Brand New Day

Posted on October 16, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Even Spider-Man needs a brand-new day?

Vampire Bat: Even Superman and Supergirl are new these days.

Vampire Owl: But the actor has not changed to be brand new.

Vampire Bat: Which is why Marvel is still doing better than DC in many aspects.

Vampire Owl: You are missing the earlier Superman and Supergirl.

Vampire Bat: Everyone would miss the earlier Wonder Woman and Batman too.

Vampire Owl: I was a bigger fan of Black Adam.

Vampire Bat: The dark world of DC used to so interesting.

Vampire Owl: Just like we enjoyed the Marvel combination of humour and sentiments.

Vampire Bat: Thunderbolts worked so well with the same.

[Gets a poori masala and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: A few years have passed after Doctor Strange’s spell erased his memory from the minds of everyone he loved, and Peter Parker (Tom Holland) lives in a small New York City apartment, continuing to be the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man while cooperating with the police in capturing the criminals. Peter tracks his former lover Michelle Jones-Watson a.k.a. M J (Zendaya) and former best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) who have graduated from MIT and moved back to the city. Ned who admires Spider-Man whom he remembers to have saved his life many times even developed a mobile app called “Spidey Tracker” to follow the superhuman sightings, even though he had forgotten the man under the mask completely. As he is disturbed by M J falling in love with someone else and as he keeps pushing his body to the brink of exhaustion with him capturing almost every gangster in the city, Peter finds himself with frequent headaches and discovers that his powers are starting to mutate.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Peter finds out that his senses heighten to a terrible and agonizing degree rendering it worthless, and organic webbing keeps coming off from his wrists. Things seem to get further out of control as Frank Castle a.k.a. Punisher (Jon Bernthal) almost causes collateral damage while trying to stop a stolen battle tank, and Peter just manages to stop the vehicle, only to find it driven by a person under mind control. He soon finds out that mind control keeps shifting through different people, and the dreaded villain Mac Gargan a.k.a. Scorpion (Michael Mando) is freed from Department of Damage Control (DODC) prison. The person is just not able to enter the mind of Peter and is pushed out and leaves. Peter visits Yelena Belova a.k.a. Black Widow at her bathhouse office hoping to find any leads, and she welcomes him into her pool, but asserts that it is not a job for the Thunderbolts turning into the New Avengers and dealing with big threats of a higher level.

And what more is to happen as the world seems to embrace further twists? :: Yelena further informs Parker that different DODC facilities have been attacked by someone searching for “V-Max” while wondering why he enters the bathhouse pool with her while wearing the mask and warns that he will know his identity anyway from seeing his belly button in the pool. DODC director Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) denies any knowledge of “V-Max” and reiterates that only Spider-Man can do something about these attacks and save the world from something big which is to come, as the place holds many secrets and different evil superpowered humans and aliens. Now, not in control of the spider mutation, when the mind-controlling telepath Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) attacks another DODC facility after possessing the Scorpion, Peter loses control of his new stronger spider abilities and brutally beats Gargan, even injuring a police officer in the process, and retreats to his apartment in remorse. He seeks answers to his mutation and ways to control it, and seeks help from Bruce Banner a.k.a. Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), but with his secret identity revealed through connected minds, time keeps running out for him.

The defence of Spider-Man: Brand New Day :: The movie has Peter Parker out of that overhyped Stark-world and multiverse crossovers which has the focus on some real grief, isolation and real friendly neighbourhood level heroics and has Tom Holland evolving to come up with a highly vulnerable performance which has us rooting for him more than ever, that too with a heavy emotional attachment. Placing Jon Bernthal as the Punisher here also makes the tale get a level higher, and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk becomes another welcome addition. Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova remains too good even when she appears less, and she brings the much-needed humour to the film. The idea of organic evolution powers by mutation has its own charm here, and the feelings of loneliness and abiding sadness keep running through the movie along with regret which also stays at the core. This might be one of those movies in which we feel the most for the characters, as it remains quite a sad world with less hope for redemption, unlike the usual superhero world in which there is so much relief in the end.

