There is a very specific kind of joy that comes with watching a great martial arts movie. The best ones are so absurd and over-the-top that you forget to be skeptical and just surrender to the movie magic. Director Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious is one of those movies. It is relentless, visually stunning, and features some of the most outrageous fight sequences you will ever see. If you are a fan of the genre, stop reading and go watch it!

The Furious follows Wang Wei (Xie Miao), a mute tradesman whose world is shattered when his young daughter Rainy is kidnapped by an international child trafficking ring. With the police unwilling to help, Wei has no choice but to wage a one-man war through a criminal underworld to get her back. His unlikely partner in all of this is Navin (Joe Taslim), a journalist with his own desperate agenda: finding his missing wife.

The Fights: Outrageous and Outright Hilarious!

Let’s get right into it — this movie is carried by its action, and what action it is. From the very first sequence, Tanigaki makes it clear that he is not interested in pulling his punches. There is a certain chaos to every fight scene that feels like something that can only really happen in a movie however the fights in The Furious do not feel choreographed at all. A big part of this is the audio mixing, which deserves its own conversation. Like other martial arts movies, the music mixed with the sound of hits being thrown brings pleasure like no other.

Then, you have the random items being thrown around everywhere. Tanigaki has his fighters turning the most obscure objects into projectiles with the kind of accuracy that makes your jaw drop. Whether it’s glass bottles spinning through the air like tomahawks that are caught mid-fight and used as a blade, or a bigger guy creating a giant hammer off a piece of concrete from a wall and a giant sign pole; This is one of those details that might sounds small on paper and hits completely different on screen.

The two leads are everything in this film. Joe Taslim, who many will recognize as Sub-Zero from the Mortal Kombat movie, brings a good guy persona to his role while Xie Mao, known for his role in Fight Against Evil, plays the “bad cop” role here, a person who will not stop at anything to find his daughter. Both actors brought just what they needed to the film to make it a top tier martial arts movie and prove why they should be automatic casting options in the genre. Watching these two work is an absolute privilege.

The Set Pieces: A Film That Never Lets You Breathe

There are individual sequences in this movie that will live in my memory rent free. The fight sequence in the nightclub (that also serves as a UFC event for some reason) is just insane. The camera team deserves serious recognition here —they catch every single piece of action perfectly. It is clear that Tanigaki and the crew are experts in making these kinds of films.

And then there is the freezer room… The damn freezer room! I will not say more than that. This is one of those set designs that make you laugh in shock, because what the heck was that?!

The film’s use of music is equally impressive and can be easily overlooked in overall. Tanigaki moves between a traditional instrumental score and more modern genres of music. One action sequence will have rock music while EDM is blasting in your eye while they’re fighting in the club. It should feel jarring but instead it helps in the movies pacing in all the best ways. It feels like the movie has its own heartbeat and it refuses to let yours slow down.

More Than Just Fists

What catches you off guard — in the best way — is that The Furious actually has a story worth following. It is not just a delivery mechanism for the action. The narrative holds its own weight and gives the fights stakes that make them matter. This is not always a given in the genre, and Tanigaki deserves credit for caring about both halves of the film equally.

The pacing is relentless from the opening frame. This movie does not feel like a movie that runs for almost two hours. Once the fighting starts, you immediately lose track of time until the third act, which is as exhilarating as anything you will see in a theater this year.

A Minor Note

For a film fully invested in non-stop action, the final moments arrive before you feel fully ready for them. The ending does feel a little rushed. It is a small critique in the grand scope of what The Furious achieves, but worth mentioning.

Final Verdict

The Furious is exactly what makes this genre so entertaining to watch. Kenji Tanigaki has made a film that honors the tradition of martial arts cinema while pushing its physical and visual boundaries into something that feels entirely its own. Between the performances of Joe Taslim and Xie Mao, the jaw-dropping choreography, the immaculate sound design, and a visual identity that makes every frame interesting to look at — this is a movie that fires on all cylinders and barely stops to apologize for it. It is not a flawless film. But it is an absolutely thrilling one. Go watch this one in theaters, and tell your friends about it too!

4.5/5

In terms of film and media, 2026 has been nothing short of excellent — and Disclosure Day is a strong contender for one of the most profound cinematic experiences of the year. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Disclosure Day lands as an unforgettable experience that should have people talking for a long time. From the opening shot, you already know you are in the hands of someone who has done this before and still has something to say.

The Story

Disclosure Day follows Daniel, a gifted hacker who comes into possession of a non-human artifact (and some very sensitive footage!) that the government’s shadowy Wardex sector will stop at nothing to recover. Recruited by Hugo, Daniel works alongside Jane — a woman in nun’s training — as the three of them stay one step ahead of the forces closing in on them. The film moves like a classic chase thriller until Margaret enters the picture, and everything changes. What started as a race against the government quietly becomes something far more ambitious: a film about what it truly means to know something, and whether humanity is even ready to.

The film overall is unmistakably Spielberg. Multiple parties of different people all chasing one thing – that will end up being not so relevant by the end. Down to the ominous and nostalgic score by legendary composer, John Williams, it feels like a version of E.T. without the whimsy and wonder of childhood. What does carry over is something more important — empathy. The constant message in this movie is that we should not be scared of the unknown, but we should embrace it instead. Speaking of E.T., Spielberg has been circling this subject his entire career. From Close Encounters of the Third Kind to E.T., each film inched closer to the question at the center of Disclosure Day. This one finally answers it.

The Heart of the Film

The shining star of this film is Emily Blunt as Margaret. She is introduced as a slightly ditsy news anchor and weather reporter. She is immediately shown to you as someone you might underestimate — and that is entirely the point. Once the film begins peeling back her layers, Blunt delivers what is genuinely one of the greatest performances so far this year. While this is a 2-person tale between Daniel and Margaret and what connected them in the first place, Blunt carries the emotional weight of the entire film on her shoulders. There are several parts of the film where her performance can easily move someone to tears – it really is that good!

Where the film earns its most interesting conversation is in its themes. Disclosure Day is not shy about its messaging. It sits heavily in questions of religion, government, body autonomy, and humanity’s place in a universe that may not have designed us to be alone in it. There are also moments in this film, particularly the final act, where the line between fiction and reality blurs so deliberately that the theater went completely silent. You could hear a pin drop. Whether that is Spielberg working his magic as a storyteller or Spielberg trying to tell us something is a question the film leaves entirely open — and intentionally so.

Final Verdict

The one caveat worth noting is that this is not an action sci-fi film. This is a movie with a lot of technical dialogue between characters that comes off a bit high-brow more times than not. It feels as though they gave the biggest conspiracy theorist one singular chance to show us as much proof as possible that other life forms exist. With all of that said, I think the final act of the film more than pays up for it. Disclosure Day has one insanely good final act that is absolutely worth sitting through its lengthy 2 hour and 25-minute run time.

Simply put, Disclosure Day is what movies are supposed to make you feel. It is overwhelming, beautiful, and deeply unsettling in all the right ways. Though such a movie might not be for everyone, it is absolutely worth seeing in theaters. Even if you do not believe in aliens, go in with an open mind and enjoy the ride – and make sure you listen!

4.5/5

By the power of Grayskull, this movie has the power! Masters of the Universe is a property that has been bounced around Hollywood for nearly two decades — Warner Bros., Sony, Netflix, Amazon MGM — before finally landing in theaters. After all of that turbulence, it would have been easy to expect something safe. Instead, director Travis Knight delivered a film that is genuinely surprising in all the best ways.

