“Him” captured the interest of football and cinema fans, with the spectacle of a sports-horror crossover intriguing many. Unfortunately, a few hiccups within the story sabotaged what was otherwise one of the most visually-interesting films of 2025.
Monkeypaw Productions, the same team responsible for “Get Out” (2017), and “Nope” (2022), offers its latest release with “Him”.
The root of the movie’s issues starts with its crew, as the film has three writers, a modern rarity for films under a standard 90-minute runtime. This misstep bleeds through as the movie continues, with the plot becoming more convoluted towards the end.
It’s also just the fourth film from director Justin Tipping. Despite the common misconception, Jordan Peele had no hand in the film besides production, although the common attachment of his name to the film could lead viewers to think otherwise.
Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans shine bright in their leading roles, and the cast is otherwise supported by experienced actors and unique faces such as Julia Fox and Naomi Grossman.
Wayans plays Isaiah White, a quarterback for the fictional San Antonio Saviours, who is known nationally as the “GOAT”.
Withers plays the young Cameron Cade, a superstar quarterback out of college who was raised to be great like his mentor, Isaiah White.
The movie honestly makes little breathing room, with the plot kicking off before many of the characters are even introduced. It’s clear that “Him” aims to overwhelm the audience, as the crowd is immediately bombarded with incredible visual and sound design.
The film starts with a young Cameron Cade watching Isaiah suffer a brutal injury during a football game. Early on, the dynamic between Cade and his father is highlighted in depth, but this relationship sort of fizzles out as the film goes on.
“Thats what real men do…they make sacrifices…no guts, no glory.” This phrase is spoken by Cam’s father to end the introduction, and holds a great deal of significance in relation to the movie’s themes.
Years later, after Cameron Cade suffers a brutal blow to the head in preparation for the professional combine, he is invited to a training week with the great Isaiah White.
With no questions asked, he accepts, and the main storyline is kicked off within the first 20 minutes.
The chemistry between Withers and Wayans is clear from their first interaction, and the rest of the film truly speaks to this great chemistry between the two actors.
The soundtrack also gets a chance to shine during this transitional period, and the music featured is pivotal in representing the film’s gritty tone.
As Cade advances through the week’s training, the interactions between him and Isaiah become increasingly violent and sinister, creating an outlet for the underlying ritualistic themes in connection to the sport of football.
The parallels between sports and religion are a big topic in the film, with White even stating, “You up-and-comers love to go around spouting ‘God, family, football.’ For me it was always football…family…god.” This, along with some of the imagery paints a unique portrayal of religion, and the sacrifices some are willing to make for success.
The movie clearly aims to highlight the struggles of a young, talented athlete, particularly the challenges that come with media presence and the pressure to perform well.
Eventually, however, the story becomes somewhat stagnant, and in my opinion, the film begins to weigh too heavily on its production value, and forgets to add interesting elements to the plot.
During the final sequence, what is supposed to be a triumphant victory for Cameron Cade turns into a cheap, needless exposition dump, with the film painting out its themes as if they were too complex for the viewer to see themselves.
Instead of remaining its own eccentric enigma as it was in the first half, the second half sees the film blend together several tropes from other horror films, a clear misstep caused by the surplus of screen writers.
These are undoubtedly the biggest flaws within what is otherwise a unique, visually wonderful film.
“Him” shines best as a mood piece, a film that, when viewed in differing head spaces, can yield different results for the viewer.
It’s important to note how wildly critical the reactions have been to “Him”. The film scored a 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Robert Daniels from Rogerebert.com gave the film just a 0.5/4.
While these reviews do point out things like the messy, unmoving plot and cheap exposition dump, they fail to bring up the movie’s distinctive tone and visuals. With every aspect combined, I think the movie levels out to a ⅗.
