Kill Code (2026) | There’s a decent action movie hiding inside Kill Code, but this is more like an AI experiment escaped before final edits happened. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.7/10. Kill Code wastes no time throwing us into its grim dystopian future, though maybe a little too much time throwing text at us first. It opens with enough exposition, I thought I accidentally booted up the extended lore section of a video game manual. Crime is everywhere, corporations somehow got even more evil, and apparently the solution is strapping deadly watches onto criminals and forcing them into a murder tournament for freedom. You know, your typical Tuesday in the future.

Before long, we’re introduced to the mysterious mega-corporation Alpire, with none other than Harvey Keitel appearing on TV to calmly ramble about nanotechnology like he’s hosting the world’s most unsettling TED Talk. Then it’s off to a mass execution scene involving a guy randomly asking about D-Day, because apparently subtle storytelling got left behind sometime around the apocalypse.

The film quickly pivots into a music montage showing just how miserable the world has become, because if you’re building a dystopia, legally you must include slow-motion suffering set to dramatic music. Enter Elera, played by Franzi Schissler, arriving home to discover life in this future somehow still finds ways to get worse. She soon gets tangled up in the chaos involving stylish murder gloves, criminals trying to survive, and enough betrayal to make trusting literally anyone feel like a terrible life decision.

To Kill Code’s credit, there are moments where it genuinely feels like there could have been a slick sci-fi action movie hiding underneath all the AI prompts. The fancy gloves-as-weapons gimmick is admittedly cool, and some of the violent CGI head explosions land with the exact sort of ridiculous energy you want from a movie called Kill Code. Tyrese Gibson also shows up as a cop, bringing some solid presence to a world where pretty much everyone seems united in one belief. Alpire absolutely sucks.

Unfortunately, this is where things start to wobble harder than a cheap sci-fi set piece held together with optimism and duct tape. The AI-generated effects become impossible to ignore, especially with fire, backgrounds, and some bizarre visual moments that scream “we’ll fix it in post” - except nobody ever circled back to actually fix it. At times, Kill Code feels less like a finished movie and more like an expensive AI experiment someone accidentally exported too early.

The script doesn’t help matters either. It feels scrambled and messy, bouncing between ideas without committing to many of them. There’s a glaring lack of polish that makes the production feel rushed, even with a surprisingly talented cast doing their best to hold things together. Honestly, they all perform adequately enough, which somehow makes the missed potential sting even more.

Kill Code (2026)

And what was that ending? Silly is probably the kindest word for it. By the time the credits rolled, I wasn’t angry, just confused and mildly amused. Kill Code isn’t nearly as terrible as some online comments made it sound, but when characters are firing guns without fingers even remotely on triggers, somebody really needed to hit pause and double-check those AI-generated shots before release. Little details like that shouldn’t survive quality control, especially in a movie aiming this high. Maybe these are the reasons you can only find this one in Dubai.

https://jackmeat.com/kill-code-2026/

Iron Lung (2026) | Iron Lung is 80,000 gallons of fake blood and one guy slowly losing his mind in a submarine that feels legally unsafe. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.9/10. Iron Lung has one of those concepts that immediately sells itself. In a future where all the stars and habitable planets have mysteriously vanished during an event known as The Quiet Rapture, humanity discovers an ocean of blood beneath the surface of a moon. Naturally, the brilliant minds in charge decide the best course of action is to stuff a convict into an experimental submarine and send him down there to investigate. Something. Nobody seems entirely sure what that something is, which I would think is a minor detail you might want to nail down before launching someone into a cosmic nightmare.

The film opens with a deep, ominous narration explaining humanity's grim situation before introducing Simon (Mark Fischbach), an inmate who quickly learns he is considered highly expendable. With so few people left alive, apparently "high-risk mission" and "certain death sentence" have become interchangeable terms. His only real contact is Ava (voiced by Caroline Kaplan), who calmly reminds him that humanity doesn't exactly have the luxury of caution anymore. Comforting stuff.