Positives and negatives :: Unlike the earlier Spider-Man movies, this one is rooted in human emotions, making this one level up as the movie of the Spidey. This might be the first time when the audience would be really feeling for the main characters, especially those played by Tom Holland and Zendaya, both of them having their best superhero movie till date. Still, it is Sadie Sink as Jean Grey who steals the show, and we now have the best X-Men telepath depiction of all-time as she turns this one to someone special and more human even with grand powers. Yet, we feel that there is no true antagonist in here, and that missing can be felt between the emotions running strong. The lack of addition of romance would make one wonder, but that is rather a welcome change as Spider-Man needed to move on to evolve and become something more than that silly teenager who was often irritating in the earlier stages. The battles might not feel that big on screen compared to the usual Marvel stuff, but works very well considering the situation.

How it finishes :: Spider-Man: Brand New Day has risen the level of the tales of man-spider, reaching on par on sentiments with The Amazing Spider-Man series of movies, which had the best emotional connect among the different versions. The grand multiverse cameos now make way for simple emotions, feeding on loneliness and regret, as the true weight of loss, guilt and perseverance is reflected on the main character. With characters who live outside his movies all around him, Spider-Man is at his best when he has the least to rely on, and characters like Jean Grey, The Punisher, Black Widow and The Incredible Hulk looking for their own movies will also agree. The satisfying return to form for Spidey with heart and soul at the right place has interested right from the beginning, and whenever the big action refuses to come, it shows the richness in emotions and a perfect journey of the soul. In the end, one can say that this version has found its into our homes, and home is indeed where the heart is, and Spidey would not have to say that there is no way home ever again.

Release date: 31 July 2026
Running time: 145 minutes
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pradhama Drishtya

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I had some hope about this movie even before watching it.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the actors chosen here point to the same.

Vampire Owl: We were very close to watching this in theatre and not OTT.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but then we got vampiric sadness and decided not to go out.

Vampire Owl: I would say that sadness is a basic trait of vampire nature.

Vampire Bat: What can centuries-old vampires do other than being sad?

Vampire Owl: Watching humans do all the nonsense makes anyone sad.

Vampire Bat: They still having their civilization makes me wonder.

Vampire Owl: They would only have a few years left till extinction; I am sure.

Vampire Bat: I am checking on the time left for human extinction already.

[Gets a paneer uthappam and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: Aleena (Parvathy Thiruvothu) who had lost her husband Abraham (Asif Ali) during an operation which was executed without enough backup, opts for the same job despite a safe, desk job offered to her by the Kerala Police. As she decides to follow the path of her husband, she faces difficulties, but passes the training camp overcoming all struggles. She gets her first appointment at a police station which seems to have lesser number of troubles than one would expect, and her fellow officers CPO Sreenath (Mathew Thomas), ASI Dasan (Sidharth Bharathan) and CPO Divya (Unnimaya Prasad), with whom she becomes good friends. But their superior officer SI Xavier (Azeez Nedumangad) is more of an angry and frustrated man who is facing divorce from his wife due to his behaviour and alleged relation outside marriage. Meanwhile, the station is led by a more respectful and dignified, but often confused Circle Inspector Prathap (Vinay Forrt) who is fasting as he is getting ready to visit Sabarimala.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The four officers also struggle with their own problems, as Sreenath has his relationship in trouble due to caste and status differences, Dasan wishes to marry a teacher whom he met while on duty and Divya is hoping to finally have a child after years of marriage. A textile showroom manager Jayaprakash (Sirajudheen Nazar) who seems to be leading a normal life with his wife Shilpa (Jayashree Sivadas) is secretly targeting and robbing homes at night with the help of his partner Meera (Catherine Maria) who works at the same showroom. On a night when both Prathap and Xavier are not at the station, Dasan, Sreenath and Aleena who are on night patrol, Jayaprakash in a car tries to evade the officers, only to end up being caught and taken to a police station where Divya is almost ready to leave duty. He tells them that he was only trying to avoid getting caught for drunk driving, making them uncuff him, but when they try to check the boot space, there is a fight during which Jayaprakash gets hold of Divya’s gun and is fatally shot. This leads a situation of custody death, from which they wonder how to escape.

The defence of Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar :: The central conceit works like a dream here, as the group of cops trying to cover up evidence from their own department creates even higher stakes than Drishyam, which can be considered as having a less risky journey in comparison to this one. The fear and tension are so much there, never restricted to the background. The visuals are too good and we see the same elevate the tension during key procedural moments as well as the cover-up sequences. The moments are nicely arranged and the narrative strikes gold with ease. The movie’s best moments come out of nowhere when we least expect the same. While many sequels forget to keep the same level as original, this one brought some classic thrills which never goes down in level. The fights, when present, are also shown in a realistic manner, and we see the incidents unfolding in a believable manner. The assurance of a realistic journey can be seen at all times, and the success in achieving this much of twists and thrills with the same needs to be appreciated.

