Movie Fantasy League 2026 Kickoff

Welcome to ZEJ Review’s third season of the Movie Fantasy League, and a particularly warm welcome to all our newcomers! Excited to have you, and loving the variety of movies you brought to our competition. My sister, Maddie, has jumped out to an early lead with her pick of Verity, which currently has the highest box office total of any movie since scoring commenced. Mind you, we have no points yet given for awards or critical ratings, so the current box office figures are all we have to go by. The Gotham Awards Nominations are this weekend, so we will get our first dose of those points imminently!

MFL Season 5 Draft Breakdown

Across the league, 96 selections were made spanning 54 different movies.

Most Popular Movies

• Dune: Part Three — $40 — 6 teams
• The Invite — $10 — 5 teams
• You Can See Everything — $3 — 5 teams
• Godzilla Minus Zero — $15 — 4 teams
• La Bola Negra — $20 — 4 teams
• Wild Horse Nine — $20 — 4 teams
• I Play Rocky — $5 — 4 teams

Dune: Part Three is the consensus blockbuster pick, appearing on exactly half of the league's rosters. At $40 per selection, that accounts for just over 20% of all league spending.

The Biggest Gambles

While half the league invested in Dune, there were a couple other big spenders.

TheFearedDoc (Daddy) made the biggest two-film investment in the league, spending a whopping $70 on Dune: Part Three ($40) and Avengers: Doomsday ($30). He's the only competitor to draft Avengers.

Coach (Clay) is somehow the only one who selected The Odyssey, the most expensive movie in the entire player pool at $45.

The Contrarians vs. the Consensus

Of the 54 different films selected, 37 were drafted by exactly one competitor.

Nobody embraced that strategy more than Coach (Clay), who drafted six movies that nobody else selected.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, E and I's (Z) were the least unique, sharing 6 of their 8 selections. I guess we're married for a reason. :)

Without further ado, let's take a look at this year's rosters:

MFL Season 5 — Current Standings

* Unique selection — drafted by only one team

1. Maddawg2020 (Maddie) - 119 points

• Project Hail Mary^* — $35
• The Social Reckoning — $20 = 8 points
• Godzilla Minus Zero — $15
• The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping — $10
• Verity^* — $8 = 111 points
• Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom^* — $5
• Wuthering Heights^* — $5
• Unabomber — $2

2. Forgetful Movie Enthusiast (Tre) - 25 points

• Digger^* — $25 = 17 points
• Werwulf — $20
• The Social Reckoning — $20 = 8 points
• Godzilla Minus Zero — $15
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $8
• Resident Evil^* — $5
• The Drama^* — $5
• Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man^* — $1

3. WinOurWay (Uncle Matt) - 22 points

• Dune: Part Three — $40
• Werwulf — $20
• Sense and Sensibility^* — $10 = 7 points
• Being Heumann — $8
• Misty Green^* — $8
• Bucking Fastard^* — $5
• NAZA^* — $5
• You Can See Everything — $3 = 15 points

T-4. ecrhodes (E) - 15 points

• La Bola Negra — $20
• Wild Horse Nine — $20
• The Debut — $20
• Obsession^* — $15
• The Invite — $10
• Wildwood — $10
• You Can See Everything — $3 = 15 points
• Once Upon a Time in Harlem — $1

T-4. Miggle (Miguel) - 15 points

• Dune: Part Three — $40
• Primetime^* — $20
• Godzilla Minus Zero — $15
• Wildwood — $10
• The Only Living Pickpocket in New York^* — $8
• You Can See Everything — $3 = 15 points
• Everest: The Other Side^* — $3
• The History of Concrete^* — $1

T-4. runningwolf (Z) - 15 points

• La Bola Negra — $20
• Wild Horse Nine — $20
• The Debut — $20
• Fjord^* — $20
• The Invite — $10
• I Play Rocky — $5
• You Can See Everything — $3 = 15 points
• Once Upon a Time in Harlem — $1

T-4. TheFearedDoc (Daddy) - 15 points

• Dune: Part Three — $40
• Avengers: Doomsday^* — $30
• The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping — $10
• How to Rob a Bank^* — $5
• I Play Rocky — $5
• You Can See Everything — $3 = 15 points
• Musk — $3
• Ghost Soldier^* — $3

