The Last GunFight (2025) | A fast-paced, blood-soaked tournament flick with solid action, a few twists, and just enough absurdity to keep it entertaining. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.1/10. In The Last GunFight, the premise is about as subtle as a hammer to the skull: fighters from all over the world are pitted against each other in a death tournament with vague rules, lots of blood, and a puppet master pulling strings behind the curtain. It’s a setup we've seen before, but to its credit, this film knows exactly what it is and leans hard into it.

From the jump, you’re hit with dialogue so cheesy it could either be parodying trashy reality shows or earnestly trying to match their tone. It's tough to tell, and that ambiguity ends up being part of the movie's oddball charm. Within minutes, we’re introduced to the tournament, its bizarre broadcast format, and a handful of character archetypes that range from the expected (the angry priest, the cocky wildcard, the vengeful parent) to the outright bizarre.

Speaking of vengeful parents, The Last GunFight somehow convinced Jon Voight to show up and deliver what can only be described as a paycheck performance. He plays a father on a mission, and if you can't guess the motivation the moment someone says “father,” you might want to revisit a few old revenge flicks. Still, Voight manages to elevate the trope slightly just by being, well, Jon Voight.

The movie's biggest surprise is probably Sam Symons’ Jimmy, a textbook dork with a secret savage streak. Sure, it’s telegraphed from the moment he steps onscreen, but his transformation is played with such wide-eyed intensity that it becomes oddly satisfying. Likewise, Shaina West once again proves she’s got the chops (and the kicks) to be an action mainstay. After The Killer’s Game, it’s fun to watch her wreak havoc on a new set of opponents. More of these two and less of the failed romance subplot, and we could've been going somewhere.

Writer Steven Paul and director James Bamford do attempt to inject some narrative twists into the formula, and while a few hit, others feel tacked on to delay the inevitable slugfest. Fortunately, they know better than to let the plot slow down the violence for too long. At just 89 minutes, the movie races through its runtime like it’s dodging a punch, and the pace rarely lets up.

My shout-out goes to the "gun round." Yes, that’s a thing — where the action choreography shifts into overdrive. It's ridiculous in the best way, and the film actually manages to pull off some impressive visuals, especially considering how often these kinds of low-budget bloodsport flicks rely on laughably bad CGI. Here, the blood effects are surprisingly fluid and less distractingly digital than expected.

Still, there’s a limit to how much gloss you can slap on a B-movie brawler. The Last GunFight never breaks out of the genre’s constraints, and it doesn’t seem particularly interested in doing so. But for fans of underground death match mayhem with a few plot curveballs and a solid dose of carnage, it delivers just enough to be worth a watch, especially if you keep those expectations in check. Just don't expect any of the actors to mess up their hair in the process.

And who knows? Maybe one day these reality shows within the movie will get greenlit in real life. When they do, we might all have to reckon with the uncomfortable truth that it isn’t just the rich tuning in.

The Last GunFight (2025)

Amazon is one of the many streamers carrying this flick.

https://jackmeat.com/the-last-gunfight-2025/

Together (2025) | I'd suggest going in blind for this romantic body horror with strong performances from real-life couple Franco and Brie, blending humor with transformation. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.7/10. Together is one of those films where the less you know going in, the better. It lures you in with a familiar setup, a city couple struggling to reconnect while adjusting to life in the countryside. Then peels back its skin, quite literally, to reveal something far stranger and more unsettling underneath. What starts as a relationship drama slowly morphs into a romance, a dark comedy, and then full-tilt body horror.

Real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie headline the film, and their off-screen chemistry translates effortlessly to the screen. They feel believable, and oddly endearing even when things get... sticky. You can tell they trust each other completely, which they’d absolutely have to in order to pull off some of the intimate (and grotesque) moments this story throws at them. It’s a film that asks a lot from its leads, both emotionally and physically, and they’re more than up to the challenge.