Positives and negatives :: The movie can feel like a little lengthier than needed, but as soon as the inciting incident happens, the same can be forgiven. There might be the feeling that too many liberties are taken, and the reliance on luck seems to be guiding the characters so much. There are moments when one feel that Drishyam-mode is activated, as even with finding of the corpse, there are more twists to follow, as the protagonist is as much well-planned as that particular family hero who has so much in mind. It is not easy to bring twist based on a twist, but that has been achieved. The emotional side also stays strong with the movie, and we stay in support of the main characters, even though the whole thing revolves more or less around one specific female character. Despite all of these, the movie has its own dose of humour. We also see dual-faced characters here who are not uncommon in any part of the world, and they remain the reflection of the society which keeps taking in pretenders as their champions.

The performers of the soul :: Parvathy Thiruvothu as Aleena Abraham serves as the one emotional and intellectual anchor to the proceedings, and we would remember her for a full-lead performance after a very long time here. Playing a junior police officer thrown into highly complicated situation, she goes from panic to stabilizer of the situation in no time. She blends into the situation like no other, and this might be the character we would remember her the most from now on, as works in movies like Ennu Ninte Moideen and Uyare pales in comparison. Vijayaraghavan stands tall on the other side, and instead of going through an aggressive mode following the usual cliches, he moves forward as a weary investigator whose patience is far more intimidating than anger. The slow, methodical dialogue delivery and classic observation rises above the rest with ease. Vinay Forrt plays the witness to all of these very well, while Sidharth Bharathan remains a fine likable character. Mathew Thomas plays his character in a convincing manner while Unnimaya Prasad could have had more to do in proceedings. Azees Nedumangad shines again in a police role different from that remarkable Kannur Squad.

How it finishes :: Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar is that kind of a thriller which has a crime coverup thriller very well done. While its overstretched total run-time and reliance on convenience keep us wondering if more could have been done, the film remains consistently watchable with strength in performances. Focusing on Parvathy Thiruvothu’s restrained intensity and Vijayaraghavan’s quiet menace, it deals with institutional guilt as much as survival panic, bringing twists and thrills as it keeps moving forward. Coming out of nowhere to get to that fifty-crore mark, this one can be counted as the silent assassin on low-budget rising above those higher budget thrillers which seemingly have tried more. One thing about the later Malayalam crime thrillers is that they have remained realistic, with or without a serial killer, and there are some of those investigations which surely deserve sequels. One cannot be sure about this particular movie which seems to have come to a fine end though.

Release date: 11 September 2026
Running time: 158 minutes
Directed by: Shahad Nilambur
Starring: Parvathy Thiruvothu, Mathew Thomas, Sidharth Bharathan, Vijayaraghavan, Vinay Forrt, Unnimaya Prasad, Azees Nedumangad, Balaji Sharma, Catherine Maria, Sirajudheen Nazar, Jayashree Sivadas, Midhun Venugopal, Suparna S, Jaya Shankar, Vrindha Menon, Bibin Joseph Vettukattil, Rini K Rajan, Jayarajan Kozhikode, Anusha Aravindakshan, Kalabhavan Niyas, Nandini Gopalakrishnan, Salman Kuttikode, Dinesh Prabhakar, Lal Jose, Praveen Selvam, Shifa Badusha, R Parthiban, Asif Ali (cameo)

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Khalifa

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, this was the first release for this Onam vacation.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this might also be the most hyped movie of the time.

Vampire Owl: Well, big hype leads to some grand falls.

Vampire Bat: There have been some big falls during Onam holidays.

Vampire Owl: I remember that every superstar had their own falls.

Vampire Bat: Yes, Dulquer Salmaan and even Nivin Pauly suffered well in the past.

Vampire Owl: But this Onam belonged to Nivin Pauly.

Vampire Bat: But he has been walking a path of redemption for some time.

Vampire Owl: Well, redemptions are never complete for mortals.

Vampire Bat: Mortality is the gift for their sins, and there can be no redemption from the ultimate fall to the grave and inferno that awaits.

[Gets a ghee podi dosa and three cups of Nuwara Eliya tea].