8. Jordd (J) - 8 points

• The Social Reckoning — $20 = 8 points
• La Bola Negra — $20
• Wild Horse Nine — $20
• Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol^* — $10
• The Invite — $10
• Being Heumann — $8
• I Play Rocky — $5
• Ray Gunn^* — $5

T-9. hughhhhh (Hugh) - 0 points

• Dune: Part Three — $40
• La Bola Negra — $20
• Godzilla Minus Zero — $15
• The Invite — $10
• The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping — $10
• Musk — $3
• Late Fame^* — $1
• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie^* — $1

T-9. BigBrett - 0 points

• Dune: Part Three — $40
• Behemoth!^* — $20
• Werwulf — $20
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $8
• I Play Rocky — $5
• The Weight^* — $3
• The Last First: Winter K2^* — $2
• Unabomber — $2

T-9. Coach (Clay) - 0 points

• The Odyssey^* — $45
• Clayface^* — $10
• The Invite — $10
• Backrooms^* — $8
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $8
• Josephine^* — $8
• Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story^* — $5
• The Mandalorian and Grogu^* — $5

T-9. Ariel - 0 points

• Dune: Part Three — $40
• The Debut — $20
• Wild Horse Nine — $20
• Wildwood — $10
• The Cat in the Hat^* — $5
• Tangles^* — $2
• In Waves^* — $2
• Once Upon a Time in Harlem — $1

You Can See Everything

Nathan Fielder is the gift that keeps on giving. To watch his evolution from Comedy Central style one-off schemes in the beginning of Nathan For You, to its more and more convoluted and brilliant arching storylines, to the cringe-inducing, genre bending The Curse, to reach the peak of his form in the Rehearsal, a truly ingenious not just comedy, but work of art, to an out-of-nowhere absolute masterpiece in You Can See Everything. A documentary that pushes the very boundaries of the form, perhaps even breaking them, to the point where it is the first doc I’ve seen that is fully deserving of a Best Picture nomination, a feat that no documentary has ever pulled off. Jord, ever the contrarian, is mistaken in not giving this a 10/10, but E and I’s scores place this at a ZEJ 9.75/10, which makes it our highest rated movie since Hundreds of Beavers (2024) at 9.83/10 and only it and Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) at 10/10 stand above You Can See Everything since we kicked off ZEJ Reviews in 2022. E asked me, “are we really going to give this a 10? I have nothing to compare this to.” And I posited, “isn’t that what a 10 is? A movie unlike anything that’s ever come before it.” Lance Oppenheim’s hand in capturing what was filmed, and shaping the direction and edit cannot be overstated, and this movie reconfirms his brilliance that was shown in The Whale, and at least flashes of it in Primetime, but Nathan Fielder as the unintended protagonist of the movie, the one who would spar with the enigma that is Elizabeth Holmes and her equally puzzling husband Billy Evans, is such an amazing stroke of fate that it’s hard to put into words. If you’re not familiar with Nathan’s work, he often presents himself as this socially awkward person and then uses that as a tool to extract what is often comedic gold from the people he interacts with. He even goes so far as to imply he might be autistic in his latest HBO venture, and there could not have been a better person in the entire world than that to interact with Elizabeth Holmes, who is equally socially awkward, and at least how Elizabeth presents herself in the film, may be autistic or neurodivergent herself. I say how she presents herself, because as the film wrestles with, Elizabeth is a court-convicted liar, and perhaps even one of the best liars to have ever existed, and so it’s impossible to say whether the way she presents herself is real or not. But whether it’s real or not doesn’t matter. The socially awkward, presenting as autistic/neurodivergent, and master liar Elizabeth Holmes is the most inscrutable person Nathan Fielder has ever come across, and the film that is produced as a result of that meeting is one that I’ve thought about and talked about every day since I saw it. Nathan and Lance have gone to great lengths to preserve spoilers for would-be watchers, so I’ll avoid anything spoilery and end my review here, but please go watch and enjoy a true masterpiece.

-Z

It feels like everyone is saying the same kind of thing about this movie: I’m not quite sure what I just watched. And that was also my reaction walking out of the theater. The more time that passes, I do have to say I believe this is a masterpiece of whatever kind of film it is. I’ll be thinking about this for a long time, and I think it will change the future of documentary filmmaking for the better. There are so many layers to this, and the takeaways about truth and who we trust to tell the truth are really fascinating. Nathan Fielder is a unique kind of genius, and I hope he keeps doing weird, wacky projects like this. It has my vote for a Best Picture nom.

