Movie Review: The Old Guard 2

Against the uncertain backdrop of the early months of the raging COVID pandemic in 2020, Netflix dropped The Old Guard. At a time where any new entertainment was happily gobbled up by people looking to temporarily curb the combination of fear, boredom and anxiety that was spreading perhaps even faster than the novel coronavirus, the ensemble superhero movie led by Charlize Theron that was based on a graphic novel series of the same name felt like a gift that was desperately needed. The film which focuses on a team of immortal warriors (Theron, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli) working as mercenaries who become aware of the existence of a new member of their unkillable kind (KiKi Layne) and shortly after recruiting this U.S. Army solider to their team, end up engaging in a battle with a pharmaceutical executive (Harry Melling) who seeks to use their immortality to further expand his medical treatment empire, was the rare Netflix original to be well-received AND popular on the daily top viewed movie charts. The Old Guard boasted excellent action sequences, had real emotional stakes and did a good job of exploring the various triumphs and burdens that come with being alive for centuries. For me at least, it remains part of the very small group of Netflix-backed blockbusters that I wouldn't hesitate to call great movies (the Extraction movies are the others).

Fast forward to two weeks ago, The Old Guard 2 arrives on Netflix just shy of five years after the release of its predecessor. The film had quite the rocky road to release as it completed principal photography in September 2022, underwent reshoots last October and was the subject of some not exactly flattering public comments about its longer-than-expected production process by star/producer Theron. In a development that isn't shocking considering its production woes but is disheartening nonetheless, The Old Guard 2 kind of stinks.

I'm not trying to be hyperbolic in the slightest when I say this, but I really believe that The Old Guard 2 is the single biggest original-to-sequel regression that we've seen in recent history. This is one of those evil unicorn sequels that either has no understanding of or no interest in expanding upon (or at least replicating) what made the original work. All of the visceral, crisply edited fight scenes from The Old Guard have been replaced by action so horrendously shot, cut and directed that it wouldn't be acceptable in a Stephen Dorff vehicle filmed in Estonia for $400,000 USD in 9 days, let alone a major Hollywood production. The storyline-which involves the titular band of immortals recruiting their kind's historian (Henry Golding) to help them square off with the bloodthirsty first of their kind (Uma Thurman) and Theron's character's vengeful ex-lover (Veronica Ngo) who was freed from a tomb at the bottom of the ocean after 500 years during the original's mid-credit scene- is rushed and makes very little time for the character moments that made its predecessor to so easy to get invested in. Somebody got the bright idea to take a page out of the one of the most obnoxious chapters of the classic Marvel/DC playbook by electing to deliver an ending that only exists to as a teaser for the next movie, which is particularly shitty here as a third installment is far from guaranteed. The fact that the almost the entire original cast and screenwriter/graphic novel co-creator Greg Rucka returned for The Old Guard 2 makes its failures even more baffling. I guess you could try to pin the blame on director Victoria Mahoney-who had the difficult task of taking over for the great Gina Prince-Bythewood, but that feels like a cop out as the bulk of the problems here most likely came from the executive level when they elected to trap the movie in post for a whole 3 years and ordered reshoots that almost certainly didn't improve its quality.

If Netflix does elect to surprise people and make a third installment, I'll be crossing my fingers that they learned their lessons from what went wrong with this one. As shaky as The Old Guard 2 is overall, the problems here are easily correctable, especially since the performances and investment level of the cast make up 0% of the blame pie for what went wrong here. However, if this really is the end, Netflix deserves a lot of shit for fumbling the follow-up so badly. Building franchises is one of their top goals as a company and yet, they failed to rise to the occasion on one of the rare instances that organic franchise potential emerged from a title in their catalog. Normally, I'd say that this could be yet another sign that they're God fucking awful at producing movies outside of the auteur space, but I'm in a fine enough mood right now that I'll just say that this was a missed opportunity to expand upon a promising potential cinematic universe instead.            

Grade: C-

John Goodman Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of John Goodman-whose latest project "Smurfs" opens in theaters on Thursday. 

John Goodman's Filmography Ranked:

35.Captive State (D)

34.Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (D+)

33.The Flintstones (D+)

32.Transformers: Age of Extinction (D+)

31.Once Upon a Time in Venice (C-)

30.Evan Almighty (C-)

29.The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (C-)

28.Death Sentence (C-)

27.Transformers: The Last Knight (C-)

26.One Night at McCool's (C)

25.The Monuments Men (C)

24.The Artist (C)

23Red State (C)

22.The Hangover Part III (B-)

21.Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (B-)

20.Trumbo (B-)

19.The Internship (B-)

18.Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (B-)

17.Speed Racer (B-)

16.The Gambler (B)

15.Monsters University (B)

14.Patriots Day (B)

13Trouble with the Curve (B)

12.The Emperor's New Groove (B)

11.Bringing Out the Dead (B)

10.Flight (B+)

9.Argo (B+)

8.The Big Lebowski (B+)

7.Monsters Inc. (B+)

6.10 Cloverfield Lane (B+)

5.Kong: Skull Island (B+)

4.Atomic Blonde (B+)

3.O Brother, Where Art Thou? (B+)

2.Raising Arizona (A-)

1.Inside Llewyn Davis (A-)

Top Dog: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Inside Llewyn Davis became one of my favorite Coen Brothers movies as soon as I saw it in theaters in early 2014 and it remains among my favorites today. Oscar Isaac is a force of a nature as a musician struggling to break out in the Greenwich Village folk scene in 1961 whose personal life is just as turbulent as his professional one, the tremendous script avoids struggling musician movie cliches by making Llewyn Davis a miserable prick who's plagued by his poor decisions/attitude just as much as good old fashioned bad luck and the melancholic ending manages to generate a surprising amount of sympathy for a guy that most viewers spent the bulk of the previous 95 or so minutes not liking all that much.        

