Definitely leans into the “for kids” side of Star Wars in a fun and entertaining way. Manages to balance a lot of action and humor with some good quiet moments, including a lovely extended sequence without dialogue.

I don’t know if it’s impressive or embarrassing that I correctly guessed that Phil Tippett had a hand in some of the stop motion, but that and the rest of the practical effects felt very satisfyingly tactile.

There is something really enjoyable about watching a character discover what they want and how to go after it. When that character is Harry Melling in a bdsm relationship with Alexander Skarsgård, well that’s just a bonus.

I wanted to like this, but Talisman seemed determined to make sure I didn’t. Between his flat performance, the often nonsensical script, and the distractingly bad continuity I spent the entire movie waiting for something to enjoy, and that something never came. It felt like every cliche about indie vanity projects was not just present but leaned into. There might have been a decent short film here with some drastic rewriting, but as it is there was very little to like in Things Like This.

A beautifully shot film about being in a precarious situation with little control. Conveys the consistent low-level dread that things could go wrong at any time while acknowledging that work, fun, community, family, romance, etc. don’t stop because of it. Olivia is working to improve her situation and is aware of potential dangers, but she doesn’t stop living.