Movies
[Review] ‘Hardcore Henry’ Is Filled to the Brim With “Holy Sh*t” Moments!
John McClane, Ellen Ripley, Jason Bourne, James Bond.
Many of us have dreamed of what it would be like to be in their shoes.
Hardcore Henry is the first ever feature film to put the viewer directly in the shoes of the hero. Coming on the tail end of the found-footage explosion, it’s either a concept that’s too little, too late… or it’s way ahead of its time.
Ilya Naishuller breaks new ground with Hardcore Henry, his POV action film that just premiered at the Midnight Madness portion of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Beginning much like a POV-style video game, our hero, Henry (that’s you!), wakes up to have his robotic arm and leg attached, only to be interrupted before his voice module can be activated. The film announces itself within 5 minutes and tells the audience that Hardcore Henry can and will go anywhere it wants.
Naishuller introduces a colorful antagonist, Akan (Danila Kozlovsky), a telekinetic who uses psychic powers to throw people around in a room. The audience immediately gasps, and continues to have their collective minds blown as they learn this base is floating in the sky, and have to drop out of an escape pod straight to Earth. It’s the most visceral and intense experience I’ve had in quite some time.
After a harrowing escape, Henry has a run-in with Jimmy* (Sharlto Copley; pictured), who acts as the film’s device to move the character from set piece to set piece.
What’s even more intriguing about the film is that there’s no real race against time, as you would expect, and instead loads the audience’s shoulders with questions that keep it engaging throughout.
As a concept, it’s a bit gimmicky, but the mysterious plot and vibrant characterizations of both Jimmy and Akan keep you mentally checked in just long enough for the next “holy shit” moment.
With that said, here’s how Hardcore Henry is ahead of its time: it’s better off suited as a virtual reality movie. Technology isn’t quite there yet, but those who are into VR understand that it’s the future – and Hardcore Henry is the future of filmmaking. It’s groundbreaking stuff that just touches on what’s to come in cinema.
Outside of the concept, Naishuller keeps the action fresh by mixing up the weapons and scenery, and even pulls the rug out from the audience with an incredible dance number (yup) by Copley*.
And for a movie called Hardcore Henry, it delivers on its promise. Naishuller blasts the audience with one of the most bloody and violent movies in the history of cinema, but manages to keep it fun (even when heads are being ripped apart). The only major issue is that some of the action is hard to see, which happens even in the Bourne films (at least Naishuller has an excuse).
Hardcore Henry is both the past and future of filmmaking, and isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea**. Still, it’s filled to the brim with “holy shit” moments, and if that weren’t enough, Copley’s performance is so good that you won’t be able to stop talking about it. My only hope is that a major studio picks up the remake rights, and pops Naishuller into the world of VR to create the ultimate action experience. Frankly, Hardcore could just have easily been titled Beyond Hardcore…
*There’s a pretty dense story behind Jimmy and I don’t want to ruin it for you. I feel like the mystery behind his character helps with engagement.
**Those with motion sickness BEWARE.
Ghostface is back on the big screen this weekend… well, sort of… with the release of Scary Movie, which marks the Wayans brothers’ return to the horror spoof franchise for the first time since Scary Movie 2 back in the day. It’s likely to be the talk of the horror community for the weekend, but don’t overlook the other six genre movies that were freshly unleashed today.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, June 5, 2026.
The horror spoof franchise is back with Scary Movie now playing in theaters!
Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite for the new Scary Movie, with the cast also including Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Jon Abrahams, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe…
Scary Movie will slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t. A whole lot has changed in the horror genre since the Wayans Brothers were in charge of the franchise; their involvement ended with Scary Movie 2 back in 2001!
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs Scary Movie 6 from a script written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
From IFC, shark attack movie Chum is now available on Digital.
Alice Eve (Haunting of Queen Mary) stars in shark attack movie alongside Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond, Lisa Yaro, Johnny Gaffney, and Sarah Siadat.
This one sounds very similar to last year’s Dangerous Animals…
Here’s the plot: “A newlywed couple joins friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst-transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.”
Jonathan Zuck directs Chum, from a script by Jonathan Zuck and Joe Leone.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) and Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling) come together in Carolina Caroline, a sexy crime thriller now playing in theaters.
It’s not a horror movie, mind you, but it’s worth a mention here all the same.
Kyra Sedgwick (Family Movie) and Jon Gries also star in the romantic crime thriller.
Director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s film stars Samara Weaving as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Kyle Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast.
Adam Rehmeier previously directed the films Dinner in America and Snack Shack.
Tom Dean wrote the screenplay for Carolina Caroline.
Similar to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big screen blockbuster Disclosure Day, Signal One explores humankind’s enduring question: what if we aren’t alone in the universe?
The sci-fi thriller is now available on Digital.
Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Josh Hutcherson (Five Nights at Freddy’s), David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Raoul Bhaneja (Possessor), Emma Ho (“The Expanse”), and Dennis Quaid (The Substance) star in Signal One from director Jonathan Sobol (The Art of the Steal).
When tech billionaire Sam Houston (Quaid) hires the brilliant computer scientist Annika (Fuhrman), she ventures to an isolated facility run by the brilliant, nihilistic creator of LITTLEMOUTH, a machine which can communicate with alien intelligence.
Annika soon learns some humanity-altering facts: that we are not alone in the universe, that alien intelligences are communicating around us at every moment, and that we are likely too primitive to even remotely understand what they are trying to tell us.
When the goal of the endeavor shifts from listening to talking back, the project rapidly devolves into chaos. With contact comes consequences, and soon Annika and the team must work to ensure the very survival of our species.
A schoolyard dare becomes an urban legend in the creepypasta-inspired horror anthology The Summoning. The indie film is now available on Digital from Brainstorm Media.
“A babysitting gig becomes a nightmare of urban legend when three teens summon Baby Blue. Survival depends on uncovering the past to escape a mother’s wrath from beyond the grave.”
Felipe Vargas (Rosario, Hive), Sergio Gonzalez, Brandon Piskorik, Corey Benson Powers, and Brian Sepanzyk direct the segments. Valeria San Martín, Justina Ceballos, Daniela Flombaum, Nannu Spannauss, Agustín Olcese, and Giovanni Onetti star.
The Summoning is written by Camilo Zaffora.
Happy Death Day actress Jessica Rothe stars as a mom struggling to keep her grip on her sanity and memory in the mind-bending Affection, now available on Digital at home.
In Affection, “Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband. She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.“
Joseph Cross (“Big Little Lies”) and Julianna Layne (“Chicago P.D.”) also star in the sci-fi horror thriller. Affection marks the feature debut by writer/director BT Meza.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review out of the film’s premiere, “Affection is steeped in existential questions and fears that plague modern society, while it embraces the ethos of the ’80s through bold body horror. Add to that Rothe’s revelatory performance, and Affection is a hidden gem that will connect with your mind, body, and soul.”
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s latest dark fairy tale, The Ice Tower, loosely reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s fable “The Snow Queen,” and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
In the ’70s set film, “Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot of a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star Cristina (Marion Cotillard), an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.“
Clara Pacini stars as Jeanne. August Diehl and Marine Gesbert also star in The Ice Tower, and look for a cameo from director Gaspar Noé (Climax, Irréversible).
“For me, The Ice Tower solidified Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today,” said distributor Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Joe Yanick.
You must be logged in to post a comment.