Primate (2026) | Turns out “family pet chimp” plus “unsupervised teen party” equals total chaos, gore, and way more fun than expected. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.3/10. Primate wastes absolutely no time reminding us of one important life lesson. If it has teeth, strength, and the emotional range of a toddler with a chainsaw, maybe don’t treat it like a fuzzy roommate. The film opens with a gruesome scene that basically slaps you and says, “Wild animals are still wild, you absolute morons.” Message received.

We then shift to sunny Hawaii, where Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) returns home for summer break and reunites with her father, Adam (Troy Kotsur), her sister Erin (Gia Hunter), and their pet chimp Ben, who is introduced as gentle, sweet, and absolutely not going to stay that way for long. Lucy and her friends decide that the best use of an empty luxury house is, of course, a pool party. Because nothing bad ever happens in horror movies when teens throw unsupervised parties. History confirms this. Repeatedly. With blood.

Once Ben gets bitten by a rabid animal, things escalate from “quirky family chimp” to “primal nightmare rage.” About 25 minutes in, the story loops back to the opening brutality, and director Johannes Roberts makes it very clear he did not come here to be polite. He came here to weaponize your childhood zoo memories.

The tension setup works surprisingly well. The pool becomes a barricaded island, phones are out of reach, help isn’t coming, and the group has to outthink an angry, infected chimpanzee who did not skip upper body day. The camera work deserves credit with several shots that make Ben look genuinely creepy, and stalking like a furry slasher villain. The hunting sequences are the clear highlights. Tense, mean-spirited, and just a little bit gloriously over the top.

There are also some classic “don’t do that” horror decisions sprinkled throughout. My favorite being if your girlfriend pukes and passes out, maybe - just maybe - don’t lay her flat on her back like you’re tucking her in for a Victorian ghost portrait. And at one key moment, you’ll absolutely catch yourself yelling, “Why not splash him?” at the screen. Audience participation wass alive and well the other night.

The film smartly introduces additional victims in a way that feels scripted but satisfying. Fresh targets delivered right to the danger zone, like horror-themed food delivery. Practical gore effects are used well, messy and effective, without feeling cartoonish.

Ben himself is oddly impressive. His look shifts from innocent, almost cuddly chimp to nightmare ape depending on the lighting and angle, which makes him even more unsettling. It’s a simple plot executed with sharp teeth and a nasty streak.

I expected something mediocre at best, but ended up quite enjoying Primate. Don’t overthink it. Lock the doors, stay out of arm’s reach, and enjoy the monkeying around.

Primate (2026)

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

Haunters of the Silence (2025) | A grief-soaked experimental nightmare that’s visually creative and sincere, but sometimes wanders so far it forgets why it left. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.3/10. I recently received an email invitation to check out Haunters of the Silence, which is one of those films that doesn’t just invite you into its story. It quietly locks the door behind you, turns off the lights, and whispers, “Good luck figuring this out.” That score comes with both respect and a slightly confused head tilt.

This is a deeply experimental, grief-soaked, dream-logic experience about a man mourning his wife and slipping into a cycle of nightmares he can’t wake from. If you’ve ever had one of those dreams where you keep “waking up” only to discover you’re still dreaming, yeah, that’s the neighborhood this movie lives in. Property values are low, reality is negotiable, and the HOA is run by existential dread.

The soundtrack does a lot of the heavy lifting here, setting the mood and signaling when something important is happening, or at least when something would like you to think it’s important. It’s like an emotional GPS recalculating every five minutes. The film mixes styles freely. Live action, abstract imagery, animated comic-strip panels, and even some stop motion touches. I genuinely liked the comic-strip inserts. They help frame the narrative and give your brain a small handle to grab onto before the movie gently pries your fingers loose again.

Performance-wise, Tatu Heikkinen (as K) is restrained yet effective, which works well against the surreal presentation. Veleda’s appearances as the wife feel intentionally distant and dreamlike - more passionate echo than physical presence. The repetition of images and sequences mirrors how real nightmares recycle elements, which is thematically strong, though it does test your attention span. I checked the runtime twice, 73 minutes, because it feels longer in that art-installation way where time becomes soup.

The film uses on-screen quotes and title cards drawn from Madison Julius Cawein’s poetry, among other sources, to build atmosphere and thematic structure. Sometimes they help. Sometimes they feel like philosophical pop-up ads interrupting your dread.

Now, I need to address the arthouse elephant in the room. For a few moments, I feared this was heading into Skinamarink territory, which for me is cinematic broccoli without seasoning. Thankfully, Haunters of the Silence actually has intention, structure, and emotional purpose. It’s not just vibes and darkness stretched to feature length. It knows what it wants to say, even if the path there is foggy and occasionally wanders off the trail to look at a symbolic tree.

Knowing this was made for around $2,000 by a married couple who co-wrote and co-directed it, with Tatu handling cinematography and Veleda the editing and sound, makes it feel like a very personal, handmade expression of grief. It plays less like a conventional film and more like stepping into someone else’s processing of loss. Thank you, Tatu Heikkinen and Veleda Thorsson-Heikkinen, for sharing your movie with me.

Not a hand-holding journey. More like a hand-releasing one. Watch it for the experience, not the roadmap. (More streaming options will be added as they become available.)

Haunters of the Silence (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/haunters-of-the-silence-2025/

Redux Redux (2026) | A low-budget multiverse thriller that jumps straight into chaos, keeps things tight, and makes revenge feel dangerously addictive and fun. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.6/10. Some movies ease you in with a slow burn. Others kick down the door, set the couch on fire, and yell, “Figure it out later.” I would have to say Redux Redux proudly chooses option two. We open on a woman standing over someone tied to a chair, engulfed in flames - which is certainly one way to warm up the audience (are you counting the heat puns? I regret nothing). The film then smash-cuts to the same woman being choked out by a guy she promptly escapes and shoots, making it very clear that this is not going to be a quiet, tea-and-biscuits multiverse drama.

The story follows Irene Kelly, played with serious conviction by Michaela McManus, a mother who discovers a way to travel across parallel universes to repeatedly hunt down her daughter’s killer. Not just once. Not just twice. But enough times that revenge starts to look less like justice and more like a hobby she should probably discuss with a therapist. The film wastes absolutely no time getting her into the universe-hopping groove, and her jump chamber has a delightfully retro, garage-built sci-fi look that feels nostalgic without screaming “we blew the entire budget on one glowing prop.” Still not sure how it makes its way into vehicles, but ditch that logic thing.