For most of the movie, we essentially get a one-man show, and Fischbach does a solid job. The setup is fantastic. The atmosphere is undeniably creepy. And I do like the idea of being trapped inside a claustrophobic metal coffin while strange alien entities lurk outside. Genuinely unsettling. The problem isn't the performance. The problem is that there simply isn't enough story here to support a full-length feature.

I haven't played the game this is based on, but if this is a faithful adaptation, dude, add a bit more story before stretching it to 125 minutes. There are only so many shots of somebody sitting anxiously inside a submarine before you start checking how much runtime remains. The answer is usually "more than I'd like."

To the film's credit, the sense of dread works. A blood-red ocean, strange noises, disturbing sightings, and the constant feeling that Simon is not alone create an interesting bit of sci-fi horror. It's different, and that's something I can appreciate. I just believe it thinks it's saying something profound, but it's mostly just vague. There's a difference between mystery and withholding information. Iron Lung often lands on the wrong side of that line.

The production did break the world record for most fake blood used in a film, surpassing the 50,000 gallons used in the 2013 Evil Dead remake with a staggering 80,000 gallons. Ironically, much of that blood is hidden in darkness or looks obviously fake when visible. Director Fede Álvarez managed to do far more with less in Evil Dead. At this point, they may as well have flooded the entire submarine and let Simon spend two hours swimming.

There's plenty of ambition on display here, and I can appreciate that. Concept? Excellent. Setting? Interesting enough. And Fischbach gives a solid effort. Unfortunately, Iron Lung feels like a short story stretched well beyond its limits. What works as a mysterious game doesn't necessarily work as a feature-length film. Lots of atmosphere. Lots of blood. But not nearly enough story to fill the tank.

Fans of the game will probably spend their time connecting dots and filling in gaps. Everyone else is left piecing together fragments and hoping the movie eventually decides to explain itself. It never really does.

Iron Lung (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/iron-lung-2026/

Fuze (2026) | Apparently, finding an unexploded WWII bomb is London's version of ringing the dinner bell for extremely organized thieves. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating -  6.3/10. David Mackenzie's Fuze starts with a surprisingly cool drone shot sweeping over a busy construction site in the heart of London. Everything looks routine until the workers dig up something that absolutely nobody wants to find buried beneath a major city. An unexploded WWII bomb. Suddenly, what was shaping up to be a normal workday turns into a migraine for just about everyone involved.

They report the discovery to Zuzana, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who recognizes the device as UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) right away. The city grinds to a halt, while the police and military rush to evacuate everyone. Time is ticking down. Enter Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Will, the bomb disposal expert. Yes, Kraven and maybe even the next James Bond. He keeps the tension high alongside Zuzana, both doing excellent in their roles.

Fuze does an awesome job showing London during evacuations. Packed streets full of people and cars gradually become eerie and empty. This creates a fantastic atmosphere, making the situation feel incredibly real and vast. For a while, it seems the movie will be entirely focused on the bomb-disposal operation.

Then the guys in orange jumpsuits show up.

While the military crew follows protocol, trying to prevent half of London from becoming a very expensive crater, another group decides this would be the perfect opportunity to conduct a heist. Not sure if these thieves spend their free time sitting around waiting for unexploded bombs to be discovered, but judging by the generator hidden in a garbage bin and the amount of equipment already in place, this definitely wasn't a last-minute plan. These guys looked prepared enough to have a PowerPoint presentation ready.

Surprise! They're after a vault full of safety deposit boxes. And the heist itself is surprisingly well thought out. The only slight flaw in their master plan seems to be forgetting that London is one of the most heavily surveilled cities on the planet. Small oversight.

Before I strained my neck shaking my head, it doesn't settle for being just another robbery movie. There are plenty of double-crosses, shifting loyalties, and backstabbing along the way that set it apart. The final act takes a few turns I wasn't expecting, and the ending itself is handled in a fairly unique way.

