The Couch Critic
The Couch Critic is your laid-back guide to movies and TV shows that deserve your attention—or maybe don’t. Nathan dives deep into storytelling, character development, and cinematic style with a sharp eye and a wry sense of humor. Whether it’s a blockbuster hit, a hidden gem, or a cult classic, Nathan’s relatable approach ensures every episode feels like a cozy chat with a friend who just happens to love film. Perfect for casual watchers and cinephiles alike, The Couch Critic brings thoughtful critique without the fluff. Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let Nathan guide you through the world of screen entertainment.
The Couch Critic
Zombies and Space Adventures: A Double Feature Review of '28 Years Later' and 'Elio'
From zombie hordes to outer space, our inaugural Cinema Sunday brings you a thought-provoking double feature that spans the spectrum of filmmaking today. Whether you're a horror enthusiast or family moviegoer, there's something here that deserves your attention.
First up, we journey into the post-apocalyptic world of "28 Years Later," the soft reboot of the iconic rage virus franchise. While newcomers to the series need not worry—this film stands remarkably well on its own. Young Alfie Williams delivers an unexpectedly powerful performance as Spike, proving that child actors can indeed be the strongest link in a horror film. The movie strikes a sometimes jarring balance between terror and humor, featuring surprisingly graphic nudity that might catch viewers off guard. Despite these shocking elements, the compelling character development and engaging storyline earn this zombie thriller a solid four stars.
Switching gears completely, Disney Pixar's "Elio" takes us on a cosmic adventure with a space-obsessed youngster who becomes humanity's ambassador to alien civilizations. This sweet, heartfelt story represents exactly what audiences claim to want—original storytelling without franchise ties—yet it's struggling at the box office. The film delivers exceptional voice acting, genuine emotional moments, and a universal message about finding one's place in the world. This overlooked gem earns a well-deserved 4.5/5, leaving me frustrated about the disconnect between what viewers say they want and what they actually support.
This stark contrast between a franchise revival and an original story perfectly captures Hollywood's current dilemma. If we truly want fresh storytelling in theaters, we need to vote with our wallets. Don't miss next week's Cinema Saturday featuring "F1" and "Megan 2.0," or Tuesday's discussion of "I'll Be Home for Christmas." Subscribe and join the conversation about which films truly deserve the spotlight!
Get back press play. It's a brand new day. We're diving deep and the film's our way From classics to the ones you miss. Grab your snacks, you get the gist. It's Cinema Sunday on the Couch Critics Show, where the stories shine and the opinions flow. Popcorn's hot, the takes are bold. We laugh, we cry, we break the mold. It's Cinema Sunday. Let the credits roll. The credits roll. Hello everyone, and welcome to the very first Cinema Sunday.
Speaker 1:So if you've been following us on social media Couch Critic Podcast on Facebook, the Couch Critic on Instagram you will have found out that we are going to be rotating our weekend reviews. So this will be the first Cinema Sunday and the next weekend will be a Cinema Saturday, and then we will go back and forth. This is mostly because I have found that sometimes I just have had not enough time to record, and so it'll give me enough time to go see the movie and record my thoughts. I'm going to try to be a lot better about recording almost right after I see the movie. I tend to give myself a couple of days to either forget or process what I watch, but I really want to be good about recording it right after I go see it. With that being said, this is the first Cinema Sunday, so let's get right into it with a double feature.
Speaker 1:I saw two movies. One is 28 Years Later and the other one is Elio. Let's start with the zombie horror thriller movie 28 Years Later. Now, this is a kind of soft reboot of the former, 28 days later and 28 weeks later. I found it interesting that they never did a 28 month later, but that's besides the point.
Speaker 1:Before I get into my thoughts on this movie, I have to go over the synopsis. A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. One of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland. He discovers secrets, wonders and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors 28 Years Later. Stars Jodie Comer, aaron Taylor, johnson, ralph Fiennes. Survivors 28 years later. Stars jody calmer, aaron taylor, johnson, ralph finds is it ralph finds? Yeah, ralph finds. And surprisingly, not higher on the billing list is alfie williams, who plays spike, which is the child who's like in the middle of this whole storyline.
Speaker 1:So I saw this movie with my niece, sarah. She is usually, if I go see a movie that I know my wife will not want to go see, I try to get sarah to go see it with me because she likes horror movies and stuff like that, so I got her to go see this with me. I I had never seen. 28 Days Later, or 28 Weeks Later she had never seen them either.
Speaker 1:So we're going into this without really knowing anything about it, and one thing I really liked about it is that for the most part, I feel like you can watch this movie and not have had to watch the first two. Now, apparently, this is a first one in a trilogy, so they have, 28 years later, the bone collection or something the bone temple that should be coming out next year and killian murphy, who was in 28 days later. This isn't really a spoiler, because the director has already come out and said this that he will be in the ending of 28 Years Later, the Bone Temple and have a really big presence in the final in the trilogy of these new films. So I would say this is like a soft reboot. You don't have to have watched the original ones, which is nice.
