimi’s unique horror-like style is on full display here. The set pieces that work here are some of the best in the entire MCU, Benedict Cumberbatch feels completely at home as Stephen Strange (even if he has absolutely zero chemistry with Rachael McAdams), and Elizabeth Olsen is an absolute force to be reckoned with as the Scarlet Witch, making even the most out-of-character moments for Wanda feel completely in character. As much as one can complain about the issues with the script and the leaps of logic presented here, one can’t deny that the moments where Sam Raimi is allowed to go full Sam Raimi is what saves Multiverse of Madness from being in the absolute bottom of the barrel of the MCU!

10.) Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man 3 has more flaws than it does characters and subplots but it has more heart to it than most people are willing to admit. As everyone and their mother has pointed out about this movie, there’s just too much going on it. It feels the need to cram in every single idea it can think off that it has to defy logic, have previous events being retcon, and letting it’s characters do uncharacteristic things to make it all happen. However, most of the thing that worked well with the first two movies such as the wonderful action, breakneck pacing, great music and heard hitting emotional beats work very well. Not to mention, the themes surrounding forgiveness and finding the humanity in others is a wonderful message for a Spider-Man movie and helps make the whole trilogy come full circle. When watching Spider-Man 3 back-to-back with the first two movies, it does make for a rather satisfying experience. I’m not gonna act like this isn’t the weakest of the trilogy but it’s no where near the abomination that people claimed it was back in 2007.

Also, Bully Maguire FTW!

9.) The Evil Dead

The film that put Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell on the map as the forces of nature in Hollywood, The Evil Dead is the beginning of something truly special for the horror genre! Inventing his own camera tricks and cost-cutting filmmaking techniques, Raimi is able to create something truly unique on his first go-around despite all odds in financial shortcomings against. The gore effects are impressive, the flashy camerawork works like wonders, and Bruce Campell’s Ash Williams is an instant horror icon. However, there are still plenty of imperfections throughout when it comes to controlling the tone, balancing the gore and humor, and Campbell going through some growing pains as a leading man. The Evil Dead offers plenty of promise for a future beloved filmmaker and star but the best had yet to come for Raimi, Campbell, and the horror genre in general.

8.) Send Help

Can we point out how much of a miracle that a film like Send Help exists? In an age of sequels, reboots, remakes, and legacy-quels conquering the film landscape and sucking up the remaining creative energy that Hollywood might still have, films like these are becoming more diamonds in the rough in the film industry. Thankfully, someone at 20th Century Fox or Disney was wise enough to give a blank check to the godfather of horror and superhero movies in Sam Raimi, his first original horror film since 2009’s Drag Me To Hell! Send Help is yet another worthy addition to Raimi’s Hall of Fame of Horror! It’s able to capitalize on it’s simple yet effective premise thanks to it’s two charismatic leads, it’s incredibly visionary direction, unapologetically excessive gore, and a script that will keep audiences on their toes the whole way through. Even if it can be rough around the edges that it knocks it down to the middle-of-the-pack of Raimi’s filmography rather than up there with the likes of Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, it’s still an absolute blast of a motion picture that is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

7.) Drag Me To Hell

After spending nearly a full decade with Spider-Man, Raimi returned to the horror genre with 2009’s Drag Me To Hell! This is an old school scare fest about a bank clerk who has grand ambitions but gets cursed and terrorized by it in the form of demons. When it comes to horror and straight up NASTINESS, this is Raimi at his most brutal. There is nothing more delightful here than see characters constantly being torture for the benefit of the audience’s pleasure. We also see what is easily the most HAUNTING imagery in Raimi’s filmography, the kind of imagery that lived rent free in my head when I saw the commercials for this film when I was a kid and is still on my mind now. Not everyone will be fond with what Drag Me To Hell offers but if you have an appetite for unhinged horror, this will deliver you a complete meal.

