Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Martin Bourboulon
Cast: Roschdy Zem, Lyna Khoudri, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Christophe Montenez, Nicolas Bridet, Sina Parvaneh, Shoaib Saïd
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 December 2025

Synopsis: Kabul, August 15, 2021. As US troops prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban storm the capital and seize power, plunging the city into chaos. Thousands of Afghans flock to the last safe haven: the French Embassy, where Commander Mohamed Bida and his elite crew ensure security. Trapped inside along with hundreds of civilians, Bida—with the help of Eva, a young French-Afghan humanitarian worker—must negotiate with the Taliban to organize a convoy in a last-ditch attempt to evacuate. Thus begins a race against time to reach the airport and flee the hell of Kabul before it’s too late. Based on the incredible true story of Commander Mohamed Bida, (from the eponymous novel published by Denoël).

Movie Review:

By now, you would probably have heard that an Afghan immigrant had shot two National Guard soldiers, killing one and seriously wounding the other. The said Afghan immigrant was part of a CIA elite counter-terrorism unit within Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban on behalf of the US government, and evacuated from the country in 2021 after the US withdrew following a two-decade occupation in response to the 9/11 attacks.

That dose of reality makes ’13 Days 13 Nights’ even more sobering, a documentary-style thriller based on the true story of France’s successful evacuation of its own nationals plus hundreds of Afghan citizens out of Kabul before it fell completely into the hands of the Taliban (who has ruled it ever since). It was chaotic and even frantic to say the least, given the astonishing pace at which the Taliban advanced within the country to reclaim it from the US, as well as the desperation of its citizens to get out before being trapped under its oppressive and repressive reign.

Because it is adapted from the book by the real-life French elite police officer Mohamed ‘Mo’ Bida, the movie largely tracks the events of the titular 13 days from the eyes of Mo, whose level-headedness and ingenuity ensured that his men and the Afghan refugees were able to make it safely from the French embassy to Kabul Airport. From letting Afghan citizens take refuge within the embassy compound, to brokering safe passage for his convoy with the Taliban commanders, to the nail-biting journey in the middle of the night, and finally to ensuring that those on board a bus which got stranded along the way get into the airport, it is a harrowing watch through and through.

Given how the conclusion is foregone, director and co-writer Martin Bourbolon instead focus on recreating those tense, taut moments. Bourbolon doesn’t oversentimentalise the proceedings, preferring instead to keep it real and immerse us in the sense of jeopardy during this period; in particular, a standoff between the evacuation convoy and a rogue Taliban unit who insists on searching the convoy for its enemies is especially memorable, demonstrating just how the various local factions were jostling for power and influence amidst the chaos.

For the uninitiated, Bourbolon’s last project was the pair of ‘Three Musketeers’ films, and ’13 Days 13 Nights’ demonstrates the helmer’s versatility, switching effectively from period blockbuster to real-life drama. Bourbolon also has a good eye for casting, and here scores with Zem as Mo, balancing a weathered, world-weary attitude with a deep-seated commitment to safeguarding human life and humanity.  It is to Zem’s credit that we emerge thinking how the world can be a better, safer place with such heroes, especially amidst a more dangerous, fragmented world.

Like we said at the beginning, ’13 Days 13 Nights’ gains newfound significance against the backdrop of the events of recent weeks, reinforcing the shadow and scars cast by the two-decade long US occupation of Afghanistan that ultimately hardly led to a better life for the Afghans and a whole lot of damage in between. There is a good dose of French nationalism woven within too, but thankfully none too in-your-face to turn you off. One of the last scenes is of Mo pausing to pay his respects to a group of fallen US soldiers laid in coffins, reinforcing once again the cost of the conflict measured not in statistics but the good men and women who were there out of duty to country..

Movie Rating:

(Tense, sober and thoughtful, this dramatisation of the true story of one French commander's quest to evacuate his people and Afghan citizens looking to escape the Taliban is a timely reminder of the cost of that conflict) 

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Horror/Fantasy
Director: Emma Tammi
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Theodus Crane, Matthew Lillard, Freddy Carter, Skeet Ulrich, Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Horror)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 December 2025

Synopsis: In 2023, Blumhouse’s box-office horror phenomenon Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the blockbuster game series by Scott Cawthon, became the highest-grossing horror film of the year. Now, a shocking new chapter of animatronic terror begins. One year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The stories about what transpired there have been twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town’s first ever Fazfest. Former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) have kept the truth from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), concerning the fate of her animatronic friends. But when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, it will set into motion a terrifying series of events, revealing dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s, and unleashing a long-forgotten horror hidden away for decades.

