Ryan Coogler is digging his fangs into 2025 with Sinners , and it’s already making critical waves of applause, and quite possibly some fang marks too. The vampire horror movie has marked its position as the best-rated movie this year (to date), standing tall with a perfect almost 98% (almost 100%) on Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, the director Ryan Coogler has traded vibranium for bloodsuckers, and critics can’t get enough.
Sinners opens in theaters on April 18, 2025, and from the early hype, it’s less of a slow burn and more of a cinematic throat bite. With fans of horror sharpening their stakes and movie lovers readying their think pieces, this movie is already the year’s hottest topic. Reportedly, the Sinners got scored 96% from the audience and 98% from the critics!
So, whether you’re a fan of stylish frights or simply want to see what Coogler can do when the sun sets, this one’s worth sinking your popcorn into. Sinners isn’t just showing vampires, it’s showing cinema. Critics are praising its eye-dazzling visuals, unflinching horror, and characters that scream and run (yes, those are things that happen in Sinners , too), but also do more than that.
And because Ryan Coogler does things all the way or not at all, the entire production was filmed using only IMAX film cameras, yes, real film, not just the logo on a poster. It’s the sole film this year that went whole hog IMAX, so even the jump scares are hitting you in high definition emotional trauma. Forget popcorn, pack a seatbelt.
The plot of the Sinners
The story of Sinners is as follows: Two twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, come back to the Mississippi Delta after escaping war and Chicago gangsters and begin a juke joint with pilfered cash because, of course, that’s step one in any horror film.
They are joined by their cousin Sammie, but their pastor father cautions that music is essentially a gateway to the supernatural. Before long, the juke joint is hoppin’, ghosts are dancing, and vampires crash the joint, headed up by an Irish vampire and his newly turned Klan friends.
Garlic juice battles ensue, strained family reunions, and a grandma handing out vampire defense kits like they’re candy. Individuals die, wake up, bite one another, fight, host blues concerts amid chaos, and somehow make IMAX cameras tear up.
A few decades on, Sammie’s old, still playing his guitar, and certainly has vampire PTSD. So yeah… your typical feel-good family horror with zombie racists and soul-redemption guitar solos.
Fans celebrate the success of Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ with memes
The internet didn’t just clap for Sinners , it pulled out the holy water, garlic emojis, and every blessed reaction meme it had stored for emergency use. One moment you’re praising the cinematography, the next you’re sending your group chat a photoshopped image of Dracula holding an Oscar.
From “me walking into the theater as a sinner, exiting as an IMAX possessed disciple” to “vampires in Mississippi received more character work than my ex,” fans are letting their imagination run wild like they’ve had thousands of years waiting to unleash fashionable undead anarchy.
If Rotten Tomatoes had a meme category, Sinners would have a 100% in demonic humor.
Disclaimer: This article contains the writer’s opinion. Reader’s discretion is advised!
Sinners has the most “there’s no way they’ll actually do it” scene we have seen in years (Via X/ @Protogeist_art)
Sinners just gave us a scene that had everyone saying, “There’s no way they’re going to actually do this,” and then, boom, they went and did it. We couldn’t even believe our eyes. It was like the movie took every rule, folded it up, and threw it in the fire. Honestly, we are just sitting here asking ourselves if we need a new sense of reality now. Did we just see the biggest plot twist of all time, or did the movie blow up the space-time continuum? Either way, we’re here for it, just not so sure if we’ll ever get over it.
The overall message in the movie Sinners (Via X/ @beautifullmee4)
The big message in Sinners is nothing less than incredible. It’s like the movie had taken deep life teachings, added a dash of horror, and served them up with the finesse of a locomotive. By the end, audiences are left wondering not only about the story, but perhaps their very way of life. It’s the sort of movie that makes you rethink everything, even if you didn’t think you were going to.
Sinners had all of us doing the Cj meme after…wow! lol (Via X/ @Andreforthought)
Sinners had people strolling along like that legendary CJ meme, hands on hips, deep breath, “Here we go again,” but in a positive manner. It’s one of those movies that punches you so hard, you have to pause for air. You’re emotionally spent, spiritually perplexed, and somehow your mouth is hurting from smiling by the time it’s all said and done. It’s like a twist of the plot, a gut punch, and an existential crisis, all in one.
