Ric Roman Waugh 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 Ric Roman Waugh-whose latest project "Shelter" opens in theaters today. 

Ric Roman Waugh's Filmography Ranked:

7.Greenland 2: Migration (B-)

6.Angel Has Fallen (B-)

5.Kandahar (B)

4.Snitch (B)

3.Greenland (B)

2.Shot Caller (B)

1.Felon (B)

Top Dog: Felon (2008)

While Waugh has maintained a pretty solid quality standard over the past 20 years or so, I'm inclined to give his breakout feature Felon a slight edge over Shot Caller, Greenland and Snitch for this title. Felon is a really solid prison drama about a family man (Stephen Dorff) who loses sight of who he is after being sent to a corrupt, violent prison after receiving a questionable sentence for involuntarily manslaughter after accidently killing an armed robber with a baseball bat on his property that somehow got buried as a direct-to-video title in 2008 and it's a testament to the power of the video store/cable culture of that era that it went onto to find an audience. 

Bottom Feeder: Greenland 2: Migration (2026)

Greenland marked the rare disaster movie that focused more on the human element of an apocalyptic weather event than the event itself. The sequel Greenland 2: Migration abandons that storytelling philosophy to an extent in an effort to up the ante and it leads to an inferior product. While I'm not going to say that it completely stinks since the significant increase in weather events leads to some tense sequences, these setpieces just happen to come at the cost of stripping away what made its predecessor stand out from other movies in the genre. 

Most Underrated: Shot Caller (2017)

Shot Caller is pretty much a carbon copy of Felon right down to the slipping through the cracks of the Hollywood distribution machine aspect. Still, it's a compelling, gritty movie about how prison can make monsters of decent people and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau does really great work in the lead role of Jacob Harlon-who pleads guilty to a DUI and quickly gets caught up in the pervasive gang culture in the Los Angeles-area prison he was sentenced to. 

Most Overrated: None

Despite directing movies for about 25 years now, Waugh has never made anything that has generated overly passionate reactions on either end of the spectrum. Some people would call him a "journeyman" because of this, but I'd call him a steady hand who can be counted onto to do solid work across a number of genres. 

Most Frequently Played Movie Trailers of 2025

Full disclosure: I had no intention of ever making this public but my ability to write what I intended today is no longer feasible for reasons that are of no interest or importance to anyone who happens to be reading this.  After a couple of years of seeing people online bitching incessantly about the same trailers playing in front of every movie, I decided to start logging every trailer I saw in theaters back in 2024 to see exactly how often trailers were being played. Today, I'm going to share with you a list of trailers for movies released in 2025 that I saw the most. Here's a few notes that will provide some context to what you're about to see here:

-The criteria for inclusion here was anything that I saw at least 10 times,

-On average, I see somewhere between 2 and 3 movies per week, and this data set was collected from over 100 showings between the first half of 2024 when the first trailers for 2025 titles dropped and this month when the last of the year-end releases began playing in my area.  

-With a lone exception (shoutout divine indie palace CinemaSalem), all of these trailers played in front of films that were seen at a handful of different AMC locations around the greater Boston area.

-While I'm more often than not in my seat before the trailers begin, I do arrive late on occasion and that definitely impacted these numbers to a minimal degree. 

What does the data reveal? Well, there are indeed some trailers that are really getting spammed but for 2025 at least, a single film stood well above the rest of the pack (If you went to the movies with any degree of regularity last year, you probably will not be surprised by what the title in question is). Other than that, the data is completely up to your own interpretation. I've personally found that the complaining about the repetition of trailers is pretty overblown, but to be fair, I'm also someone who doesn't really care about seeing a trailer over and over when I go to the theater. Without further ado, let's break down this sweet sweet data.    

Most Frequently Played Movie Trailers of 2025:

(Final note: Titles are sorted by release date)

25: Mission-Impossible: The Final Reckoning

18: The Roses

17: Wolf Man, 28 Years Later, M3GAN 2.0

16: Wicked: For Good, Anaconda

15: Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Naked Gun, Him, Roofman, The Housemaid

14: The Amateur

13: Novocaine, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

12: Drop, Jurassic World Rebirth, Predator Badlands

11: I Know What You Did Last Summer, One Battle After Another, The Running Man, Ella McCay 

10: Until Dawn, Ballerina, Caught Stealing, Good Fortune

Just Missed the Cut (aka The 9-Times Club): The Monkey, Sinners, Black Phone 2, Hamnet, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Is This Thing On? 

