Author Archives: Tennyson

Pendulum

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Vampire Owl: I have heard a lot about this movie being different.

Vampire Bat: One of the most divergent movies in Malayalam indeed.

Vampire Owl: I earlier had the feeling that this would be horror.

Vampire Bat: A mystery thriller need not be horror in any way.

Vampire Owl: Nothing would be better than a combination of all of these.

Vampire Bat: When it comes in Malayalam, there is a special feeling.

Vampire Owl: We need all the variety that we can have.

Vampire Bat: Let us thrive on such variety like never before.

Vampire Owl: The acceptance of audience would remain a question though.

Vampire Bat: The best movies would not be accepted well by our audience.

[Gets a marble cake and three cups of ginger tea].

What is the movie about? :: A truck driver named Antony (Shobi Thilakan) finds a strange man named Amir (Binoj Villya) on his vehicle, and despite his best attempts, the man does not get down, and seems to be mentally challenged and without most of his memories. Alex (Sunil Sukhada), the owner of the warehouse to which the truck supplied the goods tells them to keep him with them, and let him get down where he wanted to. Antony is surprised to find a number of snails around when Amir is there. Amir also predicts a number of things which would happen including heavy rains and hitting a dog on the way. Antony becomes more careful as Amir continues to reveal more. At the same time, Dr. Mahesh Narayan (Vijay Babu), a reputed surgeon returning from Australia after many years of service, joins a famous hospital in Kerala. He is accompanied by his wife Shwetha (Devaki Rajendran) and daughter Thanmayi (Aavani) who are happy to be back home from the concrete jungles of Australia’s cities. One day, he meets an old man in the hospital who tells him to find out where his son is, a case which he refers to the psychiatrist, feeling that the man is crazy.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Mahesh and his family goes on a short trip to Marayur, he gets a feeling of déjà vu for no reason, and Thanmayi locks the key of the car inside the trunk while they were having tea on a roadside shop. They decide to stay there, and while he was trying to get signal for his mobile phone, gets hit by a truck, and this is proven to be the one driven by Antony with Amir in it. Shweta finds him unconscious on the side of the road, and only he remembers that he was hit by a truck. Just before he was hit, he had found him in a dream of Amir and his friend Angel without invitation, and the old man had also asked him to find his son again. There seems to be something strange about all of these, but only he feels that all these have actually happened. His friend Dr. Jain Joseph (Ramesh Pisharody) seems to have some belief in what he has been saying. He asks Mahesh to talk to a man named John Master (Prakash Bare) who has had some interesting explanations for strange events which have happened all around the world. But as the incidents of the dreams have happened with a huge time gap in between, can there be an actual solution and a chance to extract what is required from the dreams?

The defence of Pendulum :: The ideas of time travelling and lucid dreaming come as new concepts to Malayalam cinema, and they have been used with effectively to create an impact like never before. This entry of the elements of science fiction into our movies with quality is to be remembered for long, as we hope for more of similar movies after watching this one. We should always be looking for experimentation here, and hope that this is only the beginning of some fine variety which is to follow soon enough. Maybe such movies will be made in big budget instead. The quality of making is also to be noted here as we move forward. The dreams are presented very well, and nice visuals support them. The mystery that prevails in this movie keeps us going, like no other similar film. After all, we are all set in a series of time loops in our own lives, and there seems to be no end or chance to escape – the realities that we create do not come to our help. The film often feels like a reflection of our meaningless lives which seem like busy realities. The music serves the purpose well enough as the mystery only gets sharper and thicker as we move forward.

Positives and negatives :: There is no doubt about the fact that the movie could have used more refining as some more of attention to details would have helped this one to connect to its audience better. There are times when the film seems to be confused about where it is heading. After all, there was the need for more explanation as the concept is new for the audience – we do have a lot of explanation here for sure, but not in the way that there is a perfectly defined conclusion to things. As time is not linear in this movie, such an explanation could have done a lot of good to the non-complicated, unsuspecting viewers. There is still the need to understand how the main character is involved in all of these, and how things have actually turned out in the end. It leaves us with the feeling that we have watched something special, but the chance to become a classic movie is not there because of the absence of some focused writing in relation to the complication between time and dreams in a world that walks on a bridge between real and unreal.

The performers of the soul :: Vijay Babu nicely leads a complicated movie with twisted characters all around. The sinister and seemingly unsolvable problems faced by the character is nicely shown by Vijay Babu who seems to blend in to the doctor facing unexpected terror. He has to go through an Inception-like world living through magically created world, and at the same time, relive his life multiple times like in Edge of Tomorrow. The helplessness is displayed really well by the actor. Ramesh Pisharody comes up with an interesting role here, as a doctor and support. Devaki Rajendran plays the main lady character here, and keeps us hoping to see her more around. Anumol is playing the other lady character of relevance, and handles her moments really well with a touch of mystery following her. Prakash Bare has another strong role well played here as we go deep into a world of mystery. Indrans plays a strange character without enough attention provided to characterization, but it is nice to see him in another classic role. Shobi Thilakan also has a strong presence here. Sunil Sukhada and Neena Kurup also have some small, but notable roles.

How it finishes :: With lucid dreaming and time travelling making its way nicely in here, this becomes a landmark movie in Malayalam movie industry. It is just strange that it had gone unnoticed among the common audience – one can blame the absence of the required kind of advertisement and also the missing superstar at least in the form of a leading lady for the same. The cast that we see here is surely able to hold the movie universe together, but we needed that special ingredient which could have appealed better to our audience, and in its absence in advertising has left this film mostly unwatched, which is rather disappointing. Maybe some people still fail to understand the basic idea behind this movie. Yet, it is brilliant as the attempt, and I would say that this is a fine New Year movie which one could watch with the presence of what seems to be a blend of science fiction and magic. So, we go on and watch this one and wish each other a Very Happy New Year. May this new year bring the best moments in your life, as world never ceases to have enough to offer.

Release date: 8th December 2023 (Saina Play); 16th June 2023 (Theatre)
Running time: 106 minutes
Directed by: Rejin S Babu
Starring: Vijay Babu, Ramesh Pisharody, Devaki Rajendran, Anumol, Prakash Bare, Indrans, Shobi Thilakan, Deepu Navaikulam, Sunil Sukhada, Neena Kurup, Jolly Chirayath, Aseem Ibrahim, Biju Sopanam

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous full sci-fi review.

<<< Click here to go the review of latest thriller.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Kannur Squad

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Vampire Owl: We have taken a little too much of time to watch this one.

Vampire Bat: Well, as people say, better late than never.

Vampire Owl: I have heard that this is among the best of the year.

Vampire Bat: We have all heard a lot about this movie in a positive manner.

Vampire Owl: I hope it is not from some fan boys.

Vampire Bat: We do not talk to the human fan boys anymore.

Vampire Owl: It could be a vampire fan boy, like the Vampire Penguin.

Vampire Bat: None of the vampires are fans of any human.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that there are exceptions.

Vampire Bat: This movie itself is an exceptional one.

