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Zaki's Corner

Zaki's Corner is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Zaki Hasan.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
B
Man of Steel (2013) Zaki Hasan Snyder takes care to preserve the core of nobility, humility and goodness that have made Superman so beloved all over the world for three quarters of a century (and counting), making for a film that's exhilarating, emotional, and even beautiful.
Posted Oct 22, 2025  Edit critic review
A
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) Zaki Hasan The changes in both tone and tempo are so multitudinous as to make Zack Snyder's Justice League essentially a different movie. Not so much an extended cut or a director's cut, but the definitive cut.
Posted Mar 18, 2021  Edit critic review
B-
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Zaki Hasan Wonder Woman 1984 is mostly fine -- I certainly didn't regret having watched it -- but it's disposable and surface-level in a way the first one wasn't.
Posted Dec 25, 2020  Edit critic review
B
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) Zaki Hasan It's not about stopping a blue beam that's shooting into the sky. Instead, it's about a group of very different women learning to value each other while kicking a lot of tail along the way.
Posted Feb 20, 2020  Edit critic review
B-
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Zaki Hasan A marked qualitative step down from its immediate predecessor, but it nonetheless ably closes the book on the Skywalker Saga (for now) and proves the Force is still a force.
Posted Dec 19, 2019  Edit critic review
C
It: Chapter Two (2019) Zaki Hasan As the ballyhooed wrap-up to a collective five-hour epic, It: Chapter Two feels rushed in a way that's frankly perplexing given how much time is spent on the slow burn for the first two thirds.
Posted Nov 19, 2019  Edit critic review
C
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) Zaki Hasan It all has a bit of a karaoke feel. Preexisting archetypes go through predetermined plot points in hopes of arriving at a preordained sequel. We've done this before. We're going to do this again.
Posted Nov 01, 2019  Edit critic review
C
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) Zaki Hasan Jolie is great, Pfeiffer is great, but despite its lead character's impressive wingspan, this second Maleficent fails to cast much of a shadow.
Posted Oct 29, 2019  Edit critic review
C-
Gemini Man (2019) Zaki Hasan It checks all the requisite boxes, but also comes off like a wayward artifact from a bygone era.
Posted Oct 13, 2019  Edit critic review
B
Joker (2019) Zaki Hasan Joker is raw, unsettling, and experimental, anchored by an absolutely mesmerizing central performance.
Posted Oct 05, 2019  Edit critic review
D
Rambo: Last Blood (2019) Zaki Hasan The character deserved better than Last Blood, and so did we.
Posted Oct 01, 2019  Edit critic review
C-
Never Been Kissed (1999) Zaki Hasan Attempts to tap into the sense of missed opportunity that one inevitably leaves high school with. Unfortunately, it fails to offer anything other than that same old crop of clichés.
Posted Aug 28, 2019  Edit critic review
C
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) Zaki Hasan While Johnson and Statham have bags of charisma to spare, all that does is keep this from being worse than it is.
Posted Aug 15, 2019  Edit critic review
C
The Lion King (2019) Zaki Hasan No doubt, it's impressive to look at. A visual feast. But it also lifts its heart and emotion wholesale from the 1994 version and counts on your preexisting affinity to carry the day.
Posted Aug 01, 2019  Edit critic review
B+
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Zaki Hasan A sterling example of the MCU at its best: Likable hero, interesting villain, compelling premise, solid performances all around.
Posted Jul 15, 2019  Edit critic review
C
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) Zaki Hasan Hopkins' direction is competent, and Goldman's screenplay merely serves its purpose.
Posted Jun 23, 2019  Edit critic review
JFK (1991) Zaki Hasan JFK is so effective that regardless of one's agreement or disagreement with the conclusions director Stone draws from his considerable research, there is simply no denying its success as a work of remarkable persuasive power.
Posted Jun 16, 2019  Edit critic review
C+
Men in Black: International (2019) Zaki Hasan MIB: International is a bit like the CSI: Miami of alien hunting sci-fi action-comedies. Sure, it'll do in a pinch if that's what you're in the mood for, yet it lacks the extra something that made the original stand apart.
Posted Jun 14, 2019  Edit critic review
C+
Dark Phoenix (2019) Zaki Hasan Dark Phoenix feels in many ways like a vestigial remnant from a past life, but it's also one last hurrah for a series that's been a steady presence for almost twenty years.
Posted Jun 07, 2019  Edit critic review
B
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) Zaki Hasan This is a deeply silly movie that knows when to play things totally straight. That might sound like damning it with faint praise, but it's really not.
Posted May 31, 2019  Edit critic review
C
Aladdin (2019) Zaki Hasan If you're a fan of the original, one has to wonder, why not just watch that? Why indulge the company's incessant need to churn out this endless parade of karaoke cosplays instead of giving us whole new worlds?
Posted May 24, 2019  Edit critic review
B
John Wick: Chapter 3 -- Parabellum (2019) Zaki Hasan This isn't a movie you watch for story, but the stuff you do watch for is present in ample supply.
Posted May 24, 2019  Edit critic review
B-
Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) Zaki Hasan As someone far outside the target demo, I found Detective Pikachu unobjectionable, if forgettable. But as for the generation(s) steeped in the minutia of this stuff? Warner Brothers is sure to catch them all.
