Hello and welcome to another edition of Movie Reviews 2025. It’s so lovely to have you back.
I really do appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to read up on all the latest movie reviews. Even if you’re scrolling while on a bathroom break, having you here and spending time engaging with Movie Reviews 2025 is most appreciated.
Now, don’t forget to wash your hands and dry them thoroughly. You can use the posh soap under the sink.
Done it? Good, because it’s time to get started on the latest array of movie reviews, and as always there is a lot to get through.
In this week’s jam-packed instalment of Movie Reviews 2025 you’ll find reviews for musical drama, O’Dessa, as well as write-ups for Revelations, and Con Mum. Plus we’re off to the Louisiana Everglades in Gator Creek!
And if that wasn’t enough, this week sees disc releases for classic horror movies, Dark Night of the Scarecrow, and Godzilla vs. Biollante. Oh, and Novocaine hits UK cinemas!
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Now streaming…
O’Dessa (2025)
First up this week is the post-apocalyptic musical drama, O’Dessa. Written and directed by Geremy Jasper, the film stars Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, and Regina Hall, and follows the story of a young farm girl who could be the key to changing the world.
In the film, the Earth has gone to wrack and ruin. Satylite City stands as one of the last outposts for civilisation, but it is under the control of the questionable Plutonovich.
A prophecy suggests one person could inconvenience Plutonovich’s reign, but is this even possible when he has such a hold over everyone? And could that person really be a 19-year-old dirt farmer with a guitar?
Part Mad Max, part neon nonsense with a country music soundtrack, O’Dessa is a film which is kind of a hard sell. It has the bones of something interesting, and to be fair it does attempt to break from the norm, but it’s all a bit too weird for its own good, and also quite messy.
It’s the sort of movie you enter into with plenty of goodwill, but any enthusiasm you have quickly dries up. O’Dessa doesn’t really go anywhere, it sort of just exists, and at almost two hours in length, its existence is very, very trying.
The film essentially sees the titular O’Dessa Galloway (Sadie Sink) go on a journey of self-discovery, which involves meeting some unusual people, wandering around some colourful places, and belting out some tunes. The music is fine, if nothing spectacular, and Sink does what she can with the material, but the rest is an acquired taste.
If you have the patience to stick with it, you’ll not be rewarded, so my advice is to either skip this one or take a quick taster and see what you think. If the film doesn’t hold your interest after the first fifteen minutes, move on with your life and don’t look back.
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Now streaming…
Revelations (2025)
Up next is the Korean crime thriller, Revelations. Directed and co-written by Yeon Sang-ho, the movie stars Ryu Jun-yeol, Shin Hyeon-bin, Shin Min-jae, and Moon Joo-yeon, and focuses on a pastor and a detective who become involved in a missing person case.
In the film, Sung Min-chan is a pastor at a rundown church. He’s a decent guy, but he has a number of problems on his hands, including a potentially adulterous wife.
One day, while focusing on his work, he receives a call from his wife informing him of some terrible news. Someone has picked up their son from daycare and no one knows where he is.
As soon as he hears this news, Sung Min-chan begins to suspect the mysterious kidnapper is Kwon Yang-rae – a strange man who recently joined his church. Upon looking further into Kwon Yang-rae’s past, Sung Min-chan is horrified to discover he is a two-time sex offender.
Sung Min-chan reports his findings and suspicions to the police, who in turn come to believe Kwon Yang-rae may also be involved in the disappearance of a young girl. The police investigate the case, but all is not quite what it seems.
With a twisting narrative, and an appropriately moody tone, Revelations is a decent and fairly effective thriller. The film essentially follows three characters, the pastor, a police detective, and a suspected kidnapper, as they become entwined in a disturbing case involving mistaken identity, a crisis of faith, and violence.
As the narrative develops, things get a little chaotic, considerably more complicated, and significantly quite dark. What starts off as a straightforward kidnapping becomes something else entirely, and it occasionally has some unsettling scenes.
The stand-out star of the film is Ryu Jun-yeol who takes on the part of Sung Min-chan. The actor is not only great in the role, his character is given the film’s best material and this really shines through.
Where the film struggles a touch is in the length (it’s a bit too long), the pacing (it’s a bit too slow), and the ambition (it loses its way at times). The ending is also underwhelming, which is a shame considering the build up.
There’s some good stuff in here, with religious themes and discussions, as well as a couple of neat ideas, but it just doesn’t quite work as intended. That said, it’s not bad and if you can overlook some of the movie’s shortcomings it may capture your attention.