This will probably be the only time I ever post something like this, so if you enjoyed it, I'm glad that my OCD, curiosity and contempt for social media hot takes could provide with a little bit of entertainment during these trying times.

Top 10 Movie Action Sequences of 2025

Honorable Mentions:

Silver Surfer Chases The Fantastic Four Through Space-The Fantastic Four: First Steps

 

Ice Club Fight-Ballerina

 

Disgruntled Assassin vs. Triads-Fight or Flight

The Team Meets for the First Time-Thunderbolts*

Amusement Park Chaos-Nobody 2

10.Glass Wolverine-Novocaine

A big part of Novocaine's appeal comes from the protagonist Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) having a disorder that makes him unable to feel pain and the film crafting action sequences that take full advantage of Caine's ability to get beat to shit without fully realizing just how hurt he is. While the other fight scenes in the film have more elaborate choreography, there's a particularly gruesome, bone-crunching edge to this one that made it my favorite of the film's many visceral bursts of action. 

9.Safe House Ambush-Heads of State

How about some more Jack Quaid to kick off this countdown? Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry, Nobody) got called up to the PG-13 streaming blockbuster league with Heads of State and made it one of the rare entries in this frowned upon subsection of Hollywood to be a legit good time. Outside of reigniting the tremendous adversarial chemistry that Idris Elba and John Cena built up in The Suicide Squad, the stylized, high energy action sequences like this key setpiece from the second act of the film were the biggest reason why Heads of State succeeded where many others in this space have failed.

8.Kitchen Fight-Love Hurts

As the president of the Love Hurts Fan Club, I'm obligated to feature a scene from it here. The zany, playful choreography here is a throwback to the stuff that Jackie Chan was doing when he first started making movies in English during the mid-to-late 90's and it was refreshing to see this brand of goofy fighting on screen in 2025. 

7.Mister Terrific Introduces Himself to Lex Luthor's Goon Squad-Superman

Just a classic James Gunn action sequence where the CGI/practical elements are brought together seamlessly and a scene-stealing side character gets to wail on a bunch of faceless goons to a cool song. 

6.Average Duck Boat Tour Disturbance -Nobody 2

 

Fair or not, Nobody 2 had the unenviable task of trying to match or top the incredible fight sequences from the first film. Despite ultimately failing to reach the peaks of its predecessor, it's still a really fun movie full of sick action. This particularly goofy sequence makes really great use of its unique setting and the shots of chaos breaking out in the background while the people in the front of the boat are fully locked into the duck boat tour made me laugh pretty hard.

5.All Hell Breaks Loose-Diablo

Diablo appears to blow most of its low budget on this sequence and its big final set piece set at an abandoned factory. If this was indeed the case, it was 100% worth it. What makes me prefer this scene from pretty early on in the film to the finale is the beautifully executed mayhem that organically leads to into the first of the few fights that take place between martial arts legends Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror during Diablo's lethally efficient 91-minute runtime.  

4.Driving Shootout Through the Streets of Nice-Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

Having the big action payoff of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera be an unbearably tense extended chase/shootout through the winding tunnels and mountainsides of Nice, France (or more accurately, Spain's Canary Islands doubling as Nice) is one of the many reasons these movies rip so hard.

3.Tom Cruise Risks His Life for the Movies Part 123-Mission-Impossible: The Final Reckoning

This would've been a spot higher if it had been the first time Tom Cruise had hung from the side of an airplane in a Mission-Impossible movie. Despite its similarity to a famous stunt from Rogue Nation, it remains an exhilarating sequence that helps The Final Reckoning atone for the sins of its first act in the final one. 

2.Grenade Fight-Ballerina

Watching Ana de Armas survive an ambush at an arms dealer's hideout by finding a box of grenades in a locked room was the very moment that I knew that Chad Stahelski had come in and saved Ballerina from being the first movie in the John Wick universe to miss the mark. 

