Scream 7: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, David Arquette, Roger L. Jackson, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Mark Consuelos, Tim Simons, Matthew Lillard, Joel McHale, Courteney Cox
Director: Kevin Williamson

The latest entrant in the Scream slasher series goes back to its roots.

When Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott thinks she has it all, a new life in a new town, she's shocked to once again receive a taunting call from serial killer Ghostface.

But this time, it's personal with Sidney's daughter is the one being threatened... 

Formulaic suspense, fake-outs, OTT deaths, masked killers and a general malaise pervades much of the latest Scream film, the first to see Neve Campbell return as Final Girl Sidney Prescott after she sat out the prior film.

But this Scream feels more like a whimper with the idea of Sidney taking on a new life as a suburban mom to growingly rebellious teen daughter Tatum (Isabel May) feeling like it's wasted, rather than built upon.

With original scribe Kevin Williamson back and behind the camera, as well as Campbell, you'd expect a meta-film that is full of clever twists and turns. Instead, as Sidney once again battles Ghostface, what emerges is a film that's content to make comments about how Sidney was wise to sit out the events of New York and less interested in advancing or reshaping the genre.

It starts with a pre-titles sequence set in the original Woodsboro house that's now visitable by tourists (Scare BnB, anyone?) but it's limp and obvious in its execution(s).

Messing with the idea that Matthew Lillard's Stu has returned to kill again and dabbling with the idea of deepfakes and AI, Scream 7 had real potential to ensure it was going to be killer. Instead, what emerges is largely filler, that takes nearly 2 hours to play out and has a deeply unsatisfying reveal of the final reasons for the stab-fest.

Campbell's stoic enough and it's good to see her having gone through the transition to becoming more proactive. Cox has a great entrance and little else, and the film's obsession with leaning into examining why everyone could be a suspect leaves you distinctly feeling that all of this has been done before - and better.

The whole thing lacks a freshness and feels like the franchise has fallen foul of itself (the very idea that a rewrite cost $500,000 after Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega dropped out is laughable given how poor it is).

If anything, while box office will probably guarantee a return, creatively, this franchise is done - it's time to stick a knife in its heart and end it for good.

The Odyssey: Movie Review

Cast: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Elliott Page, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, Samantha Morton
Director: Christopher Nolan

Homer's The Odyssey is one of the world's first original stories, a tale of an epic journey written some 3,000 years ago.

So it's perhaps apt that Christopher Nolan's movie is an equally epic outing, lasting nearly 3 hours on screen and cramming in an all-star cast of talent.

And there's no doubting Nolan's ambition here - a film of such immeasurable scale from the very beginning as it follows Damon's Odysseus as he tries to get his men home after the end of the Trojan War.

But it's not all perfect going, no matter how much you're willing to fawn over and fall over the spectacle that plays out.

Its opening is a mess, a mix of exposition and dialogue dumping that's made worse by the almost piecemeal and episodic feel of some of the tribulations of the men as they try to get home. In trying to assemble all the pieces early on, Nolan almost falls over himself and ends up making the start incredibly boring and emotionally bereft as he struggles with the film's flow.

It's not further helped by encounters with the Cyclops which feel rushed and stripped of danger as the men are menaced by a larger-than-life character, with beats of the story sacrificed for speed. Another meeting later with oversized enemies suffers similarly, though the technical execution of this scene (as opposed to the Cyclops, which seems to pay homage to Ray Harryhausen unintentionally and with a blasting score) is impressive and once again a demonstration of the scale of Nolan's ambition.

Fortunately, things become more settled with a disturbing encounter with Samantha Morton's Circe, who proves to be as menacing as she is quiet. And it's here that Nolan appears to be adding layers to the film, presenting a woman on her own that has been affected by the nature of the invaders, leaving her traumatised and with PTSD.