Posted May 10, 2019  Edit critic review
A
Avengers: Endgame (2019) Zaki Hasan Spellbinding, surprising, and immensely satisfying. Eleven years, twenty-two films, one singular cinematic achievement the likes of which we've never seen before and aren't likely to again for a long time to come
Posted Apr 25, 2019  Edit critic review
D
Hellboy (2019) Zaki Hasan Imagine a film where almost every single creative choice constitutes some kind of a misstep, and you have a sense of what this is like.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
B
Meet Joe Black (1998) Zaki Hasan Meet Joe Black marks the latest in a succession of strong turns by Anthony Hopkins. More than even [Brad] Pitt, the film serves as a showcase for the versatile and talented Oscar winner.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
A
Star Trek Beyond (2016) Zaki Hasan A welcome refresh that again grounds the series in the spirit of idealism and optimism that were at the forefront of creator Gene Roddenberry's thinking, and which have no expiration date.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
A
Star Trek (2009) Zaki Hasan The 2009 model Star Trek is laced with the fresh thrill of discovery.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
C+
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Zaki Hasan Gleefully scavenges familiar moments from prior iterations of the brand, but with none of the accrued emotional heft.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
D
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) Zaki Hasan The least involving, least cohesive movie in the entire ten picture catalog.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
A-
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Zaki Hasan First Contact just works. It works as a rousing chapter in the Star Trek saga, and to a lesser extent it works as mainstream entertainment
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
C-
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) Zaki Hasan Content to skate on the pre-existing audience's fondness for these characters and the Star Trek brand.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
C-
Star Trek Generations (1994) Zaki Hasan Pretty much everything from the time Kirk leaves to the time he reappears is a distraction.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
C
James and the Giant Peach (1996) Zaki Hasan ...valiantly attempts to convey the amazement and childlike sense-of-wonder so characteristic of the late Dahl's books, and while it does succeed occasionally, more often than not it falls flat.
Posted Apr 12, 2019  Edit critic review
B+
The World Is Not Enough (1999) Zaki Hasan All the various gears and pulleys that go together to make a Bond film run like a well-oiled machine are at work here.
Posted Apr 10, 2019  Edit critic review
B+
Shazam! (2019) Zaki Hasan Shazam! has big action, big laughs, and a big heart underneath.
Posted Apr 09, 2019  Edit critic review
C
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) Zaki Hasan The real tragedy of Trek V is that there are faint glimmers throughout, poking through the wreckage, of the deeper meaning the filmmakers were striving for.
Posted Apr 08, 2019  Edit critic review
A
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) Zaki Hasan It's at once gripping, humorous, emotional, and immensely satisfying. An appropriate and fitting farewell to the finest crew in the fleet.
Posted Apr 08, 2019  Edit critic review
B+
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Zaki Hasan The marching orders here were for a romp, and a romp they produced.
Posted Apr 08, 2019  Edit critic review
C+
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Zaki Hasan The first earnest attempt to foster large scale public interest in a moribund property that had survived up to that point solely on the enthusiasm of its small, devoted following.
Posted Apr 08, 2019  Edit critic review
A+
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Zaki Hasan Signaled the transformation of Star Trek from 'cult' into 'franchise,' providing a creative lease on life that would power the movie series for the next twenty years.
Posted Apr 08, 2019  Edit critic review
B
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Zaki Hasan Star Trek III does what it needs to do by restoring part of the original status quo and setting up a new one to be resolved at a later date.
Posted Apr 08, 2019  Edit critic review
A+
Spotlight (2015) Zaki Hasan Riveting and ceaselessly compelling, while also illustrating the inherent nobility of reporters hitting the streets and chasing down leads and finding sources.
Posted Apr 08, 2019  Edit critic review
C
Dumbo (2019) Zaki Hasan While Burton puts all of his considerable expertise to work in Dumbo to make us believe an elephant can fly, it'd take even more than he can muster to make us believe that it needs to.
Posted Apr 02, 2019  Edit critic review
Spider-Man (2002) Zaki Hasan Watching Spider-Man today, it's easy to see why it worked as well as it did, while also fully acknowledging those parts of the machinery that have gathered some rust in the interim.
Posted Mar 22, 2019  Edit critic review
Spider-Man 2 (2004) Zaki Hasan Displays the kind of poise and confidence that can only happen when you're following on from a critical smash that also became one of the most successful movies of all time.
Posted Mar 22, 2019  Edit critic review
Spider-Man 3 (2007) Zaki Hasan A forced, altogether unsatisfying conclusion to a series that had hit some pretty satisfying creative highs during its short lifespan.
Posted Mar 22, 2019  Edit critic review
A
Sicario (2015) Zaki Hasan Not merely an engrossing drama. Not merely a challenging thriller. One of the best movies of the year.
Posted Mar 22, 2019  Edit critic review
C+
Captain Marvel (2019) Zaki Hasan A rare misstep from a franchise factory that otherwise strides the movie landscape so assuredly.
Posted Mar 07, 2019  Edit critic review
A
Ocean's Thirteen (2007) Zaki Hasan A chance to watch this skillful coterie of actors get together once again and do their thing (and do it well).
Posted Mar 03, 2019  Edit critic review
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