1.Flamethrower Fight-Ballerina

Nothing else I watched in 2025 had an action scene that came anywhere close to matching this one. The John Wick franchise just continues to find ways to pull off creative fight scenes full of unreal stuntwork and pristine editing and this insane climactic fight with FUCKING FLAMETHROWERS is every bit as good as the finest moments from the main franchise. 

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

 Last Week: 3-1 (Correct: Seahawks, Patriots, Rams Incorrect: Bills)

Overall Playoff Record: 7-3

New England Patriots Over Denver Broncos:

Before I talk about this game, I have to put into writing that the Broncos made me eat shit with their performance last week. They took advantage of the many mistakes the Bills made, and Bo Nix shook off of a very rough second half to deliver when his team needed him the most during the end of the 4th quarter/overtime to lead the Broncos to a gutsy win that granted them the opportunity to return to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2015. 

Moving on today's game, Nix being sidelined with a broken ankle changes the complexion of this game entirely. Nix's mobility is the key to the entire Broncos offense and without him under center, their system becomes much more predictable and their RB's and pass-catchers beyond Courtland Sutton aren't strong enough to have faith in their ability to overcome the loss of their second year signalcaller's improvisational gifts. On top of this, Nix's backup Jarrett Stidham has not taken a meaningful snap since the end of the 2023 season and only has 4 career starts during his 7-year NFL career. Nobody in NFL history has started a Conference Championship with this little game action under their belt and asking somebody this green to come off the bench and lead you to a Super Bowl is a huge ask, especially against a defense that has been stifling against both the run and pass in each of their playoff games thus far. 

Any path to a Broncos victory will most likely have to be through their defense once again being able to take advantage of their opponent's miscues/offensive line woes (which is feasible as the Patriots have turned the ball over a whopping five times and allowed 10 sacks over the past two games) and/or the Patriots once again succumbing to the horrors of Mile High (they've lost all four of their previous playoff games in franchise history). To put it more succinctly, I just don't think the Broncos in a good position to win today given the huge matchup disadvantages they're being handed with their offense going against the Pats defense. 

Seattle Seahawks over Los Angeles Rams:

Even after the shellacking they handed the 49ers at home last week, having faith in the Seahawks isn't an easy to thing to do right now. Sam Darnold wasn't exactly rolling against the 49ers (12/17, 124 YDS, 1 TD), their rushing attack will now fall squarely on the shoulders of Kenneth Walker III as Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL last week and it feels like they need things that can't be relied upon to happen every week like special teams or defensive scores to really gain control of a game. If a shootout situation emerges like it did during their last meeting back in Week 16, I don't think the 'Hawks will be able to win this time around. 

The sole reason I'm picking the Seahawks here is that I don't think the Rams offense has been particularly strong over the past two weeks. Save for a few drives, they had a very hard time moving the ball against a pretty terrible Bears defense. Going against a Seahawks team that shares Bears DC Dennis Allen's love of throwing out weird blitz looks but doesn't share Allen's group inability to stop the run would be a nightmare scenario for the Rams team we've seen over the past couple of weeks. If anybody can get back on track after a pair of down weeks, it's Stafford, Sean McVay, Puka Nacua and the deeply talented Rams offense- I just can't in good conscience pick them to win a game in which they're squaring off with the best defense by far they've played in the playoffs after seeing what they've done in the playoffs up to this point. 

Rebecca Ferguson 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 Rebecca Ferguson-whose latest project "Mercy" releases in theaters today. 

Rebecca Ferguson's Filmography Ranked:

15.The Greatest Showman (C)

14.Florence Foster Jenkins (C)

13.Men in Black: International (C+)

12.The Kid Who Would Be King (B-)

11.Hercules (B-) 

10.Life (B-)

9.A House of Dynamite (B-)

8.Reminiscence (B-) 

7.Mission-Impossible: Rogue Nation (B)

6.Dune: Part Two (B)

5.The Girl on the Train (B+)

4.Dune (B+)

3.Doctor Sleep (B+)

2.Mission-Impossible: Dead Reckoning (B+)

1.Mission-Impossible: Fallout (B+)

Top Dog: Mission-Impossible: Fallout (2018)

The Mission-Impossible franchise was able to maintain a pretty consistent quality standard once the scale got upped with the third film that would be the envy of most other long-running franchises. While I don't believe the gap is as significant as some people do, Fallout does sit a bit above the other entries that came out during this 20-year golden period for Tom Cruise's spy franchise. Fallout earned its way to the top of the pack for one simple reason: the action sequences and stuntwork are the craziest of the entire franchise. This movie just stacks propulsive setpieces on top of each other until it rides off into the sunset after 2.5 glorious hours. It's just an unbelievable accomplishment that will have action movie fans gushing for the rest of time. 