-E

Now, I am sure I will be the lowest on this. Expectations affected me a lot and they were so high I don’t know if any movie can meet the expectations I had for this. I love Nathan Fielder. He is extremely captivating and no one is doing it like him. My unpopular opinion is this is almost an extension of The Rehearsal and I know it is ground breaking in a lot of ways as a movie, but I feel like in some ways I have seen things similar to this from Nathan. Also, I feel like it came out without a strong conclusion, but that is a documentary for you. I have moved from 10 to 9 to 9.5 and I am finishing at 9.25. A movie everyone should see and needs to see.

-J

Z 10.0
E 10.0
J 9.25

ZEJ 9.75

It Follows

It Follows, better known as straight Leviticus, is quite a thoughtful, creative horror film that was a fun watch. It’s got some issues with character logic, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I like it. David Robert Mitchell creates this dreamlike quality for the film that sort makes the character logic / strange plotting forgiven, as dreams follow their own patterns after all. That dreamlike quality is so subtle, and yet ever present, and David Robert Mitchell deserves a ton of merit for creating that in this film.

-Z on 10/12/26

Going into this, I expected much more of a bloody slasher-type horror film, but this is a lot more psychological. The subtle dream-like world is a very eerie setting that is really well done. It is a little slow in my opinion, and some of the decisions made by the characters were really confusing to me, but the underlying metaphor (my takeaway anyway) of the dread associated with getting older was a surprisingly meaningful one for a low-budget horror movie like this.

-E on 10/12/26

Right away, I think this film shows its hand in telling you that it is not your typical horror film. Instead of a slasher mentality, it created all forms of horror through a slow burning dread. Obviously there are a lot of underlying themes throughout the film, I think the true shine is how the director creates the setting. Dark and lingering shots following a mystery where not only the actors are watching over there shoulder, but you are too. The quote given above is its whole premise, and the fact that once you are followed you can never truly get rid of it is terrifying and is beginning to be copied in other modern horror films, and much worse in my opinion. I don’t always love horror, but I do appreciate its uniqueness. Along with that, I think Maika Monroe gives a great performance and shows how she earned her spot in Longlegs and deserves every label of ‘Scream Queen.’

Now the story is unique and the cinematography is superb, I think it still is what it is at it's core: a low budget horror. Does that make it bad? Absolutely not. I think it is a better horror film than 90% of what we are getting now, but that doesn’t make it perfect. Along with a few plot holes, like not trying to find an actual solution to the problem, it bothers me at times too, but overall I enjoyed it throughout the run time. It Follows is a chilling departure from the typical horror fare. While there are some plot points that leave something to be desired, It Follows remains a memorable and thought-provoking piece of horror cinema that deserves recognition for its innovative approach to the genre.

-J on 7/27/24

Z 8.25
E 8.0
J 8.0

ZEJ 8.08

The Social Reckoning

If you’re not read up on how blatantly irresponsible Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook has been over the last 10 years, the Social Reckoning is a great gateway explainer on what you’ve missed, and therefore I give Sorkin credit for hopefully giving some a much needed PSA. But as a sequel to such an iconic film in The Social Network, and even just as a film without that context, The Social Reckoning has a tremendous amount of issues. The biggest is probably the casting. I love Jeremy Strong, but he looks 15 years older than Mark Zuckerberg, and despite his shockingly low screen time, it just feels so wrong. Mikey Madison is an equally poor choice to play Frances Haugen, who is the same age as Zuckerberg in real life, but is inexplicably two decades younger in the movie, and also looks nothing like her. And then there’s Jeremy Allen White, who brought nothing to Jeff Horowitz, who was so boringly written it’s infuriating. The movie was extremely safe and vanilla, and shockingly un-Sorkin. Everyone expected that he’d deliver another film that was so high dialogue as to detract from the film, but this was so average script that it didn’t even feel written by him. Strange choices all around. As J and E state, if you didn’t know this was Sorkin and you didn’t know this was a sequel, the movie has some merit, and that falls in its educational territory, but if you do watch it, understand its limitations.