One of Irene’s jumps leads her to Mia, played by Stella Marcus, a kidnapping victim she manages to save from Neville, portrayed by Jeremy Holm. Neville is intentionally underexplained, more force-of-evil than fully fleshed-out villain, which works thematically, even if I wouldn’t have minded a little more meat on those villain bones. Mia becomes a larger focus for a stretch, and while she’s likable overall, her attitude occasionally cranks past “understandably upset” into “okay, dial it back two notches.” Mileage will vary there.

The action and fight scenes are consistently solid and well-choreographed. Nothing too flashy, but always clear and engaging. When the characters go part-hunting for the machine, they encounter Billie, played by Taylor Misiak, who I instantly recognized from my guilty-pleasure sitcom rotation, Going Dutch. Always fun when two totally different genre worlds collide in your brain for a moment.

Redux Redux is low-budget indie sci-fi in a good way. Concept-first, character-driven, and not drowning in CGI soup. Impressively, it avoids getting tangled in the narrative pretzels that usually strangle time-travel and multiverse plots. It actually plays things surprisingly safe with the alternate worlds - most are only slightly different - and while that feels like a missed opportunity to go truly dark and weird, it also keeps the story clean and focused. Credit to directors Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus for resisting the urge to overcomplicate things just because they can.

The takeaway seems to be - if you find a version of reality that works for you, maybe stop poking the cosmic machinery with a wrench. A pleasant surprise that could’ve been great, but still lands comfortably in the quite good multiverse lane, and without melting your brain in the process. Which, these days, is a win.

Redux Redux (2026)

I'll be back with streaming links when they are available. As of now, it hits theaters on Feb. 20th, 20026.

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

Twisted (2026) | Two scammy apartment flippers meet DIY surgery nightmare. Great cast trapped inside a script that clearly skipped its final inspection. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.8/10. There are movies about real estate scams, movies about mad doctors, and movies about terrible people making worse decisions. I watched Twisted, which tries to flip all three at once like a dodgy Brooklyn condo listing with “great bones” and a raccoon in the kitchen.

The setup is stable enough. Two millennials run a slick apartment-flipping con in New York, selling properties they don’t actually own to buyers who don’t realize they’re being scammed. It’s a fun, modern premise that feels like it was ripped straight from a late-night true crime binge and a housing crisis support group. Our con artists are played by Lauren LaVera (Paloma) and Mia Healey (Smith), and let’s just say the casting department did not accidentally pick two extremely photogenic scammers. Subtlety was not invited to this open house.

The slow-burn approach might have completely collapsed under its own artsy seriousness if not for Djimon Hounsou as Dr. Kezian. The one target they absolutely should have skipped. He brings instant gravity and menace to the screen, like he wandered in from a much better, more expensive movie and decided to stay. Once he takes center stage, Twisted at least has a pulse, even if the script’s brain activity is questionable.

If you recognize LaVera, it’s probably from the blood-soaked chaos of the Terrifier films, and fans expecting that deep a stab may feel slighted. The dialogue frequently sounds like it was workshopped by aliens who learned human speech from property scam emails. Conversations don’t flow so much as stumble down the stairs.

There’s a brutal assault-and-fight sequence that’s effective, but it exists mostly to steer the characters into Dr. Kezian’s DIY nightmare clinic, where the movie leans hard into bargain-bin medical horror. The procedures are so wildly implausible that they feel less like science and more like someone angrily assembling IKEA surgery. The central experiment, involving his wife (played by Alicia Witt) and her very unclear brain situation, is murky enough that you stop trying to understand and just nod politely.

A big structural problem. Everyone is awful. The scammers are terrible people. The doctor is a terrible person. The police are…present, technically. Their investigation subplot has all the impact of a muted notification and is basically swept under the rug until the end. No brains, no urgency, no payoff.

Twisted (2026)

Director Darren Lynn Bousman has done sharper work. Horror fans of his entries in the Saw II era will spot a very familiar surgical vibe, and even the messy but interesting Abattoir aimed higher. This one isn’t terrible, but it feels like a rough draft that accidentally got listed as a final pitch. Watchable, flawed, occasionally effective - but definitely not luxury horror. More like “as-is, no inspection.”

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

Night Patrol (2026) | Justin Long chews scenery as a shady cop in a brutal, weird genre mashup that almost sticks the landing. Almost. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.9/10. If the Shudder logo pops up before a movie, you can usually expect one of two things. A hidden gem or a cinematic science experiment. Night Patrol kinda slides itself into both categories.

The movie opens with a bleeding teenager in an interrogation room, begging for help while a cop basically says, “Sure, but first, paperwork.” There’s something sticking out of the kid’s side, but bureaucracy is the real final boss. It’s a darkly funny, grim little opener that promises payoff later, and yes, the film does eventually loop back around to it.

We then shift into a routine bust of a make-out session with Officers Marcus (CM Punk) and Hayworth (Justin Long), and things escalate from “routine bust” to “that escalated extremely quickly” when an initiation goes very, very wrong. Long plays the role with a smug, controlled edge that makes you instantly suspicious, like a motivational speaker who owns too many knives. Able to escape the scene is Wazi, played by RJ Cyler, who some folks will recognize from The 'Burbs, and you should recognize from the interrogation room. And that gets us to the opening credits.

Chapter 1 is entitled LAPD, and Hayworth introduces himself to school kids by staging what is essentially a live-action trauma drill. Officer Xavier (Jermaine Fowler) submerges himself entirely too much into the role of the stereotypical gunman. Nothing says “don’t steal” like simulated mortal terror before homeroom.

The structure is split into chapters, which gives the film a graphic-novel rhythm. There’s a conspiracy brewing inside a special police task force, a manufactured gang war setup, and a colonial-court battleground sequence with heavy smoke and heavier firepower that genuinely looks great. When the Night Patrol rolls in through the haze and starts wiping people out, it’s stylish and brutally disturbing.

Dermot Mulroney shows up as Sarge, adding some veteran presence, while director Ryan Prows and company put a new-ish twist on vampire lore. Not a better twist, not a worse twist, just one that made me tilt my head like a confused dog.

There’s some legitimately strong stuff here. The early kills are sudden and nasty, the moral lines are clearly drawn, and the setup is loaded with potential. There’s even a goofy planning scene with a puff-puff-pass strategy session that almost tricks you into thinking the third act will hold together.

Unfortunately, once the story hits its mystical-power phase - complete with an energy effect that looks suspiciously like it borrowed a prop from Green Lantern - the movie drives straight off the beaten track. What starts tense and entertaining turns chaotic and quite stupid.

Night Patrol (2026)

It’s frustrating, because most of Night Patrol works…right up until it really, really doesn’t. Still worth a watch for the concept, the gore, and Long having a blast, but this patrol needed one more rewrite before clocking in. And don't expect another Sinners.

https://jackmeat.com/night-patrol-2026/

OBEX (2026) | A glitchy, retro-style side-quest reminding you that too much screen time might cost real life, told by one determined dog owner. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.4/10. Some flicks feel like they were made in a studio. Others feel like they were made in a garage with a haunted typewriter and a stack of obsolete computer manuals. OBEX proudly belongs to the second category, and I mean that as a compliment.