[Gets a Kadai chicken pizza and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: ASI George Martin (Mammootty) and his team of CPO Jayakumar P. Vasu a.k.a. Jayan (Rony David Raj), CPO Jose Skaria (Azees Nedumangad) and CPO Muhammed Shafi T A (Shabareesh Varma), popularly known as Kannur Squad go on a search for some political goons in the forests of border area between Kerala and Karnataka, only to find a partially decayed body hanging from a tree. Even though the first idea is to leave it as a suicide, George is not ready to leave it behind. His idea is that this not a random suicide. They are able to find the culprit with ease, but is struck by the allegation against Jayan for working with sand mafia, seemingly ending the Kannur Squad with a certain amount of unexpected dishonour. But when an NRI businessman from Kasaragod named Abdul Wahab (Manoj K U) is murdered with no clue to be found, the police officers are forced to bring them back, as the other team of Kannur Squad is on a mission in North India.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Krishnalal T K IPS (Vijayaraghavan) finally agrees to have them investigate the case in ten days as SP Manu Needhi Cholan IPS (Kishore) also supports them after reading about them. By tracing the calls, they get to Riyas (Deepak Parambol) who had supplied the sim cards on his name. They understand his role in the robbery and murder, while also figuring out that there is involvement from people outside Kerala. But the other people involved could not be found out as they seem to have reached safe havens in the north of India. Farha (Afsana Lakshmi), Wahab’s daughter who was brutally beaten up and sexually assaulted, provides them with better details of what happens during the night and one of the assailants in revealed to be Ameer Shah (Arjun Radhakrishnan) who gave his name before strangling her father in front of her. Kannur Squad also gets an image of Ameer from social media and the search leads them to Mumbai. But it is still to be found if the investigation can be finished in ten days.

The defence of Kannur Squad :: The movie goes through an interesting set of proceedings from the beginning itself, and some fine music supports the same at all times. There is no moment in the movie which is not interesting, and we become part of the whole thing as the journey proceeds from one place to the other, from one end of the nation to the other. All of the performers seem to be perfectly chosen for their respective roles, including those who do not speak Malayalam – the choice of cast is one of the best things about this particular movie. There are moments that we remember, and some of them are there to stay for a longer period of time. As the fans of the mass masala avoids this movie, we can watch this one in peace, and hope for more of similar films to come. The emotional side do appeal to us, even though there is no overdose of emotions to make melodrama come forward. The movie focuses on the essential, and not the exaggerated, and it is the beauty of the world that has been created here – you feel that the police universe here is real, and not the unreal chaos that we see in Bollywood. Among the best of realistic police works, Kannur Squad is here to stay.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have surely had more interesting moments in between in relation to the villains and their journey, but we have the police officers’ journeys nicely documented through some fine visuals. The determination of the righteous police officers and the difficulties that they come across on the way can be seen in a realistic manner rather than in the exaggerated ways which are often preferred by industries like Bollywood. A little bit of mass moments is added only in the end, but that would also be limited to suit the realistic nature of the film. The ending nicely finishes all things well. Maybe, they could have added some moments from back home by the end, but they have done well without it. The idea of the squad itself is inspired by a real-life police team of the same name, which makes the investigation even more interesting. The real-life police officers who investigated similar cases were also contacted. The shooting locations also stay close to the incidents and the journey feels very much real.

The performers of the soul :: Mammootty leads another fine team of police officers, and he does the job with ease, as he has always done, whether it was about brutal power as shown in Christopher or something classic in nature. His character would remain an iconic one here to be remembered for long, along with the squad itself. Rony David Raj plays another fine police officer here, as he continues the good form in similar roles. It is also nice to see Azees Nedumangad in a serious role, and he does his police role incredibly well – coming out of the usual in Star Magic, he has been doing so well in films these days. The team from that show of Flowers will have our attention at all times. Shabareesh Varma makes the next police officer really well, and blends into the team nicely. Kishore’s police role is also notable, while Vijayaraghavan plays the veteran police officer job with ease. Sunny Wayne and Shine Tom Chacko has small cameos to add to it. The women do not have much to do in this film, but the notable performance here is from Afsana Lakshmi who surely has a bright future in front of her. The villains led by Arjun Radhakrishnan and Dhruvan leave a mark with their remorseless and brutal presence with villainy.

How it finishes :: When talking about police investigations which keep close to a realistic mode, Operation Java is the only other film that seems to bring some comparison as relevant. Related to Mammootty and his team of policemen, that would be Unda that would call for the comparison. The visuals keep us going as much as the controlled emotional side and procedure of investigation. The movie’s journey to one of the highest grossers in Malayalam movie industry is very much justified, and as 2018 and RDX: Robert Dony Xavier have already done so well, the year has been a fine one. As we welcome the new year, we look forward with hope for an even better 2024. As of now, I wish you a very happy new year, and hopefully, this will be the one grand year to look out for. Maybe we are hoping for no reason, but that is what we do for every new year. Then we also wish to watch more movies which will stay with us for long.

Release date: 17th November 2023 (Hotstar); 28th September 2023 (Theatre)
Running time: 161 minutes
Directed by: Roby Varghese Raj
Starring: Mammootty, Rony David Raj, Azees Nedumangad, Shabareesh Varma, Kishore, Vijayaraghavan, Sunny Wayne, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Dhruvan, Sarath Sabha, Afsana Lakshmi, Manoj K U, Resh Lamba, Nalneesh Neel, Ankith Madhav, Sivadas Kannur, Mullai Arasi, Sajin Cherukayil, Shebin Benson, S P Sreekumar, Manohar Pandey, Susmita Sur, Saraswat Pandey, Gibin Gopinath, Benzi Mathews, Seju K Eapan, Anoop Trivedi, Avinash Pandey, Catherine Maria

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Aquaman 2

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Vampire Owl: I have heard news about an aqua vampire.

Vampire Bat: I am pretty sure that Aquaman is no vampire.

Vampire Owl: He could be the first vampire out of water.

Vampire Bat: When have we ever been fans of water?

Vampire Owl: Well, there is always a first time for everything.

Vampire Bat: Are you imagining an underwater kingdom for vampires?

Vampire Owl: I don’t see why not. There is less human interference there.

Vampire Bat: So, you choose tranquility over everything else.

Vampire Owl: I choose a life without human nonsense.

Vampire Bat: I don’t see why we should not opt for the same.

[Gets a vancho cake and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has gone through his share of adventures, and after marrying Mera (Amber Heard), had a child and is living his life between land and sea, not being fixed at one space. He has not stayed away from his responsibilities as the King of Atlantis though, but his attempt to unite the people of land and seas is ruined due to the intervention by elders of the underwater world. Everything seems to be going normal for Atlantis, until David Kean (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) decides to have his vengeance with another attempt at the life of Aquaman. He wishes to have the whole family of Aquaman destroyed along with whatever he finds precious in return for the life of his father. He works with Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) who wishes to prove to the outside world that Atlantis in not a myth. In the search for Atlantean artefacts, they come across a black trident which possesses David, as it offers him the strength to destroy Arthur and maybe do even better by spreading devastation in Atlantis.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Soon, David attacks Atlantis and steals a rare mineral called orichalcum which he uses to power some ancient machines which he had unearthed while finding the black trident. The attack leaves Amber Heard seriously injured and Atlantis defenses destroyed like never before. As orichalcum which emits greenhouse gases has raised planetary temperatures and caused extreme weather all around the globe, he decides to stop a global disaster and meltdown from happening. For the same, he decides to take the help of his brother Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson), even though almost everyone warns him against taking such a step as Orm is not be trusted. But he chooses to go with his instincts, and manages to break out Orm from his prison in the middle of a desert, thus threatening the treaty between different kingdoms of ocean. Orm is not really happy about what has happened to him, and neither is he happy about what has happened to Atlantis with its defenses breached and many citizens dead. Their mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) still hopes that they can work together to save the world.

The defence of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom :: In a time when world has gone to the brainless mass masala fans, our movie here has managed to maintain a fine plot and a certain amount of class with its use of heroes. The movie automatically becomes the best choice for Christmas to watch with family including children and in that fine 3D format – the visual effects are nothing less than stunning with deep blue sea all around. The world underwater has been created nicely, and there is no room left there for complaining, with another breath-taking world created on an island. The creatures underwater continue to be a sight of beautiful variety and so are the colours of flora and fauna that creates even better visuals. You see the 3D on the screen nicely contributing to the ocean coming to you better than ever. The message about the need to save multiple worlds from the dangers of global warming and its extensions is also present there. The environmental message in a superhero is often lost in its path, like overpowered nonsensical overpowered creatures of mass destruction like Captain Marvel, but not when a determined underwater king is in control.

