More films watched on home video and on the big screen!
Here's my updated best of 2026 list (highlighted are new additions):
I decided to rewatch Steven Spielberg's 2018 film Ready Player One after watching Disclosure Day and like the first time I watched the film at the cinema, I still had a really fun time with it. The references are of course thrown in your face but there's a lot of love at the same time with what was going on. The VR aspect was great and the story I really like, which funny enough is very similar to Sword Art Online which the original author did recognise (fun trivia: the RPO author did meet the SAO author, plus his second book was also criticised for being too similar to SAO). Ben Mendelsohn plays the villain role really well and the supporting cast in general were solid. I think it holds up pretty well and we got a Gundam shoutout too. 4/5.
Technically a re-watch but I don't remember what happened prior but I did watch The Wachowskis' 2008 film Speed Racer thanks to the 4K release. It's amazing how well this film has held up on the CGI because while its obvious, there's something about its art-style that blends so well with the live-action scenes. I think what made the experience even better is that I have a better understanding of the context, camera work and character actions because of my exposure to watching so much anime over the years since this is based on the Speed Racer/Mach Go Go Go anime & manga franchise. It's a shame the film flopped the box office but thankful its cult status gave the film a second chance. The villain is great, the racing sequences are super cool and while the young boy and monkey can be a bit obnoxious it works out by the rest of the film being strong enough. 5/5.
I watched Sam Raimi's 1981 film The Evil Dead for the first time, and it's surprisingly solid. A low budget film I believe but the practical effects were so good and surprisingly gory so I can see why the 18 rating was kept. Bruce Campbell's role in this film is subtle but I liked how he was being tossed around before he becomes the main hero of the film. It ends on a really good note and makes the ending quite ambiguous. The characters are simple but done well enough so you have a clear idea on who they are. The camera work is great and I love the first-person angle for the deadites, the demons in this franchise, on how they come into the mix. 4.5/5.
The next day I watched Sam Raimi's 1987 film Evil Dead II for the first time. This one goes more towards comedy than scary horror and I do think it holds up pretty well. I wasn't laughing though but I did enjoy the campy antics that Bruce Campbell's character has to go through. The practical effects were once again very good, not as gory as before, but very effective. The story is very good but the start of the film is a weird one because they somewhat remake the events of the first film which I suppose is a way to recap the story to the audience considering the long-gap between the two films, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about that yet. My only gripe with this film is the pacing because there are moments that I wish could have been better especially with the first act. The final act is great so I have no problems there, but for now I do think this is my least favourite of the franchise. It's not a bad film by the way but I just think the others that I watched were more interesting for me. 3.5/5.
So logically you would think I would watch Army of Darkness next, but unfortunately its not available in 4K in the UK (it is available in the US by Shout! Factory but I'm going to wait) and I have already seen the 2013 reboot years ago on Prime Video, so in this watchalong I went to Lee Cronin's 2023 film EVIL DEAD RISE. This film does a great job bringing people back to the world because it's a wild one. The standout roles here are the two sisters, one of which has a family and another returning home for a visit, and their performances were great. The character development here for the whole family is well-paced and the deadites in this film are very savage in the way they are blunt on what they think of the cast. The setting is pretty cool and almost like it came out of a survival horror video game. The final act is also very good though it does retread a few things which was predictable. While the boy in the family is incredibly dumb, the rest of the film is pretty solid. 4/5 for now, likely going to be 4.5/5 after processing it more.
Let's go over the new additions to the list!
#1: EVIL DEAD BURN
As you can probably guess by me going over the Evil Dead films, this was in preparation for the newest film in the franchise EVIL DEAD BURN, this time directed by Sébastien Vaniček, the director of 2023's French film Vermines.
There's an interesting theme that these films have. EVIL DEAD RISE was about motherhood, and EVIL DEAD BURN is about domestic abuse and family. I'll start with the weakest aspect of the film and that's the characters. I do like the characters in this film but they don't have enough screentime for any aspect of development outside of one of them and that's partly due to the fast-pace. Personally I don't mind this because the rest of the film makes up for it. Another weak element is the post-credit sequences as it does feel like studio interference than relevancy with the film.