Movie Review:

With the runaway financial success of the first Five Nights at Freddy’s movie in 2023, it comes as no surprise that a second movie was greenlit. The franchise has long since proven the cultural might of its video-game origins: what began as a small-scale indie horror title has grown into a global phenomenon, spawning lore-rich sequels, spinoffs, and a fiercely devoted fanbase. The film series, naturally, follows that momentum—though its ambitions remain firmly tethered to commercial considerations rather than cinematic daring.

As an adult viewer seeking genuine thrills—those rooted in violence, blood, and visceral dread—the sequel again feels like a missed opportunity. The towering animatronics should, in theory, offer all the material needed to terrify: their hulking silhouettes, deadened eyes, and uncanny stiffness evoke an immediate chill. Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy possess designs so striking that a single still frame can summon a wave of unease. Yet, as with the first movie, the scares stop at the surface. The film never allows its animatronic nightmares to fully unleash their horror, pulling back just when things should escalate.

This restraint seems intentional, a clear decision to court younger audiences who have grown up with the franchise. The PG13-friendly atmosphere ensures box-office safety, but it also declaws what could have been a thrillingly dark adaptation. Instead of leaning into the potential violence or psychological terror, the film flirts with fear only to retreat into safe territory. For longtime fans who discovered the games as children and are now adults craving something more intense, the result can feel frustratingly tame.

The cast delivers performances that are serviceable, even if the script limits how much impact they can make. Josh Hutcherson remains reliably watchable, grounding the story with the same quiet intensity he brought to the first instalment. Child star Piper Rubio steps more fully into the spotlight this time, doing her best to carry the emotional weight of the narrative. And for horror fans of a certain generation, it is undeniably fun to see Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich share the screen in a genre piece again—decades after their iconic roles in Scream (1996). Their presence alone injects a nostalgic spark, even if the film doesn’t fully capitalise on their talents.

The combination of brand loyalty, charismatic creature designs, and its younger target demographic virtually guarantees strong box-office numbers. And given how eagerly the studio leans into building a cinematic universe around the animatronics, it feels almost inevitable that more sequels are on the way.

Ultimately, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is a movie designed less to terrify than to entertain a wide audience—particularly the fans who aren’t old enough for harsher horrors. For viewers seeking the sensory jolt of true fear, it may feel underwhelming. But the franchise shows no signs of slowing down, and perhaps future instalments will dare to explore the darker, more thrilling possibilities lurking in Freddy Fazbear’s shadow.

Movie Rating:

(A fan-friendly sequel that keeps the Freddy phenomenon rolling—just don’t expect the gang’s scares to be as sharp as their teeth)

Review by John Li

Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Sigourney Weaver, Jack Champion, CCH Pounder, Cliff Curtis, Kate Winslet, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans Jr, Stephen Lang, Brendan Cowell, Edie Falcon, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Oona Chaplin
Runtime: 3 hrs 17 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 December 2025

Synopsis: The story picks up a few weeks after the events of “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The Sully family is still living amongst the Metkayina Clan in the picturesque reefs of Pandora, but is learning to adjust to life without Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), who was killed in a brutal skirmish with the “Sky People” from the RDA (Resources Development Administration). Jake (Sam Worthington) , Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Tuk (Trinity Bliss), Spider (Jack Champion), and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) are each dealing with the loss in their own way . While Spider has fully adapted to life with the reef people, the Sully family is worried for his safety and realizes he can no longer remain with them. Following an introduction to the Tlalim Clan, also known as the Wind Traders, who are a peaceful nomadic air - traveling clan who sail the skies, their chief, Peylak (David Thewlis), agrees to transport Spider back to High Camp, the Omatikaya’s stronghold. Ultimately, the entire Sully family decides to join Spider and the Wind Traders on the journey. Their journey is cut short, however, when their party is attacked by members of the Mangkwan Clan, a.k.a. the Ash People. Led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), the Ash People are Na’vi whose culture and way of life were dramatically altered following the devastation of their home by a volcano. They blame Eywa (the All-Mother of Pandora) for this disaster. The RDA, meanwhile, is struggling, following their devastating defeat at the hands of Jake Sully and the Metkayina Clan, and is regrouping and planning their next attack. 

