Return to Silent Hill

Posted by cat2002116 on February 15, 2026
Posted in: Horror, Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

So…I watched the previous two Silent Hill movies, and I’m a big fan of horror (I don’t think that’s a secret, somehow)…which meant that when I had the opportunity to watch this movie, I of course took it.

To be honest…I was kind of disappointed. The first Silent Hill movie had some issues, but was pretty enjoyable for what it was. The second one…I did watch, but I don’t really remember a whole lot about it. I do kind of remember that I didn’t like the second movie as much as the first one. And to be honest…I enjoyed this one even less.

Full disclosure: I know bits and pieces about the Silent Hill lore and the games, but I’ve never actually played them myself…although I would like to at some point in the future, especially since I understand that Silent Hill 2 has been remastered.

So…the movie. I actually liked the use of the vivid colours in the opening scene where James meets Maria for the very first time. If the movie had been better, I would have liked the visual contrast between the almost romantic comedy of the beginning and the much darker colours later on.

I feel like there were attempts to include a lot of easter eggs and nods to the games in this movie, but…I personally felt like a lot of those were unnecessary and downright confusing at times. I haven’t played the Silent Hill games, but I’m aware of the plots of the games and many of the main characters. And I felt that this really fell short of what it could have been, especially as it seemed to completely disregard a lot of the established lore…and force connections that hadn’t been n the games themselves. I have to say that, honestly, I found the whole link between Mary, Angela and Laura to be one of the worst parts of the movie. That reveal ruined one of the main things about Silent Hill, at least for me, making everything revolve around only James, instead of having Silent Hill be a town that draws in a lot of different people.

I also felt like the monsters were really underutilised in this. I mean, they were there…but they really weren’t as scary or as much of a threat as they should have been. The only really creepy moment was the scene with the nurses, which was visually really well done…but it just fell flat when combined with the rest of the movie.

I can’t really say that this movie is worth seeing if you’re a fan of the Silent Hill franchise. Honestly, even for a horror without the backing of the Silent Hill lore, it…simply wasn’t great. And I’m really disappointed, because I’m still on the lookout for a really good horror movie…and sadly, this one was not it.

Mercy

Posted by cat2002116 on February 8, 2026
Posted in: Movies, Reviews, Science Fiction, Thriller. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This movie was definitely one that was high on my to-watch list, thanks to seeing it advertised on YouTube, so I went to see it on the opening weekend. And I have to say, I was not disappointed.

The whole concept of Mercy as an AI who plays judge, jury and executioner is something that feels like it could be scarily real with the way the world is going right now. I have to say that my original interpretation of the trailer was that the police detective, Chris Raven, would be literally fighting to prove his innocence against an AI in a fight to the death…but despite the fact that this movie had him strapped into a chair, fighting to prove his innocence with the evidence available to him, it did a really good job of building both tension and mystery.

Judge Maddox was a character who could have come across as really stilted and unfeeling, but in my opinion, Rebecca Ferguson portrays her in such a way that I could almost forget the AI wasn’t actually human.

The fact that Chris didn’t remember anything about what had happened the day before added so much tension to his interactions with Maddox. The deeper he tried to search, to find some shred of his innocence, the more I found myself questioning – did he actually do it? Did he murder his wife? I mean, it was the most logical explanation, given what was revealed as the movie went on. And I really liked being able to learn more about Chris’ history and relationships with his family as video recordings and social media evidence were sorted through.

The idea of guilt being judged by percentage was a really interesting one. The amount required for a guilty verdict seemed pretty high…but at the same time, Mercy lacked the humanity needed for seeds of doubt to be shown. After all, an AI is incapable of feeling human emotion. Maddox even says that to Chris. And yet, I found myself caring about the friendship that formed between Chris and Maddox, in spite of the fact that, as an AI, Maddox should have only been able to react within the parameters of her programming. At the same time, the way she changed over the course of the movie was done really well.

