Genre: Crime/Thriller
Director: Ao Shen
Cast: Xiao Yang, Qi Xi, Simon Yam, Zheng Kai
Runtime: 2 hr 12 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Some Mature Content)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 January 2026
Synopsis: Inspired by the true story of hostages who fought for survival, the film follows a Chinese journalist (Xiao Yang), his doctor wife (Qi Xi), and an engineer (Zheng Kai) who are kidnapped by a terrorist group amid sudden chaos in a war-torn region. Trapped with a fellow businessman (Simon Yam), they endure 105 days of terror and defiance, risking everything in a desperate bid to escape their captors.
Movie Review:
Ao Shen’s Escape from the Outland arrives at a time when news headlines are filled with images of conflict, displacement, and civilian suffering. That uneasy familiarity makes its fictional backdrop—a war-torn African nation consumed by civil war—feel distressingly close to reality. The movie opens in a setting where daily life in the location where the story takes place has collapsed under the weight of violence, fear, and lawlessness.
The story centres on a group of Chinese nationals who find themselves trapped and taken hostage in this foreign land as the conflict escalates. Cut off from safety and surrounded by chaos, survival becomes their only goal. What begins as a geopolitical backdrop quickly tightens into an intense hostage drama, with ordinary people forced go through impossible scenarios while trying to stay alive.
As a Chinese production, Escape from the Outland wears its national messaging openly. The film underscores China’s role in providing aid, building infrastructure, and supporting development in the region, framing its presence as benevolent and stabilising. This perspective is neither subtle nor unexpected, but Ao Shen embeds the message within the mechanics of a survival thriller rather than presenting it as a lecture.
What truly distinguishes the film, however, is how harrowing it is. This is one of the most gruelling viewing experiences in recent memory. Ao Shen does not flinch from depicting violence and bloodshed in stark, upsetting detail. The most disturbing images involve children wielding guns, executing innocent civilians—scenes that are difficult to watch and impossible to forget. These moments are clearly intentional, designed to unsettle and confront the audience with the moral horror of war.
This uncompromising approach is consistent with Ao Shen’s previous work. In No More Bets (2023), he exposed the brutal realities of scam operations, while Dead to Rights (2025) laid bare the cruelty of Japanese wartime atrocities. Here, he pushes even further, making viewers squirm in their seats while driving home an unabashedly noble message about the futility of violence and the necessity of peace.
At the centre of the film are Xiao Yang and Qi Xi, who deliver powerful, bravado-filled performances as a married couple fighting to survive amid the collapse of all order. Their chemistry grounds the film emotionally, making their desperation and determination feel painfully real. Simon Yam appears as a rugged, stateless drifter whose ambiguous loyalties add gravitas and star power to the ensemble.
Zheng Kai makes a strong impression in a supporting role, particularly in one unforgettable scene where he oscillates between courage and terror—urging a friend to flee for safety one moment, then pleading to be saved the next. It’s a raw depiction of how fear strips people down to their most human contradictions.
The film’s ending may rely on a few convenient setups to grant its protagonists a hard-won happy resolution. Yet after 132 relentless minutes of tension, suffering, and moral brutality, that release feels almost merciful. Escape from the Outland is not an easy watch, but it is a forceful one—an exhausting, unsettling hostage drama that leaves viewers shaken long after the final frame.
Movie Rating:
(A relentless and harrowing hostage thriller that forces viewers to confront the true horror of war and the fragile cost of survival)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Trust frays when a team of Miami cops discovers millions in cash inside a run-down stash house, calling everyone — and everything — into question.
MOVIE REVIEW:
When it comes to The Rip, it’s a big guessing game as to who the main villain is and who is actually the hero of this crime thriller written and directed by Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Smokin’ Aces).
Real-life buddies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck produce and star as Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Sergeant JD Byrne of Miami’s Tactical Narcotics Team. After their captain is gunned down and the entire unit comes under federal investigation for suspected corruption, Dane receives a tip-off about a stash of cartel money supposedly worth $150,000 hidden in a quiet suburban house occupied by a woman named Desi (Sasha Calle).
However, the team soon discovers that there is more than $2 million hidden in the attic. Dane appears intent on keeping a portion of the money, while his fellow team members JD and Mike (Steven Yeun) are dead against the idea and plan to contact their superiors. As the night drags on, the team is ambushed by mysterious masked gunmen and receives repeated calls demanding they take the money and get out or face death.