It's a thematic thread which is sown early on and which pays off in the end with Damon's Odysseus showing some of the hubris that Homer intended for him during the oratory of The Odyssey (a man who wouldn't listen to gods, his wife and his men) but adding in a layer at the horror that men do in the search for victory.

It all comes to the boil with the Fall of Troy, the majority of which is saved for the back third of the film, adding a more morally ambiguous edge to proceedings.

Visually, there are moments that soar - early shots in the IMAX presentation reveal the solitude of their quest to return home. A ship alone in turbulent waters, a man walking alone on a seemingly endless beach with debris scattered around him - there's no end to Nolan's visual and visceral take on the Odyssey and it's worth seeing on the largest screen possible because of the craft at play here.

Of the ensemble cast, Himesh Patel deserves praise for his role as Odysseus' second-in-command, whose steely determination to exhort him to listen to his men falls on deaf ears; as mentioned Samantha Morton is uniformly excellent as Circe and while Damon digs deep and delves into darkness for his Odysseus, he's elevated by those around him. Pattinson once again explores his snivelling weasly side as Antonius, and Hathaway has a steely presence as the wife holding court - and hope - after years of her husband's absence.

Perhaps some of the pathos of the original is missing and Nolan sacrifices character moments that matter for visual scale and practical heft, but The Odyssey manages to right its course after some choppy waters to start.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: Season 1 Blu Ray Review

Game Of Thrones certainly knew how to peddle its wares.

From political shenanigans to copious amounts of violence and dense lore, it was an essential watch for fans of the genre. But as the years went on, it became more impenetrable to casual viewers.

So it's pleasing to note that A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is blessed with none of its Game Of Thrones, making it an ultimately more accessible beast to casual viewers - for at least half of the series anyway.

Bathed in a warmer aesthetic and visually lighter than the brooding ways of Westeros, this spin-off from George R R Martin's novella, The Hedge Knight, follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey, wonderfully warm and approachable) as he negotiates life after the death of his Knight mentor.

Determined to seize upon the ways of the Knight and honour what he's been taught, as well as champion the innocent, Ser Dunk (as he's affectionally known) tries to enter a local tournament to gain some standing among the community. However, roundly mocked by all for his incompetence and inexperience, he soon finds himself on the outer edges of that world.

Stumbling across the precocious Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) at an inn one night, Ser Dunk finds himself with an unexpected squire on his journey into the echelons of Westeros society.

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms has a tongue-in-cheek approach to its Westeros lore. 

Within the opening moments alone, the chords of the original Game Of Thrones soundtrack begin blasting away only for the cameras to quickly cut to a shot of Ser Dunk relieving himself from behind a tree. 

There's humour scattered throughout the series too. From the banter between Egg and Ser Dunk to the cutscenes of the reality of Dunk's life as a squire, the series does much to build up a sympathetic and warm approach to its lead, ensuring that you're on his side from the beginning. 

And while the show does little to build any decent female characters outside of a few loose stereotypes, its desire to separate itself from the lore of the original series is to be lauded. For the first three episodes, this is a gently warm show about what honour truly means and how hard it is to do the right thing.

But from the end of episode three's cliffhanger, the show falls back into the darkness of its successor (even visually) and leaves you feeling that once again, being part of Westeros is going to be a burden. Fortunately, Claffey has laid much of the tenderness and groundwork to forgive such concerns, and the fact the show is only six parts long also means that it's worth taking the journey to its conclusion.

If anything, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms shows what TV fantasy can do when it follows the more human trappings and failings of its characters. It's a welcome show that, thanks to episodes that are only around 35 minutes long at the most and dealing in elements that seem like they've evolved from A Knights Tale, feels like it's an engaging portrait of what it means to be a decent person.

If its ending hints at more, then this would be cautiously welcome - though given the coming-of-age elements of the first and the warmth of the Mandalorian-style duo's antics can only be deployed once, it would come with a certain degree of caution.