The film follows Prince Adam, a young man on Earth who has spent his life searching for the Sword of Power — the key to everything he is meant to become. When he finally finds it, he is pulled STRAIGHT into a battle for his home world, Eternia. The setup works well as an entry point for both newcomers and longtime fans, easing you into the lore without ever feeling like homework

What immediately stands out is the visual experience. Masters of the Universe is a gorgeous film, especially in Dolby. The colors are bold and rich, and Eternia feels like a world worth fighting for. The action sequences are excellent — well-choreographed and dynamic, delivering the kind of visual clarity that reminds you what a big screen is actually for.

The Men Behind The Muscles… and The Skull!

Nicholas Galitzine leads the film as Adam and carries it with a charm that is easy to root for. He plays the character with a kind of sincerity that keeps the film grounded even when things get outrageous — and they do get outrageous. Idris Elba as Duncan, also known as Man-At-Arms, is the emotional backbone of the entire film. Every scene he is in carries weight. His arc explores what it means to be strong, what it costs, and what it looks like to reckon with yourself honestly. It is the kind of performance that elevates a film like this beyond what it needs to be.

And then there is the villain. Skeletor looks incredible. Everything about how this character is brought to life is exactly what fans have been waiting for. The design, the presence, and Jared Leto’s performance take this role to a completely new level. So many scenes in this film left me baffled that Leto is even behind the skull mask in the first place. There are moments with Skeletor in this film that had the audience completely losing it, and for good reason. He is a lot of fun.

A Few Cracks in the Armor

The script is where the film is most uneven. The humor is a mixed bag — when it lands, it really lands, and there are genuinely funny moments sprinkled throughout. But there are also stretches where a joke does not quite connect, particularly when the film tries to be clever in the middle of its more serious beats. It does not derail the experience, but it is noticeable.

What is not uneven is the film’s heart. Underneath all of the spectacle, Masters of the Universe is genuinely interested in the idea of masculinity — what society asks of men, what fathers pass down to sons, and what it actually looks like to be strong versus simply performing strength. The film trusts you to feel it rather than spelling it out. By the time the film reaches its emotional peak, the groundwork has been laid carefully enough so that it hits the way it is supposed to.

The runtime works against it slightly. There are moments in the second act where the pacing softens, and a tighter edit could have made this film feel even more alive. But it never loses you entirely, and the final act more than delivers on what was promised.

Final Verdict

He-Man does not walk away unscathed but it is an extremely fun time at the movies that genuinely respects its source material and, more importantly, trusts its audience to understand the impact this IP has on internet culture. It is colorful, action-packed, surprisingly sincere, and a reminder that a big studio film can still have personality when it is in the right hands.

See it in Dolby if you can. He-Man is back!

4/5

What was once a blurry image of an empty office room posted onto 4chan has now become a feature film released in Hollywood’s biggest season, summertime. Backrooms is a viral creepypasta-turned-film that is directed by Kane Parsons. In his directorial debut, the 20-year-old sought out to deliver liminal horror in an artistic way where only a film under A24 can.

The film immediately sets its tone with its found footage opening where we get to see the vast empty spaces while trying to map out exactly what’s going on. Here is where we begin to hear, and see, the dread that awaits our main character, Clark. Clark is a furniture store owner that is entirely down on his luck. So much so that he regularly sees Dr. Mary Kline to work through his struggles and help him find a way out of his self-made prison. As she is coaching him through these problems she points out repeating patterns in Clark, which sends him into a rage-induced hunt to prove a point – and his furniture store presents just that.

Late one night, after the power in his store trips, Clark discovers a wall in the basement that transports him to another room – leading him to an extension of the store he did not know existed. He soon finds out that this extension is endless – with rooms upon rooms to traverse. And of course, this wouldn’t be a movie if he did not explore.

The more he explores, the more peculiar things get.

Visuals and Story: A Beautiful Mess

There is no denying that Parsons has a talent for being behind the camera. Simply put, this film is stunning. Part of this is because almost everything is practical. For this film, a 30,000-square-foot practical set of the backrooms was made, leaving space for realism to come alive on set. The found footage aspect of this film, along with the vast yellow rooms, really give this sense of dread that’s covered in mundane.

What is mundane in this film is unfortunately its story. Told from the perspective of two characters, the film tries to give us a character-focused narrative but pulls back to give more room for the backrooms. The biggest issue in the film is having two different points of view for each character, telling us two separate stories at once. For the first half, we followed Clark as we witness his descent into the backrooms while we follow Mary in the second half.

The script begins to unravel once the two characters’ storylines are woven into each other’s perspective. What starts as two cleanly divided narratives loses its footing the moment the film attempts to merge them. Clark’s descent and Mary’s parallel journey, though compelling on their own, become muddled when filtered through the other’s lens. The audience is left disoriented — not in the atmospheric, intentional way the backrooms demand, but in a way that feels like a structural misstep.

The interweaving creates more confusion than tension, ultimately undermining the emotional investment the first half worked so hard to build. Some might say the entire point of the Backrooms is to confuse you but leave the confusion to the backrooms, not the characters.

Audio: What You Hear Is What You Fear.

It is easy to argue that the most important part of a horror film is the audio. I think it is more important in a film like Backrooms in particular due to the liminal space the film is working with. The audio in this film is masterful – from small sounds to transitions serving the visuals in the best way possible. The backrooms, by nature, are defined by silence broken only by the oppressive buzz of fluorescent lighting and the soft, unsettling muffle of carpet underfoot.

The sound design here captures that unease with the utmost precision. There is never a moment where the audio feels out of place — instead, it functions as an element of horror. Each muddled footstep stomping against the carpet as our characters traverse the never-ending halls creates a sense that something out of frame is coming to ruin the fun. Where the narrative stumbles, the sound design never does — and in a film built on emptiness, that distinction matters more than it would anywhere else. The feeling that something is following you stays with you the entire time in the backrooms, whether it is subtle or in your face!

Is it worth it?

Unfortunately, this movie might be for hardcore fans only. There are shining moments with Clark that may get you fully invested in what is going on, but that is undone once Mary takes over. There is just not enough for her character to feel relevant to the story. She simply serves as the character used to lore-dump onto you. Parsons clearly has a bright future, especially at his young age – but his career might only worth following once we see what he can do without a vast crew of producers inputting their creative ideology into his work.

Backrooms is now playing in theaters worldwide.

3/5.

In terms of film and media, 2026 has been nothing short of excellent – and I Love Boosters is amongst the greats of the year so far. Directed by Boots Riley, rapper turned filmmaker, I Love Boosters lands as his second feature film following 2018’s Sorry To Bother You. It comes as a surprise that this is only his second film, as it shows how well a director can do if given the resources to do it.

I Love Boosters follows Corvette (Keke Palmer), an amateur fashion designer who boosts high fashion garments to make a living. With the help of her two friends Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylor Paige), they steal from the clothing stores of fashion icon and business mogul Christie Smith (Demi Moore)

Despite the script of the film leaning more towards crime/comedy, it takes a drastic 180 once Jianhu (Poppy Liu) joins in on the fun. As another booster in her “own boosting gang”, Jianhu uses a teleporting machine to get her own fair share! Together they work together to bring down Christie Smith and show everyone the truth behind her intentions. I Love Boosters is truthfully a Science Fiction movie hidden underneath its crime-comedy script.