Positives and negatives :: The first movie was surely better than this one, as it had the Aquaman-Mera combination that was a joy to watch, with some of the most innovative action sequences, making the best out of available resources. The film remains light-hearted, and some of the humour is really nice, even though there could have been more. The action sequences keep catching our attention, even though the first movie had the more classic versions which would be remembered for longer. The background music makes some good impact, but not at all times. Ideas of brotherhood and family are asserted well throughout the movie along with the need to save the world from the powerful evil which comes in many forms. It also maintains the respect for divergence unlike Black Panther which has been disrespectful to the world outside Wakanda with a racist and bourgeoise nature. A better use of some of the characters would have served the movie better, but even with all the negativity around, it is to be noted that DC universe is now doing better than Marvel which has too many of dumb young characters for anybody’s liking – as it seems, most of them might not even make it to a number of theatres in this part of the world.

The performers of the soul :: Jason Momoa does what he did earlier, and asserts his role as the hero underwater, diverging from the usual superheroes above the ground. He continues to prove as the right choice for the role. Patrick Wilson provides some fine support here, and his combination scenes with the hero keeps us further interested. Out of The Conjuring and Insidious, he manages the other big role nicely. Amber Heard remains here as Mera, and she continues to have our attention, and she would remain the perfect queen of this world. She also excels in the action sequences, with her presence underwater being a thing of joy to watch. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II remains a strong villain as he continues the fine form from previous movie, and this is surely not the end of the road for such pure villainy. Nicole Kidman also becomes the one evergreen underwater queen that we are sure to remember for long, and she is another person who seems to be not aging at all these days. Jani Zhao as Stingray has a very notable job, while Randall Park is one full human character that is noted more than the rest. Temuera Morrison continues that particular father role with ease.

How it finishes :: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom keeps its level high in comparison to the so called action thrillers from Bollywood and other industries, as a certain amount of class can always be seen along with the top quality graphics making a true spectacle. It is unlike the artificial spectacles that we see with so called superstars – those stars should not be endorsing toxic masculinity and illegal immigration like they are doing now. The trouble between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp seemed to have affected the film despite the high entertainment value. The number of shows for the movie is less, as people are not that much into quality superhero stuff these days. This movie should have had more screens, and those theatres which do not have at least one show of this movie feels pre-historic in nature. There was a time when we could enjoy superhero movies in fully-packed theatres, but that is not the case now. Even Marvel has struggled to get its audience, and in that case, the situation of DC comes as no surprise. Maybe, the corona virus itself will make a comeback again, and until then, let us enjoy our favourite superheroes without fail, and the Aquaman sequel is surely worth it.

Release date: 22nd December 2023
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, Nicole Kidman

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

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous full superhero film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous DC superhero film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Neru

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What is the movie about? :: CI Paul Varghese (K B Ganesh Kumar) finds himself with a case with which clues are almost impossible to get, as a blind girl is assaulted in her home. The victim, Sara (Anaswara Rajan) who is blind sculptor is surprisingly able to create the image of the assaulter with her skills as a sculptor as she felt his face with her hands. As her mother had left her home to live with someone non-Muslim, they were left to live their lives by themselves on their own by the extended families, and her father had died some time ago. She was living with their stepfather Mohammed (Jagadish), who had also left his own family behind to live with this new one. This leads to his former family and his sons trying to take revenge on him, making use of this situation. CI Paul Varghese manages to find the person whose face was created by Sara, and manages to catch him. The person is identified by Sara using her hands in an identification parade as a young man named Mikhael (Sankar Induchoodan), son of a famous business magnate based out of Mumbai, with the power to buy most of the things placed in front of him.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Mikhael’s mother is adamant that he should save their son from trouble one more time, even though his father feels that he is done with the son who has created nothing more than continuous troubles for him. The highly distinguished lawyer, Advocate Rajashekhar (Siddique) takes over the case, and his daughter Poornima (Priyamani) would assist him, coming right out of their busy schedule in Supreme Court. The Public Prosecutor appointed in favour of Sara fails in bringing strength to their case, and the bail application of Mikhael is accepted due to absence of any real proof. The remaining proofs also go missing as Baby Varghese is removed from the case, and other police officers in charge of the case supports the other side. Baby is desperate to bring justice to Sara and he searches for any other lawyer who can make the difference. But Rajasekhar makes sure that no experienced lawyer agrees to take up Sara’s case, as one after the other, everyone keeps away from going against the biggest name among lawyers.

And what more would follow here in the journey towards serving justice? :: It is then that Baby Varghese finds Ahaana (Santhi Mayadevi), an old friend and lawyer who found herself on the wrong side against Rajasekhar and Poornima some years ago. They decide that the only who might be able to go against Rajasekhar would be Vijayamohan (Mohanlal) who was forced to leave his profession by Rajasekhar. Vjayamohan feels that he would be no match for someone like Rajasekhar and Poornima is someone with whom he was in love with. Seeing the plight of Sara, he finally decides to take up the case, but not without his doubts about a possible win. Yet, Sara is confident about him, and so are her parents. But Rajasekhar is someone who knows the weaknesses of Vijayamohan, and he is that kind of a lawyer who does not wish to lose any legal battle, and will go to any extend to make about a triumph. Even the daughter of Director General of Police in the state Niharika Jayachandran (Aditi Ravi) is ready to testify for the accused. Can Vijayamohan, Baby Varghese and Ahaan go against all odds and make sure that justice is served for Sara even though the chances are so low? How far would they have to go to reach a level from where victory can be ascertained?

The defence of Neru :: One can feel that the movie is dauntless at times, and clarity is a quality that it seems to rely on. The cast seems to have been perfectly chosen, without any space left for questions. The writing by Santhi Mayadevi and Jeethu Joseph got the nice flow reminding one of Drishyam, and the latter once again has the director’s chair safely put down there. The emotional side remains strong, and Anaswara Rajan’s performance plays a major role in getting the required strength on that side. The relevant issues about the bourgeoisie control over the system is talked about, even though the movie has conveniently left behind the most common influences from outside, the political saga of changing the course of an investigation – in between all of these, the film chooses to be safe in that case. But the feeling about the extra-rich remains the same. The way in which the movie decides not to overdo anything with the heroism is to be appreciated. The realistic side never makes way for the special and the strange to glorify the heroes here. The flaws and weaknesses of humans do find a place here as the movie progresses towards the end.

The claws of flaw :: It is not a case of surprise that Neru is not without its inherent weaknesses. Sometimes, one feels that the movie shows the need to thrive on its weaknesses to get the support of the masses. The final moments of asking people to remember clothing just because they remember the cars and dates is pretty dumb, as I do not even know what people whom I meet have been remembering; clothing might have been of concern of certain groups of people – if courts would work based on such memories, we are surely in trouble. The final moments are also over-dramatized, just like how Jana Gana Mana tried to make a mess out of any realistic element which was left in the movie. In that case, Vaashi felt more real in a court and Melvilasom was the best. The predictability factor is also too much, and final moments are too predictable, as the film chooses the safe path yet again with ease. Despite having this much of quality ideas to go through, the movie still makes us feel a certain amount of stretching in between. The film should have also focused more on the investigation and the actions of the police officer in charge dealing with it. Having a discredited lawyer instead of the discredited police officer in Memories has lesser effect in comparison.