Bottom Feeder: Captive State (2019)

What a fucking misfire this proved to be. Rupert Wyatt brings absolutely none of the energy, empathy or conviction that made his previous sci-fi movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes so great and instead, settled for wasting a pretty cool sci-fi premise (a rebel group in Chicago aim to overthrow the alien dictatorship that has been holding them captive for the past decade since they invaded Earth) on one of the most boring, narratively muddled movies to hit theaters in the last decade.   

Most Underrated: Raising Arizona (1987)

When it comes to pure goofball, madcap Coen Brothers movies, Raising Arizona is hard to beat. The Coens deliver a masterclass in situational comedy with the smorgasbord of great gags/punchlines they trot out here, and the cast headed up by Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Goodman, William Forsythe. Trey Wilson and Randall "Tex" Cobb is having a ball playing around in such a deeply absurd, silly sandbox.  

Most Overrated: The Artist (2011)

This is a serious question to anybody reading this: When was the last time you heard anybody talk about The Artist? It's barely 14 years old at this point in time and yet it's effectively been scrubbed from history! A Best Picture winner becoming this forgettable is a really remarkable feat to pull off in an era where a lot of people online have shown a great fondness for waxing poetic or ruthlessly shitting on past Best Picture winners. Aside from CODA, we'll probably never get a Best Picture winner this universally shrugged off ever again, so congrats to the team behind this blah movie for making history!      

Movie Review: Superman (2025)

When James Gunn was hired to lead the overhaul of DC at Warner Brothers alongside his longtime producing partner Peter Safran in November of 2022, the brand was in rough shape. The perception that they were Marvel's loser little brother that was making no attempt to get their shit together had only intensified after their largely poorly received movies also stopped making money at the top of the 2020's and the largely underwhelming final crop of films from the previous DC regime (Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) that were released after Gunn took his executive post managed to add even more layers of feces to the big shit sandwich he was inheriting. The billion-dollar question that Gunn was facing as he drew up the plans for DC's new era was how do you get people to care about the comic giant's properties again, especially in an era where superhero movies are no longer the safe bets for hits that they were from 2000-2019? The answer is build something on a foundation of passion and love for the iconic characters that are headlining these stories and hope that the audience follows. In the inaugural big screen venture for the newly minted DC Studios, Gunn himself delivered big time on the company's new mission statement with his take on Superman.

The first thing that endeared me about Gunn's Superman is that it wastes no time with setup and just drops you into the action right away. Admittedly, it took me about 15-20 minutes to get my bearings of what was going on in the universe, but once I figured out the players and their role in this universe, I was hooked. There's something refreshing about a movie adaptation establishing a new cinematic universe/character electing to bypass the framework of a traditional origin story. It's not like every time you pick up a comic book, you're going to be greeted with a detailed back story of how every character became who they are in that specific issue or series, so why should the movie adaptation be obligated to play by a different set of rules? Having Superman be firmly established as a hero whose become beloved through his desire to be kind and desire to do anything he can to help people, Lois Lane be the only person who knows that her bumbling nerd Daily Planet co-worker Clark Kent is Superman since she's dating him, Lex Luthor be consumed by his desire to destroy Superman, the Justice Gang be a separate entity that's fighting the various killer threats that make their way to Metropolis, etc. before we meet them on screen doesn't prevent satisfying narrative arcs from emerging or character development to be stunted. Gunn simply asks the viewer to accept that we're meeting these characters at a point in their journeys where they're already on the path that everybody knew they were going to eventually end up on. Not every member of the audience is going to be on board with this approach obviously, but I felt like it was a savvy narrative choice that speaks to Gunn's desire to prove he's not dicking around with DC's rebranding efforts.

As what's become the norm for Gunn in his superhero work, his thorough understanding of the characters he puts on screen is the driving force behind Superman's success. Clark Kent/Superman is the most purehearted superhero there is. The Kents raised him like he was their own child and the compassion and love for humanity they instilled in him has informed how he sees the world. It's only fitting that Gunn made a Superman movie where the character operates as this beacon of light in an increasingly dark, cynical world. That's not to say his worldview and confidence aren't challenged, but his ultimate belief in seeing in the good in mankind and fighting to preserve it is what pulls him out of the depths of despair. After watching every other Superman movie released during my lifetime only capture a tiny essence of what the character was really about, it was great to see a movie that bears his name fully embrace the character's signature traits.

Of course, Gunn's passion for and knowledge of the characters he's putting on screen is also evident in the strength of his casting choices. These performers don't just do a good job of bringing these iconic characters to life, they've already become tethered to their legacies for the rest of time. David Corenswet is a ray of pure light, hope and love as Superman. Rachel Brosnahan imbues Lois Lane with an unwavering integrity and dedication to questioning everything in the pursuit of the truth that makes her the perfect complement to Superman/Clark (Side note: the chemistry between Brosnahan and Corenswet is insane). Nicholas Hoult perfectly captures the unique combination of maniacal, petty and pathetic that makes Lex Luthor such a detestable villain. Edi Gathegi is so consistently magnetic, cool and funny as genius inventor superhero Mister Terrific that I'm kind of bummed that he doesn't already have his own spin-off movie in the works. Nathan Fillion makes for a really entertaining cocky asshat as the Justice Gang's self-appointed leader Guy Gardner. Isabela Merced erases the memory of her shaky turn in Madame Web with her strong work as the snarky Hawkgirl. Several other supporting characters of note (Anthony Carrigan's Metamorpho, Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio's Eva Teschmacher, Maria Gabriela de Faria's The Engineer, Pruitt Taylor Vince's Jonathan Kent, Nora Howell's Martha Kent, Zlatko Buric's Vasil Ghurkos, Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr.) all have at least a moment or two where they make a huge splash that elevates the film. I said this after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 came out, but it bears repeating: Gunn is Quentin Tarantino-esque in his ability to put the right people in the right roles and make them shine regardless of how much or how little time they have on screen. Having somebody with this rare gift for casting at the top of the executive hierarchy for DC should be a massive asset for them moving forward.

