Review by Sean Boelman

A fourth film in the Beverly Hills Cop series has been in and out of development for decades. Now, 40 years after the release of the original movie and 30 since its most recent entry, Netflix is releasing the legacy sequel Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. The result is about as good (or bad) as one would expect from a straight-to-streaming continuation of a once-bustling franchise — that is to say, it’s entirely inoffensive and totally palatable, if not particularly impressive.

The film follows Axel Foley as he leaves Detroit yet again to go to Beverly Hills when his (adult) daughter’s life is threatened. Along the way, he causes hijinks as he uncovers a conspiracy in the 90210. It’s an incredibly generic, predictable story — anyone with any cinematic knowledge would be able to guess the “twist” just by looking at the cast list — but if you’re willing to be satisfied by the bare minimum of another adventure with Murphy’s detective, this sequel is passable. 

Unfortunately, stars like Tom Cruise and Will Smith have spoiled legacy sequels for the rest of Hollywood. Although Eddie Murphy is only a few years older than either, he feels decades older in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Although it might be a quote from Lethal Weapon, you’d think Murphy’s detective would be shouting, “I’m too old for this shit!”

The action set pieces in the movie are sorely lacking any sense of adrenaline and excitement. Excusing it due to Murphy’s age can only go so far when others in their sixties — and older — have done much more exhilarating things in recent action flicks. And while it might be possible to forgive them for not being exhilarating, they also aren’t particularly effective at setting up slapstick humor situations.

There are still some funny moments to be found in Axel F. Some of the funniest jokes are tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the franchise, or even Murphy himself. However, these witty moments are only enough to get a passive chuckle out of the viewer. It never ascends to the laugh-out-loud level of the original, feeling more like a nostalgic imitation than an actual successor to the comedy classic.

The rest of the returning cast is also mostly underwhelming. Judge Reinhold is barely in the film, and when he is present, it feels like he’s sleepwalking through his role. Other familiar faces tend to pop up in a “Hey, remember this guy?” way rather than meaningfully progressing the plot forward.

Of course, as with any legacy sequel, there’s some new blood added to the mix. The best addition is Taylour Page, who surprisingly holds her own against the comedic veteran she shares the screen with. Page brings a spunky, almost defiant personality to the role that, while a bit on the conventional side, plays well to the role she is being asked to perform. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kevin Bacon aren’t bad, but it constantly feels like they are just happy to be there. Granted, as much of this may be due to how poorly written both of their characters are as to their unimpassioned performances.

Yet, for all of its problems, it’s hard not to get at least a little swept away in the nostalgia of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. It’s not exactly a good movie, and it’s nowhere near as good as the original. However, it is just — and only just — reminiscent enough of the 1984 movie’s success to be worth the time for fans of the franchise. 

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F streams on Netflix beginning July 3.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Don’t let the title fool you — Angel Studios’s latest release, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, has no relation to the Christian distributor’s 2023 summer smash hit, Sound of Freedom. Instead, it’s a clever marketing tactic to convince that film’s audience to come out again in the same holiday corridor to see an inspiring movie about kids being saved (literally and figuratively) by the church’s most faithful. However, that might be a misstep, as this crowd-pleaser is more than likable enough to have breakout appeal beyond its core audience of churchgoers.

The film tells the true story of a small-town reverend and his wife as they inspire the families in their church to open their hearts and homes to adopt foster children, especially those who have been abandoned by the system. Of course, the movie provides the audience with plenty of statistics about the foster care system — both then and now — to reinforce the urgency of its message.

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot is the type of movie that effectively conveys its point in the first hour or so. Yet, although Joshua and Rebekah Weigel’s script is melodramatic and incredibly clear about how it wants the audience to feel, it never feels like a blatant tear-jerker. The emotional beats all feel earned and build towards the overall arc and message.

The best faith-based films are not proselytizing or fear-mongering but show genuine compassion, empathy, and kindness; this is where Possum Trot thrives. Yes, the characters are devoted, faithful churchgoers, but that is secondary to the fact that they are just decent human beings. The movie is (rightfully) far more concerned about showing the urgency of the foster crisis that still rages today — even though this story took place decades ago — than it is “converting” the audience.

There are a few moments of poor filmmaking sprinkled throughout. The editing is often a little off, such as in one scene where an insert shot of someone walking interrupts a line. Other aspects of the film are overproduced and maudlin, like the oversaturated cinematography and overbearing score.

