Movie Review: Jolly LLB2….jolly good sequel

I have to say, I was skeptical about this sequel. While the original was a surprisingly good package for a low budget movie, I felt it had its flaws and this one would simply be a money spinner like most sequels tend to be. However, I was wrong and Jolly LLB2 is worth all the praise and goodwill it is receiving. While not a winner all the way, it’s a gripping and engaging watch for the most part with some sharp commentary on very relevant issues.

From its opening, the movie asserts that this Jolly is going to be very different from the original and he is not to be taken lightly. In fact, despite similar characters, the movie relies very little on the connect to its origin story despite the occasional nod to it. This works well and those who have not seen the original won’t be missing anything.

What the sequel misses though, as compared to the original is tight packaging. Jolly LLB had a simple case, that got more and more complex, more and more desperate for our protagonist and even towards the end just emphasized on the hopelessness of the due process which allowed criminals to get away. While making things difficult for the protagonist is still the focus, the other elements don’t come together really well.

Instead, part II relies on some really smart arguments and exchanges, strong performances and a gripping presentation – to keep you interested besides the gaps. The stakes are clearly much higher this time around and its no longer about a lawyer fumbling and stumbling his way through to a solution. Shots are fired, people get hurt and there’s hardly any room for error. I’ll stop here..

While Arshad Warsi was somewhat the weak link, despite his earnest performance in Jolly LLB, there are no such issues with Akshay Kumar playing the lead role here. While not a scene stealer, he very much holds his own despite a weakly written character for the protagonist. Sorabh Shukla is in great form again and slips into his, now familiar, character with ease. Annu Kapoor as the antagonist, is a shade better than Boman Irani but tends to get a little over the top.


The writing, like the original, is good with some particularly witty one-liners. The songs are few and don’t disrupt the pacing. Overall, Subhash Kapoor puts together a jolly good show this second time and this is definitely a case worth re-visiting.

Movie Review: Rangoon..not a very memorable visit

Vishal Bhardwaj – there is now many a movie I have gone for, just because that’s the name of the director behind it. Ever since Kamineyy I have kept this director on a mantle, hoping for the same magic to repeat. Despite monstrosities like Matru ki bijli..I persevered. I wonder now though, if I may have placed too much faith and if its time for a reality check.

I don’t think there’s still any doubt on his directorial skills. There are plenty on display even with his latest offering of Rangoon. Rangoon is visually alluring and has moments of perfect harmony of expert cinematography and production design combined with directorial flair. The challenge though is that the sum of its parts doesn’t add up to a beautiful symphony. The main culprit, as is oft the case – is the storytelling.

While set in the backdrop of World War II, the story doesn’t really need a canvas like that. What could’ve been a story of real wartime struggles, or love in the time of war – instead just becomes a story of love which happens to be in the backdrop of war. There are plenty of quirks – as is often the case with Vishal Bhardwaj movies, the English general with his penchant for Hindi, the inside jokes on Churchill and Hitler – a lot of which seem banal and take away from the movie rather than add to it.

If you are able to sit through the extra long run time of close to two and a half hours, it is largely due to the strong performances from its three leads. Whatever faults the movie has, casting is not one of them. Saif Ali Khan doesn’t have a deeply complex character, but his wonderfully understated performance will have you wondering if there are deeper emotions that never come to the fore. Kangna Ranaut is brilliant, with her tough act of Julia – she slips under the skin of her character with effortless ease and delivers with panache. Shahid Kapoor is by no means the weak link, but given his acting repertoire his character rarely challenges him. Still he has great screen presence in his ample airtime on screen.

With a stronger storyline and good writing this movie could’ve done wonders. Instead, it gets relegated to being a wonder perhaps in the director’s vision, that doesn’t translate as much on screen. The romances are unconvincing, the change in characters' motivations and emotions, even more so. The umpteen songs don’t help matters – not one of them is memorable and only serve to slow down the already slow pacing of the movie making you glance at the watch plenty of times.


Rangoon had a good canvas and backdrop. With ample time spent on its setting, one hoped that the story would meld smoothly into it and provide an original and refreshing experience. Instead, despite a few well presented moments, the overall package is predictable and not memorable – making Rangoon not the most favored destination this week.

Movie Review: Lego Batman..builds and blocks at the same time

While the world seemed to love the original lego movie – I thought it was just about okay. Being an ardent fan of the Dark Knight though, I was much interested in this sequel to the lego saga. The start was near brilliant – it had all the makings of a spoof made by a fanboy in a rather unique paradox. However, after the first 20 minutes or so, some of the fun died down.

How much you will enjoy Lego Batman is driven largely by how much of a Batman fan you are and how much you have seen of Batman earlier (I am not talking just about the Nolan movies…right up to na na na na na…Batman…if you know what I mean). If so, there are little moments that will have you in splits and are the best pieces of this Batman lego model.

Outside of that, the animation is extremely good and the story telling – good in parts. The best and worst aspect of Batman Lego movie is that – well it’s a lego movie. Best – because that means it can get away with practically anything and it really exploits this fact – some of the gags, characters and call outs are the most outlandish and bizarre that you will get to see and worst because despite having a deep seated central premise that has the potential to hit at the very psyche of who Batman is, it relapses into the familiar children friendly tone and storyline that becomes predictable and boring.

Will Arnett’s voice acting is perfect as Batman. This might be a mere coincidence but there are a few parallels to be drawn between the obstinate, self obsessed, ‘I am okay you are not okay’ characters of Batman and the new US President (especially the spoof versions of conversations between him and Obama on the Conan show).The other characters and there a quite a few of these, are also enacted as well.

The writing which needs to be the real star of the show is in uneven form – there are some crackling one liners and others really bring things down. Just when it gets really fun, it either over-does things or resorts to some pedestrian writing. The 3D stuff is there but isn’t particularly eye popping – and I saw this in IMAX. I wouldn’t recommend you do that.

At the end of it all, this lego version of the Dark Knight certainly rises but only sporadically. It isn’t the out n out rip roaring hit that critics are making it out to be – but it is a fair bit of fun especially for its good parts. If you are a Batman fan and familiar with the lore, I'd definitely say its still worth a watch. Not so much for the others. If more of the movie would have been like its beginning though, this would have been one hell of a ride for everybody