Movie Review: Prometheus..an expedition best left unexplored

Prometheus, for the uninitiated, is the Greek legend of a titan who practically created Man and then stole Fire from the Gods to make him an equal. He was caught and punished, since when Prometheus has stood for the quest of knowledge and finding answers. Somewhere in the movie, there is a remark of bringing back Prometheus. In my opinion, Prometheus is an expedition that should have been abandoned in the first place
As you emerge from the IMAX theatre (that’s the only way it can be worth your while, believe me) there is but one question that you want answers to – what was the point of what you just saw!!
Prometheus starts with promise. The visuals are breath-taking and exquisitely detailed. The first half of the movie almost moves like you are part of a documentary on a scientific space expedition yet with a sense of foreboding that keeps you consistently engaged. You are waiting for things to fall apart and for confusion and pandemonium to reign. Well, things do fall apart but not in the manner you’d have liked to imagine
To put it simply, there is very little action in Prometheus. All that build-up virtually amounts to nothing at the end of it all and while you see all the indications of a sequel in the works, disappointment looms large on what this first instalment manages in the end.
The 3D of the movie is a bit of a mixed bag. There is much talk of comparing this movie to the likes of Avatar in the 3D department though personally, I think it doesn’t even come close. In fact, most of the movie seems to have been shot in 2D, with some specific scenes having a visual third dimension, which to be fair are pretty well done
As far as the performances go, you’ll probably not even recognize Noomi Rapace (the original Girl in the Dragon Tattoo) in this new avatar though she does a pretty convincing job. However, the real scene stealer is Micheal Fassbender with his perfect portrayal of an android
However, I still don’t believe that is reason enough for you to waste your money on this show. Prometheus, on the whole disappoints and unless the scientific expedition and breath-taking visuals are a draw enough for you, I’d suggest you’d best not book a berth on this expedition

Movie Review: Shanghai..the trailer impressed more than the movie

The trailer of Shanghai was an instant draw. Hats off to whoever made it. It had irony painted all over and one anticipated a nail biting political thriller, keeping you at the edge of your seat at all times, with startling revelations that would shock and enthrall you at the same time. The movie though, isn’t quite the same

That isn’t to say that the movie is bad, by any right. Let’s just say that what one finally got though wasn’t quite the treat that the trailer promised

The fault, if I had to find one, lies largely with the not-so-intricate plot that the movie manages in the end. Once you emerge from the theaters you feel that this story has already been told, many times over, in different avatars and some even managing a better impact than the current movie. Another issue is the pacing of the movie. While it adds to the realism of the events that unfold on screen, sometimes it just makes the proceedings a little too dull. Given that this is a political thriller, the film lacks the grand scale and presentation of a Raajneeti and then again, isn’t the subtle presentation of a Peepli [Live] but rather something in between.

However, what Shanghai does offer you is some wonderfully executed scenes…scenes that shock you and thrill you not so much with the unravelling plot but the timing and presentation of the scenes, themselves. There is also some noteworthy acting with Abhay Deol’s perfectly trained Madrasi accent and restrained performance, surprisingly well enacted performance by Emraan Hashmi. The songs are a pure accompaniment and the lyrics of the songs provide a hard hitting message and mesh well with the presentation

All in all, clocking at approximately two hours, Shanghai is a fairly predictable, yet very well presented movie with great performances that may be well worth your time spent, even if it doesn’t succeed in meeting all your expectations

Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman…doesn’t serve great game

When you make a movie titled Snow White and the Huntsman you are already treading on thin ice. Such a movie brings back memories of the Grimms fairy tale and therefore, needs to have a storyline that is radically opposite to the children’s classic to hold your attention, else it simply falls flat. Alas, that is the fate of this dark take on the story that we are all too familiar with

Spell binding special effects and amazing cinematography in the movie try their utmost to create a connect – ageing that happens before your very eyes, almost in a single frame, horses riding into battle captured majestically and aerial views of large expanses with the central characters moving across the scenery - all make for very pleasurable viewing. The sharp contrast between dark and light/ good and bad is also very strikingly depicted. However, knowing what’s about to happen just throws a spanner in the works. Where there are surprises, the movie rises and one wishes to applaud what is presented but unfortunately such instances are few and far between.