Superman is precisely the type of fun, vibrant triumph that DC needed to kick off this new era. While using a movie from a brilliant, seasoned pro superhero movie director in Gunn would be an unfair measuring stick for future DC films, I'm hopeful that it will be able to usher in an era of superhero filmmaking where talented filmmakers are bringing characters they know and love to the screen. As Gunn has said numerous times recently, the only way to defeat superhero movie fatigue is by taking more risks and injecting creativity into the genre. May Superman be the first of many DC projects to deliver on his promise of reinvigorating the genre through enthusiasm, boldness and ingenuity.                                   

Grade: A-

James Gunn Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of James Gunn-whose latest project "Superman" releases in theaters today. 

James Gunn's Filmography Ranked:

6.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (C+)

5.Slither (B)

4.Super (B+)

3.Guardians of the Galaxy (A)

2.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (A)

1.The Suicide Squad (A)

Top Dog: The Suicide Squad (2021)

Gunn's unceremonious, unjust (ultimately temporary) firing from Marvel ended up being an unexpected blessing that helped his career. When he got back behind the camera to make The Suicide Squad, he was so grateful for the opportunity to make movies again that it made him better at his craft. His huge embrace of practical effects that harkens back to his days at Troma provides the film with a refreshing B-movie edge that is unlike any other recent superhero movie, the sharp script does a really great job of mixing heartfelt character moments, offbeat humor and damning commentary on US imperialism and the cool confidence that he navigates through the hyperactive maximalist nature of the story he's telling here allow this to feel like a comic book come to life in the best possible way. On top of all that, the casting choices that Gunn made here for the revamped version of the titular band of villains (Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchoir, Sylvester Stallone in a voice role) forced to masquerade as heroes are absolutely spectacular and it kind of sucks that we'll likely never see all of the surviving members share the screen together again.     

Bottom Feeder: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)

As has been the case the past handful of times I've written about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, an asterisk should be placed next to this paragraph as I've not seen the film in some time and a rewatch could very well change my feelings towards it. With that in mind, my review of this film isn't particularly glowing. It's the only time I've ever watched a movie of Gunn's and thought the story just kind of got away from him. The emotional beats surrounding Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), his real father Ego (Kurt Russell) and adoptive father Yondu (Michael Rooker) don't really land, the tonal shifts between the sentimental, the sad and the goofy are often pretty jarring and despite a valiant effort from Russell, Ego isn't all that interesting of an antagonist.     

Most Underrated: Super (2011)

Right before Gunn got called up to the big leagues to make Guardians of the Galaxy, he made a grungier, angrier and considerably cheaper "superhero" movie in Super. As much as I respect Slither, Super cleans up many of the first feature hiccups with pacing, writing, etc. that held back his campy monster/alien horror comedy and showed that his skill as a storyteller was starting to catch up with his enthusiasm for the stories he was telling. Gunn's now signature gift of finding heart and humanity in the places that you'd least expected to find them is at the core of this story about a short order cook (Rainn Wilson) who decides to become a masked vigilante named "The Crimson Bolt" after his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a sleazy drug dealer/strip club owner (Kevin Bacon). A depraved dark comedy about the absurd lengths a man will go to cope with the pain of his failed marriage being able to have moments of such sincere empathy and emotion is a magic trick that not too many people could pull off and it's crazy impressive that it only took Gunn two movies to figure out how to nail such a tricky tonal balance.       

Most Overrated: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)

Much of why I don't view Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 in a particularly high regard was covered above, so the only thing I'll add here is that I very much disagree with the people out there that think this is one of the MCU's best movies. 

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Full Series Recap

Quarterback:

25.Aaron Rodgers (Steelers)

24.Caleb Williams (Bears)

23.Bryce Young (Panthers)

22.Russell Wilson (Giants)

21.Justin Fields (Jets)

20.Drake Maye (Patriots)

19.Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins)

18.Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

17.Jordan Love (Packers)

16.Kyler Murray (Cardinals)

15.Sam Darnold (Seahawks)

14.Geno Smith (Raiders)

13.Brock Purdy (49ers)

12.C.J. Stroud (Texans)

11.Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers)

10.Dak Prescott (Cowboys)

9.Jared Goff (Lions)

8.Jayden Daniels (Commanders)

7.Matthew Stafford (Rams)

6.Justin Herbert (Chargers)

5.Jalen Hurts (Eagles)

4.Joe Burrow (Bengals)

3.Josh Allen (Bills)

2.Lamar Jackson (Ravens)

1.Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Running Back:

50.Ty Johnson (Bills)

49.Braelon Allen (Jets)

48.Devin Singletary (Giants)

47.Javonte Williams (Cowboys)

46.Cam Akers (Free Agent)

45.Jaleel McLaughlin (Broncos)

44.Ray Davis (Bills)

43.Tyrone Tracy Jr. (Giants)

42.Nick Chubb (Free Agent)

41.Austin Ekeler (Commanders)

40.Jaylen Warren (Steelers)

39.Antonio Gibson (Patriots)

38.Justice Hill (Ravens)

37.D'Andre Swift (Bears)

36.Travis Etienne (Jaguars)

35.Tank Bigsby (Jaguars)