This is the kind of movie I lined up specifically because it looks weird, and thankfully, it does not betray that promise. The story follows Conor Marsh, played by Albert Birney, a reclusive, agoraphobic VHS-hoarding introvert whose home décor style can best be described as “Blockbuster exploded.” His main real-world interaction is with grocery delivery driver Mary (Callie Hernandez), his dog Sandy, and approximately seventeen thousand hours of analog media. When he starts playing a mysterious new computer game, and Sandy goes missing, he dives into the game world to get her back. In movies, that’s always step one and never a terrible idea.

Shot in black and white and set in 1987, the film leans hard into a retro computing atmosphere. You get dot matrix printer music, old-school UI charm, chunky hardware, and enough ambient tech noise to trigger flashbacks in anyone who’s ever heard a modem scream. I loved the old-school video game sounds during the credits. That alone nearly earned a nostalgia bonus point. There’s also a glorious stack of televisions and enough VHS tapes to survive several media apocalypses. I refuse to judge Conor for this because I do not live in a glass house. Mine has been made of all sorts, from VHS through Bluray.

The vibe is lo-fi analog nightmare with a surrealist streak. The game world characters are creative, awkward, and delightfully strange. There’s a moment with a guy who has a giant monitor for a head (Frank Mosley) getting into a car, and the camera very conveniently cuts away because there is absolutely no universe where that man folded into a sedan like origami. Respect to the edit.

That said, the nostalgia sometimes feels more “researched aesthetic” than lived-in memory. It has a bit of that YouTube-retro-essay energy rather than firsthand tech-era trauma. Also, while I appreciate that they found an old Mac for authenticity, it was very clearly just there for emotional support.

The themes land better than the suspense. The movie explores digital escapism and how screen obsession can quietly replace real connection, especially the simple, important kind (like, say, noticing your dog exists). The emotional core works. The game-world action is fun but very limited and never especially intense. Budget is clearly the final boss here.

I’d love to say the ending surprised me, but my brain called it early and made popcorn. Still, points for commitment. OBEX is intentionally small-scale, creative, and amusingly surreal. Not thrilling, but unique and memorable. Like finding a cursed floppy disk and still putting it in your computer anyway. You know you would.

OBEX (2026)

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

Grizzly Night (2026) | Not a crazy killer-bear splatterfest, more a realistic survival drama where the wilderness wins and common sense shows up late. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.7/10. Grizzly Night is the rare “based on a true story” survival thriller that doesn’t try to turn nature into a CGI supervillain, and for that alone, it earns a respectful nod from me. Preferably from a safe distance, inside a locked vehicle, with the windows up. Directed by Burke Doeren, the film recounts the real events of August 12, 1967, when two fatal grizzly bear attacks occurred nine miles apart in Montana’s Glacier National Park. Same night, same park, very bad luck, zero common sense.

Right from the opening scene, the movie signals what kind of ride you’re in for. Realistic, tense, and not interested in turning the bears into horror movie slashers with fur. This isn’t Cocaine Bear or Grizzly Rage 9: Campground Carnage. It plays more like a dramatic procedural survival thriller, focused on human decisions, and the horrifying realization that nature does not care about your camping itinerary.

The structure is effective. A little preview to get us started up front, and we come back around about half an hour later with the context, the dread, and the growing realization that a few of these individuals here shouldn't be permitted anywhere near the wildlife without a release form and a chaperone. The way it handles the unpreparedness of the park for dealing with the multiple animal assaults is quite good.

Visually, this is where the film really shines. The cinematography by Brian Mitchell and Ian Start captures Glacier National Park as both breathtaking and deeply intimidating. The wide framing constantly reminds you how small and snack-sized humans are out there. The scale works in the movie’s favor. Every tree line feels like a possible jump-scare waiting room. The mix of practical effects and what appears to be real bear footage adds a gritty authenticity. The post-attack effects are especially well done. Brutal without feeling cartoonish. I’ll admit I wanted a bit more on-screen attack action, but what we do get is convincing and handled with restraint.

Lauren Call (Joan) - thrust into reluctant-hero territory - delivers a strong performance, selling the fear and responsibility arc nicely. And yes, it was fun seeing Brec Bassinger (Stargirl) show up as Julie, one of the campers whose decision-making skills strongly suggest she would also try to pet a chainsaw. She does well, though. Believable, earnest, and exactly the kind of character who makes you yell at the screen.

The darkest, most fascinating part is the historical mindset. Many people at the time genuinely underestimated grizzly danger. Modern viewers will spend half the movie thinking, “Congratulations, you have invented the Bad Idea Olympics.” But Grizzly Night backs this up with contextual detail, so the questionable choices feel historically accurate rather than lazily written.

Grizzly Night (2026)

No over-the-top monster mayhem here. Just a sober, well-shot reminder that apex predators don’t need a musical score to be terrifying. Recommended for fans of killer animal flicks, survival dramas, or movies that will make you think twice about having a picnic, ever again. Definitely a 0/10 for vacation inspiration.

https://jackmeat.com/grizzly-night-2026/

The Morrigan (2026) | Great Irish folklore setup and mood, then the effects team released a PS2-era snake and lazy logic took over. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.3/10. I'll admit, the trailer for The Morrigan did get my attention. It takes a stab at mythological horror with a strong concept and some genuinely creepy atmosphere, then unfortunately trips over its own cursed artifacts and faceplants into the CGI bargain bin.

We open in “Pagan Ireland, 1500 years ago,” which is cinematic shorthand for - bad things are about to happen to people with poor armor and worse luck. Cue crusading soldiers, throat-slashing, and enough grim mood to let you know nobody here is getting a happy ending or dental coverage. It’s a promising start that suggests folklore-heavy dread is on the menu.

Fast-forward to modern day, where archaeologist Fiona (Saffron Burrows, who brings instant credibility just by showing up) is explaining the legend of The Morrigan, a vengeful war goddess with a serious grudge and apparently no hobbies outside of possession and murder. She heads to Ireland with her teenage daughter, Lily (Emily Flain), who is fresh off an expulsion and fully committed to the Teen Horror Movie Daughter Starter Pack. Sulking, eye-rolling "whatever" responses, and wandering off at the worst possible times.

