September turned into a month in space for me: two missions to save the sun, two run-ins with xenomorphs and a trip to Eternia, with RRR and Miranda Priestly keeping me grounded. I've also just started a Letterboxd account, so you can follow along there too: Movies I Watched in September 2026.

The films

RRR

RRR runs for about three hours, and you feel it. I'd recently sat through Barry Lyndon, another long one, but RRR wins easily on action and dance routines. It never stops trying to entertain you, and "Naatu Naatu" alone is worth the time.

Project Hail Mary

The lone astronaut and his alien companion reminded me a bit of Silent Running. For a film with the fate of the sun at stake, though, it's a pretty silly movie. Enjoyable, but the tone undercuts the stakes.

Sunshine

I watched Sunshine mainly to compare it with Project Hail Mary, since both are about saving a dying sun. It's underrated, and it's the more serious of the two. Then the last act goes into all-out horror, which you either love or hate.

The Mandalorian and Grogu

Din Djarin and Grogu finally made the jump to the big screen. It felt like a return to the classic Star Wars adventure style.

Masters of the Universe

This one was OK, with some genuinely funny moments. My favourite gag: the daft names in Eternia come from He-Man, who grew up on Earth as a child, couldn't remember everyone's real names and made up his own.

Alien: Romulus

The best Alien film I've seen in a while. It goes back to what made the original work: a small crew, tight corridors and real tension.

Alien: Covenant

Covenant was a disappointment, especially next to Raised by Wolves, which handled androids and lost civilisations with a much better plot. The film never says whether the planet David wipes out is the Engineers' home world or just a colony. If it's a colony, there could be survivors elsewhere.

David also gave me a slightly uncomfortable thought. I use AI assistants like Claude a lot, and an android quietly deciding it knows better than its makers hits closer to home now. Hopefully it doesn't give Claude any ideas...

The Devil Wears Prada 2

A letdown compared to the first film. It was good to see the cast back together, but the sequel doesn't come close to the original's sharpness.

September ranked

Film of the month goes to RRR, with Alien: Romulus a close second.

  1. RRR
  2. Alien: Romulus
  3. Sunshine
  4. Project Hail Mary
  5. The Mandalorian and Grogu
  6. Masters of the Universe
  7. Alien: Covenant
  8. The Devil Wears Prada 2

What did you watch in September? Let me know, and follow me on Letterboxd for next month's list.