Should you wish to check out Revelations, the movie is now streaming on Netflix.
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On disc…
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
New to Blu-ray this week, courtesy of 88 Films, is the horror movie, Dark Night of the Scarecrow. Directed by novelist Frank De Felitta, and written by J.D. Feigelson, the film stars Charles Durning, Lane Smith, and Larry Drake, and focuses on a deceased man who appears to have returned from beyond the grave to exact his revenge.
In the movie, when a young girl is badly injured in a dog attack, Bubba Ritter is blamed. Bubba has learning difficulties, so is an easy target, and is hounded by four locals who chase him across town.
To evade capture, Bubba dresses as a scarecrow and hides out in a field. However, he is soon caught and killed, before the truth about the girl’s injuries come to light.
The four men are put on trial for Bubba’s murder, but are let off. A short while later they find themselves stalked by a mysterious scarecrow.
Originally produced for television (airing on CBS in 1981), Dark Night of the Scarecrow has become somewhat of a cult favourite in the years since it debuted. This is largely because, as TV movies go it’s much better than the usual schlock which is dished up, and as horror flicks go it’s a little cracker!
Part slasher, part revenge picture, Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a tale of terror with a huge dollop of mystery and intrigue. The film starts off by establishing the events surrounding Bubba’s death, before moving into his potential resurrection, with a bit of killing thrown in for good measure!
As Dark Night of the Scarecrow then begins to unspools its story, it asks the question: Is Bubba really back from the dead to enact his revenge or is something more sinister taking place? I won’t give things away here, but the mystery forms a significant part of the story, with Bubba’s killers finding themselves at the mercy of someone or something.
As you might expect with a TV movie from the early ‘80s, Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a bit of a slow burning horror, so don’t expect a great deal of slice and dice. The budget presumably didn’t stretch to huge stunts or action sequences either, so the focus is mostly on tone and atmosphere.
However, director Frank De Felitta nails these elements perfectly and Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a wonderfully macabre chiller. It is also beautifully shot and thanks to this Blu-ray release it now looks great in HD, so it’s one to add to the collection if you like old school ‘80s horror.
Special features on the Dark Night of the Scarecrow disc include three audio commentaries, a behind the scenes photo gallery, a cast reunion Q&A, a couple of vintage TV promos, and two documentaries: ‘Soaring Crows’ and ‘Bubba Didn’t Do It: 30 Years of ‘The Scarecrow’. The release also comes bundled up with a booklet and a reversible sleeve, which is housed in a slipcase featuring new artwork by Joel Robinson.
Should you wish to grab a copy of Dark Night of the Scarecrow, the Blu-ray is available from all good entertainment retailers. The disc retails for around £16.99.
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On disc…
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
Also on disc in the UK this week is the 1989 Japanese kaiju movie, Godzilla vs. Biollante. Written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori, and starring Kunihiko Mitamura and Yoshiko Tanaka, the movie is available on disc courtesy of the Criterion Collection and sees Big G battle it out with a new foe.
In the film, Godzilla is languishing in a volcano following his latest attack on Tokyo. As the city contemplates the mass clean-up, a sample of Godzilla’s cells are secretly collected and delivered to the Saradia Institute of Biotechnology.
The cells are to be used in some important research to develop genetically modified plants that can grow and thrive in the desert. However, a terrorist strike quickly puts the research on ice, and kills the daughter of the chief scientist in the process.
Fast forward five years, and following some further cell meddling from the same scientist, the monstrous plant-like creature, Biollante is born! Oh, and Godzilla returns too, because no one can keep a good, bad, or misunderstood monster down.
Produced as a sequel to 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Biollante is a dark, action-packed, and ultimate quite fun monster movie, which pitches a ferocious-looking Godzilla against a creepy-looking Biollante. One is all scales and atomic breath, while the other is vicious vines and pert petals.
Both monsters are brought to the screen using good ol’ ‘80s practical effects, and both fall the right side of freaky. Due to the time period in which this film hails from there is also no CGI nonsense (hurrah!), and it’s all the better for it.
Of course, with this being a Godzilla film the human characters seem less important than the main stars, but don’t worry, the super-sized lizard is never too far away from the action. Even in his downtime, Godzilla is milling around, and Biollante gets a fair shake of the stick too.
They simply don’t make stuff like this anymore. I bloody wish they would though!