The Irish scenery does some heavy lifting here with misty hills and ancient sites scoring points, though the script occasionally forgets basic geography. There’s a snake incident that raises a big question. Did The Morrigan also banish St. Patrick and sneak the snakes back in? Because Ireland is famously snake-free. Even Google would’ve caught that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ9g3GP24BM

Joining the expedition is Jonathon Horner (Jonathan Forbes), a character so aggressively handsy and glory-hungry that you can practically see the red “DO NOT TRUST” label hovering over his head. Sure enough, someone finds a mysterious burial casket, and the one person least qualified to open it decides to open it anyway. Archaeologists everywhere screamed into the void at that scene.

There are a few moments where the tension actually works. The possession arc with Lily builds some decent unease, and her glowing-eyed Morrigan look is legitimately creepy. Unfortunately, the film keeps undercutting itself with rough effects and logic-defying escape scenes, including a “throw lighter - random explosion - freedom” sequence that feels like the writer yelling, “We’ll fix it in post!”

The CGI animals, especially the snake and dog attacks, are distractingly bad. Not charmingly bad. Not “so bad it’s good.” Just “1999 cable TV original at 2 a.m.” bad. Every time the atmosphere starts to thicken, a rubbery digital creature shows up and kicks the tension down the stairs.

Character depth is pretty thin across the board, and the script never digs as deep as its own tomb. Still, Burrows and Flain do what they can with the material, and the mythological angle remains engaging enough to keep things watchable.

It almost wraps up in a respectable way - and then, like a horror villain with franchise ambitions, it pops back up for a sequel tease nobody asked for. The Morrigan may be eternal, but this script needed another rewrite ritual. It's a decent legend trapped in less-than-legendary execution.

The Morrigan (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/the-morrigan-2026/

The Vindicator (2025) | A serial killer hosts the world’s worst livestream, forcing podcasters into cringe confessions with logic gaps big enough to escape through. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.2/10. The Vindicator opens the way many slashers do. A woman running for her life, chased by someone we’re clearly supposed to fear. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely come back to that. Or at least, the movie thinks we will. From there, we’re introduced to a group of true-crime podcasters who could generously be described as “annoying” and less generously as “a few dipshits with microphones.” Naturally, they’re given the opportunity of a lifetime, getting exclusive access to the last known location of the infamous serial killer known as The Vindicator. What could possibly go wrong?

Instead of journalism, they’re treated to a bargain-bin Saw setup crossed with a live-streaming podcast gimmick. The hosts are locked into a gameshow-style nightmare where The Vindicator himself forces them to play a twisted version of truth or dare. They’re fitted with shock bracelets that supposedly keep them trapped. Bracelets they put on themselves and could absolutely remove just as easily. But hey, the movie needs to happen, so let’s all agree not to think about that too hard.

The “tasks” are where the film really shows its hand. If you’re expecting elaborate death traps or creative brutality, think again. This isn’t Saw. It’s more like Oversharing: The Movie. The killer’s grand plan mostly involves forcing people to answer embarrassing or morally compromising questions on camera. It’s less horrifying punishment and more awkward group therapy session run by a murderer. Riveting stuff.

The acting is, unfortunately, terrible across the board. And while bad acting can sometimes be fun, here it just compounds the real problem - the writing. The dialogue feels like it was drafted during a lunch break in elementary school, revised once, and immediately sent to set. I’m confident I wrote better material in high school without even trying. I bet you did, too. The plot twists, or lack thereof, are especially painful. You will guess the killer almost immediately, not because you’re clever, but because the film gives you no other viable options. It’s like a whodunit where only one person bothered to show up.

And the motivation? I won’t spoil it outright, but let’s just say it relies on the killer playing an absurdly long game with absolutely no guarantee it would ever pay off. If you watch this nonsense, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Add to that moments where victims fail to notice the killer standing practically beside them, and you’ve got a film that regularly insults basic human perception.

To its credit, The Vindicator doesn’t look cheap. The production value is surprisingly decent, and it at least resembles a real movie rather than someone’s home project uploaded with confidence. I should also clarify that despite sharing a title with an ’80s film involving robots (yes, that was a thing), this has absolutely nothing to do with that movie. Too bad, since killer robots might have been an improvement.

The Vindicator (2025)

Ultimately, The Vindicator hopes to be edgy and witty, trying desperately to be relevant in modern social circles. But what it really manages is to be frustrating, and even comically so. Watch this for an evening only if you enjoy yelling at screens and wondering just how something with this premise managed to go so wrong.

https://jackmeat.com/the-vindicator-2025/

The Watchers (2024) | Giving extra meaning to the whole "everyone is watching" environment. I doubt that was a social mistake in this horror thriller. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.1/10. I flipped on The Watchers, knowing it was the directorial debut of Ishana Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan. Thankfully, I didn't see a case of “nepo baby sleepwalking through a movie.” Her direction is confident, and she clearly understands pacing and atmosphere. Knowing how to let tension simmer rather than scream at you just works in this flick. The story is very much within familiar survival horror territory, but its setting and characters prevent it from feeling like something you’ve seen a dozen times already.

Dakota Fanning plays Mina, and she is very good in the part. She's resourceful, believable, and avoids the horror movie trope of people forgetting how to walk when something scary happens. The rest of the cast - Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan, Olwen Fouere - round out the trapped, all bringing just enough character to the film that I cared, well, a little, which of them would survive when things inevitably went wrong.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is the setting. That Irish forest is gorgeous. You might even forget it’s actively trying to kill everyone. Cinematographer Eli Arenson does some nice work, capturing sweeping shots that make the wilderness feel both magical and deeply unsettling. The constant play between light and shadow gives The Watchers a moody, fairy-tale-gone-wrong vibe that works really well.

Of course, this being a Shyamalan-adjacent project, there’s a twist. And yes, you’ll probably see it coming. That’s the downside of carrying that last name. Expectations are sky-high. The twist isn’t bad, it just doesn’t hit with the “oh damn” energy needed to push the movie into something great. It lands more in “yeah, that was my guess” territory, which is a bit of a letdown after such a strong buildup.

The horror itself is handled with a pretty gentle touch. This is less of a nightmare and more eerie bedtime story, making it surprisingly family-friendly. That restraint helps the atmosphere, but us hardcore horror fans definitely wanted Shyamalan to take a bloodier bite. Still, the tension is steady, and I never found myself losing interest.

In the end, The Watchers is a visually striking, well-acted debut that shows real promise. It doesn’t fully capitalize on its concept, but it’s engaging and original. A solid launching point for Ishana Shyamalan’s career in my eyes. And if you’re picking up on some extra meaning behind the whole “everyone is watching” vibe…Yeah, I seriously doubt that was a social mistake.