Movie Review:

At this juncture, the Avatar series has become a box-office phenomenon, grossing over $2 billion worldwide. That being said, it remains a familiar IP, firmly part of pop culture, but for most consumers, the adventure is very much confined to the big screen not something that inspires a rush to buy the latest Avatar plush, Funko figure, or LEGO minifigure. Perhaps this is exactly what filmmaker James Cameron has always intended: for audiences to experience his creations exclusively in theaters.

Cameron returns not just as helmer but also as co-writer. Joining him once again in crafting the story are regular collaborators Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, and Shane Salerno. The third entry picks up where The Way of Water left off. Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) is deep in mourning, and her hatred for humans has intensified following the death of her eldest son. Second son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) misses his brother and hopes to forge his own path to earn his parents’ approval. Family patriarch Jake (Sam Worthington) keeps himself busy with daily duties in an attempt to forget his sorrow. Adopted daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) continues her search for her true origins, while human boy Spider (Jack Champion) still struggles with breathing Pandora’s air.

Of course, fans of the franchise aren’t here solely for family melodrama and emotional dynamics. Cameron introduces a new villain in the form of Varang (Oona Chaplin), the ruthless leader of the Mangkwan Ash Clan. And then there’s Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang)—Spider’s father, Jake Sully’s long-standing enemy who forms a potential alliance with Varang as she plots to eliminate the various Na’vi clans, including the reef people. Predictably, the Sky People aka the greedy humans are still around, waiting to extract Pandora’s rare resources.

The biggest issue with the Avatar series is the long gap between installments. By the time a new film arrives, many storylines, character motivations, and thematic intentions feel slightly blurred. Coupled with the franchise’s repetitive message about humanity destroying the environment, it honestly doesn’t require a three-hour-plus runtime to tell the same story again. Fire and Ash, unfortunately, mirrors The Way of Water in terms of storytelling. Yes, Varang is a colorful new villain who probably deserves her own subplot, but much of the rest feels like more of the same. Quaritch continues his duel with Sully, while Jake does everything he can to keep his family together.

With Jake and Neytiri largely repeating familiar routines, characters like Spider, Lo’ak, and Kiri do receive slight expansions in terms of development. Still, if this sense of familiarity continues into the next two sequels, it’s hard to say how endearing the overall journey will remain. Cameron seriously needs to pick up the pace. No one wants to watch another franchise fall into the same repetitive cycle as Terminator, and Avatar is slowly creeping into that territory.

At this point, you might think we hated this outing. Honestly, we didn’t. Fire and Ash is still very much a movie event. Like Steven Spielberg, Cameron remains a master storyteller who knows how to craft a rousing tale of heroes and villains. He has once again created an expansive ecosystem filled with new plants, creatures, and aquatic species, while further exploring the Na’vi’s religious beliefs and spiritual complexities. The film continues Cameron’s mission to push CGI technology, and for all its worth, it looks stunning and remarkably believable on the big screen. Your mind knows it isn’t real, but your eyes tell you otherwise.

Fire and Ash also delivers on action, featuring at least two explosive battle sequences involving heavy artillery, banshees, and gigantic whales. It’s loud, exhilarating, and visually overwhelming though admittedly, nothing you haven’t seen before. The top-tier visual effects by WETA and ILM are likely a major reason you’re still here. For both casual viewers and loyal fans, Fire and Ash ultimately delivers solid entertainment value. If Cameron proceeds with the fourth and fifth and supposedly final Avatar films, he’ll need to offer more to retain his audience, unless another billion-dollar box-office haul convinces him to stick with the same old tactics.

Movie Rating:

(Fire and Ash may feel familiar but it still delivers the scale of a true movie event)

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) is many things: a devoted husband, a loving father, a celebrated car salesman. He’s also a former assassin. And when his past catches up to his present, he’s forced to take his unsuspecting family (Michelle Monaghan, Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby) on a road trip unlike any other.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Apple TV streaming title, The Family Plan 2 joins Hollywood’s long list of unwanted sequel as we brace ourselves for another outing from ex-operative turned security firm expert, Dan (Mark Wahlberg) and his family.

