Movie Reviews 2025: Kinda Pregnant, Dog Man, Presence

By Alex Wiggan

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of Movie Reviews 2025! It’s a new day, a new week, a new month, and there are new movies to watch and review.

Although, to be clear, you only need to watch the movies, as the reviewing part has been taken out of your hands. No, no, you don’t have to say thank you – it’s all part of the service.

Just think of Movie Reviews 2025 as your weekly, indispensable guide to what’s available to watch at the cinema, at home, or on the go. From big screen to small, and from digital to discs, it all winds up here for your convenience and all you need do is read about it!

So, what’s on the horizon this week? Well in this edition of Movie Reviews 2025 there are reviews for Presence, September 5, and Dog Man.

Plus, classic sci-fi horror movie, Pitch Black turns 25, and Greatest Days finally gets a DVD release (it’s been a long time coming). Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, Amy Schumer is Kinda Pregnant.

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In cinemas…

Presence (2024)

First up this week is the supernatural thriller, Presence. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, and Eddy Maday, and follows the story of a family who move into a new house inhabited by a poltergeist.

In the film, Rebecca Payne and her husband Chris move into their new home with their two children, Tyler and Chloe. While this should be a joyous occasion for the Paynes, things aren’t going well for the family.

Chloe has recently suffered the unexpected loss of a close friend and it is something she is understandably struggling to process. Meanwhile, Rebecca and Chris are not as close as they once were, and Tyler is very much wrapped up in himself.

Over the coming days, as the family experience a turbulent time, an unseen force watches over them. Something else is living in the house, and it has a keen interest in Chloe.

From reading the blurb above, it doesn’t sound like Presence is all that much of a supernatural picture, does it? Well, to be clear it is, and the poltergeist at the heart of this story plays a key role in everything that unfolds.

However, while it is fair to say Presence is a ghostly thriller, with the occasional chilling moments, the film is also very much a domestic drama, as well as an exploration of trauma. The film zeroes in on the internal problems facing the Paynes and this becomes a significant aspect of the narrative.

But get this: The story is presented from the perspective of the ghost. So, everything that happens with the Payne family is witnessed through the eyes of Casper.

Not actually Casper of course, but an unnamed ghost referred to as ‘the presence’. This presence sees all and hears all, and its existence is an interesting way for the audience to be drawn into this fascinating and imaginative little film.

As the story unspools, tension begins to mount as it becomes clear the presence may not be the scariest thing going on in the film. From here some of the dots begin to connect up, as the movie slides into slightly different territory, and Presence moves from chiller into the realm of thriller.

I won’t delve into too many plot details, through fear of giving things away, but this isn’t just a straightforward haunted house flick. There’s a little more to the story than lights flickering and things going bump in the night.

Not that the occasional bump isn’t fun to watch. Director Steven Soderbergh captures the presence of the er… ‘presence’ marvellously, bringing the unseen character to life without the need for endless exposition and this makes for one of the best on-screen ghosts in recent years.

Add to this a superb cast, a swift runtime, and Soderbergh’s deft ability to get to the crux of each scene and this all becomes intriguing stuff. Presence is an expertly crafted picture, with plenty going on, and if you get the chance to catch this one on the big screen, you should take it.

While Presence may not be entirely original in what it does, and certainly has shades of Paranormal Activity about it (as well as the found footage genre in general), it is a thoroughly engrossing movie. The storytelling technique in play is first-rate, really capturing the imagination, while the sound, lighting, and staging of the drama keeps the investment level riding high.

The film dips a little toward the end, with a slightly rushed finale, but if you can overlook this aspect of the picture, Presence should grab your attention. Should you wish to check it out, it’s now playing in UK and US cinemas.

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In cinemas…

Dog Man (2025)

Next up is the children’s animated comedy, Dog Man. Written and directed by Peter Hastings (he also provides some vocal work), and based on the graphic novel series of the same name, the movie tells the story of a canine police officer, who is part dog, part man!

In the movie, Officer Knight and Greg the Dog are hot on the trail of Petey the Cat. Petey is the most notorious criminal in OK City, regularly evades capture, and is extremely dangerous.

