Jonathan Majors plays Killian Maddox, an amateur bodybuilder on the edge in the dark drama “Magazine Dreams.” The film is a harrowing portrait of untreated mental illness, violence, and male loneliness. Directed by Elijah Bynum, it’s a stylized portrayal of a man teetering on the brink of collapse, driven by his simplistic devotion to physical perfection.
Majors delivers a monumental ferocity in his performance, fully transforming into Killian and conveying the pain behind his psychotic actions. The film follows Killian’s life, marked by his mundane job and caregiving for his aging grandfather, as he desperately seeks validation through bodybuilding competitions. When co-worker Jessie agrees to date him, Killian is shocked that she doesn’t recognize his idol.
Writer-director Bynum effectively captures the film’s stylized intensity, making the audience uneasy and captivated from the start. However, some viewers may find the movie’s bleak final hour and lack of resolution on its themes uncomfortable and unfulfilling. Despite Majors’ impressive performance, the film seems to rely too heavily on shock value.
With two and a half stars out of four, “Magazine Dreams” is a thought-provoking but ultimately flawed character study. The question remains whether it will resonate with audiences, despite its turbulent performance by Jonathan Majors and Elijah Bynum’s impressive direction.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/movie-review-magazine-dreams-jonathan-majors-a5d070aa0a7dd053db28bb6bb96a56b1