Movie Reviews 2025: Heart Eyes, Captain America: Brave New World, Elevation

By Alex Wiggan

Did you see that? It just zipped past you while you weren’t looking.

There it goes again. It’s sort of floating right by you now – I’m surprised you didn’t see it earlier.

What is it? Why, it’s love of course, and it’s in the air. It’s in the air because today is Valentine’s Day. Are you celebrating the occasion?

Well, whether you are celebrating Valentine’s Day or not, the film studios and streaming giants certainly are, and there is a bit of love and romance in this week’s selection of movies. Heck, there’s even a red Hulk in one of this week’s films, and we all know red is the colour of love, right? Or is it anger?

Anyway, let’s just call it love and move on. There’s no time to sweat the semantics of a red Hulk when there’s movies to review!

Speaking of reviews, this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2025 includes write-ups for Heart Eyes, Death Before the Wedding, and Punch-Drunk Love. Plus we’re double-dipping with Anthony Mackie in Elevation and Captain America: Brave New World.

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In cinemas…

Heart Eyes (2025)

First up, in Heart Eyes, it’s Valentine’s Day and the Heart Eyes Killer is on a rampage. For the past two years, the masked serial killer has terrorised the love smitten across the US, leaving law enforcement struggling to protect citizens.

This year, the Heart Eyes Killer appears to be targeting victims in Seattle. The killer has already bumped off one couple in the midst of a proposal, with more couples dying shortly after.

The latest targets are Ally and Jay. The pair are in the first flourishes of attraction, but the Heart Eyes Killer is ready to end their courtship before it begins.

Directed by Josh Ruben, from a script by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy, Heart Eyes is a romantic comedy slasher starring Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster. The film is now playing in UK and US cinemas, and is a fairly enjoyable horror which takes aspects of the rom-com (bickering leads, simmering sexual tension), blends them with the iconography of various slashers (Friday the 13th, The Town that Dread Sundown, etc), and falls just the right side of likeable to make it work.

One minute it’s all about the romance, the next it’s all about the blood and gore, and there’s something refreshing in the mix. Heart Eyes is certainly a decent ‘date night’ picture, with some humorous lines of dialogue and enough kills to hit the sweet spot, meaning it should do well over the Valentine’s Day weekend.

The film also solves the problem of what do you go and see as a couple when one of you wants something sweet and the other wants something salty? Here you get a bit of both and it all goes down nicely with bucket of popcorn and a cheeky snog on the back row.*

*No heavy petting though.

So, mostly some good stuff and a fair amount of fun to be had. However, despite the parts that work, Heart Eyes isn’t perfect, nor does it quite reach its potential.

While the film does a fairly good job of applying the romance to the horror (or the horror to the romance), it does suffer from pacing issues. Things start off fine, and end well too, but there is some sag in the middle which slows things down considerably.

A key problem is that Heart Eyes could do with a few more location changes. At times the film lingers in one setting too long, which impacts the momentum, and overall it could be quicker and slicker with some additional scenes, some editing, or perhaps a few more ideas.

While Heart Eyes works fine, and it should do the job for those after a bit of escapism and entertainment over the weekend, the movie does require a bit more development. Parts work very well, others not so much, and the end result is something which has a few ups and downs – although, arguably more ups than downs.

So if you choose your bathroom breaks accordingly, and nip out for more popcorn when things slow down a bit, you should find the stronger parts of the film to your liking. Heart Eyes isn’t the best horror, nor is it the best rom-com, but it mostly does the job and arrives at the ideal time.

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Now streaming…

Death Before the Wedding (2025)

Next up, is the Polish comedy, Death Before the Wedding (aka Zgon Przed Weselem). Directed by Tomasz Konecki and Iwona Ogonowska-Konecka, the film stars Tomasz Karolak, Agnieszka Suchora, and Natalia Iwanska, and tells the story of a father who is determined to see his daughter marry, whether he wants the wedding to go ahead or not.

In the movie, on the day of her graduation, Maja announces to her father, Mirek that she is getting married. This announcement does not go down well.