34.Jerome Ford (Browns)

33.Emmanuel Wilson (Packers)

32.J.K. Dobbins (Free Agent)

31.Najee Harris (Chargers)

30.Zach Charbonnet (Seahawks)

29.Jordan Mason (Vikings)

28.Tyler Allgeier (Falcons)

27.Rico Dowdle (Panthers)

26.Kareem Hunt (Chiefs)

25.Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

24.Breece Hall (Jets)

23.Rachaad White (Buccaneers)

22.Brian Robinson Jr. (Commanders)

21.Isiah Pacheco (Chiefs)

20.Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks)

19.Alvin Kamara (Saints)

18.Chase Brown (Bengals)

17.Tony Pollard (Titans)

16.Bucky Irving (Buccaneers)

15.De'Von Achane (Dolphins)

14.Aaron Jones (Vikings)

13.Joe Mixon (Texans)

12.Chuba Hubbard (Panthers)

11.Jonathan Taylor (Colts)

10.Kyren Williams (Rams)

9.David Montgomery (Lions)

8.James Conner (Cardinals)

7.James Cook (Bills)

6.Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)

5.Josh Jacobs (Packers)

4.Bijan Robinson (Falcons)

3.Christian McCaffery (49ers)

2.Derrick Henry (Ravens)

1.Saquon Barkley (Eagles)

Wide Receiver:

50.Tank Dell (Texans)

49.Tyler Lockett (Titans)

48.Christian Kirk (Texans)

47.Alec Pierce (Colts)

46.Rashee Rice (Chiefs)

45.Adam Thielen (Panthers)

44.Jayden Reed (Packers)

43.Darnell Mooney (Falcons)

42.Josh Downs (Colts)

41.Jordan Addison (Vikings)

40.Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals)

39.Deebo Samuel (Commanders)

38.Calvin Ridley (Titans)

37.Jauan Jennings (49ers)

36.DeAndre Hopkins (Ravens)

35.Jameson Williams (Lions)

34.Khalil Shakir (Bills)

33.Jerry Jeudy (Browns)

32.Ladd McConkey (Chargers)

31.Jakobi Meyers (Raiders)

30.Michael Pittman Jr. (Colts)

29.George Pickens (Cowboys)

28.Courtland Sutton (Broncos)

27.Stefon Diggs (Patriots)

26.Cooper Kupp (Seahawks)

25.Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)

24.Brandon Aiyuk (49ers)

23.Chris Olave (Saints)

22.Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

21.Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)

20.DeVonta Smith (Eagles)

19.Zay Flowers (Ravens)

18.Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars)

17.Davante Adams (Rams)

16.D.K. Metcalf (Steelers)

15.D.J. Moore (Bears)

14.Malik Nabers (Giants)

13.Garrett Wilson (Jets)

12.Tee Higgins (Bengals)

11.Mike Evans (Buccaneers)

10.Terry McLaurin (Commanders)

9.Nico Collins (Texans)

8.Drake London (Falcons)

7.Tyreek Hill (Dolphins)

6.Puka Nacua (Rams)

5.A.J. Brown (Eagles)

4.Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions)

3.CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)

2.Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)

1.Justin Jefferson (Vikings)

Tight End

20.Dalton Schultz (Texans)

19.David Njoku (Browns)

18.Austin Hooper (Patriots)

17.Evan Engram (Broncos)

16.Dalton Kincaid (Bills)

15.Zach Ertz (Commanders)

14.Pat Friermuth (Steelers)

13.Hunter Henry (Patriots)

12.Mike Gesicki (Bengals)

11.Isaiah Likely (Ravens)

10.Tucker Kraft (Packers)

9.Jonnu Smith (Steelers)

8.Dallas Goedert (Eagles)

7.T,J. Hockenson (Vikings)

6.Sam LaPorta (Lions)

5.Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

4.Mark Andrews (Ravens)

3.Brock Bowers (Raiders)

2.Trey McBride (Cardinals)

1.George Kittle (49ers)

Tackle:

30.Ikem Ekwonu (Panthers)

29.Luke Goedeke (Buccaneers)

28.Mike McGlinchey (Broncos)

27.Kaleb McGary (Falcons)

26.Braxton Jones (Bears)

25.Joe Alt (Chargers)

24.Darnell Wright (Bears)

23.Paris Johnson Jr. (Cardinals)

22.Andrew Thomas (Giants)

21.Alaric Jackson (Rams)

20.Charles Cross (Seahawks)

19.Dion Dawkins (Bills)

18.Ronnie Stanley (Ravens)

17.Taylor Decker (Lions)

16.Taylor Moton (Panthers)

15.Rob Havenstein (Rams)

14.Garrett Bolles (Broncos)

13.Jake Matthews (Falcons)

12.Bernhard Raimann (Colts)

11.Kolton Miller (Raiders)

10.Brian O'Neill (Vikings)

9.Laremy Tunsil (Commanders)

8.Zach Tom (Packers)

7.Christian Darrisaw (Vikings)

6.Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers)

5.Rashawn Slater (Chargers)

4.Trent Williams (49ers)

3.Lane Johnson (Eagles)

2.Penei Sewell (Lions)

1.Jordan Mailata (Eagles)

Guard:

30.Shaq Mason (Free Agent)

29.Jordan Meredith (Raiders)

28.Matthew Bergeron (Falcons)

27.Ezra Cleveland (Jaguars)

26.Jonah Jackson (Bears)

25.James Daniels (Dolphins)

24.Wyatt Teller (Browns)

23.Will Fries (Vikings)

22.Mekhi Becton (Chargers)

21.Dylan Parham (Raiders)

20.Cody Mauch (Buccaneers)