Director Simon Cellen Jones and screenwriter David Coggeshall returns as well, concocting yet another action-packed, laugh free sequel. The story has it that Dan wanted to spend Christmas with his eldest child, Nina (Zoe Colletti) who is studying in London. Thus he brought his entire family including wife, Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), his sons Kyle (Van Crosby) and Max (Theodore and Peter Lindsey) for the trip.

Once the entire brood touched down in London, Dan not only meets his daughter’s boyfriend, Omar (Reda Elazouar) but his evil half-brother, Finn (Kit Harington) who not only wants his father’s wealth but also plans to take revenge on Dan, the privileged son.

Since the kids in the original has grown a couple of inches, there’s a lot of jokes on being an adolescent liked driving lessons, being an overprotective father to his daughter’s romance partner etc. Coggeshall tries hard to milk every situation for some funny gags but failed miserably. Honestly, there’s barely anything to chuckle at. Even Dan’s supposedly ex-Russian lover fails to stir anything amusing.

But then The Family Plan 2 attempts to mimic a typical globe-trotting spy adventure so almost half of the movie is set in Paris after a half-baked brawl on top of a double-decker red bus in London. The constant action sequences appear to make things rowdy and busy but carries no weight or significance danger.

Still, Monaghan gets her chance to spar with a fellow lady baddie in a prolonged sequence while we have to endure watching a fifty-five year old Wahlberg (obviously a stand-in) parkouring across Paris’ rooftops. Harington plays a man with daddy issues, gets to fight with Dan inside Notre-Dame and probably receives a decent pay check for his effort.

For comparison purposes, the Nobody franchise who also featured an ex-operative turned family man is far more entertaining and far more believable than this. The Family Plan 2 is worse than mediocrity and seriously, there is a nagging feeling we have yet see the last of Dan and his family.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Director: Terry Ng
Cast: Kevin Cheng, Hubert Wu, Annie Liu, Adam Pak, Bosco Wong
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 13 November 2025

Synopsis: ICAC Chief Investigator Ching Tak Ming (Kevin Cheng) is looking into a smuggling case involving a boxing gym owner who is suspected of bribing customs officials to facilitate the import of illegal cigarettes. After the investigation, Ching identified former boxing champion Tsang Lok Hang and successfully caught him red-handed during an operation. Just when the investigation hit a dead end, Ching was called in for questioning! It turned out that a mysterious sum of money had been deposited into his father's account, making Ching a suspect in bribery. Ching intended to confront the director about this, only to discover that the director had already initiated an investigation against him and had suspended him!

Movie Review:

Those who have religiously followed the ‘Storm’ series by veteran Hong Kong actor-producer Raymond Wong’s son Edmond would remember that Kevin Cheng had joined the ensemble in the third chapter to play second fiddle to Louis Koo’s upright ICAC lead investigator. Cheng’s Ching Tak-ming was an equally upstanding officer, and it is no surprise with Koo’s departure after five films in the series that Cheng would be a natural fit to inject new life into the anti-corruption franchise.

True to the nature of the franchise, ‘Hybrid Storm’ more or less stands on its own basis, with no foreknowledge needed of the earlier movies in order to enjoy this spinoff. Here, Ching is given a backstory as a boxing champion before he joined the ICAC, and after retiring from competitive boxing, continued to remain active in promoting the sport, most recently by introducing the game of chess boxing into Hong Kong. For the uninitiated, this hybrid sport involves alternating rounds of boxing and chess, intended as a balance between violence and calmness and requiring a combination of brains and brawn.

As interesting as that may sound, Wong and his stalwart ‘Storm’ screenwriting collaborator Wong Ho-wah hardly give the emergent sport much screen time; instead, they keep the story primarily focused on Ching’s latest investigation into a cigarette smuggling operation that uses boxing gyms as a distribution node, which not only ensnares his former boxing buddy Chung Sing-kit (Bosco Wong) but also his talented pupil Man Yuen (Hubert Wu). It is not hard to guess just who is pulling the strings behind the scenes, but despite the predictability of the final denouement, director Terry Ng keeps the proceedings humming along at a steady and engaging clip.

More so than its predecessors, ‘Hybrid Storm’ benefits from a stronger character-driven narrative, as Ching grapples with being framed for bribery after his father (Lo Hoi-pang) receives a million-dollar gift, as well as the betrayal of two close friends. This in turn lets Cheng emote a lot more than Koo did in his role previously, and makes for a more piquant movie than any of the previous instalments; in fact, we dare say we enjoyed this ‘Storm’ more than the other chapters precisely because of the focus on Ching and Cheng’s seasoned acting.