The Watchers (2024)

https://jackmeat.com/the-watchers-2024/

The Plague (2025) | A solid, uncomfortable coming-of-age drama about bullying. Just don’t expect full horror, expect emotional chlorine burn instead. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.1/10. I thought The Plague was going to make me afraid of swimming pools forever or infect me with something deadly. Instead, I got a movie that tried to psychologically scar me, and reminded me in an uncomfortable way that kids can be kind of terrible (just like adults, go figure)

The plot revolves around a nervous 12-year-old’s experience in a vicious social world at an all-boys water polo camp, and being nice is a disease. The tradition here is to shun one kid who is referred to as ‘The Plague’ due to illness, though it is not specified what kind...Is it real? Is it rumor? Is it just weaponized puberty? The movie clearly wants that uncertainty to be the engine of dread.

First, let’s address the chlorine-scented elephant in the room. This is supposed to be a U.S. summer camp, but it is so obviously shot somewhere in Eastern Europe that it’s distracting (the credits confirmed it's Romania). The architecture, the locations, even the general vibe scream “discount Baltic sports facility.” I half expected someone to spike the Gatorade with beet juice. It pulled me out of the immersion more than once.

Joel Edgerton shows up as the coach/dad figure and, once again, proves he is physically incapable of giving a bad performance (Train Dreams, anyone?). The man could convincingly play a conflicted folding chair. The problem is, where are the rest of the adults? This camp seems to be run on a staffing model of “one stressed coach and vibes.” These kids have more unsupervised psychological warfare going on than a reality TV show.

The film is tagged as horror, which feels generous. There’s tension, yes. There’s cruelty, absolutely. There are looks from Eli (Kenny Rasmussen) and Ben (Everett Blunck) that could curdle milk at twenty paces. But very little of it escalates into anything that truly stands as horror. It’s more social dread than genre dread. One scene feels directly inspired by Full Metal Jacket’s group punishment sequence, just resized to junior edition.

Performance-wise, Everett Blunck is the standout and carries a wide emotional range convincingly. That said, I struggled with the intended sympathy for Ben. Yes, bullying is wrong - full stop - but the script makes some choices that undermine him hard. Treating Eli like a human being? Good. Noble. Rubbing lotion on his back in front of a pack of middle-school piranhas? That is not bravery, that is social self-detonation. And later, when he throws Eli under the bus, any remaining moral high ground gets power-washed away. I found myself thinking, “Well…consequences are clearly on the way.”

The themes are solid. Rumor as disease, conformity pressure, adolescent cruelty, and vulnerability. The dread builds slowly, sometimes too slowly, and the pacing can wobble. There’s not a lot of spontaneity in the scene construction, but the performances and mood keep it watchable.

The Plague didn’t hit as hard for me as it clearly will for some, especially those with personal bullying scars, but it’s still worth a look. Just don’t go in expecting a horror film. Think more along the lines of psychological poolside anxiety drama.

The Plague (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/the-plague-2025/

We Bury the Dead (2026) | Not really a horror film, more a quiet zombie-adjacent road trip driven by grief and crunchy jaw noises. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.5/10. This one wasn't exactly what I was expecting. We Bury the Dead is a movie that shows up wearing a “zombie horror” name badge, then spends the entire runtime insisting it’s actually here for your feelings. I mean, honestly? That’s mostly fine, just don’t come in expecting wall-to-wall carnage ala 28 Years Later or Romero-style apocalypse chaos, because this is very much a slow, dramatic character piece. It just happens to have the undead lurking around like an emotional support threat.

The opening does a solid job setting the tone, hinting at a world that’s unsettled and strained without going full end-times. The film wisely keeps the disaster contained. This isn’t the fall of humanity, just a very bad, very specific situation. Ava (Daisy Ridley), grieving and lost, enters a quarantine zone to search for her missing husband. The military line is that the dead are “harmless,” which should immediately trigger your internal horror-movie lie detector. Still, the film never lets the zombies be the undead as escalating threats in the way the marketing suggests. That part of the summary flat-out doesn’t happen.

Ava quickly gets paired with Clay (Brenton Thwaites), an Aussie with a relaxed moral code, a stolen motorcycle, and zero hesitation about heading down the coast to help a stranger chase closure. Their dynamic works well, largely because Thwaites brings an easy-going energy that offsets Ava’s quiet grief. The Tasmanian locations are a huge plus, too. The cinematography really lets the landscape breathe, making the isolation feel earned rather than convenient.

This is very much a “what we will do for love” story, and that theme is hammered home hard. Maybe a bit too hard. The flashbacks meant to justify Ava’s dangerous quest don’t exactly scream “risk your life against zombies for this guy,” which makes some of her choices feel more stubborn than romantic. Still, Ridley sells it. She carries the entire movie, evolving from withdrawn and fragile to absolutely feral when pushed far enough. When she starts beating a zombie senseless, I thought she should save some for the husband.

The zombies themselves are more unsettling than frightening. The jaw noises - crunch, crackle, wet icky business - are genuinely nasty and easily the creepiest element. Attacks are rare, which makes you question the film’s own mythology. If the dead rise due to “unfinished business,” does that mean they already failed to kill someone and had to come back for round two? The movie doesn’t care to explain, and neither should you if you want to stay sane.

There’s a mean streak running through the story, and while one major revelation feels predictable, the film seems convinced it’s pulling the rug out from under you. The ending, though, is where it really lost me. That uplifting “humanity survives, hope endures” finale felt unnecessary and toothless after all that bleak introspection. Sometimes it’s okay to end on a bruise.

We Bury the Dead (2026)

Zak Hilditch swings big here, delivering a distinctly Aussie take on the zombie genre that prioritizes mood and grief over gore. It’s well-acted, well-shot, and thoughtfully made. Just mislabeled. This isn’t horror. It’s a zombie drama-thriller that moves slowly, thinks a lot, and occasionally trips.

https://jackmeat.com/we-bury-the-dead-2026/

Train Dreams (2025) | Strong performances and gorgeous scenery carry this one, though the romance felt rushed and just not Best Picture-level impact in the end. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.9/10. Another Best Picture nominee strolls into the room wearing suspenders, carrying an axe, and speaking in a hushed, poetic voiceover. And that would be Train Dreams. Directed by Clint Bentley and based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, this is the kind of film that doesn’t knock on the door, it gently taps once, then waits while you check the peephole for interest.

The story follows Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker living through the early 20th century as America slowly trades trees for smokestacks. It’s a portrait of a simple, decent man trying to build a simple, decent life, which of course means cinema law requires tragedy to drop in unannounced like a piano from a third-floor window. The emotional core is intentionally minimalistic - love, family, loss, memory, and the slow erasure of ways of life that once felt permanent.