But Mirek – the foreman at a local dairy farm – has other problems on his plate. He has forgotten his wedding anniversary; the manager at his work has died under unfortunate circumstances; and the President of the company wants to shut the business down.

The only bright spot in his otherwise terrible existence is that said President is willing to make a deal. If Mirek will let his wife act as the wedding planner for Maja’s big day, he’ll reconsider his plans regarding the business.

Aware he has little choice but to agree, Mirek contacts Maja and tells her the wedding can go ahead. Problem is, Maja’s fiancé, Miłosz is black and Mirek is a bit of a racist (he’s also sexist too, so generally a problematic character all round).

With a plot about a dairy farm, a dead body, a wedding, a forgotten anniversary, a wedding planner, sexism, and a bit of casual racism, you might expect Death Before the Wedding to be mildly amusing. It certainly has all the farcical elements of a decent comedy, and there is the sense the movie believes itself to be fairly funny.

Unfortunately, self-belief is all it’s got, and this self-belief is hugely misplaced. None of the jokes land; Mirek’s attitude towards his wife/daughter/future son-in-law are 50 years out of date; and the storyline about a wedding which may or may not happen just isn’t very interesting.

On top of all this, Death Before the Wedding is far too long for its own good. It drags on for 1hr 45 minutes, which is arguably 1hr 40 minutes longer than it needs to.

Is it watchable? I guess. But then, so is an instructional video about cleaning gutters – it doesn’t mean it’s entertaining!

On the plus side, the cast do what they can with the material they are given and it looks good. As moving wallpaper it’s fine, and the story gets a happy resolution, but don’t expect to be clutching your sides and laughing your ass off, because I doubt you’ll even utter a mild titter.

Anyway, should you wish to watch Death Before the Wedding, the movie is now streaming on Netflix. But remember, no one is forcing you to watch this.

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Now streaming…

Elevation (2024)

And now for the first of two movies this week starring Anthony Mackie (the other is reviewed a little further down). The movie is the post-apocalyptic action thriller, Elevation.

Directed by George Nolfi, Elevation stars the aforementioned Mackie, alongside Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson, and Danny Boyd Jr. The film tells the story of a father who is attempting to keep his son alive in a world overrun with monsters.

In the movie, the world has gone to Hell. Mysterious predators known as Reapers have emerged from below ground and have wiped out over 95% of all human life.

Three years later, and what remains of the human race is living in pocket communities situated 8,000ft above sea level (where it is safe). This includes single father, Will, and his son, Hunter, who live in the Lost Gulch Refuge in Colorado.

Hunter suffers with a lung disease, and Will has been doing his best to manage his son’s condition despite their circumstances. However, when the final filter on Hunter’s oxygen machine burns out, he is forced to leave the community to locate new supplies.

After more than a decade of The Walking Dead appearing on TV screens (as well as spin-offs), and various films and shows such as A Quiet Place and The Last of Us popping up in between, the survivalist genre feels like it has been covered extensively. It doesn’t matter if the chief antagonists are zombies, sound-sensitive beasts, or fungus, many of the key story beats and ideas have already been done, and then done again, and at times, done even more.

So, unless something comes along which offers a new twist on the format, it’s difficult to get truly excited about another film where people live in the woods, fight monsters, and trade boxes of mac and cheese. We’ve kind of seen it a lot over the years, so do we need to see it again?

Well, that’s ultimately up to you to decide. It also depends on your tolerance for these things.

Either way, when it comes to Elevation there isn’t a great deal of new material being thrown at the screen. This is meat and potatoes stuff, so don’t expect any curveballs.

However, it’s not bad meat, nor is it bad potatoes. While the film doesn’t offer any major deviations from the path, and at times it is fairly derivative, Elevation is perfectly acceptable entertainment if you just want a bit of end-of-the-world, escapist thrills.

What helps Elevation is strong lead performances from Mackie and Baccarin, who are completely solid in this picture, as well as some decent visuals. The landscape and backdrops are beautifully shot, while the monstrous Reapers are surprisingly effective.