Wong and Wu are also strong supporting acts that add heft to the movie; ditto the addition of Sau Shek and Raymond Wong who play characters on opposite sides of the law. It is also to director Ng’s credit that each of the actors, no matter the part, get the opportunity to hold their own, than be swept away by the frenetic storytelling, as was the case in the previous ‘Storm’ movies. Ng also manages to squeeze in some decent action scenes despite the limited budget, and though the gunfights, fistfights and foot chases are really nothing to shout about, they at least are coherent enough to keep you entertained.

Truth be told, the ‘Storm’ series had all but run out of steam by the time Koo completed the pentalogy, but ‘Hybrid Storm’ proves that the franchise could still be serviceable genre entertainment in the hands of a more competent crew. Even if unimaginative, it is still a fairly diverting watch, and as long as you keep your expectations in check, you’ll find that ‘Hybrid Storm’ could very well be the best the ‘Storm’ series has so far – and even if that doesn’t count for a lot, it is at least on par with the best of TVB..

Movie Rating:

(Just as you thought the 'Storm' franchise has lost steam, Kevin Cheng injects new momentum into the series with an engaging anti-corruption thriller that is on par with the best of TVB)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they’re forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer…and is hell-bent on revenge. As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help.

MOVIE REVIEW:

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) serves not only as a reboot of the nearly three-decades-old franchise but also as a direct connection to the 1998 sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. Hollywood has always been predictable, and this instalment absolutely meets all the criteria of the slasher formula except offering anything remotely new.

Set 27 years after the original murders in Southport, a group of friends including Ava (Chase Sui Wonders) and Milo (Jonah Hauer-King) gather for their friend Danica’s (Madelyn Cline) engagement party. Along with their estranged friend, Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon), who has just gotten out of rehab, the group decides to watch fireworks along a cliff-side road. Danica’s fiancé Teddy (Tyriq Withers), while high and intoxicated, causes another car to swerve off the cliff. The friends swear never to tell the truth and eventually go their separate ways. However, a year later, a killer dressed in fisherman garb and wielding a hook begins murdering people connected to the group and his next targets are the friends themselves.

In all honesty, director and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson delivers a serviceable take on the franchise. There is a certain mystery element that keeps the plot moving, even though at times it feels like a live-action Scooby-Doo episode with more gore and violence leading to a less-than-satisfying conclusion to the central mystery.

While it certainly lacks tension and genuine surprises, the entire cast, especially Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders, give it their all with committed performances. Even the returning original stars, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt, aren’t relegated to mere cameo roles. In fact, it’s refreshing to see them return after so many years.

With a runtime of nearly two hours, there’s hardly any room to breathe between the constant guessing, chasing, and killing. For newcomers to the franchise, this might actually work. However, longtime fans of the slasher series may not find this new instalment particularly refreshing. Like the rebooted Scream films, which blend a new cast with legacy characters, it takes more than nostalgia to keep a franchise alive. And if Sony keeps repeating the same formula, you already know what audiences will do to this series in the coming summers

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: After being reassigned to a new station, paramedic Wong Wai is assigned to ride with Jerry Ma. At first, Wai doesn’t agree with Jerry’s work style. But after some time, Jerry influences Wai to remember once again that the aim of paramedic work is to save every victim..

MOVIE REVIEW:

Louis Koo is not just an A-list HK star. He’s a philanthropist, owns a movie and several production companies, and also serves as the president of the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild. Yet despite his busy schedule, he remains a prolific presence on the big screen, clocking several starring roles every year.

His latest or not so latest (since it was first shot back in 2021) sees Koo play an ambulance paramedic, Ma. He’s a simple man who genuinely loves his job. Ma has no interest in climbing the ladder to a higher-ranking, deskbound post, but his new colleague Wong (Neo Yau Hawk-Sau) is eyeing that same promotion. As a single parent, Ma just wants a better future for his daughter, Bonnie. Emigrating to Canada seems like their next best chance.

Written and directed by Cheuk Wan-chi (Exodus, Temporary Family), Vital Signs is a modest Hong Kong-produced drama unlike co-lavish productions like The Rescue or Out of the Inferno. It’s purely a grounded human story, and Koo carries a huge part of that weight. There are no distracting action set pieces or CGI madness here to numb your senses. Instead, there is a raw reflection of a typical, average Hong Konger’s struggle.

