Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2025. You’ve caught me as I run through this year’s summer blockbuster checklist.
So far we’ve had plenty of horror (Final Destination: Bloodlines, Clown in a Cornfield); a fair bit of high-adrenaline action (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, F1); a collection of comic book films (Thunderbolts*, Superman); and… erm… Rihanna voicing Smurfette (Smurfs). But there’s something missing.
Something is absent from this season’s selection of movies. Now what could it be?
Ah, yes, no one has had their ribs tickled! I’m not talking about a couple of laughs, I’m talking out-and-out comedy.
Surely this is a missed opportunity?! Well, yes it is, but don’t call me Shirley.
Anyway, to rectify this situation, Paramount Pictures is serving up The Naked Gun. The action comedy heads into cinemas this week, led by Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson no less, and is a madcap romp which acts as a sequel to the Leslie Nielsen movies.
Does it live up to the Nielsen legacy? Well, “Like a blind man at an orgy, I was going to have to feel things out.”*
*You’ll find out shortly.
You can also find out about some other releases this week, including the Netflix drama, A Normal Woman; Amazon’s War of the Worlds; and fantasy-adventure, The Legend of Ochi. All of the above is discussed, debated, and/or dismissed below, so let’s crack on, shall we?
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Now streaming…
A Normal Woman (2025)
First up this week is the Indonesian psychological drama, A Normal Woman. Directed by Lucky Kuswandi, streaming on Netflix, and starring Marissa Anita, the film focuses on a socialite named Milla who believes she has contracted a mysterious disease.
In the film, Milla lives with her husband and daughter in a delightful and decadent house. To the outside world she has it all, but Milla’s life is far from perfect.
She has constant conflicts with her mother-in-law; her husband is less than supportive (and a right douche); and she doesn’t seem to connect with her daughter. Then to add to this Milla is experiencing horrific visions and has started to suffer from a strange skin condition which looks like someone has papier-mâchéd her face.
Will things improve? Meh, maybe.
More importantly, after ten minutes of this tosh will you stop yourself from deleting your Netflix account and throwing your TV out of the window? Probably not.
Tedious, long-winded, and painful to get through, watching A Normal Woman is about as enjoyable as having your finger nails bitten off by a rabid squirrel, before being punched in the face and mugged. The film starts off boring, it somehow gets worse, and by the end you will come close to clawing your own eyes out to end the torment.
Every scene in A Normal Woman is overblown, every action is overacted, and every damn second is over here wasting our time. Not a single character is redeemable, with Milla’s mother-in-law being one of the most insufferable people to ever grace the scene.
The only plus point is…
…nah, there aren’t any.
Unless you have completely run out of things to occupy your time, and that includes defrosting the fridge, cleaning out the fish tank, or completing that paint-by-numbers you tossed into the drawer three years ago, there’s no reason to watch A Normal Woman. It’s mind numbing rubbish, so let’s just move on and never speak of it again.
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Now streaming…
War of the Worlds (2025)
Sticking with streaming for a moment for Amazon Prime Video’s new sci-fi movie, War of the Worlds. A film from director Rich Lee which poses the question: What do you get if you cross a classic H.G. Wells story with a Zoom call from Ice Cube?
The answer is 90 minutes of easily the most frustrating dross imaginable. A film which is told over computer screens, with the aforementioned Mr. Cube playing the role of a surveillance analyst who witnesses an alien invasion… while monitoring it from the relative comfort of his office.
As the story plays out, there’s lots of screen changing, keyboard tapping, and close ups of Ice Cube looking rather perplexed. Every once in a while he’ll interact (online) with his fellow cast members Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, etc, all while scenes of the alien invasion pop up to remind the audience the world is facing low-budget Armageddon.
The dialogue is terrible, and feels as if it has been cobbled together through a two-way conversation between ChatGPT and ChatGPT; the visual effects look no better than an Instagram filter; and the staging over computer screens is soulless. You could get away with this sort of thing during the pandemic, when studios and filmmakers had no choice but to make films this way, but producing a film like this now just smacks of cost cutting.
It’s streaming at its worst and the worrying thing is, this could be the future of filmmaking if subscribers don’t make it clear to the likes of Amazon and Co. this isn’t good enough.
The funniest part of this entire movie is when one of the characters uses an Amazon drone to help save the day. Unintentionally hilarious, this has to be the worst and most blatant piece of product placement in any movie ever, seconded only by the mention of an Amazon gift card a few moments later.
This whole scene sums up this film perfectly. Creatively bankrupt twaddle, more interested in selling audiences on the benefits of a Prime membership than telling a good story.
Utter rubbish. Avoid.
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In cinemas…
The Legend of Ochi (2025)
Up next is the family fantasy film, The Legend of Ochi. Written and directed by Isaiah Saxon, the film stars Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, and Willem Dafoe, and tells the story of a young girl who befriends a creature she has been taught to hate and fear.
In the film, Yuri has been raised on a remote island which is home to a somewhat elusive animal species known as the Ochi. These creatures are believed to be deadly, and are hunted by Maxim and his band of children.
But Yuri isn’t convinced the Ochi are as bad as she has been told, and one day, when she comes across a baby Ochi caught in a bear trap, she frees the creature from the device. Yuri then promptly takes it home so she can care for it.
Realising the creature needs more than a little TLC, Yuri embarks on a journey to reunite the animal with its family. Along the way she learns how to communicate with the Ochi, and reconnects with her estranged mother.
So, before I get into this, here are a few details worth highlighting:
- The Legend of Ochi debuts in the UK this week but the film opened in the US way back in April. So, depending on where you live in the world, you may have already watched this one.