6.) A Simple Plan

This is Raimi favorite for many people and for good reason. A Simple Plan makes for Raimi’s most dramatic work to date, feeling like a spiritual prequel to The Gift. Much like the latter film, this is a tale of betrayal, murder, and folks that are prone to awful mistakes in judging others. This makes for a very effect tale about the cruel nature of greed, aided by a terrific cats of Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Paxton, and Brent Briscoe, very well made production values, the ending is an all-timer, and has conflicts that feel among the most human in a Raimi film that does not involve a certain web swinger. However, this feels Raimi at his most restraint, stepping back from his usual style and camp to make room for a more somber and serious tone. It certainly works well enough but this almost feels like a Sam Raimi film specifically made for those that don’t like Sam Raimi. Even so, A Simple Plan is hard to criticize too much because everything that works ends up working spectacularly well that I can’t recommend it enough.

5.) Darkman

Before doing Spider-Man, Raimi’s very first comic book property he translated into film was no other than Darkman. Even all these year later, it still holds up as a gloriously camp dark superhero film, proving that Sam knew how to tackle superhero material 12 years before tackling the web swinger. This makes for a pretty tragic origin story of a man who had everything in his life but then lost it completely, leaving him nothing but complete vengeance! Liam Neeson is great as the title character, Larry Drake makes for a very memorable antagonist, and the score once again proves that Raimi + Elfman is a match made in heaven! It does have some clunky aspects surrounding the romance and some pretty poor blue screen work but this is still very impressive stuff! If you are a big fan of Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and haven’t check out Darkman yet, I highly recommend it!

4.) Evil Dead 2

Part sequel, part remake, all-time banger! Evil Dead II does want every great horror sequel does, it takes everything you loved about the original and makes them even better. This manages to be better, bloodier, and funnier than the original while also delivering plenty of new scares, gore, and physical comedy of it’s own. Raimi and Bruce Campbell feel completely at home in their roles, the direction is perfectly on point, the set design and make-ups affects could not be anymore perfect, and the frustratingly imperfected parts of the original are nearly gone here with a full budget to help Raimi execute the exact vision he has in his crazy little mind. There are still some dated parts here and there but Evil Dead II‘s influence on the horror genre can not be overlooked. However, there is still at least one more pure horror flick that I feel is absolute 100% unhinged Sam Raimi!

3.) Spider-Man (2002)

The one movie that kick started the modern era of comic book movies and was also the one movie that got me along with plenty of kids of my generation into Spider-Man. This was the first ever superhero movie I’ve ever watch and one of the first movies that I remember having incredibly fond memories of as a child. Even if I’m unable to take off the bluntly obvious nostalgia goggles (I never can!), Spider-Man (2002) is still an amazing film in it’s own right. The origin of Peter Parker turning into Spider-Man is perfectly told, Tobey Maguire is as every bit as likable and iconic as the title character as you can imagine, and Sam Raimi’s unique version of this world is felt perfectly through every single frame. And that’s not even talking about the insanely memorable supporting cast (J.K. Simmons is everything!), extremely quotable lines, phenomenal score, fist bumping action, and the light hearted tone that makes this movie super enjoyable to watch all of these years later. While I’m sure there are those that like to poke fun at the outdated elements of the movie such as the special effects, cheeseball dialogue, and the Power Ranger-looking Green Goblin, they all still feel right at home with what Raimi brings into his style of Spider-Man. Regardless if you feel like this movie has stood the test of time or not, you can’t deny that if it weren’t the success of this movie, there’s a good chance that this subgenre of movies as we know it today would be no where near big as it has been for the past two decades.