Now onto the good stuff. The best way to describe the violence in this film is almost like watching a French Extremity film because those scenes were pretty brutal. I loved how creative the violence was, especially how harsh it is. The main actress is great and while some may get confused on her motivations I could tell by the early scenes where it was going and what the end result was which was fitting. I also want to mention it's not an exact repeat formula of the previous films because they change up how the deadites come back in this film which was good because otherwise it would be too samey. There are other creative liberties in this film on how they possess the characters but it's still in the same effect that the previous films were.
Also another standout part is the directing and camera work, both were fantastic on how they shot a lot of the scenes and the choreograph work was superb. It makes the film feel different to the previous ones alone so I'm even more intrigued to see how Vermines turned out if it had a similar effect. I love the music too. So as you can probably tell, I really liked this film but I can see folks preferring EVIL DEAD RISE more which is perfectly fine because both films are super solid. We do have the prequel film EVIL DEAD WRATH by The Last Stop in Yuma County director Francis Galluppi arriving in a few years which I do wonder if it will go for the classic style of presentation.
Studio Canal distributed the film which they sub-licensed from Warner Bros, and will no doubt receive a 4K home video release later in the year.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 4.5/5, though many may consider this a 4/5.
#2: Backrooms
Another YouTuber turned film director, this time with Kane Parsons with his Backrooms series now in feature-length film. It's a really interesting one. I'm amazed the backrooms itself was practical which elevates the experience even more and the performances by both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve were excellent too. It's definitely a film that requires more thinking and doesn't deliver you answers right away compared to the "tell don't show" model that a lot of films do these days so I can see folks getting confused by what's going on if they're not familiar with that approach.
The direction and music were also pretty solid and I loved the video camera perspective which honours the YouTube series' found footage style format. It's no doubt the highlight of the entire film and the horror is pretty solid too. My biggest disappointment with the film is the final act wasn't long enough because the sequence was great but could have been elevated even more. Some folks complained about its pacing and length and I had no issues with that. Overall it's a solid effort and I look forward to any potential future projects in this world by the director.
A24 distributed the film with no plans for a home video release in the UK unfortunately as of this point in time (it is coming to VOD though).
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 4/5.
#3: Toy Story 5
I grew up watching the Toy Story films and while I didn't mind Toy Story 4 I wasn't even sure if we really needed another instalment in the franchise, but upon learning people's reactions to Toy Story 5 I figured I may as well check it out to see what the fuss was about.
Toy Story 5 was surprisingly fun. There's a clever theme here in showcasing how bad tech can be especially for a younger audience but it doesn't always hit the landing there in terms of execution. That said the film does develop Jessie's character more which worked out really well and gave me vibes of Toy Story 2 with what was going on in terms of the story. Woody does return but honours the events of Toy Story 4 so his role in the film is more-or-less fanservice this time around but his interactions with Buzz is still strong. The animation is still great and the film as a whole was very entertaining with a pretty solid story overall. I do prefer this film over the previous instalment but it won't defeat the trilogy which is still a very high bar to surpass, but as a new instalment in the franchise it's worth checking out.
Disney distributed the film for the UK and is coming to home video at some point.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 4/5.
#4: Disclosure Day
Considering this was Steven Spielberg's first alien film in years I figured I'll give it a watch especially as it was filmed for IMAX as well, and it's a pretty mixed bag if I'm honest.
I'll start with the positives. I think the performances were great, the concept is very interesting and the pacing is very good. The camera work is also well done and there's a lot of cool stuff going on especially with the final act. But my god the villains are cartoonish and a lot of the characters are quite frankly dumb as hell. Literally a couple choices would have drastically changed the situation faster than what we got and while the disclosure was really interesting the villain is a big letdown. It's definitely the type of film that would have worked better had it come out decades ago. There's a lot of good stuff throughout as I mentioned but when you consider how many great films have come out this year, the bar is so high that it's not going to be in the Top 10 best films list for me.
