Movie Review: Spectre

The latest installation in one of the longest running Hollywood franchise gets it all wrong! Following a message passed on to him by a person whom he trusted the most, Bond goes on a hunt of a man and an organization. What he comes up against turns out to be his most painful and difficult mission ever.

Atleast that's what the movie is supposed to be. But it is over-plotted, over detailed, over-drawn and slow paced. Some of the plot points seem far fetched. The script writers have overdone it in trying to string all loose ends since Casino Royale as a single story arc. And then there's this hard to believe connection between James Bond and Franz Oberhauser aka Blofeld.

Christoph Waltz and Andrew Scott are underutilized... that's a shame considering one is known for portraying a menacing, notorious Nazi officer and the other as Sherlock's nemesis. They are one of the most thinly sketched villains in Bond Universe. Lea Seydoux is, well, looking cute and does the best of the-damsel-in-distress part. Monica Beluucci is in a blink-and-you-miss role, especially in Indian cuts. M, Q, Tanner and Moneypenny get meatier roles and do their job well. Craig seems to be comfortable in his character as ever, but that does not help save the film.

It's not all bad though. There are some plus points: 

Stunts & action - The helicopter sequence in Mexico, car chase in Rome, Hand to hand combat on a train in Morocco, climactic sequence in London. It's as good as it gets. 

Cinematography, especially the first scene, all done in a single tracking shot. Hoyte Van Hoytema, take a bow! 

Background Score. 

Humor, especially when there's Q in the view.

If only the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts. It's a damp squib when you look at it's predecessor - Skyfall. Mind you, Skyfall itself had polarized reviews. So the makers should have treaded carefully this time around. I think the title track sums it up best - "Writing's on the wall"!

Verdict: You will enjoy it ONLY if you don't expect it to belong to the class of Bond films that we have known growing up.

Rating: 5/10.

Movie Review: The Martian

"This is something my mind explicitly rejected.. 

We are talking about mutiny... 

If it's a messed up film, the novel dies.... 

If I watch a messed up film, the story the way I imagined it is lost forever."

Thank you Mr. Scott for messing up my most favorite sci-fi novel of recent times. Now I need to recondition my mind into thinking that the movie never happened!!! And I need to gather whatever is left of my brains and help it piece all together through second reading of the novel, to bring it alive the way I had imagined.

- What 3D did to Gravity, it did exactly the opposite to The Martian. The film is just too dark and it fails miserably to convey the scale and perspective of the surroundings.

- Matt Damon carries the film, for whatever worth it is. Full points to him and the casting director as well. Cannot imagine any other actor in that role.

- I might change my view after second watching, but I really need some big motivation to do that now. 

- Mr. Scott, the video/audio logs was the lifeline of the novel. You cannot ignore them. Watch Burn Notice - That's the right way to show improvisations using voice over evoking similar sense of humor. 

- Mr. Scott, the journey to Ares 4 Mission Site had 2 rather daunting situations - The dust storm and the rover tumble and Watney's ingenious solutions to both of them - which you missed. Obviously you missed Watney's dance and the emotion associated with the completion of the long journey when he reaches the MAV. No mention of Phobos and Deimos too.

- Pathfinder never gets fried in the movie. So Watney's problems feel toned down in the movie as compared to the novel.

My rating: 6/10. It might still be a good movie, but it didn't come to close to any of my expectations. I will rather wait for the 2D HD print to enjoy it on my big-screen TV at home. Maybe then, I will be able to appreciate it and hopefully not hate it as much.

What it could have been: A great last installment of space sci-fi trilogy - Gravity, Interstellar and The Martian.

Movie Review: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Off late there has been a spurt of young adult fiction adventure novels and their film adaptations. Titles that immediately come to mind are Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner. These stories are characterized by a post-apocalyptic or dystopian civilization with a central character as a young teenaged hero with a strong sense of virtues, who is a rebel of sorts, who questions the authority and its oppressive establishment. 

These stories are usually trilogies where the first part introduces us to the characters in our story, the society that they live in and the central theme of the story. The last part obviously is meant for conclusion and revealing the fate of the characters and their world. As such, the middle part is left for bridging the gap between the first and the last, and in most cases acts as a filler. Naturally, this is the most sluggish part of the trilogy.

That fortunately is not true in case with The Maze Runner. This popular series of novels involves a group of teenagers who are part of an experiment by a mysterious organization named WICKED. The members of this group stay in an open area with woodlands called as the Glade, which is at the center of a massive maze inhabited by some deadly creatures to deter them from leaving the glade. The inhabitants of this place, called Gladers, have their memories erased and they remember nothing except their first name. The first part of the series introduced us to the hero amongst the gladers – Thomas – and his band of brothers who embark on a quest to negotiate the maze and its dangers to find what is on the other side.  

