POPEYE THE SLAYER MAN (2025) is competently made, but it's an incredibly lazy example of taking a nearly century-old IP that's recently crossed into the public domain and milking it with little or no imagination or creativity.
The story (such as it is) basically dusts off the rote FRIDAY THE 13th formula, crosses out the word "Jason" and swaps in "Popeye," shifts the location from Camp Crystal Lake to an abandoned spinach cannery, on the docks, and has the implacable sailor (now mutated after decades of consuming canned spinach that's contaminated with mutagenic toxic waste) graphically murdering those who encroach on his home.
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Well, blow me down.
Damned near every beat is straight out of any random FRIDAY THE 13th flick, plus the documentary aspect of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT shoehorned in for some added spice (albeit to a lesser degree), and about halfway through, I called the plot's big reveal, largely because I am deeply steeped in Popeye lore after a lifetime of being a fan of the character and his world (when they are handled well). Yes, there's a lot of cannon fodder wandering around the dark, labyrinthine cannery before they meet their brutal demises, but I have definitely seen far worse. It's a trifle that will likely be forgotten a day or two after seeing it, but at least it's not dull. That said, this is not the only Popeye public domain cash-in out there. Up next: POPEYE'S REVENGE (2025).
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