David Chen

David Chen Decoding Everything Jul 28, 2026 There are some genuinely breathtaking moments in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Director Daniel Destin Cretton employs some lovely filmmaking tricks to really place us in Spider-Man's subjective point of view. Go to Full Review Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) 90% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jul 15, 2026 Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a spectacular, epic, unforgettable adventure film that makes an ancient text relevant for the modern era. Go to Full Review The Odyssey (2026) 94% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything May 7, 2026 Mortal Kombat II proceeds at a blistering pace, shedding character development and conventional notions of pacing in favor of fight fight FIGHT. Go to Full Review Mortal Kombat II (2025) 63% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Apr 19, 2026 This is Soderbergh as a minimalist filmmaker but that’s by no means a bad thing. The film mostly rests on the strength of Ed Solomon’s script and Coel and McKellen’s performances, the latter of whom have lovely chemistry together. Go to Full Review The Christophers (2025) 95% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Apr 19, 2026 The Mummy feels like a maximalist film, where all the impulses of the director are on full display. There’s maiming and self-harm and vomiting — virtually every bodily fluid comes out to play. Go to Full Review Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026) 45% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Apr 2, 2026 The primary issue with 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' is that there are no stakes to anything that's happening on screen. Go to Full Review The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) 42% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Feb 27, 2026 Even at their worst, the Scream films have always at least tried to inject interesting ideas about fandom and horror culture into their storylines. That trend comes to an end with Scream 7. Go to Full Review Scream 7 (2026) 29% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Feb 3, 2026 Take Me Home is relentless in its depiction of what taking care of someone with a disability entails–the exhaustion, the constant decision-making, the non-negotiables, and the things you barely let slide. Go to Full Review Take Me Home (2026) 93% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Feb 3, 2026 Filmed over the course of a decade, One in a Million is an incredible document of the life of a refugee. Go to Full Review One in a Million (2026) 100% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jan 18, 2026 I've seen 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and I'm pleased to say, this film rips. Go to Full Review 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 91% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Nov 2, 2025 What Bugonia does so effectively is capture this specific moment of American unravelling. Go to Full Review Bugonia (2025) 87% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Nov 2, 2025 [T]he film makes a few massive missteps. Its biggest one is telling these events from three different perspectives. Go to Full Review A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (2025) 75% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Sep 20, 2025 "The script also has a wonderful economy to it; we only get glimpses of the outside world but it’s enough to understand what the rules are and what the stakes are for each participant." Go to Full Review The Long Walk (2025) 88% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Sep 20, 2025 [W]hile the movie starts in a relatively grounded place, it eventually goes completely off the rails to the point of being laughable. Go to Full Review HIM (2025) 30% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jul 22, 2025 To me, making a movie like this in which all sides are bad actors and in which the only character given any interiority whatsoever is the protagonist who’s violently anti-science is not only irresponsible, it’s morally reprehensible. Go to Full Review Eddington (2025) 69% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jul 22, 2025 In addition to kickstarting Phase Six of the MCU, the film also tries to introduce us to a version of these iconic comic book characters that doesn’t suck. It largely succeeds at both. Go to Full Review The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) 86% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jul 8, 2025 The biggest accomplishment of Gunn’s Superman is that it restores the heart and humanity to one of our most beloved and iconic superheroes. Go to Full Review Superman (2025) 83% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jun 27, 2025 I don’t know how to describe it other than that it’s one of the most impressive IMAX experiences I’ve ever had. Go to Full Review F1 The Movie (2025) 82% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jun 17, 2025 'Chuck' affirms the importance of living life to the fullest and asks us to contemplate our place in the universe. Go to Full Review The Life of Chuck (2024) 80% - -

David Chen Decoding Everything Jun 17, 2025 There are a handful of ways that the new film improves on (or at least offers a different take on) what the original film was trying to do. In particular, everything involving dragons in this movie looks incredible. Go to Full Review How to Train Your Dragon (2025) 78% - -