What is the movie about? :: Samad (Sanju Sivram) returns to Kerala from Dubai, setting his feet in India after a long time, with the intention of attending the wedding of his sister. But he is taken into custody by the customs and police who seems to have launched a special operation against smuggling from the Middle East. He sees that the Senior Member of the ruling party and Party Secretary Raghavan (Shammi Thilakan) waits for him at the police station with an offer that he would find difficult to refuse. He is asked to testify against his best friend Aamir (Prithviraj Sukumaran) who has been on the wanted list of the police for sometime for not just smuggling gold, but also for murder. Raghavan’s son was among the people dead due to Aamir’s actions and he seeks retribution, but tells Samad that he will leave him out of it and everything will only be linked to Aamir. As Samad realizes that it was Aamir who gave his name to the customs, he decides to tell the story of Aamir and what he has been doing in the past.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is revealed that Aamir is in London and as there is no treaty between India and the United Kingdom for extradition of criminals, he would remain safe abroad, away from Indian law. As Samad talks about their past, he talks about Aamir’s father Younus (Renji Panicker) who was running a moderately successful textile shop in Kozhikode as a family business along with being a full-time contractor who builds government infrastructure. They belong to a rich and influential family which had run a gold smuggling business in the past. Younus’ wife Noorjahan (Mohini) is proud of her husband who has managed to run an honest business out of nowhere after their family was accused of smuggling. With the help of his best friend Samad, Aamir marries Fiza (Malvika Sharma), a woman from a middle-class family whom his parents accept despite their own high status as they were waiting for their son to agree to a wedding for a very long time.

And what more is to happen as something awaits to unleash itself with full power? :: It is then that a wealthy businessman named Basheer (Neil Nitin Mukesh) comes into the picture with the support of the highly influential politician and party secretary Raghavan. He comes up with a deal for Younis which he rejects as the gold smuggling past is no longer with his family. They decide to get back on Younus, and has smuggled gold planted in one of his containers, which is caught by the customs officers on the information given by them. With knowledge of the gold smuggling past of the family which is known to most people of the locality, customs bring a version which works the best with the media. Now, Aamir has to get his father out, for which he needs to find that kind of a money which can be achieved only by selling most of his assets. But he decides to choose another path, the more difficult one with the help of retired smuggler Hamsa (Indrans) and almost retired smuggling kingpin Seitraj (Suresh Oberoi). They also get the support of airhostess Vyshnavi (Kyraa Vasudevan), cutoms officer Veeraswami (Pasupathi Raj) and union minister Selvam (John Vijay). But the international smugglers would not take this lightly, and bodies will fall. Who will die and who will survive?

The defence of Khalifa: The Ruler :: There is no questioning the quality of the movie with the action sequences and visuals remain top class, whether it is in India or in different locations abroad. There is a certain amount of style in the action, and the film stays stylish throughout its run. Prithviraj Sukumaran leads the stylish world of action and thrills, as the character works well for him. Neil Nitin Mukesh’s appearance in Malayalam works very well as a strong villain, and Shammi Thilakan remains that antagonist whom we will remember a lot. Malvika Sharma’s entry into Malayalam cinema is memorable, even though restricted at times due to the nature of cinema. Sanju Sivram provides some fine support as the usual friends of the hero, while Suresh Oberoi also leaves an impact. Renji Panicker’s father figure also stays strong, while Mohini back in Malayalam cinema has a role to add to her list of memorable ones. Shivajith’s villain also makes an impact while Indrans’ serious role brings out more moments that elevate the movie. Kyraa Vasudevan becomes the next important female character, and brings more charm and style in beauty.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s three cameos by Mohanlal, Tovino Thomas and Soubin Shahir feels totally unnecessary, even though Tovino’s moments at least serve some purpose in the storyline – even if a sequel is being planned, the ending with cameos felt rather strange; with the lack of a box-office success, people are surely going to wonder further about the purpose here. The tale surely could have been better, as this seems like a movie taken out of the older movies, seemingly having something on the surface, but that feels like everything movie can do – we never get any deeper with this seemingly usual, repetitive thing. This kind of a journey would feel narrative during these times when we keep getting so much more. Going old-style during these days surely needed a stronger dramatic side and better thrills. Even with such long run-time, the characters are not developed that much. The interest in movie keeps going up and down. The vengeance in the movie also keeps losing steam.

