I only remembered about this when looking at our preview for last year, and realizing I’d not heard anything more about it. Turns out it was released on April 26th, to what was apparently “limited theatres,” the same day it hit on-demand. I must have missed the memo. So, here we are, and it’s very much a bit of a mixed bag. The scenario is interesting, if vague. Initial tension building is well-done, but the further it went on, the more it struggled to hold my interest. It’s a post-apocalyptic scenario, with the oxygen level of the atmosphere rapidly depleted to a lethally low percentage. This wiped out almost everyone – though where all the corpses went is one of many unanswered questions.
Among the few survivors, living in an air-tight Brooklyn bunker, are mother Maya (Hudson, looking impressively svelte), father Darius (Common) and daughter Zora (Wallis). Though Darius leaves one day and doesn’t come back, leaving his wife and child to fend for themselves. A few months later there are unexpected visitors: a group led by Tess (Jovovich). She claims to have known Darius, and needs to see his oxygen creator, because the one in their bunker in Philadelphia is breaking down, and they’re about to run out of air. Maya is highly suspicious – Darius never mentioned Tess – but Zora convinces her mother to trust Tess and her group, at least somewhat. No prizes for guessing whether or not this is a mistake.
It’s likely at its best while there’s still some doubt about the answer, with a good sense of uncertainty ratcheting up the tension as noted. Just don’t think about the science – how do you make an “EMP generator” out of a flashlight and some copper wire? Though some reviews are wrong to question how guns work without free oxygen: gunpowder, etc. contain it internally. Best avoid the unsubtle social metaphors too, e.g. a black character staring at a mural which says, “We can’t breathe”, obviously a leftover from the BLM protests, or the quoting of Malcolm X. Hudson and Jovovich are the glue which holds this together, even when you can’t see the bulk of their faces due to the helmets needed to sustain life outside.
Their interactions work: far less effective is Worthington playing Lucas, post-apocalyptic trope #23, the loose cannon sidekick. Once Tess and Maya are no longer getting to share scenes, it feels as if the air goes out of the film (an especially appropriate figure of speech given the circumstances). Lucas and Zora then have to take centre-stage, and the results are unimpressive, as the film limps towards an ending too easily contrived. I did like the look of the film, with the world a filter-tinted nightmare that has gone to absolute hell, with some impressively destroyed cityscapes. The script, on the other hand, needed considerably more work to reach acceptable, and ends up wasting good work by its two leads.
Dir: Stefon Bristol Star: Jennifer Hudson, Quvenzhané Wallis, Milla Jovovich, Sam Worthington
I’m slightly grading this on a curve, because this is likely the best of the low-budget modern blaxploitation movies I’ve seen, by some margin. By “normal” standards, that still falls some way short of Oscar-winning, with the limited resources still being obvious at some point. But compared to some of the other entries I’ve sat through, this is a palpable improvement, avoiding many of the worst cliches of the genre, in favor of a story which has had some attention given to it. It’s not an African-American knockoff of Scarface, like so many others, and does not entirely rely on a soundtrack of bad rap songs by the director’s pals. That alone puts it ahead of the pack.
It begins with an assassination carried out by arms dealer Lion Caldwell (Russell). He’s wants to kill the person who’s blackmailing him, and make it look like he’s the target. But to ensure there are no loose ends, he will also kill the hitwoman, Harper (Lavan). However, the intended target gets wind of the plan, and switches wigs with an innocent bystander, causing Harper to shoot the wrong target: Lion’s ex-wife, and the mother of his daughter. The whole mess ends up with Harper dumped in a lake, shot multiple times, and stabbed for good measure. Of course, she’s not dead. She is able to make her way to shore, where’s she’s rescued by a couple. The husband is a surgeon, and able to patch her up in-house, rather than notify the authorities. Yeah, I rolled my eyes a bit at that.
Thereafter, Harper makes her way back to her family, from whom she has been estranged, following a gun accident. Her sister, Fire (Curstin), is less than impressed to see her sibling back. Word reaches Lion that his tidying up hasn’t been successful, so he sends his top man, First (Peri), to take care of Harper once and for all. Should her family get in the way, who cares? If you’re thinking this could end up blowing back on Lion… yeah. There’s more thought into this than I expected, though the plot remains imperfect. There’s a second woman left for dead in the lake, but that doesn’t appear to go anywhere much.
