Rogue Reviews

A House of Dynamite imagines a nightmare scenario where US government and military officials race against the clock to intercept an unidentified nuclear missile bound for American soil. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and featuring an ensemble cast including Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, and Tracy Letts, the film unfolds in near real-time, blending documentary-style realis...

Black Phone 2 is Scott Derrickson’s supernatural horror sequel to the 2021 breakout hit. Four years on, Finn battles PTSD while sister Gwen’s visions lead them to a haunted Christian camp, with Ethan Hawke’s Grabber returning in ghostly, dream-invading form. We debate whether this expansion justifies its existence and dissect its shift from subtle chills to Nightmare on Elm Street-style spectacle....

"End of Line." Time to plug into the digital frontier with Tron: Ares and see if this third film from Disney's sci-fi franchise will be its last, or the beginning of a new era for the film series. Directed by Joachim Rønning and starring Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith and Jeff Bridges, Tron: Ares ventures out of the grid and into the real world, aiming to revive a legacy that began in 1...

"If it bleeds, we can kill it." With Predator: Badlands arriving in theatres soon, we thought now would be a good time to share our review of Prey (2022), which we recorded three years ago. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the film rewinds the clock to the 1700s, following Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche warrior who must face a fearsome alien hunter to protect her people. From stripped-back...

"There's one winner and no finish line.” We review The Long Walk (2025), Francis Lawrence’s tense and stripped-back adaptation of Stephen King’s dystopian novel. Set in a totalitarian America, the film follows a brutal contest where a hundred young men must keep walking - or be shot - until only one remains. Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Johnson, Garrett Waring, Charlie Plummer, Roman Griffin-Dav...

The knives are out and there's a mystery to solve, as we unpack the Glass Onion - Rian Johnson’s bold sequel to his modern whodunit hit. Daniel Craig returns as the irresistibly eccentric detective Benoit Blanc, this time solving a murder amid the glossy chaos of a billionaire’s Greek island getaway. With Edward Norton leading a cast of suspects including Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bauti...

Sometimes the most terrifying monster isn’t supernatural at all, but the neighbour you wave to every morning. In this episode of Rogue Reviews, we dive into The Black Phone (2021), Scott Derrickson’s chilling horror film starring Ethan Hawke. Set in the late 70s, the story follows Finney, a kidnapped boy held captive by “The Grabber,” and his desperate fight for survival aided by ghostly voices fr...

Taking a break from the movies to dive into the world of television - we share our spoiler-free thoughts on the shows that have dominated our watchlists over the past year. From sci-fi epics to gritty thrillers, detective dramas to anime, we explore which series are worth your time in today’s crowded streaming landscape. We dive into Alien Earth, Andor, Alice in Borderland, The Assassin and many m...

Richard Osman's popular cosy crime novel is brought to life in this Netflix adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club. Directed by Chris Columbus and starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, and David Tennant, the film brings together four retirees who accidentally stumble into a real-life murder mystery. We explore whether this star-studded whodunit delivers on the charm of...

"Hutch is back." We both liked the first movie, so when a sequel arrived in the cinema in the form of Nobody 2 (2025), we had to have a watch. Directed by Timo Johanto and starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, and Sharon Stone, we break down the story of a retired assassin dragged back into chaos during a family holiday, sharing spoiler-free takes before spoiling the twists. We explore the film's...

You've seen it a hundred times before in a hundred different movies – aliens arrive on Earth, humans fight back, a hero saves the day – and now, in 2025, that hero is the desk-bound tech genius William Radford. War of the Worlds is an Amazon original movie, directed by Rich Lee and starring Ice Cube and Eva Longoria. An adaptation of HG Wells' novel, it follows a Homeland Security analyst battling...

Vanishing children and an ominous sense of dread stalks the community of Maybrook, Pennsylvania in Weapons (2025), Zach Cregger's chilling follow-up to Barbarian. Directed and written by Cregger, it centres on a small town’s nightmare as 17 children disappear overnight, featuring standout performances from Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and more. We debate the film’s gripping premise, powerful acting,...

We review three movies that blend action and comedy in very different ways. First up is The Naked Gun with Liam Neeson, followed by the animated adventure KPop Demon Hunters and finally, Heads of State starring John Cena, Idris Elba and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. We explore The Naked Gun's rapid-fire gags and cameos, KPop Demon Hunters energetic storytelling despite pacing hiccups, and 'Heads of State...