How it finishes :: This one depends directly on the strengths of its director who is best known for Pulimurugan and leading star Prithviraj Sukumaran who commands the screen with his effortless charisma and intense action hero power. He is in control of the proceedings from the first appearance itself. With the striking visual aesthetics, a fine pan-Indian ensemble, and full-action m ode, the film delivers on its promise of being a spectacle with strong theatrical energy, even though it stays with the too old a narrative. The idea of going through familiar genre tropes and a somewhat predictable narrative arc seems to keep pulling the movie back. Still, it could have been a bigger hit if not released during the Onam season with bigger competition from the Nivin Pauly and Dulquer Salmaan movies. The makers seem to forget a major idea about Onam releases, as the timing never really suits this kind of movies – the best for the Onam season is the one that works well with the family audiences; RDX is often seen as an exception, but it was more of family action thriller with family at the core, and it was also battling against two other movies with action. Maybe another time, this movie could have been a hit, and can do well in Amazon Prime Video where it has released now too.

Release date: 20 August 2026
Running time: 159 minutes
Directed by: Vysakh
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Malvika Sharma, Shammi Thilakan, Indrans, Sanju Sivram, Kyraa Vasudevan, Anand Manmadhan, Suresh Oberoi, Renji Panicker, Sudheer Karamana, Sijoy Varghese, Joy Mathew, Mohan Sharma, Shivajith, Pasupathi Raj, Sadiq, John Vijay, Shine Varghese, Tinu Thomas Kannur, Don Michael, Master Nafash, Mohanlal (cameo), Tovino Thomas (Cameo), Soubin Shahir (cameo)

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

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of this year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Colony

Posted on October 6, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Do you remember the last times vampires established a colony?

Vampire Bat: In the shadow world? That was an outpost to keep an eye on shadow demons.

Vampire Owl: Nobody knew about the existence of creatures of shadows then.

Vampire Bat: The northern witches had foretold the existence of such creatures.

Vampire Owl: I feel that they were the nightcrawlers, the vampire half-breeds.

Vampire Bat: The vampire half-breeds have always lived among us.

Vampire Owl: They are not allowed within the boundaries according to the laws.

Vampire Bat: You can say that we have been a little too tolerant than others.

Vampire Owl: This is exactly what Dr. Frankenstein warned Uncle Dracula about.

Vampire Bat: Dracula does not need Mr. Frankenstein’s pseudo-vampire advice ever.

[Gets a wheat porotta and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Seo Young-cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan) warns the police that he would launch a bio-terrorist attack at the Dongwoo-ri Building, then injects himself with the supposed vaccine to the virus which he intends to unleash on the unsuspecting people who are attending a science conference there. Meanwhile, a former professor in the same field, Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun) who had just recently lost her job is attending a conference dealing with the same in the targeted building with her former husband Han Gyu-seong (Go Soo) who is determined to help her. Gong Seol-hee (Shin Hyun-been), a biotechnologist and current wife of Han also hopes that he could help Kwon at a time of need. Meanwhile a security guard Choi Hyun-seok (Ji Chang-wook) is also at the building with his mobility-impaired older sister, Choi Hyun-hee (Kim Shin-rok), when something seems to happen in the building with the CEO who has planned and led the event being injected with something by Seo who infiltrated the building.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is seen that one after the other, all the nearby employees of the building and people attending the conference are infected, triggering a strange viral outbreak. Counter-terrorism team which gets the information about the bio-terrorist attack arrives in the building and tries to capture the man who is responsible for the same while expecting backup, but they end up finding only the infected with no clue of the bio-terrorist, with the building is placed under lockdown by the authorities to prevent further spread outside, thus trapping them inside. The infected quickly turns into zombie-like creatures with one bite and seems to have a collective mind having information shared from others who become the same type of infected creature without individual minds. Many civilians become trapped in the building which also hosts a shopping mall with restaurants, cinema halls and different branded stores. During their escape attempt, Gyu-sung dies saving a confused female student who becomes stuck all of a sudden.

And what more is to happen here as the bio-terrorism brings more of the infected to the scene creating further chaos? :: It is revealed that the infected possess a certain amount of advanced swarm intelligence, as they share sensory information between them like ants and would quickly evolve and get better as a group after each failed attack on humans. Using perfumes, anti-freeze and sprinklers to confuse the infected, the small group of survivors led by Kwon, decides to get to the top as instructed by the security, but ends up finding the bio-terrorist on the way, who has other plans for everyone. He is connected to each of the infected, and they all hear what he hears and sees what he sees, making it difficult for them to keep him with them in hope for a vaccine. They would need to blindfold him and none of them could talk when he is around. It is revealed that the man who caused all of these have even bigger plans, with the infection spreading all over the world, and his idea is that it only makes humans better with a shared connection and no selfish individual needs – this would be his idea of perfect humanity. Can he achieve the same or the people inside building, government, scientists or armed forces put an end to this?

