Welcome to the full archive of film reviews on Rhiann’s Reels.
Here you will reviews of both recent releases, classic films and everything in between, many with a focus on character, storytelling and emotional impact.
- F1 (2025) Review – Fast Cars, Familiar Course
In one sentence: F1 follows an ageing racing driver who is lured back onto the Formula One circuit to help rescue a struggling team, forcing him to confront his past,… Read more: F1 (2025) Review – Fast Cars, Familiar Course - Adore (2013) Review – Tides of Desire
In one sentence: Adore follows two lifelong friends who find their bond tested when each begins a secret affair with the other’s son, setting in motion a tangled web of… Read more: Adore (2013) Review – Tides of Desire - Sinners (2025) Review – Monsters, Men and Moral Reckoning
In one sentence: Sinners follows twin brothers who return to 1930s Mississippi to open a blues bar, only to find themselves trapped overnight when a group of vampires seek entry,… Read more: Sinners (2025) Review – Monsters, Men and Moral Reckoning - Together (2025) Review – When ‘We’ Replaces ‘Me’
In one sentence: Together tells the story of a long term couple who, after a supernatural encounter, are unable to stay physically apart and are forced to confront the unsettling… Read more: Together (2025) Review – When ‘We’ Replaces ‘Me’ - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) Review – A Musical That Rains Emotion
In one sentence: A pair of young lovers are separated by war and circumstance, discovering that first love does not always survive the realities of adulthood. Few films suit a… Read more: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) Review – A Musical That Rains Emotion - Sentimental Value (2026) Review – A Quiet Study of Love, Loss and Legacy
In one sentence: Sentimental Value follows a troubled theatre actress forced to confront her past when her estranged filmmaker father returns home with a deeply personal script that reopens old… Read more: Sentimental Value (2026) Review – A Quiet Study of Love, Loss and Legacy - Wuthering Heights (2026) Review – Style, Shock and Stormy Passion
In one sentence: In Emerald Fennell’s bold reimagining of Wuthering Heights, the fierce bond between Cathy and the brooding Heathcliff is tested by ambition, betrayal and the pull of social… Read more: Wuthering Heights (2026) Review – Style, Shock and Stormy Passion - Master Cheng (2019) Review – A Slow Burn Served with Heart
In one sentence: When a widowed Chinese chef and his young son arrive in a quiet Finnish town searching for a mysterious contact, an unexpected kitchen partnership sparks healing, friendship… Read more: Master Cheng (2019) Review – A Slow Burn Served with Heart - Ella McCay (2025) Review – A Film That Tries to Be Everything
In one sentence: Thrust into leadership by circumstance, Ella McCay struggles to balance public responsibility with private chaos as everything threatens to collapse at once. Some films try to balance… Read more: Ella McCay (2025) Review – A Film That Tries to Be Everything - Bugonia (2025) Review – Paranoia Has a Sting
In one sentence: Bugonia follows two conspiracy-obsessed cousins who kidnap a powerful tech CEO, convinced she is an alien intent on wiping out humanity. In an effort to watch all… Read more: Bugonia (2025) Review – Paranoia Has a Sting - Blue Moon (2025) Review – Watching Success From the Sidelines
In one sentence: Set over the opening night of Oklahoma!, Blue Moon follows lyricist, Lorenz Hart, as he spends a lonely evening in a hotel bar reckoning with professional displacement… Read more: Blue Moon (2025) Review – Watching Success From the Sidelines - Titanic (1997) Review – The Gold Standard of Epic Cinema
In one sentence: Titanic follows a forbidden love between Jack and Rose, two young passengers from opposite worlds aboard the ill-fated ship. With Titanic’s long-standing Oscar nomination record recently surpassed… Read more: Titanic (1997) Review – The Gold Standard of Epic Cinema - Kangaroo (2026) Review – Finding Purpose in the Australian Outback
In one sentence: Kangaroo follows a disgraced TV weatherman and a grieving young girl whose shared care for an orphaned joey leads them both toward healing, purpose and an unexpected… Read more: Kangaroo (2026) Review – Finding Purpose in the Australian Outback - Primate (2026) Review – From Pet to Predator