Bottom Feeder: The Greatest Showman (2017)

Michael Gracey's stylish, technically dazzling direction on Better Man impressed me so much that I decided to finally give The Greatest Showman a shot. After watching it, I'm blown away that these two films were directed by the same person. The Greatest Showman is really the anti-Better Man as it doesn't have an interesting, risk-taking bone in its body. The starry cast (Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Ferguson) does what they can to try and elevate the material they were given, but they're just no match for the heaping helping of vanilla "follow your dreams" sentimentality and cutesy focus group-tested songs that this film serves up. 

Most Underrated: The Girl on the Train (2016)

Being utterly delighted by The Housemaid last month got me thinking about other trashy thrillers that have come out in the past decade. The Girl on the Train has become the most slept-on title from the initial wave of titles from this subgenre that arrived on the scene after the success of Gone Girl brought it back into the spotlight. Emily Blunt does some of the best work of her storied career as a blackout-prone alcoholic who isn't quite sure if she witnessed the murder of a young woman (Haley Bennett) from a commuter train bound for New York City, Tate Taylor delivers the sturdy direction that made him one of the most in-demand studio filmmakers of the 2010's and the stacked supporting cast (Justin Theroux, Ferguson, Allison Janney, Lisa Kudrow, Luke Evans) help sell the shit out of the barrage of absurd twists that make or break these kinds of movies.

Most Overrated: Dune: Part Two (2024)

Denis Villeneuve is somebody who handles spectacle and tension incredibly well but tends to struggle with delivering emotion. This has never been more apparent in a film of his than it is in Dune: Part Two. The transformation of Paul Atreides from potential liberator of the oppressed to budding tyrant is supposed to be this devastating tale about how power corrupts and yet through the combination of Dune's unbelievable scale and emotional coldness, it never gets close enough to Atreides for the viewer to feel the true weight of his turn towards darkness. The lack of emotional substance in Dune: Part Two is the main reason why my excitement level for the more character-driven Dune: Part Three is so muted.

Oscar Nomination Predictions

Tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning in Los Angeles, this year's Oscar nominations will be revealed. Here are the films and individuals I expect to be in the running for gold statues this year. 

Best Picture:

Bugonia 

Frankenstein

Hamnet

It Was Just an Accident 

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Locks: Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Sinners

Toss-Ups: Bugonia, It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent, Train Dreams

Other Possible Contenders: Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, No Other Choice, Sirat, Weapons

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Chloe Zhao, Hamnet

Locks: Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Chloe Zhao

Toss-Ups: Josh Safdie, Joachim Trier

Other Possible Contenders: Clint Bentley (Train Dreams), Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Kieber Mendoca Filho (The Secret Agent), Yorgos Lanthimos (Bugonia), Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)

Best Actor:

Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Locks: Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan, Wagner Moura

Toss-Ups: None

Other Possible Contenders: George Clooney (Jay Kelly), Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Lee Byung-hun (No Other Choice), Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine), Jesse Plemons (Bugonia)

Best Actress:

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You

Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Locks: Jessie Buckley, Rose Byrne

Toss-Ups: Chase Infiniti, Renate Reinsve, Emma Stone

Other Possible Contenders: Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love), Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee), Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)

Best Supporting Actor:

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Paul Mescal, Hamnet

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value

Locks: Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, Sean Penn, Stellan Skarsgard

Toss-Ups: None

Other Possible Contenders: Miles Caton (Sinners), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), William H. Macy (Train Dreams), Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly), Andrew Scott (Blue Moon)

Best Supporting Actress:

Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Locks: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Amy Madigan, Teyana Taylor