2.) Army of Darkness

That’s right! I have Army of Darkness this high on the list and above the first two Evil Dead films! This is the one where Raimi just swing for the fences and shatters them to pieces! From the unapologetically over-the-top tone to the many standout moments of blood and gore, to the perfection of visual storytelling to the masterfully controlled tone from epic scares to goofy comedy to Bruce Campbell never being better as a crazy chainsaw wielding badass, this is horror Sam Raimi at his absolute best! There’s no low budget that limited the first one or the sluggish recap of the second one, Army of Darkness goes all in from minute one and NEVER holds up, taking you on a wild ride the whole way through! While I’m sure some folks out there won’t agree, this is Sam Raimi horror at it’s absolute finest and makes for one of my favorite horror films of all time!

1.) Spider-Man 2

If you want an example of how to do the perfect superhero sequel, look no further than Spider-Man 2! This is the sequel that was able to take everything we love about the original, expand upon it, and trim any sort of fat that could possibly ruin the experience. This is a movie that perfectly dives into the inner turmoil of being a superhero and the life superheroes have outside of that. Just like with the best Spider-Man movies, it’s all about struggles to balance two different life styles at the exact same time. And how even though being Spider-Man can suck sometimes, it’s something that Peter has to do because it’s just who he is and what his responsibility consists of. Throw in some truly fantastic action, with the main stand out being the spectacular train sequence, arguably the best fight in any superhero movie, a tremendous villain in Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, character arcs that come full circle, and one of the most satisfying endings in any movie, you get an absolute cinematic masterpiece that is Spider-Man 2! If you are someone that loves Spider-Man, superhero movies and especially Sam Raimi, I have no idea how you couldn’t at least like this movie. When it comes to every film that Sam Raimi has made, there has yet to be a movie that comes even remotely close to topping Spider-Man 2!

Send Help (2026) Movie Review- Raimi Unleashed

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Can we point out how much of a miracle that a film like Send Help exists? In an age of sequels, reboots, remakes, and legacy-quels conquering the film landscape and sucking up the remaining creative energy that Hollywood might still have, films like these are becoming more diamonds in the rough in the film industry. The one lone genre that can be seen as a slight exception to that is with horror, at least if the likes of The Black Phone, Barbarian, Talk To Me, The Substance, Sinners, and Weapons are anything to go by. They’ve offered some of the most fresh and inventive feature films that we have seen in recent memory, providing a glimmer of hope for smaller scaled indie filmmaking! To add to that stunning rose gallery, someone at 20th Century Fox or Disney was wise enough to give a blank check to the godfather of horror and superhero movies in Sam Raimi, his first original horror film since 2009’s Drag Me To Hell!

Thankfully, Send Help is yet another worthy addition to Raimi’s Hall of Fame of Horror! It’s able to capitalize on it’s simple yet effective premise thanks to it’s two charismatic leads, it’s incredibly visionary direction, unapologetically excessive gore, and a script that will keep audiences on their toes the whole way through. Even if it can be rough around the edges that it knocks it down to the middle-of-the-pack of Raimi’s filmography rather than up there with the likes of Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, it’s still an absolute blast of a motion picture that is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Premise: A woman (Rachael McAdams) and her overbearing boss (Dylan O’Brien) become stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. They must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.

With Send Help, you really get a sense desperately wanting to return to his roots in the horror genre, that made for classics such as the original Evil Dead trilogy, Darkman, and the previously mentioned Drag Me To Hell. From his good old-fashioned camera tricks to entertaining hammy performances to stylized blood filled set pieces to complete descent into horror imagery, Raimi feels truly at home yet again. Sure, there were some unique moments like that in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but you still got a sense of the Marvel machinery that Sam was forcedly kneecapped too in order to keep the higher ups at Disney satisfied. Thankfully, that is not the case whatsoever with Send Help. Here, we get Sam Raimi fully unleashed!

