Movie Review: Rise of the Guardians…raises animation standards

I can imagine the look on your faces as you read that title. You might be scoffing by now – ya right, raises animation standards..as if there’s any further they could go, you would say – and I couldn’t blame you…The quality of animation movies has risen higher and higher with every new offering, whether its Dreamworks or Pixar, over what has been a very steep learning curve. Yet, just when you thought they couldn’t take you any further..Rise of the Guardians ‘rises’ to the occasion and you couldn’t ask for a better way to truly celebrate the festive spirit – this holiday season

Clocking at a very comfortable 97 minutes Rise of the Guardians packs in enough action in a very unconventional premise with visuals that simply dazzle. From the flakes of snow, to the magical dust of dreams and the dark wisps of nightmares  - its all there to spin a story of its own. The fact that this is all in 3D makes it just picture perfect. The characters are memorable and sure to awaken your long lost childhood. The philosophical angle to the movie is simple yet subtle allowing you to spend more time on the adventure as it unfolds. The voice acting is good as always. The humor is subtle yet you are bound to laugh out loud on a couple of occasions.

If I had to complain (and I’ll have to try really hard to do that) I’d say that the story progression is quite predictable but then I’d have to be Grinch to be watching this movie with that view.  My only concern is that while this is a movie made for children for sure, the villain is quite sinister, dark and dreary, so it might unintentionally be a little scary for some

Still I’d say its worth the risk since the heroes, or guardians as I should call them, provide enough spark and merriment to chase away those bad dreams and its wonderful to just watch them spread the magic. And you, grown-ups, as you walk away from the halls after the credits..just give it some thought..why was this movie called Rise of the Guardian(s)..and you’ll have your money’s worth

Movie Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey…runs pretty much on expected lines

Here’s the thing..Peter Jackson managed to create some magic with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, especially the finale movie (Return of the King) that I particularly liked. With the first instalment of the The Hobbit trilogy, he does pretty much the same stuff and while its masterfully presented, it just doesn’t give that wow factor by the time the credits roll

The Hobbit is not a bad movie by any standards. The cinematography is top class, the action is engaging and the attention to detail is vintage Jackson. At a glance you would assume this is another one of the sets of the Lord of the Rings itself. But the issue is – we’ve seen all this before! As an audience, we want something new and that’s where The Hobbit is unable to deliver.

The 3D presented that opportunity for The Hobbit. It had clear potential – plenty of scenes that could simply dislodge you from your comfortable seat as the wolves lunged at you or you ducked the thrust of a sword – but sadly none of that is capitalized upon. The 3D is ordinary and unless I saw this in the wrong hall, its the usual post production 3D fare. After watching a gem like Life of Pi (as far as the 3D goes), The Hobbit falls far below standard in that department. Quite a pity that. That and the comparatively weak storyline yet extraordinarily long runtime (it runs for a whopping 169 minutes, for reasons beyond my understanding) are the minor blemishes in an otherwise high quality movie

The first half of the movie is extraordinarily slow and the movie takes its time to pick up. Thankfully, once it does the action is highly engaging, though a tad too unbelievable and illogical at times. However, the wide angle cinematography and breath-taking beauty of the landscapes with a pack of dwarves scurrying about are truly worth the silver screen experience

The performances are solid from the entire cast and Martin Freeman does a more than decent job as Bilbo Baggins. Gollum when he does enter has your complete attention all the time he remains on screen and Ian McKellen plays his usual Gandalf – a role he would be all-too-familiar with by now.

The Hobbit then, has that air of familiarity and while it does nothing new, what is done is done well. I’d say its still a worth a viewing on the silver screen but prepare to spend a long time in the hall while you watch the band of little men take what is yet only the first leg of a long and promising adventure

Movie Review: Talaash..is an engaging search

One of the most anticipated movies of the year has most things going for it – a stellar star cast, capable directorial hands, stalwarts to have written dialogues and a more than decent plot. For the most part it delivers too – only, when you emerge from the hall there is bound to be that tinge of dissatisfaction..why is that so? Well, the answers lie within

Within an engaging plot presented in a gripping fashion lies an unnatural and bizzare climax and therein lies the folly. For the most part of the little over two hours that the movie runs for Talaash is every bit as you wish it to be. It’ll interest you, confound you, confuse you and captivate you. The hunt is not as breathless and yet there is that eerie underlying tone to it – perfect for a thriller of this sort. Some sequences have a sense of directorial class showing regret and growing distances in a wonderful manner. The background score is just apt keeping the underlying tension going all through. And then, there’s the climax

A million possibilities reduced to one which quite doesn’t sound as appetizing and almost seems a disservice to the presentation before it. Its quite clear where the director wanted to go, when all is revealed but where a movie like Kahaani enthralled with its climax, this one lets itself down and is probably the only reason why Talaash wouldn’t get the kudos it otherwise deserves

With such an elite star cast performances are expectedly top notch. The good thing about the movie though is that all 3 leads get practically equal screen time and while Kareena dazzles in her character and Aamir is great as the brooding cop, it is Rani Mukerji who delivers a truly emotive performance and steals the show. Other than that, Nawazzudin Siddiqui is dependable as ever.

Talaash then, is an engaging and gripping search..to an unsatisfying conclusion. Still the hunt is well worth a visit

Oh, a word to the wise..please avoid knowing anything about the movie or even reading facebook feeds before you watch this movie as there is many an idiot who revels in giving the plot away and in movies like this once you know the main plot its just no fun at all.