REVIEW: Altered (2025 film) Starring Tom Felton, Liza Bugulova, Richard Brake, Igor Jijikine and Aggy K. Adams.

Review by Jon Donnis

Altered arrives with a premise that feels strangely close to the direction our own world is drifting toward. You can almost sense that familiar knot in your stomach as the film lays out its alternate present. A society rebuilt after nuclear fallout. A shiny new world split cleanly by genetic privilege. The setup is strong and has the sort of grounded bite that gives science fiction its punch. You can see the truth in it, even when the plot leans into spectacle.

Tom Felton carries much of the weight as Leon. He has an easy charm here, a kind of battered sincerity that stops the film from slipping into pure pulp. His partnership with Liza Bugulova's Chloe feels warm and lived in, which helps when the wider story starts piling on its themes. The pair scrape by in the Special District, where the air is thick with rust and resignation, and their scavenger life has a real texture to it. The pace moves nicely as well. At a little over eighty minutes, it never drags, and you can settle into it without feeling as though you are signing up for a marathon.

The trouble is that the film keeps nudging you with messages instead of trusting the world to speak for itself. It grabs at every political idea it can reach. Genetic inequality. Healthcare access. Corruption. Class war. Propaganda. All of it thrown in at once. Instead of building a layered picture, it tips into something a bit cartoonish. You find yourself wishing the script had picked one thread and given it the time to breathe. The modest budget also shows. Some sequences in the Genetics District have ambition, though now and then the effects wobble just enough to pull you out of the moment.

Still, Altered has a spark. The world feels interesting even when the storytelling falters, and the central relationship keeps the whole thing from collapsing under its own weight. Felton does good work with what he is given, and there are glimmers of a sharper, more focused film lurking underneath the noise.

Altered is a clever idea that never quite blossoms. It rushes through its themes, leans too hard on political shouting, and lets its thin story drag down a strong concept. Even so, it is watchable, reasonably brisk, and held together by Felton's steady presence. A generous 6 out of 10 feels about right.

Out Now on Digital

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4iIT9YU

REVIEW: Frankenstein (2025 film)- Starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz

Review by Jon Donnis

Guillermo del Toro's 2025 take on Frankenstein feels like a filmmaker pouring his heart into a story he has cherished for years. It shows from the opening moments on the icebound Horisont Navy Ship. The film settles into a confident stride straight away, using the familiar framing of Victor recounting his sins while the shadow of his creation closes in. It taps into the soul of Mary Shelley's novel with a level of devotion that never feels stiff. Instead it feels lived in, tender in places, and achingly sad in others.

Oscar Isaac gives Victor a cold brilliance that suits the character's inflated sense of purpose. His fall from promising surgeon to broken fugitive has real weight, helped by the film's astonishing design work at every stage. Del Toro fills each frame with towering sets, rich colour, and the sort of textured detail that makes even the bleakest landscape feel strangely inviting. The world around Victor and the Creature has an almost painterly glow. It feels crafted by someone who understands the gothic tone down to its bone marrow. When the story shifts to the Creature's memories, the change in mood is gentle but striking. The forest scenes, the warmth of the blind man's home, the eerie calm of the Arctic. Everything is lit and staged with a confidence that reminds you why del Toro has long been considered a master of monsters.

Jacob Elordi's version of the Creature is one of the film's strongest elements. He captures the pain, confusion, and flickers of fragile hope that define the character. His scenes of learning and companionship are some of the film's most affecting. The only drawback is physical. Elordi plays the emotional notes beautifully, yet he never quite looks as imposing as the classic image of Frankenstein's creation. It is a small gripe, though it does stand out when the story leans into the Creature's terrifying strength.

The length will also test some viewers. At around two and a half hours the film never feels slow, yet it is still a solid commitment. The emotional heft piles up steadily. By the time Victor and the Creature meet again in the present, you can feel the journey in your chest. Their final moment together is quiet, painful, and beautifully earned.