The effects work alone is reason enough to dive into Godzilla vs. Biollante, and the story isn’t too bad either. Throw in a late ‘80s production design, as well as a jolly good final showdown between the titular titans, and you have an enjoyable monster mash-up!
Plus, with this physical media release you also get a ‘making of’ featurette, TV spots, a bunch of trailers, a commentary, and much more. All of it is housed in a spiffy looking case, which is bundled up with a poster, and sold for £22.99 on Blu-ray and £29.99 on 4K UHD.
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Now streaming…
Gator Creek (2025)
Sticking with horror for this next movie, which is the creature feature, Gator Creek (aka The Bayou). Directed by Taneli Mustonen and Brad Watson, and starring no one you will have heard of, the film focuses on a group of plane crash survivors who encounter drugged up gators!
Following a drug bust in Louisiana, some funky lookin’ narcotics are released into the swamp. A short while later, a bunch of alligators (who are completely smacked off their scales), start attacking the locals.
Meanwhile, a group of out-of-towners – including some friends on a trip to scatter ashes – are flying over the wetlands when their plane crashes. Not only do the survivors now have to contend with being lost, they also have to cope with aggressive gators.
With some ropey acting, a clichéd script, a nonsensical story, and an unfortunate lack of alligator action, Gator Creek is something of a damp squib. It’s not the worst film in the world, and to be fair the directing duo of Mustonen and Watson make efforts to utilise the movie’s meagre budget, but whatever way you cut it Gator Creek falls short.
Nothing much happens, none of the characters are likeable, and the motivations of the alligators are questionable. Plus, at times the film is tonally confused, starting off a bit playful, before tossing this notion aside entirely to go down a dark horror route.
On the positive side, the gators look good, the setting and cinematography aren’t bad, and the final act borrows some inspiration from Jurassic Park III. As someone who likes Jurassic Park III I’m fine with Gator Creek walking some familiar territory, especially when it creates the right atmosphere.
The movie also wraps up after one-hour-twenty, so it’s not like it outstays its welcome. Sure, there’s not a lot going on for about an hour of that one-hour-twenty, but at least the film knows when to cut its losses and end.
Ultimately, this isn’t Lake Placid, but it’s not Lake Flaccid either. It’s pretty much what you might expect, so make of that what you will.
Should you wish to take a look for yourself, Gator Creek is now available to rent or buy on digital in the UK.
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Now streaming…
Con Mum (2025)
Now streaming on Netflix is the documentary film, Con Mum. Directed by Nick Green the docu-film tells the true life story of Graham Hornigold – a top chef who finds his world turned upside down when his estranged mother comes back into his life.
As a child, Graham grew up with his dad and stepmother and knew nothing of his biological mother. His mum was never part of his life, and while he was always curious about who she was, he had no real information about her.
Years later, after finding his birth certificate Graham begins to look for his elusive mother. A short while later, a woman claiming to be his mum gets in touch via email.
Initially Graham is quite sceptical of the woman’s claims, so begins to quiz her on personal information about his life. When she starts providing the correct answers, things seem positive and they arrange a meet.
However, as Graham soon discovers, the reunion is not quite the gift it appears to be. Graham’s mum is harbouring a troubling secret and her son is about to get caught up in the midst of it all.
Interesting to watch, and certainly quite engaging, Con Mum is a decent and perfectly serviceable docu-film which highlights the dark side of estrangement and reunions. As the title of the doc makes clear, Graham’s mother is far from a good person and the closer he gets to her, the worse things become.
Without giving away any major spoilers (you can work it out for yourself), there is plenty of lies and deception on the horizon. Graham’s mother positions herself as a fair and wealthy person but this is clearly not the case, and things get rather messy very quickly.
The key takeaway from this documentary is that Graham is a good guy, he had a difficult and traumatic childhood, and he is taken advantage of by someone who should have his best interests at heart.
As a Netflix documentary, Con Mum does its job and it is fine in that respect. So, if you fancy giving it a watch it should fill in a bit of time one evening while you’re eating your tea.
Is it amazing? No, and putting Graham’s troubles to one side (he didn’t deserve any of the hassle he got) in all honesty the story does feel a bit stretched across its 90-minute runtime.
Making this into a film is fine, but it’s sadly not a unique case, so don’t expect to be taken to some unexpected places. In essence, the con-job presented in the documentary is the sort of thing that would usually get a ten-minute slot on the This Morning sofa, or it would feature as a double-page spread in Take a Break magazine – nothing more.
