Lokah: Chapter I

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Tennyson

“Lokah Chapter I: Chandra” with Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, is the latest superhero movie in this part of the world, and is based on the myths, legends and folklore which had been spreading through the state of Kerala in the distant past and are loved by people of the state. It is the first of a planned cinematic universe. Watch a quicker opinion in the form of video here:

For the detailed written review, please continue below:

Entry of a superhero universe blended with myth and legends :: Among the superhero movies of India, Minnal Murali has been a game changer, and four years later, another film, this time produced by Dulquer Salmaan and directed by Dominic Arun, which brings back the genre to life has released for Onam in the form of Lokah Chapter: 1 Chandra. With we all waiting for Kathanar: The Wild Sorcerer coming back to life with a work of fantasy and folklore, this one comes into the picture, taking the myths and legends into its wings. We had ARM dealing with a folklore depiction, but this one is different, as it establishes a universe. It serves as the origin story for a character that becomes a superhero with a dark side. But it is not the tale of one such a being with superpowers, for it introduces many more. There are characters who make the presence felt here, and we know that we will see them again. We see that a lot of skill is displayed in working with this tale, which would offer more. You know that there is no life in a folklore without the yakshi myth, and that would stay not that distant from the vampire legend from Eastern Europe, through the literary vampire and to the present friendly neighbourhood vampire due to the popular culture effect.

What is the movie about? :: Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) is a mysterious woman who have come to live in the city of Bangalore, and works night shift in a popular café. Her friend and seemingly a mentor Prakash (Nishanth Sagar) keeps asking her to stay low, without letting many people know about her presence, and she makes minimum contact with people. Meanwhile, opposite to her apartment, lives Sunny (Naslen K Gafoor), Venu (Chandu Salimkumar) and Naijil (Arun Kurian), three best friends who have nothing much to do with their lives, and pretend to be still students, even though they are not that much into gaining knowledge or going for a job. While Naijil stays nearby, Sunny and Venu share the same apartment. One day, Sunny comes across this new unfamiliar face living opposite to him. He becomes more and more interested in her, and after he feels that he was saved from an accident as Chandra pushed him away, his infatuation grows.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But there is something more serious going on in the city, in the darkness of the night. A group of criminals is conducting kidnappings and organ trade, and supporting them is the corrupt and arrogant police officer Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda (Sandy) who believes only in having ultimate power and using them on the weak and subaltern. His path would come across that of Chandra, as she beats up one of the goons associated with these criminal activities for trying to throw acid on her co-worker in the café. At the same time, an elderly man named Daniel (Vijayaraghavan) has been writing about supernatural forces that have lived with humans through the ages, and that most of the tales of folklore are true, and real incidents passed on orally by people who witnessed the same. He believes that many people have superpowers and they would be unleashed in time. With the organ trade mafia running through the city, can there be a superhero to stop it?

The defence of Lokah: Chapter I: Chandra :: Dominic Arun has brought a masterpiece on the big screen, a perfect treat for the Onam holidays. His tale with Santhy Balachandran, the Tharangam star also holding a side of the pen, has taken us to a world of magic with the base so well rooted in the folktales that we are familiar with. The movie thrives on this familiarity and builds on those pillars which might be like some of those ruined but strong pillars that archeologists would find in Rome or Egypt during some excavations – the folktales of Kerala that grows on us. What is a folk-tale without the epic saga of Kadamattathu Kathanar and Kaliyankattu Neeli? And the twist that this movie takes is something that could grow further spin-offs, and for now, to rule the box-office, with contrasting moments that we remember, from the protagonist’s first fight to her human appearance in party, and then the violence that follows in the next night and her final preparation for the impossible – all these are sources of contrasting emotions – then there is the cameo appearance of Tovino Thomas that totally changes the mood to even better. The music by Jakes Bejoy is just impeccable in the case of this movie.

Positives and negatives :: The action here is amazingly good choregraphed by Yannick Ben. The final action sequences inside the café are beyond impressive, and the detailing of that world within that place keeps us enchanted. The humour which might have felt as just a side element often makes the movie a lot more enjoyable even when the dark side is on focus. The cinematography by Nimish Ravi and the editing by Chaman Chakko does a magnificent job in keeping this movie strong, and raising it to a level which would make the whole industry proud. The world detail and the colours are too good to escape our attention, while the flashbacks feel so well placed, and there are those scenes that add on in the end like watching those Marvel movies – they work on excellence to make us interested and not with mass appeal, and that would be the feature that keeps our movies apart. The movie uses its complexities like Minnal Murali used its simplicity to its advantage – nobody becomes a superhero by a lightning, for complexity comes in the darkness and not in the light. Some people might find some mixing to be forced with some moments going on as they would expect, but that is to be decided by nature.

The performers of the soul :: Kalyani Priyadarshan comes up with what might be the greatest of her career, not easy to outdo, and working like a dream. She had this so effective that imagining someone else in this particular role would be very difficult. She shines as a superhero who works on another level as an anti-hero with different shades of her character. There is also an emotional side that comes up, and shows further effectiveness. Naslen K Gafoor adds further emotions and a funny side with Chandu Salimkumar and Arun Kurian nicely contributing to the same. The three keeps the humour alive throughout the run, and this different role of Arun is to be noted, as one would not identify him from that work in Aanandam. Meanwhile, Sandy here makes a perfect antagonist, more menacing that him in Leo, a man to be feared, and someone who keeps bringing more than what meets the eye. Nishanth Sagar and Vijayaraghavan plays two characters who nicely add to the mystery of the overall tale. Then we have Tovino Thomas, Sunny Wayne and Dulquer Salmaan in some big cameo roles, and a few more are also shown, Soubin Shahir, Balu Varghese, Ahaana Krishna, Santhy Balachandran and Vijay Menon.

How it finishes :: As the first installment in a new cinematic universe, this one is a classic beginning. If Minnal Murali was a lighter version of a beginning of a possible large cinematic universe like Marvel, this one here is more like that early version of DC Universe with The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel and others. Unlike the Tovino-starrer of 2021, the danger here is more felt, and while the villain there was a man of circumstances, we see antagonists as personification of pure evil. With people more wronged in further violent ways, redemption here is not attained by saving a village. There is no lightning striking people to make people better here, as the superpowers are attained by sacrifices. With all the action, classic flashbacks, visual spectacles and added humour with memorable character ready to spawn more sequels, this is one movie that truly begins a perfect superhero universe in India. This is something I had wished for when I watched the Indonesian superhero movie Gundala which was followed by many sequels to extend it. This Onam, it is an honour to watch this one, our newly found prestige on the big screen.

Release date: 28th August 2025
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Dominic Arun
Starring: Kalyani Priyadarshan, Naslen K Gafoor, Sandy, Arun Kurian, Chandu Salimkumar, Nishanth Sagar, Vijayaraghavan, Shivajith Padmanabhan, Nithya Shri, Sarath Sabha, Anna Ben, Tovino Thomas (cameo), Sunny Wayne (cameo), Dulquer Salmaan (cameo)

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pechi

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Are we now looking for witches again?

Vampire Bat: We have stopped looking for witches since a long time ago.

Vampire Owl: Well, the war can restart any time now.

Vampire Bat: The next war will not be of this realm.

Vampire Owl: You talk like we have had enough of war, but not all species have been part of them.

Vampire Bat: The war affects the whole realm, whether or not they are part of it.

Vampire Owl: If it affects the advanced the vampire civilization, yes.

Vampire Bat: You should know that the magic used in our wars are nuclear in nature.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about the mythical weapons which are never used.

Vampire Bat: The witches are known to have a magical powerhouse which stores sorcery of the unknown supported by necromancy.

[Gets a chilli chicken puffs and three cups of black tea].

What is the movie about? :: At Aranmanaikaadu in Kollimalai, Ram (Murali Ram) and his wife (Aadhirai Soundarajan) are spending their peaceful time within the forest. After a lot of difficulty and getting a few days off from their busy schedule, they look forward to spend some time of their own in the lap of nature. They venture far deep and sets up a camp there. The temperature drops very soon, and while looking for some firewood, Ram ends up cutting the branch of a tree which reveals a nail, followed by a witchcraft doll. There seems to be something else coming out of the tree, and has him scared, but his wife who is listening to music do not hear a thing. Soon, he is taken away by an unknown force, and the same evil entity also captures his wife. But this evil presence is not identified by anyone. But three weeks later, another group of youngsters come to the area with a desire to venture through this lesser-known area of the forest as part of a trekking adventure. Maari (Bala Saravanan), a forest guard who acts as a part-time guide is asked to escort them all the way into the forest and back, as the paths can be confusing and some animals might also be around.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The five friends, Charan (Dev Ramnath), Meena (Gayathri Shanker), Sethu (Jana), Charu (Preethi Nedumaran) and Jerry (Mageshwaran) are looking for adventure, and are not interested in listening to their guide who talks to them about restrictions due to wildlife and traditions that have been followed for a long time. Meena is frustrated with the restrictions imposed on her, as she feels that they could go through the walk all by themselves and that a tourist guide is only an extra burden. Meanwhile, an arrogant Charu destroys a blockage to an area considered restricted by tradition to the local villagers, ignoring the warning signs. Sethu who considers him to be courageous one among them supports the same, much to the dismay of Maari who continues to ask them not to disturb the nature of the beliefs of people that runs through the area.

And what more happens in the forest where the villages rarely choose to enter :: There seems to be something strange going on though, as Charu almost falls from a cliff and Jerry feels that something grabbed his legs. As Charu and Sethu makes fun of him, he challenges them to go back to the area where the warning board was kept and tie a scarf. Both are not really worried, and accepts the challenge telling everyone that Maari is just creating random stories and is trying to keep them scared as if they are children. On the way there, Charu and Sethu comes across a house, which they enter and finds witchcraft dolls and elements of black magic. Charu is startled to see an unknown figure appearing out of nowhere. Maari and Charan begin searching for them, only to find Charu lying motionless. But soon, they realize that is was not really Charu, and Maari tells them a story, that of a woman from a long time ago who learned black magic and started ritual sacrifices of children. But how is it relevant now? Can they escape whatever is in the forest?

