THE ODYSSEY (2026) MOVIE REVIEW
Joshua Lightfoot
7/20/26
172 minutes
One of the most highly anticipated movies of the year is here. Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY will no doubt be an end-of-the-year contender and will easily sweep the Oscars in nominations across the board. This is the type of movie you go into if you want to feel immersed. I left feeling far from disappointed. What an unforgettable time this was.
The Odyssey has put me in a difficult place. How do I describe what this movie is about? I’m going to do my best. The Trojan war that took place around the thirteenth century which pitted the Greeks against the city of Troy has ended. Odysseus, the Greek King of Ithaca (played by Matt Damon), along with his surviving army now must travel back home. What follows is a journey that lasts several years by foot and by sea. Their voyage comes to several halts when they encounter monsters, witches, a whirlpool, and even a giant cyclops.
Back at home, Penelope, the wife of King Odysseus (played by Anne Hathaway) is convinced that her husband is dead. She must now pick a new husband, much to Telemachus’ dismay, who is the son of Penelope and Odysseus (who is played by Tom Holland). The lead suiter is Antinous (played by Robert Pattinson), who is a self-centered sleazeball. It all comes down to who is man enough to string Odysseus’ bow and fire an arrow through a tiny opening of axe heads that are tied together and lined up in a row. A talent only the King was able to do.
The cast is large and impressive. When you look at the theatrical poster and see all the big names, you’re reminded of those awful paycheck movies from the 2010’s (see posters for New Year’s Eve from 2011 and Valentine’s Day from 2010 and you’ll know what I’m talking about). Those movies are sloppy and underutilized many of their cast members. Many characters in The Odyssey are only given about 5 minutes of screentime. However, you can see that these figures are carefully calculated in placement, and the actors make their moments count.
Of all the supporting performances, I was most impressed by John Leguizamo (playing Eumaeus). Transforming himself into a blind and elderly, yet faithful servant left me quite captivated. If there is one place I would like to see any Oscar Nomination for acting, it would have to be for Mr. Leguizamo’s Supporting Performance. Samantha Morton (who plays Circe) is in one particularly memorable scene that sticks with you. It’s both haunting and visceral. There is a very good chance that we will see a nomination for Anne Hathaway, who gives her best performance on screen since Les Misérables back in 2012. I also want to mention a fleeting scene that involves Elliot Page that just might be my favorite segment in the entire film. It’s brief but deep and impactful.
I’m getting ahead of myself mentioning the Oscars since we are only in July, but I was so awestruck by the technical achievements this movie displays that I’ll make one thing clear; The Odyssey will be an Awards frontrunner. This is an easy lock for the craft categories such as Editing, Cinematography, Sound, Score, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Casting, Production Design; this will be walking away with a few trophies. We’ll see if it gets a nomination for Adapted Screenplay as well. Director Christopher Nolan was already given his flowers for directing Oppenheimer in 2023, I can easily see Nominations for Picture and Director, but it’s too early to tell if those are guaranteed wins.
I understand Christopher Nolan much prefers film over digital, one of the few filmmakers fighting to keep it alive. I was lucky enough to see The Odyssey on 70mm in a standard auditorium. No IMAX 70mm near me unfortunately, but still rare to see any movie this way these days. I was extremely pleased with the overall presentation. High in detail, beautiful texture, vibrant, and massive in scale.
Not everyone is going to get the option to view this on film. I’m seeing bookings on every premium screen imaginable; IMAX, SuperScreen, UltraScreen, Screen X, 4DX, Dolby. A few co-workers mentioned plans to see it in the Omnimax Theater at the St. Louis Science Center, a giant dome shaped auditorium with a hemispheric screen, for those unfamiliar. It’s unfortunate that the premium screen window is only lasting 2 weeks before Spider-man: Brand New Day takes over. Even more unfortunate, almost all IMAX screenings, even the 10am weekday showtimes at my go-to theater are close to sold out. If you plan to see it, you don’t want to be stuck watching it in a closet. For a movie like this, go big or go home. I highly recommend seeing this on the biggest screen possible.
