James Mottram

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For 305 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 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: 100 Whitney
Lowest review score: 20 The New Mutants
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 8 out of 305
305 movie reviews
    • 47 Metascore
    • 40 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director Simon McQuoid does little to turn this into anything but a serviceable follow-up to a film that feels outdated and outdone by much better recent video game adaptations.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 40 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.
    • 39 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Like an inoffensive light ale, the result slips down more pleasantly than you might expect.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 40 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.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Well made, but instantly forgettable.
    • 30 Metascore
    • 40 James Mottram
    You won’t be able to shake the feeling that there’s a lack of heart and soul here.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 40 James Mottram
    A few fights enliven proceedings, including one on a road lined with cherry blossom trees. But this is largely dull and disappointing.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Is it scary? Rarely, to be honest. But it knows how to twist the knife, at least.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    A credible, if slightly limited, prequel that recaptures the atmosphere if not the originality of Rosemary’s Baby.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    For those looking for an easy-on-the-eye, brain-in-neutral-thriller, Wolfs still hits the spot.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 26 Metascore
    • 40 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.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 40 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.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 40 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
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    A competent if occasionally clunky biopic, enlivened by a superb Marisa Abela, who truly inhabits Winehouse and brings those songs to life.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 60 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.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 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.

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