One main thing I liked about this movie was that it felt like it was something that could not only happen in real life, but something that isn’t too far from becoming a reality in the future. Of course, it’s not something that should ever be done in reality, since an AI doesn’t have the nuances required to consider reasonable doubt…and really, no one should be executed when there’s even a possibility they might be innocent. And interestingly enough, even Maddox says that the percentage of guilt can never go to 100%.

All told, I really did enjoy this movie, and I would recommend watching it if you’re interested in science fiction that actually could become reality in the future. This is definitely a movie I wouldn’t mind seeing again.

Not Quite Dead Yet

Posted by cat2002116 on January 18, 2026
Posted in: Books, Reviews, Thriller. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I’ve read most, if not all, of Holly Jackson’s books by now, so I was really eager to read this one when it came out – which I knew about thanks to my oldest nibling mentioning it.

I really enjoyed this book as a whole, although I wasn’t entirely keen on Jet as a character to begin with. For the first part of the story, she was…well, a bit annoying, if I’m honest. The catchphrase of ‘later’ became more annoying than anything else.

Once Jet was attacked and found out she only had seven days to live, I found her to be a more interesting character. However, I unfortunately didn’t like a lot of the secondary characters. I also felt like there was a bit too much information dumping at times. For instance, Jet’s prior friendship with Sophia was just mentioned when Sophia and Luke appeared, instead of being shown through dialogue and the body language of the characters.

I did feel bad for Jet after she woke up in the hospital and found out about the condition she was in. I was able to relate to the impossible choice she was left with, and it definitely felt like there was a lot of research that had gone into what Jet was going through. At the same time, the explanation was actually very easy to understand…helped along by the fact that Jet has no medical background or knowledge.

I will say that Jet was surprisingly accepting of the fact that she only had seven days to live…but I can’t really say that felt unrealistic. After all, it probably didn’t really feel real to her. At least not until she started experiencing more intense symptoms.

For everything that was going on in the book and all of the difficult relationships Jet had with other characters, one constant was Billy…who I did like. But Jet was seriously blind to the fact that Billy had feelings for her, and I’ve got to say that really didn’t strike me as realistic. At times, she was so oblivious that it was almost frustrating.

Jet choosing not to spend time with most of her family didn’t really surprise me, but it was disappointing to see that she didn’t even try to reach out to her father, given how close they seemed to be. And there were a lot of secrets that were revealed through the course of the book…but at times, there was so much going on, and so many secrets, that it was a bit confusing. Especially towards the end, when the suspects were narrowed down…and one of them, I’d completely forgotten about by the time they were considered a real suspect.

I also have to admit that the ending was a bit disappointing. Certain parts of it were good, but I was a bit disappointed by the execution.

On the whole, this book was entertaining…but I didn’t like it or the main character as much as I liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, or Five Survive. It took me longer to read than the other books I’ve read by this author, and despite the time limit for the main character, the book felt like it did drag at times. Still, the premise was a very unique one, and there was clearly a lot of work put into making this book as realistic as possible.

Happy New Year…I’m back! And I have a review, too!

Posted by cat2002116 on January 10, 2026
Posted in: Books, Dystopian, Reviews, Thriller. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I know…it’s been a long time since I’ve posted here! A lot has happened, but we’re now in a new year, and I have several resolutions for 2026. Including being more active with writing my reviews. And reading more.

Apart from that, I also want to start learning to drive this year. And make meal plans that I actually stick to. Oh…and actually work properly on my writing and perhaps even get something close to submitting to a publisher/agent this year. So no pressure at all!

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? Feel free to share them!

Anyway…onto the review.

So, this was the first book I read in 2026, and…I’m a little disappointed, to be honest. Reading the blurb, I was quite interested in it. I read a huge amount of genres, but a dystopian that feels quite close to the world we live in now is always something that catches my attention. And the idea of everyone having a Q score that dictates everything about them, including their school placements, was really interesting…at least on the surface.