I did like a lot the setting for this being “black country”, for want of a better phrase. Not seen a film with that background before; this genre is typically light on horse-riding: Beyonce has a lot to answer for, I suspect! The action is a bit of a mixed bag – some moments work considerably better than others – and there’s some very bad CGI for a gas-pump explosion. But the characters are as well-written as the script, with some unexpected elements. For example, Lion is trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, in a similar way to Harper and her family. Based on this, I’d not be averse to looking at more of Elmore’s work.
Dir: Joseph A. Elmore Jr. Star: Nyra Lavan, Oshea Russell, King Curstin, Joshua Peri
Over on our Facebook page, we regularly post girls with guns images. These are the photos which have been the most popular there over the past year – one for each month, and a couple of wild-card entries. We’re currently voting for the best pic of 2024 there, so come and cast your vote! Otherwise: enjoy; use the arrows at the bottom to scroll through the pics, and click on any to enlarge.
It’s funny. You wait ages for an action heroine novel set in Arizona, then two show up at once. Right on the heels of The Killing Game, we have this, which takes place almost entirely in this state’s most iconic location, the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, this story falls well short of iconic. In fact, it struggles to reach mediocre, though in its defense, I didn’t realize while reading it, this is the second book in the series. I usually have a rule against starting series in the middle, because they tend to build on what has gone before. So perhaps the flaws here might be rectified if I’d read book one, Her Solemn Oath?
That’s being charitable, and I’m not exactly energized towards finding out. It doesn’t feel like a lack of background is the problem, more a heroine who is too flawed to work. She is Allison Quinn, a special agent for the FBI, who seems to have so much baggage, it feels she should be followed around by her own, personal bellhop. Her father was murdered when she was nine, and twenty-six years later, she’s still obsessed with finding the killer. Allison’s dedication to solving her current case, is largely a result of it potentially offering information that might help with that lifelong crusade. Somehow this seems to have entirely escaped everyone at the FBI.
As has Quinn’s acrophobia, which would make her a singularly unsuitable candidate for a mission involving the mile-deep hole which is the Grand Canyon. Oh, well. She’s going down there anyway, seeking a terrorist nicknamed “Blitz”. He’s involved with a group called Anarchists for Tomorrow, who have a plan to sabotage the nation’s electrical grid, with the aim of sending America back to a pre-surveillance era. There are some kill codes which could stop the attack in Blitz’s possession, and he’s going to hand them over to a buyer. For reasons that are vague, he’s doing so on a river rafting trip at the bottom of the Canyon, and so Allison must descend, with the help of Park Ranger Tate Garcia, and stop the hand-off from happening.
None of the terrorists’ plot makes much sense, and I’ve been working in IT for approaching forty years. Nor is its unravelling here told in a particularly exciting fashion: the descent into the Grand Canyon seems to take place in real time, and doesn’t serve much point. Chapman does seem to have done her homework, and it feels like there is a decent sense of location (I’ve only peered into the Canyon, never gone into it). But this rapidly becomes more of a slog, with problems of pacing, a climax which left me genuinely flicking ahead to see if that was really it (sadly, it was), and a lengthy coda, serving no significant purpose. As an Arizona resident, I’m somewhere between disappointed and embarrassed.
Author: Vannetta Chapman Publisher: Independently published, available through Amazon, both as a paperback and an e-book Book 2 of 3 in the Allison Quinn thriller series.
Time for our 12th annual preview of what might be to come in the year ahead for action heroine fans. But first, a review of 2024, which was… a mixed bag. On the plus side, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga came out, and I really liked it. On the other hand, going by the box-office, I might have been the only one, merely the biggest failure of what has been a continued dismal run for GWG in the movies. The second part of Rebel Moon was… not good, and the Netflix animated version of Tomb Raider was mediocre. There was positives, however: Griselda lived up to expectations, and The Shadow Strays came out of nowhere to deliver the year’s hardest-hitting action.