-Z

For what this was attempting to be, a follow up to the Social Network, this is potentially as good as it could have been. The reality of the story is just less flashy, Zuckerberg is less intriguing, and the whole world around Facebook is just a lot more depressing - but my expectations going in were low because I realized this. With that being said, I still genuinely enjoyed watching the story unfold and was happy to see that it wasn’t painfully overwritten. Still, the casting was overall a disappointment and I would argue this would have been better as a miniseries focused more on the journalism.

-E

I am unsure what Z and E will say about this film, but I have a feeling that I will be the highest rated. I thought this movie was a good suspenseful and informational movie on the effects of social media and was done well. The problem is the want for it to be a sequel and not a companion piece. If you are looking for Social Network you will be terribly disappointed. If you are looking for a drama that can be slow at times, but have strong acting, this could be for you. Like I said, I liked it, but I do not think it is good enough to win any awards.

-J

Z 6.75
E 7.5
J 8.25

ZEJ 7.5

Other Mommy

This is a horrible movie. In a lot of ways, it tried to throw some cinematography shots into a horror movie and it created slop. Jessica Chastain is a good actress and I have no idea why she did this film. I struggled also with the ‘why’ of this movie and the motivation behind it. This isn’t even a fun bad, just bad bad. Overall I would not recommend this movie to you.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 4.5

~ZEJ 4.5

An American Werewolf in London

An American Werewolf in London caught me off guard in several respects. The practical effects are elite, and still hold up 45 years later, and this being the movie that won the very first Best Makeup award at the Oscars makes perfect sense. The werewolf transformation scene is still held up as the best of the werewolf subgenre and rightfully so. While this movie isn’t scary per se to an avid horror fan, the body horror in that scene alone more than makes up for it. Besides the effects, the dialogue in the film feels really natural and the comedy is well timed and incredibly timeless. E thinks the romance to be unnecessary, but I thought it made perfect sense to continue David and Jack’s storyline of youthful aspirations, and add further stakes and tragedy to David’s plight. I read that John Landis wrote this as a straightforward horror but then directed it as a comedy and it really does feel that way, as there is a lightness to all the lines that keeps an otherwise extremely dark movie balanced, and I feel the iconic ending to this film was it’s own brilliant comedy beat. I really vibed with it, and if you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend it.

-Z

A great blend of horror and comedy that holds up surprisingly well! The visuals of the werewolf in question were actually really impressive. There is a love story that feels a little unnecessary, but otherwise, the plot is really focused in and is really quite funny. A great October watch that I’d highly recommend!

-E

Z 8.75
E 8.0
J n/a

~ZEJ 8.38

Digger

Digger is a brilliant piece of art that fails in some crucial areas, such as, but not limited to, humor and watchability. That isn’t to say it’s not funny. There are some good comedy moments, but a lot of what was intended to be funny doesn’t land. In terms of watchability, there ARE many scenes that because they’re not as funny as they were intended to be, they’re also just not interesting. I’m going to try not to spoil anything plot related, so I’ll try to talk about it generally, but there is a straightforward satire that is presented to you in the trailers, and then behind that is a meta-satire of something different. And that world where the meta-satire is, is just pretty dull, and elements of it feel convoluted, or strong-armed to serve that meta-satire. That may not make sense until you watch it, unfortunately, but understand two things - the surface level of the movie fails at times and is probably a 6/10, but underneath is a completely genius social commentary that makes Digger a must watch movie for the year and is a 10/10. So, like many great pieces of art, it’s complicated. I read early in the year that this movie would give Tom Cruise his first ever Oscar win, and given what we’ve seen so far from the other contenders, just give Tom the Oscar already. He’s absolutely electric as Digger, and delivers a truly iconic monologue in this movie, on one of the coolest set designs of the year, and it is something I’ll never forget.

-Z

While it was definitely better than the Metacritic score it earned, I still was not overly impressed with this film. Undeniably, Tom Cruise is great in this (as expected), and the set design was very immersive, but I think the plot was trying to cover too much ground. We all agreed that some parts just needed to be cut for this to focus on the more interesting storyline, and I felt like the last third of the movie really drug on and on. It just all felt really messy, which is a shame because I can see a world where this is so so much better put together.