It’s fair to say Carnahan’s career has had its share of ups and downs. Narc and The Grey were excellent, while his recent Shadow Force was terrible. Still, when it comes to crime thrillers and gunplay, Carnahan remains one of the best in Hollywood. Copshop was criminally underrated and could give John Woo a run for his money.
With The Rip, Carnahan deliberately dials down the action and focuses instead on sustained tension and moral edginess. The central dilemma—should they take the loot or not? drives the film. There isn’t much character backstory, but we learn enough: Detective Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno) needs the money to support her young daughters, while Detective Numa (Teyana Taylor) is struggling to keep up with her mortgage. Dane, meanwhile, has little left after a divorce and the loss of his young son to cancer. It’s superficial, perhaps, but convincing enough to justify their desperation. I mean, who wouldn’t take the money especially when the cartel seemingly allows it?
Damon and Affleck are remarkable together, their chemistry feeling natural and unforced. This is masculinity serving the script rather than competing for screen dominance. In a stroke of inspired casting, Affleck’s doppelgänger Scott Adkins appears as JD’s younger brother, a federal agent who never seems to break a sweat.
The Rip is a solid, twisty crime thriller that leaves you wanting more. While it doesn’t boast lots of elaborate shootouts or high-speed chases, this corrupt-cop drama is far superior to the average Netflix release at least for the first month of the new year.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: R21 (Strong Violence & Some Nudity)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website:
Opening Day: 15 January 2026
Synopsis: Expanding upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Years Later but turning that world on its head - Nia DaCosta directs 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. In a continuation of the epic story, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's (Alfie Williams) encounter with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.
Movie Review:
If ’28 Days Later’ was about survival, ’28 Years Later’ is about redemption.
Reviving their flesh-eating zombie saga for a new generation, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland had explored how the survivors of that calamity had forged on with life in their own ways. As we saw in last year’s ’28 Years Later’, even if the virus had not infected some physiologically, there were many who were psychologically infected, choosing to reinterpret the zombie apocalypse to unleash their own twisted fantasies.
Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’ Connell) is one such individual that we had briefly encountered at the end of that movie. Even though he and his cult of teen disciples, all in ratty blond-white wigs, tracksuits and garish jewellery, had rescued our 12-year-old protagonist Spike (Alfie Williams) from a group of the infected, it was clear there was something off about Jimmy and his pack of ‘Jimmys’.
As Spike learns, Jimmy has convinced his band of followers that he is the son of Satan – he calls him ‘Old Nick’ – and that he has been sent by his father on a mission of ‘charity’, by which he means subjecting whomever they encounter to horrible acts of torture. Thankfully, not all the ‘Jimmys’ have been brainwashed. Jimmy finds a kindred spirit in fellow doubter Ink (Erin Kellyman), and without giving too much away, let’s just say that their alliance will pay off very nicely at the end.
The other prong in Garland’s story focuses on Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), whom you may recall had given Spike’s cancer-stricken mother in the previous movie a moving sendoff. The former general practitioner remains obsessed with the alpha zombie Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), and spends much of his time trying to see if he can commune with the beast by injecting the latter with morphine. If the virus unleashes unbridled rage from within the infected, then perhaps by tranquilising Samson, it could remove the fog clouding his reason and restraint.
It is not difficult to guess whether Dr. Kelson’s theory pans out, but more than just a convenient narrative trope about the search for a cure, this arc continues Garland’s philosophical interrogations about rediscovering and preserving one’s humanity and empathy even amidst savagery. Thankfully, like Boyle did, Nia DaCosta handles it with deep poignancy – indeed, it is to her credit that we appreciate the symbolism in Dr. Kelson and Samson sitting in the moonlight looking up at the stars or even sharing a dance together to the euphoric synths of Duran Duran’s “Rio”.
It is also not hard to see that Jimmy and Dr. Kelson are intended as opposites at the heart of a simple but compelling theme that runs through the movie – what exactly makes us human? DaCosta rewards her audience’s patience over the course of detailing these two contrasting characters with an ecstatic climax that will have you clapping uproariously (at least we know we did!). Oh yes, Dr. Kelson’s display of heavy-metal bravado is worth the price of admission alone, and we dare say the twist at the end of his performance is one of the most memorable displays of glorious irony we’ve seen in a very long while.