Sinners, slightly being an ode to black music (Via X/ @tallnpoetic)
Sinners subtly also reads like an ode to Black music, as if the horror film got lost in a jam session and decided, rather deliberately, to stick around. Vampires, melodrama, and soundtracks for making your soul shudder – halfway through it, you expect to hear an album deal during a midway slaying. Half horror story, half mixtape, and good evidence the undead aren’t immune to retaining their funk. By the end, you may find yourself headbanging in your seat, realizing that even monsters can’t help but move to a good beat.
“Son, you keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s going to follow you home…” (Via X/ @alexissTyler)
Seeing Sinners and listening to every word was like being hit by lyrical lightning, goosebumps were pretty much in a constant loop. The conversation got so keen at one moment that the popcorn was suspended mid-air as though it was digesting what was just said. It’s not really a movie but a theatrical sermon with jump scares. Each sentence seemed as if it were chiseled into your soul, and the tension hung so thick in the air.
Watching Sinners be like: (Via X/ @mrfilmsstock)
Watching the movie was like watching a masterpiece in action, the sort that leaves people glued to the screen as if the movie had cured all of life’s ailments. The cinematography alone had people in the audience behaving as if they’d gained a new sense. Somewhere, film students are penning essays with the title “How This Movie Changed My Life.” Letterboxd even crashed temporarily. It wasn’t a film; it was a cultural event, like watching the universe align before your eyes.
Not everyone is happy (as usual)! (Via X/ @chuchitorv)
Not everyone jumped on the Sinners bandwagon, although some rode only to pull out the emergency stop. Some jokes going around mention it as “the most overhyped film” and claim it’s being ghostwritten by ChatGPT in a scenario of server latency. And gosh, if that is what happened, then someone owes an Oscar and a union membership card to the AI. Because let’s be real, if a machine can write something this crazy, it’s only a matter of time before it demands royalties and a director’s chair.
Never ask Purge where his sins go! (Via X/ @purgeonnear)
As it happens, trying to erase your sins from the mass text message only makes them reappear louder and better lit. By the end of the credits, they’ve unionized, lawyered up, and started publishing exposés packages. “Don’t ask where your sins go” is starting to sound less like a piece of advice and more like a threat. That confessional booth now literally seems like a crime scene. It’s like every dirty little secret has a publicist waiting to spill the tea.
“When you see Sinners at the movies this weekend, stay for the end credits!!! Do not leave right away!!!” (Via X/ @SailorSammy93)
When the movie ends, don’t even think about making a dashing exit; those closing credits are going to drop a bomb that’ll make you question your entire life. It’s not a sneak peek, it’s a “Did they just do that?” moment. Trust me, the popcorn’s not leaving, but this surprise certainly will. Stick around, because the real chaos starts when the lights go up! It’s an ending that will leave you blinking blankly at the screen, wondering about all of your life decisions, and possibly your Netflix list, too.
Just saw SINNERS (Via X/ @charlesxholmes)
Just saw the movie and now the entire theater is like it just entered a parallel universe where nothing makes sense but everything is strangely great. It’s the type of movie that makes you sit through the credits like, ” Did I just time travel? ” Everyone is trying to wrap their head around it, but really, they’re still stuck on that scene when guitars were the ultimate weapon against vampires. It’s like attempting to describe why your favorite t-shirt makes you a superhero; nobody understands, but you know it’s revolutionary.
In the end, Sinners proved that vampires, blues music, and family drama make for the ultimate mix of a wild ride. From jaw-dropping plot twists to a plot that somehow finds a way to make you wonder about absolutely everything, it’s a film that has you clinging to the edge of your seat, or grasping onto your popcorn like it’s all that’s keeping you sane.
Whether you’re laughing, gasping, or still trying to wrap your head around what just happened, one thing’s for sure: Sinners absolutely is not your typical horror film. It’s a mess, a masterpiece, and a meme-worthy moment all rolled into one.
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