paul_m_haakonsen

Needless to say that I had indeed never even heard about this 2025 action thriller "Unseen Enemy" prior to getting to sit down to watch it. However, I have to be honest here and say that I wasn't exactly harboring the biggest of expectations, as the movie's cover seemed rather generic. Still, since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to give it a fair chance.

Now I have to say that movies that are written by, directed by and starring the one and the same guy usually sets off multiple alarm bells in the back of my head, as such movies tend to be questionable affairs. And "Unseen Enemy" happened to have Salvatore Samperi in all those three roles, so it wasn't looking great for the movie before it even started.

Writer Salvatore Samperi put together a fair enough script. I mean, it was exactly Award-winning material, but the movie had some good moments and was actually adequately entertaining.

One thing that "Unseen Enemy" definitely had working in favor for it, was the fact that I was not familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. The acting performances in the movie were fair.

And there were actually also some nice action sequences throughout the course of the movie, which helped spruce things up.

Watchable for what it was, but "Unseen Enemy" is not a noteworthy action thriller, and there are far better movies of the same genre out there. Nor is it a movie that warrants more than a single viewing.

My rating of directors Mathew John Pearson and Salvatore Samperi's 2025 action thriller "Unseen Enemy" lands on a five out of ten stars.

While I had never even heard about this 2025 movie prior to sitting down to watch it. I must say that the movie's cover and synopsis was actually interesting enough to make me take notice. Well, and the fact that it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, certainly also helped to sweeten the deal.

Now, I found the storyline to be entertaining, but it was at times a bit too family-friendly in essence for me. But then writer and director Matthew Loren Oates goes about and amps up the violence in the movie, which was quite a turn of events. It should be noted that I was really impressed with the way that Matthew Loren Oates managed to make the audience sympathize and bond with Croak the way that he did, that was actually rather nicely done in terms of writing and storytelling.

The acting performances in "Xeno" were good. I was not familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list, aside from Omari Hardwick, not that it was a bad thing.

It should be noted that the effects in the movie are good, and certainly help to bring the movie to life in an enjoyable manner. The alien creature was certainly nicely made and brought to life on the screen.

"Xeno" certainly is a watchable and enjoyable movie, though it is rather doubtful that I will ever sit down to watch the movie a second time, as there just wasn't sufficient layers in the narrative to support more than a single viewing.

If I have to explain "Xeno" to someone without actually delving into fleshing out the storyline, then I would say "think a mixture of the 'E. T.' movie combined with 'Alien' movie."

My rating of writer and director Matthew Loren Oates's 2025 movie "Xeno" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

While I have of course seen the numerous previous attempts of bringing "The Fantastic Four" to the screen, I have to admit that I sat to watch this 2025 movie with a sense of 'is it really necessary to venture down this path again?' Yet, I still opted to watch the movie, solely because I had the chance and because it was a movie that I hadn't already seen.

Though I have to say that superhero movies are not my primary go-to genre of movies for entertainment, but I do watch them as they often prove to be entertainment that doesn't involve a whole lot of cerebral interaction to stay up with the events, and spiked off with great effects.

The cast ensemble in the movie is good, but there weren't really all that many familiar faces on the cast list for me. I was only familiar with Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Paul Walter Hauser and the voice of Ralph Ineson. The acting performances in the movie were good.

Visually then the movie was good. Of course it was, as the Marvel movies have rather extraordinary special effects and CGI effects. And "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" was no different, so if nothing else, at least you are in a for a visual treat.

Sure, the movie is entertaining, as it is a newer Marvel movie, after all. But if you look at it objectively, then it is essentially a redundant reboot by and in itself. Why not make something new and original instead of trying to go back and fix stuff from the past? Had they opted for a whole brand new storyline, the movie would have had way more impact.

My rating of director Matt Shakman's 2025 movie "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" lands on a six out of ten stars.