The defence of Pechi :: The movie thrives on its atmosphere and an ancient tale of folklore than runs right through it. Bala Saravanan comes up with the best among the cast, and he plays the only fully sane person around there who seems to understand the gravity of the situation – we remember him in those funny sequences of Godha. Gayathrie Shankar, the actress of Nna Thaan Case Kodu, has provided a memorable performance here, and excels in the last few moments and the flashbacks. The rest of the cast nicely follows the procedure as a cabin in the woods, or lost in the forest tale would unfold. The antagonist here is strong, and is not just another demonic presence – it is the kind of creature from where escape seems almost impossible. There are the moments which provide us with those quick scares and above that, there are the times when it keeps us scared at all times. The fear factor with an inescapable fate brings the terror here. Along with that, the visuals are too good, whether of horror or of the green and dark woods.

The claws of flaw :: The flashback feels repetitive at times, and comes in at a time when it was not to enter. There are moments in between which feels rather confusing, and the scares could have been more visual – it is the kind of scare that would work the best in these situations. Here it seems that the horror elements are not innovative enough and inspired from others instead. The use of darkness is also not at the best. As a cabin in the woods, or journey to the woods story with the usual horror background, there is always a lot more to be added. It also becomes repetitive, and that grand scares which should have come in the end is never there to be taken. A visual terror in the end could have served the best, and combined with the twists would have brought wonders. The twist in the end, even though effective, does not bring that grandeur on the screen, and the flashback provided, even though clear, could have been more detailed. The present situation of the villagers in relation to the witch could have also been shown.

How it finishes :: The movie manages to be an interesting horror flick that elevates itself with the setting and folk-tale power. In a world where there is a shortage of good horror, this one score well, and becomes a good example of bringing working scares out of folklore and myth, something only Stree could do so effectively. As visuals and performances support the scares, fine horror is born. The movie could have still been better, but it is worth watching for sure considering for fans of folk-horror who can appreciate mood over momentum—but it is not for all. There is still a lot to come in a possible sequel, considering how the movie ended, and with one of these main characters having an even bigger role to play there, we will be only glad to wait for more of fear. Until then, we have this movie, and something to remember when we go on trekking, and a reminder to respect nature, local traditions and those who guide the way and advice for the best.

Release date: 2nd August 2024
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: Ramachandran B
Starring: Gayathrie Shankar, Bala Saravanan, Preethi Nedumaran, Dev, Jana, Mageshwaran, Seeniammaal, Murali Ram, Aadhirai Soundararajan, Shanthimani

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Tantra

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, after a long time, we are back to a movie of this particular language.

Vampire Bat: We haven’t had many movies in this language.

Vampire Owl: Well, the ones available at nearby theatres are those mass flicks.

Vampire Bat: I vote against watching any of such movies.

Vampire Owl: Well, those need not comes to us as we are different.

Vampire Bat: Mass masala has been too much present in this world.

Vampire Owl: It is strange that such movies even get awards.

Vampire Bat: We are glad to have some horror here instead.

Vampire Owl: As long as we have Amazon Prime Video, we can search for them.

Vampire Bat: OTT platforms have served us well with lesser-known fine movies in languages other than English and Hindi.

[Gets a kadai chicken pizza and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Rekha (Ananya Nagalla) is a young lady doing her graduation who has the ability to see spirits. The dead people seem to appear to her randomly, sometimes where they died and often leads to her sleepwalking in the middle of the night. She is in love with Teju (Dhanush Raghumudri) who goes to the same college, and they are like the two people who believes in black magic existing in the area and causing evil to spread through their lands. Teju’s uncle Shankaram (Meesala Lakshman) also understands that this black magic or tantra had once existed in their lands as he himself had once ptractised the same not once, but twice, after which he took the decision to never do it again. According to him, it has been there for a very long time, and are even depicted in Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as other sacred texts. He also cites incidents from history as much as religious texts.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: When the best friend of Shailaja (Kusalina Pulapa) seems to be affected by this dark magic. When a master of magic known only as Baba (Bhaskar Manyam) confirms the same, they decide to take the needed measures. They understand that Shailaja is getting weaker every day, and has started visiting graveyard at nights. Both Rekha and Teju who had their bad upbringings due to the former being born with the death of her mother and the latter having a prostitute as mother. They manage to defeat the evil sorcerer who was trying to take control of Shailaja forever as she had rejected her romantic advances. They manage to do it just moments before she would be completely under his control. It is then that Vigathi Swami (Temper Vamsi), a sorcerer and temple priest arrives at the village after a very long time, and starts searching for Rekha.

And what is to follow as evil spread during the darkest of nights? :: With a warning about death coming to the village, it is to be known how such ancient evil can be stopped. But Baba himself is helpless against this man who had done black magic with Rekha’s mother and that had actually caused her death. His return after eighteen years is with the determination that matches no other. He will have Rekha one way or the other. He has control over more than one demon, and not just some random spirit that scares people. He is powered by some evil deity that knows no boundaries of evil, and is the over-reacher who will awaken those forces hidden for centuries. With sleepwalking remaining as her habit and after finding her in the middle of the road at late nights during regular intervals, how long can Rekha stop herself from going into his captivity? What does he really want to do with her?

The defence of Tantra :: The movie effectively delivers its scares, and due to the settings used, it could elevate the side of fear with ease, at times. The movie has the pillar of the work done by the leading lady Ananya Nagalla, who makes use of a strong character with a lot of emotional depth – reminds one of the leading actresses of ARM from some angles. The performances including that of the villain remains good, and seems to suit the horror world nicely. The atmosphere is too good here, and with the help of some fine tales from the belief systems combined with the myth, the world works really well. The folklore keeps coming up all the time in here, and the cultural roots work in favour, even though the overdose of talks keeps it in check. The idea of black magic has been used to the best advantage. The links are nicely made here with the incidents and a certain narrative skill can be seen at work. The background sounds work well in support of the movie, and the twist is working with suspense maintained.

The claws of flaw :: The movie has a lot of moments which feels stretched, increasing the total length of the movie itself. It gives too many explanations, and the movie could have done well without some of them. Too much talking often makes a horror movie struggle, as a few things could be left without explaining as if it is a horror tuition class. There are too many flashbacks, and we also find those subplots to be rather too much. The drag is mostly felt due to this reason, and in the end, the movie feels long. The fear generation of the final moments is rather too less, and it seems to forced to get to that end. When there is something too dark and demonic coming in the end, it had to do more, if not with the action, at least with the scares. Well, we have met too many nocturnal creatures of the night to like any lesser one unless backup by enough power. This might not appeal in the same way for everyone due to the extra dose of strange content too.

How it finishes :: I have not seen many Telugu movies, and you would not see many film reviews of the same language here for that reason. I did not watch those most famous Telugu movies which the crowd had watched and have been looking forward to make everyone watch more than once. But I have not been a person who wished to go with the crowd. Therefore, the two Telugu movies which I have reviewed here are Konda Polam and Drushyam 2. This one becomes the third, and the first Telugu horror movie to be reviewed here. In this case, it can be seen that despite the problems with the overall pace, the movie maintains the embedded horror really well. It might have rushed towards that ending, but finishes off well enough. There are some good horror movies, and this one will surely stay with us, as that horror movie which raises its level and uses the less used elements to its advantage too. This one is recommended for horror fans for sure.

Release date: 15^th March 2024
Running time: 134 minutes
Directed by: Srinivas Gopisetti
Starring: Ananya Nagalla, Dhanush Raghumudri, Saloni Aswani, Temper Vamsi, Meesala Lakshman, Manoj Muthyam, Kushalini, Bhaskar Manyam

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Kraven

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: This is not the kind if superhero that we were looking for.

Vampire Bat: I am pretty sure that this is an anti-hero.

Vampire Owl: All vigilantes are not really anti-heroes.

Vampire Bat: Well, this one seems to have less heroism than others.

Vampire Owl: Sometimes villains are the true heroes.

Vampire Bat: You are talking about Thanos, aren’t you?

Vampire Owl: I always wished that they ended the series with The Avengers: Infinity War.

Vampire Bat: I also agree that a dead character should stay dead.

Vampire Owl: Well, death is only the beginning.

Vampire Bat: Yes, as far as the dead keep rising.

[Gets a vanilla shake and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe) is a much-feared drug lord and crime boss, and he moves to Ghana with his sons after the death of his wife, only to have his sons attacked by a lion and one of them even leaves him after seeing that his father brutally killed the animal. The family feels broken down, but the younger son stays with the father, whom considers him to be too weak to continue his legacy. The elder son Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) goes on to become Kraven the Hunter, an entity whose real identity is known. The younger son Dmitri Kravinoff (Fred Hechinger) lives with his father, but has no part in his crime business. Sergei goes on as a vigilante who hunts criminals. After assassinating an arms trafficker in a Russian prison, and following it up with a few others, he travels to London for Dmitri’s birthday where there is a family reunion including the father. But their reunion is short-lived, as mercenaries abduct Dmitri despite the best efforts of the big brother to stop the effort.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The man who was behind this kidnapping, Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola) has been an opponent of Nikolai. He also has the strength of a rhinoceros along with its skin, after an experiment which was conducted a few years ago. Aleksei proposes an alliance with the brothers to overthrow Nikolai, and after agreeing to this, he says that they would be partners. As there seems to be no solution, Aleksei lures him to a monastery in Turkey, but the ambush is not successful. Aleksei hires the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott), a hypnotic assassin to kill him. Sergei’s only support it Calypso Ezili (Ariana DeBose), a lady who had also helped him earlier to survive when he was attacked by the lion as a child. Now, it remains to be seen if a deal or a raid could be done, as Nikolai is not ready to pay the kidnapper. Still, it is to be seen if the assassin would kill Sergei even before that. He finds himself searching without results, but some result is sure to come soon.

The defence of Kraven the Hunter :: There is the usual anti-hero dose being provided here, and there is a look at the environmental concern and the love for animals, as if an emergency of our times. The action scenes in the forest and grasslands bring a certain amount of variety here and there. A connection between the wild and the domestic is established easily. The actors seem to very much capable of working through the side of action, and the anti-hero side is indeed well-maintained here. The fights do feel more raw than stylish, and that often comes as a welcome change. The mystical elements do run through here. The antagonist is indeed strong, and there is more than one that goes with the title, all of them strong enough to make an impact. There is a lot of idea left for a possible sequel, as the ending seems to suggest more to come, and there is surely some mystery to be solved later. The anti-hero elements do work better than what Deadpool has been turning out to be with its ridiculous nonsense.