The horror here is deeply personal and very physical. Without giving too much away, the film explores transformation, not just metaphorically in the relationship sense, but literally, in ways that squirm under your skin. The practical effects are solid, but it's the sounds—cracking, pulpy, slithery noises—that will rattle around in your head long after the credits roll. If you're new to body horror or easily freaked out, this could be an excellent (and traumatizing) gateway film. That said, veterans of the genre might find the horror a little tame or familiar.

What sets Together apart is its willingness to break the tension. Just as the anxiety creeps toward unbearable, the film cuts it with an awkward joke or a genuinely sweet moment. At times, this works brilliantly, giving us a breath before plunging back into discomfort. Other times, it diffuses the horror so much that it loses bite. That tonal balancing act of romance, comedy, and horror all fighting for dominance won’t work for everyone, but it does make the film more accessible than your average gore-soaked nightmare.

The plot loosely follows a cult or folk-horror thread, enough to keep things interesting, though the mythology feels intentionally vague. It’s really Franco and Brie who carry the weight here. Their performances inject warmth and realism into a film that, by all accounts, should be anything but warm or real.

There’s a twist to this film’s originality (see below), so it may not have been as original as I initially assumed. Still, Together manages to do something interesting with its concept, blending humor, horror, and romance in a way that’s rare. It won’t be for everyone, but if you’re curious and can go in blind, it’s a memorable little genre-bender that deserves a look... preferably with the lights off and your dinner finished.

"The Australian horror film Together, starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit in the US. The lawsuit, filed by the producers of the 2023 film Better Half, claims that Together is a "blatant rip-off" of their movie."

Together (2025)

Right now, heading to the cinema is your best bet, or wait for streamers, preferably Amazon.

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

40 Acres (2025) | 40 Acres is a new Canadian, post-apocalyptic, farming action/thriller. I bet you didn't see that coming? #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.4/10. In 40 Acres, Canadian writer-director R.T. Thorne makes a bold leap from TV to feature filmmaking, and the result is a genre-blending post-apocalyptic action drama that mostly hits its mark. Set in a famine-ravaged future where farmland is the world’s most precious commodity, the film follows Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) and her family—the last descendants of African American farmers who migrated to rural Canada after the Civil War—as they defend their inherited land from a ruthless militia and a world gone cannibalistic.

The film opens with a static text scroll that dumps some necessary exposition about the global collapse and the high value of arable land. It gets the job done, but it’s a bit of a dry kickoff for a movie that later leans into some very vivid, visceral moments. A touch more world-building, something visual, atmospheric, or character-driven, would have helped immerse me in this future reality more organically.

What follows, however, is a kinetic introduction to the stakes at play, with an early action sequence that sets the tone and wastes no time showing that this family is armed and deadly serious about protecting their land. The world beyond the farm is chaos, patrolled by savage human scavengers and, most notably, organized groups of cannibals, the primary antagonists here. No zombies or aliens needed; just humanity in its worst form.

Danielle Deadwyler is committed and commanding as Hailey, a hard-edged matriarch whose militaristic leadership style doesn’t exactly invite warmth. She’s not meant to be likable, and that’s kind of the point. She’s all discipline, running her family like a battalion, because that’s what survival now demands. It’s a performance that won’t appeal to everyone, but Deadwyler makes it believable.

Of the ensemble, Leenah Robinson as Raine, the sniper daughter, is my standout. Her quiet intensity and calculated precision give her some of the film’s best moments, and her character arc has more emotional complexity than most. The rest of the cast fills out a diverse and solid family unit, each member playing their role in the larger machine.

Stylistically, Thorne juggles a surprising mix of tones—action, horror, dark humor, religious drama, even a touch of coming-of-age and kidnapping thriller—and somehow makes it work. There's one extended sequence shot largely in darkness that’s especially effective, using muzzle flashes, sound, and tension that really added a bit of flair to the standard shoot-out. It’s one of several moments where Thorne’s visual instincts really shine.

If there’s a weakness, it’s in the pacing. Some scenes linger longer than necessary, and the film occasionally dips into melodrama without quite earning it. Still, the 113-minute runtime feels justified thanks to a final act that kicks into high gear and barely lets up.