What immediately grabs viewers is the aesthetic of the film. The color blocking in this film is something that will sit with viewers throughout the entire run time. Metro Designers, Christie Smith’s design brand, chooses a singular color to be the entire color palette of the in-store locations for an entire month. Colors like green, red, yellow and orange explode on the screen; giving the brain something to react to at every point in the movie.

With this comes the outfits worn by the characters. High fashion glamour is an understatement in this film. The expression in each outfit worn is difficult to put into words. There is a sequence in the film where each frame shows the characters in different outfits, and the artistic styling of these outfits is truly stunning. We even get to see Keke Palmer in full Harajuku glam!

The film takes a huge swing in terms of visual storytelling. It’s a pendulum swinging between reality and a dream – all told through Corvette’s point of view. While this can be difficult to engage with, it does a good job masking its political messaging in these “dream” moments. Whether it’s a massive ball chasing Corvette throughout the film or Sade and Corvette having a 30-second work break where they speed to grab a drink – each moment has a deeper message than what is being shown.

Boots has always stated that his art’s purpose is to “instigate class struggle” and this movie does not shy away from that. The dynamic of these people stealing clothes from someone who constantly steals from the working class is a loop that is quite relatable to today’s world. The film has a strong message of people working together to bring down what seem to be unstoppable forces, and how art can be the driving factor that brings change forward. This movie has anti-capitalist messaging all throughout it and it is not afraid to show it!

Simply put, this movie was amazing. Creativity is overflowing in I Love Boosters – different artistic specialties like fashion design, comedy and even stop motion all come together to make this great film. This movie is recommended to anyone who enjoys a good laugh but can handle a story that goes a bit off the rails. The best way to describe it is if Invasion of the Body Snatchers or any other classic sci-fi film, came together and had a kid with The Devil Wears Prada. This one is absolutely worth watching, but make sure it is in a theater!

4.5/5

After years of fans dreaming of a return to Gotham, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight finally delivers on that long-awaited wish. Just over 4 years since their last game, TT games have returned to give us an expansive look into the history of the caped crusader.

From the start, you get the feeling that this is a different take on what TT games have done before. Though it’s a Lego game at its core, it respects the history of Batman and gives us iconic moments that we’ve seen in other media formats. Right off the bat, you’re thrown into Batman’s origins rather than being thrown into an already established character. You play as Bruce, who is teaming up with Talia Al-Ghul in their training arc under her father Ra’s Al-Ghul. This truly feels like a training arc since this is the moment when TT Games begins the tutorial of the game.

The writing in the game is true to a Lego game - you can expect the cheesy moments that leave you staring at your screen awkwardly. Though this is the case, it was good to see some iconic Batman moments have some Lego flare thrown into it. One of the most memorable scenes from Matt Reeves’ 2022 Batman film is the car chase with Penguin. It was a treat to see Lego remake this and throw in some fun jokes to make it their own.

The playable cast in Lego games is something that always has players coming back for more. Here, while the cast is quite small, they are handled with much detail. Each character gets their moment and has their origin in the spotlight. We see Selina Kyle’s story into being Catwoman and we even get to see Robin becoming Nightwing. While the characters are fully fleshed out here, I hope to see more characters possibly added post launch as DLC. It would be great to play as characters like Red Hood and even villains Joker or Bane!

Similar to how a strong roster defines Lego games, a rich costume system is essential to any superhero game. As a Batman game, expectations are quite high when it comes to the costumes being added. In Legacy of the Dark Knight, you not only get a large number of costumes, but skins for the bat mobile as well. There is so much customization to choose from, and it is easy to see this as a selling point for fans of the series.

From an audio perspective, the musical score is easily one of the best aspects of the game. While they add their own tracks to certain parts of the game, the cutscenes pull from respective soundtracks from other media to really immerse you in the recreation of the parts. Along with the music, the voice acting is spot-on, and the overall sound design of the game is what you expect from a game in Gotham – whether its raindrops hitting the streets or bones breaking during combat.

One of the biggest concerns of fans leading up to the release of this game was the performance. This review is with the PC version of the game – on a pc with a 4080 card and a Ryzen 7900x. It’s fair to say that that is an above middle grade pc, and the performance was smooth, constantly getting a stable framerate well over 120 fps on epic settings with no frame generation (worth noting that settings like Motion Blur, Bloom and Vignettes were turned off for accessibility reasons.)

Though on the lowest settings possible, the game is very playable on devices like the Steam Deck without frame generation. Earlier last week, this became a major concern for many people once the spec sheets came out, but TT games were able to work their magic and release a Steam Deck verified version of the build on time. For the best settings without frame generation, SteamDeckHQ (@SteamDeckHQ on X) have released this article showcasing exactly how the game looks on the device, and screenshots with how you can get the best possible performance as well!

Out of everything in the game, co-op leaves the most to be desired. While it does have couch co-op, it would be nice to see online co-op be added into the future. It feels redundant asking for this considering its 2026, but for some reason, it is a feature that was seemingly left out of the game for whatever reason.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the unexpected, but perfect, return to Gotham that we all needed. While it’s a Batman game, it has no shame in reminding you that it is a Lego game at its core – and that is a good thing! It’s a spectacular tribute to Batman’s legacy that manages to be genuinely engaging while not taking itself too seriously. It is a polished experience that brings in rich character lore that honors the history of Batman the best way possible – the LEGO way!

Score: 4.5/5

Horror is a genre that has seen a major growth in popularity over the last few years. There is always one available to watch in the theaters – and often times it is just a lukewarm watch. However, Obsession is a case of a horror film being outright brilliant.

In Obsession, Bear wishes on a supernatural trinket called the One Wish Willow for his coworker crush Nikki to fall madly in love with him — and she does. But what starts as a dream come true quickly turns into a nightmare, as Nikki’s love warps into something terrifying, obsessive, and dangerous.

This movie is director Curry Baker’s directorial debut – and God, did he enter the scene with a bang! It is written like a romcom love story, but quickly twists to a much darker turn with every romantic scene.

Obsession is a movie that does not hold back. Whenever you think it’s going to go somewhere, it takes you to that place and sometimes further. An easy way of describing this film is if ‘Pet Sematery met ‘Misery’, but Annie Wilkes was buried in the sematery instead of Gage Creed.

Certain parts of this film are genuinely horrifying. Actress Inde Navarrette is nothing but exceptional in her portrayal of Nikki. Here she plays both the victim and the villain. This is one of those casting decisions that should be considered amongst the greats. I will have her screams in the front of my mind for weeks to come, that’s for sure!

This movie’s expert depiction of loneliness and what it will do to someone is something that needs to be praised. Bear understands that he is unleashing something uniquely horrifying into this world. He understands it early on but chooses to ignore all the signs in hopes of being able to keep what he has – like she was his in the first place.

Barker is also very aware of this uniquely horrifying situation. Throughout the film’s runtime, he constantly toes the line of Bear’s fears of loneliness, while tugging on the fact that what lies on the other side is much worse.

This move is truly a love story in all of the darkest ways possible, and it is definitely heard in its score. Like any romcom, you have music whenever something romantic is happening. But here, the music subtly starts to warp as things turn sour. It is something I haven’t seen done this masterfully ever. It gives you a stomach-dropping feeling as you see Nikki’s face turn sour while the music follows her as if you know something horrific is about to happen.