Not since Lord Voldemort has Fiennes found such a defining character, and it is no hyperbole to proclaim that he is the very heart and soul of the movie. While the showstopper finale will probably be the most-talked about, Fiennes goes far beyond showmanship to deliver an incredibly layered performance that makes you feel deeply the anguish of a man struggling to hold on to what life once was and ought to stand for. And in that regard, it is utterly befitting that the movie is named after the “memento mori” that Dr. Kelson had built for the infected and uninfected dead.
Casting O’Connell alongside Fiennes also pays off beautifully here, with DaCosta playing one against the other to exhilarating effect especially in the finale. O’Connell, who also played a delicious antagonist in last year’s ‘Sinners’, gladly laps up the chance to lean into another unpredictably evil figure and delivers a wickedly frightening turn. It also helps that DaCosta eschews the frenetic, punk shooting style that Boyle had adopted in the previous movie to allow us to ponder the deeper psychology behind the behaviour of these people who have carved out a life in virus-ravaged England.
There has been no shortage of zombie movies in recent years, and we’re glad in reviving the ’28 Days Later’ franchise that Boyle and Garland have decided to go beyond the visceral thrill of humans trying to outrun zombies to probe at the very heart of what makes us human in such circumstances. Like we said at the beginning, if ’28 Days Later’ was about survival, ’28 Years Later’ is about redemption, and with ‘The Bone Temple’, the series delivers its most poignant and emotionally cathartic entry yet, with a powerful message about how humanity is ultimately a choice to be kind, to be compassionate and to have empathy, even if the world has gone to shits.
Movie Rating:
(Both vicious and deeply poignant, this meditation on the meaning of humanity amidst savagery is a beautiful affirmation of how being kind, being compassionate and showing empathy are the choices that define us)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Shieh Meng-ju
Cast: Yang Yo-ning, Cecilia Choi, Derek Chang, Puff Kuo, Tracy Chou
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror and Violence)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 22 January 2026
Synopsis: Hsu-Chuan, who works at a VR gaming company, accidentally brings home a broken clay baby doll from a haunted house while developing a new horror game. Unexpectedly, his pregnant wife, Muhua, a conservator of artifacts, becomes obsessed with this clay baby doll and continues to restore it. As strange events continue to occur in their family, and she becomes frail, he at his wit’s end, seeks help from a psychic exorcist, Ah-Sheng. This doll’s horrifying secrets and the rhyme’s forbidden curses soon surface…
Movie Review:
Taiwanese filmmaker Shieh Meng-ju may be directing a feature film for the first time, but he is hardly a newcomer to cinema. An established and highly respected editor, Shieh has worked on some of Taiwan’s most known genre films, including Cheng Wei-hao’s The Tag-Along 2 (2017), John Hsu’s Detention (2019) and Kai Ko’s Bad Education (2023). With Mudborn, Shieh steps confidently into the director’s chair, and it feels like a natural progression for a craftsman who understands rhythm, tension, and when to let dread breathe.
Shieh makes a savvy choice by venturing into horror—a lucrative genre both globally and locally. More specifically, Mudborn draws from Taiwanese folklore and a well-known children's tune, tapping into cultural anxieties and spiritual beliefs that feel especially unsettling to domestic audiences. The gamble pays off: the film performed strongly at the Taiwanese box office, proving that locally rooted horror has the power to draw crowds.
The story centres on a married couple whose lives are thrown into turmoil when supernatural forces begin to intrude upon their quiet existence. Yang Yo-ning stars as the husband, a grounded, determined man trying to protect his pregnant wife while navigating forces far beyond his understanding. Yang delivers a solid, restrained performance, anchoring the film emotionally as a man weighed down by fear, responsibility, and mounting dread. His portrayal never slips into melodrama, which helps keep the supernatural elements feeling unsettling rather than exaggerated.
As the wife, Cecilia Choi takes on the more physically and emotionally demanding role. Playing a character who becomes possessed is rarely easy, and Choi commits fully—enduring contorted movements, extended takes of discomfort, and moments that require her to surrender control of her own body language. Her performance lends the film much of its visceral unease, making the possession feel invasive and deeply distressing rather than theatrically showy.