The performers of the soul :: Mohanlal, with his screen presence runs effectively throughout this movie, as there is another strong performance from him, even though this will not stand the test of time if placed against Stephen Nedumpilly or Georgekutty of Lucifer and Drishyam. The wreath for performances would be shared among the cast, out of which, almost everyone seems to stand apart. Anaswara Rajan comes up with her greatest performance ever, and that drives the tale from underneath. Siddique is very much menacing as the lawyer who goes to any extent to win, much unlike the lawyer he played in Garudan, where he feels that he could also make mistakes – the two types of roles have been eternally safe with the veteran. Jagadish plays one more emotional role with effectiveness. It is good to see Priyamani back here, and she remains power-packed as the lawyer. K B Ganesh Kumar plays the righteous police man here, and he plays the man who makes all the difference by bringing the turning point – it is his character that really sets things going forward. Santhi Mayadevi, Sreedhanya, Haritha G Nair and Sankar Induchoodan provides some good support.

How it finishes :: Neru could have been something bigger, but on many occasions, it takes the safe route and the usually travelled path despite taking a fine diversion in the beginning itself. The movie has no shortage of thrilling moments in the court, but it does not use much of the twists which were there to be taken. The entertainment is always there, but predictability is also there to mark the safe zone. The emotional side remains strong, and we go through the journey with similar feelings as displayed in the movie. The lack of stunts and the absence of too much heroism makes sure that this one has an advantage for those who do not go for the usual mindless films. This makes another movie of poetic justice as evil goes on gaining victories through its path, but as it reached the end, there will only be the triumph for goodness. The message goes well for Christmas this year, as there is only this film in Malayalam to go for full triumph. I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.

Release date: 21st December 2023
Running time: 152 minutes
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Priyamani, Siddique, Anaswara Rajan, K B Ganesh Kumar, Jagadish, Santhi Mayadevi, Sreedhanya, Haritha G Nair, Sankar Induchoodan, Harikrishnan, Aditi Ravi, Nandhu, Mathew Varghese, Dinesh Prabhakar, Krishna Prabha, Kalesh Ramanand, Poojappura Radhakrishnan, Prashant Nair, Ramadevi, Resmi Anil, Antony Perumbavoor, Kalabhavan Jinto, Chef Pillai

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Wakanda Forever

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Vampire Owl: So, this is another group of people dealing with the case of “forever”.

Vampire Bat: We are the only true immortals around here. The others have endgame.

Vampire Owl: Well, Black Panther was never supposed to be forever. He didn’t even have a true bloodshot.

Vampire Bat: I have always considered him to be a lesser superhero.

Vampire Owl: I have never cared about such overrated heroes.

Vampire Bat: And the type of stories which feels ridiculous with the content.

Vampire Owl: More unreal than almost all other superhero flicks.

Vampire Bat: I have never really been fond of this Wakanda either.

Vampire Owl: There is nothing much to be fond of.

Vampire Bat: These rich superheroes and the attention that they get.

[Gets a marble cake and three cups of mint tea].

What is the movie about? :: Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) attempts to heal her brother, the king and Black Panther who has been suffering from a terminal illness, but her attempt to recreate the medicine does not work and he dies. After the death of the king and protector, the nation of Wakanda comes under heavy pressure from other strong nations to share their powerful and extraordinary metal called vibranium to be used as weapons. Ramonda (Angela Bassett) is able to stop the attacks by the mercenaries sent by different nations, and issues a warning to the possible attackers. But the attacks seem to keep happening again and again, even though there is not that much of a success. The attempts of CIA and the United States government to locate possible vibranium deposits makes them come up against a group of blue-skinned superhumans from underwater led by a man named Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia). Namor also manages to bypass the defenses of Wakanda and reach the queen and princess, and provides them with a warning that if they do not bring him the scientist who invented the vibranium detector, he will destroy them all.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Namor is determined to destroy anything that brought trouble to his lands, Ramonda decides that it is time to find the scientist first before anything troublesome happens. The scientist would be the only hope for them to save more than one world, as Namor seems to be a man of action and not of just words. She is supported by Okoye (Danai Gurira) and they get the advice of the old friend named Everett K Ross (Martin Freeman) who leads them to this particular person, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) who is basically studying in a school, and it is her school project that became the vibranium detector. She is hesitant at first, but decides to leave with them, only to find them chased by FBI. As they manage to evade the American team, Namor’s group of warriors come out of water at a bridge, and catches up with them. Okoye is defeated by the fighters from underwater and is thrown away from the bridge, while the princess and Riri are taken to Namor.

And what more is to follow in this world of chaos and destruction? :: This situation would create more than one problem to so many people involved. Americans never really knew what they deal with, and there is more than what meets the eye for them. Namor has a grand underwater kingdom named Talokan which is rich in vibranium. But it turns out that his plan is not to keep it to himself anymore, as he feels that he is stronger than any other ruler, commanding a nation with the power like nobody else in the world. Namor looks forward to Wakanda to help him in taking over the world after initiating a war against all other nations. But Wakanda would not agree to the same, and they would even try to take the princess back by murdering a few guards. This would be considered as an act of war, and something disastrous would follow, even without the rest of the world knowing about it. Wakanda would not be ready for any attack from even equals, as they have been living in the shadow of Black Panther for too long with enough defence only against the known forces.

The defence of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever :: The creation of a new world might be the biggest advantage that this movie possesses. The underwater world, despite not being of the power that Aquaman’s universe possesses, manages to look good. The visuals have been well-managed despite the possible restrictions put on it to make Wakanda look like the classic heaven. Yet, underwater worlds never lose the power, and we know that even in the absence of Atlantis, something can always be created. There is some imagination involved here, even though plagued by the usual limitations. The beginning of the movie was indeed a new one, and it starts and ends well, and we can give it credit for the same. The ending is also a reminder that we could get a better Black Panther in another movie, as this one had irritated enough with some overdose. The one who stands out in this movie is indeed the villain played by Tenoch Huerta Mejia, and he could have the spin-off which could work better than what Black Panther and Wakanda could come up with. Having an Avengers: Infinity War with the forces around an underwater city could be a fine dream coming true in the form of a classic spectacle like never before.

The claws of flaw :: It can be seen that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does not come up with anything new to cherish, as it keeps falling deeper into trouble in the absence of its main character. It is rather too long for anyone to be impressed with it, and there are so many moments which feel unnecessary. The emotional moments do not raise much of feelings at all, as we do not feel the need to take side of anyone in the film. The movie runs out of ideas on rather too many occasions, and it ends up coming up with the idea of oppression and plays the victim card all the time. This happens at a time when superhero movies are undergoing some positive changes. It is surprising that this movie attempts to claim greatness out of nothing, and is seemingly trying to be some Avatar 2 thing. This one also lacks the entertainment side and the action and adventure never really gets to be strong enough. When presented with some interesting opportunities, the movie does not stay strong enough, and it fails to take the options which are presented before them.

How it finishes :: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever remains somewhat clueless and has the repetitive ideas seemingly for no solid reason. It could have been much more in a world which doesn’t seem to have enough of superheroes of class. The replacement that it finds for the original Black Panther is as ridiculous as it can get, and is too much reliant on the predictability – it even gets too funny with the new avatar in that suit. There is the lack of emotional power due to the way the situations are dealt with. But otherwise, there is always some new superhero stuff which never gets old in style. There is enough action in there, and there are some spectacular visuals to support the same. There is also some hope left for making some better movies in future, and we understand that there is still the need to believe in something grander to follow. If the makers of this particular superhero understands what the viewers all around the world really wants, things would be much brighter for this side of the superhero franchise too.

Release date: 1st February 2023 (Disney-Hotstar); 11th November 2022 (Theatre)
Running time: 161 minutes
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Martin Freeman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Angela Bassett

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Multiverse of Madness

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Vampire Owl: I don’t like how the Marvel universe have transformed.