Joel Edgerton delivers a terrific performance as Robert Grainier, restrained and quietly powerful. He does more with silence and posture than some actors manage with three monologues and a courtroom breakdown. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t land a nomination here. He also recently popped up in The Plague with another strong showing, though with less screen dominance than he commands here. Felicity Jones plays Gladys, the love of his life, bringing warmth and softness to a role that, unfortunately, feels a bit underdeveloped.

And that’s where the film stumbled for me. The central love story, the emotional engine that’s supposed to power the grief, feels too abbreviated. We’re told it’s profound rather than truly showing it becomes profound. When the tragedy hits, it lands more as an idea than a gut punch. It’s the difference between reading a love letter and seeing the relationship unfold. One stings more.

There’s also one moment that genuinely made me tilt my head like a confused dog. When men are dragging away Robert’s Asian co-worker, our concerned hero grabs the guy’s legs in a way that looks less like intervention and more like he’s helping move a couch being thrown off the bridge. It didn't look like confronting the men for assaulting the coworker - it looked like assisting them in the assault. Maybe I misread the staging, but it stuck out enough to make my notes.

Visually, though, the film is a beauty. The forest landscapes are rich and immersive, the period detail is excellent, and the wildfire sequences are shot with suffocating dread. Bentley directs with a delicate hand. This movie is a whisper while most theaters are busy screaming explosions at you. It’s meditative, patient, and atmospheric, sometimes a bit too much. The pacing is undeniably slow, and while that will absolutely work for some of you, the story never quite builds enough tension or momentum to leave a lasting impression with me.

Train Dreams (2025)

Still, it’s thoughtful and well-crafted, just a bit too emotionally distant to hit masterpiece status. A good film, a respectable nominee, but not my Best Picture of the year.

https://jackmeat.com/train-dreams-2025/

The Rip (2026) | The Rip is a gritty Miami cop thriller carried by Damon and Affleck, with solid twists for your Netflix and chill night. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.5/10. Netflix brings us The Rip, one of those big-budget ($100 million) cop thrillers that feels comfortably familiar but still manages to keep you guessing. Set in Miami, the story kicks off in the shadow of an unresolved crime. The murder of a captain that’s been sitting cold for six weeks, delayed by the typical bureaucratic red tape. The officers of the Tactical Narcotics Team are understandably angry and itching for something resembling justice. Or at least momentum. When a tip about a cartel stash surfaces, it feels less like a mission and more like a pressure valve finally being released.

What follows initially plays like a fairly standard heist setup. A crew, a target, and the promise of a big score. But once inside a derelict stash house, the team uncovers far more than expected. Millions in cash, and with it, the slow erosion of trust among officers who should have each other’s backs. As word of the massive seizure spreads, outside forces start circling. Suddenly, loyalties, motives, and long-standing relationships are all up for re-evaluation. Being based on a true story only adds more unease to the proceedings.

The true key to the success of The Rip is the chemistry between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Their performances are what keep the film moving, even when it threatens to go down a familiar genre path. It is obvious that writer/director Joe Carnahan recognizes this and allows it to happen, populating the film with a supporting cast that has just enough screen time to introduce themselves before being used later on down the line. It’s good storytelling, and for the most part, it worked for me.

Pacing is one of the film’s stronger elements. While it starts off like many other crime thrillers, Carnahan peppers in enough twists and double crosses to keep things moving. The first hour is particularly strong, tense, and confident. The action, however, is a mixed bag. The initial shootout leans heavily on shaky cam, which feels unnecessary and distracting, while the later action scenes are staged far more cleanly and effectively. There’s also at least one moment where Affleck unloads an impressive amount of ammunition into a moving bulletproof vehicle, which is, um, a choice. LOL.

The third act, however, sees a bit of a slowdown. The ending feels rushed compared to the good foundation that was laid. I was also a bit tired of the whole accusing each other thing. Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s a necessary evil if we are going to get this story. I just didn’t really know where it was going, and when that twist is finally revealed, it wraps up quite nicely.

The Rip doesn’t rewrite the genre, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a dark and gritty crime flick with a touch of mystery. If you are in the mood for a Netflix-and-chill evening that is morally messy with a bit of cynicism sprinkled in, the red N has something for you.

The Rip (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/the-rip-2026/

M3GAN 2.0 (2025) | A step down from the first, but M3GAN 2.0 remains a fun, ridiculous warning about AI we’re probably already too late to stop. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.1/10. Finally getting around to this one after it sat stalled on my watchlist for way too long, M3GAN 2.0 turns out to be pretty much as I expected. A louder, slicker, slightly dumber sequel that knows it needs to evolve if the franchise is going to survive. And yeah, “villain turned hero” is very much the name of the game here. Sound familiar? It should. This has Terminator 2: Judgment Day written all over it, and I seriously doubt writer/director Gerard Johnstone would call that a coincidence.

The film kicks off with a brisk action scene showcasing a new military-grade AI android named Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno) during what’s meant to be a rescue mission. Spoiler: it doesn’t go great. When Amelia decides shooting the target is more efficient than saving him, you immediately know we’re not dealing with just one rogue doll this time around. Meanwhile, young Cady (Violet McGraw) is explaining to a therapist how Gemma (Allison Williams) has dedicated herself to making AI “safer” so the events of the first movie never happen again. Naturally, this noble idea lasts about five minutes before being tossed straight out the window.

For anyone worried M3GAN (Amie Donald) herself might be sidelined, don’t. She’s still very much alive as floating data, patiently waiting for her chance to get dropped back into a body, all while framing herself as humanity’s only hope to stop Amelia. Apparently, she’s also been busy doing other things, like secretly building an entire bunker inside Gemma’s house without anyone noticing. If you thought M3GAN was creepy before, seeing her in a half-built, DIY form cranks that unease up a notch. And honestly, while watching all this, it’s hard not to think, “Yeah… we’re absolutely going to see something like this in our lifetime.” Probably less Terminator and more WarGames, but still. Quote me on that.

Before anyone jumps all over this sequel for leaning away from horror, it’s clearly embracing action and comedy instead. That shift might rub some fans the wrong way, but plenty of successful horror franchises - Evil Dead and Alien included - have walked that same path. I’m not comparing M3GAN 2.0 to those heavyweights, but the logic is sound. Franchises that don’t change tend to die. The action scenes here are genuinely solid, including a creatively staged hand-to-hand fight that stood out for me.

That said, the movie’s ultimate goal is…pretty silly. A motherboard from the 1980s that’s somehow been powered and learning for decades? Sure. Whatever you need us to believe. The message isn’t subtle, but it works. AI desperately needs better regulation, though the film also quietly admits it’s probably already too late. No, this wouldn’t crack my 2025 Top Ten, and it’s a small step down from the original, but it’s still an entertaining ride. And honestly? I can see myself having fun with wherever this franchise decides to go next.