The claws of flaw :: The movie never manages to raise its level that much as it keeps moving through the safe zone and keep it even safer. In this world of too many superheroes, some risk needed to be taken in the right way to bring variety through innovation and not through strange representation and change of races and ethnicities. The movie also struggles with its special effects, and even its antagonist could have scored further with better computer-generated imagery. There should have been some Spider-Man connection made here, and without that presence even in the end credits, we struggle to believe in the seriousness here. The negative opinions about Madame Web might affected this one too, as the world of spiders surely seems to be in a crippling state – we miss The Amazing Spider-Man more than ever. There are complications about his position in this world, and the lack of clarity regarding his powers would mean more confusion – well, it is that kind of a family where everyone seems like an anti-hero or a villain and we do wonder about the situation being like this with just a hunter around.

The performers of the soul :: Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads the way pretty well as the anti-hero who goes on hunting without remorse, as he chooses the worst people. There might be the question if someone bigger would have been there, but this would feel good enough due to his dedicated work. Even though Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili manages pretty well, Diaana Babnicova who played the younger version seemed to match the character the best, and a deviation from the past is visible around there. Alessandro Nivola makes a fine antagonist, and even with lesser graphics and special effects, he is indeed a menacing villain and a match for the protagonist. Christopher Abbott plays the other villain, and the menace should have been given more time as we look at it. About Russell Crowe, we see a certain amount of grey side here, and it is also something to remember as we move away from this movie. Fred Hechinger who made a point will surely have more to make in the sequel as we notice the ending moments.

How it finishes :: Kraven the Hunter adds to that list of lesser-known anti-heroes, even though it might never be as popular as Venom and Deadpool who became the main characters out of Spider-Man and Wolverine. This is that movie which seemed to have been missed by too many people around here. Unlike those earlier superhero movies, this one is the flick which came with no hype at all, and most people also failed to realize that this one existed in the theatres nearby. They would expect many things here, but they would no not much about him, as this man is no hero that the people in this part of the world have ever known. All these are happening in a timeline where fine superhero movies like Minnal Murali and Gundala and brought about by those industries which have not been known for creating this kind of a universe. With that long comic support, it is surprising that people of Spidey are struggling to make an impact. I would for a better work with a sequel even though this one did work well enough.

Release date: 13h December 2024
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: J C Chandor
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sector 36

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Have you travelled through Sector 36 of the extended castle?

Vampire Bat: It is not an extension of the castle, but our graveyard.

Vampire Owl: Nowadays, we consider it as part of the building itself.

Vampire Bat: Why are you making the castle feel bigger?

Vampire Owl: A bigger castle means better respect.

Vampire Bat: It also means more taxes for all of us.

Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the government? So, we are paying ourselves, right?

Vampire Bat: It is not that direct. There is a procedure for it.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that we do not get most of it?

Vampire Bat: Well, we can only explain it as part of a system.

[Gets a sambar vada and three cups of extra light tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the busy city of Noida, the number of missing kids has been on the increase. A lot of cases reach the police station, but the cops are not much bothered about them as the lost children are of migrants from villages around the city. Inspector Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal), the corrupt inspector of the police station is not interested in anything, and does not even lodge an FIR for these cases, as the life of these commoners do not matter to him, and is of no profit either. His senior officers also ask him not to bother about the same and work with those which matter. Prem Singh (Vikrant Massey) is the house help of a wealthy and powerful businessman Balbir Bassi (Akash Khurana), and is involved in kidnapping the kids, whose bodies are not found later. He murders them and chops them into pieces without remorse, and no remains are usually found. When part of a skeleton is found, the police dismisses the same as the bones of a monkey which came through the sewers.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ram Charan gets serious only when Prem attempts to kidnap his daughter, but fails. Prem had misunderstood that the girl was a migrant’s child, and leaves her behind when chased. This leads to Ram Charan going on a hunt for the person who has been trying to kidnap the kids, with the help of Constable Shravan Kumar Pathak (Ajit Palawat). But DCP Jawahar Rastogi (Darshan Jariwala) stands on his way, as he would not let anything bad happen to the owner of the house, Balbir. He asks Ram Charan to leave the idea of any investigation near that house, and soon gets him suspended. But he would not stop, and will come up with other plans. But it remains to be seen if he can stand against one of the richest men around, and get to his house worker. This also puts his own family in danger, and the cops of his own police station are now against him. Can he stand as one unstoppable force against them all or will he be destroyed like many others before him?

The defence of Sector 36 :: The movie follows a realistic mode from the beginning itself. There is nothing that seems to be not possible as far as this particular movie is concerned, especially due to taking inspiration from a real-life incident featuring killings. It keeps a chilling mood with the realism that keeps the audience expecting more all the time. There is also a grim, claustrophobic setting that brings the unease and dread with ease. The fear stays on, and the tentacles of the serial killer keeps the movie going forward, and with the police officer finally ready to face him, the audience is left with those high expectations. It also serves as a reminder that the poor never really stands a chance when the highly influential is on the other side. Even though it is not shouted about, the world indeed belongs to the rich, the ones who belong to the one percent or even ten percent. The middle class that tries to side with the poor, would also suffer, as shown here. Well, if you need support, you need money, and that is indeed the point here and the core of realism.

The claws of flaw :: The strength of thrills is low in this one, as the pace itself is low, and that seems to align with the need to keep the whole thing realistic. The transformation of the protagonist also sems to be too quick, and that pace also seems to confuse the writing related to the character, who does not become any smarter despite getting out of the chains that were binding him. The system feels like having no loopholes at all, as if there is no way to escape – there should be some flaw in the design to keep the optimism alive. The ending is also weaker than one would expect, and even if it was done so for the purpose of supporting a sequel, there would be better options. With serial killers or psychos in hand, even within the realistic mold, more is always possible. The absence of a real good figure outside the subaltern is rather disappointing too. The terror her is implied, but the escape is never shown as an option.

The performers of the soul :: The move rests on Deepak Dobriyal and Vikrant Massey to do the expected work, as they play the two characters getting the most screen time, and both needed to perform on different layers. Both characters undergo many changes and are not the same people that we see in the beginning of the movie. While the former is successful in showing the cop being the father and undergoing a positive change, which he emotes really well, the latter who is damaged from the beginning to the end, shows the different shades of his character. There is a lot of depth related to the two characters, and we see the effectiveness with which they are portrayed, and how the same elevates the movie to another level even when it is just going on and on in the usual manner. Akash Khurana plays his role exactly as one would expect from such a character. Darshan Jariwala plays the corrupt side that makes us believe with ease. Ajit Palawat also shows a similar side that works. In comparison, the female characters are to do less work.

How it finishes :: Sector 36 might not be as interesting as the other movies featuring psychos and serial killers, for movies like Memories, Abraham Ozler, Forensic, Anjaam Paathira, Kooman, Antakshari and others will always be above this one by some way. The pacing is slower, and there is no attempt to make it that thrilling. Yet, the fantastic performances and a realistic feeling runs through this one more than ever. As it is based on the 2006 Noida Sector 31 serial murders, that feeling will be more. I do not remember much of it, but the movie follows the realistic mode and the connection is not something that we can think about now. If you are looking for a slow-moving and realistic story about serial killings, this could always be the right movie for you. Then, it also gives a reminder about the system, and how it works, for there will always be something missing and something beyond repair, something about which it is good to be reminded at times.

Release date: 13th September 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Aditya Nimbalkar
Starring: Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal, Akash Khurana, Darshan Jariwala, Baharul Islam, Saikia Ihana Kaur, Tanushree Das, Subir Bisawas, Kacho Ahmed, Ajit Palawat, Mahadev Lakhawat, Fareed Ahmad, Trimala Adhikari

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: We have been reviewing only a smaller number of Hindi movies.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are not that much exposed to Bollywood anymore.

Vampire Owl: Bollywood has not come up with very good movies.

Vampire Bat: If there were such movies, they would not come our theatres.

Vampire Owl: It is such a shame. They still show us dumb Bollywood movies for fans.

Vampire Bat: The so-called superstar movies will come. But they are truly dumb.

Vampire Owl: The Khans and Hritik Roshan will surely get all the screens.

Vampire Bat: Most high budget films without content will get here with more shows.

Vampire Owl: Yes, just put any Khan in there and thrown it this way.

Vampire Bat: We would have wanted Irrfan Khan to be around then.

[Gets a vegetable puffs and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ruhaan (Kartik Aaryan) is a fraud spiritual ghostbuster known by the name “Rooh Baba”, and pretends to be an expert in exorcising spirits and slaying demons who harass people or haunt buildings. But he is actually an opportunist who makes good use of situations and make people feel that he has done something magical and has driven away monsters. He solves problems of non-existent demons for people who always have something to hide. There would always be some mistake committed by a random person who want to put the blame on someone not complaining, and that would be the spirit of a dead person or a demon from another world creating nuisance, misplacing things, setting something on fire etc. It makes him the best-known ghostbuster in the area, and his understanding of people’s superstitions has helped him to set up an office near Howrah Bridge of Kolkata. It is then that he is approached by Rajkumari Meera (Triptii Dimri) who has proof of his activities and asks her to come with her to deal with a paranormal activity in a far away village.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They leave for this particular place where she belongs to a royal family which has been living in a stable near their old palace because of fear of a spirit that has been living there. The fear has become so much that the whole family has decided to live through a life of poverty forever until they found Ruhaan who is believed to be a reincarnation of a dead prince who somewhat looks like him. This provides them with enough confidence to think about moving to the palace of riches, and after making it look better, hope to sell the palace. He is the only one who is supposed to open the door to a room where a spirit haunting the palace is kept locked, and he is the only one who can save them from the supernatural entity. But he is to wait till the day of Durgashtami to open it, or something worse can happen there. He has to stay there for quite some time now so that he could manage to get his share. At the same time, Ruhaan falls in love with Meera and she seems to feel the same, as he keeps raising the confidence of her family as well as the villagers.

And what more is to follow with the demons and other evil spirits in a haunted palace? :: It is then that a woman named Mallika (Vidya Balan) arrives from a firm which is specialized in restoring old mansions and artefacts. She claimed to replace another employee who had taken a long vacation. There seems to be something strange about her, and feels like too much about the palace and its history is known to her. She stays there with them to further understand the needs for restoration. It is then that another woman named Mandira (Madhuri Dixit) also reaches the palace, after another room is opened. She identifies herself as someone who has come all the way there to buy the palace. She also gives them an offer above everyone else, as she stays there. Now the question remains about what this vengeful spirit really is. One has to wonder what it really tries to achieve – is there any plan other than the ghostly murder of all the residents and the family lineage? What is the worst thing that can happen on the day of Durgashtami? With no real ghostbusters around, is there a chance to save their world?