-E

It is funny how reviews work sometimes. Z and E love looking at the Metascore before a movie, and I would prefer not to. This is an example as to why. It has terrible reviews and was almost skipped by us, to where the movie was actually pretty decent. The score, cinematography, and acting were the best parts - which you would then assume it was a good movie, but I struggled with the ‘why.’ In a lot of ways it was too on the nose and had portions where it runs into a weird dynamic that I don’t fully understand. I know that seems vague, but it has to be to keep it spoiler free. I understand why some hate it and others will like it, but I would recommend seeing it to make your decision, don't rely on other reviews because I think this will hit people in different ways.

-J

Z 7.5
E 7.0
J 8.0

ZEJ 7.5

The Social Network

In anticipation of The Social Reckoning, E and I revisited The Social Network this weekend. I had only seen it once before, but it’s lived rent free in my mind for 16 years, as its iconic, raging soundtrack, Sorkin’s ridiculously word-filled script and David Fincher’s expert hand created a borderline masterpiece for the time. All those things still hold true in 2026, but the luster has worn just a bit in 16 years, and perhaps that’s why Sorkin wanted to revisit the world he created. Some humanity was given to Sorkin’s Zuckerberg in The Social Network, and with hindsight of who we know Zuckerberg to be now, it’s hard to get that taste out of your mouth in a re-watch. Some of the, oh that’s so clever dialogue bits don’t land the same way. But, as purely a piece of art, it largely still works, and is still nearly a masterpiece.

-Z

This didn’t quite hold up to my memory of it, and I think it comes mostly down to the fact that it feels a bit overwritten without much breathing room - this style hasn’t completely held up. It’s also really interesting to think about how Zuckerberg's public image has changed since 2010 and how that also impacted my rewatch and view of his character here. But still, this is a great film with great performances, and the fact that it came out when it did should make it a historical document of its time.

-E

Z 8.75
E 8.5
J n/a

~ZEJ 8.63

Frankenstein (1931)

E and I’s first watch of the original Frankenstein movie was… something. One of E’s favorite books, and one I loved as well, it’s fascinating that the original adaptation changed so much of the book, left so much out, and yet set the public’s perception of Frankenstein for the rest of time. The movie has some iconic scenes and shots to be sure, but overall I found it a tough watch. It’s a bit boring, and the 95-year old audio quality made it hard to stay immersed. I did really like the set design and aesthetic they created, which brought such a gothic vibe to the film. I would only recommend this to absolute cinephiles, and even then, understand what you’re getting into.

-Z

Objectively, it’s cool to be able to watch a movie that is nearly 100 years old, but this was pretty tough to get through despite its short run time. I appreciated seeing the origins of the commercialized version of Frankenstein’s monster, but there were a lot of confusing choices made in terms of the plot. I can recommend it only for the historical perspective sadly.

-E

Z 7.0
E 6.5
J n/a

~ZEJ 6.75

Event Horizon

Event Horizon is in our friend Austin’s top 10 horror films, and with the passing of Sam Neill, E and I decided to kick off Spooktober with it, and wow, I’m glad we did. The movie starts off almost exactly like Alien, which is not a complaint really, but takes a more cosmic, ethereal direction, and ultimately is quite a ride. It’s not perfect, there’s some clunky choreography and it’s biggest issue is that it doesn’t fully commit to its most horrific and intriguing element, but it’s surprisingly metal, especially for a 90s sci-fi horror. It was nostalgic seeing Sam Neill in his prime again, and he was awesome, as was Laurence Fishburne, but what else is new? A must watch for horror fans.

-Z

Much better than I anticipated based on the reviews! Great suspense, characters who make logical decisions, a really cool set, solid acting. Definitely a bit cheesy in terms of writing and plot at times, and feels a little too close to Alien for me to say it has originality, but this was a fun watch.