The way the camera plays with the focus in this movie is also something that stands out. This is not a spoiler review, so you are safe, but I will give an example with some context. There are multiple scenes where the focus truly plays with your emotions, making you anticipate something will happen – and it often just never does... or does it? Watch this movie!

Obsession can easily be put in an all-time great in the horror films of the 2020’s category. With an exceptional cast, out-of-your-seat scares, and great music, I believe that this is a must-watch for any horror enthusiast out there. As one myself, this movie filled me with dread and anxiety throughout the entire runtime – and I could not ask for it any other way!

Everyone remembers their first fighting game. For many in the United States it was Mortal Kombat. From fast-paced action to bloody finishers, Ed Boon and John Tobias’ ‘Mortal Kombat’ is a landmark for video game culture in the United States. It attracted a niche crowd in the arcade community due to its cool character designs and over the top gore. A film adaptation has been tried a few times before, and it seems like they finally found the rhythm for success!

‘Mortal Kombat II’ is a sequel to the 2021 reboot and while still not perfect, it improves on it in every way.

Firstly, we must ask what makes a good video game adaptation? The answer might vary depending on who you ask. In recent years, we have had many options to gauge our answer from. We have had excellent adaptations such as ‘Exit 8’ and controversial ones like ‘Mario Galaxy’. Just recently the entire conversation sparked back up online with the release of Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ trailer. It seems like it is a genre of film that is quite difficult to achieve success with. However, I think ‘Mortal Kombat II’ honors the original material in several ways.

The cinematography, for starters, has taken a massive leap in terms of quality. For a movie where its first release suffered from a pandemic release, the sequel more than makes up for it. It is a film that is shot in IMAX and utilizes the format in perfect moments. Unlike its predecessor, Mortal Kombat II does not cut short in the visual department. For a film that takes place in different ‘Realms’ it utilizes its CGI well.

The acting is another major improvement in the sequel. Karl Urban cast as Johnny Cage was an excellent choice. His portrayal of Johnny was spot-on to what we are familiar with in the franchise. Nailing a role as big as this is important to a franchise like Mortal Kombat considering how big Johnny Cage is.

Another major improvement was taking some shine away from Cole, who felt very bland as a protagonist in the first movie. That shine was shifted to Liu Kang, another major character in the Mortal Kombat lore. Here, he felt much truer to his character and not just some young guy who shoots fireballs.

One part that felt short of great was the dialogue. Truthfully, it was just as painful as the first movie. Without giving too much away, the moment Kano was reintroduced after dying in the first film (some magical things went on!) I knew we were in for a drag. Kano’s role is meant to be the comic relief in an action movie that doesn’t always take itself seriously – but sometimes it feels as though Kano’s character is stealing so much screen time. This is a great thing for the actor for obvious reasons, but Kano’s dialogue shoehorns itself into both movies which are supposed to be about a deadly fighting tournament. It just feels too egregious at times. Though, to be fair, he felt very balanced out when bouncing humor off with Johnny. Truthfully speaking, the dialogue has some permission to be cheesy coming from a franchise that has a guy pop up in the corner yelling “whoopsy!”

The characters that were brought into this film were much more diverse than in the first film as well. Here, they expand into the Shao Kahn side of the lore. Outworld’s deadliest fighter is joined by characters like Sindel, Kitana, Jade and Baraka. Admittedly, some of these characters feel more like boxes checked off a roster than fully developed presences. Even so, having beloved characters from the franchise appear is always better than having a new original character that simply doesn’t connect with anyone.

Noob Saibot was another character added to the cast. With Bi Han (sub-zero) dying in the first film, fans knew that this fan favorite would appear in the sequel and it truly did not disappoint. The fight between Noob and Scorpion was perfectly choreographed and looked great effects-wise.

Now, this would not be a Mortal Kombat movie without the fatalities. They did not hold back on the gore in this film whatsoever. You can go in expecting blood and guts everywhere and you will still be overwhelmed – but it would not be Mortal Kombat without that!

Overall, Mortal Kombat II is a fun time! It does the franchise justice by giving the fans exactly what they want. It is okay if it is not the perfect cinematic experience because it serves its purpose – it makes you want to go back home and pick up whatever Mortal Kombat game you can get your hands on. I can wholeheartedly recommend this to fans and casual action-comedy lovers alike. This movie is by no means a “flawless victory” but it for darn sure is “TOASTY”!

This Star Wars Day is a special one, since I am ringing in a new decade of my life. As a now 30-year-old Star Wars obsessed adult, I will be ranking all the Star Wars movies that have released until now – whether it’s the Skywalker Saga or standalone Films. May the 4th be with you all.

There are 12 theatrical Star Wars films if you count everything — the Skywalker Saga, the prequels, the originals, and the anthology one-offs. Admittedly, I have not seen the original Clone Wars movie that launched with the series, so it is the only thing I will not be ranking here. With that being said, here’s how I rank them, worst to best:

11. The Rise of Skywalker

I will start by saying that I do not feel this strongly negative towards any other movie in the franchise besides this one. For obvious reasons, it has me questioning why I even liked this IP in the first place. This movie tries way too hard to tie up every plotline that the last 2 made all while trying to expand upon the universe created. It tries to involve every character while introducing old ones that should be long gone. Watching this movie felt like a fever dream. Easily the worst piece of Star Wars media we’ve possibly ever gotten. It kills the momentum for every new character introduced in this trilogy… and it shows with how the actors react to even being in this.

10. Solo

If I could be so honest, I do not remember this movie whatsoever. Every time I try and rewatch this, I just get bored. They took a big risk in casting someone who is not Harrison Ford to play his character. While Alden Ehrenreich did a good job, there was no way he was ever going to compete as Han. I do, however, remember being excited when Maul made his appearance!

9. The Force Awakens

From here until number 1, I find these movies enjoyable. I remember watching this movie in theater and loving every minute of it. The new characters introduced to us were interesting, and to this day I love Rey. I just think this trilogy could have been much more unique. It felt like they were trying to imitate what made the original trilogy so great. This is ranked so high on the list simply because they did Han so dirty.

8. The Phantom Menace

The first Star Wars movie I ever saw in theaters. With flashy effects, amazing lightsaber fight choreography and some cool space fighting; this is the perfect movie to show a kid. However, outside of that it feels like a movie that lacked originality. It really feels like George was having fun with this one. The CGI aged terribly and the pod racing is insufferable. Still love me some Darth Maul though!

7. Attack of the Clones

My young self would be ashamed of my older self if I saw this movie at this spot in the ranking. I would say that this was the movie that made me the fan that I am today. I remember being a kid and always asking why we never saw more than 3 lightsabers on screen at the time. This movie delivers the entire Jedi order on a silver platter in an all-out war; it does not get any cooler than that!

I wish they did a better job showcasing Anakin as a character. Some pretty traumatic stuff happens to him in this movie – yet, somehow, he comes off as a bratty annoying teen.

6. Revenge of The Sith

Like Attack of the Clones, this movie is majorly nostalgic for me. The first time I ever cut school was to watch this! My father picked me up early from school to go watch this on release day. I remember leaving the theater floored at what I saw. The lightsaber choreography is outstanding, and the final battles are some of the best in the entire franchise. This suffers from similar issues to Attack of The Clones – Anakin is just really annoying.

