House of the Dragon Season 3 (2026) Review 

Ever since Game of Thrones ended, HBO have been looking for a new powerhouse in this universe and we are now into the third season of House of the Dragon and today saw the season finale and here is my review. The premise of the season sees after the events of season 2, Rhaenyra is mustering her forces together with the aim to take Kings Landing, finding new and old enemies knocking at her door. 

Main Character 

Emma D'Arcy is back as Rhaenyra and I thought she was great this season. It is a very different role for her then in the previous seasons. She has to really deal with more of the political side of the game and she becomes a bit more cold and calculated as the show goes on and I liked that about her character. 

Matt Smith plays Daemon again and he is my favourite character once again. He is no longer side lined like he was in Season 2 and he is back to his awesome and brutal self. He has a good character arc and it shows some new sides to the character and Smith just totally nails it. 

Supporting Characters

The newest character is Ormond Hightower and he is played by James Norton, with him being one of the best characters in the season. He is so smarmy but charismatic and it is hard to take your eyes off of this guy when he is on screen. 

Tom Glynn-Carney plays Ageon and though he was in a bad way at the end of last season he is still given a really interesting story here. It really seems him at the lowest of the low but I just think by the end it really is worthwhile and puts him in a really good position. 

Olivia Cooke plays Alicent again and she has way more scenes with Rhaenyra, which for me is when the character is at its best. She is solid in her role and though her story isn't the most glamorous it works and she gives it her all. 

I wanted to give a shout out to Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole. He has been a hated character over the last 3 seasons and I genuinely think this is due to his quality as an actor. He gives such a confident but unnerving performance this season and I really felt this was the most interesting he has ever been. 

I just wanted to say credit to every actor and actress for their performances this season and I still think the acting is the best part of the show. 

Story

The story is a bit of a mixed bag. It has much higher stakes then the previous season and I felt like they progressed the character development quite a lot and got the audience to a much better position then it was in last season. But, I still think the season wasn't as big as it could have done and there are just so many characters and arcs that it once again struggles to balance them. 

Script

The script is much better for this season. I think the dialogue is much more effective and really fits the characters. There were big moments and big character development that maybe wasn't present last season and that is good to see. 

Style

The show still has a a huge budget and it is really effective in the action scenes. They are brutal and really effective. However, the pacing isn't always great and I found certain parts of the show to be pretty slow and paced poorly. 

Overall

Overall, House of The Dragon Season 3 is a Great Season of Television. It gets back to the quality of the first season and does deliver for the most part. My hope is that they can improve more and really give us an even better season. 

Rating - 8/10

The Odyssey (2026) Review

For many years now, Christopher Nolan films have become a huge part of the Movie calendar for every film fan and this year we have the newest film in his directorial filmography - The Odyssey. I realise that I am super late to see this film but I have now watched one of the biggest films of the year and here is my review for The Odyssey. The premise of the film sees a Greek Commander and his crew attempt to make their way home, while trouble at home causes others to take big risks. 

Main Character

Matt Damon plays Odysseus and he is fantastic as the lead here. His character goes through a lot during the film and you really gain sympathy for him. He is more then this solider, he is quite a tragic character, he really cares about his soldiers and he just really struggles throughout the film and Damon really nails it and truly delivers as the main character here. 

Supporting Characters

Robert Pattison plays Antinous and boy if he wasn't there before this is a real star making performance for Pattison. He is one of the most hated villains I have seen in a movie and he really nails ever scene that he is in. I loved his performance and every scene that he was in. 

Tom Holland plays Telemachus and he is really great too. This is a really strong performance from him and it is genuinely really nice to see him thrive in a role that isn't Spider-Man. He has a solid story arc throughout the film and it was a nice coming of age story. 

Anne Hathaway plays Penelope and she is really great in this role. She really gives the emotional side of the character really well but is also strong and really feels like the strong queen that she is. It isn't a huge role but she is great and I think gives everything she has. 