Sound of Hope also makes a few missteps regarding its characters. The portrayal of one of the foster children who is particularly troubled and struggles with mental health feels incredibly reductive. Unfortunately, Joshua Weigel seems to have had difficulty getting strong performances out of his youngest actors, directing them in an overwrought and exaggerated way.
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Thankfully, the adult actors mostly overcome this iffy direction, bringing genuine emotion to their roles. Nika King’s turn is powerful and vulnerable, and she is accented well by supporting actor Demetrius Grosse. Although Grosse’s turn is predominantly flashier, he has a few quieter moments in which he unexpectedly commands the screen. Elizabeth Mitchell makes less of an impression in her supporting role but is acceptable.

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot isn’t without flaws, most of which can be blamed on missteps by Joshua Weigel as director. However, the story itself is so moving that it speaks for itself, and it’s hard to hate what this crowd-pleasing family drama stands for. It’s a rare faith-based film with something positive to say regardless of your faith, and it deserves points for that.

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot hits theaters on July 4.

​Rating: 3/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Catherine Breillat is a French filmmaker known for her provocative work, which focuses on themes like sexuality. Her latest movie (her first in a decade), Last Summer, seems on paper like it would be incredibly provocative. However, this drama takes such a unique, unexpectedly nuanced approach to its subject matter that it is impossible to ignore.

Last Summer is a remake of the Danish film Queen of Hearts, following a successful woman who finds her life thrown into disarray when she begins an affair with her stepson. Its subject matter seems destined to be incredibly controversial, especially considering the sexuality of many of Breillat’s past movies, but Last Summer is far less salacious than one might fear.

it never feels like Breillat is simply trying to instigate, much less titillate. Although there are sex scenes, they are shot with such coldness and near clinicality that they don’t feel passionate or even carnal. It’s the same type of feeling you would get from watching animals mate on the Discovery Channel — voyeuristic and unsettling — which prompts viewers to question their assumptions. 

However, Breillat is also careful not to give easy answers. She doesn’t simply point the finger at the stepmom as a predator or the teenager as opportunistic. It’s clearly not endorsing or fetishizing this relationship, but it also has empathy for its characters. Breillat understands that this is not just some fantasy. Although the film may be heightened, this type of manipulation can happen in real life, and it is careful not to look down on the victims.

A significant part of the movie’s success is its cast, especially the powerful leading turn by Léa Drucker. The acclaimed actress takes a role that could have easily been overly melodramatic and uses it to make your skin crawl in subtle ways. Young actor Samuel Kircher (who is the brother of equally talented young actor Paul Kircher, of Winter Boy fame) also impresses, showing unexpected vulnerability for someone who is in their first role.

Breillat also effectively utilizes tools like juxtaposition to convey the film’s message. The cinematography and settings are beautiful, contrasting with the upsetting action of the story. In many ways, Breillat uses the grammar typical of the summer romance/coming-of-age movie and spins it on its head in a way that catches the audience off-guard. This type of subversion isn’t exactly new, but it is refreshing in a genre that’s become increasingly prevalent since Call Me By Your Name.

Yet, although the approach does feel mostly rich and fresh, Breillat conveys her point pretty effectively in the first act of the movie. The runtime isn’t even an hour and forty-five minutes, but it struggles with its pacing because it feels like it’s treading narrative water — especially in the third act. The coupling of a film that feels slow and a story that’s very bleak is a difficult duo to work with.

Last Summer isn’t perfect, but it’s much more effective and nuanced than one would expect from a movie with this material. In different hands, this easily could have been a trainwreck, but strong performances and genuinely deep character development allow it to be consistently engaging and effective.

Last Summer is now playing in theaters.

​Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Produced by A24, the new Apple TV+ series Sunny has all the makings of prestige television: a killer premise, a strong cast, and a creator whose last work was acclaimed. However, despite having all of these pieces in place, Sunny’s success is quite mixed, with some excellent moments but others that fall entirely flat.

Based on the novel The Dark Manual by Colin O’Sullivan, Sunny follows a woman whose life is upended after her husband and young son disappear in a mysterious plane crash, leaving her a domesticated robot. As she unravels the truth behind her family’s disappearance, she uncovers some unexpected dark secrets.

Perhaps the biggest issue with Sunny is that it isn’t able to strike an effective balance between its dramatic and comedic elements. On the one hand, it’s a serious noir about a grieving widow, but on the other, it’s an odd-couple comedy following a human and her new robot sidekick. The result of these clashing tones is a wandering, aimless feel that is difficult to get invested in.