5. The Last Jedi

Now this is probably the most controversial film on this list. I want to start by saying that this is a damn good movie, I just don’t think it’s a good Star Wars movie. So why is it so high up on this list? This is probably the best-looking film in this entire list. Ironically, this is the movie I’ve come back to the most since it came out – even though I cried coming out of the theater after my first viewing. I can look past what they did to Luke and Leia by justifying how well written everything else is. The fight in Snoke’s throne room lives rent free in my mind.

4. Return of the Jedi

I think this is where the movies start to rank themselves based on personal preferences. The Return of the Jedi is the culmination of all the work George put into the original trilogy. Endor is still one of my favorite planets in the entire universe simply for the Ewoks and how cute they are! Luke’s characterization really shines in this movie. On top of that, we also get to see Darth Vader’s humanity for the first time. The prequels honestly make this movie hit different!

3. A New Hope

The movie that started it all! I can’t think of a better way to kick of a cultural phenomenon. The way this movie navigates its plot is excellent. It’s also hard to grasp the fact that this movie came out in 1977. This is my favorite rendition of the hero’s journey. Though it is 3^rd on the list, this is a movie I Hold near and dear to my heart.

Also, HAN SHOT FIRST!

2. Rogue One

I mean c’mon… this movie is the definition of peak. I remember leading up to its release, I was worried if it would live up to the Skywalker saga. I spin-off story that was a chance they took and definitely a chance that was worth it. Besides some cheesy stuff that was clearly shoe-horned in, this movie is as close to perfect as you can get. No other movie has made me feel the way this one did when Vader turned his lightsaber on in that hallway.

1. The Empire Strikes Back

No other movie on this list compares to The Empire Strikes Back. This is as Grandiose as Star Wars gets. I can argue that it is one of the greatest movies ever made. From the battle of Hoth to the ending where Han gets frozen in carbonite – this movie does not stop being entertaining at any point. I have a vivid memory of me jumping on my couch and crying when I found out Vader was Lukes’ father; I just could not believe it! I will never stop singing this movie’s praises and I would honestly give anything to go back in time and watch this movie in theaters on release.

So, there you have it — my definitive Star Wars movie rankings as a freshly minted 30-year-old who has absolutely no regrets about how much of his brain is occupied by this franchise.

Star Wars has been with me through every stage of my life. It’s the first movie I ever saw in theaters, the reason I cut school for the first time, and somehow still the thing I find myself going back to when I want to feel like a kid again. These movies aren’t perfect — some of them are pretty far from it — but they’re so darn fun!

If these movies taught me anything, it’s that the best stories don’t always wrap up neatly. They leave you wanting more, sitting with big feelings, and coming back again and again. That’s what this franchise has always done for me, even when it’s let me down. With The Mandalorian and Grogu coming out in theaters in just a few weeks, I’m super excited to be the first one sat in my seat on day one.

Here’s to another 30 years in a galaxy far, far away. May the 4th be with you — always!

There are always concerns when live events decide to do shows over multiple nights. It often leads to unnecessary comparisons, and disappointment when expectations are not met. This seems to be the case with every 2-night show WWE does. However, after what seemed to be an irredeemable WrestleMania weekend after night one, WWE more than made up for it with night 2.

Simply put, fans were not happy with how night one turned out. It was a show that was plagued with terrible booking decisions, an unbalanced schedule and ads that ran for more than half of the show’s runtime (you can read my review here!). WWE really had to show out with night two to regain some level of satisfaction with the product. With another 3-hour show in front of them, did they deliver enough to make up for the day prior?

Runtime

It is no news to anyone that night one was abysmal in terms of wrestling content. There were more ads than wrestling for a wrestling event. We had a match for a major women’s title be under 7 minutes. We had celebrity entrances taking up more time than the talent’s time in the wrong. This was my biggest concern going into night two, were we going to give the wrestlers enough time to showcase their skills or was it going to be another 3-hour ad break? Here were the matches and their runtime:

Matches & Match Length: WrestleMania Night two:
Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi — 4 minutes 46 seconds

Ladder Match (Intercontinental Title) - 15 minutes

Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams (United States Title) — 9 minutes

Demon Finn Balor vs. Dominic Mysterio — 13 minutes

Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley (Women’s Universal Championship)- 10 minutes

Roman vs. Punk (World Heavyweight Championship) - 34 minutes

Though there was still too much time given to ads, each match got a little more time to breathe. This gave the talent more time to let their match play out and showcase each number correctly. We saw much less botches on night two compared to night one. Overall, WWE needs to look at the package they are presenting overall and give way less time to ads. There were matches where the talents entrances were cut in place of ads – which really shows were the products head space is at right now. Dragon Lee had a beautiful presentation, showcasing custom-made dragon wings that the televised audience did not experience because of Hulk Hogan’s Netflix Ad.

Entrances

Speaking of entrances, night two really went the extra mile with how the wrestlers displayed their characters! As stated above, Dragon Lee had custom dragon wings made for his entrance. Penta came out as Shao Kahn from Mortal Kombat – and while it was a promotion for Mortal Kombat II film coming out in May, it still looked bad ass! Just a few seconds after Dominic Mysterio marched to the ring with after jumping off a thrown carried by Luchadores, Demon Finn Balor gave us the best entrance of the night, with red and black confetti shooting out of the entire arena, giving us the idea that we were in his domain. We also got high glam moments like Jade Cargill coming out in a gorgeous tool outfit that color-matched with her hair, giving us the illusion of a storm walking towards the ring. Trick Williams rose from under the stage and walked down the runway in what is probably the longest train I’ve ever seen on a cape. These outfits really showcased that wrestling doesn’t always have to be edgy and cool, it can also have a campy high-fashion side to it!

Decisions… Decisions…

Probably the most important part to any wrestling show is the results. Not only can it kill a live crowd, but it can really turn away people from watching the product in the future. Selecting the wrong winner (sorry for spoiling it, it’s predetermined!) can really spoil things for the coming months. We saw examples of this after night one, when we saw Cody retain his title. Though the reasoning is behind an injury, fans seem to be upset at having to see Cody keep this title reign going. Now when it comes to night two, they had a chance to regain the trust of their viewers.

Immediately, as the show begins, the “Oba” chants can be heard roaring throughout the crowd of 50,000+ people. He shimmied his way down the ring and as the drums beat and his theme music played. This is the ‘Future’ of the WWE, but to prove that he must take down The Beast, Brock Lesnar. WWE has spent decades building Lesnar up as this unstoppable force AND immovable object. I remember being a kid and being terrified of this guy simply for how big he is. We have seen him bury John Cena who is considered to be the greatest of all time in a 5-minute match to open shows before, and that did not end well (look up Wrestlepalooza 2025 reactions). If they did not book this correctly, the night would have already been ruined. I am pleased to say that Oba absolutely decimated Brock in under 5 minutes. Not only did he beat him, but Oba threw a 300-pound Lesnar up on his shoulders from a standing position and power bombed him straight into a victory. This decision is not only great for Oba as a future hall of famer, but really got the night started off on a good foot.