One main problem I had with the idea of the Q score was that I didn’t really know what it was supposed to measure. I originally thought that it was supposed to indicate a person’s level of intelligence, which would make sense, considering the amount of tests schoolchildren have to take. But then things like sick days affect Q scores, which…okay, I can kind of get behind that. But someone’s Q score being affected by their sibling’s behaviour seems really odd to me. I mean…considering that one of the main character’s children ends up being sent to a yellow school, wouldn’t something like that affect her family’s Q scores? But there’s nothing that’s mentioned about that.

There were some good parts to this book. It’s true that a lot of the views and politics actually do reflect what people are saying and posting about now, but…there were times I felt things were repeated when they didn’t need to be. Like one of the people who voted for the new system implied that she did so believing her own daughter would never be affected. And then that was repeated at least twice over, which was unnecessary.

I did feel that Elena wasn’t nearly as intelligent as the narration tried to make her out to be. There were a lot of choices she made and things she did that, as someone as intelligent as she was supposed to be, really should have done better. The two friends she made were more prepared than she was for the yellow school she went to…and it’s really clear that she had no plan for actually rescuing her daughter. And her reliance on Malcolm, given their history, just felt incredibly foolish.

I would have preferred there to be much fewer, if any, flashbacks. Most of them seemed entirely unnecessary, and those like the scenes after giving birth to Freddie just reiterated what had already been confirmed through the book. And the time in the yellow school was actually a much smaller part of the plot, considering how important the events were to the ending…which, in my opinion, was way too dragged out in a way that was not only unnecessary but seemed entirely unrealistic.

I think the book would have been much better and engaging if either Freddie or Ann had been the main character, not their mother. Despite the fact that Elena apparently came up with the idea for cards (or inspired them? I actually didn’t really understand how it went from that to their whole nation adopting the Q score), she felt like a really passive character…and, at times, was actually pretty boring. I just couldn’t engage with her for most of the book.

On the whole, I’m glad I gave this book a chance and did read it (especially as I was gifted it for Christmas), but I think it could have been better. The flashbacks could have been cut out, and the narrator could have been much closer to the problems in the society than someone who felt removed until it affected her personally. I mean…imagine being at a silver school with a group of your friends, and some of them get dropped to the lowest possible school…even though you know they’re too smart for that? It would feel more impactful to see the events through the eyes of someone who has grown up in that society.

Venom: The Last Dance

Posted by cat2002116 on November 17, 2024
Posted in: Marvel, Movies, Reviews, Superhero. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Very similar to Deadpool, Venom is one of those Marvel antiheroes that I always know I’ll really enjoy every movie they’re in…very similar to Deadpool, if I’m honest. And Venom, despite not being human, is actually a lot of fun…and I very much enjoy his friendship with Eddie.

I liked the opening scene, where Venom and Eddie are in a different dimension and then switch over to their original one. However, I would have liked it if a bit more of the plot had focused on the other dimensions. That whole opening scene where they’re in one dimension and then end up in another one really just felt unnecessary…but honestly, that was the only ‘bad’ part of the movie, in my opinion. Well, apart from the main villain of the piece being mostly offscreen…but the danger from the xenophages felt real.

One of the main things I liked about this movie was that none of the symbiotes really felt like bad guys. Yes, they’re parasites…but I don’t think they can really be blamed for that. As is indicated in the movie, they’re fleeing from another threat…but the trailer of the movie did seem to indicate that the symbiotes were the main enemy of the movie. It was nice that they weren’t and in fact ended up allying themselves with the humans by the end.

I found it really easy to empathise with most of the characters in the movie…at least the humans and the symbiotes. I liked the fact that Strickland wasn’t really a ‘bad’ guy, even though there was a lot of conflict between him and Eddie and Venom. Of course, if I’m honest, the conflicts were there for very good reason…and I’m not entirely sure I could disagree with Strickland’s perspective about things. Interestingly enough, the actor who plays Strickland, Chiwetel Ejiofor, also appears in the MCU as Karl Mordo. While I doubt very much that the two characters are connected in any way, I feel like it would be awesome if there is a connection, given that the opening scene of this movie indicates that the multiverse does in fact exist in this movie.