The defence of Colony :: This one would forever be called a zombie movie by many people, but instead of having the mindless undead, the infected network that keeps developing has us more interested with the innovation. As the creatures communicate and coordinate tactics, as well as adapt to the human escape plans in real time we have them as smart and strong antagonists in one way or the other. With the outbreak within a sealed high building which has moments within elevator, narrow passages and parking lots has us connecting more, and with tension only increasing as time passes. Jun Ji-hyun leads the way with the performance as she stands strong as a character that we all would admire in her fight against all odds; in a supernatural movie in the dark, she would make a fine scream queen, and once again the final survivor among them all. Koo Kyo-hwan makes a fine menacing antagonist whom we all remember for how well he unleashes himself out of vengeance as much as the evil desire for the weirdest of changes – the cool determination that we see around him is very much memorable.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have made the situation scarier for sure, as there was always scope for some unparalleled frightening scenes and situation. People transforming into part of a hive like ants have been nothing less than unlimited terror, and we see that during these moments, characters keep making some strange choices too. Despite the idea being so good, there is no further development with the same, and sometimes we feel that there is not enough thought regarding the same. Some more darkness, and people turning into something terrible and scary due to the scale rather than the looks could have also done wonders here. Ji Chang-wook as Choi Hyun-seok also has his moments, but the character could have been provided more to do in the end. Kim Shin-rok as Choi Hyun-hee also had more potential, as the skills were already there to be seen. Most of these characters do not seem to reach their best potential when we look at them. The work as the infected is quite nice, as we see how they go around and deviate from the usual zombie world.

How it finishes :: South Korean movies have been good with zombies, and we remember the same with Train to Busan and Peninsula within the chaos of horror. This one with a deviation in zombie-mode makes it interesting in the same scale, but the divergence keeps it different. We have all appreciated vampire movies with difference as the creatures kept changing in from, and this is the chance for zombies to have different forms – Warm Bodies did that long ago and World War Z had its own voice, but Resident Evil kept it moving in the exact same direction with sequel attacks. This variety and the detailed science fiction model surely works, but the characters and the emotional depth are on the struggle for sure. The predictable horror and a climax which never really elevates the movie can always try to bring it down, but one would feel that whenever there is a low, there is a journey that goes higher, and this one surely manages the whole thing well. Let us answer to the call of the zombies yet again here.

Release date: 28 August 2026
Running time: 122 minutes
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, Shin Hyun-been, Lee Dong-hwi, Park Ji-hwan, Kim Sung-cheol, Lee Re

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

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of this year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pluto

Posted on October 1, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I remember naming one of my dogs with this name.

Vampire Bat: I do not remember you having any dogs. You had a black cat.

Vampire Owl: Yes, but it lived as a dog. It barked and howled.

Vampire Bat: What did you expect? It was originally from the werewolf lands.

Vampire Owl: But when the smart cat says it is a dog, you have to listen.

Vampire Bat: Why should you? It was never even a vampire cat.

Vampire Owl: Black cats are always immortal. Ask the witches.

Vampire Bat: Even the demons do not accept them as their people.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that black cats are not connected to the other dimensions?

Vampire Bat: Not even that much connected as Uncle Dracula on a Halloween night.