The biggest strength of the series is its cast, particularly Rashida Jones in the lead. We know Jones has the comedic chops to pull off the humor in a way that doesn’t feel forced, but what was more surprising was how well she navigated the emotional beats. However, the real emotional core of the show is Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car), whose supporting turn steals the scene every time he shows up.

Sunny is at its best when it takes ambitious stylistic swings, as these sequences allow the series to go in unique, genuinely interesting directions. For example, the show’s ninth episode is structured like a Japanese game show. This is not only the most narratively and aesthetically appealing half-hour of the series but also where it gets the opportunity to present the audience with some of its most intriguing questions. If the rest of the show had been able to match this bizarre energy, it would have been great.

Unfortunately, the rest of what we see is a rather bland neo-noir exploring the same themes we’ve seen in the genre dozens of times before. Sunny follows the grief storyline formula very closely, and while the characters are sympathetic, it very seldom actually moves the audience. The show also attempts to spice things up with commentary on AI, but as is the case with much of the media on this topic, the satire feels frustratingly timid and inert.

Visually, Sunny is disappointing, considering the potential of its premise and setting. Apart from strong design for the eponymous robot and a sleekly stylized title sequence that kicks each episode off with a kinetic bang, the series doesn’t feel very distinctive. This only reaffirms the fact that the show’s lack of identity is its greatest flaw.

It’s easy to see the potential that Sunny had, but this darkly comedic neo-noir doesn’t have enough laughs or tension to work in either genre. Although strong performances and a few ambitious swings are enough to keep viewers from losing interest entirely, there are much better entries into this genre to spend your time on. 

Sunny streams on Apple TV+ beginning July 10 with two episodes, with new episodes streaming subsequent Wednesdays. All ten episodes reviewed.

​Rating: 3/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Anthology horror is a notoriously hit-or-miss subgenre, but it has an incredibly passionate fanbase nonetheless. It’s clear that the Korean anthology horror flick Tastes of Horror is aimed at a younger audience with its tech-forward take on the horror genre.  While it doesn’t live up to the heights of the cyber-horror genre revitalized by properties like Black Mirror, Tastes of Horror has enough strong moments that it’s worth a watch for cinephiles who enjoy the macabre.

Tastes of Horror features six segments adapted from a webtoon series directed by five of Korea's most acclaimed horror directors. Anyone familiar with the anthology horror genre knows the drill: there’s some good and some bad. This one's success feels even more scattered than most.

From the first segment of Tastes of Horror, “Ding Dong Challenge,” viewers might be worried that it will get off to a rough start. The riff on The Ring for the TikTok era is as generic as it sounds, and while it’s never insufferable, it’s also not very entertaining. Thankfully, the anthology eventually picks up, but this opener does not set the pace well.

Other segments of the film verge on confusing.  “Four Legged Beast” feels like it doesn’t do enough — almost like it was destroyed in the editing room, with a final cut that feels rushed and doesn’t make much sense. “Rehabilitation” shows potential as a high-concept sci-fi horror, but it attempts to go too far into the world-building for what the runtime allows.

“Jackpot” is a lackluster mix of both of those tendencies. Its story is incredibly generic — a dull entry into the supernatural horror subgenre — yet it attempts to throw in an unnecessary number of twists and turns to subvert the audience’s expectations. This is the segment that is most likely to have viewers checking their watches.

However, where Tastes of Horror stands out from other anthology films is that its worst parts aren’t egregiously bad — just forgettable; and its best moments are anything but. “Residents-Only Gym,” while simple in premise and not entirely logical, contains some of the most effectively executed scares in any horror movie this year so far. And the mukbang body horror short “Gluttony” may not be scary, but it’s one hell of an unsettling note to end the collection on.

The commonality in all six segments — both the good and the bad ones — is impressive effects work. Admittedly, each short feels like it is built around one or two genuinely eerie images that the filmmakers wanted to pull off. However, those moments are so viscerally gruesome and impactful that horror fans will be satiated.

Tastes of Horror doesn’t defy expectations when it comes to the anthology horror genre — there are some strengths and some weaknesses. However, thanks to a focus on impressive visual effects and more than a few genuinely disturbing moments, Tastes of Horror is mostly a success. It probably won’t break out beyond its target audience that already appreciates anthology horror, but there are far worse horror movies to suffer.