Next year has some promising titles though. Carrying forward from last year we have Ballerina, which… Well, we’ll get into that. The even longer-delayed In the Lost Lands, looks finally to be coming out too. Below, you’ll find more information on both of those, as well as a good number of other projects, currently slated for release in 2025. More or less, anyway. As we’ve seen previously, any dates given will be subject to change. In addition, like Strays, it’s possible the best films of 2025 may sneak up on us from behind and provide an unexpected groovy treat. [And that’s the first and last Finitribe reference you will see on this site!] Thanks to Dieter, for pointing me in the direction of some of these.
Note that I’m only including films which are listed as 2025 in the Internet Movie Database, though I don’t need a specific release date. Things like the reboot of Cliffhanger, now starring Lily James instead of Sylvester Stallone (that’s quite the casting change!), might show up this year. Or they might not. You will just have to wait and see!
Alpha (TBA)
“Two fierce female agents tackle dangerous missions in a thrilling world of espionage, as they navigate perilous situations, execute daring stunts, and face unexpected turns in this action-packed adventure.” Well, I admire the idea, though Bollywood has tended to be rather more macho. One of the reported stars here is Alia Bhatt, who was in Raazi, one of the few genuine GWG movies out of India. However, I’d be less skeptical if some of the supposed promo pics on the IMDb did not involve face-swaps rather than actual pictures, and particularly poor ones at that. I will believe this film exists, when I see it.
Ballerina (June 6)
Or, to give it its full title: From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. Sheesh. This has been a troubled production, with the product delivered original director Len Wiseman (a.k.a. Mr. Kate Beckinsale) apparently requiring very significant reshoots. The good news: the reshoots were helmed by Chad Stahelski (Atomic Blonde), so if anyone can make the film kick significant quantities of butt, it would be him. Plot looks nothing special: “An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father’s death.” But then, are we really watching this for the story, rather than Ana de Armas-inspired mayhem?
Cleaner (February 21)
“A group of radical activists take over an energy company’s annual gala, seizing 300 hostages in order to expose the corruption of the hosts. Their just cause is hijacked by an extremist within their ranks, who is ready to murder everyone in the building to send his anarchic message to the world. It falls to an ex-soldier turned window cleaner, played by Daisy Ridley, suspended 50 stories up on the outside of the building, to save those trapped inside, including her younger brother.” In other words: “It’s Die Hard in… a skyscraper”? However, Ridley says, “I would say this is probably the toughest action I’ve done.” It’s also by Martin Campbell, who did Dirty Angels. You decide if that’s a promise or a threat!
The Gorge (February 14)
“Two highly-trained operatives become close after being sent to protect opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within.” Those operatives would be played by Anya Taylor-Joy, sent there by her boss (Sigourney Weaver) and Miles Teller. Nice to see Taylor-Joy doing more action after Furiosa. This is directed by Scott Derrickson, who did Doctor Strange, and judging by the rather detailed trailer, has some promise. However, this is an Apple TV production, and those have proven to be hit or miss, from what I’ve seen of them. But at time of writing, it’s #2 on the IMDb among next year’s films, behind only 28 Years Later.
In the Lost Lands (February 28)
“A sorceress travels to the Lost Lands in search of a magical power that allows a person to transform into a werewolf.” Shooting on this finished two years prior to its release date, which feels a bit long. However, it marks the re-union of Paul W.S. Anderson, a.k.a. Mr. Milla Jovovich, with… um, his wife, Milla Jovovich. Who would be the sorceress in question, Grey Alys. Dave Bautista plays her ally, Boyce, and – as it was when I wrote about it in last year’s preview! – this is based on a short story by George R.R. Martin. At least it’s one he completed, so there won’t be any Game of Thrones shenanigans here. Hopefully it will also be a bit more memorable than Monster Hunter.
Ji (TBA)
“When the head of a Korean crime syndicate, Jin Eun-Ji, arrives in the Philippines to rescue her kidnapped mother, she finds herself caught in a deadly game of betrayal and revenge between rival gangs.” This is still listed in pre-production, and I don’t know who is playing the heroine. However, its IMDb page lists Yayan Ruhian, who was in both of The Raid movies, so I’m interested. The director, Pedring Lopez, gave us the fairly decent Maria a few years ago, another reason to be hopeful. Might end up being one we carry forward into our 2026 installment, however.
