The ingredients for a first-rate experience are all here until the story unfolds.

It’s equal parts fervently funny, grossly graphic and utterly absurd.

An origin story with no intention of avoiding the inevitable battle sequences.

The entire film feels like it’s stuck in a post-coital coma.

Edgy with a rough-hewn style and the grace of a gorilla ordering a pale Pouilly-Fuissé.

A drawn-out reminder of “the grass is always greener” syndrome.

No film in 2017 surprised me more than this one.

Feels as if del Toro borrowed and updated a campy 1950s sci-fi thriller.

Has the feel of a potluck dinner gone bad.

Rattles us with an authenticity not often found in films of its era.

A captivating, unrelenting tale that takes no prisoners.

A shockingly empty expanse of unresolved questions and unrealized potential.