M3GAN 2.0 (2025)

https://jackmeat.com/m3gan-2-0-2025/

Anaconda (2025) | It’s a silly, self-aware Anaconda reboot that isn’t as funny as it should be, but the cast makes it an enjoyable watch. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.9/10. Revisiting Anaconda nearly three decades later is either a terrible idea or a stroke of inspired madness, and this 2025 reboot/sequel/very self-aware remix hits comfortably somewhere in between. It centers around a group of middle-aged friends facing various midlife issues. This flick leans hard into the nostalgia and meta humor, sometimes to its benefit and other times not so much.

Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Steve Zahn, and Thandiwe Newton play friends who decide to remake their favorite movie from their youth. Yes, Anaconda (1997), after unearthed footage of their homemade horror VHS called "The Quatch" reappears, which they shot as kids. That opening sequence is genuinely charming and instantly sets the tone, and it also triggered a bit of personal rage on my end, reminding me that I never managed to track down our own homemade high school monstrosity. But back to the movie and not my unresolved trauma.

The group somehow secures funding, slaps together a script, and heads into the Brazilian rainforest (actually Australia, and yes, I clocked that immediately). Anyone who’s read my Jungle review knows where this kind of decision-making usually leads. Unsurprisingly, their plan involves wandering into the jungle to “find” a giant snake for authenticity, after their trained one gets mutilated. Hollywood logic reigns supreme here, and given the sheer number of dumbass decisions on display, it’s honestly a miracle the body count isn’t higher.

The comedy is hit-and-miss. There are genuinely funny moments, but the film often leans too hard on repeating the same joke until it starts wheezing. The extended “pee on Jack Black’s leg to counteract spider venom” gag is a prime example. Amusing concept, dragged out far too long, but at least it gives you something to laugh at. A standout bit involves the group encountering another boat on the river that’s literally shooting a Sony-backed Anaconda remake, which got one of the biggest laughs out of me.

The snake itself looks fantastic. The CGI sells the scale and menace without going full cartoon, and visually the film is stronger than it has any right to be. Nigel Bluck’s cinematography adds a few stylish flourishes, and yes, Jack Black clearly had a blast making this. You’ll know exactly why when you see it.

Performance-wise, this movie lives or dies on its cast, and thankfully, it mostly lives. Rudd and Black click instantly, Zahn’s comic timing is razor sharp as ever, and Selton Mello is terrific as snake-handler Santiago. Newton is solid but underused, which feels like a missed opportunity. The Ice Cube inclusion is a clever touch, and the Jennifer Lopez cameo is a genuinely fun nod to the original.

Anaconda (2025)

Ultimately, Anaconda is best described as fun. Not sharp, not particularly brave, but fun. It recognizes the clichés of reboots and remakes without fully committing to satirizing them, so this flick winks at the Hollywood machine but never quite bites. Leave logic at the door, enjoy the charm, and let the snake do the rest. I'll have to go dig up the original one now.

https://jackmeat.com/anaconda-2025/

The Wrecking Crew (2026) | I didn’t need to think at all, and between the violent action and the humor, I had a really good time. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.7/10. The Wrecking Crew wastes absolutely no time telling you what kind of movie it’s going to be, opening with a sweeping city shot serenaded by what I will forever maintain is the most overrated band of all time. As the camera spins and the credits roll, we zero in on an older man being followed before he’s abruptly run down in the street by a van blaring Guns N’ Roses. Subtlety is not invited to this party, and honestly, that’s fine. This brutal little opener sets the tone nicely and brings us straight to James (Dave Bautista) and Johnny (Jason Momoa), estranged half-brothers reunited by their father’s mysterious death.

Our real introduction to Johnny comes via a slick, violent, and well-choreographed fight scene with members of the Yakuza, immediately letting us know that this murder was no random hit-and-run. The action is also refreshingly free of "shaky cam" or seizure-inducing editing. Finally, when Johnny and James are brought together, the comedic core of the movie snaps firmly into place. These two characters genuinely dislike each other, and every time they are together, it is full of insults, sarcastic comments, and backhanded digs. Luckily, their chemistry works so well that the humor doesn’t feel exhausting.

Jacob Batalon pops up as Pika, a former associate of their father, Walter, and he provides his usual dose of humor without tipping into full comic relief overload. The performances across the board are solid and committed, which keeps this from drifting into lazy action-movie autopilot. Bautista brings his usual ominous presence, Momoa leans into his oddball charisma, and together they keep things surprisingly lively.

Visually, the film looks great. The first major action sequence sets the pace beautifully, using creative camera movement and clear staging that lets you actually appreciate what’s happening. The action continues to deliver throughout, occasionally veering into the wildly unrealistic, but when it looks this good, who really cares? The minivan sequence in particular is a standout, and the CGI work is seamless enough to sell some truly absurd moments without breaking immersion.

Things get even more entertaining once Johnny’s girlfriend, Valentina (Morena Baccarin), enters the mix, giving us a bit more humor and a little intrigue. Of course, there’s a sprawling conspiracy at the heart of it all, complete with the classic villain move of kidnapping loved ones in exchange for a thumb drive that could apparently trigger World War III on a Hawaiian island. It’s ridiculous, but the movie knows it.

Between the gorgeous scenery in Hawaii and Auckland, New Zealand, and a soundtrack that eventually redeems itself with Phil Collins, The Wrecking Crew succeeds because it understands exactly what it is. Amazon delivers a very solid January popcorn movie here, and honestly, I was perfectly happy leaving my brain at the door for the night.

The Wrecking Crew (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/the-wrecking-crew-2026/

Hands (2026) | Say no to drugs, say yes to slo-mo punches. Feels like an ’80s fight flick that forgot the talent. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.2/10. A movie like Hands is one of those that lets you know exactly what it is within the first five minutes, and then spends the rest of its runtime repeatedly reminding you, just in case you somehow forgot. Underground fighting? Check. Clear hero and villain lines? Double check. A noble fighter turning down drugs mid-fight so you know he’s the good guy? Oh yeah, we’re doing that too.

That hero would be Carter (James M. Black), who radiates earnest determination and clean-living vibes, while his equally virtuous partner Naomi (Ashley A. Williams) mirrors the same “say no to drugs, say yes to fists” philosophy. The film isn’t subtle about any of this, but subtlety clearly wasn’t invited to the tournament. One of these two is absolutely getting the slow-motion, Eye of the Tiger–coded finale, and the movie practically winks at you while setting it up.