Tastes of Horror is now available on VOD.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Sean Boelman

You don’t often see a directorial debut with as star-studded of a cast as Boys Go to Jupiter, but what is even more surprising about Julian Glander’s animated feature is how idiosyncratic it is. Weird in all the best ways, Boys Go to Jupiter won’t work for everyone, but it’s impossible not to admire Glander’s unique style. 

The film follows a teenage gig worker on a quest to earn $5,000 as his plans are derailed by otherworldly visitors and massive conspiracies. It’s hard to describe exactly what’s happening in Boys Go to Jupiter, not so much out of fear of spoilers but instead because describing its events without sounding like a lunatic is virtually impossible.

Boys Go to Jupiter is very much a vibe-driven movie, but that’s not to say it’s light on story. In fact, the exact opposite could be argued. At a certain point, so much is happening that’s all so random and weird that you check out of trying to follow the story and instead just decide to embrace the ride. And at right around 90 minutes in length, the film is brief enough that its relentless quirkiness does not outstay its welcome.

Glander’s characters also make spending time on this journey with them easy. On paper, the names and character designs seem totally absurd, and in some ways, they absolutely are. Still, these people and anthropomorphic beings feel in other ways like people you’d actually want to hang out with, which is the key to success in a hangout movie.

However, as is the case with so many coming-of-age directorial debuts, one will be left wishing that Glander’s movie had a little more to say. It’s an exercise in style over substance, and while there could be something to be said about finding one’s own voice as a filmmaker through a story about finding oneself, part of that voice should be a unique perspective, and that’s what’s missing from Boys Go to Jupiter — at least in a thematic sense.

That being said, Glander’s approach to animated filmmaking is certainly very individualistic in an aesthetic sense. The 3D style is incredibly colorful and strikes a wonderful balance between rudimentary and imaginative. Although some might be put off by this peculiar animation style, which is entirely unlike anything you’ll see in mainstream animation, it’s very refreshing to see someone take such a distinctive approach. 

The other aspect of Boys Go to Jupiter that is likely to earn recognition is its voice cast. The central role is played by newcomer Jack Corbett, who is incredibly charming. However, the spotlight is frequently stolen from Corbett by the comedy A-listers in the supporting cast, including Elsie Fisher, Julio Torres, Sarah Sherman, Joe Pera, and more. Although none of their roles are particularly big, their presence is greatly welcome, and their scenes are among the most memorable in the film.

Boys Go to Jupiter is an incredibly weird animated movie, but it seems tailor-made for a cult following. From its voice cast of comedians known for their own peculiarities to the quirky sense of humor and Glander’s distinctive animated style, this film is designed for an incredibly niche audience, but that core group will enjoy it beyond belief.

Boys Go to Jupiter screened at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 5-16 in New York City.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Assel Aushakimova’s Bikechess has the makings of a sardonic satire that could spotlight a part of the world that doesn’t often get a platform in cinema. Unfortunately, despite the novelty of its perspective and the urgency of its message, Bikechess fails to connect as a satire, boring the audience rather than provoking their thought.

The film follows a Kazakh broadcast journalist working for a state-owned television station who is becoming increasingly disillusioned with the belittling puff pieces she is being asked to report on. At the same time, she juggles drama in her personal life, including her younger sister’s constant brushes with the authorities and an affair with her married cameraman. 

Aushakimova deserves a lot of respect for her bravery as a filmmaker. Making any movie about censorship, freedom of speech, and propaganda in a country like Kazakhstan, where opposing viewpoints are often prosecuted, is a feat in and of itself. When you add that Aushakimova’s satirical commentary is so unabashed, Bikechess is at least impressive as a work of political activism.

Unfortunately, the film is only impressive on that level. It is meant to be incredibly satirical, but its humor isn’t all that funny. It pokes fun at the absurdity of state-run propaganda in occasionally amusing ways, but this satire peaks early. The opening scene, which gives the movie its name, hits the ground running but cannot maintain this narrative momentum through the rest of the runtime.

One of Bikechess’s other prominent issues is that its characters feel underdeveloped. When the protagonist of a film is arguably the least interesting character, it’s a problem. Although Aushakimova is obviously most interested in the journalistic themes, the more intriguing storyline is that of the protagonist’s activist sister. After all, what would the journalism story matter if the journalist didn’t have something incendiary and urgent to cover?

Saltanat Nauruz’s performance in the lead role is solid for the dramatic portions of the movie, but she struggles with the comedic elements. The film's sense of humor is incredibly dry, and Nauruz almost feels too sincere for this aspect to work. The rest of the cast doesn’t make much of an impression in one direction or the other.