Vampire Bat: Yes, it seems to have gone some other way than intended.

Vampire Owl: I didn’t like the Marvel people much after Captain Marvel.

Vampire Bat: Captain Marvel was one too powerful thing that didn’t suit the world.

Vampire Owl: Are we shifting our loyalties to DC?

Vampire Bat: Well, the first Wonder Woman and Aquaman were really good.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that DC will rise above Marvel?

Vampire Bat: I am seeing that chance more than ever now.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein had told me that you are seeing things.

Vampire Bat: Well, the fake doctors’ opinions do not count.

[Gets a chicken biriyani and three cups of Mogu Mogu juice].

What is the movie about? :: Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) attends the wedding ceremony of his former lover Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), but is interrupted by a strange octopus-like creature which is destroying the city. He finds out that the creature is after a young girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and is helped by the Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong). Despite being in trouble early on, Strange manages to destroy the monstrous creature and save America. America tells them that she is able to travel through the multiple universes, and the demons are trying to take her power. To make sure that he gets some strong support against the demonic witchcraft, he visits Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) who seems to be living a peaceful life. But it turns out that she calls herself Scarlet Witch with possession of the Darkhold, and has harnessed chaos magic like never before. She was the one who was hunting America to get back to her imaginary children who exist only in other universes now. She asks him to hand over the girl peacefully or face the consequences.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Strange doesn’t agree to her demands to hand over the child to brutally murder her, and it was expected by her though. The Scarlet Witch gives a quick warning, following it with an attack on the stronghold of the sorcerers, and the magic of all the sorcerers could not stop the witch, and she almost destroys the fortress while murdering most of the people present there. As they are almost caught by the Scarlett Witch, America ends up transporting them to a very distant universe. Scarlet Witch travels to the origins of the Darkhold, where all the spells are carved in, and establishes a very powerful dream-walk which helps her to take control of her alternative self in the universe where America had traveled. In the new world, there are so many things that he and America cannot really understand, and this realization makes them travel to find the Sorcerer Supreme who doesn’t trust either of them, and considers them to be an incursion into their safe universe. He drugs and imprisons them, despite the warning from Strange about what could follow him in the form of chaos magic.

And what more is to follow here around here? :: He understands there is some twist awaiting him, as he is brought in front of a group similar to the Avengers which includes members of Fantastic Four and X-Men, and their version of stopping Thanos from the battles of Infinity War and Endgame remains different. The group known as Illuminati in this world expects to stop the Scarlet Witch all by themselves as they have stopped many witches themselves, despite Strange warning them against even attempting to do so. With the demons under her control in her world along with all the powers of witchcraft, she could just do more this time. There is also the Book of Vishanti which could work against the Darkhold somewhere around there. But would that be powerful against Darkhold which uses chaos magic? With the highest of demonic powers, where has the Scarlet Witch reached with her brutal strength? How far is everyone in every universe prepared for someone like the Scarlet Witch with an infinity of chaotic powers of mass destruction?

The defence of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness :: This version of Doctor Strange seems to serve what exactly was expected of it, with grand visuals of multiple worlds that catch our attention. The colourful looks with a touch horror makes a fine combination here – this comes from the director of the original Evil Dead, Sam Raimi; so, we know. There are some more interesting characters added here, that makes the whole thing more spectacular. The action is splendid, and it might be the best that a movie like this can get, and there are also some fine surprises in store here. Benedict Cumberbatch becomes the sorcerer superhero again, and that works perfectly again, with hope for even more in the future. Elizabeth Olsen as the witch antagonist remains as interesting as she has always been, a character to be hated for remaining the psycho mother of non-existing children. We hope to see lot of Xochitl Gomez in the future too. Then, about Rachel McAdams, we are always to see her around in any role. The casting continues to work in favour of Marvel’s universe, and we never cease to admire how well things turn out in the multiverse too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie nicely sets the path for the sequel, with Charlize Theron coming in as a sorceress in the post-credit scenes. The continuation from WandaVision would not work with most of the audience, as most people around here are not into watching the online series. There is some loss of strength to the universe in total after the retirement or death of its main superheroes. But the ideas used here brings this world back to life with enough strength. The movie’s best scenes include the battle at the stronghold, movement towards the Book of Vishanti and the final zombie battle. The demons could have still had more role to do though, as there is always a lot that could be done with chaos magic’s ability to bring destruction all around. You can never underestimate a horror movie’s ability to do horror, even without becoming a conjuring or evil dead thing in the process. In comparison to what these new versions of Spider-Man and others having, Doctor Strange will always have better movies with variety and class.

How it finishes :: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a movie that offers a lot, and it does the same with class. Multiverse has always been an interesting idea, as the belief in parallel worlds in different galaxies would make life more interesting. It feels more like those video games which have the same world with small differences in the environment and slightly different characters. We are introduced into so many possibilities here, and we hope for more to come with possible sequels. The ending asserts the same, and the audience would be ready for any number of parallel universes. Our hope for the return of Marvel to its old glory can see some possibilities here, and the universe would do well as long as it focuses on the content rather than trying to make some strange comments on random things. Entertainment should be the focus once again, but with enough seriousness. We are all in support of more worlds of madness – but the question would remain if there is any world which is more psychotic than what we know in existence.

Release date: 6th May 2022 (Theatre), 22nd June 2022 (Disney-Hotstar)
Running time: 126 minutes
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Terrifier 2

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Vampire Owl: We are the most terrifying ones.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think that we are that terrifying as we used to be.

Vampire Owl: It is due to Twilight and Vampire Diaries. They don’t count.

Vampire Bat: They do count for the humans.

Vampire Owl: Well, sometimes I feel that only they count for them.

Vampire Bat: Humans are not that aware about true vampires.

Vampire Owl: There are no true and false vampires. There are only us.

Vampire Bat: We have been children of the night for too long.

Vampire Owl: There are no vampires of the day.

Vampire Bat: Well, the vampires that sparkle have other opinions.

[Gets a chicken biryani and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: Miles County Massacre was one of the most traumatizing events for the people of the town. Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) who was responsible for the brutal murders does return though. He was considered dead, even though the body was not found – he is once again here though. The police had only provided the statement that the body had just disappeared, and some people do spend the legend that the clown is not dead and might return at some point. The Little Pale Girl (Amelie McLain) is another mysterious entity which wears similar clown costume, and seems to join forces with Art. Meanwhile, a teenager named Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) is finishing the Halloween costume which was designed for her by her father who recently died due to brain tumour. Sienna’s younger brother Jonathan Shaw (Elliott Fullam) is obsessed with Art the Clown though, and wishes to dress like him for the Halloween, after finding details about him from his father’s sketches. Sienna ends up having a nightmare about the clown, and wakes up to find the room on fire, yet has a sword from her father as the same as it used to be. She had also seen people being murdered by the clown in her nightmare.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: On Halloween, Jonathan sees Art and The Little Pale Girl at school playing with a dead animal, and he is held responsible for bringing the creature to school as they disappear without a trace. As the school calls the parent, he is grounded at home. Sienna goes to the Halloween costume shop to buy a replacement pair of wings to fit with her costume as the earlier one was lost in fire, and there she encounters Art who stalks her without mercy, and later brutally murders the shop vendor who is left alone in the store. He also manages to make the later customers believe that it is all part of a Halloween show. Sienna is the only one who believes her brother and that the clown might be real as she had seen him in the shop. Sienna’s friend, Allie (Casey Hartnett) finds herself in trouble too, as Art gets to her home pretending to be trick or treating. Allie who is rude to him for asking for candy at an old age is brutally attcked by the clown and left in pieces. Allie’s mother is also killed in the same way, and her head is kept for putting sweets for Halloween.

