The Invite

I didn’t know what to expect exactly from The Invite, as Olivia Wilde’s last foray, Don’t Worry Darling, had a lot of issues. With a less ambitious, more intimate story, she absolutely delivered. The Invite is hilarious, and more than that, is electric. We were in a packed theater, and the crowd was wrestling with the shock, the cringe, and hilarity that scene after scene delivered. While the scale of this doesn’t compare to Don’t Worry Darling, I will say to have a movie almost entirely set in one space is daunting, but it absolutely works, so much so that I didn’t even register that fact until after the movie. Edward Norton is one of my all-time favorite actors, and he delivers a performance in this that is so funny and heartfelt, and I’ll be shocked if he’s not nominated. It’s a shame he’s never won an Oscar despite his four nominations, and as of this moment, he’d be my vote for best supporting. Penelope Cruz is equally good, I will say, and she could easily win her second supporting actress role from this as well. Rogen and Wilde are great too, and the perfect counterparts to Cruz and Norton. Must watch movie for 2026! It’s 9.25 ZEJ makes it the first movie above 9.0 this year and edges out Project Hail Mary as the highest rated ZEJ movie of 2026.

-Z

Very funny and unpredictable, and even more fun to watch it in a packed, enthusiastic theater. Incredibly engaging despite a very small cast and set. Amazing score that really set the tone for each scene. I can absolutely imagine this being a very fun stage play, but they did a great job transforming it into a movie. The more I think about it, the more I realize how smart and well done it was. Great job Olivia Wilde and A24 - I hope you get some Oscar attention from this!

-E

At the time of writing this, I believe this is the best film of 2026. True tension, amazing score, and uniquely funny. For a movie in 1 setting with 4 actors, it never felt small. I think this is proof that Olivia Wilde is actually a high tier director, Edward Norton is elite, Cruz is great, and Rogen doesn’t miss. I loved it from start to finish and wanted more. A film I think everyone should find time to see.

-J

Z 9.0
E 9.25
J 9.5

ZEJ 9.25

Supergirl

While Supergirl vastly surpassed the expectations set by the critics’ hate for this movie, it is not without issues. While Matthias Schoenaerts did great in his role as antagonist to Supergirl, Krem would have been a much better as a henchmen to the real villain, not the main event. The relationship between Supergirl and the girl was quite forced and the girl’s acting was suspect at best. Jason Momoa, while fun, was definitely a caricature. That said, Milly Alcock was perfect in this, and all of her scenes were excellent. A pitch perfect performance in a C-grade movie. I still have hope for James Gunn’s DC universe, and consider this the growing pain of playing the executive role for the first time.

-Z

I definitely don’t agree with the critical reviews here! The acting was excellent and the story was really engaging. While it did feel a little more like a side plot to the Superman world vs. a true standalone movie, and I did wonder if this could have been better as a fun mini-series show, I have no regrets that we saw it in theaters and look forward to more of this character!

-E

I don’t care about reviews, and I don’t care what people will say: I like Supergirl. I thought it was fun, felt like a strong super hero film, and was played great by Milly Alcock. It falls on a bad villain and has to be somewhat of an origin story, but overall very fun and I am personally really excited for what the DC universe is going to continue giving us, unlike what Marvel is cooking up.

-J

Z 7.25
E 8.0
J 8.25

ZEJ 7.83

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

National Treasure 2 suffers from the same pitfalls as Jurassic Park 2, which just turns the entire runtime into an action film, and that just fanatical level of pacing is not what made the original so fun. The redemption of Ed Harris never felt right, and sort of dilutes the whole story arch. Still, Nicolas Cage is even more Nicolas Cage and that’s a treat in and of itself, and I’m not mad we watched it again.

-Z

While I watched the first National Treasure on repeat during long car rides with my sister, there is a reason I only saw this one time before Z and I did a rewatch - it’s just not a good follow-up. This movie is trying to do way too much to amp up the heist plot to unbelievable levels. All sense of logic is now gone. It was pretty cool to see the scenes filmed in Custer State Park having just been there, but I otherwise left this rewatch feeling pretty disappointed.

-E

Z 7.0
E 6.25
J n/a

~ZEJ 7.75

National Treasure

Who’s the National Treasure here - the Freemason’s long lost antiquities or Nicolas Cage? It’s Nicolas Cage. He carries this ridiculous film into something so much more fun than it has any right to be. Always a treat to revisit.

-Z

Nostalgia is definitely padding my score a bit here, but I can’t help it - I would guess I’ve seen this movie 15+ times. And while the logic of the plot is a bit perplexing, the puzzle solving aspect of the heist is undeniably fun and sees Nicolas Cage in peak Nicolas Cage form - absolutely no one else could play this role like he does. An enjoyable rewatch!

