Prey (2022)

A young Comanche hunter must prove herself as a warrior. She finds herself stalked by a cloaked dreadlocks-wearing headhunter. Yeah, it's a Predator prequel. Taking place in 1719, it basically trades the jungle scenery for the woodlands of the Great Plains. I enjoyed the new direction at first, although once it settles into its formulaic plot, my interest gradually began to dwindle, especially the overreliance on glaring CGI, which took me out of the moment.

Amber Midthunder is strikingly beautiful; that was my biggest takeaway.

2½ bog pits out of 5

Opus (2025)

John Malkovich (channeling Nicolas Cage) plays what amounts to a cult leader at a commune under the guise of a musical prodigy who has just come out of retirement. Ayo Ebediri plays the only rational character in the film who questions his motives and all the weirdness surrounding them. It's a bit of the horror comedy persuasion (not unlike Get Out and Blink Twice), but feels like it could have gone much, much further. Standards must be slipping over at A24.

2½ bites of the communal bread out of 5

Novocaine (2025)

Nathan Caine is a mild-mannered bank manager with an extreme case of CIPA (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis), which basically means he feels nothing. When the girl of his dreams is taken hostage during a bank robbery, he sets out in pursuit, setting off a chain of events in motion which set the stage for plenty of violent antics at his expense. It's a fun premise that runs dry quickly and isn't quite clever enough to sustain an entire feature. There is a lot of potential to be had with a man who is impervious to pain, but the film doesn't do enough with it and leaves it all on the table. Jack Quaid brings plenty of charm to the role and makes it watchable, if not forgettable.

2½ epi-pens out of 5