Frankenstein

Official Australian release date: 23/10/25. Viewed: 29/10/25.
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Actors: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz
Genre: Drama / Fantasy
Rating: MA

‘Frankenstein’ is probably the 20^th remake of the early-19^th century novel & 1931 film. While we all know the broad strokes of the story, this film does a great job of immersing us in Victor Frankenstein (Isaac)’s early history and motivations, including father (Dance), mother, and brother William (Kammerer) – as well as (literally) fleshing out the story of the Creature/monster (Elordi). Still set in the 1800s, mostly in Scotland, the cinematography is great and the semi-flashback narrative works well.

This ‘Frankenstein’ is definitely not a traditional horror film, with no jump scares – yes, some gore, blood and gross moments, but nothing too gratuitous or extreme. And while Victor gets more screen time, the Creature gets his fair share and the scenes with him trying to live alone are quite touching. The core of the film hinges on their infatuation with Elizabeth (Goth), William’s fiancé and niece of Harlander (Waltz), who has a pivotal role. All the actors are strong, with Isaac doing a great job of treading the line between confident and crazed, and Elordi giving the Creature a heart.

Good to see use of makeup and not just CGI throughout. The ship set and the castle set are both impressive. It’s maybe slightly long at 2 hours 20min, but it’s Del Toro’s best film since ‘The Shape of Water’ and shares a few themes. While there’s the obvious playing God and not opening Pandora’s box allegories, there’s also the relatable themes of what it means to be human and where our individual humanity comes from.

Overall: A very enjoyable human journey/tragedy

Gav’s Rating: 4 stars

Roofman

Official Australian release date: 16/10/25. Viewed: 26/10/25.
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Actors: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield
Genre: Crime / Drama
Rating: M

‘Roofman’ sounds like a bad superhero film, but is a true-story retelling of Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) and his robberies, and subsequent escape from prison and hideout, defined by his charm and manners. It’s a mix of crime drama, dark comedy, with an almost rom-com in there. Set in ~2005 in North Carolina, we see Jeff rob a McDonalds via the roof, hence his nickname. His motivations are shown, but still seem a little weak.

Tatum is good and has a lot of screentime, especially when hiding out in a Toys R Us (lots of throwbacks in the film!), but love interest Leigh (Dunst) is strong too, as well as her kids Jade & Lindsay (Colias) & Dee (Moyer). There’s small roles for Mitch, the store manager (Dinklage), Steve (Stanfield) as old Army friend, and his girlfriend Michelle (Temple). There’s plenty of “why do that?” but also a bit of fun when he’s alone in the Toys R Us – what would you have done in same situation?

It ends as you would expect, and is a little longer than needed. Not as many laughs as I was hoping, and definitely not as upbeat as something like ‘Catch Me If You Can’, but still plenty of enjoyable scenes. Definitely reinforces the old adage of “life is stranger than fiction”!

Overall: Solid biopic

Gav’s Rating: 3 stars

Tron: Ares

Official Australian release date: 9/10/25. Viewed: 9/10/25.
Director: Joachim Ronning
Actors: Greta Lee, Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

‘Tron: Ares’ is the third film in the video-game/pre-‘Matrix’ series that revolves around “the Grid” (effectively cyberspace) and the competing companies controlling it, Encom and Dillinger (effectively Microsoft & Google) and their CEOs trying to take the next leap forward in AI – Eve Kim (Lee) and Julian Dillinger (Peters). I assume you don’t need to have seen the 1982 original or 2010’s ‘Tron: Legacy’, but there’s plenty of throwbacks and linkages, even if this isn’t a direct sequel.

So many cameos/supporting cast that all add something, but don’t get heaps of time = Julian’s mum, Elisabeth (Anderson), Eve’s CTO Ajay (Minhaj) & COO Seth (Castro), and obviously Kevin Flynn (Bridges), which is handled quite well. The main plot revolves around a security program, Ares (Leto) that tries to obtain “permanence” in the real-world, and his other Dillinger program Athena (Turner-Smith). Leto is actually not bad, with his still-somehow-youthful face perfect for an AI, and he has a few lines that get a few chuckles.

While there’s plenty of similarities to ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and ‘Ready Player One’, and arguably not as good, ‘Tron: Ares’ does deliver some very impressive CGI, with vivid colour, fast-paced action – especially on the motorbikes and jetski – and some engaging fight scenes. The final act set piece is pretty epic, especially when paired with the strong Reznor/Ross score. All wrapped-up in under 2 hours.

Overall: Better than I was expecting!

Gav’s Rating: 3.5 stars

 

One Battle After Another

Official Australian release date: 25/9/25. Viewed: 1/10/25.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Benicio Del Toro
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Rating: M

‘One Battle After Another’ may not be as good as ‘There Will Be Blood’, but it’s quite an accomplished effort. After the hectic, relentless 30min start that crams in a few years of freedom-fighting with Perfidia (Taylor) and Bob (DiCaprio) and lots of quick cuts, with little exposition, as we see a semi-fictional anti-immigration police-state-USA. We then move to 16 years later to follow Bob and their daughter Willa (Infiniti) in California, trying to lead a normal life, and settle into a more regular pacing.

I quite enjoy dishevelled, not-in-control/atypical hero Leo, who doesn’t have a costume changer for the final 2 hours! He’s funny without being a fool and shows good heart. Speaking of bad fashion – Lockjaw (Penn)’s haircut makes him an obvious bad-guy right from the start! Sensei Sergio (Del Toro) does his great cheeky nonchalance to perfection. And newcomer Infiniti is strong, especially in the final 30min.

I’d say it’s a mix of spy thriller, action, drama and social commentary all rolled into one. The old White men ruling the world thing is sadly not too much of a stretch. There’s not actually that much violence, even as it almost turns into a Western. The roller-coaster car-chase near the end is great to watch – and all aided by a solid soundtrack. The score is good in most parts, but sometimes purposefully off-putting. It does feel quicker than 2 hours 35min, and has a satisfying conclusion.

Overall: Enjoyable, relentless action mash-up

Gav’s Rating: 4 stars