Toss-Ups: Ariana Grande, Wunmi Mosaku

Other Possible Contenders: Odessa A'zion (Marty Supreme), Emily Blunt (The Smashing Machine) Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Regina Hall (One Battle After Another), Gwyneth Paltrow (Marty Supreme)

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Bugonia

Hamnet

No Other Choice

One Battle After Another

Train Dreams

Locks: Hamnet, One Battle After Another

Toss-Ups: Bugonia, No Other Choice, Train Dreams

Other Possible Contenders: Frankenstein, Hedda, The Long Walk, Nuremberg, Wake Up Dead Man

Best Original Screenplay:

It Was Just an Accident

Marty Supreme

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Sorry, Baby

Locks: It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value, Sinners

Toss-Ups: Marty Supreme, Sorry, Baby

Other Possible Contenders: Blue Moon, Is This Thing On?, Jay Kelly, The Secret Agent, Weapons

Best Animated Feature:

Arco

Kpop Demon Hunters

Little Amelie or the Character of Rain

Scarlet

Zootopia 2

Locks: Arco, Kpop Demon Hunters, Zootopia 2

Toss-Ups: Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, Scarlet

Other Possible Contenders: The Bad Guys 2, In Your Dreams, Elio 

Best Documentary Feature:

2000 Meters to Andriivika

The Alabama Solution

Cover-Up

My Undesirable Friends

The Perfect Neighbor

Locks: 2000 Meters to Andriivika, Cover-Up

Toss-Ups: The Alabama Solution, My Undesirable Friends, The Perfect Neighbor

Other Possible Contenders: Apocalypse in the Tropics, Come See Me in the Good Light, Holding Liat, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Seeds 

Best International Film:

It Was Just an Accident

No Other Choice

Sentimental Value

The Secret Agent 

Sirat

Locks: It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent

Toss-Up: No Other Choice, Sirat

Other Potential Contenders: Kokuho, Left-Handed Girl, The President's Cake, Sound of Falling, The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best Casting:

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Best Cinematography: 

Frankenstein

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Train Dreams

Best Film Editing:

F1

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Best Costume Design:

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Hedda

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Frankenstein

One Battle After Another

The Smashing Machine

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Production Design:

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

Sinners

Wicked: For Good

Best Score:

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Best Original Song:

"Dear Me" (Diane Warren: Relentless)

"The Girl in the Bubble" (Wicked: For Good)

"Golden" (Kpop Demon Hunters)

"I Lied to You" (Sinners)

"Train Dreams" (Train Dreams)

Best Sound:

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Sirat

Best Visual Effects:

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1

Frankenstein

Sinners

Superman

Best Animated Short:

Autokar

Eiru

Playing God

Retirement Plan

Snow Bear

Best Documentary Short:

All the Empty Rooms

Armed With Only a Camera

The Devil is Busy

Perfectly a Strangeness 

We Were the Scenery 

Best Live Action Short:

The Boy with White Skin

Jane Austen's Period Drama

The Singers

Two People Exchanging Saliva 

Movie Review: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

28 Years Later marked the return of franchise architects Danny Boyle and Alex Garland to the fold after they stepped aside for the only other previous sequel (2007's 28 Weeks Later). Their re-entry point proved to be a fascinating one as they centered the story around a preteen boy (Alfie Williams) coming of age in a world full of nothing but uncertainty, danger and decrepit monuments to a world that no longer exists. Accompanying its slow burn existentialism was a deeply experimental visual language that was built around unpredictable camera placements (the film was shot using a rig that contained 20 iPhones fanned out-which gave cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle the ability to shoot things from angles/perspectives that would be incredibly difficult to pull off with a traditional movie camera) and editing choices like freeze frames and quick cuts between still images. The avant garde style and comparative lack of zombie action made the film rather polarizing and that divided reaction was inevitably going to hurt the box office of the already-in-the can sequel The Bone Temple-which was set to and did end up releasing just seven months later. While Garland remained on as writer for the second part of the planned trilogy, Boyle passed the baton to Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) for the sequel. The worries of those who were concerned that Boyle's absence in the director's chair was going to lead to the creation of a more conventional product proved to be misplaced as The Bone Temple is a great movie that complements its predecessor while establishing its own uniquely daring identity. 