The defence of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 :: The movie has successfully blended comedy and horror, even though the funny side could have risen even more. The visuals with the old palace and the scary elements remain the fine works around here. There is something that interests one a lot about the old buildings of Bengal, and the feeling of strong history is more in there than any other – it will surely keep us going and wishing for the location to be there for long. There is always some place for twists and some fine scares to happen around here. The fear generation gets active very early, and the atmosphere nicely supports he same. Karthik Aryan has surely added a fresh perspective and freshness to this film. Triptii Dimri does the same, and it is good to see her getting more movies, because Bollywood needs to move on as much as with Karthik Aryan, that much with the actresses around. It needs to find new talents instead of those old superstars from where there is the need the move on.

The claws of flaw :: The humour does not always work, as we often why there is an attempt being made when there is no need, as some of these surely feels forced. The template seems to be repeated, as if there are no particular new ideas to be added to an already existing world, from where this gets the strength, not focusing on innovations. The focus gets the struggle, as too many things get rolled in without justifications, and the final scenes are ridiculously emotional without the required intensity, with the purpose of the evil spirit itself lost in the process of making it appealing to each and everyone even though not perfectly. There seemed to be a feeling of need to give focus to the veteran lady superstars, even when they were never really the focus here. Their presence here seems to be just to add nostalgia and the star value, as these are roles which one of the existing characters in the palace could have done. The story seems to be a little too much deviating from its purpose. As expected, this would not do just to the original at all, with a certain struggle as there is some legacy involved.

How it finishes :: We have watched Manichitrathaazhu and the not much needed sequel called Geethanjali. I have not watched the second part of this particular Hindi series, and therefore do not have an idea how all these have been connected without Akshay Kumar. But I could feel that this particular title could stand alone from the beginning itself. It has surely tried to blend its genres well, but never does it manage to rise to the level of Stree, and it is to be remembered that Stree 2 actually released in the same year. Bollywood does seem to be doing pretty good at making horror-comedies than we had thought it could manage to do. As it depends on the skilled performers instead of both male and female superstars, it moves out of the past, and begins to think better and have some classics. The industry should know that there is a lot of young talent waiting, that too without the nepotic kids becoming weak elements in good movies, something we have witnessed in remakes of movies like Helen – there is also too many of them for the time being. It is not like you say Shazam and you learn acting all of a sudden. Let us hope that the best talents rise out of nowhere and make the industry classic.

Release date: 1st November 2024
Running time: 158 minutes
Directed by: Anees Bazmee
Starring: Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Sanjay Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar, Rajesh Sharma, Arun Kushwah, Manish Wadhwa, Shataf Figar, Saurabh Dubey, Denzil Smith, Suresh Menon, Moumita Pal, Shivam Dubey, Surendra Thakur, Kanchan Mullick, Prantika Das, Agrim Mittal, Ajay Tiwari, Yogesh Jadhav, Rose Sardana, Swagatam Halder, Averi Singharoy, Badri Chavan, Arvind Prakash, Parineeta Borthakur

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vedaa

Posted on August 24, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: We are once again into Hindi movies, aren’t we?

Vampire Bat: Well, we have the skills to find the best among them, don’t we?

Vampire Owl: The good ones are rarely noticed though.

Vampire Bat: They do not even travel that much to reach our theatres.

Vampire Owl: We will only have the movies with big names around here.

Vampire Bat: Well, human world would never be fair. They won’t transform.

Vampire Owl: I would question the existence of humanity among humans. Maybe it can be found in the atlas.

Vampire Bat: Humanity is not part of human nature – for them, it is just a word formation.

Vampire Owl: Maybe they should use vampire before the last three letters.

Vampire Bat: They are murdering their arts subjects and languages – soon, they will be left without any word to express their existences. There is no chance to rise like a phoenix either.

[Gets a savala vada and three cups of Yercaud tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vedaa Berwa (Sharvari Wagh) is a Dalit law student who hopes to make it big in studies as well as through sports. She lives with her family in Barmer, Rajasthan, and an IIT-educated Jitendar Pratap Singh (Abhishek Banerjee), a man who seems to be very progressive due to his care for the environment and use of green and renewable energy is the chief of one hundred and fifty villages there. She is always made fun of and verbally abused by the upper-caste people as part of the existing caste discrimination there, and even hesitates to drink water from the same tap which others use. As her siblings also face the same fate, she decides to train herself in boxing to protect her family. But she is forced to clean the floors due to her caste status and is not allowed to learn the sport. Her sister Gehna Berwa (Tanvi Malhara) feels that she should boxing and become the defender of the family in one way or the other.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Her brother Vinod Barwe (Anurag Thakur) has fallen in love with Aarti Meghwal (Urvashi Dubey) who is from a high caste, and due to the lawlessness there and with police being the goons of the higher caste people, there was never going to be an inter-caste marriage, even if both families agree to the same. The higher caste men would take the law into their caste and beat up both families, and if they complain to the police, it is them who would be locked up – there are many fake cases that could be charged, from inciting violence to human trafficking with a whole police station and goons working together. It is shown that the highly educated Jitendar Pratap Singh is the one who controls all of these, and maintains the order of castes in the name of divine origin of the practice. He would go to any extent to make sure that his world is maintained as he wishes.

And what more is to be added to this world awaiting chaos at all times? :: It is then that Abhimanyu Kanwar (John Abraham) makes an entrance. He was a major in the army who was court-martialed for disobeying orders to bring a terrorist named Ilyas Kashmiri (Gowhar Khan) back alive. The same terrorist was responsible for the brutal murder of Abhimanyu’s wife Raashi (Tamannah Bhatia). Abhimanyu joins as an assistant sports coach in Vedaa’s college. He sees her attempts, and also how she is humiliated repeatedly for her caste despite her academic skills and efforts at sports. One day, she is brutally beaten up by the higher caste boys, who also record the same on their mobile phone. Abhimanyu decides to train her, and she shows steady improvement, but the love story of her brother comes to the picture, and lands them all in trouble. As both of her siblings are killed, Abhimanyu decides to protect her. But how far can he succeed in the same while being hunted by people in power?

The defence of Vedaa :: As a movie with a realistic side and the elements that would appeal to the general audience, there is a lot of strength that can be seen around here. The movie starts really well, and also maintains an emotional side throughout its run. The action sequences are effective too, and never goes on with an overdose. This never lowers the level like those mass masala entertainers of superstars. John Abraham is perfectly suited for the role here, and he is one actor who brings lesser known, but classic works to the screen. Sharvari is also really good and blends in here with ease. She brings the emotional side to work while going through the helplessness of the character really well. Abhishek Banerjee makes a sinister villain to create an impact with more than one face and Ashish Vidyarthi also provides good support. Tanvi Malhara as the sister remains lovable. The message of the movie works well, and it elevates the movie at times, especially during the first half. Due the same, the movie gains further strength.

The claws of flaw :: The strong start of the movie is not maintained throughout its run, and there is no rising in level for the work. Some of the moments just deviate from its central idea. The movie could have also been better hyped to bring the interest of people, without which it seems to have struggled to make its presence felt. After all, there are other similar sounding movies, and without the big names at the top who does the usual dumb mass masala stuff, this was always going to go through some struggle. The ending does seem rather predictable, and some of the decisions taken by experienced adult characters seem to be strange too. There were also so many other things which could have been achieved with this particular movie which seems to feel the need to go with the ordinary, maybe to be on the safe side. If this was in another language far into the south, there would have been risks taken, and the movie improved. There is a lot that a flick can achieve with this premise for sure.

How it finishes :: Vedaa seems have suffered due to the lack of audience who would watch a movie without big superstars and staying close to reality – it has never been the thing with Bollywood for a long time as we think about it. The lack of interest of the Bollywood audience in movies like these is rather disappointing, as mass masala seems to be the only genre that could make an impact. It is to be noted that there were times when we actually preferred Hindi movies over others, but nowadays the only good ones stay for such less amount of time in the theatres even if they come. Let us celebrate movies like this at least now, and hope for more to come. The revival of Bollywood to focus on quality material in still awaited, as a few drops of quality come like this one. These days, it seems that John Abraham is one actor who can really be trusted, from the greatness of Madras Cafe and a following Rocky Handsome.

Release date: 15th August 2024
Running time: 151 minutes
Directed by: Nikkhil Advani
Starring: John Abraham, Sharvari Wagh, Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kumud Mishra, Rajendra Chawla, Tanvi Malhara, Anurag Thakur, Urvashi Dubey, Rajoshri Vidyarthi, Parag Sharma, Danish Husain, Kapil Nirmal, Ajeet Singh Palawat, Meena Shankar, Kshitij Chauhan, Akshay Sharma, Toshab Bagri, Abhishek Deswal, Paritosh Sand, Gowhar Khan, Nirmal Chaudhury, Manu Shekhar, Monisha Advani, Tamannah Bhatia (Cameo), Mouni Roy (Cameo)

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Agni

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Are we looking for vampires of fire?

Vampire Bat: There are none, as fire burns and ends us in seconds.

Vampire Owl: I was talking about the fire inside us.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are going to need firefighters in that case.

Vampire Owl: I would let the fire burn right inside us.

Vampire Bat: None of us vampires require fire, as we are the dark chilling frost.

Vampire Owl: The darkness in us resists the fire and brings the frost.

Vampire Bat: The northern witches have spread the darkness throughout the realm.

Vampire Owl: The magic in the world has been darker than ever and creating more shadows with the shades making an entrance.

Vampire Bat: The pure evil darkness has replaced our original dark, nocturnal world. Now there is darkness during daytime too.

