PLOT: A young athlete descends into a world of terror when he’s invited to train with a legendary champion whose charisma curdles into something darker.
REVIEW: Jordan Peele’s name is certainly enough to intrigue the average viewer due to his phenomenal work on Get Out, Us and Nope. Even when he’s just producing, it tends to be a mark for higher-quality horror. Here’s hoping that Him doesn’t destroy that for him. While the trailers certainly looked intriguing, what we ultimately got was simply style over substance. And the lack of clear vision makes this feel like an awkward mishmash of ideas.
Him focuses on Tyriq Withers’ Cameron Cade, a young quarterback who is looking to be the greatest of all time. He’s invited to his compound of his hero, Marlon Wayans’ Isaiah White, who takes an unconventional approach to training. The film ultimately asks the question of “How far are you willing to go, in order to be the best?” The first half of the film is really intriguing, as we get to see Cade’s journey and the pressures of completing his lifelong goal. He almost feels like he’s on a track laid out for him by everyone around him, and it’s easy to see how the expectations are getting to him. But it falters once it gets into the back half of the narrative.
Withers is great as Cade, and is able to show plenty of nuance in his intense motivation. He was the best part of the new I Know What You Did Last Summer, and he’s continuing to be one to watch. Wayans also gets plenty of moments to shine, even if he can be a bit over the top at times; it’s clearly what the character called for. His narcissism bleeds through the screen, though I’d say he’s not entirely convincing as a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. It was also nice to see Jim Jefferies in a more serious role. Everyone else feels somewhat miscast, with Julia Fox, in particular, being quite awkward in her delivery.
The cinematography from Kira Kelly is a standout, with some truly gorgeous shots throughout. Combined with the fantastic sound design, Him is quite the encompassing cinematic experience. However, I’ve never seen football look so gorgeous while simultaneously giving us so little of the action itself. Maybe let us see why Cade is considered to be so great, versus mostly just telling us. Justin Tipping is doing his best Jordan Peele impression, but fails to connect the themes in a meaningful way. And he definitely overdoes the absolutely ridiculous X-Ray shots.
The biggest problem with Him is that it treats a certain element of the film as a mystery, when it’s painfully obvious from the start which direction the film is going in. Maybe I’ve just watched enough horror in my life, but it was a bit insulting once they started to reveal different things. And far too many of the mysteries amount to nothing. Violence isn’t shocking when it’s just done for the sake of it, and this film has a hard time making any of it meaningful. Once everything is laid out, it’s hard not to feel a bit annoyed by the whole experience. Nothing makes sense, and it all ends up being pretty shots with little else to latch onto.
While I don’t think that Him is nearly as bad as some people are making it out to be, it’s hard to deny that it’s not disappointing. The trailer promised a unique and interesting look at what a man would do to be great, and ends up throwing too many ideas into the mix, without really committing to any of them. Wayans and Withers are worth a watch, but they just can’t carry the film across the finish line.
HIM RELEASES TO THEATERS ON SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2025.
