Now Playing

It was a busy holiday weekend with a major theatrical release and a trio of streaming options. Below is my take on the holiday weekend releases. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado (Paramount+)
Starring: Samantha Lorraine, Daniella Pineda, Jacob Rodriguez, and Gabriel Iglesias
Synopsis: This is the second time in the last few years Dora has made her way to a live-action film that was available to streaming audiences. The first was in 2019, a film that featured Isabela Merced in the lead role. That movie had a quest, had a solid cast, and was a bit of fun. This time we have Lorraine in the lead role, with Rodriguez as her cousin and questing partner Diego. She’s also accompanied by her monkey Boots, voiced this time by Iglesias. She’s on another quest that has some Indiana Jones/National Treasure vibes. It’s a decently produced film that clocks in around 90 minutes, thereby not wearing out its welcome. The cast lacks some of the pop of the last outing and the film in general lacks some of the fun from last time. Still, it will appeal to younger viewers, offering a fun streaming option for the family.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Heads of State (Prime Video)
Starring: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Paddy Considine, and Carla Gugino
Synopsis: This new action comedy for Prime Video follows the President of the United States (Cena) and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Elba) as they are forced to team up against a new threat. The President is a former actor who is a man of the people. The Prime Minister, a former soldier and spy, is a man of action. They don’t like each other much, and their initial meetings are rough. But when an attempt is made to take them both off the board, they find a mutual respect as they try to restore the world order. Jonas plays an MI-6 agent that helps them, while Considine plays the primary antagonist. It’s a deep cast including Gugino, Stephen Root, and others, who all seem to be having fun here. This falls in the tradition of films like this where the President is in peril. In fact, this is the second action film of this type for Prime Video in 2025. But this one has a more comedic edge that works great. Cena and Elba are a lot of fun together. This film is a lot of dumb fun, which is perfect for the genre. I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel to be honest. This is worth a fun evening watch.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence/action, language and some smoking.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Jurassic World: Rebirth (Theaters)
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
Synopsis: This is the seventh film in the Jurassic franchise, the first since 2022 and the second time the franchise has received a re-boot. This tries to launch us into a different kind of world. We start in the past, with a look at the way InGen was messing with DNA and creating new mashup dinosaurs on a secret island near the equator. Now in the present, it’s been 32 years since dinosaurs returned and now, they are a somewhat endangered species again, relegated to a few islands near the equator where people are banned from traveling. A drug company executive (Friend) wants the DNA of three of the big dinosaurs for a new drug that could change the world. And he’s willing to pay. He employs Zora Bennett (Johansson) to help get it done, and recruits Dr. Henry Loomis (Bailey) to be their expert in the field. Zora, in turn, reaches out to her friend Duncan (Ali), who handles transportation and security. Along the way, they encounter a family whose sailboat was sunk due to a dinosaur. Soon, the team and survivors of the boat attack are stranded on an island fighting for survival. This film comes from director Gareth Edwards. I enjoyed his work in Rogue One and with The Creator, and he’s done well with big monster movies before, handling Godzilla well in 2014. But this doesn’t quite hit. I like the cast and I like the attempt to build real characters—which is a credit to writer David Koepp. But this film feels like it goes over familiar territory and packs too much in that isn’t fully explored. The genetic hybrid dinosaurs get short shrift, but so do the stories for Zora, Duncan, Dr. Loomis, and the family led by Garcia-Rulfo. We get pieces of it, but it doesn’t feel complete. It feels packed and thin all at the same time. There is still some nice visual flourishes, and some fun moments. One feels like it’s straight out of Jaws, another feels like something out of Alien. Meanwhile we get a classic scene of amazing CGI creatures and a swelling score. This isn’t the worst of the franchise, but it feels like a dull beginning to anything new. It might be time for the franchise to retire.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Megan 2.0 (Theaters)
Starring: Alison Williams, Violet McGraw, Jenna Davis, and Brian Jordan Alvarez
Synopsis: Back in the winter of 2022, we got a weird and eye-catching horror film about a toy that went off the rails. M3gan was a mostly by-the-numbers horror film that had a unique antagonist, some memorable moments, and generated plenty of buzz. It makes sense that we’d get a sequel. Said sequel dropped to end the month of June. Getting a prime summer slot is a recognition the film hit with audiences, but this new film also seemed to steer away from the original formula and into something different. Gone is the horror element, in is an increase in humor, action, and heart. But does it work? The new film picks up two years after the events of the first film. Now Gemma (Williams) is an advocate for restricting the use of AI. She’s also become a safe parenting advocate in the aftermath of what happened to Cady (McGraw). But their relationship remains a little rocky. Gemma is working with an activist, Christian (Aristotle Athari), to limit the reach of AI. Meanwhile, she’s working with Cole (Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps) to use technology to make the world a better place. All that changes when a new AI weapon, Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), pops up based on the technology that Gemma and her team created. While the government believes that Gemma is responsible, she soon realizes she’s a target. She also soon learns that M3gan (Davis) is still alive. M3gan has kept herself alive online, keeping vigil over Cady and Gemma. And now she needs Gemma’s help to regain a physical form to prevent Amelia from ending the world. This new film comes from Gerard Johnstone, who also wrote the screenplay this time. That explains some of the new direction. Rather than a horror film, this is something of an action and thriller. It also has a lot more comedy and winking nods. While that happened at times in the first film—memorably in the dance sequence—this feels more like an intentional choice. That actually works better for the material. M3gan is a lot of fun this time, and she plays something of the hero. That also works a lot better. I enjoyed M3gan and the way she played off Williams and McGraw. Williams gives a strong anchor performance. I also enjoyed Alvarez a lot more, with the comedy sequences playing better to his strengths. The plot here is a little ridiculous. The twist is a bit obvious, too. But this isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey. And the journey here is more fun than the last time. M3gan 2.0 isn’t an incredible film, but it’s a fun ride. It’s a sequel that goes in a completely different direction and is a better, more enjoyable time because of it. I had fun with this.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language, sexual material, and brief drug references.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

The Old Guard 2 (Netflix)
Starring: Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman, Kiki Layne, and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Synopsis: The original Old Guard film dropped on Netflix in 2020. It was a surprisingly gripping action film with a strong cast and great direction from Gina Prince-Bythewood. Five years later, we get a sequel. It returns the writers, the original cast, and picks up story threads from the first film. It’s 106 minutes, of which about 10 minutes are credits. So, it’s a crisp film packed with action. There are some fine performances, including from Theron in the lead and Thurman, who joins the fray. This builds out more of the mythology and the world. But the decisions made with the third act will likely leave some viewers frustrated. This isn’t a fully formed idea, it’s the introduction of new ideas that ends on a cliffhanger to push you to a future installment—if there is one. The action sequences are fine, but the film isn’t as dynamic, and that ending is a bit of a frustration. It’s a fine watch, especially for those who enjoyed the first film, but it isn’t as impressive as a sequel.
Rating: Rated R for sequences of graphic violence, and some language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five