Polygon.com - Reviews

The Devil’s Mouth review: Prime Video’s killer-shark movie goes deeper than expected

Corey Plante — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 04:00:15 GMT

The last thing I expected from Amazon’s new shark movie was for it to meditate upon this exact kind of often toxic codependent relationship. Long before a bull shark gets dumped into a freshwater tunnel system in Thailand and starts mauling tourists, The Devil’s Mouth is already simmering with tension between best friends Max (Lana Condor) and Sara (Kathryn Newton). The origin story of their friendship is a complex one, and the relationship already feels strained when they start their once-in-a-lifetime vacation fresh out of college with three other chums: Max’s boyfriend James, along with another couple, Greg and Adrienne. (While Sara is ostensibly a fifth wheel, she and Max’s bond is the strongest connection on display.)

Batman: Caped Crusader season 2 review: Even a perfect Joker can't save this show

Sam Nelson — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:40:40 GMT

Created by Timm and Eric Radomski, Batman: The Animated Series is one of the most influential animated shows of all time. It created entirely new DC characters like Harley Quinn and Renee Montoya, who would become part of Batman canon, and redefined the backstories of existing characters like Mr. Freeze to turn one-note villains into tragic figures. Caped Crusader, a spiritual sequel from Timm and James Tucker, takes a similar approach to The Animated Series, attempting to redefine those characters yet again, this time through the lens of 1940s film noir. Season 1 largely succeeded, especially in its depiction of Gotham’s deep corruption and its subtle reimagining of Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Caped Crusader season 2 attempts a similar trick and mostly falls flat. Ten new episodes focus on reinventing members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery while putting the spotlight on more minor characters, but few of them truly shine.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day review: The best Spidey movie since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2

Jake Kleinman — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:00:12 GMT

It’s not that those previous movies are terrible. I still like them a lot; it’s just that Brand New Day raises the quality level in almost every way. From the action to the drama to the superhero cameos, this is a more mature Spider-Man with smarter storytelling and a more satisfying payoff. Brand New Day isn’t just the best Holland-Spidey movie, either. It meets or maybe even surpasses the extremely high bar set by Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man movies.

The Alters Last Variable review: new expansion ditches the delightful stressors of the base game

Austin Manchester — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:00:12 GMT

The biggest stressor is the planet’s sun, which will burn everything it shines upon. Jan and his alters are constantly trying to outrun it with their big wheel-shaped space base lest they, ya know, burn to a crisp. That constant ticking clock brings stress, but also meaning — make the wrong decision, allocate the wrong resources, waste too much time and all the Jans will perish. Impending death-by-sunrise is missing in The Alters’ new expansion, making it a much hollower experience. That said, getting to know new Jans and investigating the expansion’s mystery still make it an enjoyable time.

Halo Campaign Evolved review: one of the best remakes of all time

Ford James — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:00:12 GMT

This time, with Halo: Campaign Evolved, developer Halo Studios took the original game and completely rebuilt it in Unreal Engine 5. The result? One of the best modern remakes we've seen, one that perfectly treads the line between sweet nostalgia and the thrill of a new game.

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game review: the best fighting game of 2026

Elijah Gonzalez — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:00:12 GMT

Through nuanced systems and an encyclopedic knowledge of the source material, developer Gameplay Group International largely does right by Team Avatar. The game is fast and fluid, offering room for player expression that will keep genre sickos practicing expressive movement tricks and combos until they’re moving like a master bender. Thankfully, these elements are compelling, because the somewhat lackluster single player modes work against a whole that isn't in perfect balance.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 review: Gimmicks over character development

Sam Nelson — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:00:12 GMT

Star Trek: Strange New Worldspremiered in 2022 as a spin-off of Star Trek: Discoveryoffering a throwback approach to the franchise that focused on episodic storytelling and serialized character growth, rather than the season-long plotlines that had defined the franchise's Paramount Plus era. But while showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have delivered some hilarious and poignant stories over the course of the show’s run, they’ve also focused too much on gimmick episodes while letting some of their core cast stagnate. As season 3 made some progress on the main arc leading up to Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) taking command of the U.S.S. Enterprise from Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), it rushed some of its character-driven stories in favor of turning everyone into Vulcans, doing a holodeck murder mystery, and having omnipotent aliens put enemies in a terrarium. Unfortunately, that scattered approach continues to be a problem in season 4.

Splatoon Raiders review: Nintendo's take on Borderlands is a delightful mess

Giovanni Colantonio — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:00:12 GMT

That experience isn’t unique to Splatoon Raiders. It’s something that has drawn me to Nintendo’s multiplayer-forward Splatoon series since its Wii U debut. The simple delight of drenching arenas in colorful ink still hasn’t failed to charm me after over a decade of shootouts. As a single-player spin-off that cranks the spirit of childhood mayhem up even further, the delightfully untidy Splatoon Raiders has finally helped me pin down the series’ lasting appeal. Sometimes it’s cathartic to make a big mess that no one can tell you to clean up. Make me, loser!

Avatar Aang The Airbender Review: The original series finally has a worthy successor

Sam Nelson — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:12 GMT

Since Avatar: The Last Airbenderended its three-season run on Nickelodeon in 2008, no one has been able to quite recapture its magic. M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 live-action film was an unmitigated disaster. Netflix’s live-action series alternates between being too brutal in its portrayal of the horrors of war and so faithful to the source material it feels unnecessary, while lacking all the charm of the animated series. Even the show’s original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, faltered with their sequel The Legend of Korra, which had moments of greatness but also spent too much time on YA tropes and mediocre villains. It took nearly 20 years, but Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender finally delivers the worthy follow-up fans have been waiting for.

President Curtis review: Rick and Morty's first spinoff is a deeply nerdy gift for America's 250th

Brian VanHooker — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:00:12 GMT

So when I heard President Curtis was getting his own spinoff show (the first official Rick and Morty spinoff, at that) I got excited because I figured it would just be a lot more of that kind of deeply nerdy humor aimed at history buffs. Fortunately, that’s pretty much exactly what the show is and, as a character, President Curtis works totally independently of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. Created by Dan Harmon and James Siciliano, President Curtis premieres on Adult Swim on July 26, kicking off a 10-episode first season, and while the show does have a few shortcomings, its strengths are far greater than its weaknesses.