Elevation could easily fall into the trap of having a generic story AND poor execution, but it doesn’t. Sure, the story may have been done to death, with parts playing out like missions in a video game, but it looks good and has performances to back it up,

Plus, Elevation comes in at around 90 minutes, which is just the right amount of time for a movie such as this. If you can’t bring originality, then at least don’t wear out your welcome and Elevation appears to understand this.

Do you need to rush to watch Elevation? No, because you’ve kind of seen it before, or at the very least you have already absorbed all its main points through osmosis, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t enjoyment to be had.

Elevation isn’t amazing, yet it is perfectly fine for what it is. At times it feels as if it could have been reworked into the pilot for a TV show, but as a movie it’s alright.

Should you wish to check it out for yourself, Elevation is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

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On disc…

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Now available on Special Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray in the UK, as part of the Criterion Collection, is the romantic drama-comedy, Punch-Drunk Love. Originally released in 2002, the movie is written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson; stars Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán, and Mary Lynn Rajskub; and follows the story of an entrepreneur who falls in love with his sister’s friend, while struggling with some pressing problems.

In the film, Barry Egan is a single guy with a moderately successful business and severe social anxiety. By day he sells decorative toilet brushes, while at night he keeps himself to himself in his sparsely furnished apartment.

One evening, after battling with his anxiety, a burst of anger, and a bout of loneliness, Barry rings up a sex chat line. Barry isn’t interested in the sex side of things, he mostly wants someone to talk to, and hands over his credit card details.

The next morning, he receives a call from the woman he spoke to the night before. She attempts to extort money from him, threatening to expose his call unless he hands over some cash.

Barry refuses, heads off to work, cancels his cards, and attempts to go about his day. This day is then interrupted by his sister, Elizabeth, who is keen to set Barry up with her friend, Lena.

As the story progresses, Barry and Lena attempt to date, but their courtship is interrupted by a bunch of heavies on a mission. They are the brothers of the sex chat worker and are keen to extort money from Barry, pushing his anxiety and aggression levels through the roof.

Now, as we all know by now, there are good Adam Sandler movies and there are bad Adam Sandler movies. I’m very pleased to say, Punch-Drunk Love falls firmly into the former category.

In fact, Punch-Drunk Love isn’t just a good Adam Sandler movie, it is an excellent one. Sandler gives one of his best on-screen performances as Barry, while writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson serves up a whirlwind of a picture which is mesmerising, tense, and occasionally absurd.

One minute the film is a delightful love story between Barry and Lena, while the next it’s a stress-inducing drama with conversation-interrupting phone calls, a group of thugs hellbent on causing agro, and far too many sisters getting involved in Barry’s life. There are moments of calm, and there are moments of frenzy, and you never quite know what’s coming next.

And while attention is often focused on Barry and his interactions with family or co-workers, a number of seemingly random elements are also thrown into his story. One is an abandoned harmonium, which he picks up off the street and takes back to his office, while another is a pudding promotion which he becomes obsessed with, resulting in the purchase of multiple packs of pudding.

In short: There is a lot going on in Punch-Drunk Love. Some of the plot points seem to make sense, some a little less so, but everything is moved around the screen with so much precision, it’s difficult not to get drawn into the story.

And all of this is then helped along by some superb editing from Leslie Jones, as well as a brilliant soundtrack from Jon Brion which perfectly matches the rhythm and pace of the drama. It’s also a soundtrack which includes a remix of ‘He Needs Me’ from 1980’s Popeye – one of the few good things from that Robin Williams disaster.

Upon release, Punch-Drunk Love was deemed a financial flop, as it didn’t manage to recoup its budget, however, it was a critical success – and it’s not surprising. The film offers an excellent performance from Sandler, while the narrative is heartfelt, humorous, and often anarchic, which makes for a compelling ride.

Should you wish to take a look at this new, two-disc release of Punch-Drunk Love, the Criterion Collection edition includes a 4K digital restoration, a Blossoms & Blood short, a recording session, an interview with composer Jon Brion, an NBC news interview, a trailer, an essay by Miranda July, and much more. The set is available from all good entertainment retailers right now, and you should find it priced at around £29.99.