Universal Pictures distributed the film, and is coming to 4K Ultra HD home video later in the year.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 3.5/5, though many may consider this a 3/5.
#5: Masters of the Universe
He-Man is back on the big screens and it's a very fun film. Masters of the Universe is definitely the type of film that is not going to break new boundaries and appeal to many people but there's a lot of entertaining elements throughout with the biggest standout coming from Jared Leto's performance as Skeletor who is amazing in all of the scenes and surprisingly funny in a goofy way.
Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man is also great in this film and the supporting cast were good for the most part, and the action was very good plus the world itself is surprisingly colorful which adds to the experience. I think what ruined the film for many is the story and the Earth scenes which I'm on the same opinion. The Earth scenes aren't very good but it does brag the film down for its cringey look and some choices that I think could have written better. The rest of the film is better but the journey has a few rough spots.
Overall it's a solid effort in bringing back an IP that I would consider pretty niche nowadays despite being popular decades back, but Travis Knight, who also directed Kubo & the Two Strings & Bumblebee, did a pretty good job overall with the film.
Amazon MGM distributed the film, and is coming to 4K Ultra HD home video later in the year.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 3.5/5, though many may consider this a 3/5.
Also watched:
Supergirl
The second mainline entry in the theatrical scene for DC Studios is an unfortunate one. Supergirl has a great idea to begin with by adapting the Woman of Tomorrow comic book, but what we ended up with is a pretty mixed bag.
Milly Alcock is great as Supergirl and her performance was solid so I have no complaints there, she's not the problem with this film and neither is Jason Momoa as Lobo who is pretty good in the film even though it does feel like a thrown in addition for the sake of it. The flashback sequences of Supergirl at Argo City plus the short scenes with Superman were perfect and showcases the dread that she goes through with survivor's guilt and her place in the world.
The film's biggest problems are a combination of the story, the villains, presentation and music choices. The story is there but its not as good as I had hoped, and there's also a choice at the end that goes against the source material which makes no sense. The villain is not well done and could have been much better with their performance, the presentation was too samey and goes away from what I was told was quite colorful in the source material, and while I loved the original music score, the licensed music ruined the film's scenes outside of some parts where she's using the headset.
It's a disappointing film that no doubt could have been much better. Perhaps they should have gone for a HBO type series instead of a feature-length film in this instance.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 3/5.
My 2026 cinema experience so far:
Films that are on my radar to watch at the cinema this year below. The Furious wasn't available in my local area so I'll have to wait for home video unfortunately.
Here's my updated best of 2026 list (highlighted are new additions):
- Project Hail Mary
- Obsession
- The Drama
- EVIL DEAD BURN
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Backrooms
- Hokum
- Hoppers
- Toy Story 5
- Crime 101
- Send Help
- Mortal Kombat II
- Disclosure Day
- Masters of the Universe
- Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
- Iron Lung
- Supergirl
- Lee Cronin's The Mummy
- GOAT
- How to Make a Killing
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
- The Bride!
I decided to rewatch Steven Spielberg's 2018 film Ready Player One after watching Disclosure Day and like the first time I watched the film at the cinema, I still had a really fun time with it. The references are of course thrown in your face but there's a lot of love at the same time with what was going on. The VR aspect was great and the story I really like, which funny enough is very similar to Sword Art Online which the original author did recognise (fun trivia: the RPO author did meet the SAO author, plus his second book was also criticised for being too similar to SAO). Ben Mendelsohn plays the villain role really well and the supporting cast in general were solid. I think it holds up pretty well and we got a Gundam shoutout too. 4/5.