40 Acres doesn’t reinvent the post-apocalyptic wheel, but it’s a strong, grounded entry in the genre that trades clichés for character. There’s no gloss here, just dirt, desperation, and a family clinging to the last thing that matters. Thorne’s debut is promising, and if this is what he delivers straight out of the gate, you can count me in on what is coming next.

40 Acres (2025)

You have several streamers to pick from, including Amazon.

https://jackmeat.com/40-acres-2025/

The Damned (2025) | This bleak ghost story is a moody, visually arresting slice of Icelandic horror that will get under your skin. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.0/10. Kicking off with a lone woman trudging through a whiteout, The Damned wastes no time setting its tone—bleak, cold, and oppressive. Fitting, considering I just got power back after nearly 27 hours without it, thanks to what this town dares call a snowstorm. Compared to the visual avalanche director Thordur Palsson throws at us, my weather woes seem like a light dusting.

Set in the 19th-century Icelandic Westfjords, a location that feels practically tailor-made for supernatural horror, the story centers on Eva (Odessa Young), a recent widow grappling with the moral weight of survival. When a ship crashes offshore during a brutal winter, she and her fellow starving villagers must decide whether saving the survivors is worth risking what little they have left. It’s a grim setup, but one that’s laced with creeping dread and icy folklore.

The film shines most in its atmosphere. Cinematographer Eli Arenson captures Iceland’s desolate beauty in wide, windswept frames of towering snowbanks, rocky outcrops, and gray skies that feel as heavy as the moral choices facing the villagers. The sound design is equally sharp: howling wind and sudden silences all used to unsettling effect. It's the kind of movie that doesn't shout “horror” so much as whisper it directly into your ear.

Odessa Young is a powerhouse here, carrying the emotional weight with a quiet intensity. As Eva, she’s tough but haunted, and her gradual unraveling feels both earned and unnerving. There are a few well-executed jump scares scattered through the film, but The Damned leans more on psychological and folkloric horror, particularly the concept of the draugar—restless undead who may or may not be lurking just beyond the veil. When you live with 20 hours of winter darkness, it makes perfect sense that the line between myth and madness would blur.

Thordur Palsson makes a strong debut here, both writing and directing with a sure hand. The pacing may be a touch too glacial for some, especially if you're not into slow burns, but there's real substance beneath the snow. That said, the ending did feel rushed, less like a conclusion and more like an abrupt dismount. With a runtime of just 89 minutes, they had room to breathe a bit more before rolling credits.

Still, The Damned delivers. It's a moody, visually arresting slice of Icelandic horror that gets under your skin. If you like your ghost stories bleak, snowy, and steeped in folklore, this one’s worth your time even if you might want to throw on an extra blanket while watching.

The Damned (2025)

Amazon is one of the few streamers to choose from if you are interested.

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

Ziam (2025) | A gritty, blood-drenched zombie ride with sharp fight scenes and some bizarre moments that won’t wow, but should satisfy horror die-hards. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.3/10. Thought I’d give a Thai horror flick a whirl tonight with Ziam, a zombie-action hybrid that throws elbows, roundhouses, and an unsettling number of fish at the genre. If you like your undead with a side of Muay Thai, then at least on paper, this one’s for you.

The movie kicks off with a clean, fast-paced fight scene featuring our lead, Vasu (Johnny Anfone), a retired Muay Thai fighter who doesn’t waste time proving he’s still got the chops. It’s a promising start, hinting that martial arts is going to be a major focus, and thankfully, the film delivers on that front. When the zombie outbreak hits, it does so in a claustrophobic hospital setting, and the ensuing chaos is satisfyingly gory. The make-up team deserves a nod; the zombies look great, and the blood flows freely as hallways become buffets for the infected.

But then things get… fishy. Literally. The zombie plague is hinted to be fish-related (sure), and in one of the movie’s strangest moments, fish-like features start showing on the mouths of the undead. It’s visually interesting but conceptually baffling. Was it meant to be symbolic? Gross-out horror? Some kind of parasite tie-in? Whatever it was going for, I was thinking more on the “huh?” side than “wow.”

