James Mottram
Select another critic »For 305 reviews, this critic has graded:
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64% higher than the average critic
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3% same as the average critic
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33% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 3.6 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
James Mottram's Scores
- Movies
- TV
| Average review score: | 69 | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest review score: | Whitney | |
| Lowest review score: | The New Mutants | |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 166 out of 305
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Mixed: 131 out of 305
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Negative: 8 out of 305
305
movie
reviews
- By Date
- By Critic Score
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- James Mottram
For the most part returning director Simon McQuoid does little to turn this into anything but a serviceable follow-up to a film that feels outdated and outdone by much better recent video game adaptations.- Radio Times
- Posted May 6, 2026
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- James Mottram
It’s just a shame the formulaic story feels about as paper-thin as you might expect from an adaptation of a ladders-and-levels video game. As is so common in these Hollywood animations, the ‘family is forever’ theme looms large, but never once feels sincere or authentic.- Radio Times
- Posted Mar 31, 2026
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- James Mottram
Like an inoffensive light ale, the result slips down more pleasantly than you might expect.- Radio Times
- Posted Mar 25, 2026
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- James Mottram
The final act doesn't quite pay off, with characters' motives left frustratingly opaque, but the film is blessed with cast-iron performances, especially from Graham and Boon.- Radio Times
- Posted Mar 5, 2026
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- James Mottram
With so many of the gang now in the ground, this swansong doesn’t boast the same punk energy of the show’s early seasons. Only occasionally does it snarl and show its teeth, with flashes of the cold-blooded violence that gave it so much of an edge.- NME
- Posted Mar 5, 2026
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- James Mottram
It’s a good exercise for Cooper in creating something more low-key, even if it doesn’t quite come off. Still, in the days where adult-skewing dramas are becoming an endangered species in movie theatres, this should be applauded for attempting the subject of divorce with a level head.- Radio Times
- Posted Jan 26, 2026
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- James Mottram
Even if No Other Choice will leave you stone-faced, you can’t help but admire the invention on display, especially in later scenes, where Park dips into the surreal.- Radio Times
- Posted Jan 23, 2026
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- James Mottram
Devised by Brutalist composer Daniel Blumberg, the songs are spirited, and Mamma Mia! star Seyfried invests fully. But with characters often reduced to making declamatory statements, it becomes an increasingly vexing exercise.- Radio Times
- Posted Dec 4, 2025
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- James Mottram
Powell is a very watchable everyman, convincingly demonstrating the man of the people integrity of his character. There’s great work too from Colman Domingo as the show’s slick presenter Bobby T and Michael Cera, who plays a loose-cannon contact that Richards makes during his quest for survival. Wright also handles the explosive action well, orchestrating elaborate, kinetic set pieces that throb with excitement.- NME
- Posted Nov 14, 2025
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- James Mottram
Certainly, this lacks the cheekiness of, say, M3GAN. With the exception of an amusing riff about Depeche Mode (better than Mozart, according to Ares), it requires a much-needed humour injection. In Tron terms, the future is less bright than po-faced.- Radio Times
- Posted Oct 7, 2025
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- James Mottram
It would be unfair to claim this closing film concludes on a whimper. But neither is it quite the grand finale the title would have us believe. More like a pleasant stroll with characters you know and love.- Radio Times
- Posted Oct 3, 2025
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- James Mottram
Johnson, looking radically different under a cropped black wig, takes this opportunity and wrestles with it. Not since his work for Michael Bay in Pain & Gain has he done anything this out of his comfort zone.- Radio Times
- Posted Oct 3, 2025
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- James Mottram
This is a typically unsophisticated, heart-in-the-right-place comedy from Sandler, complete with Happy’s four sons mooning and making dick jokes.- NME
- Posted Jul 25, 2025
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- NME
- Posted Jun 9, 2025
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- James Mottram
You won’t be able to shake the feeling that there’s a lack of heart and soul here.- NME
- Posted Mar 12, 2025
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- James Mottram
A few fights enliven proceedings, including one on a road lined with cherry blossom trees. But this is largely dull and disappointing.- NME
- Posted Feb 13, 2025
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- James Mottram
Is it scary? Rarely, to be honest. But it knows how to twist the knife, at least.- NME
- Posted Oct 16, 2024
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- James Mottram
A credible, if slightly limited, prequel that recaptures the atmosphere if not the originality of Rosemary’s Baby.- Total Film
- Posted Sep 20, 2024
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- James Mottram
For those looking for an easy-on-the-eye, brain-in-neutral-thriller, Wolfs still hits the spot.- Total Film
- Posted Sep 3, 2024
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- James Mottram
It’s just a pity that the storytelling sprawls all over the place, with some plotlines (like the Beetlejuice/Delores discord) failing to pay off. But mostly Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a fun afterlife frolic.- Total Film
- Posted Aug 28, 2024
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- James Mottram
But as the film lurches into the final third, there’s little emotional sustenance to keep you going. Just one yawn-worthy twist and some dud CGI. Avoid.- NME
- Posted Aug 8, 2024
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- James Mottram
Murphy’s youthful cheekiness has long gone, stripping this sequel of some of its verve. But this is still an enjoyable, affable reunion: the heat is just about back on.- NME
- Posted Jul 5, 2024
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- James Mottram
The final act loses its way, but in the main West wraps his slasher trilogy in satisfying style, putting a blood-soaked, Hollywood-branded bow on his eras-spanning saga.- Total Film
- Posted Jun 26, 2024
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- James Mottram
The cast is given a boost by the star power of Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Paolo Núñez all reprising their roles as members of AMMO (Advanced Miami Metro Operations), plus Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn joining as the ballsy US Marshall daughter of the accused Captain Howard. It’s just a shame they’re all woefully underused in a story that feels so same-old-same-old.- NME
- Posted Jun 4, 2024
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- James Mottram
As ever, Cronenberg leaves you with much to chew on, but dramatically The Shrouds feels rather inert, as if it can’t get out of second gear- Total Film
- Posted May 22, 2024
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- James Mottram
It’s entertaining to a point. ... But whether the filmmakers truly get under Trump’s skin is debatable. Do we learn much new about him? Perhaps not, but it’s an absorbing journey all the same.- Total Film
- Posted May 20, 2024
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- James Mottram
A competent if occasionally clunky biopic, enlivened by a superb Marisa Abela, who truly inhabits Winehouse and brings those songs to life.- Total Film
- Posted Apr 9, 2024
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- James Mottram
Wingard does try out something different here, creating long dialogue-free sequences where it’s just the monsters going toe-to-toe. With Wingard relying on gestures, grunts and groans from his alpha-beasts, it’s like watching the most expensive silent movie ever made.- NME
- Posted Mar 28, 2024
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- James Mottram
Too many characters and callbacks plus a formulaic plot means Frozen Empire doesn’t touch the original movies, but it’s a likeable-enough brand extension.- Total Film
- Posted Mar 20, 2024
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- James Mottram
In the end, Road House is a solid actioner, a frolic that Liman marshals competently. This is a fun Friday-night fight-fest, best enjoyed with a few bevvies – brash, loud, knockabout and liable to leave you with a cauliflower ear or two.- Total Film
- Posted Mar 15, 2024
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