-E

Z 7.5
E 7.5
J n/a

~ZEJ 7.5

Wasteman

Jord’s right, Wasteman is a hidden gem. So hidden, that it’s not even an option in Vulture’s Movie Fantasy League. A tragedy! That’s independent film making for you. While it premiered at TIFF in fall of last year, it didn’t make it’s U.S. premiere until April of this year, meaning it entered the British Awards for last year, but Oscar eligibility for this coming season. Anyway, the film is brilliant. Intense, claustrophobic, and absolutely DRIPPING with acting excellence. David Jonsson is obviously bona fide, having recently been cast as the new Black Panther, but I was equally blown away by Tom Blyth. He is phenomenal. The phone POV footage and how it’s utilized in this really gave the film a unique flavor, and added to the claustrophobia perfectly. This is the director Cal McMau’s debut film, and in fact, he won Best Debut Director at the British Independent Film Awards, so I’d definitely keep him on your radar. Must watch for 2026.

-Z on 9/27/26

Keeping the action very contained to only what was happening in the prison was a good choice here I think, but it also meant that I felt like I just didn’t have enough information about the main characters to be that invested. The acting was great, the tension was high, and the ending was pretty satisfying, but it just didn’t draw me in completely.

-E on 9/27/26

This is a hidden gem of the year. I think it premiered at Cannes, but I am not entirely sure. Overall, if you are looking for a film that is just acted incredibly with a story full of tension and curiosity, Wasteman is it. A prison drama where you are not sure where it’s going and how it will resolve. I loved it and think any cinema lover will too.

-J on 5/10/26

(Editor note: it premiered at TIFF.)

Z 8.75
E 8.25
J 9.0

ZEJ 8.67

Primetime

Quite a 180 for Lance Oppenheim, going from a straightforward one-room character study in the Whale to the heavily stylized, high paced Primetime. The Whale was in my top 10 movies for 2022 and I think what worked there, where Primetime failed, was just allowing the narrative to breathe a little bit. Primetime is so fast paced, and has just enough split character focus that it’s too brisk and fails to build any tension, at least for me. That said, what your left with was really entertaining. Robert Pattinson is absolutely electric, what’s new, but somehow you don’t get enough of him. The stylization is really cool, and while none of the shots linger enough to resonate as well as they could have, there are some truly iconic frames from this movie, and it’s no wonder the trailer was so good. As a point of discussion for some really controversial topics, Primetime delivered, even if it may have missed the mark a bit on those topics itself. I think this is a must watch for this year. And incredibly enough, this isn’t even Lance Oppenheim’s most anticipated film released this fall, we are within a month away from You Can See Everything, and that is a premiere that cannot come soon enough!

-Z

Knowing nothing about Chris Hansen or his show, I wondered if I’d get lost with this film, but I think they did a great job of making this pretty accessible for anyone to watch and understand the themes they were going for. I really appreciated how much is left up to the viewer to decide how they feel about the moral and ethical gray area on display. Ultimately though, I do wish they had committed to either making a biopic about Chris Hansen or a movie specifically about the crew behind the show instead of what feels like a mix of both here that just didn’t quite satisfy.

-E

I just don’t know how to get my thoughts together on this one. Robert is unreal as always, and the filming was so engaging and unique, but it was missing something. We as a group sat for about an hour talking about this film and I still don’t think any of us got to what it was missing, but it seemed to affect me a lot keeping it at an 8. The story is interesting and it is a unique viewpoint on evil and how it is portrayed in our society. Overall a film I think anyone would enjoy, I just sadly wanted a little more.

-J

Z 8.5
E 8.5
J 8.0

ZEJ 8.33

Resident Evil

I loved everything about Resident Evil, except for the final scene, which was very telegraphed in a way that the rest of the movie handled better. Cregger deftly straddles his blend of horror and comedy once again, and while there are jump scares, they are all well done and earned. The horror and tension was expertly crafted. I enjoyed the POV and storytelling of this film making it feel like video game, even though I’ve never played the games myself. Besides the ending, the only points I’m knocking are for originality. It’s no Weapons, but it’s really fun.

-Z

What a ride! I was really surprised by the direction this went after seeing the trailer (and knowing nothing about the franchise or video game). A few more jump scares than I would have wanted, but I really appreciated the “journey” feeling of sticking close to the main character while he makes decisions and navigates obstacles (very video game-esque) and the amount of humor Zach Cregger brings to the plot. A few over the top, cheesy moments, but I also can appreciate that those seemed to fit in with the vibe of this film. Looking forward to seeing what Cregger does next!