What impresses most is how del Toro reshapes a tale we all know without distorting its essence. This is still a story about life, death, grief, and responsibility. It simply tilts the focus a little more toward forgiveness. Personally, I found myself missing a touch more of the Creature's rage, something closer to the fury of Shelley's original. Even so, it is hard not to admire the sincerity behind this version. It is crafted with love and it shows.

In the wider landscape of adaptations, this may be the finest screen telling so far. It looks extraordinary, it feels deeply human, and it marks a strong return to form for del Toro. I walked away convinced he was born to make this film.

A confident and resonant triumph, and an easy 9 out of 10.

Out Now on Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81507921

And in Select Cinemas

REVIEW: The Astronaut (2025 Film) - Starring Kate Mara and Laurence Fishburne

Review by Jon Donnis

Jess Varley's The Astronaut is a small but effective slice of sci-fi horror that works best when it leans into mystery and mood. It's a film that feels familiar at first, yet manages to pull the rug out just when you think you've got it figured out.

Kate Mara is the film's biggest strength. She gives Sam Walker real emotional weight, showing both the toughness of an astronaut and the vulnerability of someone coming apart at the seams. When Sam starts seeing things that shouldn't be there and her body begins to change, Mara never overplays it. She lets the fear sit quietly beneath the surface, which makes it far more unsettling.

The story moves at a tight pace. At just under ninety minutes, it never overstays its welcome. From the moment Sam wakes up in quarantine, we're locked in with her, watching things slowly slide from odd to terrifying. When the twist hits, it's a genuine surprise. I can usually spot a reveal long before it happens, but this one caught me off guard in the best way.

Laurence Fishburne adds a touch of authority as General Harris, though it's a pity he turns up so late. His presence steadies the film and gives it a sense of weight that the early scenes slightly lack. Gabriel Luna and Ivana Miličević also give good support, but this is very much Mara's film.

On the downside, the title is a bit misleading. For something called The Astronaut, we don't spend any time in space. Everything happens on Earth, mostly around the secluded house where Sam is being monitored. The limited setting helps with the tension, but it also makes the film feel smaller than it needs to be. The low budget shows at times too, with some effects and creature moments that don't quite land.

Still, there's a lot to like. Varley keeps the focus on atmosphere rather than spectacle, using silence, shadow and suggestion to build unease. It feels old-fashioned in a good way, more The X-Files than Alien.

The Astronaut isn't going to redefine the genre, but it's a confident, tightly made story with a clever twist and a standout lead performance.

A smart and surprisingly tense sci-fi horror that rises above its limitations. A solid 7 out of 10.

Out Now - https://apple.co/47EgvuA

REVIEW: The Long Walk (2025 film) - Starring Cooper Hoffman

Review by Jon Donnis

Francis Lawrence's 2025 adaptation of Stephen King's novel arrives with a brutal, uncompromising premise. The idea is stark and simple. Fifty boys are forced to walk until only one remains, watched by soldiers and a bloodthirsty public. That setup is the film's central currency, and it buys the filmmakers a mood that is bleak and unrelenting.

If there is a single thing the film does well it is acting. Cooper Hoffman as Ray Garraty is the reason to stay in your seat. He gives Ray a mix of stubbornness, fatigue and quiet decency that feels lived in. When the story narrows to small, human exchanges these scenes land, because Hoffman invests them with a weary sincerity. The main cast around him is serviceable, and the occasional flash of camaraderie among the boys is the movie's emotional glue.

But the positives are limited, in number and in reach. The problem is structural. Once you understand the rules of the Walk, there is not much left to discover. The film stretches that single idea to nearly two hours, and the result is a steady feeling of repetition. Deaths happen, grief follows, the boys talk, and the march continues. Over time the rhythm begins to feel like a loop, and the narrative rarely finds new momentum.

Predictability is another weight against it. Key beats arrive exactly as you expect, which robs the shocking moments of power. A bleak tone can be effective, but here it slides into monotony. Good performances cannot change that. The film feels paper thin at points, as if scenes exist to fill runtime rather than to deepen character or theme. If the core idea had been tightened into a shorter format it would have felt sharper and more urgent. As it stands, the film tests patience more than it rewards it. 