Visually, Bikechess is almost disgustingly grey-looking. Although you can cut it a bit of slack because it’s obviously made on a very small budget, it’s in a weird grey area where it’s a bit too rough around the edges but also slightly too refined to work in a guerilla-esque sense. As a result, Bikechess looks (and feels) cheap but doesn't have the scrappy quality necessary to pull this aesthetic off.

It would be impossible to watch Bikechess and not at least acknowledge the bravery that Assel Aushakimova has shown in creating such a damning condemnation of censorship and propaganda. However, one will wish that Aushakimova had crafted a more engaging film. It needed to be more exciting, funnier, or perhaps even just more focused. But in its current state, viewers will leave Bikechess feeling more disappointed about what it wasn’t than anything else.

Bikechess screened at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 5-16 in New York City.

Rating: 2/5

Review by Sean Boelman

More often than not, interesting subject matter is the determining factor in the success of a documentary. However, in some instances, the filmmaker’s approach is so ineffective that it doesn’t matter how compelling its subject or message is — the movie simply isn’t engaging. This is the case with Simon Klose’s Hacking Hate, a film with all the elements to be great but fails to engage or sway the audience.

Hacking Hate follows Swedish journalist My Vingren, who works for Expo, the magazine founded by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo writer Stieg Larsson. Her career, defined by daring and potentially dangerous investigations into the darkest corners of the internet, has earned her comparisons to the protagonist of that franchise.

This documentary follows Vingren as she conducts an investigation into white supremacy circles on social media by diving deep undercover online using a fake profile. Although this investigation is intended to open viewers’ eyes to the ways in which extremists use these tools to recruit and radicalize individuals into their culture of hate, Vingren's observations aren’t especially revelatory. Instead, the movie offers a rudimentary, doom-and-gloom understanding of online culture.

Stylistically, Simon Klose’s approach to telling this story is accomplished, if almost exactly what you would expect from a documentary of this nature. Its editing is very fast-paced, and the cinematography is very close. It’s clear that Klose wants the viewer to feel like they are part of this “action” happening in the cyber realm.

However, an investigative doc — particularly one that’s only eighty-something minutes long — should easily be able to keep viewers engaged. Unfortunately, Klose seems overly fascinated with the minutiae of the investigation and its logistics instead of the results or its significance. While understanding how Vingren infiltrated these supremacist circles is interesting at first, it quickly becomes almost inaccessibly technical. 

As a result, Hacking Hate doesn't feel particularly timely for a film that deals with such an incredibly urgent subject. Unfortunately, this is the consequence of making a movie about something that evolves as rapidly as social media and online discourse. The case studies used in the film, from Donald Trump’s removal from X to Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform, happened just a few years ago but already feel dated. The result is a cautionary tale about a platform that’s already imploded, eliminating any real feeling of stakes.

Klose’s documentary also makes the mistake of giving the audience too many subjects to follow. The main focus is on Vingren, who is an interesting protagonist in this investigation. However, in trying to flesh out the stories of Anika Collier Navaroli and Imran Ahmed as full-on threads rather than simply interviewing them as experts, Klose causes the entire movie to feel unfocused and underdeveloped.

The conversation that Hacking Hate attempts to spark about the vitriol of online culture is undoubtedly very important and needs to be had. That being said, Simon Klose’s documentary is not as conducive to this conversation as it may seem. It lacks the stakes, urgency, and focus to hammer home its point effectively.

Hacking Hate screened at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 5-16 in New York City.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Although the spotlight in discussions of Hamilton generally belongs to its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, several others are responsible for its success, including the acclaimed actress Renée Elise Goldsberry. Filmmakers Chris Bolan (A Secret Love) and Melissa Haizlip (Mr. SOUL!) team up to tell Goldsberry’s story in Satisfied, a showbiz documentary that, while safe in its presentation, connects more than most thanks to its emotional vulnerability.

Satisfied follows Goldsberry as she sets out to earn her stratospheric role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton while balancing a tumultuous journey to motherhood. Although the story of Hamilton’s journey to the stage is well-documented, Satisfied goes into more depth into Goldsberry’s personal experience.

Regarding the Broadway side of Goldsberry’s story, the documentary plays out in a very traditional rags-to-riches type of way. It’s almost a little disingenuous to present the story this way. While Satisfied acknowledges her pre-Hamilton work like Rent and One Life to Live, it almost makes her seem like a nobody before her Tony Award-winning turn. It’s understandable why they did this — it’s easier to root for someone when you create stakes like this — but the stakes in Goldsberry’s personal life were convincing enough on their own.