-E

Lower than I was expecting, but the movie was more fun rather than great in my opinion. It seemed to move really fast and I like the cuts and POVs of making it video game-esk, but I felt like over time it took me too much out of the film. Maybe too many jokes, but I felt like I wasn’t able to fully engage in the film for what it was going for. I also thought the ending was a bit too predictable and drug out, but overall it was a fun film that any horror or video game fan would love to see and should see!

-J

Z 8.5
E 8.75
J 8.0

ZEJ 8.44

Roofman

Just a movie in the best ways. In 2026 there doesn’t seem to be many movies like this anymore. A somewhat low stakes movie with a decent love story element that is just fun to watch. I really enjoyed this movie, but in no way is it going to move the needle for any awards and will be forgotten about, but I do like Channing Tatum and I did have fun watching it. A great time waster if you are looking for a fun movie to put on.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 7.5

~ZEJ 7.5

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

A pretty fun mess of a movie that leaves you a bit frustrated by it’s execution. For a critique of AI, it ironically feels a lot like AI slop. Sam Rockwell carries, as usual.

-Z on 9/12/26

Very fun, high energy movie, but had some confusing elements that didn’t quite make it work for me. Example: by only giving a backstory to some of the central characters, the script seems to “rank” their importance, so it isn’t surprising who doesn’t make it (and also doesn’t have much of an emotional impact). The ending starts to get a little heavy-handed with metaphors. Overall though, Sam Rockwell makes this a pretty fun adventure.

-E on 9/12/26

Anti-AI propaganda, and even though I am not in love with the trope, I did enjoy the movie from start to finish. An off the wall and unique film that you can't really compare to anything, and will want you wanting more and wondering where it will go. I think this is getting a lot of the love it deserves, but if you are into sci-fi, humor, and fun visuals, find time and give it a watch.

-J on 6/1/26

Z 7.25
E 7.25
J 8.0

ZEJ 7.5

Movie Fantasy League 2026

We screwed up. We let Jord win AGAIN. Two years we’ve run this, and two years, Jord has won. Not a third time. This year, one of us will dethrone him. Take a look below for a refresher on the rules, or if you’re new, a fresher? Here’s the rules:

• Go to https://moviegame.vulture.com/ and fill out your team name and be sure to enter “ZEJ Reviews” under the League Name. INCLUDE THE SPACE.

• Draft a team of eight eligible movies released in 2026 using a budget of 100 fake dollars. Each movie has been assigned a value based on its points-earning potential.

• If you draft before October 1st , you’ll be able to pick from the full list of eligible movies. Wait longer, and you’ll be limited to only films that haven’t yet started accruing points (i.e. you can only draft unreleased movies that haven’t been nominated for any awards.) As we found out the hard way last year (curse you One Battle After Another), it does behoove you to wait and submit your list as close to October 1st as possible, so as to see the reviews for consensus on any movies released between now and then.

• As the season progresses, you’ll accrue points based on the box-office performance, awards haul, and critical reception of the movies you picked. Each Monday, the updated leaderboard will be available on this page and in the weekly MFL newsletter.

• The teams that earn the most points when the game ends after the 2027 Oscars wins!

Good luck to everyone, except Jord, this season!

Hope

After our friend Austin turned E and I on to the Wailing, I was excited to see Na Hong-jin’s Hope pop up, and truly, a 10/10 trailer for it, so at least Jord and I were stoked going into our watch. As far as the actual execution, Na Hong-jin does a lot things extremely well in Hope. The concept, story were incredible, as was the action sequences and tension built, but the poor CGI and 15 minute too-long final act do knock the score quite a bit. The final scene only exists to set up a sequel, and leaves this movie feeling a bit incomplete. Na Hong-jin blends comedy into his storytelling masterfully, and as Jord says, there is a scene in this movie that had our entire theater just dying with laughter, the ZEJ team included. I am curious to see where the sequel will go with this storyline, and honestly if the CGI can be improved, the sequel could be the rare improvement over the original.

-Z

The main issue here is the length - there is just too much of too many things, and it really starts to drag by the end. The pacing and plot feel a little all over the place - we saw one of the longest car chase scenes imaginable and an ending that felt more like the beginning of a sequel film. The energy and pacing of the first third or so is excellent though, and the humor, despite reading from subtitles, really got our theater laughing. Overall, glad we had the experience of seeing this in the theater!