This film has a huge cast and everybody is fantastic. Himesh Patel and John Leguizamo had surprisingly larger roles then I expected and really did great stuff. Elliot Page and John Bernthal added plenty to their roles as well. Charlize Theron and Zendaya have smaller roles but do some solid work. 

Story

The story has plenty going on and in my opinion it was all done really well. I was fascinated in watching Odysseus and his crews journey and it kept going with the twists and turns. The stuff involving Antinous and Telemachus could have been a bit dull but it really wasn't and added so much contrasting well with the main plot. It also has a really satisfying final act that really brought everything together really well. 

Script

The script is really good. There is so much drama here and really thought provoking which really established these characters. It has some really interesting writing and it didn't feel overplayed which I really appreciated and fit with the overall tone of the film. 

Style

The film looks absolutely stunning. It really takes some risks with its filmmaking and it really worked for me. It truly feels epic and fits the bill of this huge blockbuster and I feel like it has to be appreciated on the big screen. This film is almost 3 hours and the biggest compliment I can give it, is that it didn't feel like it and really had me engrossed throughout the entire thing. 

Overall

Overall, The Odyssey is an epic film that has to be seen on the big screen. Nolan has knocked it out of the park again and I loved watching The Odyssey and feel like this film will be remembered for a long time to come. 

Rating - 10/10

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Review

It has been five year since the excellent Spider-Man: No Way Home and we now have got our next Tom Holland led Spider-Man film with Brand New Day. I went into a packed cinema to watch it today and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees Peter Parker attempt to navigate adult life alone as he tries to balance being Spider-Man with the new things going on in his life. 

Main Character

I feel like every time there is a solo Spider-Man film led by Tom Holland, I always say that it is his best performance in the role and this is no different. He is excellent here and this is easily the darkest portrayal of the character that he has had to portray. There is so much going on with his character and Holland nails it and makes me really care about Peter and the struggles that he is in. 

Supporting Characters

Zendaya is back as MJ and I actually found her part in the film to be really well realised. Obviously, she can't remember who Peter is and I think that made the dynamic really different here and it felt like a natural progression for her character and their relationship. 

I was nervous when Jon Bernthal was announced to be playing The Punisher here, that they would neuter him. But I am happy to report that they don't and it feels like a slightly toned down version of the great character we have. The chemistry between Holland & Bernthal is off the charts and for me is one of the aspects that carries the film. 

Sadie Sink plays the villain here and I won't mention her role as it wasn't revealed before the films release. She was really good in the film, I think her character had a few issues but that doesn't take away the really good performance by Sink. 

Smaller roles for Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova and Liz Colon-Zayas as DeWolff were fun characters and even though they weren't in the film that much, they added just about enough. 

Story

The story is good. I really liked the personal nature of Peter's story as he goes through these mental and physical issues that really change how he is seen as Spider-Man. I also liked Sadie Sink's characters overall story and arc throughout the last arc of the film. However, the film has way too much going on in it to really develop everything as much as it should. There are a few characters and story bits that could have been cut out of the film to give the major story beats a bit more depth and make it a really amazing story. 

Script

The script is great. As I mentioned above, this is probably the darkest Spider-Man film that has ever been made and the dialogue and writing really sells that and takes this usually light hearted character into some dark places. But it also knows when to have fun and the humour still works, making it an overall great experience. 

Style

The action scenes are superb. We had a change in director for this film and Destin Daniel Cretton who directed Shang-Chi shows his skill in directing action scenes and really adding some uniqueness to the character who has been on the big screen for over 25 years. The pacing is really good too, I was never bored and it kept me engaged throughout. 

Overall

Overall, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Fantastic Film that does the character justice. It keeps up the strong run of Tom Holland's Spider-Man films and is a really fun watch in the cinema. It is a truly great comic book film and definitely worth a watch. 

Rating - 9/10