Worldbreakers may have all the hallmarks of a cheesy, straight-to-video science fiction flick, but its filmmaking approach and more intimate story lets it rise above.
Worldbreaker
Directed By: Brad Anderson
Written By: Joshua Rollins
Starring: Billie Boullet, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans
Release Date: January 30, 2026 (Limited)
I know this is very much “judging a book by it’s cover” but when I see a new, low-budget sci-fi movie with Milla Jovovich, I tend to assume it’s not going to be all that great. Especially when you throw in the fact it’s a limited release and essentially designed as a straight-to-digital movie. These type of flicks can still be fun, however, but yeah. I hate to say it, as I love Milla, but that tends to be the pattern (just look at last year’s Into the Lost Lands).
Perhaps it’s because I went into Worldbreaker with this level of expectations that allowed me to enjoy it so much. I’m sure that contributes to it a bit, but another reason I think this film works, is how it keeps its focus narrow. Instead of putting all the attention on the war with these Breaker creatures, it gives us a more touching father-daughter story. But even in that, it doesn’t let its larger world overshadow the smaller story it’s telling.
Worldbreaker takes place at some point in the future, where monstrous creatures known only as “Breakers” have come up from underneath the ground via “stitches.” Their coming marks an extinction level event in which most of the animals, even plants, have begun to die off.
As one would expect, these monsters are incredibly hard to kill, with the only sure fire way being decapitation. Getting in close comes with its own risks, however. With nothing more than a simple scratch/break of the skin, Breakers can infect humans and turn them into hybrids (kinda like zombies, but full monster conversion). The kicker here is that this infection mostly effects men, with women being almost—but not entirely—immune. As such, most of the men have died out or are forced into ancillary positions, while the resistance fighting back are comprised of women.
The film puts the focus on Willa, (Billie Boullet), a teenager who’s grown up only knowing the world with the Breakers. Her parents (Milla Jovovich and Luke Evans) are somewhat famous for their skills in fighting against the creatures, and do what they can to prepare Willa not only for the world she’s in, but also the world beyond this conflict.
They’re forced to evacuate their village when a new stitch opens up, forcing Willa to leave the only home she’s really known. When their caravan is attacked by the creatures, Willa and her father manage to escape to a remote island—leaving Willa’s mother behind as she was needed to lead the war.
As they arrive on the seemingly untouched island, her father endeavors to teach Willa everything she needs from combat skills to survival. As time goes on, and no word comes from her mother, Willa chafes at the isolation; yearning to join the fight or simply exist with others.
In the interest of keeping things spoiler free, I’ll leave it at that. Suffice it to say, Worldbreaker is not at all the film I was expecting it to be and the end result was a film that was far more emotional and serious.
What helps set Worldbreaker apart, is the filmmakers seem fully aware of the limitations they have. Similarly scaled Sci-Fi flicks would happily charge ahead with sequences and a story that was too big, resulting in laughable CGI constructs and the ultimate cheese factor. We see it time and time again with these kinds of movies, and while there’s something to be said for that level of self-aware B (C?) movie, but there’s no taking them seriously.
To that end, Worldbreaker takes a less is more approach. It has the setup for a big end of the world monster story, but takes a more intimate/personal approach to it. The creatures are only fully seen a handful of times, and even then it’s sparingly done…but their presence/influence remains a constant throughout the story. Almost like with Jaws (this film is not Jaws outside the purpose of this analogy), holding back on showing the shark made the moments when it did appear all the more impactful.
That’s how the Breakers are handled and the result is a film filled with constant tension. Rather than laughing at the absurdity of the circumstances, or enjoying the film despite its cheesiness, you’re able to actually take things seriously. It makes you want to explore this world deeper. And honestly, that’s probably the highest praise I can give the film. IÂ want to see what happens next. I’m eager to see more stories set in this world they’ve crafted and think there’s a lot of potential in it.
There are, of course, some issues with the film. Some of the acting is a bit rough for the younger actor, and you never get the sense of anyone being particularly well trained or “bad ass” despite how clearly the film wants you to believe it. Its biggest issue, however, is the pacing. Coming in a smidge over 90 minutes, Worldbreaker still manages to have some lulls in it. Something you wouldn’t expect from what should, ostensibly, be a breezy 90-minute creature feature.
It’s not necessarily boring during these moments, but it takes some time to firmly establish the kind of story it is. Early on, you get the sense it’ll be a more straightforward apocalyptic action flick (something we’ve seen Milla Jovovich do plenty of). There are even some short sequences that tease larger scale battles that you keep expecting to come back to. That bigger scale the first third of the film seems to promise, is never realized, however.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the approach it went with more, but the shift takes some getting used to. There’s a good chunk of the middle where you’re still waiting/expecting to return to the “main” action, before realizing the kind of the story the film is actually telling. Hell, there are times when I wasn’t sure the film knew exactly where it was going either, which gives us this rocky middle section.