Mudborn unfolds at a deliberate pace, spending its early stretches building atmosphere and hinting at something wrong beneath the surface. While this slow burn may test the patience of viewers expecting immediate scares, it ultimately lays crucial groundwork. The movie finds new energy when Derek Chang enters as a ghost catcher—a character who injects both urgency and unexpected humour into the narrative. Chang strikes an impressive balance, cracking witty one-liners while remaining fiercely focused on his dangerous task. It’s a commendable turn from the young actor and easily one of the film’s highlights.
Visually and tonally, Mudborn doesn’t attempt to reinvent the horror genre, and seasoned viewers will recognise familiar tropes. However, Shieh’s background as an editor shines through in his control of mood and timing. The film prioritises atmosphere over shock value, allowing tension to seep in gradually. By the time the final act arrives, the sense of unease is firmly established.
Ultimately, Mudborn may not break new ground, but it succeeds as a chilling, culturally resonant horror experience. It marks a promising directorial debut for Shieh and leaves the door enticingly ajar for a sequel—suggesting that this foray into folklore-driven fear may only be the beginning.
Movie Rating:
(It may not reinvent horror, but Mudborn knows exactly how to unsettle—and that’s enough)
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama
Director: Hikari
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, Akira Emoto
Runtime: 2 hr
Rating: M18 (Some Mature Content)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website:
Opening Day: 22 January 2026
Synopsis: Set against modern-day Tokyo, RENTAL FAMILY follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.
Movie Review:
Fresh off his Academy Award-winning comeback in ‘The Whale’, Brendan Fraser slips into the role here of a middle-aged American sad sack who moved to Tokyo after playing a goofy, toothbrush-riding superhero in a toothpaste commercial that went viral, only to spend the next seven years as a token white guy in a string of forgettable projects. Like his role of a morbidly obese, reclusive English teacher who tries to restore his relationship with his teenage daughter, Fraser’s latest in ‘Rental Family’ fits Fraser’s career renaissance by playing on his total openness, empathy and emotion that we see in his large, clear eyes.
Indeed, it is no overstatement to say that Fraser is the heart, soul and spirit of Hikari’s Tokyo-set comedy drama. Tapping into her society’s value on self-control that unfortunately breeds social loneliness and stigmatises mental health issues, Hikari – best known for ’37 Seconds’ and her excellent work on ‘Tokyo Vice’ – gently examines the upsides and downsides of businesses who supply actors to play real-life roles in the personal lives of their clients. This isn’t Hikari’s invention to be sure; there are hundreds of such businesses in Japan today.
In the hands of a different filmmaker, ‘Rental Family’ could have turned into a social commentary on the exploitative nature of these businesses; however, Hikari keeps her focus squarely on Fraser’s struggling actor Philip Vandarpleog, whose encounter with the ‘rental family’ business is to impersonate a “sad American” at a funeral, where he is shocked to witness the supposed deceased suddenly sit up in his coffin, in order to appreciate a particularly emotional eulogy. As Philip’s boss Shinji (‘Shogun’s’ Takehiro Hira) describes, ‘we sell emotion’; and Shinji is particularly keen to recruit Philip to play the “token White guy”.
Co-written by Hikari and Stephen Blahut, ‘Rental Family’ unfolds through a series of assignments. One of his early ones involves playing the groom in a traditional Japanese wedding, so that the bride’s unsuspecting parents can have a peace of mind before she moves to Canada to live with her girlfriend. But the bulk of the movie is spent on two of Philip’s long-term roles: the first has Philip play the long-absent father to a young Japanese American girl Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), whose mother (Shino Shinozaki) hopes will raise her chances at the interview to get her into an exclusive school; and the other has Philip play a journalist who is hired by the daughter of the daughter of Kikuo (Akira Emoto), an aging actor with dementia who believes the world has forgotten him, for a big tribute interview.
With the former, the moral dilemma which Philip struggles with deepens when Mia takes an actual liking to him. Should he come clean with the truth? What about when he inevitably needs to take down the part? And with the latter, the moral dilemma which Philip faces is whether to go all the way to fulfil Kikuo’s desire to take an unsanctioned road trip to Amakusa, in order for Kikuo to relive some of his early adulthood days. When does acting stop and real life begin for Philip, as well as his clients, whether suspecting or unsuspecting? That is what Hikari probes over the course of the movie, albeit with more nuance than we suspect some will like.
