Joseph Kahn

Obviously, the star of the show is Swamp Thing, who looks properly menacing.

Following last week’s final wave announcement, Fantastic Fest has a handful of late additions for this year’s genre film festival. Joining what is already a pretty exciting lineup for 2017 are seven more titles, including new features, shorts and two television series. The most notable of those titles is Bodied, the new rap battle flick from Joseph Kahn (Detention), which recently had a divisive world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival — where it instantly became a must-see.

As the kids of the ‘80s and early ‘90s are dragged kicking and screaming into middle age, their nostalgia for the things they enjoyed in childhood has only grown stronger. And Hollywood has responded in kind, taking those childhood obsessions and transforming them into movies that are specifically crafted to appeal to adults with fond memories instead of kids. That’s why director Joseph Kahn’s new grim ‘n gritty Power Rangers short film is brilliant and unsettling in equal measure. On one hand, it’s exquisitely made and just tongue-in-cheek enough. On the other, it’s exactly the kind of movie that we’re worried will actually get made in the next few years.