OVERALL
This is what movie theaters are made for. The Odyssey carries a 3-hour runtime, and it zips by super quick. Another cinematic masterpiece from director Christopher Nolan who you can tell is a fan of the source material and truly wanted to tell this story. Will definitely be a top Oscar contender. Don’t sit on it, see it on a premium screen. An absolute spectacle. One of the best movies of the year.
RATING
***** out of 5
JACKASS BEST AND LAST (2026) MOVIE REVIEW
Joshua Lightfoot
6/26/26
92 minutes
“WARNING! The following show features stunts performed either by professionals or under the supervision of professionals.”
I’ve been a Jackass fan since the beginning. From being tackled by a friend outside of Elementary School cause he saw Johnny Knoxville do it on MTV, to being given a burnt copy of CKY 3 and 4 in middle school and watching it over and over again. The controversies, publicity, glorious stunts, and insanely crude behavior. America loved watching people get hurt. Those were good times for sure. But the good times don’t last forever. They eventually become good memories.
In this 5th, and likely final installment in the Jackass film franchise, our immature childhood favorites are back. Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Preston, Dave Englund, and Ehren McGhehey return with a mixture of a few new stunts and a few recycled segments from previous ventures. We also get a mix of antics that have never been seen before. I found the use of older footage to feel a bit lazy, but it’s still satisfying and entertaining all around. Go into it expecting a “Best Of” presentation in what feels like a farewell tour.
The newer faces seen in the previous film Jackass Forever are back as well, but with mixed results. Zach Holmes and Sean “Poopies” McInerney do the most out of all the newbies, feeling as special and accepted as the original members. But I can’t help but dunk on Rachel Wolfson and Compston “Dark Shark” Wilson who are sidelined the entire movie. Why are you here, besides for the paycheck? They occasionally play dress-up, stand around, laugh, and look shocked. It’s almost embarrassing to see them do so little. It is also worth mentioning that Eric Manaka, another new member introduced in the previous movie, is nowhere to be found.
Fans are going to be most curious about how Bam Margera is handled here. As you may know, Bam was fired from Jackass Forever early into production for reasons I’d rather not get into. He did not film any new material for Best and Last, which is a huge shame. However, he is far from being left out entirely. Much of the recycled bits used that are scattered throughout the film do feature Bam front and center. The real surprise here is the inclusion of one of the stunts deleted from Jackass Forever is presented here in full. I’m not sure if this completely makes up for his absence, but this is the best we were going to get.
New faces that fail to impress, no Bam Margera, half the movie being reused footage. Why am I still recommending Jackass Best and Last? From beginning to end, this movie is still a blast. The old material that I paid to watch over again still got a roaring reaction from the crowd I was with. Not all of the new material hits the right notes. For the most part, what we are given should have you remembering why you were a fan in the first place. Just wait until you get to the segment titled “The Human Pretzel” and you’ll know what I mean.
OVERALL
This might be my least favorite of the Jackass movies. Too much recycled footage, too many members being unused, too many lame new bits. But I was undeniably still entertained from beginning to end. The ending credits montage is a real satisfying and emotional package. I feel there’s enough Bam here that will prevent fans from complaining too hard. If this is truly the end, I feel it’s an appropriate final send off.
RATING
***1/2 out of 5
EVIL DEAD BURN (2026) MOVIE REVIEW
Joshua Lightfoot
7/10/26
115 minutes
A widow’s get-together with her in-laws turns into a nightmare in Evil Dead Burn, the 6th installment in the Evil Dead film franchise. Here is a movie that delivers what it promises, massive amounts of gore, sadistic torture, cringe inducing scenes of pain, 100% pure chaos. I’m here for it. If you’re going into this movie with expectations of lots of blood and guts, then yee-haw, you struck gold!