Even so, ‘Rental Family’ is quietly moving and deeply poignant, thanks in huge part to Fraser’s guileless performance. This is at its core a story about loneliness and human connection. For Fraser’s Philip, it is a chance to rediscover what has been missing in his life all this while, something which the movie sets out early as Philip eats dinner by his bed in his darkened room while and surveying the more interesting lives unfolding in the apartment building facing his own. And for each of his clients, it is about fulfilment of what is missing in their lives, and even as Hikari flirts with the ethical implications of how far Philip is willing to take his roles, it is clear the message is how sometimes we just need to be able to connect to what is missing.
Like we said earlier, Hikari keeps her movie light and gentle, choosing not to over-emphasise the potentially darker aspects of the business – in particular, it would have been interesting if Hikari had developed the subplots involving Shinji, whom in a late scene confronts the farce of his own personal life, and Philip’s testy co-worker (an underutilised Mari Yamamoto) who unfortunately ends up in roles where she is made to play a penitent mistress apologising to heartbroken wives in lieu of their cowardly husbands. Hikari hardly scratches the surface on each of these subplots, but to her credit, acknowledges the more troubling situations that lurk at the edge.
Not everyone will agree with her decision not to go deeper and darker, but those who appreciate ‘Rental Family’ for what it is will undoubted enjoy the warm, uplifting tone she has chosen and of course, Fraser’s endearingly transparent turn as the ‘gaijin’ who helps others discover themselves and in the process regains his own ability to connect to others. And even if it could touch on more about the dark side of duplicity, you’ll appreciate its deliberations about the importance of truth and the comfort of white lies. This is comfort food for the soul, and given the fractured state of the world today, perhaps a much-needed balm to reaffirm our faith in the power of human connection.
Movie Rating:
(Anchored by Brendan Fraser's endearingly transparent performance, 'Rental Family' examines the loneliness in modern society and warmly reaffirms the power of human connection)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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BRUCE LEUNG SIU-LUNG (梁小龙) (1948 - 2026)Posted on 19 Jan 2026 |
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WHAT IF... JURASSIC PARKPosted on 03 Feb 2026 |
Genre: Martial-arts
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Cast: Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse, Yu Shi, Chen Lijun, Sun Yizhou, Ci Sha, Li Yunxiao, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Max Zhang, Kara Hui, Zhang Yi, Jet Li
Runtime: 2 hr 7 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 February 2026
Synopsis: Four generations of martial arts stars unite! Directed by Yuen Woo Ping, icons like Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse, and Jet Li come together for an epic martial arts event. In the desert, many groups — including escorts, the government, and merchants — are fighting for power. Dao Ma, a famous biao ren, takes on the job of protecting a man on the long road to the city of Chang’an. However, he discovers the person he is protecting is the empire's most wanted man, Zhi Shi Lang. Every greedy faction is now hunting them and a deadly battle for the prize begins…
Movie Review:
At 80 years old, the legendary Yuen Woo-ping proves indeed that age is just a number.
Stepping back behind the camera for the first time in six years (and that last time round was only for a segment in Johnnie To’s feature-length anthology), Yuen delivers one of the most thrilling martial arts epics in recent years.
Right from its exhilarating opening sequence that sees Wu Jing and Max Zhang face off with Jet Li, Yuen demonstrates just what solid choreography, good old wirework and a trio of well-trained martial artists can construct. Oh yes, only one will make it out of that ferocious battle alive (and no prizes for guessing which one it is), but just seeing these legends go first-to-fist, blade-to-blade onscreen is enough to make fans of Chinese martial arts movies weep.
The inspiration here is the popular manhua series of the same name by Xu Xianzhe, which depicts the titular bounty hunter Dao Ma’s (Jing) quest to escort the most wanted fugitive Zhisilang (Sun Yizhou) to Chang’an to ostensibly ignite the Flower Rebellion he founded in order to topple the Sui dynasty once and for all. There is plenty of exposition at the start to set up Ma’s latest task by his old friend Mo (Tony Leung Ka-fai), but all that matters once the plot kicks into gear is how these good guys are hunted by different clans all wanting to get their hands on the bounty on Zhisilang.