[Gets a kadai chicken pizza and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vitthalrao Dhonduba Surve (Pratik Gandhi) has been serving as the Chief of Parel Fire Station in Mumbai, and is disturbed by the fact that there are too many fire outbreaks in his area, leading to restless nights. Sr. Inspector Samit Sawant (Divyenndu), his brother-in-law, is asked to investigate into the matter by the authorities. The two are not in the best of terms, and searches in their own ways. Their wives Rukmini Surve (Sai Tamhankar) and Sayali Sawant (Sakhi Gokhale) are not really happy about this lack of understanding, but there is nothing that they can do about the same. Fire Officer Avni Purohit (Saiyami Kher) finds out that not everything is right around there due to the illegal constructions and lack of enough facilities to fight the fire. But there seems to be something more sinister at work, as Vitthal finds out that there was something about the fire, and it seems more than just a usual one. It seems to spread and cause destruction like no usual accident has been doing.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Senior Fire Officer Mahadev Nigde (Jitendra Joshi) and his own family asks him to take care of his health, as he struggles to breathe at times, but that does not stop him from trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. As time runs out, Samit arrests a businessman, and blames the whole thing on him. He is appreciated by the government, but Vitthal feels that he has captured the wrong person, and the accused might have done many things, but not this particular crime. His son Amar (Kabir Shah) also appreciates his uncle more than his father as he is a decorated police officer. Now, what all awaits the city, and someone knowing this all wander in the streets looking forward to burn the world? Can this particular person be identified and stopped in time? Will there be a final showdown with burning buildings or an arrested criminal who had his strange reasons to get people killed?

The defence of Agni :: The feeling of realism in Agni is too good, and there seems to be no traveling through a journey of nonsense that has plagued Bollywood for a long time. The special effects, cinematography and sound design used here are normal and never makes us feel that it is overdone. There is a lot of fire in this movie, but there is nothing that keeps us away from reality. The performance also feels real and so do the situations. At no moment does this movie try to do the unreal, and that is the beauty of it. It explores the bravery, sacrifice and underappreciated service that the firefighters have been providing, but without gaining that much of an attention. The question remains about how many firefighters do we know even though we might know enough police officers – the fact remains that a mock drill by some of these officers can actually help us in the case of a possible crisis. The main firefighters of this movie are those who will stay in our minds due to what they have been working with here.

Positives and negatives :: The movie does not bring the special around here, as it seeks to remain the usual to stay close to reality. One might feel the need to bring a bigger twist around here, but as the reality element comes into the picture, the same is often forgotten. The flames here become symbols that will stay with us for quite a long time, as it feels like a reflection of lives. The movie is also a reminder on the fact that things are not really what they seem, and that the system will make its own villains, as there might never be a thing like perfect or near-perfect system. Well, it shows that the world can never be fair, but does bring that feel-good factor in the end so that some poetic justice can come to the picture. It leaves us with the faith, belief and hope that efforts and goodness will be rewarded, and the other side would not always have its way. It does the same without preaching and makes the same happen. There is a certain amount bliss that we will feel at the end of the movie, and even if seemingly placed, seems suited. Yet, we long for more, I wonder why.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led forward by a perfect performance from Pratik Gandhi, who never stays behind in coming up with realistic moments of his portrayal of the main character who stays human and not as a superstar who needs to evoke the dumb masses. The silent intensity that he displays with the determination against hopelessness, will keep us going. He becomes the common man’s hero, and not that wretched superhero of unreality, something which the stars of Indian movie industries have struggled to become. Divyenndu is not far behind in doing the same either, as he goes through the work in a classic manner and not as if there is a mass to be treated into nonsense. They do make a good combination, and we would end up wishing for more of them to do with the investigation together. Among the ladies, it is Saiyami Kher who stands apart, and elevates the movie in her own way. Sai Tamhankar and Sakhi Gokhale follows well. Jitendra Joshi and Udit Arora have some memorable characters too.

How it finishes :: Agni becomes a breath of fresh air among those polluted movies with so called superheroes who fly around murdering villains as if they are sleepwalking. It is a shame that such mass entertainers even bring awards to the actors when they performers do nothing of substance in such cinema which means nothing, but appeals to the dumb. This one reminds us of the Malayalam movie Fireman, but is surely better than all those flicks with the content which stays at a classical level with no heroism at all. This is the kind of movies that need, and such movie elevate Bollywood to such a level which not many so-called superheroes can get it. Against such mindless heroes of mass masala, let movies like this one rise, and also leave with a message that we will remember, and in the end, we respect the right heroes, and when we look closely, none of them are celebrities, and no human among them would want to be celebrated that much. There can only be a few Stree, Bob Biswas, Baby, Te3n, Ek Villain, Wazir, Madras Cafe etc that really thrills without going overboard.

Release date: 6th December 2024 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Rahul Dholakia
Starring: Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Saiyami Kher, Sai Tamhankar, Jitendra Joshi, Kabir Shah, Udit Arora, Sakhi Gokhale, Anant Jog, Pramod Pathakm, Paritosh Pathak, Kanchan Pagare, Abhishek Kandekar, Sushant Shetty

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Shaitaan

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, is the movie really about the devil?

Vampire Bat: There are many demons who identify as the devil.

Vampire Owl: Is there anyone whom you know?

Vampire Bat: We do not make acquaintances with the shadow world.

Vampire Owl: We are also nocturnal creatures of the shadows.

Vampire Bat: We are the shadow warriors, but we are not shadows.

Vampire Owl: Shadows are still our allies, and they even provide warnings.

Vampire Bat: Allies do not make us. We are better than that.

Vampire Owl: The shadows will keep us safe.

Vampire Bat: Not just the shadows, we shall stay in the dark forever.

[Gets a masala bonda and three cups of mint tea].

What is the movie about? :: Kabir Rishi (Ajay Devgn), a chartered accountant, his wife Jyoti Rishi (Jyothika), daughter Jahnvi Rishi (Janki Bodiwala) and son Dhruv Rishi (Anngad Raaj) decides to take a break from their busy routine, and spend some time at their farmhouse in the outskirts of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Jahnvi is hoping to end this trip as soon as possible, and go on her on tour with friends, especially her boyfriend. On the way, at a dhaba, they come across a man named Vanraj Kashyap (R Madhavan), who offers them tea when they do not have change. He seems to be a nice person who shows the photo of his daughter and gives friendly advice. He also gives Jahnvi who does not want to have roti and tea, a laddu which she accepts happily. He also leaves her with a few biscuits, much to the dismay of Jyoti. As they reach the farmhouse, they are surprised to find Vanraj following them there. They also find out that Jahnvi had invited him inside the house, and he sits there on the couch as a guest.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: He only asks for a cup of tea and charger for the phone, but soon, Janhvi ends up threatening her brother under his influence, which makes Kabir and Jyoti ask him to leave immediately, to which he disagrees. Before Kabir can push him out, Janhvi under Vanraj’s command stops him. Vanraj says that he has hypnotized Janhvi using black magic, and that she will obey every instruction he gives. To prove his control, he orders her to repeatedly stand and sit, and she does the same robotically. To make them believe in the extremes of his power, he makes her take a tea packet and eat raw tea leaves. He also makes Janhvi slap her father and make her laugh and cry. As she is asked to jump into the swimming pool and stay underwater until he tells her, the parents understand the grave situation. As the frightened family gives him the mobile phones as told, he makes Janhvi destroy all the phones in the house, cutting off their communication with the outside world. Now the question remains about what does he plan to do, and what does he want from the family.

The defence of Shaitaan :: The movie rests on the shoulders of Janki Bodiwala who brings a performance that nobody would ever forget, as she alternates between her character’s own personality and that of a hypnotized mind, as we see her helplessness and determination to commit a task according to an order at the same time, and moving between the two. Madhavan’s alternation between the gentleman and pure evil entity is not that far behind either, as his evolution as an actor is seen again, but we know that he could have also done the father-figure to perfection if given that role. The movie keeps us closer to the situation, because we know that it is indeed a usual family in trouble, even though a little bit too bourgeoisie for many, with the main character driving a Benz Car and owning a huge farmhouse in a hill station besides his original home in the city. The feelings that we have for the family is much more as we can relate to them, at least most of us. The danger is always there, with the younger child closest to death than any other, even though I would consider all lives as equal whether that of children or the elders – I am not a robot to calculate how much more they will live and be useful to society or turn into murderous psychopaths.

Positives and negatives :: The movie might not be appreciated as doing as good as the original, but we know that it is true for all Bollywood adaptations, a case which is best depicted in the works od Priyadarshan, as the original Malayalam movies were all classics which can have no match, certainly none with nepotism factor taking around, like in the case of that remake of Helen. The idea of the original version would always stay strong, and with this one made on a bigger budget and made to suit the spoon-fed and feel-good-seeking audience, some of the soul of a dark movie would be left out – we know what the Bollywood have been involved in making big blockbusters, and so the taste difference would be looked at by the makers who remake works. But the movie has its tension perfectly built and the danger felt from within, with no exaggeration. Each and every moment in the house seems to be perfectly created, and the cast nicely adapts to the same. The satanic touch brings the terror as the movie shifts its world by the end really well.

The performers of the soul :: Janki Bodiwala is the one person who steals the show, long above the veteran stars who surrounds her, and it is no surprise as her character stays at the centre and decides too many outcomes. She had also played the same character in the original movie, and that experience seems to count. This work will establish her as one of the best among the future stars of Bollywood, and maybe could have a hand in another regional cinema too. She has the biggest moments of the film to perform, like the one where sits on the gas cylinder, dancing without end and those smiles and laughs for no reason which are truly spooky. Madhavan might have played the best villain in a horror movie, and let us hope that the ending of Hindi version does not spoil his chance to bring a sequel with him in it. The way in which he gives instructions and talks about his own greatness provides us with the chills. Ajay Devgn and Jyothika plays the helpless parents who still struggle to make things happen and save their family quite well. As the former nicely manages to bring the heroic father to the scene, let’s see what the next sequel of Drishyam brings, as Bollywood is ready take the script from the Malayalam version, and Tamil, Telugu and other versions would be waiting.

How it finishes :: Shaitaan, as a remake of the 2023 Gujarati film Vash, makes a fine impact, even though most of us have not watched the original. But from what has been heard, the original is more of the classic, but as we only have this one around here, and it is very well-made, despite the ending seemingly not that special compared to the original. There is a haunting and satisfying feeling about it, with that strength which is rarely seen in pure horror movies of Bollywood, even though movies like Stree and its sequel had made horror comedy working better. The best horror of pure seriousness was done well by Bollywood quite long ago, and most of the time there were only movies like 3G and Murder which only partially did the job. But this one will surely achieve a legendary status, despite being an adaptation of an older film. Remakes will work very well if done in the right manner, and this one proves it. This is also a proof for the fact that you do not need to keep looking at Hollywood for horror every time, and basic elements for the same working out is right here, with us.

Release date: 8th March 2024
Running time: 132 minutes
Directed by: Vikas Bahl
Starring: Janki Bodiwala, Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, Jyothika, Anngad Raaj

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Damsel

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, we are going to have a damsel without distress.

