--- title: "HIM: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/him/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/him" critics_score: 46 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # HIM (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 46 from 18 reviews: 2 positive, 8 mixed, 8 negative. Most critics find HIM disappointing or uneven, though praise consistently gathers around Marlon Wayans’s committed, unsettling performance. Even several negative reviews credit him with holding attention when the story falters. The film’s imagery also earns broad approval, particularly its graphic treatment of bodily damage and its dark cinematography. Production design and the score receive some praise, with critics often finding more to admire in the craft than in the storytelling. Reservations centre on muddled plotting, weak scares and underdeveloped ideas about American football’s physical costs and masculine ideals. The spread is wide: Variety finds the body horror effective as a critique of the sport’s brutality, while Empire responds to the ambition and direction despite storytelling problems. Less persuaded critics see the style overwhelming ideas that never develop. Wayans is the closest thing to a point of agreement, though The Guardian dissents, finding his performance overplayed. ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2025. Richards finds the film a riveting, ambitious ride, though its style sometimes overwhelms its storytelling. He especially praises Marlon Wayans’s committed performance and the film’s visually striking direction. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/him/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2025. Debruge finds the film a tense, surreal critique of football’s brutal demands, though its style can feel self-indulgent. He praises its unsettling body-horror imagery for making the sport’s physical costs impossible to ignore. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/him-review-1236521171/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. The page content is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is available in the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/movies/him-review.html) ## Time Out — Elizabeth Weitzman Rating 3/5. 17 September 2025. The review gives the film a mixed-positive verdict, describing its blend of gridiron action and gore as spiky. It singles out Marlon Wayans cutting loose as a quarterback. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/him-review-2025) ## The AV Club — Natalia Keogan Rating C. 18 September 2025. Keogan finds the film an unsuccessful blend of football and horror that fails to deliver meaningful cultural critique. She faults its vague supernatural plot and heavy-handed religious imagery for sidelining football’s real-world harms and draining the horror of scares. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/him-review) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating C-. 18 September 2025. Ehrlich pans the film as dull, compromised, and ineffective at critiquing sports culture. He singles out Marlon Wayans’s intense performance as the one element holding it together. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/him-review-football-movie-jordan-peele-1235151943/) ## Slant Magazine — Justin Clark Rating 2/4. 18 September 2025. Clark finds the film’s football-horror premise and aesthetics compelling but says its commentary on the sport’s harms is clumsy and underdeveloped. He singles out Marlon Wayans’s forceful performance for holding the scattershot plotting together. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/him-review-marlon-wayans-tyriq-withers/) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2025. Nicholson finds the film visually striking but ultimately vacuous, with a plot and ideas that fail to cohere. She praises its striking production design, inventive imagery and score, as well as Marlon Wayans’ energetic performance. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-09-19/him-review-marlon-wayans-tyriq-withers-julia-fox-jordan-peele) ## The Guardian — Andrew Lawrence Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. The Guardian finds the film a disappointing, muddled critique of American football, ultimately calling it a fumble. It praises the supporting performances and stylish visual touches, but says the story lacks credibility and Marlon Wayans overplays his role. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/sep/18/him-jordan-peele-film-review) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. Ebiri finds the film visually electrifying but ultimately hollow and thematically underdeveloped. He praises Marlon Wayans’s opaque, compelling performance, while criticizing the spectacle for failing to deepen its ideas about masculinity and football. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-him-looks-amazing-but-it-is-empty-inside.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. Scheck finds that the film starts promisingly but loses its way in a bizarre, over-the-top second half. He praises the arresting X-ray-style violence, unsettling score, and committed performances, particularly Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/him-review-marlon-wayans-jordan-peele-1236373709/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. The review finds HIM entertaining but ultimately uneven, with its familiar imagery and predictable direction keeping its parts from adding up. It praises Marlon Wayans’s committed performance and the film’s graphic, effectively used violence. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/him-review-touchdown-or-a-missed-pass/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 6 out of 10. 18 September 2025. The review finds the film stylish and strange but ultimately let down by a predictable story and an unsatisfying finale. It singles out Marlon Wayans’s unsettling, energetic performance as the film’s standout. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1971546/him-horror-movie-review/) ## Paste — Jarrod Jones Rating 3.2. 18 September 2025. The review finds the film overblown and incoherent, with style overwhelming its potentially compelling story. It praises Marlon Wayans’s ferocious performance as the film’s standout strength. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/him/him-review-football-horror-marlon-wayans-tyriq-withers-style-over-substance) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 4/10. 18 September 2025. Bonaime finds that the film squanders its promising ideas and offers little depth. He praises its dark, haunting cinematography and Marlon Wayans’s intimidating performance. [Read the review](https://collider.com/him-review-marlon-wayans/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. The critic finds the film predictable and muddled, despite its promising questions. Marlon Wayans earns praise for his committed performance, while the opaque mythology and weak suspense draw criticism. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/him-review-marlon-wayans/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. Hammond finds the film incoherent and ineffective as both satire and horror. He praises Marlon Wayans’s authoritative, mysterious performance, while faulting the scare tactics for having little impact. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/09/him-review-jordan-peele-produced-football-horror-movie-1236548375/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a messy, aimless failure that never develops its themes. They praise flashes of charisma from Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans, but fault the script and its empty stylistic flourishes. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/him-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/him.md