The main driving force here are the two leads played by Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. McAdams’s Linda is easily the bigger standout of the two, being able to successful convey the consistent transaction from scene-to-scene, going from the stoic and socially awkward “ugly” girl to a woman that becomes more unhinged once she is able to take power into her own hands. She’s someone that anyone who has dealt with asshole bosses like Bradley in the film can get behind but that commitment gets tested the more you discover about her. It’s the great subversion of expectations of having a female dominant force that crosses the fine line between the hero you are behind and root for to the protagonist you are forced to follow. While her performance definitely takes inspiration from other iconic psychotic female performances such as Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman in Batman Returns, McAdams still delivers a Raimi-worthy performance that would certainly make Ash Williams proud.

Dylan O’Brien’s Bradley is able to make for a perfect counterpart to McAdam’s Linda. On the surface, he does come off as the stereotypical misogynist boss that sees his employers as pushovers rather than genuine hard workers, going as far as to promote a guy who just got employed over a woman whose been with the company for some time now. However, once the power dynamic shifts and we see Bradley getting a taste of his own medicine (Those are not spoilers! These plot points are all in the trailers!), we see a different side of Bradley that showcases that not only is he not the over-the-top alpha male we are lead to believe but he might not even be the more absurd person that’s trapped on that island. Similar to Linda, Raimi is able to test the audience’s patience as to who is more sympathetic and who is more worthy of being the most scrutinized! Anyone that thinks the back-and-forth between our two leads follow the traditional routes for male-and-female troops both old and now are NOT prepared here!

And speaking of not prepared, writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift are able to craft out a script that’s full of witt, suspense, and absolute surprise. Each scene on the island is able to properly transition to the very next scene that not only will keep you guessing about what’s going to happen next but also feels very fluent with the film’s perfectly controlled tone and thematic undertones, giving the indication that a lot of thought and proper preparation went into the writing here. Even if the entire destination does feel quite obvious at the end (All you have to do is remember what Linda’s favorite show is), the journey getting there will keep you on the edge of your seats, making you wonder how exactly each scene will resolve itself until we get to those final moments.

As it’s stated in the title, Raimi leaves no stone unturned here. With no MCU guidelines like his last go-around or low budget restraints to bring him down like some of his earlier films, he is able to fully commit his unique horror movie stamp into this well-down picture. He is able to let his actors go loose with their performances, allows for his camera and editing tricks to shine, brings up all the gore and carnage that will make even the most die-hard horror fanatic cringe a little bit, and is able to re-team with Danny Elfman to deliver a score that’s different but feels right. It might’ve been a hot minute since we last saw a Sam Raimi film feel 100% like a Sam Raimi film but Send Help is able to deliver those blessings with pure camp and carnage.

I wouldn’t quite say that Send Help is on the level of the very best of Sam Raimi. The plane crash sequence does reek heavily of poorly done CGI that even with a $40 million budget, did take me out of the movie in ways that I don’t believe was intentional. There are moments in the third act that feel more exposition heavy than it needs to be where a character has to explain their motives and fill in certain blanks involving sequences in the middle chunk, almost feeling like a cliff note from the studios. And while with the way things are wrapped up does make sense from a narrative and thematic standpoint, there’s a bit too much lapses in logic and handwaving as to how the resolution presents itself that feels like Raimi needing to cheat his way out to get the ending that he wanted.

Send Help is basically the spiritual successor to Drag Me To Hell that horror fans have waited 17 years for. Sam Raimi is able to go back to basics in a way that feel refreshing and not as a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of the good old days. It’s fun, witty, twisty, and filled with blood, gore, violence, and messed up characters doing messed up things. Those are the recipes that made Raimi’s prior horror work a success and he is once again is able to make something old feel new again.

Even as we see studio merger after studio merger and more reliance than stuff we loved in the past than ever before, Send Help is a reminder of what happens when we still allow our favorite creative and talented filmmakers to make fresh and original pictures that can stand on their own. We’ve seen that visionary in the horror genre grow throughout the 2020s and thankfully with Send Help, Raimi is able to fit right in with today’s kids instead of yesterday’s adults.

I just hope today’s kids who saw Iron Lung will take time to see this as well!