In one sentence: Primate follows a family whose pet chimpanzee contracts rabies, turning a quiet weekend in their remote Hawaiian home into a brutal fight for survival. Horror remains one… Read more: Primate (2026) Review – From Pet to Predator - Pillion (2025) Review – When Intimacy Defies Expectation
In one sentence: Pillion shows a shy, sheltered man who enters into a consensual dom/sub relationship with an aloof biker, forcing both characters and audience to confront uncomfortable questions about… Read more: Pillion (2025) Review – When Intimacy Defies Expectation - Die My Love (2025) Review – A Portrait of Postpartum Descent
In one sentence: Die My Love presents a new mother’s descent into postnatal depression and psychosis that is intensified by isolation, dislocation and the emotional fallout of motherhood. We are… Read more: Die My Love (2025) Review – A Portrait of Postpartum Descent - The Housemaid (2025) Review – Lust, Lies and Locked Rooms
In one sentence: The Housemaid follows young woman, Millie, who takes a live-in job with a wealthy couple, only to find herself trapped in a seductive, gaslit power game where… Read more: The Housemaid (2025) Review – Lust, Lies and Locked Rooms - Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025) Review – Less Myth, More Man
In one sentence: Set during the recording of Nebraska, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere follows a young Bruce Springsteen as personal trauma and rising fame collide, forcing him to confront… Read more: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025) Review – Less Myth, More Man - One Battle After Another (2025) Review – Revolution Without Rest
In one sentence: One Battle After Another follows a former revolutionary forced back into conflict when the past he tried to escape comes violently for his daughter. Cinema often treats… Read more: One Battle After Another (2025) Review – Revolution Without Rest - Hamnet (2026) Review – A Raw Meditation on Grief
In one sentence: Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s best selling novel, Hamnet explores the impact of the death of Shakespeare’s young son and how this loss was transformed into art through… Read more: Hamnet (2026) Review – A Raw Meditation on Grief - Rental Family (2026) Review – Performing Connection in a Lonely World
In one sentence: Rental Family follows a struggling American actor in Tokyo who finds unexpected purpose when he begins performing emotional roles in real people’s lives, blurring the line between… Read more: Rental Family (2026) Review – Performing Connection in a Lonely World - Permission (2017) Review – Testing the Boundaries of Commitment
In one sentence: Permission follows a long term couple who, on the brink of engagement, agree to explore other relationships, only to discover that freedom comes with unexpected consequences. How… Read more: Permission (2017) Review – Testing the Boundaries of Commitment - Balloon (2018) Review – A Remarkable True Escape
In one sentence: Balloon tells the astonishing true story of two families who attempt to escape across the Iron Curtain in a homemade hot air balloon. Mark Twain once said… Read more: Balloon (2018) Review – A Remarkable True Escape - Nuremberg (2025) Review – Power, Psychology and Accountability
In one sentence: Set in the aftermath of the WWII, Nuremberg follows American psychiatrist, Douglas Kelley, tasked with assessing captured Nazi leaders, as psychological power games and moral dilemmas shape… Read more: Nuremberg (2025) Review – Power, Psychology and Accountability - Summer in February (2013) Review – When Art and Love Collide
In one sentence: Summer in February follows two close friends in pre WWI Cornwall whose bond is tested when a young woman enters their creative circle, igniting desire, rivalry and… Read more: Summer in February (2013) Review – When Art and Love Collide - Maggie’s Plan (2015) Review – A Rom-Com That Knows Life Is Complicated
In one sentence: Maggie’s Plan follows a single woman determined to become a mother on her own, whose carefully laid plans unravel when she falls for a married academic. Romantic… Read more: Maggie’s Plan (2015) Review – A Rom-Com That Knows Life Is Complicated - The Mastermind (2025) Review – A Crime Film That Moves at a Crawl