Joining Ma is Mo’s headstrong daughter Ayuya (Chen Lijun), whose earlier rejection of the arrogant and power-hungry Khan-to-be Heyi Xuan’s (Cisha) hand in marriage will have tragic consequences. They soon find a useful ally in fellow bounty hunter Shu (Yosh Yu), who happens to be escorting a prisoner Yan Zi Niang (Li Yunxiao) to Chang’an. And besides Xuan, Ma also has to contend with settling an old score with fellow Left Hand Cavalry member Di Ting (Nicholas Tse).
It is a crowded ensemble all right, and despite the valiant efforts of a formidable team of screenwriters – including Su Chao-Bin (‘Reign of Assassins’), Larry Yang (‘The Shadow’s Edge’), Chan Tai-Lee (‘Ip Man’), and Yu Baimei – some of the subplots and supporting characters get lost amidst the non-stop melee. For example, Ma’s feud with Ting is sadly undercooked, notwithstanding an thrill one-on-one in the middle of a sandstorm as well as in the elaborate finale. Ditto the origins and motivations of Zhisilang, whose thoughts of wisdom for which he is both revelled and reviled for remain unfortunately hazy even at the end of the movie.
Thankfully, even though clocking at slightly over two hours, there is never a dull moment to be had. Yuen keeps the wheels of the plot turning at a steady clip, using each set-piece as an opportunity to advance the storytelling while showcasing the prowess of past and present generations of martial arts-trained actors he has assembled here. These set-pieces are for the most part spectacular, especially with Tony Cheung’s versatile camerawork and the on-location shooting in the Western region of China (at Yuen’s insistence no less).
Each of the actors acquit themselves in their respective parts beautifully, dedicating themselves fully and wholeheartedly to perform their stunts to the best of their abilities. To his credit, though he struggles to give each character the same depth, Yuen lets their personalities shine through their own unique, distinctive fighting styles, whether in archery, swordmanship or just plain hand-to-hand combat. Wu Jing is undeniably impressive in almost every respect, but Tse, Chen and Yu each have their own electrifying moments to display the training, effort and though that they have placed into their respective action scenes.
All this is ultimately credit to Yuen, whose comeback at the age of 80 is also a thoroughly satisfying revival of the ‘wuxia’ genre. It is one thing to have all the right elements in place, and quite another to be able to turn them into something truly compelling; but ‘Blades of the Guardians’ sees the legendary Yuen at the top of his game, proving that instinct, discipline and an unshakeable understanding of cinematic rhythm do not fade with time.
In an era when martial arts cinema often leans too heavily on digital spectacle, Yuen reminds us that nothing replaces clarity of movement, spatial coherence and performers who can actually fight. Every clash of steel, every mid-air spin and every bone-crunching impact feels tactile and earned. If this is what an 80-year-old master looks like firing on all cylinders, then ‘Blades of the Guardians’ is not merely a comeback – it is a triumphant reaffirmation of why Yuen Woo-ping remains one of the greatest action choreographers and directors the genre has ever known.
Movie Rating:
(A rousing, old-school wuxia epic powered by breathtaking choreography and star-powered showdowns, marking a triumphant late-career masterstroke from Yuen Woo-ping)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: February 2020. A luxury cruise liner carrying COVID-19 arrives in Yokohama. What really happened on that ship? Inspired by true events, this is the untold human drama of those who stood on the frontlines against an unprecedented pandemic that shook the world.
MOVIE REVIEW:
The pandemic now known as COVID-19 began in early 2020. Masks were mandatory, and a cure seemed impossible at the time. It was, without doubt, a frightening period. Frontline: Yokohama Bay is a two-hour docudrama that details the spread of COVID-19 infections among passengers and crew aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which docked at the port of Yokohama on Feb. 3, 2020.
With no specific agency in charge of infectious disease control, the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), led by Dr. Hideharu Yuki (Shun Oguri), is called in to assist those onboard. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official Nobutaka Tatematsu (Tori Matsuzaka) is also tasked with coordinating the effort, working alongside Yuki’s colleagues, Dr. Yukiyoshi Sendo (Yosuke Kubozuka) and Dr. Haruto Sanada (Sosuke Ikematsu).
One point to note: Frontline: Yokohama Bay plays out like a prolonged episode of Crimewatch, with a story based on accounts from passengers and DMAT staff. At times, it takes on a heavily dramatised tone, but for the most part, it feels like a draggy and dry re-enactment of actual events.