To prove how dangerous he is (and how keen he is to rid the world of Officer Knight and Greg), Petey plants a bomb to finish them off. But the death trap doesn’t work as planned, and soon the salvageable parts of man and mutt are stitched together (by medical professionals) to form Dog Man!

From here, Dog Man becomes Petey’s greatest nemesis. But can Dog Man become OK City’s greatest champion as Petey embarks on further crime sprees?

With a super-sharp script, a conveyor belt of gags, and some gorgeous animation, Dog Man is a highly enjoyable treat of a movie. It’s the sort of thing that sounds bonkers, is bonkers, never pretends to be anything other than bonkers, but is all the better for it.

The film is a spin-off of 2017’s Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, and if your kids love that film, they will like this one too. It’s tailor-made with young audiences in mind, with plenty of colourful characters, off-the-wall humour, and fast-paced action to entertain.

However, Dog Man doesn’t just have kid appeal in mind, it can be enjoyed by adults too. While Dog Manmay look as if it belongs in an afternoon slot on Nickelodeon or the CBBC Channel, there is plenty of fun to keep parents chuckling along in between mouthfuls of popcorn.

Plus, the movie includes a delightful little character called Li’l Petey – a kind and inquisitive clone-kitten of Petey. Li’l Petey is adorable, is relatable to young audiences, and should warm the hearts of older audiences too.

The voice cast of Dog Man includes Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Root, Lucas Hopkins Calderon, and Billy Boyd. All the key players understand the tone, the rhythm, and the playfulness of this picture, and have a blast with the material they are given.

Davidson in particular is brilliant as Petey, bringing the exact energy and menace required for a megalomaniac moggy. I don’t want to say Dog Man is Davidson’s movie…

*whispers in a hushed tone*

…but it is…

…and he gets to deliver one of the best, Aliens-inspired lines in the film.

Ricky Gervais is also excellent as Flippy the (telekinetic) Fish. Gervais hams up the performance no end and it’s a delight to hear him embody an aquatic adversary.

If your kids have had enough of YouTube and TikTok, or YOU have had enough of YouTube and TikTok, then Dog Man is the solution. The film provides a glorious distraction from all the noise of the world, is genuinely a great deal of fun, and offers up a heartfelt narrative about parenthood and heroism.

Dog Man is whimsical and wonderful in equal measure. Should you wish to treat the kids (or yourself), the film is now playing in UK and US cinemas.

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On disc…

Greatest Days (2023)

Onto Greatest Days now, which has been previously covered on this blog (so I won’t be looking at the film in length), but it is getting a mention today because the film is FINALLY available on physical media in the UK. Yep, you can now buy a copy of Greatest Days to pop on your shelf… two years after the film played in cinemas!

Don’t get too excited, there’s no Blu-ray release or 4K, it is DVD only I’m afraid. However, as Greatest Days is an Amazon-exclusive streaming title at the moment, which you can’t even buy digitally(!!!), a DVD copy of the film is better than nothing.

As for the movie itself, Greatest Days is a British musical comedy-drama directed by Coky Giedroyc, which stars Aisling Bea, Alice Lowe, Jayde Adams, and Amaka Okafor. The film is based on the stage musical of the same name, which revolves around the songs of pop group, Take That, and is a daft, but heartfelt romp that has the ability to bring a tear to the eye.

Upon release, Greatest Days didn’t get the traction it deserved at the cinema and pretty much came and went in a flash. So much so, you might not even be aware of its existence.

The film’s lack of availability on physical media also didn’t help. Nor did it’s restrictive ‘exclusivity’ to one streamer.

This is a shame, because it’s all likeable stuff. Reviewing the film back in 2023, I said: “Greatest Days is a fizzy pop picture, ideal for those who want to knock back a couple of glasses of Prosecco in the company of friends.”

Anyway, should you wish to grab a copy of Greatest Days, the film is available from all good entertainment retailers priced at £9.99. It’s camp and silly, but hey, when has that ever been a problem?

In addition to the movie, the DVD includes interviews with Aisling Bea, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald, as well as a trailer.

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Now streaming…

Kinda Pregnant (2025)

Now available to stream on Netflix is the comedy, Kinda Pregnant. Directed by Tyler Spindel, the film stars Amy Schumer, Jillian Bell, Brianne Howey, Urzila Carlson, Damon Wayans Jr., and Will Forte, and tells the story of a woman who pretends to be pregnant.