In one sentence: Set in the 1970s, The Mastermind follows a failed architect whose bungling attempt at an art theft leaves him on the run. Josh O’Connor is one of… Read more: The Mastermind (2025) Review – A Crime Film That Moves at a Crawl - On Swift Horses (2025) Review – When Longing Outpaces Action
In one sentence: On Swift Horses is a post-war American drama following Muriel and Julius as they navigate repression, risk, and emotional longing in the aftermath of the Korean War.… Read more: On Swift Horses (2025) Review – When Longing Outpaces Action - Savages (2025) Review – When Animation Takes on Deforestation
In one sentence: Savages is a stop-motion animated film that turns deforestation and overconsumption into an expressive and striking narrative. We hear a great deal about how overconsumption drives deforestation… Read more: Savages (2025) Review – When Animation Takes on Deforestation - The Ticket (2016) Review – A Modern Moral Fable
In one sentence: The Ticket is a modern moral fable in which a blind man’s newfound vision forces him to confront his life. Growing up, many of us encountered Aesop’s… Read more: The Ticket (2016) Review – A Modern Moral Fable - The Call of the Wild (2020) Review – A Journey Back to Instinct
In one sentence: The Call of the Wild follows Buck the dog as he adapts to the harsh Yukon wilderness and discovers his primal instincts. Jack London’s The Call of… Read more: The Call of the Wild (2020) Review – A Journey Back to Instinct - Troll (2022) Review – A Nordic Legend Goes Large
In one sentence: Troll is a Norwegian creature feature that brings ancient folklore and large-scale action together in a dramatic, monster-driven narrative. Cinema has always had a fondness for creature… Read more: Troll (2022) Review – A Nordic Legend Goes Large - Ideal Home (2018) Review – Love, Laughter and an Unlikely Family
In one sentence: Ideal Home is a warm comedy about an unlikely family navigating unexpected guardianship and the joys and frustrations that come with it. There was a time when… Read more: Ideal Home (2018) Review – Love, Laughter and an Unlikely Family - The Salt Path (2025) Review – When ‘Based on a True Story’ Becomes Complicated
In one sentence: The Salt Path follows a couple who, after losing their home, set out on a long coastal walk that becomes a test of resilience and endurance. Based… Read more: The Salt Path (2025) Review – When ‘Based on a True Story’ Becomes Complicated - A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) Review – A Magical Detour into Self-Reflection
In one sentence: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a magical realism film that follows a couple on an unexpected road of reflection and self-discovery. What would you say if… Read more: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) Review – A Magical Detour into Self-Reflection - Jay Kelly (2025) Review – All the Right Faces, Not Quite the Right Film
In one sentence: Jay Kelly is a star-studded character study that examines fame and the tension between public success and personal fulfilment. Netflix’s latest release, Jay Kelly is brimming with… Read more: Jay Kelly (2025) Review – All the Right Faces, Not Quite the Right Film - It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) Review – A Christmas Story of Kindness and Community
In one sentence: It Happened on 5th Avenue is a classic festive tale of kindness and community in post-war New York. Christmas is synonymous with generosity and togetherness and most… Read more: It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) Review – A Christmas Story of Kindness and Community - Eternity (2025) Review – Love, Choice and the Afterlife
In one sentence: Eternity is a speculative comedy drama that envisions the afterlife as a choice-filled journey where individuals decide their eternal destination. Most of us have probably wondered what… Read more: Eternity (2025) Review – Love, Choice and the Afterlife - Krampus (2015) Review – A Christmas Horror with a Conscience
In one sentence: Krampus is a Christmas horror that spins Alpine folklore into a dark tale about family tension and festive belief. Christmas films do not always have to be… Read more: Krampus (2015) Review – A Christmas Horror with a Conscience - Bell, Book and Candle (1958) Review – A Bewitching Christmas Classic
In one sentence: Bell, Book and Candle is a festive romantic classic blending witchcraft, love and ‘50s style. James Stewart is perhaps best known for Christmas favourite It’s a… Read more: Bell, Book and Candle (1958) Review – A Bewitching Christmas Classic - Delivery by Christmas (2022) Review – A Polish Christmas with Heart and Humour