I did feel there was a great balance of humour and action in this movie, and I loved that Mrs. Chen put in an appearance. I will say that the whole dance scene, while a lot of fun, did have me shaking my head. Venom feels like such a child sometimes, always wanting things now with no thought to the consequences. I felt that the stakes were high in this movie, and by the end, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how things would resolve.

This film was a great addition to the Venom franchise, and I kind of hope that there’ll be future movies, even though it might be unlikely. But if you enjoy Marvel, and especially if you like Venom, you should enjoy this movie.

Oh – and there’s one end credits scene that’s kind of fun, but no others past that, so no need to stay until the very end of the credits.

Smile 2

Posted by cat2002116 on November 16, 2024
Posted in: Horror, Movies, Reviews, Supernatural. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

I watched the first movie when it came out at the cinema, so when the sequel came out at the cinema, I was immediately interested in watching it.

If you’ve seen the first movie, then you’ll probably have a fairly good idea of what to expect from this one. It pretty much picks up only a short time after the original, with Joel (the police officer cursed at the end of Smile) trying desperately to find someone to pass the Smile curse onto. His initial intention is to subject a murderous criminal to the curse…but, of course, if the curse had been passed onto a bad guy, the movie would be very different to the one we got.

The curse passes on to a drug dealer, Lewis, who doesn’t have a very big role to play…outside of being the person who passes the curse onto the main character of the movie, Skye Riley. Still, even though he doesn’t appear much in the movie, I felt that Lukas Gage did a really good job of portraying Lewis after he was infected by the Smile entity.

As is made clear in the first movie, the Smile entity feeds on trauma…but all of its victims seem to have more trauma than just seeing someone else kill themselves. I don’t know what kind of trauma Lewis was suffering, but there was a video he posted to social media that seemed to hint at a deeper kind of trauma that hadn’t been explored.

Skye Riley was an interesting character in this movie. She’d obviously had some very traumatic events in her life prior to witnessing Lewis kill himself in front of her (in an extremely gruesome way, to be honest; the movie does not hold back on the gore). I liked that the movie didn’t reveal everything that had happened all at once, instead showing more and more through the flashbacks as the movie went on.

I also found it easy to empathise with Skye, especially seeing how she was treated as an object by everyone around her, from her mother, who was her manager, to her fans…including a man who was clearly a stalker and who is later used by the Smile entity to toy with Skye even more.

One of the main things the Smile entity does is play with its victims’ minds, leaving them unsure of what’s real and what isn’t. The movie does a really good job of showing this at times, but there’s a whole scene in Skye’s apartment with her backup dancers coming at her. This is obviously not real, and something that, in my opinion, kind of pushed the movie into (perhaps unintentional) comedy.

Sadly, although there were some good parts to the movie, it fell into the same trap of so many other horror movies I’ve seen, and the same kind of trap that the first Smile movie fell into. As soon as the entity appears in its own form, it loses a lot of the horror and fear that the movie’s built up to, because what you don’t see is always scarier than what you do see. (It Follows was a really good example of this).

I did enjoy this movie for what it was, but I don’t think I’d get anything out of watching it a second time. There were some very predictable scenes and, of course, the movie did end on a cliffhanger. If you did enjoy the first Smile movie, though, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

Salem’s Lot

Posted by cat2002116 on November 9, 2024
Posted in: Horror, Movies, Reviews, Supernatural. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment


I didn’t see the original version of Salem’s Lot, but when I saw this movie advertised, I thought it might be a more unique horror…and then I realised it was about vampires, which I feel are massively over-used, but then again, it was based on one of Stephen King’s novels, so I thought it might be worth watching.

I did find this movie quite slow, almost boring, to start with. And I didn’t really like Susan as a character; she came across as really annoying and not that smart when she didn’t recognise Ben (despite reading his book when she first meets him). I also really disliked how she ‘asked him out’, because honestly…it just felt like she was desperate.

