Ratings Central - Movies

I had never heard of Weapons 2025 . My wife had seen a trailer and it was a cheap night at the cinema, so we had little choice but to give it a shot. I braced myself for a film that would either be a spectacular new take on a classic subgenre or just another low-budget bust. What I didn’t expect was something that felt less like a movie and more like a fever dream cobbled together from half-baked ideas and an abundance of reshoots. Image by IMDb A Horror That's Not Quite Horror For a film marketed as a horror movie, Weapons 2025 has very little to do with horror. The scares are non-existent. There is a persistent, gnawing tension from the premise of children vanishing into the night, but it quickly dissolves when you realize that's all there is to it. The initial premise sets up a tantalizing mystery, but that flimsy veil is lifted within minutes, and you know exactly what is going on. What follows is not a mystery, a horror, or even a drama. It's a series of disconnected,...

Let's be honest, the words "comedy reboot" are usually a threat, not a promise. In an age where almost every new comedy feels like it was written by a committee or a child, I had little choice but to set the bar low. I went in fully prepared for a cautious, sanitized imitation that would politely nod to the classics while desperately trying not to offend anyone. And my god I was wrong to have even thought this. This new Naked Gun isn't a cautious, deferential homage; it's a loud, obnoxious, and hilarious successor that understood the assignment completely, and deserves the name the Naked Gun. Image by Wikipedia Drebin, Frank Drebin Jr. The elephant in the room was always going to be the casting of Frank Drebin. Trying to imitate Leslie Nielsen would be a fatal mistake, and thankfully, Liam Neeson doesn’t even try. Instead, he brilliantly weaponizes his own established persona. Where Nielsen’s Drebin was a man of unwarranted confidence, Neeson’s is a man of grim, g...

Going into Fantastic Four: First Steps , I’ll be honest—I was hesitantly optimistic. Marvel's recent track record hasn’t exactly been confidence-inspiring, and I didn’t know whether this film would add to the pile of forgettables or manage to pull something worthwhile from the rubble. The short version? It’s better than what came before it... but that’s a low bar to clear. Image by Disney Better... But That’s Not Saying Much Yes, this is the best Fantastic Four film so far—but let’s not throw a parade just yet. That’s like saying a sprained ankle is better than a broken leg. It’s still not a good time. This isn’t Infinity War or No Way Home . It’s more like a cautiously made, safe middle-ground that never dares to do anything bold or game-changing. Image by Consequence.net Retro Aesthetic Done Right On the positive side, I liked the unexpected characters that popped in here and there, and I thought the alternative 60s timeline worked surprisingly well. The aesthetic was actually ...

I really liked 28 Days Later . It’s one of those rare horror films that truly redefined the genre. 28 Weeks Later was...fine. So, when 28 Years Later was announced, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Would it recapture the bleak tension of the original? Would it go full action like its predecessor? What we got instead was something very different—a dramatic adventure story with zombies in the background, and I’m honestly torn about it. Image by Rotten Tomatoes Great Performances, Strong Characters Let’s start with the good: the acting is solid across the board. The cast really brings a sense of humanity to the story. The characters are fleshed out, and their motivations make sense. The story, which focuses on a father-son relationship, has some genuine emotional weight behind it and serves as a metaphor for growing up and confronting harsh realities. It’s well done and honestly refreshing to see male characters that are actually useful in a post-apocalyptic world for once. They ...

I’m a big fan of the Final Destination series, so I was honestly surprised to hear that another installment was in the works. Part 5 wrapped things up in such a neat little bow that it felt like the story had come full circle. So when Bloodlines was announced, I was hesitantly optimistic. Could they recapture the magic (and mayhem) of the originals without running the whole thing into the ground? I’m glad to report—it was worth the price of admission. Image by Pacific Science Center Not Shakespeare, But It’ll Do Let’s just be clear up front: this is not some masterpiece of screenwriting. The plot is about as flimsy as ever, and no one here is giving an Oscar-caliber performance. But let’s be real—if you’re showing up to a Final Destination movie expecting award-winning drama, you’ve already wandered into the wrong theater. That said, the writing didn’t make me want to claw my ears off either, which is more than I can say for a lot of recent horror flicks. It was… fine. Image by The...

Let’s be honest here—after Pooh: Blood and Honey and knowing that Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare came from the same twisted universe, I didn’t expect much. Maybe a few cheap kills, some bad acting, and another cash-in on public domain characters. But I’m happy to say I was completely wrong. This is the first horror movie of 2025 that actually feels fresh —not just in premise, but in execution too. Image by IMDb Kills With Purpose, Not Just Style Unlike so many horror flicks that go all in on creative gore for gore’s sake, Neverland Nightmare surprised me. The kills here actually fit the story. They’re brutal, yes—but they make sense. They aren’t just random “wouldn’t this be cool” moments. They reflect the psychology of the killer and the evolution of the story. That’s such a rare thing in modern horror, where violence often exists just to fill time or keep the audience awake. Image by The Austin Chronicle It Doesn’t Hold Back, and That’s the Point The film isn’t afraid to pus...