19.John Simpson (Jets)

18.Damien Lewis (Panthers)

17.Mike Onwenu (Patriots)

16.Sam Cosmi (Commanders)

15.Joel Bitonio (Browns)

14.Isaac Seumalo (Steelers)

13.Teven Jenkins (Browns)

12.Alijah Vera-Tucker (Jets)

11.Dominick Puni (49ers)

10.Robert Hunt (Panthers)

9.Tyler Smith (Cowboys)

8.Landon Dickerson (Eagles)

7.Trey Smith (Chiefs)

6.Kevin Dotson (Rams)

5.Quinn Minerz (Broncos)

4.Joe Thuney (Bears)

3.Kevin Zeitler (Titans)

2.Quenton Nelson (Colts)

1.Chris Lindstrom (Falcons)

Center:

20.Robert Hainsey (Jaguars)

19.Cooper Beebe (Cowboys)

18.Luke Wattenberg (Broncos)

17.Jake Brendel (49ers)

16.Coleman Shelton (Rams)

15.Ted Karras (Bengals)

14.Ethan Pocic (Browns)

13.Elgton Jenkins (Packers)

12.Cam Jurgens (Eagles)

11.Connor McGovern (Bills)

10.Ryan Kelly (Vikings)

9.Tyler Biadasz (Commanders)

8.Zach Frazier (Steelers)

7.Hjalte Froholdt (Cardinals)

6.Joe Tippmann (Jets)

5.Erik McCoy (Saints)

4.Aaron Brewer (Dolphins)

3.Drew Dalman (Bears)

2.Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens)

1.Creed Humphrey (Chiefs)

Defensive End:

35.Mike Danna (Chiefs)

34.Malcolm Koonce (Raiders)

33.Sebastian Joseph-Day (Titans)

32.Isaiah McGuire (Browns)

31.Javon Hargrave (Vikings)

30.David Onyemata (Falcons)

29.Chase Young (Saints)

28.Kwity Paye (Colts)

27.George Karlaftis (Chiefs)

26.Dorance Armstrong (Commanders)

25.Travon Walker (Jaguars)

24.Joey Bosa (Bills)

23.Zach Allen (Broncos)

22.Laiatu Latu (Colts)

21.Will McDonald IV (Jets)

20.Milton Williams (Patriots)

19.Jonathan Allen (Vikings)

18.Montez Sweat (Bears)

17.Rashan Gary (Packers)

16.Carl Granderson (Saints)

15.Derrick Brown (Panthers)

14.John Franklin-Myers (Broncos)

13.Calias Campbell (Cardinals)

12.Greg Rousseau (Bills)

11.Zach Sieler (Dolphins)

10.Will Anderson (Texans)

9.Danielle Hunter (Texans)

8.Leonard Williams (Seahawks)

7.Maxx Crosby (Raiders)

6.Josh Hines-Allen (Jaguars)

5.Aidan Hutchinson (Lions)

4.Nick Bosa (49ers)

3.Trey Hendrickson (Bengals)

2.Micah Parsons (Cowboys)

1.Myles Garrett (Browns)

Defensive Tackle:

35.Mike Pennel (Chiefs)

34.Shelby Harris (Browns)

33.Devonte Wyatt (Packers)

32.Bobby Brown III (Panthers)

31.Kenny Clark (Packers)

30.DaQuan Jones (Bills)

29.Grady Jarrett (Bears)

28.Jordan Davis (Eagles)

27.Arik Armstead (Jaguars)

26.Dalvin Tomlinson (Cardinals)

25.Keeanu Benton (Steelers)

24.Gervon Dexter (Bears)

23.Teair Tart (Chargers)

22.Christian Barmore (Patriots)

21.D.J. Reader (Lions)

20.Osa Odighizuwa (Cowboys)

19.Jarran Reed (Seahawks)

18.B.J. Hill (Bengals)

17.Travis Jones (Ravens)

16.T'Vondre Sweat (Titans)

15.Poona Ford (Rams)

14.Ed Oliver (Bills)

13.Grover Stewart (Colts)

12.Jalen Carter (Eagles)

11.Kobie Turner (Rams)

10.Christian Wilkins (Raiders)

9.Nnamdi Madubuike (Ravens)

8.Vita Vea (Buccaneers)

7.Alim McNeill (Lions)

6.Quinnen Williams (Jets)

5.DeForest Buckner (Colts)

4.Jeffrey Simmons (Titans)

3.Dexter Lawrence (Giants)

2.Cameron Heyward (Steelers)

1.Chris Jones (Chiefs)

Outside Linebacker:

35.Arnold Ebiketie (Falcons)

34.Pat Jones II (Panthers)

33.Anfernee Jennings (Patriots)

32.Uchenna Nwosu (Seahawks)

31.Keion White (Patriots)

30.Chop Robinson (Dolphins)

29.Kayvon Thibodeaux (Giants)

28.Byron Young (Rams)

27.Bryce Huff (49ers)

26.Leonard Floyd (Falcons)

25.Nick Herbig (Steelers)

24.Alex Anzalone (Lions)

23.Zaven Collins (Cardinals)

22.Jaelan Phillips (Dolphins)

21.Boye Mafe (Seahawks)

20.Arden Key (Titans)

19.Tuli Tuipulotu (Chargers)

18.Yaya Diaby (Buccaneers)

17.Nolan Smith (Eagles)

16.Harold Landry (Patriots)

15.Haason Reddick (Buccaneers)

14.DeMarcus Lawrence (Seahawks)

13.Jonathon Cooper (Broncos)

12.Odafe Oweh (Ravens)

11.Josh Sweat (Cardinals)

10.Nik Bonitto (Broncos)

9.Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings)