I will say that I appreciated how the vampires were normal vampires; by that, I mean they obeyed the lore of vampires, such as burning in sunlight, being weak against crosses, and having to be invited in. However, it made very little sense to me that Father Callahan couldn’t keep the cross lit up. I’m pretty sure that the other characters using the crosses didn’t have faith; or, at least, it wasn’t indicated they did (just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, I’m afraid).

Probably my favourite character in this movie was Mark. In comparison to the adults around him, Mark was the only one who not only realised what was going on, but was also prepared to do something about it. Yes, Matt Burke also figured out pretty quickly what was going on, but he felt woefully unprepared for dealing with the vampires in comparison to Mark…whose comment of, ‘I guess I’ve gotta kill Barlow,’ really sums up his goal as a character.

I really didn’t like Susan’s mother, Anne, even before it was revealed that she was working with Barlow. I found it really hard to understand why she was so hostile towards Ben, and I didn’t really know her well enough for her about-face to have much of an impact when it was revealed.

I also really liked Dr. Cody as a character, I have to admit. Much like Mark (who was a child, of course), she was pretty competent and capable…at least after she dealt with the shock of there actually being vampires to deal with.

The other thing that was surprising was how quickly the vampire infection spread through the town. Considering that the lore they found said vampires rising could take time, the whole infection spreading so quickly and only a few people being aware of it stretched my suspension of disbelief quite a bit.

As I mentioned above, I did find the movie quite boring at first, though it picked up later on. I’m happy I decided to go and see it, but I don’t think I’d watch the movie again.

The Substance

Posted by cat2002116 on November 6, 2024
Posted in: Horror, Movies, Reviews, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I was very intrigued when I saw this movie advertised. The basic premise wasn’t an entirely original one. After all, people have been obsessed with preserving youth and beauty for years…but the idea of the Substance was a pretty intriguing one, I have to admit.

I thought that the movie did a really good job of showing the decline Elisabeth was experiencing, due to those around her considering her ‘too old’ to continue being the face of the aerobics show she was part of. I was able to empathise her with a lot as a character…and all of her interactions with Harvey, and Harvey as a character, just made my skin crawl. In parts of the movie, he came across as larger than life, but in a really grotesque way that I felt worked really well.

When Elisabeth uses the Substance for the first time, I honestly thought it had killed her. I know she had a whole lot of stuff that implied the bodies continued to live while the ‘other self’ was in control, but I honestly couldn’t see how Elisabeth had managed to survive such a gruesome ‘birth’.

Very similar to most horror movies, the relationship between Elisabeth and her younger self, Sue, starts off as a symbiotic one; an arrangement that’s beneficial for both of them. It is sad that Elisabeth ends up not doing anything other than sitting around while she’s in control, but that also fits in with the feel of the movie, so it’s not that much of a surprise even if it is sad.

Obviously, things start going bad when Sue takes more than her fair share of time from Elisabeth. The results of just one day are immediate and intense, showing Elisabeth with an aged hand.

What doesn’t make a lot of sense to me is that whoever made the Substance basically gave up all responsibility. Elisabeth calls to complain about Sue; Sue calls to complain about Elisabeth. All the person on the other end tells them is that they need to remember they’re one. Considering how bad the effects of using more of the spinal fluid are on the original person, I would have thought that the Substance’s creator would be more strict with the possibility of taking too much. Then again, I’m not really sure what the organisation/person selling the Substance is getting out of it anyway.

I will say that, towards the end of this movie, it was very much body horror and pretty much over the top. By that point, I kind of lost some interest in the movie, as I felt it was shock value.

I will say that I enjoyed this movie for what it was, and there were some really good elements to it. I would have liked to see more of the world expanded upon…and more from those actually in control of the Substance.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Posted by cat2002116 on November 5, 2024
Posted in: Movies, Reviews, Superhero. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

So, this Spider-Man movie picks up more or less straight after Far From Home ends, with everyone in the world knowing that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

I thought the strongest part of this movie was Peter dealing with the fact that everyone where he lives is now aware of who he is, though I have to admit, it seemed kind of wrong for MJ and Ned to be rejected simply because they knew Spider-Man. After all, they weren’t doing anything…and in fact had been in the middle of the danger in the previous movie.

