Movie reviews of Craig McKenzie

A fun and creative animated sci-fi blockbuster with good characterisation, impressive visuals and moving storytelling. Review

A bland, overlong and ultimately pointless entry that proves once and for all the franchise deserves to go extinct. Review

An excellent follow-up to a true classic that delivers technical excellence in spades, has something meaningful to say and further enshrines Tom Cruise as a star like no other. Review

A visually stunning and intense entry into the MCU with creatively creepy action that compliments the universe while pushing it in an interesting direction. Review

A fun blockbuster with strong vocal performances, entertaining set pieces and an impressive command of fan service. Review

A messy, bland and incoherent experience with underdeveloped ideas, incomprehensible action and significant failures in its storytelling. Review

An undeniably compelling take on The Dark Knight with strong worldbuilding that suffers from surface level characterisation, a bloated running time and incomplete exploration of the ideas it presents. Review

A paint by numbers treasure hunting adventure that reeks of so little effort that the greatest mystery is why it was made in the first place. Review

A visually stunning and tightly constructed character driven experience that is bursting with personality. Elizabeth Gillies delivers a distinctive take on Selina Kyle with plenty of depth that is complimented perfectly by the visuals. Review

An unashamedly dumb, intermittently entertaining experience with spectacle that fails to innovate or stand out and painfully shallow characterisation. Review

A disappointing revival of The Matrix franchise that has some interesting ideas that it fails to fully explore and a general failure to justify its own existence. Review

An enjoyable Spider-Man movie with plenty of heart, an excellent command of fan service and a strong grasp of the character. Tom Holland is excellent in the role of Peter Parker with a script that plays to his strengths as a performer. Review

A disappointing adaptation of the popular video game series with uninteresting plotting, poor characterisation and a failure to grasp why the source material is so beloved while not working as a horror experience in its own right. Review

A disappointing revival that is far too stuck in the past and takes itself far too seriously preventing it from forging a path to the future. Review

Don’t watch this, just watch the original. The characterisation is weak, the plotting is terrible and there’s no sense of purpose to any of it. Review

A flawed yet compelling entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with engaging characters and stunning visuals that gets bogged down in mythology and clumsy storytelling. Review

A stunning example of world-building and visual excellence that takes its time to craft a fully realised universe to tell its story. Review

A confused mess of a film that tries to do a lot and ends up accomplishing very little but at least boasts an impressive body count for fans of the slasher genre. Review

An enjoyable and timely exploration of friendship in the social media age that is thought provoking, heart-warming in places and heartbreaking in others. Review

An entertaining watch that had the potential to be more but lacks the time to realise it. Tom Hardy’s manic energy as both Eddie Brock and Venom elevates surface level material and provides an engaging dysfunctional to the point of abusive dynamic. Review

A fitting swansong for Daniel Craig’s James Bond that delivers some strong emotional beats but is let down by an underused villain and a thin plot that presents as being more complex than it actually is. Review

An excellent entry into the MCU with great characters, strong performances, impressive worldbuilding and engaging themes. Shang-Chi is a great character wonderfully played by Simu Liu with a familiar yet engaging character arc around him finding purpose and wrestling with parental expectation. Review

A strong take on emergent artificial intelligence with compelling characterisation, striking animation and fascinating ideas to be found within. Review

A disappointment filled with missed opportunities that can’t quite be rescued by a strong lead. Snake Eyes is far too unfocused and incoherent to work because it’s trying to do so much and does so little. Review