8.Jared Verse (Rams)

7.Bradley Chubb (Dolphins)

6.Kyle Van Noy (Ravens)

5.Brian Burns (Giants)

4.Alex Highsmith (Steelers)

3.Jonathan Greenard (Vikings)

2.Khalil Mack (Chargers)

1.T.J. Watt (Steelers)

Inside Linebacker:

35.Micah McFadden (Giants)

34.Elandon Roberts (Raiders)

33.Azeez Al-Shaair (Texans)

32.Zaire Franklin (Colts)

31.Ernest Jones (Seahawks)

30.Patrick Queen (Steelers)

29.Daiyan Henley (Chargers)

28.Edgerrin Cooper (Packers)

27.Dre Greenlaw (Broncos)

26.Nakobe Dean (Eagles)

25.Jamien Sherwood (Jets)

24.Jack Campbell (Lions)

23.Tyrel Dodson (Dolphins)

22.Jordan Hicks (Browns)

21.Drue Tranquill (Chiefs)

20.Frankie Luvu (Commanders)

19.Robert Spillane (Patriots)

18.Jordyn Brooks (Dolphins)

17.Foyesade Oluokoun (Jaguars)

16.Blake Cashman (Vikings)

15.Quincy Williams (Jets)

14.Matt Milano (Bills)

13.T.J. Edwards (Bears)

12.Kaden Elliss (Falcons)

11.Devin Lloyd (Jaguars)

10.Pete Werner (Saints)

9.Logan Wilson (Bengals)

8.Bobby Okereke (Giants)

7.Lavonte David (Buccaneers)

6.Nick Bolton (Chiefs)

5.Roquan Smith (Ravens)

4.Demario Davis (Saints)

3.Zack Baun (Eagles)

2.Bobby Wagner (Commanders)

1.Fred Warner (49ers)

Cornerback:

50.Tyson Campbell (Jaguars)

49.Kader Kohou (Dolphins)

48.Jaylon Jones (Colts)

47.Mike Sainristil (Commanders)

46.Paulson Adebo (Giants)

45.Brandon Stephens (Jets)

44.Jonathan Jones (Commanders)

43.Tykee Smith (Buccaneers)

42.Nate Wiggins (Ravens)

41.Andru Phillips (Giants)

40.Mike Hughes (Falcons)

39.Jourdan Lewis (Jaguars)

38.Kristian Fulton (Chiefs)

37.Nate Hobbs (Packers)

36.Trevon Diggs (Cowboys)

35.Darious Williams (Rams)

34.Kamari Lassiter (Texans)

33.Tarheeb Still (Chargers)

32.Tariq Woolen (Seahawks)

31.Mike Hilton (Free Agent)

30.Jaycee Horn (Panthers)

29.Taron Johnson (Bills)

28.Darius Slay (Steelers)

27.Zyon McCollum (Buccaneers)

26.Quinyon Mitchell (Eagles)

25.Kyler Gordon (Bears)

24.Garrett Williams (Cardinals)

23.Cooper DeJean (Eagles)

22.Marshon Lattimore (Commanders)

21.Carlton Davis (Patriots)

20.Deommodore Lenoir (49ers)

19.Byron Murphy Jr. (Vikings)

18.Denzel Ward (Browns)

17.Charvarius Ward (Colts)

16.Jaire Alexander (Ravens)

15.Jamel Dean (Buccaneers)

14.A.J. Terrell (Falcons)

13.Kenny Moore (Colts)

12.DaRon Bland (Cowboys)

11.Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans)

10.Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks)

9.Christian Gonzalez (Patriots)

8.Christian Benford (Bills)

7.D.J. Reed (Lions)

6.Jaylon Johnson (Bears)

5.Sauce Gardner (Jets)

4.Marlon Humphrey (Ravens)

3.Jalen Ramsey (Steelers)

2.Trent McDuffie (Chiefs)

1.Patrick Surtain II (Broncos)

Safety:

50.Kamren Kinchens (Rams)

49.Ji'Ayir Brown (49ers)

48.Justin Simmons (Free Agent)

47.Jaquan Brisker (Bears)

46.Quentin Lake (Rams)

45.Bryan Cook (Chiefs)

44.Ronnie Hickman (Browns)

43.Talanoa Hufanga (Broncos)

42.Alohi Gilman (Chargers)

41.Kyle Dugger (Patriots)

40.Malik Hooker (Cowboys)

39.Geno Stone (Bengals)

38.Xavier Woods (Titans)

37.Donovan Wilson (Cowboys)

36.Julian Blackmon (Free Agent)

35.Andre Cisco (Jets)

34.Grant Delpit (Browns)

33.Tony Adams (Jets)

32.Jeremy Chinn (Raiders)

31.Coby Bryant (Seahawks)

30.Elijah Molden (Chargers)

29.Camryn Bynum (Colts)

28.Harrison Smith (Vikings)

27.Jimmie Ward (Texans)

26.Josh Metellus (Vikings)

25.Nick Cross (Colts)

24.Kamren Curl (Rams)

23.DeShon Elliott (Steelers)

22.Tre'Von Moehrig (Panthers)

21.Jalen Pitre (Texans)

20.Amani Hooker (Titans)

19.Jalen Thompson (Cardinals)

18.Jabrill Peppers (Patriots)

17.Justin Reid (Saints)

16.Jevon Holland (Giants)

15.Brandon Jones (Broncos)

14.Tyrann Mathieu (Saints)

13.Kevin Byard (Bears)

12.Reed Blankenship (Eagles)

11.Budda Baker (Cardinals)

10.C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Texans)

9.Derwin James (Chargers)

8.Brian Branch (Lions)

