REVIEW: Speed Train (2025 Film) - Starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Nicky Whelan and Louis Mandylor

Review by Jon Donnis

There is no easing into the world of Speed Train. It opens with a glossy in-universe advert for the Brain Op chip, an AI implant sold as a lifestyle upgrade, and immediately signals the kind of pulpy sci-fi the film is aiming for. It is broad, blunt, and knowingly ridiculous, but it does at least establish its futuristic setting with clarity before the chaos begins.

The plot strands a mismatched group of passengers aboard a high-speed Nexus Track capsule. Among them are cheerleading coaches Tessa and Scarlet, their athletes Mary and Heather, and Gray, an INTERPOL agent travelling for painfully ordinary personal reasons. Their journey is interrupted when Lachlan hijacks the train, hacks the Brain Op implants, and turns passengers into violent puppets controlled by remote buyers. With no brakes and no way off, survival becomes the only goal.

Once the hijacking is underway, Speed Train settles into its groove. The film makes smart use of its limited resources, sticking to a handful of sets and keeping the action confined to the capsule's narrow corridors. The violence is gleefully excessive, sometimes gory, and often clumsy in a way that feels deliberate rather than incompetent. Fight choreography is rough and ready, but that scrappy energy suits the tone. The film knows exactly what it is and never pretends otherwise.

The cast are made up of faces that feel familiar without being distracting. Scout Taylor-Compton's Tessa leans heavily into the ex-military stereotype, while Nicky Whelan plays Scarlet with just enough confidence to carry the sillier moments. Oliver Masucci brings some grounding presence as Gray, even if his subplot never fully lands. Louis Mandylor's villain is pure genre excess, fuelled by revenge and scenery-chewing menace. (And yes, it is Nikos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, in case you were curious)

There are missed opportunities. The Brain Op chip is a strong concept, but its implications are barely explored beyond convenience features and mind control. Much of the early runtime is spent setting up characters who never grow beyond basic archetypes, and the focus on the restrained prisoners slows the momentum before the film truly gets moving. Performances are undeniably cheesy, and the low budget shows in almost every frame.

Still, Speed Train benefits from knowing when to stop. At around 80 minutes, it never outstays its welcome. The ending is obvious from a long way out, but that is not really the point. The appeal lies in the ride itself, watching increasingly absurd situations escalate inside a metal tube hurtling across the country.

If you have a soft spot for low-budget B-movie sci-fi, Speed Train is an easy recommendation. It is silly, rough around the edges, and frequently daft, but it has enough energy and self-awareness to make the experience enjoyable.

I score Speed Train a generous 6 out of 10

Out Now on Digital

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4s3ubaC

REVIEW: M3GAN 2.0 (2025 Film) - Starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno, Jemaine Clement, Amie Donald and Jenna Davis

Review by Jon Donnis

There's a specific kind of thrill that comes when a sequel doesn't just repeat the original, but fully commits to flipping it on its head. M3GAN 2.0 doesn't just take a different road from the 2022 original, it jumps in a different vehicle altogether and floors it.

Gone is the horror-tinged satire of screen-time parenting and tech gone wrong. In its place, a sharp-edged, surprisingly slick sci-fi action flick. The sort that tips its hat to Terminator 2 without trying to hide it. (By tipping it's hat, I will admit the entire story is just a modern day retelling of T2, seriously, think about it.)

M3GAN = T-800 (original killer machine reprogrammed to protect instead of destroy)

AMELIA = T-1000 (advanced, more dangerous version of the original machine, nearly unstoppable)

Cady = John Connor (tech-savvy teenager who becomes central to the future of humanity)

Gemma = Sarah Connor (parental figure traumatised by past events, determined to prevent a technological apocalypse)

Christian Bradley = Miles Dyson / Skynet creators (represents the blurred line between human ambition and AI misuse)

Underground bunker hideout = Desert hideout in T2 (safe haven used to prepare for final confrontation)

AI takeover plot = Judgement Day (looming threat of machines replacing or eradicating humanity)

I cant say any more as I would literally spoil the entire plot.

Anyway it's self-aware enough to lean into the idea. M3GAN, once a wide-eyed, pint-sized murder machine with great posture and killer choreography, is now cast as a reluctant hero. A protector. Even a symbol of balance between human intuition and artificial precision. The switch shouldn't work. But weirdly, it does.

Allison Williams returns as Gemma, still haunted by what she created and now publicly advocating for oversight in AI development. She's joined again by Violet McGraw as Cady, no longer the grieving child from the first film, but a 14-year-old with opinions, attitude, and her own digital savvy. Their dynamic has shifted too. It's not just guardian and kid anymore, it's more combative, more layered. That tension sits under the whole film, giving the spectacle something personal to anchor to.

And the spectacle really lands. The plot, without giving too much away, centres around a next-gen android called AMELIA, created by a defence contractor who's clearly been mining M3GAN's original source code for inspiration. AMELIA is sleeker, stronger, deadlier, and free from the emotional bonds that made M3GAN interesting in the first place. What begins as an arms race quickly turns existential, and the world once again finds itself at the mercy of synthetic intelligence that doesn't particularly value human life.

Jemaine Clement gives the film a jolt of dry charisma as Alton Appleton, a tech billionaire (think Elon Musk) who feels like a mix of every real-world mogul you'd never want running the world's AI. He brings an oily charm to scenes that could've been too expository. But it's Ivanna Sakhno's AMELIA that adds menace. Not over-the-top villainy, just pure machine logic sliding quietly into tyranny. She never raises her voice, but you believe every threat. (She is probably closer to Kristanna Loken as the T-X in Terminator 3)

And then there's M3GAN. Played physically by Amie Donald and voiced once again by Jenna Davis, she's still got the uncanny poise and eerie confidence that made her iconic, but there's a new sense of purpose to her now. The script finds moments of unexpected humour and heart between explosions and system breaches. Her return is handled smartly, and the film takes its time earning her redemption, rather than just hitting a reset button.

It's definitely a tonal shift from the first film. That's the one thing likely to divide people. The horror roots are all but gone. This is high-concept action with clean set-pieces, a bit of techno-paranoia, and enough thematic ambition to keep it from feeling throwaway. If you were expecting another creepy, toy-sized stabfest, you're not getting that. But if you're open to a genre pivot, there's a lot to enjoy.

The performances across the board are strong. Williams continues to make Gemma likeable without glossing over her flaws. McGraw handles the teenage angst with subtlety. Even the supporting roles get space to breathe. There's a sense that everyone involved understood the assignment.

What's clever about M3GAN 2.0 is that it isn't trying to scare you this time. It's trying to make you consider who's really in control. The machines, the corporations, or the people trying to hold both in check. It even teases at ideas around cooperation instead of domination, without getting preachy.

The near 2 hour run time I would usually complain about, but the film never dragged, and kept me interested throughout.

There are flaws, of course. Not everyone will be onboard with the genre leap. It's a very different beast now, and the tonal whiplash might be too much for some. But for those who don't mind a franchise taking a risk, this one pays off.

It's fast, sharp, and strangely heartfelt. I liked the first film, but I think I liked this one more.

Score: 9 out of 10.

Out In Cinemas now!