In the film, Lainy Newton is a school teacher who has spent her life wishing she could be a mother. She believes this will eventually happen, because she has a loving boyfriend who is set to propose to her.

However, Lainy’s boyfriend doesn’t have marriage in mind. He’s more interested in opening up his relationship to a threesome – something Lainy is not happy about.

After the pair split up, Lainy finds herself unsure about her future. Meanwhile, Lainy’s best friend Kate falls pregnant, and so does one of her work colleagues, Shirley.

Overcome with jealousy, Lainy decides to wear a fake pregnancy belly, to give the impression she has conceived. This in turn opens up new opportunities, as people fall over themselves to be polite to her, now she is ‘expecting’.

But the decision to fake a pregnancy comes back to bite Lainy on the butt, when she has to maintain the pretence she’s with child. This gets worse when Lainy meets the man of her dreams and he buys into the lie.

With a fairly consistent gag rate, as well as a decent lead performance from Amy Schumer, Kinda Pregnant is kinda fun. It’s not kinda amazing, nor is it a total laugh riot, but there is some enjoyment to be had.

A few of the jokes gently tickle the ribs, and the ongoing gag of Lainy attempting to fake her pregnancy brings a couple of moments of slapstick. There’s also a humorous supporting role for Urzila Carlson, who pops up as a school guidance counsellor and gets all the best lines.

So, yeah, Kinda Pregnant is not bad. At times, it’s even good.

The reason Kinda Pregant doesn’t quite hit the heights it could is because it moves too slowly and goes on too long. It also runs into the same issue as pretty much every Netflix film: It wants to be moving wallpaper with scenes for audiences to focus on and bits for everyone to ignore while doomscrolling.

This is an ongoing problem with Netflix movies, which is ruining the enjoyment of potentially fine films. But… this is a much bigger discussion for another day.

What you really need to know is that Kinda Pregnant has likeable moments and from time-to-time there are some laughs. It loses momentum at times and attention levels will drift, but it’s alright.

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Anniversary focus…

Pitch Black (2000)

In Pitch Black, it is the distant future and the spaceship Hunter-Gratzner is mid-flight when it encounters problems. Knocked off course, the ship crash lands on a nearby planet, killing passengers in the process.

One of the survivors of the crash is imprisoned criminal, Richard B. Riddick. With the ship down, and everyone distracted, Riddick uses the incident as an opportunity to escape, and flees into the sand dunes.

A party is sent out to retrieve him and soon Riddick is back under lock and key. But as the survivors soon discover, Riddick is the least of their problems, as the planet is home to some terrifying inhabitants who are very aggressive.

Directed and co-written by David Twohy, Pitch Black is a sci-fi horror movie starring Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, and Claudia Black. Originally released in 2000, Pitch Black is an action-orientated, suspense-filled thrill ride, with a career elevating performance from Diesel.

What’s more, this year Pitch Black celebrates its 25th anniversary. That’s 25 years of desert-based drama, 25 years of sci-fi goodness, and 25 years of a bunch of characters fighting for their lives against vicious creatures.

These creatures terrorise the survivors of the Hunter-Gratzner, picking them off one-by-one in a blood-thirsty frenzy. However, they do have one significant weakness which aids the humans: The creatures don’t like the light.

This is something which is rather handy for all involved, because the planet is surrounded by three suns. The suns place everything in perpetual daylight, keeping the creatures at bay.

Only problem is, the ship crash-landed shortly before an eclipse, meaning darkness is on its way. And once the light disappears and everything goes black, the creatures are free to roam!

Now, I know what you’re thinking, strip back the eclipse story beat and this all sounds a bit like the plot of an Alien movie, doesn’t it? Well, yes it does.

With a bit of reworking Pitch Black could easily slot into the Xenomorph saga. It certainly has Alien/Aliens DNA and if you’re a fan of that film series then you will be able to see the comparisons.

But this isn’t an Alien film; it’s more a picture inspired by it. Pitch Black takes the bones of an Alien film, before hooking the vast majority of its story onto a tale about Riddick, and this is where its strength lies.