The other issue with the movie is that it lacks humour. There are plenty of instances where the audience could’ve chuckled and warmed up to the characters but that just doesn’t seem to happen. Some scenes create anticipation of something to follow but then the movie just moves to the next sequence leaving the audience bewildered in the process

In such a scenario, amazing performances from the star cast can significantly lift the movie but that isn’t really the case here. A lot has been said about Kristen Stewart’s blank expressionless look across other films. For Snow White though she does a decent job, probably because the character itself is supposed to be pretty restrained, at least initially. In the few scenes that require significant expression, she doesn’t pull it off convincingly. Chris Hemsworth on the other hand, plays a very convincing huntsman and the role seems right up his alley. Surprisingly, Charlize Theron ends up disappointing, shouting and screaming more than acting and doesn’t strike the kind of terror her character is meant to, despite screaming her lungs out. The dwarfs (yes, this is Snow White after all) almost seem to be added as an after thought for all the value they serve in the movie which is a pity because they could have really added to the ‘fun’ element in the movie.

At the end of it all, while one can clearly see the intent of the director and glimpses of what he wished to present, the movie just doesn’t quite hit the bulls eye. In fact, it ends up far from the intended mark and one gets the feeling that getting in this hunt really wasn’t quite worth it

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods…may well be better left alone

I’ll say it plain and straight..if you are looking for a true horror movie The Cabin in the Woods should definitely not be on your list. This, coming from someone who has practically never seen a horror film earlier in his life ever so it can’t be more obvious..this is not a horror film. Then again, is it worth going for? That answer is anything but straight forward

The Cabin in the Woods is a nice mish-mash of comedy with horror and I am not talking about the Scary Movie variety. Its not a spoof, yet it’ll make you laugh out loud every now and then and especially, when you start feeling the creeps – hardly something you would associate with a horror film. Yet, in most cases, it works

What brings down this movie is finally the story once you get to know it. Remember the TV Series ‘lost’? All that anticipation for 9 whole seasons only to end in bitter disappointment. While not to that magnitude but The Cabin in the Woods also suffers a similar fate. The premise is interesting, the build up is also good but what you get served by the end of it all isn’t quite that convincing.

As far as the acting goes, given the plenty of screaming and shouting involved, one really isn’t looking for emoting or great dialogue delivery, so that kinda takes a back seat. Of the cast, the only notable actor is Chris Hemsworth and he has a simple role that he executes well. Great performance by little known actor Fran Kranz who probably has the best lines in the pack.

After much thought, I am still at a loss whether or not I think one should see this movie. Its got Joss Whedon’s brilliant writing, generous doses of good humour but then its also got all the weirdness and quirks you can think of. Its got some elements of horror but just when the going gets good (or bad), you burst out laughing.

So this one’s really up to you. If you are willing to watch a weird comedic horror movie, then the Cabin in the Woods may be worth visiting, otherwise you should firmly stay on the familiar road

Movie Review: Men in Black 3..don’t get the Neuralizers out just yet

10 years…the last movie was 10 years ago. That’s a long hiatus for any franchise. While the first of this series showed promise, the second was such a dismal sequel that we almost wished we had a Neuralizer to wipe the memory of it ever happening. This 3rd installment..while its not that great..it does just about enough to keep the Neuralizer firmly in the pocket

If you do catch this movie, watch it in IMAX. I have been a prize idiot watching all these 3D movies in anything but IMAX. The beauty of the IMAX experience is that even for all those movies that may be a far cry from the Avatar level of 3D, it manages to make it pretty Avatar-esque and that’s some achievement! Same goes for MIB 3. In a lesser movie hall, you’ll probably not even notice most of the 3D, but IMAX makes it more real. In the case of MIB 3, there is one glorious sequence in 3D that is only justified to be seen at IMAX, and that alone makes it worth the money spent.

As for the movie itself, clearly deeper thought has gone into making this 3rd edition. The inter-play of the main characters J and K and their rather dysfunctional, yet functional relationship is very well shown. The Josh Brolin character is of special mention, both for its place in the plot as well as the way he has performed it. As for Will Smith, he’s back on screen after 4 years but he’s completely in his element and pulls off Agent J in style. Tommy Lee Jones on the other hand, has little air-time in the entire movie but then I guess, this script kinda demanded it.

The movie’s first half is pretty breezy with the right humorous bits thrown in and reminds one of the first movie, in its presentation. However, its the second half and more so, the climax that ends up disappointing and almost seems hurriedly put together. The events seem rather kiddish and just don’t fit well with rest of the movie. Clearly not enough thought went into making this part which is a pity.

Overall, the movie ends up being average fare, despite having the potential to have been far more…so while it may not be time to nuke the franchise just yet…considerable thought would need to go into making the 4th installment for the franchise to draw crowds.