Technically a re-watch but I don't remember what happened prior but I did watch The Wachowskis' 2008 film Speed Racer thanks to the 4K release. It's amazing how well this film has held up on the CGI because while its obvious, there's something about its art-style that blends so well with the live-action scenes. I think what made the experience even better is that I have a better understanding of the context, camera work and character actions because of my exposure to watching so much anime over the years since this is based on the Speed Racer/Mach Go Go Go anime & manga franchise. It's a shame the film flopped the box office but thankful its cult status gave the film a second chance. The villain is great, the racing sequences are super cool and while the young boy and monkey can be a bit obnoxious it works out by the rest of the film being strong enough. 5/5.
I watched Sam Raimi's 1981 film The Evil Dead for the first time, and it's surprisingly solid. A low budget film I believe but the practical effects were so good and surprisingly gory so I can see why the 18 rating was kept. Bruce Campbell's role in this film is subtle but I liked how he was being tossed around before he becomes the main hero of the film. It ends on a really good note and makes the ending quite ambiguous. The characters are simple but done well enough so you have a clear idea on who they are. The camera work is great and I love the first-person angle for the deadites, the demons in this franchise, on how they come into the mix. 4.5/5.
The next day I watched Sam Raimi's 1987 film Evil Dead II for the first time. This one goes more towards comedy than scary horror and I do think it holds up pretty well. I wasn't laughing though but I did enjoy the campy antics that Bruce Campbell's character has to go through. The practical effects were once again very good, not as gory as before, but very effective. The story is very good but the start of the film is a weird one because they somewhat remake the events of the first film which I suppose is a way to recap the story to the audience considering the long-gap between the two films, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about that yet. My only gripe with this film is the pacing because there are moments that I wish could have been better especially with the first act. The final act is great so I have no problems there, but for now I do think this is my least favourite of the franchise. It's not a bad film by the way but I just think the others that I watched were more interesting for me. 3.5/5.
So logically you would think I would watch Army of Darkness next, but unfortunately its not available in 4K in the UK (it is available in the US by Shout! Factory but I'm going to wait) and I have already seen the 2013 reboot years ago on Prime Video, so in this watchalong I went to Lee Cronin's 2023 film EVIL DEAD RISE. This film does a great job bringing people back to the world because it's a wild one. The standout roles here are the two sisters, one of which has a family and another returning home for a visit, and their performances were great. The character development here for the whole family is well-paced and the deadites in this film are very savage in the way they are blunt on what they think of the cast. The setting is pretty cool and almost like it came out of a survival horror video game. The final act is also very good though it does retread a few things which was predictable. While the boy in the family is incredibly dumb, the rest of the film is pretty solid. 4/5 for now, likely going to be 4.5/5 after processing it more.
Let's go over the new additions to the list!
#1: EVIL DEAD BURN
As you can probably guess by me going over the Evil Dead films, this was in preparation for the newest film in the franchise EVIL DEAD BURN, this time directed by Sébastien Vaniček, the director of 2023's French film Vermines.
There's an interesting theme that these films have. EVIL DEAD RISE was about motherhood, and EVIL DEAD BURN is about domestic abuse and family. I'll start with the weakest aspect of the film and that's the characters. I do like the characters in this film but they don't have enough screentime for any aspect of development outside of one of them and that's partly due to the fast-pace. Personally I don't mind this because the rest of the film makes up for it. Another weak element is the post-credit sequences as it does feel like studio interference than relevancy with the film.
Now onto the good stuff. The best way to describe the violence in this film is almost like watching a French Extremity film because those scenes were pretty brutal. I loved how creative the violence was, especially how harsh it is. The main actress is great and while some may get confused on her motivations I could tell by the early scenes where it was going and what the end result was which was fitting. I also want to mention it's not an exact repeat formula of the previous films because they change up how the deadites come back in this film which was good because otherwise it would be too samey. There are other creative liberties in this film on how they possess the characters but it's still in the same effect that the previous films were.