K-Pop: Demon Hunters (TBA)
Okay, I was about to write this one off as some kind of obvious fake, and blatant fan service… But, guess what, folks? It actually exists, being an animated project for Netflix made by Sony Pictures Animation. This is apparently “a musical action adventure that follows the story of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, as they balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as bad-ass demon hunters, set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style and the most popular music movement of this generation.” I have written about Barbie movies here before, so you can probably expect a review of this in due course.
Powerpuff Girls: the Revenge of Mojo Jojo (August 25)
“Mojo Jojo, has escaped prison, and now plans to destroy Townsville once again. It’s up to Blossom, Bubbles, (and Buttercup to stop Mojo Jojo to finishing his masterplan.” Well, this is unexpected. But is it real? From what I can tell, it appears to be a fan film, rather than an official production. Yet it lists Genndy Tartakovsky as a supervising producer and storyboard artist, and he wrote/directed many episodes of the original show. I loved the Powerpuff Girls back in the day. But can you go home again? I fear not.
Predator: Badlands (November 7)
“In the future, a Predator traverses on an alien wasteland, while two sisters discover their horrifying past.” After Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg goes back to the Predator well, though in a different way. It appears this one might be more focused on the monster. He said, “The creature is front and centre, leading the charge. He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too.” However, the film also starts Elle Fanning playing multiple characters – perhaps both of the sisters mentioned in the synopsis. “She faced intense challenges on this movie — dramatically, physically, logistically,” added Trachtenberg, cryptically.
Star Trek: Section 31 (January 24)
“Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, and must face the sins of her past.” I’ve kinda lost track of the multiple different incarnations of Trek: I leave that to Chris, since she has been a fan forever. But since Georgiou is played by Michelle Yeoh – sorry, these days, that’s Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh! – this might rise above the “I’ll do something else while it’s on in the background” level of the shows. Her character, particularly when in evil mode, has been a lot of fun to watch, because she doesn’t care about politeness. It helps this will also be a one-off movie, rather than a series.
Uppercut (February 28)
“When Elliott (Ving Rhames), a tough ex-boxing champion, accepts the challenge to train Toni (Luise Grossmann), the two mismatched characters form an unlikely alliance. Their sparring and Elliott’s keen insights show the resilient young fighter that real strength comes from the challenges you overcome when life throws its biggest punches your way.” On the upper end, this could be Million DollarBaby. or Girlfight. But that synopsis seems rather too cliché-ridden, so I’ve a feeling it is more likely to fall short of those lofty ambitions. Rhames is usually worth watching though. Interestingly, this is an English-language remake of the director’s Leberhaken, which also starred Grossmann, a former professional athlete.
Below are trailers for some of the movies discussed above.
I only remembered about this when looking at our preview for last year, and realizing I’d not heard anything more about it. Turns out it was released on April 26th, to what was apparently “limited theatres,” the same day it hit on-demand. I must have missed the memo. So, here we are, and it’s very much a bit of a mixed bag. The scenario is interesting, if vague. Initial tension building is well-done, but the further it went on, the more it struggled to hold my interest. It’s a post-apocalyptic scenario, with the oxygen level of the atmosphere rapidly depleted to a lethally low percentage. This wiped out almost everyone – though where all the corpses went is one of many unanswered questions.
I’m slightly grading this on a curve, because this is likely the best of the low-budget modern blaxploitation movies I’ve seen, by some margin. By “normal” standards, that still falls some way short of Oscar-winning, with the limited resources still being obvious at some point. But compared to some of the other entries I’ve sat through, this is a palpable improvement, avoiding many of the worst cliches of the genre, in favor of a story which has had some attention given to it. It’s not an African-American knockoff of Scarface, like so many others, and does not entirely rely on a soundtrack of bad rap songs by the director’s pals. That alone puts it ahead of the pack.
It’s funny. You wait ages for an action heroine novel set in Arizona, then two show up at once. Right on the heels of 
Time for our 12th annual preview of what might be to come in the year ahead for action heroine fans. But first, a review of 2024, which was… a mixed bag. On the plus side, 
Ballerina (June 6)
Ji (TBA)