Jon O'Brien

Jon O'Brien is a freelance entertainment writer from North West England who covers movie history for Inverse. He's written about film and television for Esquire, Billboard, Vulture, New Scientist, i-D, The Guardian, and Paste. He's also a soccer enthusiast, garage drummer, Icelandophile, and carrot cake connoisseur.

Retrospective

How a Forgotten Sci-Fi Movie Beat Brendan Fraser to the Punch

Hijinks certainly did not ensue.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

'Quantum Leap' — And a Shirtless Scott Bakula — Changed Episodic Sci-Fi Forever

What other actor has the range to play both a chimp and Lee Harvey Oswald?

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

The First, Silliest, and Secretly Best Star Wars Knockoff Starred David Hasselhoff, Obviously

Hasselhoff and Christopher Plummer, together at last.

ByJon O'Brien
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Netflix's Latest Thriller Puts a Scandinavian Spin on the Disaster Movie

Sweden has given us a good movie about why you should never visit Sweden.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

The Best Stephen King Miniseries is Also the Most Obscure

King closed out the 20th century with one hell of a storm.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

One Underrated Sci-Fi Movie Proved Not All ‘80s Reboots Are Devoid of Imagination

The 2014 Robocop is not as bad as its reputation suggests.

ByJon O'Brien
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The Most Wildly Entertaining Action Thriller of the Year Has a Crucial Secret Weapon

The Brothers Sun proves Michelle Yeoh is still Hollywood’s coolest badass.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

Back in the ‘90s, an Infamous ‘50s B-Movie was Given a Smart Feminist Slant

Not every cult classic ages gracefully.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

One of the Worst Stephen King Adaptations Still Offers Plenty of Pulpy Fun

Buckle your seatbelt.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

'Jurassic Park' Was Such a Massive Hit Even Steven Spielberg Tried Cashing In

Some cases of dinomania can be terminal.

ByJon O'Brien
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Steven Soderbergh Delivered the Best Hitchcockian Thriller of the 21st Century

Side effects include murdered movie stars and shocking plot twists.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

Bad-On-Purpose Shlock Like 'Sharknado' Owes Its Existence to a Forgotten ‘70s Flick

You’ll never look at a salad the same way again.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

Natalie Wood’s Final Movie Was One of the Most Underrated Sci-Fi Thrillers of the ‘80s

What really happens after death?

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

Leonard Nimoy Got His Start Acting With a Pipe Cleaner Monster in a Roger Corman Thriller

Everyone has to start somewhere.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

A Very Dumb Action Movie Proved Jason Statham is Hollywood’s Funniest Action Hero

Only one man could be just the right amount of ridiculous.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

Long Before 'Black Panther,' A Forgotten Superhero Flop Broke Bold New Ground

The quality wasn’t quite there, but the heart was.

ByJon O'Brien
Last Call

Fun Fact: Stephen King Didn’t Actually Write His Own Darkest Ending

You only have a few days left to watch this sci-fi thriller on Netflix.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

Steve Martin’s Only Sci-Fi Outing is One of His All-Time Greats

This one doesn’t quite qualify as hard sci-fi.

ByJon O'Brien
Last Call

Making a Time-Travel Rom-Com Isn’t Easy. This Movie Proves It.

Time Freak is a fun if slightly problematic take on the subgenre.

ByJon O'Brien
Retrospective

A Forgotten Neo-Noir Thriller Made Margot Robbie the Queen of the Ambitious Mess

TK TK

ByJon O'Brien