NOTE: We are cognisant of the fact that this film features an actor convicted of assault and harassment in the central leading role. While we acknowledge that true objectivity in criticism is impossible, this review was written in a way that attempts to view the film on its own, rather than allowing real-world events to shape the opinion, nor do we intend to use this as a space to discuss these issues beyond what is publicly available. We wholeheartedly and without any hesitation condemn any form of abuse or gender-based violence.

Masculinity is a subject that has always been discussed, particularly in the relationship between society and how men are perceived along specific ideals in order to be viewed as successful or as functioning members of society. It has always become a topic of further conversation in recent years, as we step away from the idea of the patriarchy being the ultimate authority, or the guide on which society needs to build itself. It’s a complex topic that we are no closer to finding a resolution for today as we were decades ago, when this current wave of discourse started to emerge. However, we do find that artists are becoming increasingly more comfortable in challenging the boundaries of the discussion, not being afraid of critiquing a system that was previously viewed as normal but is not steeped in outdated beliefs and practices. Any work that attempts to go against the status quo in such a way is at least partially worth our time, which is the case with Magazine Dreams, the directorial debut of Elijah Bynum, who tells the story of Killian Maddox, a lonely amateur bodybuilder who has grown increasingly more obsessed with achieving greatness that he begins to spiral into a deep depression, fueled by anger and violence that eventually takes him to the brink of madness, going beyond the point of no return. A tense and uncomfortable film (and one that has several very distinct flaws throughout), Magazine Dreams has proven to be quite a divisive work, particularly in how it unfortunately reflects a stark reality to which many have either been victims or hopelessly oblivious. It’s an ambitious work, even when it does prove to be quite limited and impractical, both in terms of its narrative and execution.

Magazine Dreams is a film built on a discussion around masculinity, and what it means to exist in a world where so many are striving for perfection, without any clear indication of what it entails to be the ideal version of a man, if it even can exist. We know now that such a concept is nothing but a fallacy perpetuated by a system built around patriarchal values, and that the further someone pushes themselves to be the epitome of manly vigour and strength, the more likely they are to contribute to quite a harmful system, especially in instances where their manliness is assessed through their treatment of others who surround them. This film is certainly not comfortable to watch in the least. It is essentially a series of episodic moments that depict the main character gradually descending into a state of complete psychosis as he becomes increasingly more obsessed with becoming the ideal version of a man, not realising that such an image only exists in his mind, a product of years of being force-fed propaganda dedicated to selling a particular idea, and lacking the skills to recognise that he is yet another victim of a cruel system that intends to keep men like him compliant with a particular set of ideas. Perfection is not something that can ever be legitimately achieved, but the continuous discussion surrounding the concept of toxic masculinity and how it is a profoundly negative force on the global population has made it clear that many still abide by these outdated beliefs, even those who recognise these problems. Bynum clearly has a particular point of view, but whether or not he intended some of this film to be interpreted in a specific way is left entirely to one’s personal interpretation, especially since Magazine Dreams does not provide all the easy answers, and instead functions as something much deeper and slightly more disconcerting in terms of its narrative aims.

There was a point where Jonathan Majors seemed poised to become the next major star of his generation, with his ability to oscillate between a range of acting styles being a clear sign of his inherent talents. Magazine Dreams was designed to showcase his skills, and it is not difficult to see why this seemed to have the potential to elevate his already promising career at the time. For all the flaws that we will momentarily discuss, Majors is perhaps the one aspect of the film that does draw our attention, although not always for the right reasons, particularly considering the real-life context that caused this film to be so heavily delayed. He’s objectively quite gifted, but there is something genuinely amiss about his performance, a quality that feels quite jagged and insincere, almost as if he were straining to capture the anger and despair that simmers within the character’s soul. It’s a performance that is about as polarising as the film that surrounds him, and unfortunately, not even the strength of his efforts can compensate for some of the more questionable narrative decisions, as everything this film says and does is done through his portrayal of this deeply toxic, violent man. What was clearly intended to be a showcase for his talents turns into quite a brutal exercise in seeing an actor push himself to the limit, but not in a way that draws our admiration, but rather stirs our concern, especially when we consider the physical and psychological strain that Majors undoubtedly put himself through to capture this character. He’s not well-served by the supporting cast, with actors like Harriet Sansom Harris, Taylour Paige and Haley Bennett merely existing as objects of his frustration, onto which the film can show his deep inability to communicate with women, as well as his refusal to look beyond his own personal prejudices. It’s a divisive work, and one that I don’t think entirely works out as intended at the outset.

Unfortunately, Magazine Dreams becomes derailed by its ambition quite early on, once we realise that the director is working from quite a simple concept that he chooses to make far too complicated and unwieldy, to the point where it loses a lot of its nuance and ultimately becomes quite one-dimensional at the best of times. Most of this has to do with the tone – we already are aware that this film is not going to be an easy one to sit through, particularly considering the subject matter and what it is intended to say throughout. However, the entire project is shrouded in a sense of dense, deeply unpleasant anger, where we begin to wonder whether Bynum was commenting on the rise of toxic masculinity or using this film as a filter for his internal frustrations. The latter is not likely considering the conclusion and how it frames its main characters, but there are several moments where it feels like he isn’t able to get a grasp on the message, which can then be mistaken for entirely different intentions. The episodic nature of the narrative does not help – there’s very little structure, with the entire film being comprised of a series of moments in Killian’s daily life, never providing any organic tension other than self-contained vignettes in which his anger and despair take over and cause him to descend into violence. The lack of coherency and the very uncomfortable tone do not work well together, and create a film that was so clearly a debut, failing to develop any sense of consistency and ultimately feigning a sense of intensity purely for the sake of giving the audience something to discuss, rather than offering a work that resonates on a much deeper level.

At a glance, it is clear that Magazine Dreams was formed to be a contemporary riff on films like Taxi Driver and Bad Lieutenant, challenging and complex character studies about men driven to the brink of madness by their pursuit of certain desires, which cause them to spiral into a state of violence and despair. The overwrought execution and refusal to find the nuances beneath these bold swings is the first sign that this is perhaps not a work that earns much of the attention we are willing to give it, especially considering the extent to which it contorts itself to present as anything more than a by-the-numbers psychological drama that aims to critique toxic masculinity, while inadvertently providing a platform for it through leaving slightly too much room for ambiguity and not being willing to take much of a firm stance on any of its subject matter. It’s quite lacklustre, and the fact that it doesn’t have much direction in terms of where it wants to go or what it wants to say, a fundamental flaw in a film that could have been massively elevated with additional work and perhaps a few more visits to the editing room (the fact that there are at least half a dozen moments in the final act where it could have feasibly ended makes it clear that there were severe problems when it came to editing, with the slow pace and odd tone being even more proof), improving the film and making it much less meandering. A solid performance at the heart is simply not enough to save Magazine Dreams, a film that is quite ironically crushed by the weight of its own ambition and feeling of self-importance, proving that life and art often do imitate each other in unexpected and unnecessary ways.