-E

Z 7.75
E 7.75
J n/a

~ZEJ 7.75

Leviticus

Leviticus is just a very well done horror film. Haven’t seen It Follows, so I can’t speak for it’s originality, but the concept is extremely well executed. Acting was phenomenal. Only character that bothered me was the mom, who didn’t feel consistent. Really liked how the story played out and how it ended. Must watch for horror fans. For the ZEJ team so far this year, Jord’s 9 rating on this makes Leviticus the highest rated horror film of the year, just ahead of Obsession! I personally liked Hokum and Obsession more, but they are all very fun films, and throwing in Backrooms into the mix too, 2026 has delivered 4 banger films to the genre.

-Z

A pretty straightforward plot without any extraneous details, which made this horror movie really sing! A little more length devoted to character development for the non-main characters would have raised my rating here, but I also understand why they kept this bare-bones feeling to the film. I was a little disappointed to hear afterwards that the plot was not entirely unique (but then again, much isn’t), but the whole conservative town conversion therapy angle was really well done and added a lot of realistic tension.

-E

I believe that 2026 has been kind of a poor year when it comes to film, and we are finally getting to some bangers. My love and hate for this comes from the fact it is very similar to the movie It Follows, which is an amazing movie that I do love. I think it had enough differences to be distinct, which is why it is still scored high. Not as good as It Follows but still a great horror film in the year of the horror film, 2026.

-J

Z 8.5
E 8.5
J 9.0

ZEJ 8.67

Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5, like the 4th one, feels like a downgrade from the first three. Retreading old storylines, literally Jesse’s entire character beat from the second movie is heavily repeated. They merged two separate plot threads into one in this movie, and it made it feel very disjointed with odd pacing. Having grown up with these characters, it’s fun to see them on the screen again, but with this and the previous movie, Pixar is actively diluting the brand.

-Z

Are the Toy Story movies now just a cash grab? This was the first iteration that made me start to really question that. The story was fine overall, and it was fun to see the characters again, but this was not a meaningful enough contribution to the Toy Story universe and truly does not compare to (at least) the first 3 films. Fun, with some pretty amusing new characters, but a little sad to see this turning into a franchise that might not know when to call it quits.

-E

This is where I am a bit sour. I liked how 4 ended, and knew this movie's theme probably wouldn’t be my favorite, and I turned out to be right. Overall, it is obviously a high budget movie and will make over a billion dollars, so I get it, but I just wish it didn’t have to happen. It is a fine film that really didn’t do much for me, but if you are a Toy Story fan, you obviously need to watch.

-J

Z 7.0
E 7.25
J 7.0

ZEJ 7.5

The Furious

Having watched the Raid: Redemption in preparation due to the overlapping style and actors Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, I’ll compare The Furious to it directly. The Furious is inferior in every way except, somehow, the fight choreography and that is really saying something. It was maybe on par until the final fight, in which my jaw literally fell on the floor. It’s a fight that just keeps going and getting increasingly more and more insane and features heavily one of the more unique fighting styles I’ve ever seen portrayed in Brian Le. His fighting and that scene made what would have otherwise been a bit disappointing movie worth it. Like the Raid, if you enjoy high tier fight choreography, this is a must watch.

-Z

Another film with excellent fighting choreography similar to The Raid, this time with more of an established plot, but writing so abysmal I truly cannot understand the positive reviews. The parts that were in English were somehow worse than what Google Translate might offer and the delivery by the actors was with such an unnatural cadence, I’m not sure why they even attempted to include English outside of subtitles at all. Sadly, this all took me so far out of the plot that I can’t even remember a lot of the details of the story, but also, I think this genre is just not for me.

-E

My guess is that I am low, because I am not an action junkie. Overall, they are usually my least favorite types of movies, especially a film that is really only centered around high paced action. It is undeniably probably the most impressive choreography that I have ever seen in a movie, and that includes films like John Wick. Just insane and in your face from start to finish. If that scratches your itch, it is an absolute must watch. If you are looking for a deeper story driven film there is no point in even turning it on. Overall, what are you looking for and you could have a diamond in the rough on your hands.

-J

Z 7.5
E 6.25
J 8.0

ZEJ 7.5

The Raid: Redemption

Unbelievable fight choreography, and a simple, but effective plot. Lack of character development and plot limits this from being as good as a John Wick film, but if you enjoy top tier fight choreography, then this is a must watch.

-Z

I can’t deny that the fighting choreography was excellent, but the severe lack of a plot meant that this movie just did not land for me, which might be surprising since I am very much a John Wick fan. It just felt very long and tedious without a more compelling story/dialogue.