[Gets a paneer biryani and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vicky (Neeraj Madhav) is the representative of the new generational youth who has no job, but one cannot say that he has not tried enough – his failures are not fully due to his foolish decisions, but are also the results of circumstances. Most of his attempts at business involves his friend Jose (Subin Tarzan), but all of them fails one after the other, much to the dismay of his father Raghavan (Saheer Mohammed) who has lost too much money in the process. His brother Naveen (Nihal Nazim) is considered to be the smart, intelligent, working, money-earner of the house though as he also keeps reminding everyone that he passed his degree while his elder brother did not. Vicky’s attempts at clearing PSC also reach nowhere, making his girlfriend and veterinary doctor of nearby pet clinic, Meera (Aarsha Chandini Baiju) disappointed, as she feels that there are no more chances for him to come out strong and successful. But she continues to help her by providing cash for his attempts on each occasion.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Meera gets into a clash with Tiger Thambi (Aju Varghese), a rich gangster who breeds dogs unscientifically leading to their shorter lifespans or at least some serious diseases. He is supported by Mallan (Vineeth Thattil David) and a man of science always busy with experiments known only by title Professor (Dinesh Prabhakar). She also remains good friends with Vicky’s younger sister Jomol (Nimna Fathoomi), an eccentric and comic-obsessed girl who frequently invades his personal space to test out her costumes which ranges from Harley Quinn to a simple alien. But this is when he comes up against Pluto (Althaf Salim), a real alien whom he accidently brings home instead of Jose after being drunk on the nearby beach. Realizing the danger of exposing Pluto to authorities or media, Vicky decides to secretly keep the extraterrestrial visitor with him, as he also hopes that the alien would possess some special powers which he can use to his advantage.

And what more can happen around here with strange things waiting to come up? :: Keeping an extraterrestrial creatures hidden in his household proves near impossible with household members keeping on coming to his room, but he manages to do so in the name of studies as he has to clear his degree before all mercy chances provided by the university are finished. Thambi also comes to know about the presence of an alien after he gets an alien device left behind by Pluto. Vicky had just come out of some big trouble due to a juice marketed by him causing food poisoning to a huge number of people after it was provided as drink for the participants of a marathon race, and finds it difficult to keep the alien who only drinks alcohol as food. Pluto manages to learn Malayalam with an English-Malayalam dictionary available online as he had already studied English during an earlier contact of his people with humanity. Vicky finds out that Pluto has no real superpower that they could use, but comes to know that his ship actually could do something, but is now located at the bottom of the sea after an unexpected crash. Can both of them be of help to each other and can they survive Thambi and the government officials searching for alien?

The defence of Pluto :: A full science fiction comedy has not been part of Malayalam cinema and this innovation and attempt at variety needs to be appreciated. Leading the way, Neeraj Madhav seems to have taken over nicely from that character in the fun fest Adi Kapyare Koottamani as the clueless youth, a role that suits him very well. The combination of Neeraj Madhav and Althaf Salim provide genuine feel-good moments along with the humour. The supporting cast also works with the humour really well, from the friend played by Subin Tarzan and the Nimna Fathoomi with a cute side added here. Aju Varghese plays the antagonist with a funny side really well, and has some fine moments which we will remember for the humour from talking with spicy flavour in his mouth to being Shikkari Shambu. Aarsha Chandini Baiju also adds to the humour so well, and she once again shines in a role which does not challenge her. The chaotic final moments deliver some big laughs and fun ends well, and even leaves scope for a future sequel. The movie can be considered silly fun that has not really come to this part of the world for some time.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not make the best use of the idea, even after so many directions where the movie could go, and there was scope for more humour and further references to aliens, superheroes and other planets instead of talking about just alcohol and exams. The premise was something with great scope, and only a part of it is taken here. The situation might not appeal to all kinds of audience, as its silliness and new generation style of innovation is not for everyone. The pace also slows down as we look at it in parts where nothing much happens – the humour is also not that effective throughout its run. As the alien does not leave scope for complex visual-effects spectacles due to the simple humorous model, the potential of the sci-fi backdrop feels not that there to be taken. After all science fiction can provide a lot of humour from within, and aliens have been providing the same in Hollywood for a long time as we remember.

How it finishes :: Malayalam movie industry has its first full-run attempt at science fiction comedy for the viewers here. As a lighthearted experiment in the form which is rarely explored in Malayalam movie industry, it deserved some appreciation when it was released, but the truth remains that I never knew such a movie released until it came to Amazon Prime Video. By placing an extraterrestrial visitor within a regular Kerala household, it keeps away from the heavy science-fiction tropes to keep the whole thing cute and feel-good, while the protagonist also relates to the new generation as well as the one before. It is surely one movie which is better than the ratings which it has received, and having such a harmless fun movie during a weekend to watch with family is just simple joy, and we should only remember to appreciate the movie makers who think differently even if its for humour. This is a kind of movie for the whole family, and the kids are also going to love the same.

Release date: 30 July 2026
Running time: 132 minutes
Directed by: Adithyan Chandrashekar
Starring: Neeraj Madhav, Althaf Salim, Aarsha Chandini Baiju, Aju Varghese, Nimna Fathoomi, Subin Tarzan, Vineeth Thattil David