The Bone Temple picks up pretty much immediately where its predecessor left off with Williams' Spike getting acquainted with the group of blonde wig-wearing, track suit-clad individuals that saved him from a zombie swarm This group is actually a cult led by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell)-who is the young boy from the beginning of Years who watches his mother, sister and several members of his village get massacred and his preacher father gleefully sacrifice himself to the undead horde. Reeling from the trauma of his youth, Jimmy believes he is the son of Satan and his followers-who he also refers to as "Jimmy"-travel around the countryside looking for survivors to inflict unspeakable torture on. The petrified Spike has to decide if he wants to risk his life trying to escape from Jimmy's gang or stand by idly while they carry out their mission of bringing "charity" to those who have been lucky enough to survive for 28 years of a zombie apocalypse. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes)-who was also introduced in the final act-stumbles upon the alpha zombie "Samson" (Chi Lewis-Parry) in his shrine to the dead (aka The Bone Temple) and after seeing how he reacts to getting hit with a tranquilizer dart, Kelson believes the infection can be treated and begins to test out a potential cure on Samson . Eventually, Jimmy and Kelson end up crossing paths and what transpires between the two will change the lives of everyone in their orbit. 

By shifting focus to Kelson and Crystal, The Bone Temple is able to explore this world through the eyes of two men that went down rapidly different paths after the outbreak caused the UK to fall. Kelson never lost any of his humanity while Crystal weaponized his grief and confusion over what happened to his family to inflict pain and lord power over people who are just looking for somebody to follow during a turbulent time. Accompanying their contrasting plights is also a fascinating, painfully relevant conversation about science vs. faith. Kelson's values can be prescribed to his belief in helping others and the powers of medicine, conversation and research as healing tools while Crystal's worldview is shaped by an insistence that God is punishing mankind for its misdeeds and the egomaniacal delusion that's he's being used as an instrument to help carry this unholy reign of terror out. The vividness of Garland's writing and DaCosta's direction allows the atmosphere to powerfully express their worldviews when the story is focused on them and once the two finally meet at the end of the second act, things get particularly interesting as the window into their souls grow more transparent. 

Of course, the added bonus of all of this fascinating worldbuilding and unique explorations of well-worn themes is that this material gives a duo of sensational actors a chance to flex their muscles. Fiennes once again demonstrates the versatility that has made him so deeply respected in the industry over the past 40 years by playing a character that is completely unlike any other he's played in the past. Kelson may be an eccentric guy with an unusual love of iodine and Duran Duran, but his compassion, kindness and curiosity come from such a pure place that they couldn't even be corrupted by the collapse of a civilization that felt invincible. He's the best of humanity and one of the biggest reasons this movie manages to pack a deceptively hopeful emotional punch underneath its bleak exterior.     

Fair or not, seeing O'Connell thrive in a villain role in Sinners last year set the villain bar very high for him here. Fortunately, he didn't just clear the bar, he soared that bitch like it wasn't a challenge at all. As a cult leader, O'Connell has to harness some of the charm that he relied on to create Remmick. However, this performance goes to some much darker, more evil places than Remmick ever did and O'Connell steps into that challenge with absolutely zero fear. His ability to spew constantly evolving bullshit to his followers with ease and use faith as an excuse to carry out barbaric acts against his fellow humans is menacing without ever entering into cartoonish territory. Playing Remmick and Jimmy Crystal so close together absolutely makes O'Connell a prime target to be typecasted as an antagonist moving forward and while that wouldn't be ideal fate for an actor of his skill set, I wouldn't mind that happening as long as the performances remained this strong.

Like its predecessor, The Bone Temple ends on a note that tees up the next film perfectly. Whether we get the final chapter or not is a big question mark after The Bone Temple pretty much ate shit at the box office worldwide this past weekend. Selfishly, I want to see how this story ends but I'm not holding my breath that it will happen despite it boasting the (likely) box office-bolstering hook of having original star Cillian Murphy return as the protagonist. If we don't get to see the final film of the trilogy, I just wanted to take a moment to thank Boyle, Garland, DaCosta and their excellent team of collaborators for turning the zombie genre on its head with these bold, rewarding films. 

Grade: B+