I really loved Matt Murdock’s brief cameo in the movie. It was awesome to see him representing Peter Parker as a lawyer, only to reveal himself as something more when he catches the brick thrown through the window. I would have liked to see a bit more of him, perhaps interacting with Peter as Daredevil.

I really liked the interactions between Peter and Stephen in this movie, especially as the lines in the multiverse began to blur. Having just seen the two Amazing Spider-Man movies the weeks before, I was happy to see a reappearance of the two main villains from those, though I actually would have liked to see one of the versions of Harry, especially as he is mentioned by Peter Two.

And, yes, that brings me to the three Peter Parkers. That was one of my favourite parts of the movie, especially the first time watching it. I remember being so happy when Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man appeared for the first time!

I loved all of the interactions between Peter One, Peter Two, and Peter Three. Peter Three comments that he always wanted brothers, and I love how encouraging they are to each other, and how they bond over their individual experiences. I especially loved when Peter One told the other two Peters about him being part of the Avengers and they were immediately supportive…and at the same time asking what the Avengers were.

There were a lot of great moments of humour in this movie (Marvel does that particularly well), but I thought there were some really great serious moments as well. And, of course, it was awesome to see villains like Electro and the Green Goblin from the previous Spider-Man movies. What happened to May made me really sad, though.

I felt the final interaction between Peter One and Stephen Strange was really bittersweet, especially considering Stephen’s reluctance to actually cast the spell. I liked the fact that Stephen seemed to have grown fond of Peter by the end of the movie…but I absolutely hated Peter’s decision not to tell MJ and Ned the truth.

I’m really hoping that there will be another Spider-Man movie in the MCU, as I would love to see this version of Peter get something like a happy ending. And if it’s at all possible, I would love to see Peter Two and Peter Three make an appearance in a future movie; especially as Andrew Garfield is my favourite Spider-Man!

Never Let Go

Posted by cat2002116 on November 5, 2024
Posted in: Horror, Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Seeing this movie advertised, I thought it was going to be more of a claustrophobic horror…and when I went to see it, I wasn’t disappointed.

For a lot of the movie, I was questioning what was real and what might only be in the characters’ heads. Apart from the forms the Evil took, the only characters I got to spend any time with were Momma, Nolan and Samuel. Because of that, I felt that the family relationship in this movie was one of the strongest parts of it. I really liked the fact that Nolan and Samuel were so different, with Samuel fully believing and trusting everything their mother told them, and Nolan beginning to question things, especially as neither he or Samuel were able to see the Evil.

Despite not being sure of what was real or not, I felt that Halle Berry did a really good job of showing Momma’s state of mind through the movie. Even if I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t, I could tell that she really cared about and loved her sons. Maybe she was wrong in what she believed…but considering what she thought had happened to the rest of the world, it seemed like she was doing what she believed was the best for her children. On the other hand, it was quite obvious that Nolan and Samuel’s growth had been stunted, and that they were malnourished. Some of what they were eating seemed like it shouldn’t have been edible at all.

I really liked the relationship between Samuel and Nolan, and how Nolan was trying to take care of Samuel all through the movie. I felt that the conflicts between them added a lot more depth to the movie; especially towards the end, as the movie became more like an actual horror, rather than a survival story (which is what it came across as at first).

I did feel that the ending of the movie dragged on. I would have liked the movie a bit more if it had ended before Nolan and Samuel had been rescued, as that scene made it clear that their mother had been lying about the state of the rest of the world. Honestly, I felt this movie would have been a lot stronger if the ending had been left a bit more ambiguous.

On the whole, I did enjoy this movie. I especially enjoyed the conflicts between the three main characters, and the way Nolan and Samuel responded differently to their mother’s beliefs. While some parts of the movie were a little predicatable, and I think it could have ended a bit earlier, I did really enjoy watching it, and can recommend it as a good horror movie to watch.