There is a certain grim honesty to the movie, and that may appeal to viewers who want their dystopia raw and unadorned. Yet there is a persistent sense of missed opportunity. The material begs for a clearer emotional arc, or for more surprising turns that interrogate the premise instead of merely replaying it. What might work as a compact, forty-minute television piece feels overextended as a full-length feature.

In short, The Long Walk has a standout central performance and it commits to its bleak vision. It also overstays its welcome and offers little in the way of narrative invention. I left the cinema impressed by Cooper Hoffman and frustrated by how little else the film earned. My score is 4 out of 10.

In Cinemas Now

REVIEW: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025 Film) - Starring Tom Cruise

Review by Jon Donnis

Ethan Hunt has always been a man running out of time. In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, that race finally reaches its end, and it does so with the kind of energy, scale and conviction that has come to define the series. Tom Cruise returns for one last mission, and if this is really his final run as Hunt, he's going out on a towering high.

Set just weeks after Dead Reckoning Part One, the story wastes no time setting the stakes. The Entity, a self-aware rogue AI, is expanding its grip on global weapon systems. It's doing so with the help of a fanatical doomsday cult, making the threat less digital and more terrifyingly physical. Governments want control, alliances splinter, and Ethan refuses to give up the one thing that might stop the collapse. From there, the film takes off with the kind of momentum few blockbusters manage to sustain.

Christopher McQuarrie is once again behind the camera, and he knows exactly what to do with this world. The pacing is sharp, the tension builds steadily, and the action is shot with clarity and precision. There's a practical quality to it all that still feels fresh. Real explosions, real stunts, real locations. No CGI overload or hollow digital noise. Instead, we get cold oceans, brutal hand-to-hand fights, and a late sequence that involves Cruise doing something completely unhinged at altitude, just to prove he still can.

Cruise, now firmly in his sixties, doesn't play Ethan like a man pretending to be twenty years younger. There's experience behind the performance. The weight of all his choices sits just behind the eyes. But the fire is still there. Whether he's diving into arctic waters or sprinting through chaos, it all feels grounded in character, not just spectacle. He's not just doing these stunts to show off. He's doing them because Ethan believes this is the only way forward.

The supporting cast does more than just fill space. Hayley Atwell's Grace has evolved into a confident presence, not just a sidekick. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames continue to carry the emotional load of the team. Pom Klementieff's Paris feels unpredictable and human in all the right ways. Angela Bassett, now in the Oval Office, brings a cool resolve that balances the growing global panic. And Henry Czerny's Kittridge continues to play the perfect political counterweight to Ethan's sense of personal duty.

The action scenes aren't just loud. They're smart. One early mission inside a Cold War sonar base is full of tension and smart problem solving. Later, the team faces off against time bombs, assassins and underwater survival in a way that never feels repetitive. Every moment is used. Nothing drags. The final stretch pulls together everything the series has been building towards, without turning into an overcooked finale.

Importantly, The Final Reckoning keeps the franchise grounded. There's no needless commentary or clumsy messaging. It sticks to story. It sticks to character. It respects its audience by giving them exactly what they've come to love. Real stakes, clear objectives, team dynamics and a moral centre. No woke agenda, just pure, high-quality action filmmaking.

There's sadness to the ending, not because it falls short, but because it signals a real farewell. Cruise has said this is his final outing as Ethan Hunt, and the film treats that with quiet dignity. There's no drawn-out goodbye. Just a sense that the journey has reached its natural conclusion. It's earned. And it lands.

What started nearly thirty years ago as a slick, contained thriller has grown into one of the most consistent and beloved action franchises in modern cinema. The Final Reckoning honours that history, raises the bar once again, and walks away before it wears out its welcome.

This is blockbuster cinema done right. Big, bold, heartfelt and made with care. Not many films feel like proper events anymore. This one does.

Score: 9.5 / 10

Cruise may be stepping off the train, but he leaves it moving at full speed.

In Cinemas Now!