Christopher John

Mortal Engines, in my view at least, never looked like anything interesting. From the very first teaser, I disliked the overblown, overused-CGI masking as a grandiose vision of a seemingly unique world, that becomes more and more generic as it goes on. There are some genuine moments of inspiration sprinkled here and there, but not where it counts and not enough to make any impact beyond boredom. From the filmmakers behind The Lord of the Rings comes this bloated, messy, mediocre, uninteresting movie that feels made for no-one in particular, called Mortal Engines.

The plot is too complex at times, the dialogue dances between tough density and plain bluntness, and it takes a while for things to happen, but it is all intentional. Everything in Widows has a perfectly-designed purpose to exist. The performances from this mindblowing cast carry you through, the cinematography, editing and music are perfect, McQueen’s direction challenges your expectations, and Widows remains a prescient look at the nature of corruption, racism, greed, and grief.

An incredible piece of filmmaking. Cynthia Erivo blew my mind with just how endlessly talented she is at anything possible, Jeff Bridges was heartbreaking, Dakota Johnson was actually good (finally), and Chris Hemsworth is a dark delight. Drew Goddard's writing and direction is perfect and this whole film had me on the edge of my seat!