Featuring powerfully atmospheric music and sound design, and a sense of tropical place so moistly palpable one might feel concerned about developing crotch rot after viewing, Venezuelan writer-director Jorge Thielen Armand’s third feature, Death Has No Master, is well dressed up but doesn’t really go anywhere.

Mind you, his previous full-length works, La Soledad and La Fortaleza (Fortitude), were similarly light on action but strikingly moody. However, somehow their arthouse idiosyncrasies felt more audacious. Given that this is his first outing with a relatively well-known star — Asia Argento, playing a woman returning from Europe to Venezuela to sell off her late father’s cacao estate — expectations may have perhaps irrationally piqued that he’d up his game somehow. But the final product doesn’t come to a boil, despite the promising simmering of the first act.

After an ominous maybe-dream/maybe-flashback sequence, never entirely explained, which finds Argento’s protagonist Caro in a ravine where one masked man covered in blood (Roberto Conde) encourages her to kill another (David Tiburcio), the action cuts abruptly to Caro, newly landed in the country. After being stopped by cops looking for a quick bribe, her driver reassures her that Venezuela is much safer now that they’ve killed all the criminals.

Not entirely reassured, but at least in possession of the deeds to her father’s house where she grew up after meeting her lawyer Roque (Jorge Thielen Hedderich, the director’s father and star of La Fortaleza), Caro arrives at the decrepit mansion. A stone construction decorated with bas-relief Corinthian column motifs with an interior that’s all chipped parquet flooring and shabby chic Victorian furniture, the house is by this point barely separate from the encroaching tropical forest that surrounds it. No wonder Roque has warned her that the house and the land surrounding it are not worth the million dollars she expects; she’ll be lucky if it fetches half that.

But home improvement is the least of Caro’s worries. There are various people living at the house, seemingly at the dispensation of Sonia (Dogreika Tovar, a non-professional with an incredible screen presence). Sonia remembers Caro from the old days when she worked for Caro’s father, and has been at the house for years, living there now with her son Maiko (Yermain Sequera, another find), a kid old enough to be in elementary school if only he were enrolled in one. A tenant (José Aponte) rents a room from Sonia and may sometimes share her bed, while old retainer Yoni (Arturo Rodríguez) also has the run of the estate, especially the plantation. Luckily, his loyalties lie more with Caro, which is lucky as things swiftly turn sour between Caro and Sonia when the former tells the latter she’s going to have to leave so Caro can sell the estate.

Not that we see her getting in the real-estate agents or even doing much about the dead leaves everywhere. After spending a lot of time in bed and looking at mysterious books of illustrations her father left lying about among his Chekhovian rifle and machete, Caro moves to the town for a while to stay in a hotel and plot with Roque about how to get rid of Sonia. The police are clearly not going to help, claiming that Sonia has a right to stay put having lived there more than five years, and anyway, she has other legal claims on the place.

Presumably, this was all filmed well before U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, not that the abduction has had much effect on the country’s regime. But it’s clear from the attitude of the locals that no one likes a pushy, arrogant gringa like Caro around these parts, least of all one who struts about in leather boots and a gaucho hat like she owns the place. Well, yes, she does own it technically, but it’s not a good look here, where the sufferings of colonial rule are well remembered. As one policewoman points out, all she’s lacking is a whip. (Don’t worry, there’s also a whip back at the house, which will play a significant role in the story.)

Argento has enough instinctive ferality about her to make her blend well with the less experienced actors, but this is not one of her better performances and the character is very underwritten. The sound and music tracks by Sylvain Bellemare and Vittorio Giampietro, respectively, have to work extra hard to make it feel like something is going to happen, eventually, and it won’t be pretty. Mission accomplished, but that doesn’t quite make for an entirely satisfying viewing experience.

Not too long ago in this very galaxy, audiences watched a helmeted bounty hunter meet a mysterious big-eyed alien toddler on their TVs, and “Star Wars” was changed forever.

After charming fans for three (and a half) seasons, the Mandalorian and Grogu — the once unnamed child unofficially dubbed Baby Yoda, who has since been promoted to title character status — are making their way to the big screen Friday. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will see the duo take on a job from the New Republic that brings them into the orbit of a familiar “Star Wars” crime family — the Hutts.

Directed by “The Mandalorian” creator Jon Favreau, the movie takes place some time after the events of the show’s third season, which concluded in 2023. In the Season 3 finale, the gunslinging warrior Din Djarin officially adopted his Force-sensitive charge, whose full name then became Din Grogu, and took him on as a proper Mandalorian apprentice.

Needing to be a bit more discerning about the jobs that he takes as he trains his kid, Mando became a gun-for-hire for the New Republic, helping them track down any remaining Imperial sympathizers and others who threaten the galaxy’s tenuous peace.

Premiering in 2019, “The Mandalorian” was meant to appeal to the “Star Wars” faithful while also being an entry point for those new to the franchise. The show has developed its own lore over the years as characters from other movies and shows joined the fray to expand the show’s footprint in “Star Wars” canon.