Movie Review:Hugo…is a celebration in film-making

Okay..cards on the table time…Hugois a slow movie (especially till what can be regarded as the first half) with a simple storyline. It might even be mistaken for a children’s story - the kind that could be told at bed-time. If that’s what you see in Hugo, well then you are not seeing the complete picture and a movie like Hugo is probably not best suited for you.

When I first read about the movie being cancelled in India due to its poor performance overseas I was pretty ticked off. For a movie wherein James Cameron himself admitted it made his Avatar's 3D second-best, the 3D alone should have brought hoards to the movie. However, once one actually gets to see it and the final credits roll in…one begins to see why this movie had little audience..there is so much to Hugo that would be missed on most of its audience…

Those expecting a real 3D ‘Narnian’ adventure with fairy tale characters, monsters and witches..well, there’s none of it. Instead, Hugo is a tribute to the magic of film-making…to say anything more would be giving away more than is necessary. The movie has a lot of soul and there are scenes that can be heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time.

You only get to appreciate what Scorsese’s really done late into the 2nd half of the movie and then you marvel at the brilliance of a master class director. To tell such a story in a ground-breaking 3D format, is pure genius and hats off to Scorsese to pull it off with such panache.Especially since the 3D is that good. The use of dust particles, smoke from the steam engine, snowfall is done wondrously well. While I wouldn’t compare the movie to Avatar's, since both are completely different types of movies, I would give full marks to the 3D that Hugo has to offer

I would seriously urge you though, to consider seeing this movie in IMAX or at least some movie hall which can live up to the 3D experience the movie has to offer. Disappointingly, when I saw it at PVR, there were multiple scenes where I could see that the movie’s 3D was not coming through in its true form..such a pity
As for the performances, everybody has done an earnest job - Asa Butterfield as Hugo putting in a rather sincere performance and Sir Ben Kingsley in absolute vintage touch while Chloe Grace Moretz (remember Hit Girl from Kick-Ass??) also playing her limited role well

But this movie, is all about the director and the way he ‘winds’ the story around for you. The way it all unfolds..the few moments of restrained and unrestrained emotion..and the true tribute to film-making that Scorsese achieves as the ending credits roll in

If all this does not catch your fancy then Hugo is an easy miss but if it does..well, then Hugo Cabret beckons you from his clock tower..go catch him before the train leaves the station!!

Movie Review: The Avengers..is ‘super’ fun!!

I must admit it. When I first saw the trailers of this multi-superhero, modern-age Justice League, I was pretty skeptical. Considering it had Thor, Captain America, Hulk – whose individual movies have been pretty unimpressive – with Iron Man being the only saving grace, I wasn’t sure what the lot of them could do together that would be any greater. Well..I was wrong

The Avengers is an awesome thrill ride and probably the most fun you can have while watching a superhero movie. Watching this movie tells you exactly what good writing, great dialogues, understanding of individual characters can do. The writing is near-brilliant with more than generous doses of humor thrown in. There are some dialogues that are trite and cheesy but thankfully those are few and far between. In fact, this is one of the few superhero movies that actually focus on dialogues between the characters, builds tension through the conversations/ arguments and makes it an integral part of the presentation

The movie takes its time. The way it builds up you can be sure that the director is in no hurry to get to the end – which works perfectly. The plot is pretty ordinary – typical superhero – end of the world kind of stuff but the presentation is exquisite. This movie makes The Hulk more endearing than the two standalone movies given to him and is probably the only movie that has managed to present The Hulk the right way. The same can be said about the other characters as well

For a change, the 3D is pretty good too and while there is nothing Avatar-esque about it, there’s plenty of flying and shooting about, to give the 3D experience. As far as the acting goes, Robert Downey Jr. takes the cake with amazing screen presence and the extremely charismatic Tony Stark breathes life into the movie. In ‘stark’ contrast though, is Mr. Captain America who even as a superhero seems like a complete misfit and Chris Evans doesn’t manage to lift the character one bit. If there is to be an Avengers 2 (and I dearly hope there would be) then they might want to re-think Captain America’s presence altogether.

While the build up’s good, the climax is even better. A stumbling point for many other superhero movies, the Avengers gets full marks in this department as well. Despite the 3D one can actually follow the action, to the T and there are plenty of thrills to be had before its all over

So all in all, The Avengers might just be the most fun you can have this season, so book your tickets if you haven’t already