-E

After seeing the trailer, it looked like an insane ride and left more questions than answers in the best way. Once the movie started, I was locked locked. It was a movie of great action and was extremely funny at points. It may have been my favorite comedy scene of the year, which is crazy to think a Korean action film would be my winner. The hold up is that the CGI is definitely a victim of its budget and the ending taught me in real time that this isn’t a one off movie, but a series. I sadly can see where its going, and now I think it is heading down the road I find least interesting, but there is no shot I would miss a sequel to Hope and I ‘hope’ you all find time to see it!

-J

Z 7.75
E 7.5
J 8.25

ZEJ 7.83

Akira

Pretty cool that E and I’s first Akira watch was 4K in theaters! For such an incredibly influential film, I was surprised at how grimy it was. The animation, while choppy, is impressive for its time, and it’s clear why it’s so iconic. There is some poor sound design for this remaster, unfortunately, which led to many theaters, including ours, having really low dialogue volume, and that did take me out of the film experience a bit, but still, glad we saw it on the big screen.

-Z

I absolutely appreciate this film for what it is, and I’m glad that we got to see it remastered in theaters, but I think this style of anime just isn’t for me. Despite the plot being interesting, it had a hard time sustaining my attention, which I think was due to the choppy feeling of the animation just not drawing me in. Still glad to now have this as a historical reference point!

-E

A film that is definitely a product of its time. The animation is awesome and it really opened up the world of animation in a lot of ways. I still get a little confused about its outright cult following of love, but it is a really good film. Sadly like a lot of old films, it has a vibe you need to be ready for. Also, it has a lot of confusing plots with hard cuts that get to me, but I do believe any cinephile needs to see this film.

-J

Z 8.5
E 7.0
J 8.5

ZEJ 7.67

Coyote vs. Acme

So glad Coyote vs. Acme was finally released, and pleasantly surprised at how not horrible it was. It runs out of steam in the third act, and I was disappointed at how serious they made Will Forte’s character, but overall this deserved to see the light of day, and I’m glad it did. A fun watch for kids or Looney Tunes adults.

-Z

After hearing a bit about the story of the production nightmare that befell this film from one of my students, I was pretty excited for it to finally be in theaters, but it didn’t fully deliver for me. Definitely some funny and clever moments, but I was just left wanting a bit more from it. As someone who didn’t grow up watching Looney Toons, maybe some nostalgia was needed to have this live up to its pretty high metacritic score.

-E

This was a fun slapstick movie. I knew nothing about it going in other than Looney Tunes and that there was drama in the release timeframe. Right when Will Forte popped onto the screen, I knew I would like it. I had a lot of laughing moments and it is crazy to make a full length film based around 2 characters that do not speak (and have limited sign usage) but it all seemed to work really well. A surprise to the 2026 campaign of movies that is sadly a little thin. Great movie for anyone and should be watched by all.

-J

Z 7.75
E 7.25
J 8.0

ZEJ 7.67

Buddy

While I think there’s a limited ceiling for a murderous child mascot, Buddy came pretty close to it. The writing was excellent. There’s one regrettable sequence, in my opinion, but other than that the story and pacing were great. And, yes, I’m afraid that god forsaken theme song will stay with me for as long as I live…

♪♪ It’s Buddy, Oh, Buddy ♪♪

-Z

I can’t even think about this movie without starting to sing the theme song in my head, which is a testament to how well they did creating something so upbeat that feels so incredibly creepy. I found this to be such a fun movie. Pretty light on the horror but definitely heavy on the creepy factor, with the ending setting up an entire world of possibilities. Solid acting, even from the kids. A few plot moments that felt unnecessary and a few others that felt unanswered, but overall, a film that feels like it could one day be a cult classic. I hope we get more to this story!

-E

Man, this movie was a trip. A unique horror film is seemingly the best unique film. No limits to what it does and where its going, since it is horror. I thought it was a really cool concept and funny but also scary. A lot of practical effects which can always bring a lower budget film over the top, and it looked really cool. The pacing was a little off for my liking and not to be that guy, some plot holes that I want to know more about and know what's going on in the big picture. It seems like a sequel is going to happen, and sadly I am afraid it might ruin it, but until then a fun new horror you should see.

-J

Z 8.0
E 8.5
J 8.0

ZEJ 8.17