Here’s a spoiler-free rundown of what you need to know about the Mandalorian, Grogu and the rest of the players who take center stage in the first “Star Wars” movie since 2019.

Do I need to watch ‘The Mandalorian’ before watching ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’?

Not really! Although the movie is a continuation of the series, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is a self-contained story that does not require any “Star Wars” homework. The main points to know are that Mando is a bounty hunter for the good guys and Grogu is his Force-sensitive adopted child and apprentice.

There are, of course, Easter eggs and references throughout the movie for those who have followed “The Mandalorian” and other “Star Wars” shows, so there is added payoff for those familiar with the world.

What should I watch to know everything about the Mandalorian and Grogu?

For the full backstory of the lovable parent-child duo, watch “The Mandalorian” Seasons 1 and 2, then “The Book of Boba Fett” Episodes 5 through 7 and finish up with “The Mandalorian” Season 3.

Those 27 episodes cover Mando and the child’s first meeting, their travels as the bounty hunter grows increasingly protective of his charge, the Mandalorian’s quest to reunite Grogu with the Jedi, the youngling’s snackish habits, Mandalorian history and more.

The Twins are Jabba the Hutt’s cousins.

(Lucasfilm)

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What else should I watch to know everything for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’?

Those interested in doing their full “Star Wars” homework (with extra credit) will want to revisit the full seven-episode season of “The Book of Boba Fett” rather than just the Mandalorian and Grogu episodes. The show includes the first appearance of the Twins, cousins of the late Jabba the Hutt who are interested in what remains of his criminal enterprise.

Rotta the Hutt, meanwhile, is introduced as an infant in the animated 2008 movie “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” In the movie, which takes place between the events of “Episode II — Attack of the Clones” and “Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” Rotta is kidnapped as part of a plan to turn Jabba against the Republic, but it doesn’t reveal much more about him. Anyone up for catching all of the Easter eggs should also watch “The Clone Wars” animated series.

A familiar bounty hunter from “The Clone Wars” animated series has also been spotted in the trailers for “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” While Embo didn’t have much screen time, he can be glimpsed among the scum and villainy in a handful of episodes including Season 2 Episode 17, Season 5 Episode 14 and Season 6 Episode 5.

Those curious about the backstory of Zeb Orrelios, who first appeared in live-action among other former Rebellion fighters at the Adelphi base in “The Mandalorian” Season 3 Episode 5, should check out “Star Wars Rebels.” Among the key episodes that center Zeb, a Lestat warrior whose people had been nearly wiped out for standing up against the Empire, are Season 1 Episode 3 and Season 2 Episodes 14 and 17.

None of these other installments are crucial for following the events of the new movie, though.

Bai, from left, Clang, Keeto and Grogu in “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

(Lucasfilm)

What about those cute alien mechanics that even Grogu seems obsessed with?

The diminutive aliens are the Anzellans, described as “the best droidsmiths of the Outer Rim” when Mando and Grogu are introduced to them in “The Mandalorian” Season 3 Episode 1. The first Anzellan to appear on screen, however, was Babu Frik in “Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker,” which, in the “Star Wars” timeline, takes place after the events of “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

Train to Busan’s director is back with a new zombie movie, and Rotten Tomatoes reviews are pouring in. Here’s what critics are saying about Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony after its Cannes 2026 premiere.

What critics are saying about Colony in reviews

Director Yeon Sang-ho’s latest Korean zombie thriller Colony has drawn a range of reactions from critics following its Cannes 2026 premiere. The film stars Jun Ji-hyun as a professor trapped inside a sealed biotech facility after a rapidly mutating virus breaks out among conference attendees.

On the positive side, Joonatan Itkonen of Region Free called the film “clever and unexpected, if never quite scary,” praising it as “a thrilling zombie romp from one of the masters of the genre.” Juan Luis Caviaro of Espinof agreed it has “everything it takes to become another hit for Korean genre cinema,” while Nikki Baughan of Screen International noted that “as a modern zombie movie, Colony certainly has a satisfying bite.” Chris Bumbray of JoBlo called it “an epic return to zombie-form from the director of Train to Busan.”

Not all critics were convinced, however. Emma Kiely of Little White Lies felt the film’s concept “isn’t nearly revolutionary enough to hang a two-hour film on.” Ritesh Mehta of IndieWire observed that while “the deck he crafts is often masterful,” the film’s “communication lessons and memory of human loss don’t hit hard enough.” Jason Gorber of Next Best Picture was the harshest, calling the film “flawed and forgettable.”

Colony gets a strong score on Rotten Tomatoes

Despite the mixed opinions, Colony currently holds a Fresh score of 70% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 critic reviews. The majority of reviewers awarded the film 3 or 4 out of 5 stars, with praise centered on its creature design and relentless pacing.

With a limited U.S. theatrical release set for August 28, 2026 through Well Go USA Entertainment, the film’s solid Tomatometer score suggests it should appeal to fans of Korean action-horror. Colony may not reach the heights of Train to Busan, but the early critical consensus positions it as a worthy genre entry from a proven filmmaker.