In one sentence: Delivery by Christmas centres on delivery driver, Maria, whose parcels are tampered with before Christmas, setting off a chain of events that leads to both comedic moments… Read more: Delivery by Christmas (2022) Review – A Polish Christmas with Heart and Humour - The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) Review – A Charming Peek Behind a Christmas Classic
In one sentence: The Man Who Invented Christmas follows Charles Dickens as he struggles to write A Christmas Carol, blurring imagination and reality in the process. We all know the… Read more: The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) Review – A Charming Peek Behind a Christmas Classic - After the Hunt (2025) Review – A Tangle of Ethics, Power and Unanswered Questions
In one sentence: After the Hunt is a character-driven drama that explores ethics and power dynamics in the wake of a sexual assault allegation. After the Hunt recently arrived on… Read more: After the Hunt (2025) Review – A Tangle of Ethics, Power and Unanswered Questions - Wicked: For Good (2025) Review – Hitting the Notes, Even If Not All the High Ones
In one sentence: Wicked: For Good follows Elphaba and Glinda as the consequences of their choices reshape their friendship and their place in Oz. One year after Wicked cast its… Read more: Wicked: For Good (2025) Review – Hitting the Notes, Even If Not All the High Ones - Wicked (2024) Review – A Spellbinding Spectacle Worth the Hype
In one sentence: Wicked is a film adaptation of the celebrated stage musical that reimagines the early lives of the witches of Oz. In anticipation of the release of Wicked:… Read more: Wicked (2024) Review – A Spellbinding Spectacle Worth the Hype - The Life of Chuck (2025) Review – A Life-Affirming Story with an Unexpected Sadness
In one sentence: The Life of Chuck explores an ordinary life in reverse, reflecting on memory, loss and the significance of human connection. With Stephen King’s latest adaptation, The Life… Read more: The Life of Chuck (2025) Review – A Life-Affirming Story with an Unexpected Sadness - Love Me (2025) Review – A Film Overwhelmed by Its Own Ambition
In one sentence: Love Me imagines a future in which two artificial intelligences form a relationship by learning about human love through the digital traces people leave behind. Science fiction… Read more: Love Me (2025) Review – A Film Overwhelmed by Its Own Ambition - Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) Review – The Anatomy of a Marriage
In one sentence: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a searing domestic drama that examines a marriage’s fractures through sharp dialogue and convincing performances. This year marks the centenary… Read more: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) Review – The Anatomy of a Marriage - Frankenstein (2025) Review – A New Perspective on a Timeless Monster
In one sentence: Frankenstein is a reinterpretation of the classic tale that emphasises humanity and monstrosity over simple horror. Guillermo del Toro’s much-anticipated Frankenstein arrived on Netflix yesterday. I initially… Read more: Frankenstein (2025) Review – A New Perspective on a Timeless Monster - Rogue (2007) Review – Australia’s Underrated Creature Feature
In one sentence: Rogue is an Australian creature feature that follows a tourist group’s harrowing encounter with a deadly crocodile. Creature features vary wildly in quality, but Rogue, from Wolf… Read more: Rogue (2007) Review – Australia’s Underrated Creature Feature - Storm Boy (2019) Review – A Story of Land, Loss and a Pelican Named Mr. Percival
In one sentence: Storm Boy is a tender story of a boy, his bond with a pelican and the environment that surrounds them. Storm Boy is a film that wears… Read more: Storm Boy (2019) Review – A Story of Land, Loss and a Pelican Named Mr. Percival - Dear Frankie (2004) Review – A Romantic Drama That Subverts the Expected
In one sentence: Dear Frankie follows a mother who writes letters to her son, pretending to be his absent father and the fragile situation that unfolds when she asks a… Read more: Dear Frankie (2004) Review – A Romantic Drama That Subverts the Expected - I’m Your Man (2021) Review – Can Love Be Engineered?