Fuze ended up being a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a fairly generic premise, but it finds some creative ways to spruce it up. The story is well designed, the pacing is excellent, and at just 96 minutes it never wastes time sitting on scenes longer than necessary. The editing keeps everything moving, making the runtime fly by.

Fuze (2026)

An entertaining thriller with a clever setup, solid performances, and enough twists to keep you guessing. Definitely worth checking out.

https://jackmeat.com/fuze-2026/

City Wide Fever (2026) | You can feel the passion for Giallo cinema here, even if ambition and execution spend most of the movie avoiding each other. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.3/10. Before City Wide Fever even starts, I was already entertained. Not by the movie itself, mind you, but by the creepy laughing kid with glowing red eyes in the Baby Josh distributor logo. Somehow that little guy ended up being one of the more memorable characters in the entire flick.

The actual film opens with random city footage rolling beneath the credits before settling on a young film student named Sam (Diletta Guglielmi), who discovers a USB stick lying on the ground. As one does. That discovery quickly leads her down a rabbit hole involving forgotten Italian horror director Saturnino Barresi and his mysterious disappearance. Naturally, things soon involve dreams, masked attackers, straight razors, conspiracies, and one of Barresi's films conveniently being titled City Wide Fever.

At first, I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but I do watch everything. The problem is I don't know if they were entirely sure what was going on either.

Director Josh Heaps is clearly aiming for an homage to both Giallo films and the VHS era of low-budget filmmaking. The concept of placing a Giallo-obsessed film student inside what gradually becomes her own Giallo nightmare is actually a decent idea. Unfortunately, City Wide Fever never feels quite as clever as it believes itself to be. I recently reviewed Lisa and the Devil, which has a master of giallo, Mario Bava, in one of his lesser-acclaimed films, showing us how it is done.

The production itself screams micro-budget. The camera work often has that smartphone-shot feel, while the aspect ratio gives everything a strange pan-and-scan look. The acting ranges from stiff to outright awkward. Several scenes feel like they were filmed guerrilla-style throughout New York without permits. To be fair, that does occasionally help the atmosphere. The city feels authentic because I bet they just wandered onto a street and started filming.

I spent a good chunk of the movie wondering if I missed something important because two different actresses were playing the main character. Eventually we sorta get an explanation, but I didn't get some mind-blowing revelation. I got a gimmick that I didn't see a reason for in the first place.

There are moments where the film almost wins me over. A throat-slitting effect looked surprisingly good considering the budget, especially when compared to some of the rougher practical effects elsewhere. Her roommate Chloe (Angelica Kim) also earned bonus points simply for rocking a Slipknot shirt. Sometimes it's the little things.

The comedy tag is another interesting choice. My guess is the music selections, which often feel intentionally bizarre. Whether they're supposed to be funny, satirical, or simply odd is up for debate.

City Wide Fever (2026)

In the end, City Wide Fever feels like Heaps is paying tribute to the movies he loves while poking fun at the whole movie-making process itself. I do appreciate the effort, the ambition, and the obvious love for Giallo cinema. Unfortunately, appreciation and enjoyment are not the same thing. There are ideas here, but the execution never quite comes together. It's an interesting experiment that constantly reminds you how smart it thinks it is, yet it never truly proves it.

https://jackmeat.com/city-wide-fever-2026/

Over Your Dead Body (2026) | Every flashback adds another layer of insanity until the whole movie becomes a bloody, dysfunctional train wreck. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.5/10. If your marriage is hanging by a thread, maybe don't book a romantic weekend away in a secluded cabin. And if you do, perhaps avoid bringing along a fully developed murder plan. Over Your Dead Body takes that relationship advice, tosses it out the nearest window, and spends the next 106 minutes seeing just how badly things can spiral when two people decide divorce paperwork is simply too much effort.