And what more is to follow with this brutal adventure featuring a clown? :: Art is well-supported by the clown girl in his actions, even though the brutality is committed all by himself. He also resorts to cannibalism at times, even though the act of brutal murder seems to be the one thing that satisfies him more than anything else. He also seems to display a supernatural side to him after returning to the seemingly unstoppable killing spree which goes mostly undetected as the victims are not found. Jonathan shows the paintings of his father to his mother Barbara Shaw (Sarah Voigt), but unhappy with his obsession with the clown and not believing in his stories, she tears them off. She feels that his son requires some serious counselling. At the same time, Sienna goes to a Halloween party dressed in the costume designed by her father, but it seems that Art has other ideas about this particular celebration, and it would involve her family. She becomes drunk at the party and begins to see the clown girl, while the clown attacks their home. Jonathan runs away from home only to find the clown girl in the way. Art seems immortal evil, but how far will he go?

The defence of Terrifier 2 :: For a slasher, the character development of this movie is at an all time high, especially with Lauren LaVera playing Sienna Shaw. She leads the movie here, and as a battle angel, becomes the last hope for a family and the town in general, a role into which she evolves really well. This is one character who rises above the horror tropes with ease, and promises to continue the peformance into a sequel too, if such a thing happens. Lauren in the Halloween costume fighting the clown is a joy to watch. Elliott Fullam who plays her brother also does a fine job. The movie, with blood and gore as well as the representation of the evil on screen lives up to the name, as a work of terrifying nature. The ambience is very well used too, and the Halloween world as well as the carnival attraction works like a fine nightmare here. As you get transported into the world of a seemingly immortal evil clown, the feeling is forever, and here, the grand clown rises above Stephen King’s It as a movie and its second part as the demonic clown of the century.

Positives and negatives :: Terrifier 2 blends into its genre really well. It has some of the very gory scenes which might not be that good for everyone. The signs of such brutality can be seen in the beginning itself. The border lines for gore has been crossed here and most of the natural horror film fans who prefer only those works like Ouija, The Conjuring, The Nun, Annabelle, Curse of La Llorna, Insidious, Sinister and other would not go further with this after the first scene. A murder on the bed might feel to be too brutal even for the best of fans of the genre. The final moments have a little bit of of too much of the supernatural side added to it, which could have been kept to the minimum, especially as both the protagonist and antagonist deserves more in the form of two people going at each other. The movie does remind of those older slasher films with moments which takes us back to the past memories of slasher horror, a genre which has kept us close to the darker side of humanity, the horror which has been inherent in human beings since the beginning of time. While doing the same, the scares work so well.

How it finishes :: Terrifier 2 is the nice slasher horror which we rarely see around these days. After all, it is easy to lose the way whenever a slasher gets a chance to make it big. The movie delivers most of what it promises, and in the end, leaves an open door for a possible sequel, as death does not come easy for antagonists like this, as proven by many slashers including Halloween which has overused the idea. Most of us around here did not hear about the first movie, and a lot of people still need to hear about this movie. It is the kind of movie that has raised the level of slashers in a decade when it hasn’t scored much. With a third movie, things can get even better, as characters are better developed here. Well, we need to celebrate the horror in raw forms when we see them, as this is one example of the same. One can be sure that Terrifier 2 will have its fans, and can develop into a cult classic horror as most of the old slasher horror films have stopped bringing reboots and remakes of relevance to keep the legacy moving on.

Release date: 6th October 2022
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: Damien Leone
Starring: Lauren LaVera, Sarah Voigt, Elliott Fullam, Kailey Hyman, Casey Hartnett, David Howard Thornton

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Black Adam

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Vampire Owl: I have heard about this person before.

Vampire Bat: He is not the Adam from your Frankenstein’s tale.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein has already confirmed it.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frank cannot claim to know these many people.

Vampire Owl: He has lived enough to come with such a claim.

Vampire Bat: Well, he is not a true old immortal like us.

Vampire Owl: He has been a semi-immortal with the help of science.

Vampire Bat: There is no semi-immortal. We only have immortals and mortals.

Vampire Owl: You should be better aware of the ways of science.

Vampire Bat: The ways of science do not work in our realm.

[Gets a Hyderabadi biriyani and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) was provided the powers of ancient deities of Egypt as he fought a tyrannical ruler in Kahndaq who had enslaved the people of his nation a long time before the great civilizations of the world held their powers. The king who was trying to use the artifact known as Crown of Sabbac to attain power like no other mortal could, but is defeated by this new champion, thus ending the evil reign. Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) who lives the same city in the present finds her people oppressed by an international criminal organization named Intergang. As the new hope for resistance and as a renowned archeologist, she is determined to make sure that the Crown of Sabbac does not fall into the hands of any of those mercenary groups. As she almost reaches the crown, she is ambushed by a team sent by the organization which wants to use the artifact to control as much of the world as they can. The group looks forward to a kind of world domination like never done before with the ultimate control in Kahndaq. The group has the military strength with air, land and water support like most of the nations of the world can never dream of.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As she is captured by the mercenaries who look forward to kill her, she uses her last option and chants the incantation which awakens Black Adam from beneath the tomb. It is seen that the newly unleashed metahuman is extremely powerful and he violently destroys all the enemies of Adrianna who keeps shooting at him without success. As Adam is wounded by one of the rockets which he catches on the way, he is taken to Adrianna’s home, where he begins to realize things and understand the new world, he lives in. He understands that the ways of the world have changes the situation is much different now. Considering his murder of many assassins, he is considered as a threat and the Justice Society sent to annihilate him, even though the Suicide Squad was also an option. The team includes the leader Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), the veteran sorcerer Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), molecular manipulator Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and wind-controlling Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), a team which seems to have members with their own inner struggles.

And what more is to follow in this tale of a centuries old superhero? :: Hawkman doesn’t consider this to be too much of a task, but Doctor Fate who has seen many dark futures doesn’t think so. They arrive at the city only to find Adam murdering more mercenaries. The battle goes very much in favour of Adam, as he seems to have an answer to everything which is thrown at him. It is then that Adrianna’s teenage son Amon Tomaz (Bodhi Sabongui) is kidnapped by Ishmael Gregor (Marwan Kenzari), who had disguised as a friend for a very long time. Ishmael wishes to gain the powers of the six powerful demons of Hell: Lucifer, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and Crateis using the crown. As the Justice Society and Adam fight each other, there seems to be other forces gaining control of the situation. Can the superheroes find a way out of it? How much can this possible terror from hell be stopped or delayed? Can Black Adam, with a troubled past defeat his enemies on all sides? Will he understand the new world and adjust to live in it? Will this ancient city be finally free in the end? The situation seems bleak for everyone around him.

The defence of Black Adam :: There is a lot of entertainment that goes around this movie, especially with Dwayne Johnson in the lead. There is no lack of fun when he is around, even if he did not have those superpowers. Unlike the overrated all-powerful heroes like Captain Marvel, Black Adam is the kind of superhero who seems to be more believable and enjoyable inside the willing suspension of disbelief with the addition of ancient magic. Despite being a dark enough movie with demons ready to be unleashed and having wrath of the ancient gods in control, the movie manages its light-hearted moments really well with a touch of effective humour. The comic side never gets out of control, and the Rock provides an assurance about it. Sarah Shahi nicely blends in, and looks even younger with some moments of action added to her work. Marwan Kenzari’s villainous side would also be memorable, as the sinister side works really well. We can be assured that Black Adam will have a bigger role to play than most of those overrated superheroes who jump around in the different comics universes, as there is a certain amount of class written over this particular character played by Dwayne Johnson, and that too beyond this world.