Ma is a man with no shining credentials. He has no interest in socializing with his superiors after work, and for lack of a better word, his future looks bleak. His dedication as a frontline responder simply isn’t enough to earn him recognition abroad, and his English and professional qualifications won’t easily translate in a foreign country. It’s ironic—he has all the practical experience of an emergency worker, yet that means nothing on paper. But that’s the reality of life, and Vital Signs will likely resonate with anyone who has toiled for decades without earning the credit they deserve.

It’s clear that Vital Signs is one of Koo’s best roles to date. He is given every opportunity to shine as a superhero without a cape, and he delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance. Angela Yuen also surprises with her foul-mouthed turn as Ma’s cousin-in-law, Miffy.

If you’re here for believable human drama and conflict, Vital Signs is the movie for you. If you prefer flashy EMT rescues and mayhem, you might want to switch to a Dante Lam production instead.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Alan Mak
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Simon Yam, Francis Ng, Alex Fong, Kathy Yuen, Niki Chow, Gladys Li, Power Chan, Felix Lok, German Cheung, David Chiang, Nina Paw
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Disturbing Scenes and Violence)
Released By: Golden Village and Clover Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 11 December 2025

Synopsis: A renowned charity foundation is holding its annual charity party. It’s a glamourous meeting of the foundation’s friends, associates and the city’s most elite socialites. Just as foundation chairman Ko Shing-man (Alex FONG) is about to give his annual speech to the attendees, Yeung To (Simon YAM) - the foundation’s chief financial officer - suddenly hangs to his death on the stage. As suspicions surround Yeung’s death, rumors of a missing $200 million charitable donation begin to run rampant, attracting the attention of the masses. The mystery brings barrister Ma Ying-fung (Aaron KWOK) and police officer Orr Ting-bong (Francis NG) together as they form a temporary partnership to uncover the truth behind the foundation’s dealings. Can they expose all the dark truths behind the foundation’s wrongdoings and restore justice? 

Movie Review:

Alan Mak is a veteran of crime thrillers, having co-written the ‘Infernal Affairs’ trilogy with his partner-in-crime Felix Chong, as well as written and directed the ‘Overheard’ trilogy also with Chong. Although both have since gone off on their own with varying degrees of success, ‘Under Current’ demonstrates that Mak remains a steady, assured hand at the genre. It also is a reminder of old school Hong Kong star power, with the rare gathering of such luminaries as Aaron Kwok, Francis Ng, Alex Fong and Simon Yam giving the movie polish, poise and prowess.

Starting off with a shocking death by suicide of a charitable foundation’s CFO Yeung To (Yam) on the occasion of its glitzy annual fundraising gala, Mak weaves an intriguing chain of events that would expose not only the shady dealings of the said foundation Tsai Bat Tong but also its puppet masters. In the aftermath of the sensational public hanging, principled barrister Ma Ying-fung (Kwok) finds himself in an unlikely alliance with criminal investigations detective Or Ting-pong (Ng), both of whom are united in their commitment to serve justice and the truth.

Without giving away too much, let’s just say their investigation will lead them to the foundation’s president Ko Shing-man (Fong), who not surprisingly is a front for a more nefarious mastermind. On Ko’s end, besides trying to throw the police off his tail, he is also desperate to uncover HK$200 million missing from the foundation’s accounts, which will lead to a third-act turn of events that unfold in The Golden Triangle. It doesn’t take a lot to guess that it has something to do with money laundering and worse, drug trafficking; and while purely coincidental, it is unfortunate given the current state of relations between China and Japan that one of the masterminds happens to be a Japanese.

Yeung’s death doesn’t mean that Yam only appears at the start of the movie; instead, Mak uses a series of flashbacks to paint a stirring portrait of a man who had not lost his moral conscience, despite being party to Tsai’s criminal activities. Thanks to the masterful editing by Curran Pang, these flashbacks are nicely integrated into the present-day storyline anchored by Ma and Or, and even though the truth ultimately proves less revelatory than some may hope, it is still nonetheless a compelling procedural that hooks you in and holds your attention throughout its two-hour duration.