The next match was the ladder match for the Intercontinental title (IC title for short). We saw Penta defend his championship against JD Mcdonaugh, Dragon Lee, Rey Mysterio, Jevon Evans and Rusev. Truthfully, the outcome of this match did not matter much considering the mid card on Raw, where the IC title lives, seems to be in a great position with the stars that are active in its rotation. However, this did not take away from the excitement of this match. With 5 cruiserweights and one big man, this match was nothing short of exhilarating.

We then saw Sami Zayn defend the United States Title (US title for short) against Trick Williams in what was possibly the most controversial match going into night two. This is because of the decision to take the title from Carmelo Hayes during the ‘Road to WrestleMania’ and put on Sami in hopes to boost show draw. As most of you might know, the wrestling fan base can smell decisions like this from a mile away - and they detested the decision. Sami, who is usually the good guy, was now getting booed beyond reason simply because he is holding the title and Carmelo isn’t. The decision to have Trick Williams win the match in a definitive way not only helps Trick Williams grow his characters draw but also takes some of that heat off the US title scene for now. It will be interesting to see how they put Carmelo back into the title conversation, possibly in a rivalry against Trick where they can rehash the feud they had in the past.

I have no notes on the Demon Finn Balor vs Dominic Match. While I love both, this match could have been so much better if it was on night one. The match overall was great but having Finn win also kind of leaves Dominic in this weird mid card spot even though his draw is worthy of the main event. Also, seeing Finn Balor bring out the demon alter ego was so much fun, I only wish they kept it a secret so they can get that crowd pop they are always chasing.

In what was probably the worst Title reign the company in a long time – we saw Jade defending only for the second time in over half a year. This was also against the biggest draw for the women right now. Having Rhea win the match breathes new life into the title, which was beginning to run stale with the two reigns before her victory. We also saw Iyo Sky featured in the match, who was wrongfully left out of the mania card after last minute changes. My only concern is having Rhea on Friday Nights now rather than Monday and what that might do for Raw’s show quality going forward. Also, is Iyo on smackdown now also?

CM Punk vs Roman Reigns has a similar story to the Jade vs Rhea match. A reign that went on for too long and was beginning to run still. For a match that would have looked totally different if Bron Breakker did not suffer an injury a few months ago, both men put on a hell of a show. There was a lot of tension going into this match after weeks of each men cutting promo’s really digging deep into each other’s personal lives. They told a story in front of the crowd and finished it with a great ending. With Roman winning, this gives so much space for new stories going forward, we even saw Oba Femi call him out in the post show – which would be an insane match to see in the future!

At the end, Night two felt like an entirely different even than night one. WWE presented the package much better and really gave the talent more space to showcase their skills. Even though each match had more time, they still give way too much time to ads. If we pay for a show, the ads should really be kept to a minimum. This is to also say that there is no need to promote the same Hulk Hogan documentary for over 40 minutes in two days, I think we get it by now. Night two ended with me being excited for Monday Night Raw tonight and for the future Paid Live Events, which is usually a good sign for live shows like this. We can only hope that they continue to deliver shows like this in the future.

The start of every year is always a good time to be a fan of the WWE. You can consider the start a year to be a new season. It starts at the Royal Rumble, and it leads all the way to WrestleMania, which is historic for being professional wrestling’s biggest night (pretty much a weekend now!). This promotion is titled the ‘Road to WrestleMania’. This is where new storylines begin and the hype cycle starts over again.

Now I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed this Road to Mania cycle (short for WrestleMania). It was littered with injuries, on the fly changes, and writing that felt like something ChatGPT conjured up. After a subpar Royal Rumble in Saudi, I had hopes that they would tighten things up by the time Mania came around. Let us go over Night 1 and see what they did right, and where they dropped the ball.

The Matches (Night One)

Matches & Length

LA Knight & The Usos vs. Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed ~7 min

Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned) ~10–12 min

Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way: Paige & Brie Bella vs. Irresistible Forces vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria ~10–12 min

Women’s Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch ~8–10 min

Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan 6:50

Seth Rollins vs. Gunther ~15 min

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton ~25+ min

The Good… and The Bad!

No show comes without the good or the bad, especially when it is live television. Wrestling is no exception to this – nobody should ever expect a perfect show. There will always be moments that could have been executed better or moments that just straight up miss the mark. I’ve listed some pros and cons that came with night one of the show. Now, with full clarity, a lot of this is my opinion and could very well be different for others.

The pros

· Match types

· Match results

· The entrances

The cons

· The Buildup

· Ad-mageddon

· Match Length

The Good

Match Types

Match types are always something to look forward to at wrestling shows. They open more opportunities for exciting spots to really get the crowd going. The first match of the night was a three-versus-three tag match where iShowSpeed had this insane number where he jumped from the top turnbuckle and landed on Logan Paul, putting him through the announce table (a very jarring sentence to type out, I know). The next match was an unsanctioned match between Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre where they spent their time beating each other up with different weapons and even utilized the staple weapons like steel chairs and tables. We then had a fatal 4-way tag match for the women’s tag titles. After this, we got our tradition one-versus-one’s for the rest of the night. I do think they could have spread out the match typing’s better throughout the night, giving us more variety as time went on, but overall, I enjoyed seeing the mayhem in the stipulation matches.

Match Results

While this is a positive on the list, I will start by saying I don’t really care who wins or loses in wrestling matches outside of title changes. The first match had the Uso’s and LA Knight winning with the help of iShowSpeed; giving speed his ‘debut’ moment to really get his fans watches invested in what wrestling is all about. We then saw Jacob win, giving him a 2-0 Mania record after his win last year. Seeing Gunther win was not favorable for me, but the story between Seth and a returning Bron Breakker really sold me on whatever they could be doing next.

We got our first title change of the night in the tag matches. Now at first, the decision to have Brie Bella and a returning Paige win the titles confused me – but I can see an angle that they can execute in the future that might make old names go head-to-head again (I see you, Bella twins vs AJ and Paige!). The best decision of the night for me was having Becky Lynch win the Intercontinental back from AJ Lee. Becky is doing great work at the moment and single handedly gives me reason to give Monday Night Raw a weekly view.

While I do not agree with Cody winning again, it was clear throughout the match that Randy is, in fact, injured and would probably not be cleared to hoist the title for long anyways. They get ONE pass here.

The Entrances

One of the coolest parts of Mania is the entrances. The characters that the wrestlers represent really stand out in moments like this and I Think they’re just as important as the matches themselves. In night one, we got amazing entrance looks like Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, that came out as butterflies who show their characters. Charlotte being a butterfly with more brighter colors, showing her bubbly personality – while Alexa had an outfit that represented a darker butterfly, showcasing her darker rock aesthetic really well.

We saw Jacob Fatu come out with pyro dancers, paying homage to his Samoan culture and showcasing his ‘Samoan Werewolf’ persona. Drew came out in with his long coat and sword, really giving us that Scottish Warrior vibe. Seth Rollins came out in Fallout-like raider gear with smoke coming out of his suit. I guess he burned it all down already?

Cody’s entrance really showcased him as a seasoned veteran – with outfits he’s worn throughout his career displayed as he was coming out from under the stage. I just really wish they gave the same respect to Randy Orton, who is a legend in his own right.

The Bad

Ad-mageddon

There is so much to say here, and I can spend all day talking about this. The ad’s throughout the show were absolutely egregious. It is not an exaggeration when I say there was more ads than match time in this show. This is their premiere WRESTLING event, yet they chose to give match time to movie promotions (Mandalorian and Grogu get a pass for actually being there!). This isn’t even mentioning the amount of time they spent promoting Hulk Hogan. They knew this would not land well with their audience who, even though they respect what he contributed, see him as a polarizing figure and still chose to give us Hulkamania part 20.