7.Julian Love (Seahawks)

6.Antoine Winfield Jr. (Buccaneers)

5.Minkah Fitzpatrick (Dolphins)

4.Kerby Joseph (Lions)

3.Jessie Bates III (Falcons)

2.Xavier McKinney (Packers)

1.Kyle Hamilton (Ravens)

Kicker:

20.Younghoe Koo (Falcons)

19.Chad Ryland (Cardinals)

18.Tyler Bass (Bills)

17.Blake Grupe (Saints)

16.Matt Gay (Commanders)

15.Jake Elliott (Eagles)

14.Cairo Santos (Bears)

13.Jason Myers (Seahawks)

12.Jake Bates (Lions)

11.Brandon McManus (Packers)

10.Cam Little (Jaguars)

9.Jason Sanders (Dolphins)

8.Daniel Carlson (Raiders)

7.Wil Lutz (Broncos)

6.Harrison Butker (Chiefs)

5.Kai'mi Fairbairn (Texans)

4.Chase McLaughlin (Buccaneers)

3.Brandon Aubrey (Cowboys)

2.Cameron Dicker (Chargers)

1.Chris Boswell (Steelers)

Punter:

20.Sam Martin (Panthers)

19.Thomas Morstead (49ers)

18.Tory Taylor (Bears)

17.Matt Araiza (Chiefs)

16.J.K. Scott (Chargers)

15.Riley Dixon (Buccaneers)

14.Tress Way (Commanders)

13.Bryan Anger (Cowboys)

12.Corey Bojorquez (Browns)

11.Braden Mann (Eagles)

10.Ryan Rehkow (Bengals)

9.Bryce Baringer (Patriots)

8.Ryan Stonehouse (Dolphins)

7.Blake Gillikin (Cardinals)

6.Rigoberto Sanchez (Colts)

5.Tommy Townsend (Texans)

4.Logan Cooke (Jaguars)

3.Jack Fox (Lions)

2.Michael Dickson (Seahawks)

1.A.J. Cole (Raiders)

Top 10 Appearances by Team:

Detroit Lions-12 (Brian Branch, Jack Fox, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph, Sam LaPorta, Alim McNeill, David Montgomery, D.J. Reed, Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown)

Baltimore Ravens-9 (Mark Andrews, Kyle Hamilton, Derrick Henry, Marlon Humphery, Lamar Jackson, Tyler Linderbaum, Nnamdi Madubuike, Roquan Smith, Kyle Van Noy)

Kansas City Chiefs-8 (Nick Bolton, Harrison Butker, Creed Humphrey, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Trent McDuffie, Trey Smith)

Philadelphia Eagles-8 (Saquon Barkley, Zack Baun, A.J. Brown, Landon Dickerson, Dallas Goedert, Jalen Hurts, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata)

Minnesota Vikings-7 (Christian Darrisaw, Jonathan Greenard,T.J. Hockenson, Justin Jefferson, Ryan Kelly, Brian O'Neill, Andrew Van Ginkel)

Pittsburgh Steelers-7 (Chris Boswell, Zach Frazier, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, T.J. Watt)

Houston Texans-6 (Will Anderson, Nico Collins, Kai'mi Fairbairn, Danielle Hunter, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Tommy Townsend)

Miami Dolphins-6 (Aaron Brewer, Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Tyreek Hill, Jason Sanders, Ryan Stonehouse)

Cincinnati Bengals-5 (Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, Ryan Rehkow, Logan Wilson)

Dallas Cowboys-5 (Brandon Aubrey, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott, Tyler Smith)

Las Vegas Raiders-5 (Brock Bowers, Daniel Carlson, A.J. Cole, Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins)

Los Angeles Chargers-5 (Cameron Dicker, Justin Herbert, Derwin James, Khalil Mack, Rashawn Slater)

Los Angeles Rams-5 (Kevin Dotson, Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford, Jared Verse, Kyren Williams)

San Francisco 49ers-5 (Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Christian McCaffery, Fred Warner, Trent Williams)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers-5 (Lavonte David, Chase McLaughlin, Vita Vea, Antoine Winfeld Jr., Tristian Wirfs)

Washington Commanders-5 (Tyler Biadasz, Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Laremy Tunsil, Bobby Wagner)

Arizona Cardinals-4 (James Conner, Hjalte Froholdt, Blake Gillikin, Trey McBride)

Atlanta Falcons-4 (Jessie Bates III, Chris Lindstrom, Drake London, Bijan Robinson)

Denver Broncos-4 (Nik Bonitto, Wil Lutz, Quinn Minerz, Patrick Surtain II)

Green Bay Packers-4 (Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft, Xavier McKinney, Zach Tom)

Seattle Seahawks-4 (Michael Dickson, Julian Love, Devon Witherspoon, Leonard Williams)

Buffalo Bills-3 (Josh Allen, Christian Benford, James Cook)

Chicago Bears-3 (Drew Dalman, Jaylon Johnson, Joe Thuney)

Indianapolis Colts-3 (DeForest Buckner, Quenton Nelson, Rigoberto Sanchez)

Jacksonville Jaguars-3 (Josh Hines-Allen, Logan Cooke, Cam Little)

New Orleans Saints-3 (Demario Davis, Erik McCoy, Pete Werner)

New York Giants-3 (Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Bobby Okereke)

New York Jets-3 (Sauce Gardner, Joe Tippmann, Quinnen Williams)

New England Patriots-2 (Bryce Barringer, Christian Gonzalez)

Tennessee Titans-2 (Jeffrey Simmons, Kevin Zeitler)

Carolina Panthers-1 (Robert Hunt)

Cleveland Browns-1 (Myles Garrett)