Positives and negatives :: The movie is a visual stunner as expected, and the graphics used here is really good. The setting is interesting, as we have a city away from the usual areas, and the need for protection that it requires and the type of hero that it gets, are all different in nature. The action sequences with the display of superpowers manage to be really good, and the Justice Society makes an interesting group of people, and the presence of Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate stands out, seemingly asking for Doctor Strange of the of the other universe to do better. The movie also has a strong villain, and finding one has not been easy in this particular universe in comparison to that of Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is the presence of the usual repeated elements, but we know that it is supposed to happen in almost every superhero flick. It doesn’t deviate and become that dull superhero movie even though the tendency was always there, and the length is surely a little more than the requirement. The movie still rises a long way above the usual Shazam movie which is too childish for anyone to make it the top favourite superhero movie.

How it finishes :: Black Adam is a nicely done superhero film which is powered by the Rock a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson who never ceases to entertain us. This has been one film which we have been waiting for, and seeing him as the superhero brings no surprises, but appreciation. Most of us have always wondered how a full-superhero movie would look with him around, and a full-horror film would look with the Undertaker around. We can be sure that no other WWE wrestler can make the impact in film industry like the Rock has done with the movies like Jumanji, Fast and Furious and others, with action films like How it will bring the power to the DC Extended Universe is yet to be seen, even though, the final moments and the end credits scene do provide us with a lot of hope. These are the times when Marvel Cinematic Universe has been losing in power, especially by making Thor a silly person and with having the tales move through series instead of movies where it should have always focused. Marvel’s overuse of humour will only come back to strike it one day, and DC finding balance will elevate its status as the superior comic book adapted universe.

Release date: 15th Match 2023 (Amazon Prime Video); 21st October 2022 (Theatre)
Running time: 125 minutes
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Pierce Brosnan

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Wifelike

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Vampire Owl: There should be a movie called vampire-like.

Vampire Bat: There is no other like the vampires.

Vampire Owl: Some of the hybrids claim to be so.

Vampire Bat: The claim is certainly not valid.

Vampire Owl: There are some assurances made in relation to that.

Vampire Bat: Most of those assurances do not bind.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that they were good enough on paper.

Vampire Bat: It is surprising that you have started to believe random assurances.

Vampire Owl: Well, I have been different after the corona virus pandemic.

Vampire Bat: You are yet to know enough about that virus.

[Gets a paneer pizza and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: A company named Wifelike begins to provide android companions to people who lost them or requires someone new. An robotic human, programmed to serve as a partner, Meredith (Elena Kampouris) gets assigned as a companion to a widower William (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). This cyborg-being is designed to behave like his late wife with the same name. Everything seems to work fine, but there is an organization named SCAIR or Sentient Citizens for AI Rights who are considered to be terrorists who use the companions for other purposes including wrecking havoc. At the same time, some of these people are seen as asking for equal rights for AI, similar to humans. Meredith is learning everything slowly, while William has the job of protecting companions, while finding those missing among them. It becomes more and more of a dangerous job, as there is an unknown figure known by the name Ring Master completely in control of the activities of SCAIR, and he means to cause more harm.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: There are also interactive dream operators for the companions, to bring the dream mode which helps them while charging themselves in hibernation. There is something strange in these dreams though, as a masked man gives her a card, and the programme does not identify such a person. Meredith finds a lady on the way who asks her to remember while causing her a distraction. The strange lady also visits Meredith in the house. In the dreams, she keeps seeing a masked man who asks her to remember. William assures her that it was only a bad dream, and nothing more. But it seems that her programming has been hacked, and William begins to feel that things are getting more serious than it was supposed to be. The dreams which allows the companions to rest are not safe any more. Wifelike soon brings a new group of company, known as Childlike, which has perfect babies being created. But there is a mess which has already been created, and it requires more attention, and Meredith could end up being a ghost in a shell without some fine job of repair.

The defence of Wifelike :: The idea behind the movie is strong, and even though it feels set in a future, one cannot forget the fact that there are always immense possibilities for the rich and the powerful. There will always be people who can buy anything. The movie goes through such a feeling strongly, in an environment which has been very well created. The stunning visuals support the same throughout its run. The twists of the movie are also nicely crafted, and there are some red herrings brought in here and there to make sure that the audience won’t guess the whole thing exactly as it is supposed to be. The final moments bring in the chance for a sequel, and there are moments when we feel that this film could make a return as a cult classic in the future. Elena Kampouris leads the work from the core, and there are so many moments which reminds us that we will have more than what meets the eye, and the same would be proven in the end.

Positives and negatives :: There are reminders here about other science fiction movies for sure, and at times, we cannot find what we need around here. One might feel that it gets slow and losses focus at times, but everything comes together in the end, and we feel that those moments which were felt to be less important are also significant around here. There could have been some more fine moments added here, with the capabilities of other companions also explored, and the life of at least one more of them being shown. Instead, the movie shows the others as just being less significant androids even while talking about equality for the artificial intelligence. Well, with the further development of aritificial intelligence, there will always be chance for more occuring in real life, even if it need not always be about a Terminator-like incident in which machines take over, or some Ultron requiring Avengers to save the day. With thought-provoking movies like this one, we can always expect more.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led by Elena Kampouris, who comes up with a memorable performance as an android, human recreated into a robot, with a past that she cannot hold on to. She makes a fine robot, and the past is also shown in an interesting manner. She provides many moments to remember, and the emotional past is only another side of her resurrection in the form of the perfect companion. There are signs which show the possibilities of her becoming a bigger star, seemingly well-suited to become a scream queen at some point of time. Playing an android with so much of artificial intelligence would not be an easy task, but she has nailed it. Jonathan Rhys Meyers also plays his role well, and the twist about him makes the character even more interesting. The final moments do set up well for a sequel in which he could bring in another side of the whole companion thing talked about in the movie. The other actors and actresses provide good support, but the movie is indeed focused on these two.

How it finishes :: In the end, Wifelike does not become another Ex Machina, but it does come close in the process. The ideas do travel in a similar path on multiple occasions, but there are not many things that match that particular movie which can be considered as a classic among works of science fiction which dealt with similar topics. The movie gets a number of things right, and with the leading lady interpreting the idea of the android really well, it has more than enough to deal with the content an bring the entertainment along with the twists that work well. Well, when some actresses play humans, they end up with such robotic performances that we would want to ask them to play robots, but here we have the actress who can play both sides. Most of the rating do not bring any justice to this movie, as there combination is indeed effective with this one. This is one movie which could have used more attention when it was released.

Release date: 20th December 2022
Running time: 105 minutes
Directed by: James Bird
Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Elena Kampouris, Doron Bell, Sara Sampaio, Rachelle Goulding, CJ Perry, Alix Villaret, Agam Darshi, Doron Bell, Fletcher Donovan, Claire Friesen, Sari Mercer, Chezca Vega, Stephen Lobo, Bradley Stryker

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Scream

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Vampire Owl: We have been good friends with Ghostface for a long time.

Vampire Bat: This is not about that person from the Halloween night.

Vampire Owl: Well, I have seen those movies.

Vampire Bat: The movie you watched was I Know What You did Last Summer.

Vampire Owl: I don’t feel that there is any difference.

Vampire Bat: You are generalizing the slasher horror.

Vampire Owl: I am generalizing the killers who do the job well.

Vampire Bat: We have had enough psychopath vampires around here.

Vampire Owl: Vampires are not psychopaths, for we are just being natural.

Vampire Bat: And humans are naturally psychopaths.

[Gets a chocolate muffin and three cups of mixed tea].