I’ll be honest. I hit play mainly to see what Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been up to. By the second fight, about 20 minutes in, we’re already deep into the “all the work you’ve put in” motivational speech. Which is interesting, because we haven’t really seen that work. What we have seen is the movie’s fondness for time jumps. “Two years later” pops up so often it starts feeling like the official sponsor of the tournament circuit. Apparently, these underground death matches operate on an Olympic schedule, with long gaps in between for plot convenience.

Director Justin Kuhn leans hard into an ’80s–’90s martial arts action vibe, which is charming in theory but less so in execution. This is basically Enter the Dragon, only modernized, stripped of its mystique, and missing roughly 99% of the talent. Important character motivations and world-building details are skipped entirely - things that could’ve been fixed with a quick scene or two, but instead are left dangling like a missed kick.

Credit where it’s due. The focus on women’s fighting is appreciated, even if the choreography itself is only adequate. It works, it lands, but it rarely impresses. Donald Gibbs popping up is a fun surprise, especially since he’s not hunting down Nerds this time, and Billy Blanks showing up at all is… reassuring? He still has whatever that thing is. You know the thing.

The tournament-ending fight is one of the most anticlimactic I’ve seen in a while. But don’t worry, that’s not actually the end of the movie. Of course, Naomi still has to throw down with drug-peddling villainess Mindy (Tanjareen Thomas). Forget car chases, we’re going full foot chase, because why not?

Hands (2026)

Hands basically lands in that awkward space where it’s watchable enough to finish, but nothing you'll ever remember. It swings, it misses, and occasionally lands a glancing blow. But once the credits were rolling, I knew I wouldn't think about it again. And honestly? There are far better ones out there.

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

Greenland 2: Migration (2026) | I enjoyed the first one, but solid performances and grim visuals can’t save this sequel that forgets basic logic. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.3/10. I was glad that Greenland 2: Migration picks up right where the first film’s end-of-the-world anxiety left off, opening with a quick recap of the comet catastrophe before dropping us into a radiation-decayed version of Earth that looks about as welcoming as a frozen landfill. The Garrity family is back, still alive, still stressed, and still making big decisions under impossible circumstances. Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin return as John and Allison Garrity, and Ric Roman Waugh is once again in the director’s chair, clearly committed to keeping this world as bleak and unforgiving as possible.

This time around, the hook is movement. After surviving in the bunker for five years, the Garritys are forced to venture out due to Mother Nature giving everyone a big reminder that she’s still in charge. John’s health is failing him, and since he knows he’s not going to last much longer, he becomes dead set on getting his family to the supposed safe zone near the crater. Why the crater would suddenly turn into some sort of Garden of Eden instead of being a smoldering hole filled with lava is quite a stretch, but you’re just supposed to go with it and move forward with the story, much like the characters do.

Visually, the film does a solid job selling a dead, frozen Europe. The environments are grim, empty, and convincingly miserable, which helps maintain that constant survival-movie tension. Unfortunately, the storytelling doesn’t always keep up. A rushed encounter in northern France introduces Denis (William Abadie) and his daughter Camille (Nelia Valery), who are quickly folded into the Garrity family’s journey like they were old friends bumping into each other at a local sports bar. Before you know it, they’re trekking through a literal war zone, which had me wondering. What in the world is everyone fighting over at this point? Resources? Territory? Immigration issues? Hell if I could guess.

Logic issues start to pile up the longer the journey goes on. The characters spend years terrified of radiation while living in a bunker, yet once they leave the island, nearly every place they travel through seems oddly radiation-free. That naturally begs the question of why staying underground for so long was such an absolute necessity in the first place. Then there’s the matter of fuel, because apparently gasoline is still plentiful enough to keep cars running across a shattered continent. It’s hard not to notice these things when the film leans so heavily on realism elsewhere.

Ultimately, Greenland 2: Migration isn’t a disaster, but it’s definitely a step down from the first film. The performances are perfectly fine, the world looks appropriately bleak, and it is still watchable. However, the writing and overall story feel less cohesive, with too many unanswered questions and logic holes to satisfy someone with a brain. It’s a sequel that moves forward geographically, but creatively, it is heading the other direction.

Greenland 2: Migration (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/greenland-2-migration-2026/

Jungle (2017) | A gripping survival film that becomes even more powerful once you realize how much the true story was toned down #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.8/10. Jungle is one of those survival films that quietly sneaks up on you. My first thought was "Here we go, another typical man-versus-nature flick." I clearly wasn't familiar with the actual story. Backpackers make some bad decisions and head into a jungle that absolutely does not give a crap about their personal growth. But once I realized how much this movie actually tones down the real events it’s based on, it shifted from “that was pretty good” to “okay, that’s damn amazing.”

Set in 1981, the film follows Israeli backpacker Yossi Ghinsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), who meets a mysterious Austrian geologist in La Paz, Bolivia. This guy spins the kind of stories that should immediately trigger every internal red flag - lost tribes, untouched land, secret opportunities - but instead convinces Yossi and his friends, American photographer Kevin (Alex Russell) and Swiss teacher Marcus (Joel Jackson), to head deep into the Bolivian jungle. With a “seasoned guide” leading the way (always comforting words), they expect adventure and self-discovery. What they actually get is the jungle slowly dismantling every ounce of optimism they brought with them.

Once the Amazon becomes the main attraction, the movie wastes no time killing the fantasy. This is not a friendly wilderness (South Park had this right). The jungle here is everything eating at your nerves and aggressively uninterested in your survival. Jungle does a great job showing how quickly confidence evaporates when nature stops cooperating. When the group inevitably becomes separated, because you knew that was coming, Yossi’s story turns into a punishing survival ordeal that never feels overcooked or melodramatic.

Daniel Radcliffe is excellent here, easily one of his best performances. The physical transformation alone is convincing, but it’s the mental breakdown that really sells it. Every bad decision, hallucination, and moment of sheer exhaustion feels earned. There’s absolutely zero Harry Potter energy left by the end unless Hogwarts added starvation, infection, and psychological collapse as electives.

Visually, the movie looks amazing. Shot in Australia and Bolivia, the jungle is endless, suffocating, and in a weird way, beautiful. And constantly reminding you that it has the power to kill you at any moment. The setting is almost like another character. It is breathtakingly gorgeous, frightening, and utterly unapologetic to the suffering of others.

What really elevates Jungle, though, is its restraint. Knowing that this is based on actual events, and still a toned-down version, adds an extra holy shit layer. The real Ghinsberg had to endure much worse than what is depicted, and that alone helps to keep this from feeling exploitative.

This is one of those rare cases where the actual events are even more incredible than the film, and that’s a compliment in itself. Jungle is a great survival movie and a launchpad for an even crazier true-life tale. I’d honestly recommend reading up on the actual events before or after watching. It really drives home just how insane this experience actually was.

Jungle (2017)

https://jackmeat.com/jungle-2017/