For everyone else, just know this movie has absolutely no interest in realism. Or subtlety.
Directed by Adam Shankman, 'Stop! That! Train!' stars 'RuPaul's Drag Race' favourites Ginger Minj and Jujubee as two recently unemployed train attendants who accidentally become the least qualified, yet somehow most capable, people to stop a speeding luxury train from ploughing into increasingly ridiculous disasters. Every time you think the film has reached peak absurdity, it responds with something even dumber. I mean that as a compliment.
Unfortunately, before audiences could even board, the film found itself caught in a controversy that refused to leave the station.
Conflicting statements over the alleged use of generative AI during production quickly became the conversation surrounding the film. First it was denied. Then it wasn't. Then it was denied again. Whether AI-generated imagery remains in the finished product is something audiences will continue debating, but the uncertainty alone is disappointing. Drag is an art form built on craftsmanship, imagination and making something extraordinary out of practically nothing. It feels strangely at odds with technology that does the opposite.
It's frustrating because underneath all of that is a movie that's genuinely trying to entertain you.
The screenplay throws jokes at the wall with the confidence of someone who's never experienced embarrassment. Some are genuinely hilarious. Others die so completely you start wondering if laughing has been outlawed. A recurring gag involving Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Mayan Lopez never quite finds its rhythm, arriving just often enough to remind you it didn't work the first time.
Thankfully, the queens are doing most of the heavy lifting.
Jujubee remains one of the most naturally charismatic people to ever come out of 'Drag Race'. She's funny without trying too hard, endlessly watchable, and gives the film a surprising amount of heart. Her chemistry with Ginger Minj feels lived in, less like co-stars reading dialogue and more like two friends who accidentally wandered into an action movie.
Latrice Royale continues her lifelong commitment to stealing scenes, while Brooke Lynn Hytes, Marcia Marcia Marcia and Symone are clearly having the time of their lives as the film's gloriously catty first-class trio. The musical numbers don't exactly demand a Spotify playlist afterwards, but Marcia getting the chance to show off her vocals is hardly a loss.
Then RuPaul arrives and suddenly the whole movie levels up.
As President Judy Gagwell, she delivers every line with the unwavering confidence of someone who knows she's the funniest person in the room. She doesn't chase the joke, she lets the joke come to her. It's a surprisingly good reminder that before RuPaul built a media empire, she was simply a very funny performer.
The supporting cast understands the assignment too. Sarah Michelle Gellar pops in for a fun cameo, Lisa Rinna happily commits to the chaos, Missi Pyle squeezes every drop out of a running gag that overstays its welcome, and June Diane Raphael somehow manages to improve every project she wanders into.
Is 'Stop! That! Train!' uneven? Absolutely. It probably could've lost 15 minutes and at least three jokes that were already on life support. But it's also refreshingly committed to being silly. It never apologises for its camp, never tries to become smarter than it is, and never mistakes cynicism for wit.
There's also something genuinely satisfying about watching drag queens headline a theatrical comedy. Not as side characters. Not as the joke. The actual leads. It shouldn't feel groundbreaking anymore, but it still does.
That's why the AI conversation feels so disappointing. Instead of celebrating a film that gives queer performers the space to be messy, funny and heroic all at once, we're left talking about technology that never should've been part of the discussion.
'Stop! That! Train!' isn't perfect. It's messy, inconsistent and occasionally exhausts itself trying to make you laugh. But when it relaxes and lets its cast do what they do best, it's an easy ride to enjoy.
Just. . . Maybe leave the AI off the next train.