-E

Z 7.75
E 6.25
J n/a

~ZEJ 7.0

Disclosure Day

E and J hit it on the head. The movie is a very fun 7.5 / 10, and really grips you through the first half, but doesn’t stick the landing nor treat the viewer with much trust in their ability to understand what’s happening. The acting is phenomenal, particularly Emily Blunt, and shoutout to the newscaster at the end of the film, who really sold that small part. This movie is very 90s Spielberg, and you can see his optimism coming through, but it’s also certainly a big downgrade from The Fabelmans. The premise too, while fun of course and Spielberg’s obsession, is also about 25 years too late, as this major reveal of alien life would hardly even make headlines were it to really happen today. Good popcorn flick, but don’t expect a masterpiece.

-Z

Did not meet my expectations. I did really enjoy Emily Blunt’s acting here (and honestly, a lot of the acting was very solid) and found several parts of the beginning of the film to surprise me, but the final act was so murky and purposefully ambiguous, I had a hard time taking it seriously. I was expecting something of a much larger scale to match the Spielberg blockbuster of it all.

-E

Not everything good is perfect. Sometimes the golf round is too hot or the food comes out a little slow, doesn’t mean I wasn’t craving a good meal or a round of golf. That's how I feel about this movie. A summer blockbuster that I have been craving for 2026. It had some good ideas and was very Spielberg, but it ultimately fell into the Netflix trope of being over explained and a little on the nose. Overall, if you want a movie that feels big and a good time at the theaters (or home) and you like an extra terrestrial vibe, find time and watch.

-J

Z 7.5
E 7.5
J 7.5

ZEJ 7.5

Scary Movie 6

When the ZEJ team could have written a better screenplay, you have hit rock bottom, and WOW, was Scary Movie 6 in the abyss. I was expecting the usual bad but a few laughs, but this was just bad. At a 3.58 / 10, this ties Madame Web for the second worst ZEJ rated movie of all time, as Megalopolis retains its crown as worst ever. I really don’t even want to talk about the movie anymore, and just am in shock we spent money to go see such a disappointing effort at filmmaking. This franchise died a long time ago, but hopefully this is the end of it.

-Z

Having only ever seen the original Scary Movie (and not liking it very much), I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but this was somehow worse than I envisioned. It just felt very sad to see the actors trying to make something work here and the humor definitely didn’t land with me. I’ll be arguing that we pass on seeing Scary Movie 7.

-E

This was just really bad. For a funny movie, they should have tried to make it funnier. Maybe it wasn’t made for me because there were tons of laughs in the theater, but I would vote for it as objectively not funny. I really had high hopes, since I do like the original, but it was not it. Avoid, and hopefully no more are made because like I said, no good.

-J

Z 2.25
E 4.5
J 4.0

ZEJ 3.58

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

While I expect more from Jon Favreau, I enjoyed the little adventure that this movie presented for two characters in the Star Wars universe I’m come to love. The small scale does make you question the viability of it as a movie, but I smiled through the whole runtime. A very enjoyable 7.5/10. Also, I was absolutely vibing to Ludwid Göransson’s synth soundtrack for this. Probably the best thing about the movie, really.

-Z

My main issue here is that this did not feel different enough from the seasons of the show - to warrant a theatrical release, something much larger needed to take place that simply couldn’t have been another season of the show, and this didn’t quite deliver. It was definitely still fun to follow around the Mandalorian and Grogu on their latest adventures, but I was hoping for more.

-E

The more I think about it, the more I don’t like it. It really just felt like they wrote the next season of the show and decided, ‘What if we just put it into a movie?’ Acting was mid, and really not great by Weaver and voice acting was not great by Jeremy Allen-White. Also, I don’t in any way think that this movie pushes the plot of the Mandalorian or Star Wars. Getting an adventure with these two obviously makes it fun, but I really wish for more from a full length movie about them.

-J

Z 7.5
E 7.5
J 7.0

ZEJ 7.33

Devil Wears Prada 2

Like E, I too, had a bit of hope for this to perhaps right the wrongs of the original, and yeah, no, that just wasn’t the plan here. I think many Hallmark movies surpass the quality of what they put on the screen here. I can’t even recommend this to fans of the original.

-Z

After Z and I rewatched the original, I thought, the second one just HAS to be better in terms of the plot. Oh no no. The similarities to the original make it clear that the priority was fan service vs. creativity, and the writing, while changed, did not really improve. The whole “we’re concocting a master plan off screen and you’re just going to watch us put the pieces in place” felt a bit cheap here. While it’s hard to deny that seeing the whole gang back together again was fun, this was mostly disappointing.