For that, Mak owes big time to his ensemble of acting veterans, each of which elevate the material in their own ways. Kwok cuts a commanding presence as the stoically upright Ma, and while the role is probably little of a stretch for Kwok, the gravitas he brings is undeniable. Next to Ma, Ng plays Or with a nice self-deprecating touch, and the dynamic between them is one of the most enjoyable elements of the film. Fong has been a regular supporting part in Mak’s films, and once again demonstrates why he is one of the most underrated Hong Kong actors around. And last but not least, Yam brings unexpected poignancy to a man determined to write his own legacy.

To Mak’s credit, even though there are subplots aplenty – including Ma’s guilty conscience after successfully defending a wealthy client obviously guilty of the crime of rape he is on trial for, Ma’s tense relationship with his mentor (David Chiang) cum head of the law firm cum father of his girlfriend (Niki Chow), and the aforementioned mentor’s friendship with Yeung – the movie as a whole still holds together pretty well. Indeed, for those who recall Mak’s thematically similar effort five years ago titled ‘Integrity’, we dare say ‘Under Current’ is the far superior film.

It is no secret that the Hong Kong film industry is going through a deep winter, but ‘Under Current’ reinforces where and how the industry can still define a niche, gather its strengths and find its audience. Certainly, Mak proves a far, much better hand at the genre than the ‘Storm’ series, and the seasoned cast of veterans here show how invaluable solid acting is. Just because it’s been a while since we’ve had this much visceral excitement from the tried-and-tested crime genre, ‘Under Current’ is a familiar but no less compelling watch that also serves as a major dose of welcome nostalgia.

Movie Rating:

(Engaging, witty and thoughtful, Alan Mak's return to the crime genre, together with its seasoned cast of veterans, serves up a welcome dose of nostalgia)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Director: Bi Gan
Cast: Jackson Yee, Shu Qi, Mark Chao, Li Gengxi
Runtime: 2 hr 40 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Drug Use and Violence)
Released By: Shaw 

Opening Day: 28 November 2025

Synopsis: Resurrection is Bi Gan’s love letter to cinema and a meditation on the endurance of dreams amidst fading images. Unfolding in a series of dreams, Resurrection is composed of six chapters that weave together key moments in 20th-century film and Chinese history. The narrative drifts ethereally yet inexorably towards a future where humanity has lost the ability to dream. With an ensemble cast spanning multiple timelines, Jackson Yee’s ever-morphing protagonist reincarnates across different eras, whilst a Miss Shu played by Shu Qi serves as the film’s narrator.

Movie Review:

Bi Gan’s Resurrection is the kind of film that resists summary, interpretation, and perhaps even comprehension—and that’s part of its spell. Across its 160 minutes, this reviewer could never claim to fully grasp the totality of what was unfolding on screen. But understanding, in the literal sense, feels beside the point. What the film offers instead is a sensory immersion so rich, so strange, and so startlingly beautiful that it becomes its own reward.

Structured in six chapters—one for each of the five senses, plus the mind—Resurrection is both an anthology and a continuous dream-state. Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan, always a bold stylist, uses each segment to explore a different emotional texture, visual language, and philosophical thread. The cumulative effect is hypnotic. You don’t watch the film so much as drift through it. This is the same experience this writer felt when watching his last feature Long Day’s Journey into Night (2018).

Set during a “wild time” when humanity has traded away the ability to dream in exchange for longevity, Bi’s story follows Miss Shu (a luminous and enigmatic Shu Qi), who tracks down a “Deliriant”—one of the rare beings who still possesses the capacity for dream-life. The Deliriant, played with delicate restraint by the ever-versatile Jackson Yee, becomes a conduit through which the film examines memory, imagination, as well as the pain and ecstasy of longing.

The opening chapter instantly announces Bi Gan’s audacity: it plays like a silent film, complete with title cards for dialogue. This stylistic gambit not only disorients in a delicious way but also heightens the emotional clarity of the images. Later, the striking sequence of Miss Shu installing a film projector inside the Deliriant is one of the film’s most poetic metaphors—an image of cinema literally embedded within the human body.

Each chapter distinguishes itself with its own mood and visual grammar. Some are more haunting than others. The segment featuring Mark Chao turns into an artful, fever-dream cat-and-mouse pursuit between a police commander and an accused murderer—part noir, part hallucination. Another, featuring Zhang Zhijian as a sly trickster-spirit, plays almost like a modern xiangsheng routine crossed with a moral fable, mischievous yet resonant.

