Sam Esmail directs Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke in this apocalyptic drama where two families uncomfortably share a secluded dream home as America shuts down.

Many scenes in this feel like a play filmed by a new director who wants to try every camera trick in the toy box. And while it drifts to oblivion very slowly it does often work. Stealthily battering away at your paranoia until you relent and can allow the low key nightmare scenario to grip you.

Juel Taylor directs John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx in this sci-fi satire where a local hood discovers his blaxploitation spoof ‘hood and his body are part of an insidious experiment.

The reason I’ve grouped these Netflix releases together is they share so much DNA despite being projects with very different aims. Tick box exercises. The Netflix algorithm dictates what makes an optimum “original” to the point where the recipe has become very obvious. A movie that weighs in at well over two hours plus, consisting of moments rather than momentum. That almost feels like both an extended trailer AND a condensed supercut of a TV series. Race (in America) is the focus but dealt with glibly to reflect social media opinions rather than difficult realities. There’s a dance sequence for TikTok. A cult B-Lister appearing for an extended cameo. The movie does more to inspire talking points for columnists and pundits than engage fully with the viewer… making you feel like you’ve signed up for a Netflix Movie discussion group. After a strong first act little seems to gain narrative traction. There feels like no conclusion. Is this it? Cloning? AI? C’mon Netflix you are part of the same problem. The slow creep.

7/5

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/