After a brief setup introducing our deeply unhappy couple, Dan (Jason Segel) and Lisa (Samara Weaving), the pair hit the road for an argument-filled drive to a remote cabin where they're supposedly going to repair their marriage. Repair might be a strong word, considering both have secretly arrived with plans to kill the other.

Weaving continues to prove she's one of the most reliable performers working in this type of dark comedy space. Her Australian accent is definitely making less of an effort to hide this time around. And good, it adds to the charm. I've enjoyed her work for years, and recent films like Eenie Meanie showed she can easily carry a movie on her own. Segel also feels right at home playing a guy whose confidence far exceeds his competence.

The film wastes little time getting into its central gimmick. Dan's murder attempt goes about as smoothly as a shopping trolley with three wheels, leaving him tied up while Lisa calmly explains her own plan with a double-barrel shotgun in hand. Naturally, we then get to hear Dan's version of events through a flashback showing how he prepared his own scheme five days earlier.

The story repeatedly jumps backward with "X amount of time earlier" segments, and surprisingly, it works. Each flashback adds another piece to the puzzle while introducing more people who absolutely should not be anywhere near this situation. Before long, Henry (Jake Curran), escaped inmates Pete (Timothy Olyphant) and Todd (Keith 'The Dean of Mean' Jardine), along with officer Allegra (Juliette Lewis), come crashing into the story. Quite literally in some cases.

What follows is a steadily escalating disaster where nearly every plan falls apart within minutes. While the tone remains darkly humorous for the majority of the film, the movie also adopts a rather cartoonish approach to its depiction of violence. Blood sprays freely, and common sense takes an extended vacation. The scene involving Dan's father, Michael (Paul Guilfoyle), was one of the funniest moments in the entire film and had me laughing harder than I expected.

Over Your Dead Body never pretends to be anything other than a popcorn movie. Convenience seems to rule the situation here, but the characters' decision-making skills are extremely substandard, and the bodies begin piling up one after another. Luckily, this film is well aware of what it is and takes everything to heart. The wrap-up felt fitting, entertaining, and completely in line with the madness that came before it.

Throw this one on, enjoy the dark humor, watch the blood fly, and don't spend too much time questioning the logic. The movie certainly doesn't. Oh, apparently this is based on a Norwegian flick called I Onde Dager or The Trip, which I have not seen (and is sitting on my watchlist, dammit).

Over Your Dead Body (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/over-your-dead-body-2026/

Bight (2026) | Bight spends so much time talking about art and sex that I almost forgot it was supposed to be a thriller. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.3/10. Bight opens with people washing blood off themselves in a shower, immediately making you wonder what terrible decisions led to this point. Thankfully, the film intends to answer that question. Although getting there required me sitting through enough pretentious conversation to make me wish someone would get murdered a lot sooner.

After the bloody cold open, the credits roll over an artsy montage involving ropes, photography, and enough bondage imagery to let you know exactly where we are going. We then meet Atticus (Cameron Cowperthwaite) and Charlie (Maiara Walsh), a couple attempting to get ready for a party. Their biggest challenge isn't picking an outfit. It's managing to stop arguing long enough to leave the house.

When they finally arrive, we meet the hosts, Naomi (Maya Stojan) and Sebastian (Mark Hapka). Apparently, their definition of a wild party is inviting exactly two other people over. I've had family dinners with more attendees than this supposed social gathering.

From there, Bight spends a significant amount of time having its characters discuss art, photography, work, and whatever else comes to mind. Every conversation feels loaded with sexual tension, which is hardly surprising considering the film quickly reveals these four have a rather complicated history together. Orgy. Before long, Naomi and Sebastian are suggesting another round of swinging under the convenient cover of posing for photos and paintings. If the audience somehow misses that detail, the movie helpfully provides flashbacks just to make sure we are caught up.

One thing that was driving me nuts - the dialogue is painfully self-important, especially whenever Sebastian opens his mouth. Hapka does a good job portraying an arrogant jerk, but that doesn't necessarily mean spending time with him is enjoyable. On the positive side, Maiara Walsh pulls double duty as director and star, and she's easily my standout performer. Charlie has the most complicated mental journey in the film, and Walsh handles it well.

