The large-scale Sci-Fi action movie The Creator and the next film in the cult horror franchise Saw are coming out. Meanwhile, Netflix will release Wes Anderson’s short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar starring Benedict Cumberbatch and the action thriller Reptile starring Benicio del Toro. Read more about these and other movie releases of the week in the review.
The Creator (2023)
USA, 2023, Sci-Fi/Drama/Action
The film takes place in the near future, where the world is torn apart by a brutal war between humanity and artificial intelligence. The role of leading the struggle for the survival of people on the planet falls to a former special operations hardened agent, Joshua, who is grieving the disappearance of his wife. He is recruited to track down and kill the so-called Creator, the elusive architect of advanced artificial intelligence. Rumor has it that the latter has developed a mysterious weapon that could end the war… and all of humanity. So Joshua and a team of elite operatives penetrate the dark heart of the territory occupied by the AI. However, there they discover that the doomsday weapon they’ve been tasked with destroying is an artificial intelligence in the form of a child.
The film stars John David Washington (Tenet, Malcolm & Marie, BlacKkKlansman), Gemma Chan (Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians, Captain Marvel), Ken Watanabe (Inception, Godzilla, Memoirs of a Geisha), Sturgill Simpson (The Dead Don’t Die, The Hunt), Allison Janney (American Beauty, Juno, The Help) and others.
The Creator was directed and written by Gareth Edwards, who previously directed Godzilla and Rogue One.
The official premiere of the film took place on September 26, 2023 at Fantastic Fest in Texas. The first reviews of the movie are rather positive. In particular, on IMDb, it has a score of 7.3 out of 10 based on the first 300+ reviews, while on Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has an 81% approval rating from critics. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, the average score of the film from film experts was 65 points out of 100, which corresponds to the characteristic of “generally positive reviews”.
Read more: review of The Creator movie.
Saw X (2023)
USA, Canada, Mexico, 2023, Thriller/Horror
The tenth film in the cult horror franchise is set between the events of Saw: A Game of Survival (2004) and Saw 2 (2005). A terminally ill John Kramer travels to Mexico to receive a risky experimental treatment for cancer. However, it turns out that the “treatment” is a scam to deceive the most vulnerable people. Finding a new purpose, Kramer goes back to work, using his sophisticated death traps against the crooks.
In the new installment, the main star of the franchise, Tobin Bell, returned to his starring role, playing John Kramer, also known as the Constructor, for the first time since 2017. Meanwhile, Shawnee Smith reprised her role as his assistant and associate Amanda Young. The stars of the franchise were joined by Sunneve Makodu Lund, Stephen Brand, Michael Beach, Renata Vaca, Paulette Hernandez, Joshua Okamoto and Octavio Hinojosa.
The film was directed by Kevin Groiter, who edited the first films in the series, which were the most successful among fans and critics. He also directed the later films in the franchise (Saw VI, Saw 3D).
The first reviews of the movie are quite positive. In particular, on IMDb, it currently has a score of 8.1 out of 10 based on the first 200 reviews.
Read more: what we know about the movie Saw X.
Club Zero (2023)
France, UK, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Qatar, 2023, Thriller/Drama
The film takes place in an elite school, where a secret club is formed after a new teacher of “conscious eating” arrives. Having gained a decent reputation, the members of this community train self-control and fight against unrestrained consumerism. But before teachers and parents have any suspicions, this club becomes dangerous for the members themselves.
The film stars Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre, Crimson Peak, The Devil All the Time).
The film was directed by Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner (Lourdes, Little Joe).
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023. The film has received mixed reviews from critics. Thus, on IMDb it currently has a score of 5.8 out of 10, while on Rotten Tomatoes it has only 50% approval from critics. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, the average rating of the film from film experts was 52 points out of 100, which corresponds to the characteristic of “mixed or average reviews”.
Notre tout petit petit mariage (2023)
France, 2023, Comedy
The film’s plot centers on a young couple, Max and Lou, who have decided to get married. They had a perfect plan: a small wedding for themselves. No family, no friends, no bouquet or cake, no stupid speeches or idiotic dancing, just him, her and their witnesses. But they simply could not take into account the huge surprise party, where instead of four people, three hundred guests gathered.
The film premiered in the spring of 2023 and has obscenely low ratings. For example, the movie currently has a score of only 3.7 out of 10 on IMDb.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
USA, 2023, Drama/Adventure
This 39-minute adaptation of Roald Dahl’s popular novel tells the story of a wealthy man who seeks to develop extraordinary powers in order to cheat at gambling.
The main roles in the film are played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock series, Doctor Strange franchise, The Power of the Dog), Rafe Fiennes (Harry Potter franchise, The English Patient, The Menu), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Chappie, The Legend of The Green Knight), Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List, Shutter Island, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Rupert Friend (Homeland, The Death of Stalin, Asteroid City) and Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh, Submarine).
The film was directed by Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, Asteroid City).
The film premiered on September 1, 2023 at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where it received positive reviews from critics. Thus, it currently has a score of 7 out of 10 on IMDb, while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 96% approval from critics against 100% from viewers. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, the average score of the film from film experts was 85 points out of 100, which corresponds to the characteristic of “universal recognition,” and from the general audience it has 6.3 points out of 10 (“generally positive reviews”).
The film was released on Netflix on September 27, 2023. It is the first of four short films that Wes Anderson has made for the service based on the eponymous series of Roald Dahl’s short stories – the next in line are The Swan, Poison, and The Rat Catcher, which will be released on September 28, 29, and 30. Most of the actors from the first film will be involved in the following ones.
Reptile (2023)
USA, 2023, Thriller
The film centers on a hardened small-town detective, Tom Nichols, who takes on the brutal murder of a young real estate agent. However, the case gradually turns into something much bigger.
The film stars Benicio del Toro (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Snatch, Sin City), Justin Timberlake (The Social Network, Trouble with the Curve, Inside Llewyn Davis), Alicia Silverstone (Batman & Robin, The Killing of a Sacred Deer), Michael Pitt (The Dreamers, Funny Games), Ato Essonda (Blood Diamond, Dark Phoenix”), Carl Glusman (The Neon Demon, Greyhound), Sky Ferreira (Twin Peaks, Baby Driver) and others.
The film was directed by the famous American music video director Grant Singer, who has previously shot videos for the songs of The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, Skrillex, Sky Ferreira and many other top stars. This is his debut feature film.
In the United States, the film was released in a limited theatrical run a week before its online release and received mixed reviews – while critics were cool about it, the audience loved it. Thus, on IMDb, it currently has a score of 7.2 out of 10, while on Rotten Tomatoes, it has 37% approval from critics against 100% from viewers. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, the average rating of the film from film experts was 51 points out of 100, which corresponds to the characteristic of “mixed or average reviews”.
The film will be released on Netflix on September 29, 2023.