Alice (played by Souheila Yacoub) is put in a difficult spot when her abusive husband is unexpectedly killed in a car accident. This accident occurs when her douchebag husband Will (played by George Pullar) plows through a possessed Deadite standing in the middle of the road with his vehicle. What is a “Deadite” exactly? Oh, you don’t know? It’s a Kandarian demon possessed by the Book of the Dead. These Deadites are never referred by name in this film, but after watching all the other installments multiple times, you just kind of know things. It’s Alice’s brother in-law, Joseph (played by Hunter Doohan) who is writing a novel about this ancient book and its demon resurrection passages. You see, this family’s grandfather studied and spent years researching the Book of the Dead and even recorded himself reading some of its passages on a Panasonic reel-to-reel tape recorder. Fans of the franchise will definitely see call-backs to the first original 2 movies here.
After the funeral, newly widowed Alice is invited to temporarily stay at her in-laws secluded, run-down home that was previously owned by their grandfather. This house has an attic filled with research and artifacts about the Book of the Dead, so of course it doesn’t take long for family members to make stupid mistakes, start getting possessed, and kill each other. There’s quite a bit of emotional baggage to unpack here. Alice’s husband was abusive, the family she is staying with are difficult to be around, blame games, grief, animosity, loss. All of this on full display here and we haven’t even gotten to the possessions yet, but when it starts, it really does let loose. You might have seen the scene in the trailer of a young man falling on top of an open dishwasher with the sharp utensils sticking pointy side up (who the hell loads their dishwasher this way?). Or the scene where a girl gets the loose end of a car headrest stabbed through the back of her head and through the front of her face. This is only what is shown in the advertisements. There’s plenty more where that came from and it’s not for the squeamish.
Director Sebastian Vanicek follows the footsteps of directors like Fede Alvarez and Lee Cronin, an up-and-coming director handpicked by Sam Raimi (director of the original Evil Dead films) to helm a new installment in this franchise. Vanicek directed one other film titled Infested back in 2023, and as of this writing, I’ve unfortunately not seen it. With Evil Dead Burn, I see his craft and style, his signature and fingerprints all over this thing. The massive number of cuts in the editing is a bit of a nuisance near the beginning, and some might not care much for the low lighting. I do admire the unique camera angles and the structure of the story. The way animosity and stress builds tension and for it to explode on screen in many shocking ways, it all works pretty well. Tense moments end with a satisfying payoff every time as well. There’s plenty of scenes that will make you wince or cringe, maybe even upset, and they accomplish what is intended.
Souheila Yacoub fits well as your lead and “final girl” character. Tension fills the screen when she shares scenes with her in-laws Susan (played by Tandi Wright) and Edgar (played by Erroll Shand). So many scenes of mental anguish and physical torture might strike a nerve or two. Might even be relatable to some viewers when it comes to relatives they can’t stand. It’s the kind of smart chemistry that gets under your skin, even more so than every Evil Dead movie that has come before it. It’s serious in tone unlike earlier installments. There are scenes that involve a grandmother named Polly (played by Maude Davey) who is going through a severe case of Alzheimer’s. This might be the only place in the film that has any kind of comedic relief, if you want to call it that. The real highlight is the gore effects. This franchise does not play around when it comes to the glorious practical effects that many horror fans prefer. A few spots of rough looking CGI are noticeable, especially near the end. For the majority of the Evil Dead Burn, the satisfying gore effects are mostly practical. This is one spot I can guarantee will not disappoint.
OVERALL
There are massively successful horror films out now like Obsession and Backrooms. The Bone Temple is in my top 10 of the year so far. Weapons won an Oscar last year for Amy Madigan’s performance. The Substance got 5 Oscar nominations. Get Out received 4 including Best Picture and got Jordan Peele a win for his Screenplay. Even A Quiet Place received a small nod at the Oscars in 2019 for Sound Editing. All of this and more in the past decade. Horror is having a moment. So, does Evil Dead Burn have place in all of this, seeing how far horror has come? Probably not. And that’s okay. There are many different flavors of horror, and sometimes you don’t need anything too deep, sometimes you just want the gore. There’s lots of that, I promise you. Given in a unique and stylized way. Not to say that Evil Dead Burn isn’t deep in moments. It’s plenty deep… and disgusting too. If that’s what you’re looking for, enjoy the ride.
RATING
***1/2 out of 5