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Zaki Hasan

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Born and raised in Chicago -- with a decade-long detour in Saudi Arabia -- before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area, Zaki Hasan has been a media scholar and critic for more than twenty years. He is a member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, and his film reviews and analyses have appeared at HuffPost, Philly Weekly, Fandor, Sequart, and more. He is also co-host of the MovieFilm and Nostalgia Theater Podcasts, and co-author of Quirk Books' Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture, as well as a contributor to books on the Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, and Blade Runner franchises. Additionally, he has appeared as a panelist on Al Jazeera America's The Stream and HuffPost Live.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025) 81% 3/4 EDIT “"The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants" may not be the series’ most inspired cinematic outing, but it’s a likable one.” – San Francisco Chronicle Jan 2, 2026 Full Review Zootopia 2 (2025) 91% 3/4 EDIT “"Zootopia 2" ventures into new territory without losing its emotional footing. It shows us how trust and cooperation often hinge on small, brave choices made over and over again.” – San Francisco Chronicle Nov 26, 2025 Full Review Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025) 60% 3/4 EDIT “To be clear, it’s all in service of a disposable lark, but it’s an enjoyable journey to go on all the same. Even the requisite “one last trick” lands with satisfying elegance. ” – San Francisco Chronicle Nov 11, 2025 Full Review Man of Steel (2013) 57% B EDIT “Snyder takes care to preserve the core of nobility, humility and goodness that have made Superman so beloved all over the world for three quarters of a century (and counting), making for a film that's exhilarating, emotional, and even beautiful.” – Zaki's Corner Oct 22, 2025 Full Review TRON: Ares (2025) 53% 2/4 EDIT ““Tron: Ares” builds on the franchise’s history with new ideas and visual confidence that will likely delight longtime fans (while feeling absolutely impenetrable to anyone coming in cold).” – San Francisco Chronicle Oct 20, 2025 Full Review The Bad Guys 2 (2025) 87% 3/4 EDIT “While it doesn’t quite recapture the spark of surprise that made the first outing such a pleasant detour from franchise fatigue, it still delivers where it counts.” – San Francisco Chronicle Aug 6, 2025 Full Review Freakier Friday (2025) 73% 2/4 EDIT “As before, the chief draw is Curtis, who once again earns big laughs from the absurdity of a teenager stuck inside a 60-something body. ” – San Francisco Chronicle Aug 6, 2025 Full Review Superman: The Movie (1978) 87% EDIT “Reshaping a comic book adaptation into a modern myth told with wonder, sincerity and soul, “Superman: The Movie” didn’t just make you believe a man could fly, it made you want to.” – San Francisco Chronicle Jul 16, 2025 Full Review Smurfs (2025) 21% 3/4 EDIT “A brand refresh aimed squarely at Gen Alpha and their Spotify-loving parents. On that front, it largely succeeds. It's fun, chaotic and occasionally touching. ” – San Francisco Chronicle Jul 16, 2025 Full Review Batman Forever (1995) 41% EDIT “A unique chapter in the Dark Knight’s cinematic history — a stylistic detour that dared to show Gotham in a different light. Literally.” – IGN Movies Jun 25, 2025 Full Review A Minecraft Movie (2025) 48% 1/4 EDIT “Another example of Hollywood shoving a beloved property into the factory mold (cube-shaped mold, natch), hoping name recognition will be enough to justify its existence.” – San Francisco Chronicle Apr 4, 2025 Full Review Star Trek: Section 31 (2025) 23% 1/4 EDIT “Whatever this film hoped to accomplish, it ultimately reflects nothing of the legacy it’s supposed to uphold.” – San Francisco Chronicle Jan 24, 2025 Full Review Den of Thieves: Pantera (2025) 62% 6/10 EDIT “With appealing chemistry between stars Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr., and a suitably tense third-act heist sequence, it rewards the goodwill the original has built up since its 2018 release.” – IGN Movies Jan 13, 2025 Full Review Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) 86% EDIT “While “Sonic 3” continues to steadily build out the game mythology, this time the big moments are bigger and the small moments are fewer.” – San Francisco Chronicle Dec 19, 2024 Full Review The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024) 49% EDIT “When the credits roll, one can’t help but come away feeling like we were running on a treadmill for a little over two hours. Sure, you got your steps in, but you haven’t gotten anywhere.” – San Francisco Chronicle Dec 19, 2024 Full Review Watchmen Chapter II (2024) 9/10 EDIT “The finest adaptation of one of the most important comic book stories ever told gets the ending it deserves.” – IGN Movies Dec 19, 2024 Full Review Watchmen Chapter I (2024) 92% 8/10 EDIT “Watchmen Chapter 1 was clearly a labor love for its creators. But while the impressive animated film avoids some of the pitfalls of prior adaptations, it also ends up revealing a few of its own in the process. ” – IGN Movies Aug 12, 2024 Full Review Despicable Me 4 (2024) 55% EDIT “Talk about despicable.” – San Francisco Chronicle Jul 30, 2024 Full Review Ultraman: Rising (2024) 86% 3/4 EDIT ““Ultraman: Rising” is a bit longer than it needs to be, but buoyed by a strong voice cast and a unique point of view that blends elements of superhero action with heartfelt family drama, it’s an effective reinvention of a franchise...” – San Francisco Chronicle Jun 14, 2024 Full Review Speed (1994) 95% EDIT “A perfect marriage of concept, cast and execution. The proof of its success is that even though it may feel like it's been left behind by time, action flicks today owe an undisputed debt to what the movie achieved.” – IGN Movies Jun 12, 2024 Full Review The Garfield Movie (2024) 36% 0/4 EDIT ““The Garfield Movie” is a reheated tray of stale lasagna. ” – San Francisco Chronicle May 24, 2024 Full Review The Fugitive (1993) 96% EDIT “It’s the rare '90s TV-to-film adaptation that transcended its roots to become a beloved classic in its own right.” – IGN Movies Dec 26, 2023 Full Review Tombstone (1993) 76% EDIT “While the Western resurgence of the early ’90s eventually faded away, "Tombstone"'s warm glow has not only persisted but thrived.” – IGN Movies Dec 26, 2023 Full Review Migration (2023) 73% 3/4 EDIT “Don’t expect “Magnificent Ambersons”-style interfamily drama a la Orson Welles. But the character moments here resonate, and there are enough stakes to make the final scenes feel meaningful.” – San Francisco Chronicle Dec 20, 2023 Full Review Fremont (2023) 98% 3/4 EDIT ““Fremont” is content to let small moments stay small, threading them together for a compelling tapestry of shared humanity.” – San Francisco Chronicle Aug 23, 2023 Full Review
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