With the new year starting, I have made it my goal to watch at least four movies a month. Last year I watched a total of 42 movies in theaters, and I want to hit 50 this year. There are so many good movies coming out this year, I mean we’ve got Avengers: Doomsday, Dune Part 3, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and so many more. It’s safe to say this will be a great year for movies.
For the first month of 2026, I saw five movies in theaters, and here are my ratings for each one of them, starting off with my lowest-rated movie.
5. Iron Lung
I was excited going into this movie when I heard that not only is Markiplier starring in it, but he’s also directing. It always fascinates me when a YouTuber makes a film. Last year I saw Chris Stuckman’s Shelby Oaks and I enjoyed it, but unfortunately I can’t say the same for this one. In my opinion, this film could have been shorter. It felt slow to the point that I took a 15-minute nap and didn’t miss anything. It was labeled as a horror movie, but it really wasn’t scary or all that suspenseful, so I was disappointed in that aspect as well. Markiplier did a great job, although it took me about 30 minutes to ignore the fact that he’s Markiplier and not just one of his YouTube videos. Overall, I didn’t really enjoy this movie and would recommend waiting until it comes out on streaming.
Final rating: 6.7/10
4. Mercy
The concept of this movie was really cool. We live in a world where AI is slowly taking over many things, so the plot didn’t feel unrealistic. I just feel like the stakes were a bit low, despite the main character’s life depending on the trial. The twist was good — you can kind of see it coming — but it still surprised me. Chris Pratt played his role well, but in my opinion Rebecca Ferguson stole the spotlight. Regardless, this movie became really suspenseful toward the end and I can’t lie, it had me on the edge of my seat. Overall, I surprisingly enjoyed this movie and would recommend watching it in Dolby if you can.
Final rating: 7/10
3. Primate
When I first saw the trailer for Primate, I was instantly hooked. When I was a little kid, I remember hearing the story of a woman who kept a chimpanzee as a pet and it suddenly attacked her friend — the 911 call still haunts me to this day. So when I saw they were making a horror movie about a chimp going crazy and attacking its family, I knew I had to watch it. This movie managed to be funny and scary at the same time. The chimp was truly horrifying, and I was surprised to learn it wasn’t a real monkey but actually a guy in a costume. I had fun the whole time watching it and genuinely didn’t know how it would end. Overall, it’s a great movie about a monkey going on an insane killing spree.
Final rating: 7.3/10
2. Dead Man’s Wire
I love movies based on real-life events — they’ve always caught my attention and I’m immediately sold. I guess I just love the realism. This movie was a solid adaptation of the Tony Kiritsis incident that happened in 1977. It had a stacked cast with Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, Dacre Montgomery, and even Al Pacino. Directed by Gus Van Sant, who famously directed Good Will Hunting, the pacing here was amazing. I was never bored, and I made sure not to look into the real incident beforehand so I wouldn’t know the ending. It was a suspenseful thriller with high stakes but smooth pacing. Visually, the movie also looked great — the colors and the 1970s aesthetic were done really well. I especially loved Colman Domingo’s portrayal of Fred Temple; something about his voice is just so cool. Overall, I didn’t expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did, so I definitely recommend watching it in theaters.
Final rating: 7.4/10
1. Send Help
After watching Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I was left wanting more Sam Raimi. I grew up watching his Spider-Man movies and I love the Evil Dead films, and this movie definitely fulfilled that craving. This felt like Sam Raimi at his fullest — you can tell he truly enjoyed making it. Rachel McAdams absolutely killed her role. We’re used to seeing her play a love interest, but this movie really stretched her acting talents and she showed out. Dylan O’Brien is making a comeback and portrayed his role extremely well. Like I mentioned before, this film felt like a true Raimi movie: the close-ups, the chaotic screams, and the blood — there was a lot of blood. Nobody could have predicted the ending, and it caught me completely off guard. The movie throws you for a loop and is a full rollercoaster of emotions. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I love both Rachel McAdams and Sam Raimi, so maybe I’m a little biased, but it’s safe to say this is the best movie of the year… so far.
Final rating: 8.2/10
With 11 more months left and a ton of big releases on the way, I’m really excited to keep this movie goal going. January was a solid start, and if the rest of the year keeps this pace, 50 movies might actually be possible. Now it’s time to see what February brings — and hopefully an even higher rating.
Leave a Reply