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Punters

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

20.(+) Sam Martin (Panthers)

19.(12) Thomas Morstead (49ers)

18.(+) Tory Taylor (Bears)

17.(+) Matt Araiza (Chiefs)

16.(20) J.K. Scott (Chargers)

15.(+) Riley Dixon (Buccaneers)

14.(17) Tress Way (Commanders)

13.(2) Bryan Anger (Cowboys)

12.(7) Corey Bojorquez (Browns)

11.(6) Braden Mann (Eagles)

10.(+) Ryan Rehkow (Bengals)

9.(+) Bryce Baringer (Patriots)

8.(4) Ryan Stonehouse (Dolphins)

7.(5) Blake Gillikin (Cardinals)

6.(11) Rigoberto Sanchez (Colts)

5.(13) Tommy Townsend (Texans)

4.(10) Logan Cooke (Jaguars)

3.(18) Jack Fox (Lions)

2.(3) Michael Dickson (Seahawks)

1.(1) A.J. Cole (Raiders)

Quick Movie Reviews: F1, M3GAN 2.0, Jurassic World Rebirth, Heads of State

F1: Joseph Kosinski's first big screen venture since Top Gun: Maverick transformed his career is an easy movie to like. Kosinski uses the same dedication to immersive realism that made the aerial action in Maverick pop by using car-mounted camera rigs and insanely loud, detailed sound design to craft exhilarating race sequences that put the viewer right in the middle of the action, the four leading actors (Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem) bring the magnetism to their roles you'd expect from performers of their caliber and Ehren Kruger's script executes the expected underdog sports movie, cocky young buck vs. cocky seasoned pro beats in rousing fashion. Everything was set up for an easy win... until disaster struck out of nowhere. For the lack of a better phrase, F1 starts to really spin its tires in the final act. Whether it or got derailed by adding an unnecessary contrivance or two in an effort to further up the stakes at the last minute or just simply overstayed its welcome is up for debate, but I do know that I had more than enough of watching the movie by the time the climactic race rolls around and that's not exactly ideal for a movie that belongs to a genre where the final bout is supposed to feel like life or death. Shaving 20-30 minutes off the runtime would've probably done wonders and hopefully if a sequel materializes, Kosinski will tighten things up because the movie was really humming until it careened into the wall on the last lap.     

Grade: B

M3GAN 2.0: Reinventing the titular sentient AI killer robot as an action hero for her second trip to the big screen was the right call. Having M3GAN get revived in order to get revenge on her creator (Allison Williams) would've been a very easy direction to go in for the sequel. It also would've almost certainly been an inferior rehash of the original. Despite boasting such a strong, refreshing hook for a sequel, M3GAN 2.0 ends up falling short of its predecessor anyways due to its struggles to get where it wants to go as a B-action movie.

Even in practice, there are plenty of moments where the vision for M3GAN 2.0 fully materializes. M3GAN drops some great one-liners that are befitting of her new action hero status, the fight scenes are a thoughtful, campy homage to an action star of yesteryear that is directly namechecked multiple times (often in hilarious fashion) and AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) is a solid, stoic antagonist that opposes the campiness surrounding her in a natural fashion. Where M3GAN 2.0 goes astray is in its bewilderingly strong commitment to its increasingly convoluted plot. Having the movie basically pause for an exposition dump every 15-20 minutes does a real number on the energy level, particularly in the third act when you find out who is pulling out AMELIA's strings (spoiler alert: you probably won't be shocked at all!) and they spend what at least feels like the next 10 minutes explaining their actions. Returning writer/director Gerard Johnstone being behind this ill-advised creative choice makes it even more head-scratching. This seems like a classic case of overthinking derailing a good idea and one has to wonder how much Johnstone would've cooked here if he had just allowed the camp elements of the film run wild.               

Grade: B-

Jurassic World Rebirth: Not as gleefully idiotic as the previous three Jurassic World movies nor the "back to basics" ode to the masterful original that the creatives behind claimed it would be, Jurassic World Rebirth is instead just a movie that ushers in yet another planned Jurassic trilogy in the most inoffensive, competent manner imaginable. Quite frankly, your enthusiasm level towards Rebirth will likely be determined by how excited you are to see dinosaurs on the big screen again and the three actors (Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey) tasked with leading a doomed expedition to a remote island somewhere around the Equator to tango with a bunch of inbred, mutated dinosaurs that were too gnarly to make the trek over to John Hammond's theme park. For me, the leads were a notable enough improvement from the Chris Pratt/Bryce Dallas Howard duo we got from 2015-22 and the dino action was good enough for me to enjoy my time in the theater watching Rebirth. Let's do this again in 3 years, shall we?         

Grade: B

Heads of State: Here's some fun propaganda for streaming Evangelists: Heads of State is a more entertaining, better constructed movie than its fellow July 2nd release Jurassic World Rebirth. While it's still not quite good enough to be considered a great movie, it's a knowingly silly romp that has no problem remaining breezy throughout thanks to making great use of the combative chemistry that Idris Elba and John Cena established in The Suicide Squad as they play the presidents of their respective real life home nations (UK/US) who are forced to overlook their disdain for each other in order to remain alive after narrowly surviving an attack onboard Air Force One in route to a NATO conference in Italy that is believed to have been carried out by someone in one of their inner circles and delivering a half dozen or so of the kinetic, manic action sequences that have become the calling card of director Ilya Nilhauser (Hardcore Henry, Nobody). Even the last second mid-credit scene sequel tease doesn't dampen the consistent fun that preceded it. In terms of turn your brain off home watches meant for (trying) to escape from the blistering heat of summer, Heads of State is pretty much perfect, and that's really all it needed to be to be deemed a success.         

Grade: B