Vampire Bat: Distress is for all, and there is no escape.

Vampire Owl: I would believe the vampire world to be free from them.

Vampire Bat: Distress in vampire world would still return in case of a war.

Vampire Owl: The werewolves, zombies and witches are not good enough for another war.

Vampire Bat: The werewolves are preparing for an attack. The others would follow.

Vampire Owl: So, you say that even brainless zombies are coming for war.

Vampire Bat: Yes, there has been the rise of the Lich Queen.

Vampire Owl: Dr Frankenstein had warned me about it.

Vampire Bat: This will surely be a lot different than what Mr Frankenstein had said. This is going to be a bloodbath one day.

[Gets a chicken dosa and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: The Dragon (Shohreh Aghdashloo), the last of its kind, had faced a human king of the Kingdom of Aurea with his army of knights, and had managed to defeat them. There is not much known about the dragon after the incident, but the riches of the kingdom have been well-known throughout the realm. Many centuries later, Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown), the daughter of Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone), receives a proposal from Queen Isabelle of Aurea (Robin Wright) asking her to marry her son, Prince Henry (Nick Robinson). Despite confusing in the beginning, Elodie agrees to the marriage due to the situation of her lands, which is undergoing lack of resources and people are dying in need of food. Her younger sister Floria (Brooke Carter) is particularly interested in this situation with a Prince Charming and a Fairy-tale kind of kingdom associated with the wedding. Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett), Elodie’s stepmother, also feels that this is for the best interest of their dying lands.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After arriving in Aurea, the family is very much impressed by what they witness in the rich kingdom with greenery and abundance. Elodie and Henry, even though uninterested in each other in the beginning, becomes attached to each other due to their interest in horse-riding and travel. Lady Bayford, becomes suspicious of the motives of Queen Isabelle, and warns Elodie, but Bayford remains reluctant to act. The family decides to go on with the wedding ceremony anyway, as there are not many options left for them. The wedding is a grand ceremony which was to be remembered for long. After the function, they go to take part in an ancient ritual far above on the mountains to further celebrate this with a ritual. Following this ritual in which their palms are cut and held together, the most unexpected happens, and Elodie would not have expected something like this. But she has to survive this battle with more than what she would have done in a usual situation.

The defence of Damsel :: Damsel has done a good job in building the fairy-tale kind of world and providing that medieval age effect of kings, queens, nights and castles set with a classic dragon wandering around. The movie does look good, even though the caverns should have looked better with more detail, the whole thing is powered up by visuals nicely. The main character goes through this well, especially during those survival moments involving climbing and the glowing worms, even though not that much with a fight brought to the dragon – the tension is definitely maintained even though the sequence feels stretched. The message against the rich and the royal would stand beyond all times, and as it is implied again, one can only be successful by birth or by treachery; there would always be a dark side if one gets to triumph with that much ease life – this is also shown in a Malayalam movie starring Vineeth Sreenivasan, but I see that people cannot accept that because they are used to celebrating the winners and detesting those who try so hard, but would not be successful enough.

The claws of flaw :: The movie, even though not that long, still feels stretched, and it is because of those moments within the dragon’s cavern which do not provide that needed effect. There seems to be a confusion on what the movie is trying to prove, and the flashback is not that really well executed, even in the later stages. The movie remains predictable throughout its run, and with the beginning that it had, the same was surely expected to come – we know most of the things that are to come, and none of the seemingly twisty moments seem to bring any surprise at all. There is also the case of people of the kingdom and the dragon being dumber than anyone would expect, despite the later even having human qualities. The quick rush to remove the damsel in distress also feels rather foolish, as it is not really thought enough about, and made to be believed rather than constructed with smartness; just like the emotional shifts and wasted characters.

The performers of the soul :: The movie rests on the shoulders of Millie Bobby Brown, as expected, with focus clearly on her. She has to carry this one a long way, as the moments with focus on her are rather too much, and we do not even remember the others, except for the dragon. We are glad to see that she does her job so well, that she becomes the titular character with such ease. Even when it is often lost in those forced messages and dull sides of caves, she elevates the movie, and raises expectations as the adventurer as much as the princess in waiting. Angela Bassett plays the stepmother, and a good one, but with some expressions, one feels that she is more evil than the evil queen herself, very well portrayed by Robin Wright. Nick Robinson is clearly wasted in her role and Ray Winstone could have also done more to do in this movie which is too much fixed on the main character than it forgets that this is no one character flick. Brooke Carter does well as the younger sister at the same time.

How it finishes :: Damsel just serves its purpose, not trying to elevate itself to that huge divergence and not trying to stay strong in its own territory either. It is not that big an action thriller or adventure that we will remember for long, and it never stays in the fairy-tale or even reverse fairy-tale categories, and the dark fantasy idea seems to be non-existent in the proceedings. With the queen and step-mother around seemingly looking strange, this could have easily been another Maleficent with more power. With the plot holes and lack of focus except for the love for the main character, the movie remains entertaining and can be worth watching for most of the time, and when it tries to be over smart, just avoid those moments. After all, a fantasy level movie with dragons cannot be that bad, whatever absurd things a film tries to put in there. Even without that grand an execution, this one works, and entertains, keeping us in the fire-breath of that dragon looking out for vengeance.

Release date: 8th March 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 109 minutes
Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to a true thriller.

<<< Click here to go for a classic fantasy.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Smile 2

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Vampires are not really supposed to give good smiles.

Vampire Bat: Our smiles are the shadows of the smiles.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that shadows have smiles.

Vampire Bat: Yes, those are the perfect scares that anyone can have.

Vampire Owl: The shadow of a smile. Sounds like it would make a fine movie.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires make no movies at all.

Vampire Owl: Dr Frankenstein once told me about a particular movie.

Vampire Bat: That vampire movie was not made by vampires.

Vampire Owl: Well, Mr Frankenstein talked about a half-vampire.

Vampire Bat: I warn you – do not trust anything that smiles, even a Frankenstein.

[Gets a chilli porotta and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Joel (Kyle Gallner), a police officer who was cursed by an evil entity tries to transfer the curse to a new person by killing someone in front of another, as it would make him commit suicide and transfer itself to the watcher otherwise. The curse passing in the usual manner past smiling hallucinations when he dies – right to someone he knew would be unbearable to him, and therefore he chooses a murderer and his brother, killing one and making the other witness. But in the resulting shootout after he kills a brother, the witness is also murdered. But a drug dealer named Lewis (Lukas Gage) is a silent victim to all of these incidents and the curse lands right up on him. With Joel getting hit by a truck while running away, nobody gets to know about this particular evil spreading to Lewis, and ready to bring the horror working through people and their smiles. Lewis is unaware of this, but begins to have hallucinations.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Skye (Naomi Scott) is a New York-based pop music star who is ready to make a reappearance to the public after a long struggle with substance abuse and a car accident which killed her boyfriend and severely injured her. She still feels her health, and with the need to get back to the drugs, she reaches the home of Lewis, one of her high school friends who continues to deal with drugs even after the incident. At his apartment, Skye witnesses Lewis screaming and panicking, but soon finds him smiling, and brutally killing himself. A scared Skye leaves the place, not wishing to be found near the corpse and the drugs. This makes her situation worse, with the hallucinations all around and seeing people with some terrifying versions of smiles feels like a natural thing for her. At the same time, she receives a message from an unknown number, talking about her presence at the apartment when the friend was killed, and about the knowledge of what is going on with her with the hallucinations resembling a supernatural presence. But can this smiling evil be stopped in time?

The defence of Smile 2 :: This one has a new idea, and even though shown in its predecessor, most of us might not have watched it. The franchise is indeed a setup for some new kind of horror, which transforms smiles into something terrible, the evil that needs to be feared. There are not many occasions when innocent smiles from children can be scary, but this one surely has that quality and keeps us in the lair of fear. The main character keeps us glued too, as the performance is of top quality and the same person works out of trauma. The creepiness never leaves the movie, and we know that from the beginning itself. There is the challenge to see beyond what meets the eye, and beyond the surface and the jump scares, this one raises the bar. The psychological elements and celebrity culture, all gets a few moments here. There is a certain emotional side here too, as the terror goes beyond everything that could be imagined. The smiles, you take them scared, and those scares coming out of nowhere with an even terrifying finish.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not use its resources to the maximum effect, with hallucinations taking too much time than reality, and seemingly wasting time to make this movie longer than the usual horror flick. These visions could have actually been more terrifying and far away from reality, instead of keeping us in confusion. Too many false visions with incidents that do not happen only spoils the overall quality, and an ambiguous side helps nobody. This is also too powerful a supernatural force, and with all realities of perception changed, there is not much to fight with for the protagonist, making the movie feeling a world without hope, especially with that particular ending. When there are too many things shown, and with none of them happening or even leading to a change in the end, too many things feel to be unnecessary. In the end, the movie might be found guilty of overdoing certain things, and in the end, it remains not that movie which everyone, or every horror lover would like to watch.

The performers of the soul :: Naomi Scott does a perfect job in this movie, and she is the one person who elevates the flick by a long way – there are so many moments of her to remember, like Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore did in The Substance, another movie which had enough of the drug abuse and something far away from reality with hallucinations playing a major role. That movie had more to work with, and there is quality written all over it, but with the help of horror, this one surge forward led by Naomi. The movie almost completely rests on Naomi, and she makes sure that it stays that way. The next significant character seems to be the one played by Dylan Gelula, who stands strong to give her company. Lukas Gage makes a fine impression in the beginning stages itself. Peter Jacobson’s role could have been more significant to the incidents which were to follow, but it is moved to the backside, but we hope there will more from him in a sequel. The other performers also play along, even though the focus remains on the lady in the centre.

How it finishes :: Smile 2 makes one wonder why the first movie was missed, and it is strange that such a horror movie was not brought to the theatres here – the first one would have set a better beginning to the series, but watching the second one first feels fine too. The idea of smile itself is so well used here, and when we see someone smiling so well and when that makes us scared, it provides another level of scares. Smile 2 is quite a creepy horror movie, but remains predictable, with too much of hallucinations that deviate the movie from its original path and at times confuses people. The scares do work and the social commentary is effective, making it that movie which often stands above the usual horror movies with supernatural presence. With a third entry in the series, any confusion could be solved, and the ending is just nicely setting up for the same. This one surely adds to those nice deviations in horror.

Release date: 18th October 2024
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Parker Finn
Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Kyle Gallner

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Night Swim

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, these humans want to be nocturnal swimmers.