Yet, while much of the documentary focuses on Goldsberry’s journey to starring in Hamilton, the much more compelling aspect of the story is her struggle to start and raise a family while balancing her blossoming Broadway career. Goldsberry shows an incredible amount of vulnerability and bravery in telling this portion of her story, discussing topics like fertility and being a woman in musical theatre with unexpected honesty and intimacy.

Yet, while much of the documentary focuses on Goldsberry’s journey to starring in Hamilton, the much more compelling aspect of the story is her struggle to start and raise a family while balancing her blossoming Broadway career. Goldsberry shows an incredible amount of vulnerability and bravery in telling this portion of her story, discussing topics like fertility and being a woman in musical theatre with unexpected honesty and intimacy.

With a runtime of less than 90 minutes, Satisfied does not overstay its welcome. It condenses quite a few years into a brief length of time, but it never feels rushed or truncated. Bolan and Haizlip are hyper-focused on the story they want to tell, and the result is a film that feels refreshingly free of fluff and pandering.

The highlight of Satisfied is the level of access the filmmakers had to Goldsberry and her family. Of course, the movie does feature some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with her co-stars in Hamilton, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, but the focus here is very much on Goldsberry. Bolan and Haizlip know how special of a talent Goldsberry is, and they allow her and her story to speak for themselves.

As far as visual presentation goes, Satisfied is pretty standard. Considering Hamilton’s popularity, the amount of rehearsal and performance footage the filmmakers could secure is surprising, even if it is mostly from the workshop and off-Broadway days. Otherwise, the film offers a pretty standard mix of fly-on-the-wall footage and archival materials.

That said, Satisfied is still a very special movie in many ways. Yes, its presentation is often by the book, and its positioning of Renée Elise Goldsberry’s career is a tad contrived to create artificial stakes, but the portions of the documentary where Goldsberry is allowed to get incredibly raw about her personal life pack such an emotional wallop that this ends up being a thoroughly moving film.

Satisfied is screening at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 5-16 in New York City.

​Rating: 4.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz’s historical drama Firebrand debuted at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to a mostly muted reception despite its A-list cast. Unfortunately, it feels like all of the talent involved in the film, both in front of and behind the camera, is wasted in a film that simply is not entertaining or as provocative as it seems to think it is.

Based on the novel Queen’s Gambit (not to be confused with The Queen’s Gambit, which inspired the Netflix chess miniseries), this historical drama is set in the court of King Henry VIII, where his last and only surviving wife finds herself caught amid an unexpected conflict for power.

Audiences will be relieved to learn that Firebrand clocks in right at two hours — even less if you subtract the credits. However, despite this runtime that by all accounts is mercifully brief, especially by the genre’s standard, Aïnouz’s film fails to engage the audience. The conflict feels like the same type of period drama we’ve seen dozens of times before.

Where Aïnouz does bring a lot to the table is its opulent visuals, which are excellent for a period drama. Everything from the costumes to the production design and cinematography works nicely to periodize the film and convince viewers of the regality of the affairs. The film has a slightly dark aesthetic, creating an uncanny, unsettling juxtaposition. It’s disappointing to see the potentially atmospheric effects of this choice go largely squandered.

As is too often the case with historical dramas like this, Firebrand is too interested in subverting expectations to give us a character to genuinely care about. Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth’s script wants us to see Kateryn Parr differently than we’ve typically seen Henry VIII’s wives in the past. However, the script doesn’t truly engage viewers in the cunning of this court drama.

Alicia Vikander gives what might be one of her more impressive outings here, not just because of the quality of her performance but also because of how much she elevates the material. She adds a lot of allure and emotional complexity to a character that the film desperately wants to be ambiguous but absolutely is not.

Jude Law’s performance in the supporting role is much less subtle. Credit where it’s due, Law does give a pretty transformative turn. It’s not chameleonic in a visual sense, but he feels like he’s giving a very different performance than he typically does. That being said, even though Law transforms into Henry VIII, he doesn’t really transform *as* Henry VIII. The one note he offers is savagery, and while he does it well, it’s not especially captivating. 

Firebrand had a lot of potential, from a compelling story to a strong cast and a talented director. While some of these elements do deliver — mainly Alicia Vikander and the crafts of the film — others fall flat. The result is an experience that feels far more boring than any film about Henry VIII (or, more accurately, his wife) should be. 

Firebrand is screening at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 5-16 in New York City.

Rating: 2/5