-E

Z 6.25
E 6.0
J n/a

~ZEJ 6.13

Wasteman

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

(Editor note: it premiered at TIFF.)

Z n/a
E n/a
J 9.0

~ZEJ 9.0

Backrooms

There was a larger theme to Backrooms that got seemingly abandoned midway through the movie, and that derailed an otherwise very engaging and well shot horror movie. The set design of the Backroom space and the genre elements were incredible, and this has so much potential, but writing and story is what creates staying power, and this failed on that front. Worth a watch if you’re a horror fan, and maybe even if you’re not, but know it has some issues.

-Z

My main complaint here is that things just did not get resolved or answered that seemingly should have been. Knowing there are plans for a sequel helps, but the movie should be able to stand more on its own in a satisfying way I’d argue. Still, this was undeniably engaging and creepy, and I loved the unending maze of the scenery. Excellent acting. Excited to see such a young director have such success!

-E

Sadly, it was a bit disappointing. One Youtuber shined this month in Obsession, and this one was a bit dull. Overall, the universe has me extremely interested. The Backrooms is a unique story and a world that can do a lot. Sadly, this movie didn't really get into any of that. It started with a lot of nothing happening, then also created a lot of confusing narratives that didn’t go anywhere. Now, if there is a second one, that will help a lot, but if this ends up being a stand alone movie it will make it substantially worse.

-J

Z 7.75
E 7.5
J 7.25

ZEJ 7.5

Toy Story 4

It took 4 movies, but we found the drop off. I actually did not ever watch this before this watch and I will admit I was a bit surprised at its quality, but it is a huge drop off from the first 3. I will say my favorite part of the film is that I think it does an amazing job at completing the story line of these iconic characters. Sadly, that all gets washed away with a 5th.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 7.75

~ZEJ 7.75

Toy Story 3

My favorite of the bunch, not entirely sure if it is better than the original, but I love it. I was obviously old enough to remember watching this in theaters as I was a senior in high school, and the ending to this day is etched into my brain forever and will forever bring tears to my dark and battered 30+ year old soul.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 9.75

~ZEJ 9.75

Toy Story 2

Only a few sequels are ever better, and this one can't get over that hump, but man is it still elite. My biggest problem with the film is that we start to lose the ‘realist’ component of them being toys, but it also is a movie. I think that just takes away from the magic just a little from this movie, but overall, made a sequel work and stays elite.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 9.0

~ZEJ 9.0

Toy Story

I haven't seen it in over a decade or two, but there is true magic to this film. Halfway through, I just thought to myself that it is hard to believe that this came out in 1995. It has great animation, a unique story, and iconic characters. There is no doubt that this should stand the test of time and absolutely holds up. I don’t know if we need this many sequels, but every accolade this gets, it is deserved.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 9.75

~ZEJ 9.75

Obsession

Obsession greatly surpassed my expectations, and having known nothing about Curry Barker prior to, I was really impressed by his writing and the comedy horror line he was able to deftly balance. It felt very Zach Cregger. This movie has only aged better and better in my mind too as time has gone on. As E and J state, Inde Navarrette is phenomenal, and a huge reason the movie is so good. Highly recommend.

-Z

From the trailer, I really thought everything in the plot had been given away and that this looked pretty cheesy, but it actually managed to surprise me a few times and kept me pretty locked in throughout. There is this overwhelming sense of dread that is built really well as the plot gets more and more dark and twisted. Excellent acting by lead actress Inde Navarrette! The other actors did not quite rise to her level, but this is definitely a horror movie I’d recommend.

-E

This is one of the better movies I have seen in a long time, as 2026 has not been off to a great start. I will start with what everyone is saying, Inde Navarrette is going to be a star. I thought she was absolutely electric, and the story fit perfectly for her. Along with that, the movie didn’t feel large, but it felt appropriate. I think the movie hit a lot of notes that were unique enough, exciting enough, and created a fun movie. I am really excited to see what Curry does next after he ultimately gets a bigger budget for his next film.

-J

Z 8.5
E 8.5
J 8.5

ZEJ 8.5

Michael

I really wish there was more showing on Mothers Day. I ended up seeing this as our mothers day tradition of going to a movie, and it was exactly what you thought. A movie about Michael Jackson putting him in a really good light, and opening up any wrongdoing not being his fault. Along with that, it didn’t add a whole lot of storyline, but just played full songs making it extremely long. Their biggest surprise came when it ended saying there was going to be another one. I will be really surprised if I see that one, but again, I was surprised I saw this one.

-J

Z n/a
E n/a
J 5.5

~ZEJ 5.5