Movie reviews of Craig McKenzie

A moving and uplifting story of facing adversity that doesn’t sugar-coat the difficulties associated with fighting a nasty illness. Review

A sedate and moving character study with compelling commentary on the developed world that boasts a stunning performance from Nicolas Cage. Review

An entertaining and smartly put together blockbuster with plenty of interesting ideas, excellent worldbuilding, great characterisation, a strong cast and plenty of heart. Review

A fun and entertaining old school adventure with engaging characters. Dwayne Johnson carries the film well along with Emily Blunt. Review

An expertly crafted and heartfelt viewing experience with great characters, an excellent sense of humour and a strong grasp of what it wants to be. The large cast is brilliantly utilised with many only appearing briefly to be showcased in a meaningful moment before being brutally dispatched. Review

A strong and at times inspiring character story grounded in uncomfortably harsh reality that is drowning in nihilism and viscerally thought provoking. Review

Despite its flaws, Space Jam: A New Legacy is far more entertaining than it has any right to be. It succeeds in making good use of the Looney Tunes, provides some creative moments and mostly delivers on what it promises. Review

A strong and engaging character driven solo outing for Natasha Romanoff that deepens her considerably, delivers entertaining action beats and introduces other memorable characters. Review

A poor excuse for a sci-fi action film with underwhelming characters, a meandering uninteresting plot and nothing of value to say about anything it touches on. Review

An unapologetic continuation of exactly what the franchise wants to be with delightfully ridiculous action and a flimsy plot that will satisfy hardcore fans but won’t change the minds of the uninitiated. Review

A beautifully animated, heart-warming story of friendship, tolerance, imagination and wonder. The focus with this film is on being heart-warming rather than heartbreaking and the central friendship that drives the narrative is constantly engaging. Review

A strong comedy horror film with memorable characters, a strong grasp on what it can achieve and balances the comedy with some excellent scares. Review

A decent sequel that doesn’t rely on replicating what made the first film successful but doesn’t always succeed in offering a suitable alternative. Review

A compelling character study with an excellent leading performance, impressive exploration of different themes but overall plays it safe. Review

A bloated, shallow and unfocused experience that Zack Snyder’s visual excellence fails to rescue. Mashing up the heist and Zombie concepts seems like a good idea in theory but in practice they are kept largely separate which creates a confused narrative with no clear focus on what it’s supposed to be about. Review

A serviceable if bloated revenge/conspiracy thriller with an engaging lead performance and impressive action sequences. Review

Another impressive entry into the DC animated canon with excellent visuals, strong characterisation and plenty of heart to carry the story. Review

A bloated mess that relies too heavily on exposition rather than taking advantage of the obvious potential to be over the top, fun and silly that is locked within. Review

An underwhelming experience that has some clear potential that it’s unable to live up to. Everything starts off well with the main character introduction, establishing a mysterious world to be explored and outlining tangible stakes but it goes downhill by getting bogged down in pseudo-philosophical rhetoric accomplished by characters sitting around delivering exposition to one another. Review

A visually impressive monster mash that more than delivers on what it promises but suffers greatly from forgettable human characters. Review

A strong viewing experience that blends excellent visuals, compellingly detailed characterisation and a well crafted story to create a truly unique superhero blockbuster that is a worthwhile viewing experience by itself. Review

Archenemy is at its best when playing with the ambiguity of Max Fist’s story, exploring his cycle of nihilism and building the world out from how he perceives it. The film suffers a lot when he pulls away from that to tell a story about drug dealers that connects to his origins but it’s very watchable thanks to Joe Manganiello’s excellent performance, strong character work and an impressive display of worldbuilding. Review

A gut-wrenching story based on real life events manages to depict with rare beauty and clarity the lives of those left in the wake of white people’s greed in a story so little discussed or recognised. Powerful storytelling, this film is utterly compelling. Review

An at times thrilling depiction of this true life event, a little slow in places and some unnecessary appearances from the US, but overall worth a watch to understand the event that could have brought devastation to millions of people. Review