However, Con Mum is well presented, its existence could help others avert a similar situation, and it delivers exactly what you might expect from a story such as this. If that is all you’re after, then pop it on your watchlist.
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In cinemas…
Novocaine (2025)
And finally, in Novocaine, Nathan Caine is an assistant manager at a bank. To the outside world Nathan is a regular Joe with a secure job, but in reality he is harbouring a secret.
Nathan has a genetic disorder which impacts his nervous system. As a result, he can’t feel pain, nor can he feel hot or cold temperatures.
Although Nathan largely keeps this condition to himself, he does open up to his co-worker, Sherry Margrave. Nathan and Sherry then share a romantic liaison, and things appear to go well.
However, Nathan and Sherry’s potential romance is soon interrupted when one morning a gang of thieves arrive at the bank, attempt to steal some money, and take Sherry hostage. Without thinking about his own safety, Nathan follows in pursuit, managing to take on the thieves thanks to his ability to ignore pain.
Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, Novocaine stars Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, and Jacob Batalon. The film is an action comedy which is now playing in UK cinemas, and it is a likeable enough picture… once it gets going.
The first 25 minutes are fairly slow, so you may want to grab some popcorn to help pass the opening section of the movie. However, once the hostage/rescue plot kicks in, things begin to gain some traction and Novocaine starts to find its groove.
Does it ever completely hit the sweet spot? Sadly not, and the film struggles to get the right balance when it comes to the action and comedy, but it does have its moments.
A scene in a kitchen involving a gun and a deep fat fryer is somewhat fun, as is another sequence consisting of balled-up fists and broken glass. Even when things don’t quite catch in the way they should, Novocaine is at least expressive with its set pieces and this is pretty much what you want from an action movie.
It also helps that Jack Quaid is perfectly cast in the lead role of Nathan. Quaid is the film’s trump card, and it’s quite fun to watch him play a guy with an increasing number of injuries he simply can’t feel.
Without Quaid, Novocaine would probably not work as well as it does. With him, yeah, it’s alright.
While not spectacular, Novocaine has enough punch-ups, gun shots, and slapstick violence to keep things going. Sure, the film never quite meets its potential, but Novocaine isn’t particularly bad and it could make for an entertaining night at the flicks for the right audience.
In an age of Deadpool & Wolverine the whole pain/injury thing feels like it has been done too much already, but Novocaine just about gets away with it. That said, let’s leave this as a ‘one-and-done’ kind of picture and not stretch it out for any unnecessary sequels.
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Movie of the Week
OK, so seven movies reviewed this week, which now need to be whittled down to one Movie of the Week, which clearly isn’t going to be O’Dessa. And in actual fact, it’s not going to be one Movie of the Week either, as this week I’m going for two.
The prestigious title of Movie of the Week is being awarded to Dark Night of the Scarecrow AND Godzilla vs. Biollante! Physical media comes through and delivers two great slices of old school horror on disc. Hurrah!
And if you liked Dark Night of the Scarecrow then you might like:
- Dr. Giggles (1992) – Larry Drake takes on the eponymous role of ‘Dr. Giggles’ in this oft-forgotten ’90s slasher.
- Scarecrows (1988) – A group of mercenaries find themselves at the mercy of a group of murderous scarecrows.
- House of the Devil (2009) – Ti West’s ’80s-set supernatural horror which pays homage to the era of Satanic panic.
And if you liked Godzilla vs. Biollante then you may wish to watch:
- Godzilla Minus One (2023) – Academy Award-winning kaiju movie about a kamikaze pilot suffering from PTSD after an encounter with Godzilla.
- Rampage (2018) – Dumb but fun monster movie loosely based on the video game of the same name.
- Kong: Skull Island (2017) – Highly enjoyable action film which reintroduces Kong to a new generation.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s another week of movie reviews in the bag. Want more? Then you had best come back next week. And the week after that. And the week after that. And… well, you get the idea.
Basically you should continue to stick around for the foreseeable future because there are MANY reviews to come. In fact, on the horizon are reviews for A Minecraft Movie, Drop, Sinners, Thunderbolts*, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, Karate Kid: Legends, and much, much more.
And these really are just the tip of the popcorn bucket. Between the cinema, streaming, and physical media releases, there are plenty of films to come in 2025 and you’ll find out all about them right here.
So, until next time, happy viewing!
Alex
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