The film inevitably brings to mind Fukushima 50 (2020), another talky drama centred on a national crisis. Coincidentally, both films share a similar theme and structure—endless talking heads, layers of bureaucracy to wade through, and plenty of anger-fuelled discussions. Someone should probably tell the Japanese film industry to stop churning out real-life event adaptations unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Judging by how Frontline unfolds, most contemporary audiences are likely to switch to the next available title within the first 15 minutes.
To be fair, the fault does not lie with the cast, especially Shun Oguri and Tori Matsuzaka, who try their best to deliver whatever lines they are given. Unfortunately, there is very little happening for most of the runtime beyond men in white coats shouting at men in ties, or the sole English-speaking crew member, Hiroko Hatori (Nana Mori), desperately attempting to communicate with trapped foreign passengers. A manipulative TV reporter, Mai Ueno (Yuki Sakurai), is also thrown into the mix to twist facts for public consumption, but this subplot fails to add any real impact.
While Frontline: Yokohama Bay does pay a respectable tribute to the DMAT members who stepped up during uncertain times, this film is simply not the right medium to do so. The intention to showcase bravery and sacrifice is clear, but a half-hour television special could have achieved the same goal with far more effective results.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Sci-fi/Action
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Cast: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers, Jeff Pierre, Rafi Gavron, Kenneth Choi, Jamie McBride
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence & Drug References)
Released By: Sony Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 29 January 2026
Synopsis: In the near future, a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson) he once championed, before it determines his fate.
Movie Review:
It doesn’t bode well especially for a movie that was shot two years ago, stars an A-list actor, and is unceremoniously dumped into the quiet month of January. That, unfortunately, seems to be the case for Mercy, a cyber-thriller starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson.
Set in the not-so-distant year of 2029, where crime is rampant across Los Angeles, the film introduces an AI Judge (Ferguson) installed to expedite cases at the Mercy Capital Court. Every defendant is given a strict 90 minutes to prove their innocence in front of the AI judge, using all available online resources or face execution via a sonic blast. It’s a grim, high-concept premise that promises urgency and moral complexity.
The latest defendant happens to be Detective Chris Raven (Pratt), ironically one of the key personnel responsible for initiating the very AI system now judging him. Raven is charged with the murder of his wife, Nicole (Annabelle Wallis), earlier that same morning, and all initial evidence points squarely at him. Plagued by alcoholism and anger issues, Raven appears to be an easy conviction. With the clock ticking, he must rely on his detective instincts and the help of his fellow teammate, Jae (Kali Reis), to uncover the truth while also hoping to reunite with his teenage daughter, Britt (Kylie Rogers).
It’s hard not to wonder whether director Timur Bekmambetov harbours a particular fondness if not a fetish for movies dominated by computer screens, CCTV footage, and smartphone displays. After all, he is also listed as producer on Searching, Missing, and last year’s rather horrendous War of the Worlds. To be fair, this visual gimmick isn’t inherently problematic if used sparingly or with purpose. In Mercy, however, it proves overwhelming, resulting in a chaotic visual presentation that feels ill-suited for what is meant to be a blockbuster spectacle.
Adding to the frustration is the fact that Chris Pratt spends roughly 95% of the film strapped to a chair, effectively stripping him of any opportunity to deliver the kind of physical performance audiences might expect. While he does get moments to emote during several emotional scenes, those anticipating action will likely be disappointed. As Mercy largely functions as a found-footage film, the abundance of blurry body-cam and surveillance shots renders the few action sequences largely meaningless and insipid.
As it stands, the film’s high-concept appeal is surprisingly negligible, though its reliance on old-school detective work manages to keep things momentarily engaging at least until a pointless twist near the end undercuts any lingering tension. That said, the idea of artificial intelligence playing a central role in judicial proceedings does feel increasingly plausible as a future reality, so perhaps the film earns some credit for tapping into that conversation.
Still, the two-decades-old Minority Report remains a far more compelling and exhilarating take on a similar premise involving a wrongly accused man in a high-tech justice system. Mercy, by comparison, lacks the sophistication both visually and narratively that one would expect. It’s almost surprising that it didn’t debut straight on Amazon Prime.
Movie Rating:
(By and large, Mercy is an average sci-fi thriller that ultimately wastes the considerable talents of Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson)
Review by Linus Tee
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