What’s it about?

After an attack by a crazed fan places his career in jeopardy, promising star quarterback Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) recieves an invitation to a training camp from legendary veteran of the game Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans).

What’d we think?

Peter Linning says: Much of the marketing for HIM has leaned heavily on Jordan Peele’s involvement, and while it shares some DNA with his movies, they are in a whole different league.

There’s some talent on display here, both in front of the camera and behind it. There are some striking visuals, and the more surreal sequences (of which there are plenty) are nicely composed, but they don’t serve the narrative. The lead performances are also quite good, Tyriq Withers delivers a grounded performance that believably wavers as things get weird, and Marlon Wayans proves yet again that he’s a fantastic dramatic actor in his role as the intensely driven GOAT who is nearing retirement. An extra special mention to a shockingly good dramatic turn from Jim Jeffries in a small but impactful role as the resident physician.

The movie’s main issues stem from how pared down the narrative feels by the time we reach the conclusion. Throughout the movie we get the occasional whiff of some larger scope, some grander plotting behind what we’re shown, but apart from some rushed dialogue towards the end, there’s very little payoff as very little has been set up. If a bit more time had been spent establishing the mechanics of the sinister goings-on, then the bloody conclusion would have had far more impact.

HIM isn’t a bad movie as much as it’s disappointing; there’s so much wasted potential that could have been turned into something special if the ideas lurking on the sidelines had gotten more time on the field.

Rosie Elmer says: The 90 minute runtime of this movie is a double-edged sword: on one hand you don’t have to sit through it for too long, but on the other hand a longer runtime could’ve fixed some of its gaping holes. Justin Tipping’s Him tells a visually appealing, but disjointed cautionary tale of toxic masculinity, particularly how sports culture glorifies dominance, self-sacrifice, and suffering in the pursuit of greatness and at the expense of morality.

Unfortunately, beyond a few interesting visuals it falls short of telling a compelling, or even enjoyable story.

The film announces a bold aesthetic ambition from the outset. The visual design does much of the heavy lifting, at times leaning (maybe too much) into surrealist abstraction. Of particular note is the stylistic use of “infrared” vision, which renders players’ bodies as glowing silhouettes in motion and cuts up the visual rhythm. Muscle, sweat, and breath reduced to raw energy. This transforms familiar action sequences into something distinctly primal.

What becomes clear as the story unfolds, however, is that the confidence of its style isn’t matched by the discipline of its storytelling. The narrative wanders almost aimlessly between themes of hero worship, ambition, and the predatory nature of legacy, using religious and satanic iconography to frame the cult-like fanaticism of football culture. It ultimately stumbles because it prioritises symbolism over substance. Instead of building a clear, engaging plot, the film becomes preoccupied with repeating its themes and motifs, leaving the audience with too little to chew on. The protagonist is never given enough depth or intrigue to draw us in – his childhood is only glazed over, his world lacks clearly defined stakes, and there is a disappointingly small amount of actual football in this football movie. Without those anchors,
the central tension of whether or not he becomes “Him” feels hollow.

Where Him falters most is in its ending. After 90 minutes of stylistic bravado, the conclusion arrives abruptly, offering neither catharsis nor clarity. Rather than tying its fragments into a coherent whole, the film seems to retreat into surrealism, content to let its imagery linger without delivering the narrative resolution many viewers will be craving. Ultimately, Him is a movie that fascinates the eye but leaves the mind unsatisfied. Its daring visual language deserves recognition, but the messy, unresolved storytelling holds it back from achieving the impact it so clearly strives for.