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Theatrical poster for Dredd (2012) showing Karl Urban as Judge Dredd in a helmet, rifle across his chest, in front of a glowing city tower.

Dredd Was Sold as a Gimmick and Built as a Siege

Dredd lost money in 2012 and has been winning arguments ever since. The film that failed and the film that lasted are the same film, and the reason is one tower block.

Marcus Vell·17 Oct·4 min

A lone motorcycle trails dust across a barren red desert under a yellow sky

Film

Furiosa and the Death of Mid-Budget Action

Almost two years on, Furiosa's $175m worldwide gross still looks like the most depressing box-office story of the 2020s. Not because the film is bad, it is not, but because of what its failure reveals about the economics of the action film.

Marcus Vell·28 Jan·6 min

An abandoned American highway with distant columns of smoke on the horizon

Film

Civil War: Alex Garland's Failure of Nerve

Alex Garland made a film about an American civil war and deliberately stripped out the politics. A year and a half later, the emptiness in the middle of Civil War is not a choice to respect. It is the thing that breaks the film.

Marcus Vell·2 Oct·5 min

Rippled sand dunes stretching to a horizon flattened by heat

Film

Dune: Part Two and the Anti-Hero Blockbuster

A year and a half on from the sequel, the case for Dune: Part Two is less about its scale and more about its refusal. An argument for the blockbuster that does not entertain.

Lena Ashworth·10 Sep·5 min

A dim backstage dressing room with two framed costume pieces on the wall

Film

Deadpool & Wolverine: The Last MCU Win

A year after Deadpool & Wolverine made $1.3 billion and saved a bad year for the MCU, the film looks less like a triumph and more like the last thing Marvel is going to get away with.

Marcus Vell·26 Aug·5 min

A pair of oversized combat boots photographed from above on a worn wooden dock, with ripples on dark water below.

Reacher S3 Proves the Formula Still Clears the Bar

Amazon's third Reacher season adapted Persuader across eight episodes in February 2025 and did the specific thing the show exists to do. The formula holds, and the reasons it holds are worth marking.

Marcus Vell·7 Apr·7 min