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) sees Marvel's first family brought to life. This retro-futuristic reboot throws Reed Richards and his crew into a bold, 1960s-inspired world buzzing with quirky tech and metahumans.  Facing off against a cosmic threat, the cast delivers sparking chemistry, blending epic action with heartfelt vibes that feel like Guardians of the Galaxy. We share our thou...

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a veteran driver, is tempted back into professional racing and the high-stakes world of Formula 1 in the high-octane film F1: The Movie. Heart-pounding race sequences, captured with innovative cameras at real Grand Prix events, channel the intensity of classics like Ford v Ferrari and Rush, merging raw emotion with cutting-edge tech for electrifying thrills. The dynamic en...

The DC Universe sparks into life with Superman (2025) and James Gunn's vibrant reboot of the Man of Steel. We explore David Corenswet’s youthful, optimistic Superman navigating a lively world of metahumans and modern challenges like social media. Comparing it to Christopher Reeve’s iconic 1978 performance, we discuss how Gunn’s colourful vision departs from the darker Snyderverse, while tackling a...

Hollywood's love of all things dinosaurs continues with Jurassic: Rebirth (2025), the latest chapter in the saga directed by Gareth Edwards. We dive into how it strips back the chaos of previous films for a straightforward monster hunt, mixing high-stakes action with nods to classics like Jaws, while debating if Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali’s star power elevates a formulaic plot. Rogue Re...

Danny Boyle returns to the rage-virus world with 28 Years Later (2025) and tells the tale of a young boy's terrifying adventure to the mainland. We explore how the third film shakes up the franchise with fresh horrors, smartphone-shot visuals, and a story flipping survival and isolation in quarantined Britain. With standout performances by Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, plus...

Bob Odenkirk, Breaking Bad’s comic star, transforms into a ruthless action hero in the 2021 thriller Nobody. In this episode, we dive into how Odenkirk’s Hutch, a former assassin, erupts into John Wick-style chaos to defend his family, fuelled by a pulsing soundtrack and jaw-dropping fight choreography that grips every moment. From Hutch’s mundane days to the electrifying bus brawl, we explore the...

Gerard Johnstones' horror comedy M3GAN was a surprise hit for Blumhouse in 2022. The movie blends creepy tech, family drama, and dark humour as roboticist Gemma makes an advanced AI doll for her recently orphaned niece Cady. However, M3GAN becomes increasingly violent and overprotective of Cady, leading to an explosive confrontation with her maker. Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts . Rec...

Ana de Armas is Eve, a lethal assassin seeking vengeance amidst the High Table's treacherous underworld. We dissect Ballerina's relentless action, Ana's commanding performance, and its ties to the Wick universe, set between John Wick 3 and 4.  From the franchise’s raw, gritty beginnings to its sprawling, mythic scope, we evaluate if Ballerina channels the Wick essence or carves a daring new p...

Luke and Charlotte Purdue race to find the mythical Fountain of Youth whilst being pursued by a secret organisation. Expect fast-paced action and slick stunts that thrill, balanced against a familiar plot that sparks debate. We share our honest takes, weighing its entertainment value against its lack of originality. It’s a fun, flawed ride that left us nostalgic for classic adventures. Rogue Revie...

The story of Ethan Hunt comes to an epic end in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025). This blockbuster is packed with jaw-dropping stunts, submarine shenanigans and tense dogfights over a vast countryside. Ethan’s team, crackling with chemistry, battles a cunning rogue AI that’s as nostalgic as it is thrilling.  We unpack how the film blends high-octane action, emotional twists, a...

Black Mirror’s seventh season sinks its claws into our tech-obsessed world with unsettling standalone stories, now streaming on Netflix. From AI hijacking creativity to quantum computers rewriting reality, each episode delivers chilling cautionary tales that hit eerily close to today’s smartphone-driven society. We rank all six episodes, exploring themes of vengeance, heartbreak, and human connect...

A gritty team-up turns into a pulse-pounding clash of wit and redemption. Thunderbolts*, a sharp action-comedy, grabs you from the first spark. Anti-heroes like Yelena and Bucky, fuelled by raw chemistry, face a cunning threat as thrilling as it is grounded. With bold style and heartfelt depth, this 2025 movie demands your attention.  We chat about how the film shakes up the MCU’s formula wit...