Vampire Bat: Well, they could swim better during daytime.

Vampire Owl: Night Swim should mean fine horror though.

Vampire Bat: Vampires are not fond of swimming pools even at nights.

Vampire Owl: Well, we are not people of the water.

Vampire Bat: Except for the Vampire Penguin, Vampire Crocodile and Vampire Alligator.

Vampire Owl: You mean that they are not dead yet.

Vampire Bat: Why should they be dead? They are young vampires.

Vampire Owl: The young ones can die easier as they are not strong enough.

Vampire Bat: The strength of the youth will keep them going, as they feel the flow life through them as new vampires.

[Gets a chicken cutlet and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Rebecca Summers (Ayazhan Dalabayeva), a young girl is shown moving too close to her family pool on a rainy night to bring back a toy ship belonging to her terminally ill brother. As she tries for the same, she falls into water, and while keeping on trying to get it, something is seen coming up from beneath the pool pulls her underwater. Nobody in the house seems to realize that something like this incident happened. Many years later, Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell), his wife Eve Waller (Kerry Condon) and children Izzy Waller (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot Waller (Gavin Warren), come to that side of the town to live at the same house with the exact same pool, which seems to have been not in use for some time. They decide to choose this house as the availability of swimming pool would be suitable for Ray who is having a medical condition after his career in baseball seems to have ended too early. But Ray does fall into the pool and also injures his hand while clearing out the pool.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As water seems to keep coming out from underneath the swimming pool, it is revealed that there is a natural underground spring below the pool, and the water keeps coming in from there. Things do not seem to be that easy though as the family cat goes missing and both the children are attacked by something inside the pool. Izzy’s plans of making out with her lover in the pool at night when parents are not there, is thus gone after a scary episode, while Elliot tells them that there is a girl underneath the pool. Ray who was first introduced to the pool, seems to be affected by it, and even seems to get better in health with time. His actions become rather strange as life goes on. It is shown that the house and pool has had a long sequence of disappearances. There seems to be something sinister about the water which gets into the pool from underneath, and it might precede everything that was built on those lands. Is the family good enough to stop it or will the entities of water have whatever they want from the residents?

The defence of Night Swim :: This is one movie which begins strong with activities at the swimming pool that sets things going, and we know that some suspense is coming and some revelation is to arrive at some point. There are enough scares to bring balance as a part of the one true genre that keeps us entertained at all times. All the horror is nicely brought to the home backyard with the reminder that there is more ancient evil than we would ever explore in a world of chaos. All the scenes inside the pool are very effective with that of mother and daughter coming as surprise, even though the initial scene had established the possibility of fear well enough early itself. The power of aquaphobia comes into play here, and the underwater angles and reflections work very well. Keeping itself to the genre and adding some emotions, the work feels done well enough. The predictability comes in, but the movie manages to keep it to a lesser level, much to our surprise as we feel more than just the usual being present.

The claws of flaw :: The sinister elements in the movie could have brought more scares. We have seen how well such a background has served movies like Sinister and Insidious and has taken spin-offs like The Nun, The Curse of La Llorna and Annabelle out of The Conjuring – that kind of a vision, even though at a lower level was needed here, especially with some pure evil coming from underneath. Evil should always be at its scariest when coming from deep underneath, not just water, but anything, as shown in Superdeep, the Russian science fiction classic. The background tale of ancient mystery should have also been explained further. A scarier ancient past would have made this world more sinister than ever – the strength of premise which could have lifted this one does not get to that certain level. The psychological elements just go missing even when they could have been at least present as red herrings. The situations where horror occurs seem to be more created than being a part of the plot.

The performers of the soul :: The work depends on the performances more than the terror itself, as this movie sees some fine work from Kerry Condon, who plays the role of the helpless wife and mother who decides to take things into her hands. She realizes the terror early enough underwater, and gets deeper into the same. The emotions are nicely displayed when she is around, and rises to the occasion every time. Wyatt Russell scores with some fine moments, and comes up with the best in the final moments. The eerie feeling is provided by his expressions at different situations, and we feel the change that the sinister elements bring. Amélie Hoeferle has her moments, and excels in the underwater terror scenes and by the end. She seems to be nicely suited for the genre of horror, as a scream queen of relevance. Gavin Warren stays solid, and manages the young child in terror well. He faces the fear elements and keeps his side fine. Ayazhan Dalabayeva shines in the small role, and establishes the level of the movie.

How it finishes :: Night Swim makes a good thriller out of nowhere, and we become interested in the whole thing from the beginning itself. It is not that kind of a movie that people in this part of the world might not know about, as it is indeed a stranger to us. Even though we often feel that the moments in the pool should have been more, and that there could have been more peaceful moments which transform nicely into evil – whether those of happy, romantic or terrifying moment as the focus is on that, we are mostly satisfied with the totality of scares and the idea that works out. There could have also been a terrifying flashback to ancient times, but we can imagine that well enough. Even without these, the movie here feels elevated compared to most of the horror movies which lose their steam in between. This one feels right outside syllabus of this year’s horror text book, and that deviation seems to have helped the film well enough to create an impact which would keep the movie floating on the swimming pool.

Release date: 5th January 2024
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Bryce McGuire
Starring: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Jodi Long, Ayazhan Dalabayeva, Nancy Lenehan, Eddie Martinez, Elijah J. Roberts, Rahnuma Panthaky, Ben Sinclair, Ellie Araiza

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Infinite Earths III

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I am finally managing to find the meaning of infinite earths.

Vampire Bat: There is no true meaning of infinity.

Vampire Owl: There is no truth that infinities can bring.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that your infinity is different from that of others.

Vampire Owl: So, you believe in infinity in our realm too.

Vampire Bat: I believe in death and beyond as an infinite process.

Vampire Owl: So, immortality is the same as infinity?

Vampire Bat: The world is quickly traveling towards infinity.

Vampire Owl: So, you do not believe in end of the world.

Vampire Bat: The whole eternity is a platform to our inevitable end. We die and we continue to live forever as we watch and focus on the darkness of the nights.

[Gets a paneer dosa and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: When the Monitor (Jonathan Adams) died, the cosmic energy within him was unleashed and the same provided the superheroes with enough power to transport the surviving earths with their stars into a dimension between the universes referred only as the Bleed. This made sure that the earths existed safely, even though the place is not stable, with different laws of Physics and regular natural disasters – to add to the same people of past, present and future keeps appearing at the same time, draining resources, even putting a limit on the use of water. The humans in the planets are not happy, and survival would mean fighting creatures including dinosaurs, with the number of superheroes in the universe reaching an all-time low. They are still safe from the Anti-Monitor force and the annihilating tsunami waves, but it is to be seen for how long before they find the location of these planets from outside.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The end of the world seems to be coming sooner or later, whether it is due to this unstable world going beyond the limits or due to the Anti-Monitor force and waves finding the location and coming through. Even though people believe that death is only the beginning, there might not be anything to follow death in this case. They are surprised by the visit of Lex Luthor (Zachary Quinto) who reveals that the Anti-Monitor has found the Bleed and has already forced its way inside. Soon, it destroys Earth-146 and Earth-2, but it is revealed that it was Luthor who revealed the location of these earths to the antagonist to save his own. Luthor and his team of villains had already concluded that life in the Bleed is unsustainable, but he also studies the Anti-Monitor’s weaknesses and kill it. For the same, he comes up with an idea of sacrifice which would suit the best to his biggest enemies. But one has to wonder if he is to be trusted, as he has been one of the smartest villains around. Now, what fate awaits them as the final dawn of battle against apocalypse approaches?

The defence of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three :: The best part of the movie is the use of Constantine and his powers, and one should always consider him to be bigger than Doctor Strange due to those spells seemingly having a dark side as much as the classic one. The ending with him at the core nicely manages to get things done, and provides hope for a better and more effective world with hope that history would not repeat itself. The final look at the superheroes is something that we would remember for a long time, and the classic action coming in never gets old. Among the superheroes, there is always that childhood of ours that is reminded. The idea of multiverse getting the explanation also makes an impact, and so does the anti-monitor entering its existence. We also leave with the idea that Justice League never ends and we will always have some justice to be served in whatever is to come in a new world.

The claws of flaw :: The subplots do suffer in this movie, and sometimes, the movie does not seem to feel the need to explain further. The non-linear feeling never really leaves us either, and there is juggling around, which never ceases to leave us. The makers needed to remember that this movie was made for the common people too, and not just the comic fans and the superhero admirers of all times. The Supergirl, even with the sacrificial actions, is once again wasted, and there is no emotional impact to whatever she does, after her actions in the previous movie. The movie also did not seem to have gained that much of an opinion, maybe the loyal audience wanted something else, and most of us have no idea what the comics about the same idea was dealing with. The character crowding continued even after some of them were dead already, and a feeling of repetition creeps in at times too.

Soul exploration :: The movie reminds us about the decisions which we take and the consequences that come with it. It tells us that the desire to change the past is one of the most futile ideas and could affect not just us, but also many others, coming to that point where the end of all humanity and life seems to be close enough. It reminds the viewers to be satisfied with what they have, and that losses are inevitable. Thinking about a terrible past and wondering if we could have changed that, would not be the right thing to do. The movie does feel that focusing on a present and not changing the timeline would have meant that life would not have been this complicated, and so many deaths could have been avoided. The number of losses only increased due to these actions, as it is shown. It is not the death of evil that mattered, as one has to vanquish that evil face to face – fighting evil with evil was never really the solution as reiterated here.

How it finishes :: Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three ends the series of three movies really well – the end is truly remarkable and we are happy with what we had, even though it takes some time to reach there. The feeling of some missing is there, and still, it manages to be here in the end, strong and capable. The emotional moments also manage to get to that end which also seems to have a better logic than some of the most realistic films around. There is also a lot of action that comes around here, and with the inevitable danger that is so huge, the fear element is also there along with this adventure that goes on. It does not focus that much on the subplots, and it is often a good thing and at other times, quite strange. One would now feel that this is the end, and the new beginning can suggest new possibilities – another movie would surely be required to know what a new world would be about. Who all will be missing and what all changes come to the new world is more interesting than any other.

Release date: 16th July 2024
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Jeff Wamester
Starring: Matt Bomer, Jensen Ackles, Darren Criss, Meg Donnelly, Stana Katic, Corey Stoll

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the first part.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Infinite Earths II

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Have they solved the crisis of infinite earths yet?