The sound design also veers into questionable territory. At some points, the zombies make clicking noises straight out of Predator, which felt completely out of place and pulled me right out of the scene. A zombie growl or moan is fine, clicking is just trying too hard to be different.

The film’s backbone is a straightforward rescue mission: Vasu battling his way floor by floor to save his girlfriend, Rin (Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich), who’s trapped with a group of survivors. While Vasu’s journey supplies most of the action, Rin’s side of the story attempts to add some moral weight as she spars verbally and emotionally with another patient. It’s a decent effort to balance blood with brains, but it's mostly there to keep the camera busy while Vasu is throwing punches.

There’s also a young boy Vasu rescues along the way who injects some much-needed humor into the story. He’s probably the most charismatic character in the film and helps break up the action with some lighthearted exchanges.

Now, about that extended fight scene. I’m all for a good martial arts showcase, but there’s one drawn-out brawl between Vasu and a character who had no real reason to throw hands in the first place. The longer it went on, the more I found myself questioning its purpose. It’s hard to stay engaged in a fight when you’re stuck wondering why it’s happening at all.

I watched the dubbed version, so it’s hard to fairly judge the performances, but nobody stood out as awful, and in a zombie flick, that’s often good enough. These movies aren’t Oscar bait—they’re about guts, grit, and getting to the end credits with your limbs intact.

Ziam (2025)

In the end, Ziam doesn’t reinvent anything, and it certainly doesn’t come close to Train to Busan despite the inevitable comparisons just from being an Asian zombie film. But if you’re a genre fan who doesn’t mind a thin plot and is just here for the action, blood, and chaos, this is a serviceable addition to your undead watchlist. Just be ready to suspend a bit of logic, and don't order the fish.

This one is currently only available on Netflix.

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

War of the Worlds (2025) | Ice Cube leads a screenlife alien invasion flick with decent designs but suspiciously COVID-era production vibes feel like an algorithm creation. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.8/10. There’s something about seeing Ice Cube’s face on a sci-fi thriller poster that immediately pulls you in. Maybe it’s curiosity. Maybe it's misplaced hope. Either way, this 2025 War of the Worlds opens with a promising setup, Ice Cube plays Will Radford, a top-tier Homeland Security cyber-analyst who monitors the nation through an Orwellian surveillance program. But when an unknown digital anomaly sparks chaos, Radford begins to suspect that the real enemy isn’t just from another world, it might be his own government. Sounds cool, right?

Yeah, I thought so too, but hold that thought.

What starts as a potentially fresh, techno-savvy reimagining of H.G. Wells' classic soon spirals into a cluttered, confused mess that feels like someone tried to make Host, WarGames, and War of the Worlds all at once, and then uploaded it directly to TikTok. And yes, at one point, "Shall we play a game?" is typed on a computer screen.

The storytelling is presented almost entirely through computer screens, phone footage, text messages, and drone feeds. While that “screenlife” approach has worked for films like Searching, here it just becomes exhausting. Ice Cube spends most of the film clicking around DHS surveillance feeds from his desk, isolated in what feels like a digital quarantine zone. There's no energy, no chemistry, and practically no human interaction, because no two characters ever appear in the same room. That might have been understandable during the peak of the pandemic, but in 2025, it feels like a strange creative constraint unless this really was a COVID leftover they finally decided to release.

The soon-to-be infamous Amazon drone delivery scene—intended, I assume, as satire—plays like a bad commercial mashed into a bad movie. It’s blatant, jarring, and unintentionally hilarious. And when the action does finally pick up, it’s edited like a YouTube compilation reel, clearly targeting viewers with a max 20-second attention span. Rapid cuts, flashy overlays, and game-like HUDs only distance the viewer from the stakes of the invasion.

To its credit, the alien invaders are actually quite well designed. They maintain some traditional elements, tentacles, and eerie movement, but are updated with an oddly biomechanical twist. Unfortunately, they’re never scary. We only ever see them through surveillance footage or a drone's eye view. There’s no dread, no suspense. You never feel like the aliens are coming for you. They're just background noise to a story that desperately wants to be about “surveillance vs privacy,” but forgets to be about people.