In one sentence: I’m Your Man is a German romantic sci-fi that explores love, companionship and what it means to choose the right partner. There are films that announce their… Read more: I’m Your Man (2021) Review – Can Love Be Engineered? - The Ugly Stepsister (2025) Review – A ‘Grimm’ Retelling of Cinderella
In one sentence: The Ugly Stepsister is a reimagined Cinderella story that delves into beauty standards and unrealistic expectations we have on ourselves and others. We all know Cinderella, or… Read more: The Ugly Stepsister (2025) Review – A ‘Grimm’ Retelling of Cinderella - Nosferatu (1922) Review – The Film That Defined a Genre
In one sentence: Nosferatu follows Thomas Hutter’s journey from Wisborg to Transylvania to meet Count Orlok, whose later arrival in Wisborg unleashes death on the town. Vampire films remain endlessly… Read more: Nosferatu (1922) Review – The Film That Defined a Genre - Eden (2025) Review – The Perils of Chasing Paradise
In one sentence: Eden depicts an attempt to build a utopian community on a largely uninhabitable remote island and the tensions that emerge. Ron Howard’s latest film, Eden, is a… Read more: Eden (2025) Review – The Perils of Chasing Paradise - Regretting You (2025) Review – Colleen Hoover’s Latest Adaptation Fails to Find Its Heart
In one sentence: Regretting You follows a mother and daughter, Morgan and Clara, whose relationship is tested by grief, secrets and their respective romances. The drama around It Ends With… Read more: Regretting You (2025) Review – Colleen Hoover’s Latest Adaptation Fails to Find Its Heart - Dangerous Animals (2025) Review – When the Real Monsters Are Not in the Water
In one sentence: Dangerous Animals follows Zephyr, a surfer abducted by a shark-obsessed boat captain, who is forced to survive and escape while held captive at sea. I have long… Read more: Dangerous Animals (2025) Review – When the Real Monsters Are Not in the Water - Materialists (2025) Review – A Modern Love Story That is More Than Meets the Eye
In one sentence: Materialists follows Lucy, a Manhattan matchmaker whose approach to dating is disrupted when she becomes involved with two very different men, one wealthy and one struggling. Celine… Read more: Materialists (2025) Review – A Modern Love Story That is More Than Meets the Eye - Touch (2024) Review – A Story That Reaches Across Time
In one sentence: Touch follows Kristófer, an elderly widower who, after difficult medical news as the Covid pandemic begins, travels to London to search for his long-lost love, Miko. In… Read more: Touch (2024) Review – A Story That Reaches Across Time - Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Review – Still Biting After All These Years
In one sentence: Little Shop of Horrors follows florist Seymour, who discovers a strange, fast-growing plant that he names Audrey II and as it thrives, it demands increasingly drastic measures… Read more: Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Review – Still Biting After All These Years - The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025) Review – A Yacht Whodunnit that Never Quite Sets Sail
In one sentence: The Woman in Cabin 10 follows journalist, Lo, on a luxury cruise who believes she has witnessed a woman’s disappearance, only to be told that no such… Read more: The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025) Review – A Yacht Whodunnit that Never Quite Sets Sail - A Nice Indian Boy (2024) Review – Proof There is Still Life in the Rom-Com
In one sentence: A Nice Indian Boy follows Naveen’s efforts to find a partner acceptable to his family, which becomes complicated when he meets Jay. I used to love romantic… Read more: A Nice Indian Boy (2024) Review – Proof There is Still Life in the Rom-Com - A Different Man (2024) Review – A Dark Study of Jealousy, Identity and Transformation
In one sentence: A Different Man follows aspiring actor, Edward, living with a facial disfigurement who undergoes an experimental procedure to change his appearance, only to find his life complicated… Read more: A Different Man (2024) Review – A Dark Study of Jealousy, Identity and Transformation - The Guest (2014) Review – A Killer Choice for Halloween Viewing
In one sentence: The Guest follows charismatic soldier, David, whose arrival at a family home escalates into deadly tension. With Halloween approaching, it is time to start the seasonal movie… Read more: The Guest (2014) Review – A Killer Choice for Halloween Viewing - Welcome to Rhiann’s Reels
Movies have the power to transport us anywhere, within or beyond this world. They can excite, devastate, entertain, and comfort us. They also educate us, revealing things we might never… Read more: Welcome to Rhiann’s Reels
Rhiann’s Reels 