Vampire Bat: The existence of infinite earths itself is a crisis with some avatars.

Vampire Owl: Do you think that the number of earths should be reduced?

Vampire Bat: I believe that there should be a limit to be parallel universes.

Vampire Owl: How many multiverses can a world hold then?

Vampire Bat: Certainly not an infinite number as we see. They are not in the atlas.

Vampire Owl: So, the world would come to an end.

Vampire Bat: All human worlds need to end to save the other species.

Vampire Owl: Do you see that happening any time soon?

Vampire Bat: Maybe they can turn into vampires, which is a solution.

[Gets a ghee dosa and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Supergirl a.k.a Kara Zor-El (Meg Donnelly) who escapes from a devastated Krypton on a pod is found by Monitor (Jonathan Adams) who has been watching all worlds and the destruction all around without interfering in any of them. It turns out that Kara does not have any memory of her past and he decides not to talk about the annihilation of her planet. But Kara discovers the pod in the hangar and understands the fate of her planet. Not happy that she was not told the truth and as no real attempt was made by the Monitor to save the dying planet even though he held immense power, she leaves. The Monitor still continued to observe her, and after many years, asks her to help him prevent the anti-matter waves from destroying different realities. He also provided her with some of his power, transforming her into an entity known as Harbinger and sends her to gather the superheroes, or metahumans who could serve the purpose as the heroes of the world.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The anti-matter waves which hit Earth-1 seems to be followed by many other similar waves, and stopping one was not really a case of success. Many heroes wander across the multiverse to operate, maintain and protect the vibrational towers meant to stop the waves letting them pass through their worlds without any effect. Batman a.k.a. Bruce Wayne (Jensen Ackles), Superman a.k.a. Clark Kent (Darren Criss) and Green Arrow a.k.a. Oliver Queen (Jimmi Simpson) continues to lead the way. Soon, shadow demons appear on different earths and attack all the towers, and the heroes react with the power of light. It is then that Psycho-Pirate (Geoffrey Arend) who was recruited by Monitor moves to the opposite side and uses the shared power of Monitor to turn the superheroes against each other instead using them to pacify the people who were facing the attacks. Things get out control and many earths become the victims of anti-matter waves. Now, it is to be seen what can be done next.

The defence of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two :: The series does get to be more serious with this movie, as the dangerous is so huge that it is almost impossible to stop the ultimate terror. The superheroes will have to fight not just one big evil, but the recruited supervillains and also themselves, with friends also turning into foes within seconds. The emotional side is also strong, except for Supergirl who ends up being the most hated character, a quality that she had been maintaining since the beginning of this one. The voices nicely suit the characters and the animations maintain the expected quality. The end of the world would seem beautiful at times, with nobody remaining to assert the dominance of the rich – everyone suffers equally, and this is the kind of world with Thanos would have wanted in the Marvel Universe – unfortunately, they cheated to end him with that Avengers: Endgame, and the feeling of absurdity with which we see the so called cheating superheroes come back to life was disappointing.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s emotional strength is lower than the previous one, as the sacrifices here seem to be rather forced. There is indeed the struggle to have some characters liked by the viewers, as we do not feel that much of a need. Supergirl is the most detestable in this movie, selfish, and only thinking about her and her own people and not caring about others including those who genuinely caring for her, not even hesitating to kill good people to quench her insatiable anger towards the living. Once again, too many characters also complicate things, and the crowd seems to bother viewers again, especially with some characters who hold no long-lasting relevance, and some superheroes lack in creating interest. Just like those dumb Marvel heroes like Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel, some of the metahumans here would make no impact and seems forced to exist. Those are the kind of superheroes who need to be erased by anti-matter waves forever, and their existence remains a shame.

Soul exploration :: The soul of this movie is all about making sacrifices and striving hard to save the world, as all superheroes and some of the anti-heroes and even a few villains would want, as it is their world too. There are people who wishes to save worlds, and also others who do not want to do the same, and there are also mysteries behind all of these, with questionable actions being regular part of the happenings. Supergirl remains the one true villain, even though she can blame being targeted by mind – yet, her cruelty and brutality of the mind remain exposed like never before, and changes the course of action. Her soul remains pure evil, as shown in this movie, and no sacrifice which could come in the next movie can change that fact. It is applicable to everyone who has too much power and could not hold the responsibility, like Captain Marvel who has always felt to be evil and reckless and could have learned a few lessons from even the lesser known Madame Web. Well, great responsibility do not come with great power at all times.

How it finishes :: There is the feeling of better scope with this movie than the earlier one, as the confusion is less and fights are more – there is more of a feeling of epic with this one. There are still those non-linear elements which drag the movie back, but maintains the flick without that much of a confusion. As the narrative jumps between threads without any smooth transition, we are left to connect with the whole thing in the right way. The action gets to be bigger and the danger feels more immense as there is more than one anti-matter wave or two to deal with, and the real tsunami would mean much more. As the scope for terror and end of the world gets near, we leave with the feeling that there will be more to the third movie, and such a wait is definitely activated. Well, the animated movies from DC do maintain a certain amount of quality and rises well whenever it seems to be going down; salute to that.

Release date: 9th April 2024
Running time: 95 minutes
Directed by: Jeff Wamester
Starring: Matt Bomer, Jensen Ackles, Darren Criss, Meg Donnelly, Stana Katic, Corey Stoll

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Infinite Earths I

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Do you feel that our different realms would count as infinite Earths?

Vampire Bat: There are no parallel universes in our world

Vampire Owl: You mean that there is no different version of us?

Vampire Bat: I am sure that it is impossible in different realms with a wide variety of creatures.

Vampire Owl: So, there is only one me, right?

Vampire Bat: Yes, none of us shall be replicated, especially in the vampire form.

Vampire Owl: So, we really have to go to those areas and make an introduction.

Vampire Bat: You do not need to go to those darker worlds beyond shadow realm.

Vampire Owl: I have always considered myself to be a person of many realms.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires are not welcome in all realms. There will always be the anti-vampires trying to throw us out.

[Gets a masala dosa and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: The Flash a.k.a. Barry Allen (Matt Bomer) has been experiencing time trips from different moments of his life, making a linear reality almost impossible. With the support of Batman a.k.a. Bruce Wayne (Jensen Ackles), Superman a.k.a. Clark Kent (Darren Criss), Green Arrow a.k.a. Oliver Queen (Jimmi Simpson) and others, he forms the superhero team known as Justice League. It is then that they are attacked by Amazo (Nolan North) who had earlier defeated them, and this time under the influence of Lex Luthor (Zachary Quinto), has his primary objectives manipulated. This alteration would make him kill anything which is not human, shifting the focus to Superman as the main adversary. Even though Amazon could see and sense what each superhero is about to do and defeat them, he finally understands the villainy of Luthor and how he and his creator had to suffer due to the same, leading to him helping the superheroes. Luthor is captured and that problem is solved.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But this would be the smallest of their problems, as something big seems to be coming, and they would not be prepared for the same, neither would the superheroes of other parallel earths. When he is ready to be married, a creature appears and takes the superheroes to a space station known as satellite to be informed about a grave danger that awaits them. There are superheroes from different earths who have been gathered there to serve the purpose. The coming danger is an anti-matter wave, which can destroy entire universes, and it threatens the multiverse this time. These waves would destroy whole group of planets, starting with the earths of each universe. There might be nothing that could stop them, and Flash remembers that he had seen such a thing wiping out an entire earth which had Crime Syndicate ruling the world, but failing to stop the wave. Now, it remains to be seen about how many worlds will survive this anti-matter tsunami-like wave.

The defence of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One :: This has already been established as the first movie of something grand which is to come in three parts. The feeling of danger is nicely established here, and we understand the grandeur of things. There are so many superheroes whom most of us might be seeing together on the screen for the first time, and most of them do not lose their importance at all. This also feels like the beginning of the end of everything that would be justified with all movies of the franchise finishing in style. The idea of sacrifice and ageing together works nicely here. The action sequences and voices work well here. The bravery when facing the inevitable keeps things going. The suspenseful ending keeps things open for the next movie, and we look forward to get all the complications removed. We are ensured that there is still something to be brought to light that would change things by a long way.

The claws of flaw :: This does not stand alone and never does it remove any possible complications, and seems to feel that it takes the audience as granted as if they know a lot of things about this particular universe, its characters – more than what has been shown in the live action movies. The feeling of lagging is there as much as there is rush, especially for those unfamiliar with the previous animated universe tales and the comics. If someone is expecting the usual DC entry like Man of Steel, The Flash, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Aquaman, Wonder Woman or Justice League, there would be definite disappointment and lack of interest. Well, we know that most of the viewers are of that kind only and comics and series related to superheroes are not really considered to be part of the world by the audience around here. There is the feeling that something might have been said somewhere, but we never knew. A basic idea of superheroes might not be enough to run through this world as an upgrade seems to be in demand.

Soul exploration :: There is much of soul exploration to be done here, but most of us are not really aware of the premise here. Some of these superheroes might not be appealing to all viewers either. But the idea seems to be moving towards the sacrifices that some of these metahumans are supposed to make. There might be the feeling that there are too many superheroes and we just cannot remember them all. The original villain also does not come into the picture here and seems to be reserved for later. Multiverse science, those anti-matter waves and all are not explained deeply enough here to make us understand – we just know that life is going to be erased from multiple earths. It tells us that humanity needs to find a way to survive, and do the same quickly. This will also be a wandering through the souls of all these superheroes to see whether they are all super and heroes, not just random metahumans.

How it finishes :: The movie seems to stay close to the comics from which it was adapted. So many DC characters and different universes make the tale very interesting, despite a certain struggle with the non-linear timeline. There might be the feeling that this could have been closer to the movie mode than the comics. With the emotional side also working in favour along with action, there is something always keeping things interesting despite the confusion in between. The first movie of the series might be the confusing among them all, as there are so many unanswered questions, and too much of wandering through the story keeps the struggle active, but enjoyable as we know that there is a lot more to come in the next movies. The sequels would explain a lot of things, and therefore watching only this flick will not be a completely satisfactory experience. These one and half hours would just serve as a beginning for something which is to come, and unlike the live action movies, it cannot stand alone either.

Release date: 9th January 2024
Running time: 93 minutes
Directed by: Jeff Wamester
Starring: Matt Bomer, Jensen Ackles, Darren Criss, Meg Donnelly, Stana Katic, Corey Stoll