- The movie is currently being promoted in the UK, so you’ll see posters on the side of buses etc, but there’s no huge media blitz like we saw with Superman or The Fantastic Four: First Steps etc.
- The Legend of Ochi is distributed by A24. The same A24 behind off-the-wall movies such as Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Lighthouse, and Midsommar.
Now, what all this should tell you is The Legend of Ochi is not a film necessarily pitched toward mainstream audiences. It is being dropped in UK cinemas during the height of blockbuster season as an alternative to all the high-profile titles currently on release, but isn’t going to compete with the likes of Jurassic World: Rebirth or Smurfs, and A24 know this.
Instead, it’s here if you want something different for the family – no pressure. The film is available, you might like it, and it may provide the sort of escapism that some of the big blockbusters aren’t catering for.
In the UK, The Legend of Ochi is a ‘12A’ so the film is essentially open to all age groups (under 12s must be accompanied by an adult). It’s quirky, a little out there, and definitely an acquired taste, but those who connect with it will find much to enjoy.
Writer/director Isaiah Saxon crafts an intriguing and imaginative film, which at times plays like a homage to ‘80s fantasy pictures (E.T., Harry and the Hendersons, etc). If this sounds like your cup of tea, then The Legend of Ochi may tickle your pickle.
It’s certainly different, but very much in a good way. The cinematography from Evan Prosofsky is truly outstanding; the cast (Zengel, Wolfhard, Defoe, etc) are all excellent; and the baby Ochi is suitably cute and doe-eyed.
The creature looks like a cross between an Ewok and Cuddles the monkey, so fits well with the ‘80s vibe which is being served up. This is escapist fantasy through and through, and if you grew up during that decade it’ll feel somewhat familiar and maybe comforting.
It’s unlikely The Legend of Ochi will gain a great deal of traction this summer, as dinosaurs and superheroes are currently dominating the box office, but this doesn’t stop the film from being something of note. The story isn’t the most original, but the visuals and the staging are great, and some audiences are going to get lost in its beauty.
The Legend of Ochi marks Isaiah Saxon’s feature film debut, and it’s definitely a debut to be proud of. Expect this one to grow in popularity over the years.
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In cinemas…
The Naked Gun (2025)
And finally, hold onto your sides and prepare for more than the usual share of belly laughs, because action comedy, The Naked Gun has arrived in UK and US cinemas. Directed by Akiva Schaffer and starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, CCH Pounder, and Danny Huston, the film is the latest entry in the Naked Gun series, arriving 31 years after the release of The Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994).
In this instalment, Neeson plays the role of Frank Drebin Jr., taking over as lead from the late great Leslie Nielsen. As for the story, humanity is threatened when a tech billionaire plans to use a weapon known as the P.L.O.T. Device to turn people into savages.
In order to save the day, Drebin must get to the bottom of a bank robbery, as well as an apparent suicide, which could provide a link to the wider crime. Along the way he receives assistance from a potential new love interest, and gets caught up in a surreal montage sequence involving a snowman.
If you were worried about this new Naked Gun movie being flat, don’t be, the script is witty and the majority of the humour lands. It’s not quite up there with the best entry in the series (i.e. the original) but it’s a lot of fun regardless.
In essence it’s all madcap stuff, with jokes coming thick and fast. For the most part, this is a return to the style of humour we got in the original films, with all the slapstick sequences, sight gags, and one-liners all present and correct.
A significant reason this film works as well as it does is due to Neeson. He completely understands the movie he is in, his deadpan delivery is excellent, and he doesn’t slip from the Drebin persona even for a moment.
He channels his inner Nielsen, while bringing his own gruff attitude and it works well. Sure, it’s different, but his performance fits with this new take on The Naked Gun formula and he’s fun to watch.
Likewise, teaming him up with Pamela Anderson is a masterstroke. Anderson is currently having a golden period, following her brilliant turn in The Last Showgirl, and she appears to be having an absolute ball here.
As with Neeson, Anderson understands the assignment and is more than happy to dive headfirst into the complete nonsense of this picture. A picture which pushes things forward, yet at the same time still remains on very familiar territory.
If things have been getting you down lately, if the chaos of the world is taking its toll, or you simply want a few laughs during the more dreary days this summer, The Naked Gun has got your back. There are enough laughs in this picture to keep the chuckle count ticking along, and watching Neeson prat around on screen should get you tittering into your popcorn bucket.
The film does lose a bit of momentum in places, and one or two ‘bits’ seem to exist to make up for the minimal plot, but it’s great to have Drebin back. More please.
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week and this time around the title goes to The Naked Gun. There’s fun to be had, with laughs coming thick and fast, and great performances from Neeson and Anderson.
And if you like The Naked Gun you may also like:
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) – Leslie Nielsen plays the role of Frank Drebin in this hilarious cop comedy with some of the greatest lines ever committed to screen.
- Airplane! (1980) – Nielsen features once again in this bonkers disaster spoof about the passengers and crew of a plane which encounters a problem mid-flight.
- Taken (2008) – Liam Neeson stars in this superb action movie about a father who is determined to retrieve his daughter after she is abducted.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s it for yet another week, but coming soon, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, and Julia Garner star in mystery-horror, Weapons. Plus in the not-too-distant future Fixed, The Map That Leads to You, and The Thursday Murder Club.
Oh, and the long awaited Red Sonja reboot is almost here. The film went into production back in 2022, and seemed to get lost in limbo for a while, but having recently gained an age classification certificate from the BBFC, the movie’s arrival is now just a sword swing away.
Alex
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