But thankfully, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms represents the very best of what a genre can do when its source reinvents the world around it. With a few nods to future elements kept thankfully to a minimum, this is a highly accessible series that's more than worth taking a gamble on. 

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced: PS5 Review

Developed by Ubisoft Singapore
Published by Ubisoft
Platform: PS5

Back in 2013, Ubisoft released their much-loved seafaring version of the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Set in a time of piracy and with the traditional Assassin's world mixed in as well, it was a heady concoction - one that offered thrills to players and endless playability thanks to its story and its graphics.

Originally developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the Resynced remake has been taken on by Ubisoft Singapore - and for those worried about whether the game would suffer as a result, there's really no need. It's not a remake per se, but an enhancement of the original, with new content added in a new look in parts to take advantage of the upgraded systems.

For those not in the know, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag follows pirate Edward Kenway, who finds himself yearning to escape the low-paying world of the pirate and heading out to sea for 2 years to earn enough money to keep his wife safe and the wind from blowing through his house.

But when his ship's boarded and attacked and wrecked, he follows a would-be member of the Assassin's Creed syndicate to an island, kills him and then assumes his identity, after being promised a big payday in Havana.

The gameplay is similar but improved on before - and with upgraded graphics, there's a distinctive shine to the world of the pirate and the high seas - even if you can kill someone, dump them in the water and they somehow remain sideways in there... 

Whereas the map is still a big one to explore and sea-faring shenanigans are encouraged, the sense of discovery has been dialled back in line with the Valhalla Assassins, where points appear on the map after you've encountered them or synced up in the world. As a result, the world of Havana and the pirates feels more realistic, rather than feeling like it's a list of perfunctory missions to perform to knock icons off your screen.

With smooth parkour, subtle transitions and combat feeling much easier than before, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced has a way of getting under your gaming skin.

Additional narrative including Blackbeard and more on Stede Bonnet (probably after the success of Our Flag Means Death) gives the game a feeling of depth and immersion - nothing feels like a chore in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced even if there is a nagging doubt of quests hanging over some of the storyline.

Great writing means Edward Kenway's story still stands the test of time and it's easy to see why it remains so beloved in the franchise. Added to the fact that it looks exceptional, (aside from some gravity-related bugs) and plays well, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced is well worth sailing again.

Ride or Die: Review

It would be easy to write off the eight-episode series Ride Or Die as a wannabe.

After all, it riffs on so many familiar ideas - the concept of a friend hiding a secret life from another, a Thelma and Louise-style car and cliff moment, a heroine whose initials are JB and whose opening appearance is an homage to the wintry The Spy Who Loved Me's action scene. 

The references are plenty in this tale of homemaker Debbie (Octavia Spencer) and her best friend Judith (Hannah Waddingham). Friends for over 20 years, Debbie's world is rocked when she discovers Judith is an assassin and the pair is forced on the run through Europe as they try to unravel a conspiracy.

Ride Or Die has a thrilling premiere, directed by Ant-Man's Peyton Reed. Its mix of mystery and typical spy action is fuelled by the chemistry and heart between Waddingham and Spencer.

From Judith's opening salvo of going rogue on a job to stab someone in the heart through to general action that's taut and pacy, the series gets off to a cracking start that mixes the buddy comedy with a genuine heart as the bond between the pair is stretched to breaking point. Add in a plot that sees her agency try to move her on as she becomes a "Woman of a Certain Age" as she approaches 50, and you've got the hint of something a little different.

And yet later episodes start to feel a sag as the weight of the Albanian mob, a conspiracy involving the agency's director (Bill Nighy, solid but relatively impassive), a rogue assassin and political shenanigans all collide uneasily together. Plus, pre-title flashback sequences are so short that they rarely add anything to proceedings in terms of depth and narrative. Six episodes would have sufficed, as opposed to a bloated eight.

But the series' drawcard and its aces remain Waddingham and Spencer. 