Speaker 1:I thought Alfie Williams, who plays Spike, did a fantastic job. Usually, and Katie and I have said this before in past episodes usually child actors are like the weak link in a movie. I think he was the saving grace of this movie. I thought he did a fantastic job. His emotions, his line delivery, it just was really really well done.
Speaker 1:One of the biggest dislikes of this movie, though, is, again, I saw this with my knees, so I was not expecting the amount of nudity that was in this movie. I turned to her at some point. I'm like why do all these zombie people have to be naked, like full out naked, like you saw every thing, and so it was really off putting, and I think it was supposed to be, because you know they're infected and they're rage filled and all this stuff. But it was just very random. And speaking of random, that's what this movie was. It had serious moments, it has somewhat humorous moments, it has some really random fight scenes. It was just all over the place.
Speaker 1:But, surprisingly, the story was compelling.
Speaker 1:The characters were really well developed. You cared about the characters. You hated, the characters you're supposed to hate. So I thought all all this movie was pretty well done, pretty well directed, pretty well casted, but the biggest turnoff for me was, you know, the big old nudity moments that were like in your face. So 28 Years Later is a good movie. I did appreciate the fact, once again, that you don't have to watch the original ones to really appreciate it and to follow along with the story. They give you, kind of you know, the reading at the beginning explaining everything, so that kind of takes care of it right. There Again, I thought it was a well-done movie. I could have done without all the nudity, but I'm going to give, 28 Years Later, a 3.5. No, I'm going to give, 28 years later, a four out of five.
Speaker 1:It was a entertaining movie. It was creepy at times, humorous at times, random at times. It was just an entertaining summer movie. It's not for everybody, but there you go. So now I'm moving on to Disney Pixar's Elio. So Disney and Pixar Disney in general has had kind of a hit or miss when it comes to their movies lately, and most of it is because some of the stuff they try to put into these films that a lot of parents, myself included, don't really want their kids watching and hearing about in a cartoon. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Elio and before I can get into even more of my thoughts, I'm going to go over the synopsis. And before I can get into even more of my thoughts. I'm going to go over the synopsis. Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic portions and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be. Elio stars Yanis Khabib, zoe Saldana and Remy Edgerly I apologize if I said all those names incorrectly. So, like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
Speaker 1:This movie did not get a lot of marketing, did not get a lot of press, did not get a lot of advertising, and I think that's why this movie is doing so not well in the box office. This movie did terrible in the box office and it's a shame because to me it's finally Disney, pixar just telling a good and compelling story. The voice acting was great in this. The kids who play the kids are sweet sounding. It's just very innocent. This character goes through a traumatic experience and is just trying to find his place in this world, and it's just such a good movie. It's such a good story. It's fun, it's funny, it's sweet. I found myself tearing up at the end. It just does a really good job at telling a story that may be familiar it's not nothing brand new, but I still think it was a fun film. It should do really, really well in the box office. It's a shame that it's not it, you know it. It did worse than elemental. And so if you listened to katie and i's thoughts on elemental which I think was maybe last season that movie we did not like. We did not like movie. And this movie comes along and it's really sweet, it's really, it is, it's fresh, it's new.
Speaker 1:And a lot of people complain about how everything's remakes and redos and all this stuff and continuations of franchises, and then an original movie comes around and no one supports it. So I don't understand what people want, because when something they say they want comes out, they don't supports it. So I don't understand what people want, because when something they say they want comes out, they don't support it. I think people need to go out and support original movies. They need to seek them out sometimes because, again, this movie was not very well marketed, but they did a really good job. It was a fun sci-fi adventure. I think families should watch it. It tackles a lot of things that I think fathers should watch, mothers should watch, children should watch with their families, because I think it does tell a very compelling story and it just needs to be seen.
Speaker 1:And I'm tired of people complaining about remakes and sequels and stuff like that, which I go see those, especially if they're on my movie list. Then an original thing comes out and people just don't even pay attention to it. So I'm going to give Elio a 4.5 out of 5. I thought it was a lot of fun, it was engaging, it kept my attention the entire time. I think people need to just go out and support movies, especially original ones. Go out and support them because you can't complain that they're not coming out with original stuff and then not go see it when it actually comes out. So that is my thoughts, my short but sweet thoughts on 28 years later and Elio on this cinema Sunday Next weekend. Next Saturday will be F1 and Megan 2.0. And then this Tuesday Katie and I will be talking about I'll be Home for Christmas. So this is the Couch Critic, where every movie gets its close up.