Watching WWE is unwatchable in its current state with how many ads are thrown in our face. That’s not even talking about the $30 subscription that Americans have to pay for ESPN. For anyone looking for a better experience, I recommend investing in a VPN and watching through Netflix. With this, you get much less ads (especially during the weekly shows) and you don’t support greedy decisions like TKO forcing different subscriptions on their fanbase.

Match Length

I want to reiterate that this is a wrestling event. With that, you expect wrestling to be the main focus of the show. WrestleMania 42 night one was a four-hour show - there is no reason that ALL of the matches in Night one together totals to 1 hour and 25 minutes. This is completely unacceptable and a slap in the face to the talent. Liv Morgan has been the face of the WWE for the past 6 months, we’ve seen her receive a skin in Fortnite, get her own song AND music video, cover magazines and she got a SEVEN MINUTE MATCH. To put it into context, her match vs Stephanie Vaquer was short than Pat McAfee’s entrance. Decisions like this really show you where the heads of the higher ups are at. Who do they think watches these shows? It’s pathetic to call this a wrestling show when less than half of your run time is actual wrestling. Simply put, it was a glorified four-hour commercial break.

The Buildup

As stated above, the hype for Mania really starts in February during or after the Royal Rumble. For night one, most of the matches had a decent amount of time to build on the stories being told - Barring the two tag matches that is. Becky Lynch and AJ Lee had their first match at Elimination Chamber and had a rivalry heating up way before that. Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre began their feud back in January during the European Tour. The issue with the buildup isn’t the buildup but rather the quality of the product over the past couple of months. For example, the women’s ladder match wasn’t finalized until the moment the entrances began. Granted with Nicki Bella being injured there wasn’t time to tell an entirely new story, but it definitely left the match up in the air (We will get to this very soon!). Another major fumble in buildup was the main event. You have an almost 20-year-old story between veterans Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton being handed to you in a silver platter. However, it is completely ruined by the addition of forgettable celebrities that have no relevancy in the current state of the product. Sure, Patt McAfee commentated for a while and Jelly Roll had his first in ring match with Randy... but why are we adding these names to the MAIN EVENT of a wrestling show?

So… what now?

So that was night one of the biggest wrestling night of the year. I think it’s safe to say that subpar is an understatement. The good matches were way too short, leaving us fans wanting more and what’s probably the worst main event in the history of the show was way too drawn out. With night 2 still ahead of us, we can only hope that TKO and WWE make on the fly changes to make the show more pleasant to sit through. With less ads, longer matches, and better talent showcase, they can really turn out a decent product. Maybe then they can save this Mania from possibly going down as one of the worst ever.

Movies are something that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is a hobby that I share with some of the closest people to me. Partly because we’d have the gnarliest conversations after every movie we watched. As I got older and busier, the time to watch movies with others quickly dissipated. As it became a privilege, I yearned for a space to talk about the film I just watched, even if it was writing it down in my notes app. Then, I found Letterboxd!

This is truly such a fun little app! It’s a social media where people get to log the films they watch… and others can judge them for it! The coolest feature to me is the top 4 that you can add to your profile. Some take this more leisurely than others, but I happen to be the latter. I believe I can get a good understanding of someone just off their top 4. So, as one does, I got to thinking. What does mine say about me!? Here is my top 4, in order(I think)!

4. Hereditary

I can remember a world before Hereditary. This film really brought A24 to the forefront. Horror movies before this were not taken seriously whatsoever. The slow burning dread, the cult, the possession – there is so much packed into this film and yet somehow, it all comes together to give us this horrifying film. This is really the movie that made “elevated horror” such a pretentious phrase in the first place. The car scene is still one of the only scenes to ever make me squirm in discomfort. This is one of the best horror movies in recent memory and nobody can tell me otherwise!

3. Godzilla

If you know me, you know I love a good Kaiju flick! The original Godzilla was so good for its time. The audio used for Goji’s voice is still used today. The impact that this film has had is quite underrated. I know I have the original here, but this shares a spot with every masterpiece Godzilla is in. From Godzilla vs Biollante to Godzilla Minus One (I swear I am not forgetting you, Shin Godzilla!) There is an endless list of peak Kaiju cinema. There was no way I wasn’t having Godzilla on here, I went to Shinjuku to take a picture with him after all!

2. Moonlight

Words cannot begin to describe the feelings this film brought me. At a time when I was struggling with my sexuality, it almost felt like this movie was gifted right to me. I saw this movie 6 times in theaters, and it was a limited release! It was the first film (outside of the geeky stuff) that I bought for my media collection. I will never not recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good cry.

Cinematography 10/10

Acting 10/10

Story 10/10

… and yes, I do think it deserved the win over La La Land!

1. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

There was absolutely no way I could make a film ranking and not have this as my first film. This is easily my favorite movie of all time. I listen to zero criticisms about this movie and I don’t really care! I remember the first time I ever saw this and bawling my eyes out when Vader revealed he was Luke’s father – it was that serious! Not only is this film very personal to me but it’s also a film that shook up the entire industry. Just like Godzilla before this, this spot shares its slot with all the Star Wars media that we have ever received. It is an IP that I hold near and dear to my heart; it just so happens that this is my favorite of the bunch. I would give anything to warp back in time and experience it in its original theater run, thankfully we have ClavisFlex on YouTube for that!

So, there’s my top 4. If I had to judge myself off my selections, I would definitely say I am a nerd with good taste! Jokes aside, movies mean different things to different people, and it feels endearing when a platform like letterboxd lets us express our love for them. Our top 4’s are just representations of what we love about movies — a good way for a follower to know exactly what they’re getting into when they read your reviews. Though I joked about it, it should by no means be a way to judge others. Sure, you can argue with me that Return of The Jedi is better but what good does that do?! It simply does not matter!

The Nostalgia

Ever since I could remember, physical media has been part of my life. Whether it was renting movies/buying movies or saving every penny to get the new Pokémon game – I was always happy to have my new piece of media that I consume to my heart’s content. I remember my nightly routine as a nine-year-old was to wait until my brother was done playing Mortal Kombat – I would quickly take his disc out of the PlayStation 2, run over to our bookshelf in the corner of the room, and shove it back in our media binder. I would sift through the pages, find my copy of Star Wars Battlefront II, and run back over before placing it in the disc tray. After I exhausted myself from dusting droids or was simply reprimanded to “get off the damn game”, I would run back over to that bookshelf, grab my media binder again, and choose which movie I’d be falling asleep to – spoiler alert, it was ALWAYS Star Wars. I would tuck myself into bed quickly like the static of the TV was a timer about to tick off. After a few minutes of aiming the controller at my insignia tube TV (with a built-in DVD player, might I add!) like I was back in Battlefront II, my movie would spin up and I’d be off to bed before Qui-Gon could talk about Midi-chlorians. I’m not telling this story because I was some Star Wars-obsessed kid – but because I see those discs I talk about every day. Whenever I look at some piece of tech from my childhood – memories such as this one flood my mind. Technology, especially in analog forms of it, has this effect on people currently in their 30’s that I think has never been seen before – I mean, it has literally matured with us. We’re in this unique age group where we are tech literate enough to effectively use a computer, but we also remember a time when we had to blow into a Nintendo 64 cartridge to get the game to work.