The second part – The Scorch Trials – picks up exactly where the first part ended. As such it does not waste any time in exposition on the happenings of the previous film. Thomas and his friends are taken to a rebel stronghold, which later turns out to be WICKED’s station. Some new characters are introduced here and we get to know more about the world as it is after the catastrophic event. It gives just about enough time for the gladers, and us, to understand the predicament they are in, before the on screen action reverts back to the series’ trademark – Running. Thomas realizes that the only way he can fight WICKED is joining the rebels. So he and his friends escape from the station and embark on a journey through desolate landscape, dilapidated and ghostly cities which are inhabited by people infected with Flare virus – zombies. (These days you should assume that if there is a rampant incurable virus in a movie, then it is bound to have zombies. Well, there are notable exceptions like Contagion, but they are very few).

The series stays true to its theme as they keep on running most of the time – Running away from WICKED and its soldiers, running away from zombies, running away from collapsing buildings, running away from lightning storms. On the way they meet new people who help while some betray. Thomas also realizes that he is special in more ways than one. The movie answers some old questions while posing new ones. I will not take away all the fun by revealing too much here. But the ending sets up the story for an enthralling finish.

The action/adventure quotient of the movie is good enough to keep young as well as old audiences engrossed and emotionally invested all along. CGI is also well done with the orange hues and the landscapes reminding you of Mad Max movies. The music score is well suited for the action unfolding on screen. Acting and direction tick the appropriate boxes.

To sum it up, it is an effort that has gone one better than the previous film. Definitely a one-time watch!

My rating: 8/10

Movie Review: The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

It's a movie with a pair of non-MI6 James Bonds having fun that the one from MI6 never had. The movie adapted from the famous television series co-created by Ian Fleming is as much an ode to action movies of the last century as it is a humorous take on the genre which off late has become more dark and serious.

The plot is simple - A group of neo-Nazis are making a nuclear bomb and delivering it to a group of terrorists. Set the story in 1960s and you have the West and the Russians facing each other at the Berlin Wall. To make matters interesting, the CIA and KGB decide to join hands to retrieve the blueprints of the weapon, and provide the best agent from their side played by Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer respectively. This sets off a series of hilarious scenes where the two leads indulge in some one upmanship all the while working towards the common goal. Throw in a female lead in the mix who has an agenda of her own, and we have an interesting premise that builds up to a typical Guy Ritchie thrilling climax loaded with stylistic action sequences. 

The chemistry between the three leads stands out the most and makes you crave for more when the movie ends. While there is nothing much to take away from the movie, you enjoy each and every moment to the fullest. Sometimes, cinema is all about that, isn't it?

My Rating: 8/10

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

First things first: The "Rule of Three" of story telling, one of the USPs of the franchise is still there, in the heist scene as usual and it is pretty well done! The stunts are exhilarating and you might skip a heart beat or drop your jaw here or there. Tom Cruise is still a bankable star. Rebecca Ferguson is a surprise package. Jeremy Renner is under utilized.

The hard truth: The movie comes nowhere near sophistication of the franchise kick starter or the indulgence in unabashed fun and adventure of its last installment (Ghost Protocol). The plot is intricate AND confusing, sometimes loosing the grip in the process. Most part of the movie looks like a rehashed version of some iconic scenes of the franchise, with ample amount of James Bond inspirations thrown in. 

Ethan Hunt does not need to do a James Bond to sell himself.

My rating: 6.5/10. Brad Bird, please come back for the next one!

Movie Review: Baahubali - The Beginning

Without getting too biased and without comparing to any Hollywood production:

1. First half and second half are like chalk and cheese when it comes to graphics and pace of the story. 

2. Hats off to the makers for Production Design (Art Direction), Cinematography and Background Score. Even sound mixing throughout is very very well done. 

3. A big thumbs-up for the level of detailing. 

4. A big thumbs-up for the climactic battle. 

5. In my opinion it is still not the best of the best, but no reason is good enough to miss it watching in theatres. 

6. Director's vision is noteworthy. He knows what he has on his hands and takes his time to unravel the story. It is a big risk, but as is evident, it has come good.

Can this inspire someone for Mahabharata or Ramayana Trilogy?! Just a thought.

Movie Watchings: American Sniper, Inside Out, Big Hero 6

American Sniper:

Biopic of the most lethal US Sniper till date. Engaging film, hulked up Bradley Cooper in the titular role, Clint Eastwood behind the camera. It is as much a patriotic film as it is an anti-war rhetoric. A must see.
My rating: 7.5/10

Inside Out: 

One of the most amazing, brilliant, intelligent, engrossing Pixar movie with a very original concept. If you don't "feel" for the "Emotions" by the movie ends, there is something wrong with you ;). 

My rating: 9.5/10

Big Hero 6: 

Marvel-lous! Now I know why this movie topped the charts and out-performed Interstellar. No wonder. 
This Walt Disney movie (of Marvel Superhero team) does which no other MCU movie did before that. It is actually entertaining, engrossing (and kick-ass) without the usual mayhem :D. 
Well "Guardians..." is an exception.
My rating: 9/10