The chapter centred on Guo Mucheng, playing a young girl hired to con strangers, is arguably the most accessible. Its emotional beats land cleanly, and its themes—deception, yearning, self-betrayal—surface with gentle clarity. But the film’s most breathtaking passage is the one involving Li Gengxi: a single, unbroken long take that guides viewers through a neon-soaked backstreet during the last hours of 1999 and the first moments of 2000. It is, quite simply, unforgettable—an intoxicating blend of melancholy and the quiet terror of time passing.

In the end, Resurrection, which was recognised with the Prix Spécial at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is less a narrative to decode than an experience to surrender to. Meaning exists if you wish to find it, but Bi never insists on it. Every viewer will walk away with something different—an image, a feeling, a question that continues to echo. And that, ultimately, is the enduring beauty of cinema: that it can leave us bewildered, moved, and transformed, without ever offering a single, definitive answer.

Movie Rating:

(A mesmerising, sense-drenched dreamscape, Resurrection is a film you feel rather than understand—Bi Gan crafts a cinematic trance so hypnotic that surrender becomes the only way through)

Review by John Li

Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Director: David Freyne
Cast: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, John Early, Olga Merediz, Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 11 December 2025

Synopsis: In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Miles Teller) and her first love (Callum Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.

Movie Review:

A rom-com involving a love triangle set in the afterlife? Well, we’re game just from reading the synopsis alone.

Director and co-writer David Freyne whose only directorial effort most of us remember is the little-known 2017 zombie flick The Cured goes in a totally different direction with Eternity. Here, Freyne packages a timeless, occasionally funny love story in a genuinely original setting.

The movie follows Larry Cutler (Miles Teller, with Barry Primus as the older Larry), who chokes on a pretzel, dies, and arrives at a place called “Junction.” According to his Afterlife Coordinator Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), Larry has landed in a limbo where he must decide which “Eternity” he wants to go to though leaving the chosen paradise could get him banished to the “Void,” commonly known as Hell.

Days later, his wife Joan (Elizabeth Olsen, with Betty Buckley playing her older counterpart) joins Larry after succumbing to a terminal illness. But the biggest obstacle to their afterlife reunion is Joan’s first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died during the Korean War and has spent the last 67 years working as a bartender, patiently waiting for Joan to arrive on the other side.

One of the first things that stands out in Freyne’s afterlife is that “Junction” looks like a cross between the TVA from Loki and a worn-down Sheraton—vintage, busy, enormous, and not disturbingly flashy. In an era where Hollywood is obsessed with “world-building,” the production design in Eternity deserves a solid raise.

But hey, we’re really here for the affairs of Larry, Joan, and Luke. And on that front, it’s actually pretty good even for non–rom-com fans. Expect some emotional beats and a teary reunion to come after the lighthearted opening, as Joan is torn between Luke—the first husband she barely got to know and desperately wants to reconnect with and the man she actually built a life with. You know… kids, grandkids, the whole package.

Eternity also introduces a device called the “Archives,” where the deceased can view moments from their past lives. It’s probably more of a narrative shortcut than a truly innovative concept yet it ends up being surprisingly thoughtful. Sure, the final act drags a bit with Joan’s back-and-forth decisions stretched longer than necessary but the story remains compelling.

What really makes Eternity work is its trio of leads. Teller has the unfortunate job of playing both the grump and the goofy everyman but he does it so well that you can’t help but love his pretzel-related mishaps. Turner gets the easier role as the charming, steadfast war hero. But it’s undeniably Olsen who has the toughest task, playing a woman stuck in the emotionally thankless position of choosing between her first and second husbands. She conveys the tears, joy, and aching uncertainty of someone who finally deserves the things she needs. Supporting players Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early, meanwhile, land some excellent laughs and keep the film moving briskly.

Eternity isn’t without flaws: it’s slightly overlong, and its finale gets a bit too serious for such a trippy concept. Still, the movie sprinkles in enough well-executed in-jokes and afterlife humor like the rule that everyone appears as the version of themselves from when they were happiest, or the wide variety of paradises on offer. We wish there were even more of these endearing touches, but as far as rom-coms go, this one is both meaningful and amusing.

Movie Rating:

(Eternity brings an angelic, fresh angle to what could have been a tired love triangle)

Review by Linus Tee