The Shift: What Happened?

Now, as time went on as it usually does – and the 2000s ended, things began to change. We saw companies like Netflix move over from mailing your movies to creating a streaming service. At first, it seemed like streaming was the way to go. The simplicity of having thousands of movies at a low cost carried more benefits than the alternative. We started to see more alternatives to different types of media – like Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus for video games and Spotify or Apple Music for music. The market began to flood with all types of subscription models for everything, and what we thought was convenience at a low cost quickly became an example of capitalism at its worst.

We are now in 2026, where subscription services have taken over the entire home entertainment sector. It has gotten to the point where computers do not even come with disc trays anymore. What was once an affordable system to enjoy your entertainment the quickest way possible is now worse than what cable used to be. Since these services have taken over and indoctrinated everyone into their system, we see price increases happening all the time. Just in the last year, Netflix has increased their prices once again, with the ad-free version being $27 USD. Spotify has also recently raised the cost of their service in February, raising their service to $13 USD. Despite these egregious price increases, we began to see drops in physical media sales throughout all forms of media. CD sales have steadily declined since their peak in the early 2000s, and movies have been taken over by streaming platforms. One of the most important ways of consuming media was quickly and quietly becoming obsolete as billionaires profited off the guise of “convenience”. Just in 2024, we saw giant companies like Best Buy and Target pull away from physical media – barring some new musical releases where you can see the shelves filled with whatever new Taylor Swift vinyl is out (it seems like there’s one every week!). So where does this end?

The Comeback: Revival

2026 is already one odd year – for more reasons than not. The United States is ever-so-clearly run by someone whose main objective is to fill the pockets of billionaires. The year began with news of a purchase deal – where Netflix was in talks of purchasing Warner Bros., one of the “Big Five” in major film studios. To explain in the shortest number of words why this is a horrible deal that should never have even been able to be conjured in the first place: imagine a world where films like One Battle After Another, Sinners, and Dune Part 3 were straight-to-streaming slop. Just days after the announcement of Netflix’s “big win”, they raised their prices. As the well runs dry for many Americans, actions like this make them exhausted – why pay these absurd prices when what is offered to you isn’t even substantial enough to warrant the price.

Another way the straw broke the camel’s back was TikTok – not the app itself but the vastness at which information spreads. Current trends are focused around 2016 nostalgia and yearning for analog tech. It has suddenly become cool again to want an iPod! The price of used tech has skyrocketed, with some prices rivaling some of the modern tech out right now. You can walk into any GameStop (who on earth wants to do that?) and purchase a used Nintendo 3DS for $400. That is $50 cheaper than Nintendo’s shiny new toy, the Nintendo Switch 2. While we can argue the semantics of price gouging products, it can still serve as an indicator that the demand for them is there.

Almost every day for the past few months has been positive news for physical media. We’ve seen Criterion hit record sales each time. We are seeing companies like Netflix fold to the pressure and release more of their content in physical form. Within the last month, we’ve seen a 4K/Blu-ray release of Stranger Things get a release date. Criterion also announced physical releases of Frankenstein and K-Pop Demon Hunters – which are two of Netflix’s biggest releases of 2025. Considering Netflix is the front face of streaming services, seeing them agree to releases like this is a major victory for the community. With companies in Japan also vowing to continue the production of devices like Blu-ray players, there are only bright days ahead for people who love hoarding their favorite films!

The Evolution: Adapting

It is undeniable that, while very cool, physical pieces of analog tech are quite inconvenient. Arguing about everything I have even written above can sound silly at times because it often gets shut down with the point of convenience. Why use an old iPod that has a bad screen and uses wired headphones that seem to get more tangled with every pocket shove? Why use toothpaste on a disc that falls on the ground and gets scratches when you can just use an Apple TV? Why blow into a game cart when you can just download it from the online shop? While all these things sound easier to use, it strips people of their intention. The idea is that eventually, you’ll give away your agency to these algorithms and just allow them to do the work for you. Curation is a huge driver in bringing me back to my collection. The idea that I can still choose what I consume is enough to keep me going in this hobby. Another major point of contention is ownership. The idea of having something they cannot alter or take away is probably the biggest argument you’ll hear amongst collectors. The idea of having a tangible piece of art that they can call their own is enough to keep them going. Everyone has their reasons to collect media, and I think that is the beauty of this hobby – you get to collect things the way YOU want to.

Now comes a harsh reality that some might not want to hear… taking on more digital content has its benefits too. Now I don’t mean logging onto Amazon Prime and buying the newest release the second it drops. While you can do that, you’re not really purchasing ownership of the product but rather a license that lets you use it. I mean truly owning your digital media. You see, living so close to the city comes with its pros and cons, and one of the biggest cons is space. As much as I would love to have a library of discs and vinyl, it’s just not a reality at this point in my life. I spent all of 2025 planning an alternative that can still provide me with the joy that collecting brings me. One of my biggest projects going into this year was making a home media server that holds every piece of media that I can possibly own. It isn’t about owning the media for me; it’s about having it be accessible and affordable. Since starting the project, I have a media server running on a mini-PC in its own little spot in the living room. Here is where I rip my DVDs and CDs, store them onto a drive (it’s backed up, don’t worry!) and enjoy my media “the convenient way”. With this media server, I still engage with the media in the traditional way while adopting new advancements that let me enjoy art the way I want to. While it can cost an arm and a leg to get one of these up and functional, you can start with that old laptop you have collecting dust in your closet.

Having one of these servers also allows me to sail the high seas (argh!) where I can find media that isn’t available to purchase whatsoever. One of my favorite shows currently airing is RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the only way I can watch it is by having Paramount+ for the main series, WOW Presents Plus for the global seasons, and Amazon Prime for the All-Stars seasons. This is upwards of $50 a month just to be able to binge-watch some good TV. I took matters into my own hands in this case and set sail, where I found every season up until the current airing one and retrieved them. In my opinion, if buying isn’t owning, being a pirate is not stealing. Now I can enjoy them whichever way I want to. I even plan on making physical versions of my own that I can have at my house whenever I want to pop in a disc and enjoy the series.

The Conclusion: Physical Media Forever!

I believe that this physical media trend boils down to people just being exhausted by being constantly connected. Simply put, our phones are an addiction that companies feed off. They will always try to find ways to make more money, and with the way things are going, they are barely even ashamed of it at this point. Nothing brings me more joy than scrolling online and seeing younger people talk about movie hauls or CD hauls, because for a while, I thought all of that was coming to an end. Media preservation, whether it’s discs and vinyl or a hard drive on an old dusty computer, is vital to the preservation of art. The attempt at its removal is simply an attempt to rid us of what makes art so special. I encourage anyone to go into physical media collecting with a new perspective. Search local bin stores or even sites like eBay to keep used prints in circulation, visit boutique sites like Criterion for new releases of older films, and if cost is an issue, visit your local library! Most libraries have a repertoire of movies, games, and music at no cost. It is an infinitely valuable resource that is very underutilized today. The point of me writing this is to show my passion for collecting and explain why I do it. If this essay was enough to get just one person to consider collecting media, I would deem it a success. Though new releases would be harder to get if more people got into the hobby, that is a price I would pay to keep this hobby around. Physical media forever!