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.

Movies

'The Platform 2' Serves Up Another Hyperviolent, Illogical Feast

Did anyone want seconds?

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Ludicrous Sci-Fi Blockbuster Remains Surprisingly Fun

Time paradoxes are no match for a swift kick.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

The Best Sci-Fi Movie You Haven’t Seen Combined Superheroism with the Silent Film

Months before John Carpenter's Starman hit theaters, an indie flick told its own stranded alien story.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

In 1984, a Forgotten Sci-Fi Thriller Beat Inception to the Dreamy Punch

Sleep well.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

How a Disney Channel Original Foreshadowed the Anxieties Over AI

Before there was Alexa, there was Pat.

By Jon O'Brien

'Trigger Warning' Fails to Justify Its 'Rambo'-Meets-'John Wick' Claims

Jessica Alba’s return to the movies is a middling disappointment.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

Decades Ago, an Infamously Dark Sci-Fi Anthology Concluded With a Happy Ending

Take a dip.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

How Sam Raimi Delivered Horror’s Most Shocking Ending in Years

PG-13? No problem.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

A Classic Horror Movie Spawned One of the Best Sequels You’ve Never Heard Of

Vampires are scary, but production hell is scarier.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

Stephen King Hated a 1984 Adaptation of His Work — But Then it Won Him Over

You don’t want to get on Drew Barrymore’s bad side.

By Jon O'Brien
Unlimited Power

Why 'Phantom Menace' Parodies Are Better Than The Real Thing

My, my this here Anakin guy, maybe Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry.

By Jon O'Brien
Unlimited Power

The Worst Star Wars Prequel Produced One of the Franchise's Greatest Moments

One incredible scene rewarded everyone who sat through Jar Jar Binks’ antics.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

With 'Civil War' in Theaters, it’s Time to Revisit Alex Garland’s Most Disturbing and Divisive Movie

No matter where you hid, you couldn’t escape the discourse.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

30 Years Ago, Edward Furlong Squared Off Against Another CGI Villain

It’s no Terminator 2, but Furlong’s lesser-known sci-fi contains some entertaining scares.

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

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

Hijinks certainly did not ensue.

By Jon 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?

By Jon O'Brien
Retrospective

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

Hasselhoff and Christopher Plummer, together at last.

By Jon O'Brien
Inverse Recommends

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.

By Jon 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.

By Jon 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.

By Jon O'Brien