Mini Movie Reviews: July 2025
- Matt Quill
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
A quick rundown of my thoughts on the movies I've seen throughout July 2025
Feature
Title: M3GAN 2.0
Plot: After the events of M3GAN, her creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), is now an activist against AI. At least that is until a militarised robot named AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) goes rogue, causing Gemma to rethink her stance as M3GAN (Amie Donald, Jenna Davis) may be the only robot capable of stopping her.
When M3GAN dropped at the start of 2023, I don't think anyone expected the dancing/slaying AI to be as big of a hit as it was. Hoping to double down on that Success, M3GAN is back with M3GAN 2.0, sporting an update to the genre and an upgrade to its action. But is it worth a watch?
The movie kicks off 2 years after the events of M3GAN, with M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) now working as an activist against AI following the fallout of M3GAN's antics. However, a new AI robot called AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) has gone rogue and bringing back M3GAN may be the only way to stop their murder spree.
If that sounds a lot like Terminator 2: Judgement Day, then you're pretty much bang on the money, except the comedy, camp, and sass have been dialled up to max, making what is a rather entertaining sequel
With AI conversation the current hot topic, M3GAN 2.0 plays it smart and bases its core theme and story around that discussion to deliver a plot showcasing the terrors and fears of human reliance on technology. It probably could come off a little heavy-handed to some, but it works within the world and doesn't feel like you're being beaten over the head by the message.
The dynamic of Gemma and her adopted daughter/Niece Cady (Violet McGraw) has evolved over the years, with Gemma trying to raise her anti-technology with digital detoxes and teaching her self-defence classes, whilst Cady has become more independent and is drawn to the possibility of technology. The best pairing of the movie comes from the back-and-forth between M3GAN and Gemma, with their varying views of each other, continually jumping in with jabs and trust issues.
The transition from horror to action works for the direction of the sequel, having M3GAN adapt and become a hero is rewarding, yet effective in much the same way as Arnie's was in Terminator 2. The sequel revels in M3GAN's personality and brings it to the forefront with plenty of moments to showcase her with great dialogue and acrobatic action. She was the star of the last movie and 100% makes this movie work too, whether that be though her interactions with the people around her or just dropping outlandish but hilarious lines like "Hold on to your vaginas." It's incredibly campy, silly, but also just as entertaining.
It is a shame that the new antagonist android, AMELIA, never gets the same sense of personality. Her ruthless assassinations make for some good action set pieces, but there's never a 'character' given to her outside of 'badass killing machine', which feels a shame when you see how well-realised M3GAN is.
M3GAN 2.0 is ridiculous, silly and outright entertaining. The genre switch works well, allowing for a good amount of solid action sequences and a higher-stakes plot. M3GAN is 100% the standout star, and this sequel knows it, arming her with sassy quotes and a solid sequel that surpasses the original.
Title: Jurassic World: Rebirth
Plot: Mercenary Zora (Scarlett Johansson) leads a group to a deserted island filled with towering dinosaurs so they can retrieve their blood, which will help make a breakthrough heart treatment.
It's been 32 years since Spielberg's groundbreaking Jurassic Park arrived, delivering a summer blockbuster that's still just as beloved now as it was on release. Now, Gareth Edwards is taking the helm to deliver a soft reboot with Jurassic World: Rebirth, the seventh entry in the series. Hoping to erase the disappointment of Jurassic World: Dominion, this latest adventure aims to give audiences more dinosaur goodness whilst also reinvigorating the franchise, but does it succeed?
Taking place after the events of Dominion, Rebirth starts early doors, delivering plenty of exposition to set the state of the world and streamline the series following the ending of the previous trilogy. After all that's clarified, a small group is recruited by pharmaceutical bigwig Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) to go on a covert mission and extract the blood samples of three towering dinosaurs in forbidden territory. The team is led by extraction specialist/mercenary, Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), her fellow mercenary, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) and along for the ride, palaeontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey). The three required dinosaurs will see them take to the water, land and skies with the ocean-based Mosasaurus, the land-based titan, Titanosaurus and finally the flying Quetzalcoatlus on the team's blood extraction list.
Joining the cast is a family on a sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the father, Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his eldest daughter, Teresa (Luna Blaise), and his youngest, Bella (Audrina Miranda), joined by Xavier (David Iacano), Teresa's layabout boyfriend, who the Reuben actively disapproves of. The family find themselves swept up in the action after their boat is overturned by the Mosasaurus, putting them on a path with the covert group.
It's a solid enough premise to get you into the dinosaur action, and the Mosasaurus hunt is a great set piece that kicks off the dinosaur-fuelled mission, as the crew tensely tussle with the aquatic titan. When the dinosaurs are on screen, the action is good, but varies in quality after the crew arrives on land, with a T-Rex raft chase stealing the thunder. The others vary in quality as the movie aims to balance the fear and awe at these towering titans, which fails to hit the mark it hopes to. Part of that is down to the weaker characters heading Rebirth, the extraction team and family are serviceable enough characters that keep the plot going, but never feel fleshed out enough that you get drawn into their plight.
The central team of Henry, Zora, and Duncan are fine, and Johansson, Ali and Bailey do try to bring what they can to their characters, but it feels like the script needed more work to elevate the cast, with Xavier acting as the comedic relief at time, only to come across as incredibly unlikable that it's hard to back him, even with his redemptive moments.
Director Gareth Edwards does a great job bringing the scale and (occasional) thrills as he has done in the past with The Creator and Godzilla, but it all feels like a mixed bag, with dinosaur moments that vary from the tense to tiresome. It's a shame that the kills aren't as frequent or memorable as other titles, and there's not much carnage left in the wake outside of the initial ocean conflict, that the stakes and terrors never ramp up the way you'd hope. Instead, the film seems to stall once the crew hits land, and the pacing never truly recovers.
The climactic finale also falls incredibly short, which pits the remaining heroes against the teased mutant D-Rex, the fight feels predictable and underwhelming. Despite Edwards' best attempt to add some drama to proceedings, the climax ultimately feels devoid of any tension and emotion, making for a rather forgettable final clash.
I'm gutted that Jurassic World: Rebirth is just okay. Some moments work well, but the film is often crippled by weak characters and dinosaur encounters that fail to match up to the magic of previous instalments. It's better than the last outing, but it probably needed more time gestating before being reborn.
Title: Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Plot: ...
Coming Soon...
Title: Superman (2025)
Plot: ...
Coming Soon...
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