Whether it's Judith's ferocious skills in hand-t0-hand sequences or dealing with the changing nature of everything that's thrown at her, Waddingham simply gets it done and has a blast doing so. It's a real pleasure to watch her flex more than just supporting muscles to become the leading lady she's truly meant to be.

However, every hero needs a foil or, in this case, a support - and Spencer more than brilliantly does that too. From organising her inept husband's political diary to seizing the opportunities that come her way, her Debbie is as solid as you'd want a character to be to ensure both the fun and heart of a friendship are kept on the boil.

It's depressing to even state that there should be more series led by women and high in the action stakes on our screens but Ride Or Die makes a compelling case for how the format could thrive. 

Yes, there's a predictability here as it plays out and an ending that suggests those involved expect more - but for a first season, if the uneven edges are reined in, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

All eight episodes of Ride Or Die were viewed for the purpose of this review.
Ride Or Die is streaming now on Prime Video.

Mouse PI for Hire hits 1 million players since launch

Cartoon gaming and a first person shooter has proved to be a success for PlaySide Studios with Mouse PI for Hire hitting 1 million players since launch in April.

Fumi Games and PlaySide Studios are excited to announce that MOUSE: P.I. For Hire has officially surpassed over 1 million players across PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2! Developed by the dedicated Fumi Games team in partnership with PlaySide Studios, the critically acclaimed cartoon shooter achieved this milestone less than three months after its global digital launch on April 16, 2026. Of the over 1 million copies sold, console units comprised approximately 50% of total sales, with the remaining 50% attributed to PC via Steam.

Check out details for digital and physical editions here: https://www.mousethegame.com/buy-now

This huge milestone coincides with the successful physical launch of MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, with both a Standard Edition and a Deluxe MOUSE: P.I. For Hire - Mouseburg Edition releasing worldwide on July 10, 2026. The teams at Fumi and PlaySide have not slowed down with updates either, releasing a string of patches and hotfixes with quality of life improvements and bug fixes, plus a major recent update introducing the highly requested “Level Revisit” feature. Players can now replay previously completed levels, allowing them to grab any collectibles and finish side quests they may have missed on their first playthrough. Read the full Update Notes for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox platforms here, and Nintendo Switch 2 here.

“MOUSE: P.I. For Hire reaching over 1 million players has filled the team with an immeasurable amount of gratitude and appreciation for our community”, says Mateusz Michalak, CEO & Founder of Fumi Games. “From what started as a simple concept of a 1930s themed cartoon shooter, the game has reached more players than we could have possibly imagined. Our priority has always been to put players first, and we have worked incredibly hard to continue to achieve that goal, both throughout the game’s development and also post-launch. With our recent major update introducing Level Revisit, release of physical editions, and also upcoming Story DLC, we hope that players are excited about all things MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. A handcrafted tale born of ink, sweat, and stubborn dreams. From the bottom of our grinning hearts, thank you for supporting us!”.

Just under three months after the game’s digital launch, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire continues to be received positively amongst players and critics alike, maintaining ratings of 94% “Very Positive” on Steam, 8.2 out of 10 on Metacritic, 4.8 out of 5 stars on PlayStation, and 4.8 out of 5 stars on Xbox, with scores on Metacritic and OpenCritic of 80 and 81 respectively. The game is now available to purchase both digitally and physically, with more details available on the official website.

About Fumi Games:

Fumi Games, based in Warsaw, Poland, is an independent game development studio creating visually unique gameplay experiences with a modern twist. Fumi Games’ team of skilled developers and animators bring a fresh perspective to classic game genres.

About PlaySide Studios:

PlaySide Studios is an award-winning, independent video game developer and publisher based in Melbourne, Australia, behind games such as Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, Age of Darkness: Final Stand, KILL KNIGHT, and the Dumb Ways to Die franchise, as well as the publishers for MOUSE: P.I. For Hire and Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown. For more about PlaySide Studios, check out their website.