It's clear the filmmakers wanted to modernize Wells' tale with a twist that fits today’s digital paranoia. And in theory, that’s a smart move. But the execution is thin, the characters undercooked, and the final product feels rushed, like they tried to cram five phases of an alien war into 90 minutes without letting any of it breathe.

Still, it’s not the absolute bottom of the barrel. (War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave, anyone?) But don’t be fooled by the online backlash; it’s not that bad. Just underwhelming. And while Cube does his best to bring some presence to the chaos, he’s trapped in a format that gives him little to do beyond yelling threats to his screen.

War of the Worlds (2025)

War of the Worlds tries to warn us about the dangers of blind trust in tech, but ironically, it feels like it was made by an algorithm. Disconnected, distracted, and ultimately forgettable.

After watching this one, you will 100% KNOW this is an Amazon exclusive.

https://jackmeat.com/war-of-the-worlds-2025/

28 Years Later (2025) | In 28 Days, it began. In 28 Weeks, it spread. In 28 Years, it evolved—into a bold and visually stunning zombie sequel. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 7.2/10. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland return to the infected-ravaged wastelands of the U.K. with 28 Years Later, the third entry in the franchise that helped redefine the zombie genre. Set nearly three decades after the original outbreak, this installment doesn’t waste time rehashing familiar territory. Instead, the story plunges us deeper into a mutated world where more than just the virus has evolved.

The story centers around Spike (Alfie Williams), a survivor living on a fortified island community tethered to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway. When he ventures into the heart of infected Britain on a rite of passage mission, what he uncovers shifts the tone of the movie from survival horror to something more contemplative, surreal, and surprisingly emotional. Williams delivers a standout performance, balancing quiet resilience with vulnerability, and anchoring the story with genuine heart, something not always expected in a film with this much arterial spray.

Visually, 28 Years Later is stunning. Boyle’s trademark kinetic energy is on full display, but it's the cinematography and editing that truly shine. The abandoned ruins of the U.K. look both haunting and beautiful, every frame oozing desolation and decayed grandeur. Whether it’s the sweeping drone shots over the vast landscapes or the intimate, handheld work in tight corridors, the film is consistently engaging to look at. The action, mostly concentrated in the first half, is fast, brutal, and stylishly edited, with a bow-and-arrow-heavy approach that feels oddly appropriate and even a little game-like in execution.

The second half is where things get interesting and divisive. Boyle and Garland inject the film with a dramatic and slightly experimental turn that explores a nihilistic approach to death more than straightforward zombie horror. The introduction of Spike’s mother, played with precision by Jodie Comer, adds layers of tragedy and conflict, especially as the film flirts with themes of memory, identity, and survival guilt. A scene involving the infamous “boots” poem is an unexpected highlight, poetic, eerie, and masterfully done, just as the teaser trailer was.

There’s a satirical undercurrent here too, as the film subtly critiques the decline of British institutions and identity, adding extra bite to an already intense narrative. Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson brings a composed menace that elevates every scene he’s in. He’s not a main character, but his presence lingers long after the credits.

And then… there's the ending. Without spoiling it, let’s just say the last 10 minutes go full bananas. After 105 minutes of grounded tension, character work, and grim atmosphere, the film takes a turn so tonally off-kilter it almost feels like a parody. It's clearly intended to set up a sequel, but it lands more like a head-scratching paradox. You’ll know it when you see it.

28 Years Later (2025)

28 Years Later is ambitious, uneven, and occasionally brilliant. It doesn’t always stick the landing, but it deserves credit for trying something different in a genre where sameness is often the norm. It’s not as lean or terrifying as 28 Days Later, nor as chaotic as 28 Weeks Later, but it finds its own voice somewhere in the middle—with a bit more heart, a few more ideas, and a hell of a lot of arrows.

Amazon and several other streamers have this for theater pricing.

https://jackmeat.com/28-years-later-2025/