Pitch Black is as much a story of survival against creepy critters as it is a sort-of redemption arc for the muscle-clad criminal. Riddick is pitched as an anti-hero, who has to prove he’s more than just a rotter, and throughout Pitch Black he becomes the stand-out star/saviour of the film.

As noted above, playing Riddick was a career elevating performance for Diesel, and it won him a legion of new fans. Although the actor had starred in some high-profile pictures prior to Pitch Black, even providing the voice of the title character in The Iron Giant (1999), it was Pitch Black that put him on everyone’s radar.

However, Pitch Black isn’t just Diesel’s picture, the film has a great cast with the likes of Keith David and Claudia Black putting in solid performances as fellow survivors. And then there is Radha Mitchell as the ship’s docking pilot, Carolyn Fry, who is an ace in this film’s deck and a superb co-lead alongside Diesel.

If for any reason Pitch Black has escaped your attention for the past quarter century, but you’re looking for a good ol’ fashioned sci-fi horror film to while away the hours, this is for you. It’s nuts and bolts stuff, and yes at times it is derivative, but it’s highly enjoyable nonetheless, with a good cast, some strong visuals, and a story which feels like it is building out a much bigger world.

That world would expand with two live-action sequels, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and Riddick (2013), as well as an animated offering, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004), but it’s Pitch Black which is the gem. Produced on a budget of $23 million – a mere trifle compared to the $200 million+ films these days – Pitch Black makes the most of its characters, story, and setting to deliver a satisfying slice of sci-fi fun.

Should you wish to watch Pitch Black, the movie isn’t currently available on streaming, nor can you buy it on digital (the pitfalls of the modern age once again), but it is available on Blu-ray and 4K UHD. So, should you want to celebrate its 25th birthday, warm up that disc player!

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In cinemas…

September 5 (2024)

And finally, in September 5 the year is 1972 and ABC Sports is in the midst of its TV coverage of the Summer Olympics in Munich when an unimaginable situation occurs. On September 5th, while the production crew are working behind the scenes to bring all the action of the games to the homes of millions, gunshots can be heard in the distance.

The shots are coming from the Olympic Village. A terrorist organisation known as Black September has infiltrated the area and have taken the Israeli team hostage.

As events unfold, Geoffrey Mason, the head of the ABC control room, pivots his team’s focus away from the sport to zero-in on the harrowing news at hand. As the situation worsens, the crew track the story, attempting to get as much information as possible, so they can bring the details to the world.

Directed and co-written by Tim Fehlbaum, and based on a true story, September 5 is a historical drama-thriller starring John Magaro, Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch. The film provides an account of the 1972 Munich Massacre in West Germany, but told from the perspective of those attempting to relay the news, rather than those in the midst of the attack.

Keeping the story largely confined to the studio, with news footage providing a snapshot of the events happing outside, September 5 gets to the heart of the story without the need to glorify the action or create unnecessary scenes of spectacle. Instead, it focuses on the people behind the scenes, the decisions made to convey the news, and the horror of the situation.

The result is a tense, incredibly effective picture which gets to the root of what it is like to report a breaking story in real-time. The film is insightful, at times claustrophobic, and never less than captivating.

Seeing how the action plays out, and how the newscycle reacts to a developing narrative is a key component of this film. September 5 is about the humanity, as well as the importance of pinning down the facts in an ever-changing scenario, and director Tim Fehlbaum captures this perfectly.

Through the use of tight camera angles and close-ups, Fehlbaum conveys the intensity of the drama marvellously. And while this story could easily be presented as a three-part streaming drama rather than a film, the director keeps things feeling cinematic throughout.

Whether you’re familiar with the events surrounding the 1972 Summer Olympics or not, September 5 is a truly fascinating film, worthy of your time. The movie takes a story from over 50 years ago, brings it back into the public consciousness, and makes it feel relevant for today.

We now live in a world where breaking news is part of our day-to-day existence, but do we really understand the thoughts, feelings, and decisions being made to keep us in the loop? Perhaps not, but September 5 certainly does.

Should you wish to watch September 5, the movie is now playing in UK cinemas.

Movie Reviews 2025: Kinda Pregnant, Dog Man, Presence

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