Also another standout part is the directing and camera work, both were fantastic on how they shot a lot of the scenes and the choreograph work was superb. It makes the film feel different to the previous ones alone so I'm even more intrigued to see how Vermines turned out if it had a similar effect. I love the music too. So as you can probably tell, I really liked this film but I can see folks preferring EVIL DEAD RISE more which is perfectly fine because both films are super solid. We do have the prequel film EVIL DEAD WRATH by The Last Stop in Yuma County director Francis Galluppi arriving in a few years which I do wonder if it will go for the classic style of presentation.
Studio Canal distributed the film which they sub-licensed from Warner Bros, and will no doubt receive a 4K home video release later in the year.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 4.5/5, though many may consider this a 4/5.
#2: Backrooms
Another YouTuber turned film director, this time with Kane Parsons with his Backrooms series now in feature-length film. It's a really interesting one. I'm amazed the backrooms itself was practical which elevates the experience even more and the performances by both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve were excellent too. It's definitely a film that requires more thinking and doesn't deliver you answers right away compared to the "tell don't show" model that a lot of films do these days so I can see folks getting confused by what's going on if they're not familiar with that approach.
The direction and music were also pretty solid and I loved the video camera perspective which honours the YouTube series' found footage style format. It's no doubt the highlight of the entire film and the horror is pretty solid too. My biggest disappointment with the film is the final act wasn't long enough because the sequence was great but could have been elevated even more. Some folks complained about its pacing and length and I had no issues with that. Overall it's a solid effort and I look forward to any potential future projects in this world by the director.
A24 distributed the film with no plans for a home video release in the UK unfortunately as of this point in time (it is coming to VOD though).
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 4/5.
#3: Toy Story 5
I grew up watching the Toy Story films and while I didn't mind Toy Story 4 I wasn't even sure if we really needed another instalment in the franchise, but upon learning people's reactions to Toy Story 5 I figured I may as well check it out to see what the fuss was about.
Toy Story 5 was surprisingly fun. There's a clever theme here in showcasing how bad tech can be especially for a younger audience but it doesn't always hit the landing there in terms of execution. That said the film does develop Jessie's character more which worked out really well and gave me vibes of Toy Story 2 with what was going on in terms of the story. Woody does return but honours the events of Toy Story 4 so his role in the film is more-or-less fanservice this time around but his interactions with Buzz is still strong. The animation is still great and the film as a whole was very entertaining with a pretty solid story overall. I do prefer this film over the previous instalment but it won't defeat the trilogy which is still a very high bar to surpass, but as a new instalment in the franchise it's worth checking out.
Disney distributed the film for the UK and is coming to home video at some point.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 4/5.
#4: Disclosure Day
Considering this was Steven Spielberg's first alien film in years I figured I'll give it a watch especially as it was filmed for IMAX as well, and it's a pretty mixed bag if I'm honest.
I'll start with the positives. I think the performances were great, the concept is very interesting and the pacing is very good. The camera work is also well done and there's a lot of cool stuff going on especially with the final act. But my god the villains are cartoonish and a lot of the characters are quite frankly dumb as hell. Literally a couple choices would have drastically changed the situation faster than what we got and while the disclosure was really interesting the villain is a big letdown. It's definitely the type of film that would have worked better had it come out decades ago. There's a lot of good stuff throughout as I mentioned but when you consider how many great films have come out this year, the bar is so high that it's not going to be in the Top 10 best films list for me.
Universal Pictures distributed the film, and is coming to 4K Ultra HD home video later in the year.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 3.5/5, though many may consider this a 3/5.
#5: Masters of the Universe
He-Man is back on the big screens and it's a very fun film. Masters of the Universe is definitely the type of film that is not going to break new boundaries and appeal to many people but there's a lot of entertaining elements throughout with the biggest standout coming from Jared Leto's performance as Skeletor who is amazing in all of the scenes and surprisingly funny in a goofy way.
Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man is also great in this film and the supporting cast were good for the most part, and the action was very good plus the world itself is surprisingly colorful which adds to the experience. I think what ruined the film for many is the story and the Earth scenes which I'm on the same opinion. The Earth scenes aren't very good but it does brag the film down for its cringey look and some choices that I think could have written better. The rest of the film is better but the journey has a few rough spots.
Overall it's a solid effort in bringing back an IP that I would consider pretty niche nowadays despite being popular decades back, but Travis Knight, who also directed Kubo & the Two Strings & Bumblebee, did a pretty good job overall with the film.
Amazon MGM distributed the film, and is coming to 4K Ultra HD home video later in the year.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 3.5/5, though many may consider this a 3/5.
Also watched:
Supergirl
The second mainline entry in the theatrical scene for DC Studios is an unfortunate one. Supergirl has a great idea to begin with by adapting the Woman of Tomorrow comic book, but what we ended up with is a pretty mixed bag.
Milly Alcock is great as Supergirl and her performance was solid so I have no complaints there, she's not the problem with this film and neither is Jason Momoa as Lobo who is pretty good in the film even though it does feel like a thrown in addition for the sake of it. The flashback sequences of Supergirl at Argo City plus the short scenes with Superman were perfect and showcases the dread that she goes through with survivor's guilt and her place in the world.
The film's biggest problems are a combination of the story, the villains, presentation and music choices. The story is there but its not as good as I had hoped, and there's also a choice at the end that goes against the source material which makes no sense. The villain is not well done and could have been much better with their performance, the presentation was too samey and goes away from what I was told was quite colorful in the source material, and while I loved the original music score, the licensed music ruined the film's scenes outside of some parts where she's using the headset.
It's a disappointing film that no doubt could have been much better. Perhaps they should have gone for a HBO type series instead of a feature-length film in this instance.
Upon first viewing I gave the film a 3/5.
My 2026 cinema experience so far:
| # | Film | Rating | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple |  | Sony |
2 | No Other Choice | | MUBI |
3 | Iron Lung | .5 | Markiplier |
4 | Send Help | | 20th Century Studios |
5 | Goat | | Sony |
6 | Crime 101 | | Amazon MGM / Sony |
7 | Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die | .5 | Entertainment Film Distributor |
8 | The Secret Agent | .5 | MUBI |
9 | Hoppers | | Disney |
10 | The Bride! | .5 | Warner Bros |
11 | How to Make a Killing | | Studio Canal |
12 | Project Hail Mary | | Amazon MGM / Sony |
13 | La Grazia | | MUBI |
14 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | .5 | Universal Pictures |
15 | The Drama | .5 | A24 / Entertainment Film Distributor |
16 | Akira | .5 | Anime Limited |
17 | Lee Cronin's The Mummy | | Warner Bros |
18 | Exit 8 | .5 | Vertigo Releasing |
19 | Hokum | | Black Bear |
20 | Mortal Kombat II | .5 | Warner Bros |
21 | Kokuho | .5 | Vue Lumiere |
22 | Obsession | .5 | Universal Pictures |
23 | Backrooms | | Kane Parsons |
24 | Masters of the Universe | .5 | Travis Knight |
25 | Disclosure Day | .5 | Steven Spielberg |
26 | Toy Story 5 | | Andrew Stanton |
27 | Supergirl | | Craig Gillespie |
28 | EVIL DEAD BURN | .5 | Sébastien Vaniček |
Films that are on my radar to watch at the cinema this year below. The Furious wasn't available in my local area so I'll have to wait for home video unfortunately.
- July:
- The Odyssey
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- August:
- Coyote vs Acme
- Ice Cream Man
- September:
- The Death of Robin Hood
- Leviticus
- Her Private Hell
- Primetime (UK tentative release window)
- RESIDENT EVIL
- October:
- Clayface
- Forgotten Island
- I Love Boosters
- The Social Reckoning
- Street Fighter
- Whalefall
- November:
- Fjord
- Godzilla Minus Zero
- December:
- Avengers: Doomsday
- Dune Part Three
- Jumanji: Open World