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In cinemas…

Captain America: Brave New World (2025)

And finally, in Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson, the current Captain America, is called to the White House to meet with President-elect, Thaddeus Ross. Joining him on the visit are his new wingman, Joaquin Torres, and former super soldier Isaiah Bradley.

During the meeting, Ross discusses his plan to reform the Avengers. He wants Sam to spearhead the group and believes now is the right time for the heroes to return.

Sam is a little surprised at this news and realises he has some thinking to do. Without the Super Soldier serum coursing through his body, Sam is just an ordinary guy, so is he really the right person to lead the Avengers?

While Sam contemplates this, President Ross addresses a group of international delegates. He speaks about a new international treaty, which is connected to the recent discovery of Adamantium.

During the course of the address, Ross is attacked by five supposed terrorists, who make an attempt on his life. One of these so-called terrorists is Isaiah, who inexplicably attempts to shoot the President.

Ross survives the assassination attempt and Isaiah is imprisoned. But convinced his friend is not as guilty as he appears to be, Sam sets out to prove there is more to the incident at the White House than it seems.

OK, so for anyone not quite up to speed, Captain America: Brave New World is the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, while 34 films have come before it, this movie is a sort-of loose follow-up to TV mini-series, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as a sort-of follow on from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

Although, if you haven’t seen either of those, don’t worry too much. You can keep track of the ins and outs of the MCU as much as you like, but most of it becomes self-explanatory in the end.

What you really need to know is that Captain America: Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah and stars Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, and Carl Lumbly. If you’re a fan of the MCU, you’ll find things to like about the movie, and to be clear it is generally fine, however it’s more of a so-so action-thriller than Marvel at its best, so keep this in mind if you’re off to the flicks to watch it this weekend.

In terms of the highlights, you need only look toward the cast. With Mackie, Ford, Nelson, and Lumbly on the call sheet, Captain America: Brave New World is front loaded with actors who can deliver the goods when needed.

No matter how much CGI is chucked at the screen, the actors stand out as the big draw. Mackie and Ford in particular are fab in the film, and help to ground the more fantastical elements of the story.

Outside of this, Mackie’s Captain America continues to look cool; the film is filled with plenty of action sequences; and there are some enjoyable callbacks to the MCU’s early days. As mentioned above, this film has direct links to The Incredible Hulk, which debuted 17 years ago, so it’s nice to finally get some resolution on leftover plot threads from that movie.

Where Captain America: Brave New World is perhaps less successful, is in making this film feel like it is all that necessary. As a piece of entertainment, this is certainly not a bad film (despite what some critics would have you believe), but it’s just not that dynamic or eventful.

The story is slight, the stakes never seem as high as they claim to be, and the much touted and highly publicised appearance of the Red Hulk is a bit of a damp squib. Without giving too much away, Red Hulk gets limited screen time and you’ll be waiting for quite a while to see him.

The Marvel marketing team sure over-egged the pudding on this character. Plus, if you’ve seen all the trailers and TV spots which feature Red Hulk, then you’ll not really be met with any surprises in Captain America: Brave New World.

Rather frustratingly, you’ll actually not find many surprises in this movie at all. You’ll also find limited humour.

What’s perhaps most surprising is that Captain America: Brave New World has very little to say. For a film which features a hero of colour as Cap, and a President who turns into a monosyllabic rage monster, Captain America: Brave New World plays things safe and appears to have no interest in much subtext.

Take Captain America: Brave New World as a straightforward action-thriller, and you’ll have a decent time. Not an amazing one, but not a poor one either.

There’s enough going on to keep the engine running and thanks to the cast it’s perfectly enjoyable. If this is all you care about, then grab some popcorn, the film isn’t going to disappoint you.

However, if you are hoping for a Cap movie to rival what has come before, to make a statement, or to push the MCU in an exciting new direction, I’m afraid you won’t find it here. Captain America: Brave New World is a by-the-numbers Marvel movie and that’s about it.