Oddly enough, despite being marketed as an erotic thriller and drowning in sexual tension, Bight contains hardly any nudity beyond a brief montage during the opening credits. And when I saw that ice cube scene, I knew Walsh had recently flipped on Nine 1/2 Weeks and thought, "We have to do that."

To the film's credit, the psychological tension does arrive, and the thriller elements finally start kicking in. We do circle back to that opening shower scene, and the fallout between the characters becomes far more interesting than their endless discussions about art.

In the end, Bight works well enough as a relationship thriller, but it never pushes far enough to become memorable. The performances are solid, and the tension is there. Unfortunately, the film often feels more fascinated with appearing provocative than actually being provocative. Even the bondage elements that tried so hard to shock end up feeling way too tame.

Bight (2026)

Much like the artwork its characters obsess over, Bight spends a lot of time trying to convince you how daring it is. Whether you buy into that is totally up to you. I didn't.

https://jackmeat.com/bight-2026/

Lisa and the Devil (1973) | Mario Bava could make somebody handing over a piece of cake look more interesting than most modern action scenes. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.4/10. Something I haven't done in quite a while. Shuffle mode. Only new releases ot me, no genre restrictions, just one simple filter. Under two hours. And what did the movie gods give me? Lisa and the Devil, from 1973, the same year I was born. Coincidence? Of course. Don't be stupid. So the algorithm felt the need to remind me I am old. Luckily, this film was dubbed, so I don't need those new glasses. More surprisingly, it was a Mario Bava flick I hadn't seen before.

The story follows Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer), a tourist visiting Toledo, Spain, who spots an ancient image of the devil. She promptly does what our final girls have been doing for decades. Wander off alone. She gets lost, hops in a car with strangers, and ends up stranded at a mysterious mansion occupied by a bunch of weirdos. In other words, getting what she deserved. We also see a butler named Leandro (Telly Savalas) who looks a lot like the devil she saw earlier. As nightmares, past lives, and bizarre encounters begin piling up, Lisa starts wondering what the hell she got herself into.

One thing I never get tired of is those classic gothic horror shots where somebody peers out a doorway while thick fog swirls dramatically around them for no logical reason. Nobody asks where the fog came from. Nobody seems concerned that it only exists within a six-foot radius of the front entrance. It simply does its job, so don't question it, dammit.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped paying attention to the plot and started watching what Bava was doing with the camera. That sounds like a criticism. It isn't. A wine bottle shatters, and the action continues through a reflection. A simple exchange of cake becomes a carefully choreographed movement through the frame. It doesn't scream for attention. Why should it, since every shot feels deliberate? It's the kind of filmmaking that reminds you why Bava remains such an influential figure in horror cinema.

The settings are just as impressive. Between the music and the visuals, the whole thing feels like somebody else's uneasy dream. Sometimes I wasn't entirely sure what was happening. It didn't matter. Things just worked.

Telly Savalas is also impossible to ignore. Even in this bizarre gothic horror story, he's walking around sucking on lollipops. Apparently that habit wasn't just a Kojak thing. Seeing him wander through this surreal nightmare while casually enjoying candy somehow makes him even more unsettling.

Of course, Mario Bava's name alone is horror royalty. If it doesn't sound familiar, his A Bay of Blood laid the groundwork for countless slashers. If you wonder where those ideas for Friday the 13th came from. He is the man. Watching Lisa and the Devil, it's easy to see the craftsmanship that earned him that reputation.

I felt like the story focused on atmosphere over clarity, at times. This is a film built on mood, visuals, and unsettling imagery over straightforward answers. And that genuinely satisfying ending? I have to say shuffle tossed me a forgotten gem that was well worth the trip back to 1973.

Lisa and the Devil (1973)

https://jackmeat.com/lisa-and-the-devil-1973/