What is the movie about? :: Many years have passed after the earlier attack, and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) is brutally attacked by the Ghostface killer, leaving her hospitalized. This leads to Samantha Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), her sister returning the town after a very long time, and she is also accompanied by her boyfriend Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid). Sam feels that some lunatic keeps trying to use the Ghostface mask to become famous. As she reaches the hospital, she meets Tara’s friends, Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison), Wes Hicks (Dylan Minnette), Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Liv McKenzie (Sonia Ammar) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding). It is then that another murder by Ghostface occurs outside a bar. Samantha also finds her under attack by the Ghostface, and due to other hallucinations, she is forced to reveal the truth to Tara that she is the daughter of a serial killer, and they are step-sisters. Tara doesn’t take this secret seriously, and wouldn’t want her presence in the hospital.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Samantha looks for help from the earlier survivors of the Ghostface attacks, Dewey Riley (David Arquette), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) who have now settled down in different places. Dewey meets up with Samantha and Tara’s friends, only to feel that someone is recreating the whole thing in a different way, in the form of continuation of a narrative, but still borrowing heavily from the plot of the original tale – thus it has the new generation as well as the legacy characters. When another death occurs in the town, it brings Gale to the town to cover the incident. When the sheriff is the last one to be killed, and with the police officers in the hospital at the crime scene, Samantha realizes that her sister would be in trouble. But the killer is not someone who has things going in a direct path. Someone would be murdered if the killer really wanted. If it is not about Tara whom he keeps missing, who would be the next one to be killed?

The defence of Scream :: There is a certain standard which has been maintained by the franchise yet again, and it is a level which could be followed by the other films of the genre. The build-up is nice, and the first scene does bring some nostalgia to us. The Ghostface remains a force that the slasher horror can’t avoid. The cast seems to have been nicely chosen, even though some of them deserved more. The movie is a reminder of how bad the fans can be, and even without that much of an influence of the slasher horror genre, the fan fights in this part of the world have already proven the same fact. The sixth movie of the franchise seems to be nicely set from the trailer. Ghostface seems to be forever, even though there is no Halloween kind of killer who seems to be supernatural – this serves the slasher horror world really well. A horror film loving serial killer never ceases to be a person of interest. The elements of horror stays close to the existence of the maniacs at all times.

The claws of flaw :: There is the feeling that we could have nothing new with this franchise, as repetition often gets into the nerves. As the franchise hesitates to move away from the predictable, one just wonders if change can ever be a part of this series. The twist is not that strong as one would expect, as there is at least one antagonist whom one would have guessed with ease. Multiple twists would have done this movie a lot of good, and this is the kind of a franchise which could have afforded to leave better openings in the end. Scream along with I Know What You did Last Summer was the slasher horror that we have always remembered whenever the name of the genre came into the picture. There were so many moments of horror being missed out in this movie, and this was one flick which could have thrived on it using the Ghostface appearances and killings. Terror was there to be spread, and this one hesitates rather too much.

The performers of the soul :: Melissa Barrera leads the slasher here as the new scream queen of the franchise, who has a legacy to maintain here. She gets something bigger to do in the final stages of the movie, and Jenna Ortega who plays the younger sister also gets more to do than being the victim of the Ghostface as one would have expected from the initial stages. Jenna would have done well in most of the main roles in the movie, as she seems to have blend into this environment really well. Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox make an interesting return to the franchise here, but one might also wonder if they were needed, as horror slashers are often made as new films with quality. Among the other performers, it is Mikey Madison who catches our attention the most, while Jasmin Savoy Brown has some of the most interesting lines in there. David Arquette’s return could have actually been better and longer, but the fans would have actually had enough.

How it finishes :: Scream with its return has worked well to suit these times when horror has suffered due to lack of ideas, even though it has not been innovative enough with the content. The opportunity to become the one classic horror slasher to remember has not been taken here. With this base of Ghostface already set, there was so much more which could be achieved. The movie holds on to its past, and has the elements for the fans of the genre, but the repetition is something that could have been kept to the minimum. It could have also added some scares here and there to bring further effectiveness to the idea which is present there. After all, a serial killer like this could do more, but we are still happy with what is shown around here. For those who need more of terrifying sequences, there is always another kind of scary Sinister, Evil Dead, Annabelle, Nun or Conjuring coming up.

Release date: 14th January 2022
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vela

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Vampire Owl: Are we going for another investigative thriller?

Vampire Bat: I am sure that this will not be the usual murder investigation.

Vampire Owl: There have been some interesting investigations in a short period of time.

Vampire Bat: Yet, this movie came out with less hype.

Vampire Owl: The trailer was pretty much interesting.

Vampire Bat: We would not have a serial killer here though.

Vampire Owl: I miss those serial killers a lot.

Vampire Bat: Humans can have millions of serial killers among them.

Vampire Owl: I would expect that with the evilest species ever created.

Vampire Bat: The devil has too many similarities with them.

[Gets an oreo shake and three cups of Bagdogra tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ullas Augustin (Shane Nigam) is a newly appointed civil police officer appointed at the control room, and he is someone who is determined to do his job very well, as his father was also a police officer who died only a few months before the end of his service. One day, he receives a call about a minor and his friends consuming drugs in his room – the information is passed on to the nearest police unit doing patrol. It is the boy’s father who made the call, and Ullas understands that this case might ruin the minor’s life – he asks them to escape, but the police officer in pursuit, Mallikarjun Mannar (Sunny Wayne) has already reached the place and started chasing the boy. Mallikarjun abuses Ullas through the transmitter and from the very next day, it is heard that they boy has gone missing. Ullas finds himself on the receiving end of a suspension order. But that does not stop Ullas from searching for the boy, whom he feels that Mallikarjun kidnapped or murdered to help his partners in crime who deals with the drugs.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The only police officer who seems to care about him is SI Ashok Kumar (Sidharth Bharathan), and he asks him to get back to the control room, as he is the only person who is serious about the work. He decides to get back to work, but ends up with strained relations with Smitha Varadarajan (Namritha MV), who hopes that they can get married soon. Ullas is only concerned with providing justice to the missing boy, and finally decides to get back to the control room with all the evidences that he managed. But he would not be able to get an audience with higher ranking officers. At the same time, Manapullikavu Vela is the annual festival of the area is all set to take place. The festivities have the whole area of police officers distracted, and Mallikarjun, despite being part of the Vela, decides to teach Ullas a lesson with the help of his goons and police officers who are under his control. Can Ullas go beyond all these problems and help the boy’s father receive justice at some point of time?

The defence of Vela :: Here, we can see an attempt to move beyond the usual plot, and the narrative is really effective. The movie is not the usual police action masala and neither is it the police procedural stuff. The unpredictability is maintained at all times, and the stylish side is kept to an optimum level, never overdoing the same. There is never the overdose of elements to exaggerate the presence of the protagonist and the antagonist. The initial scenes have us interested in the film, and the interval is shown at the right point. The aesthetic side guides us well, as we see the beauty of the place with night making it even better with the shades of darkness with some fine colours added. The emotional side of the movie remains effective, and the helplessness against the system is shown with full strength. It shows how the common man, even with a police uniform is not able to make an impact to bring the truth to light. There is also a certain amount of casteist and racist angle being shown around here, as the antagonist attempts to thrive on his roots from many years ago. The dialogues are as much effective as the other elements.

The claws of flaw :: The movie is too long, stretching beyond the two and half hour border when we add those advertisements to the time we spent at the theatre. The length negatively affects the film in totality more than expected. There is some struggle to reach that end, and we feel that some parts should not have been extended too much. Some parts of the movie just seem to have been added to be present there as an extra addition, yet does nothing much. There could have also been more exciting moments here. There could have more control room calls and solutions to be shown here, and some cases where the unexpected happens, with better touch of humour or elements of possible terror that could only be stopped with that particular call. The romantic side remains very less explored too. The ending should not have been this quick either, as something more should have been told about what happens after that finish. The possibility of continuity that is seen in the end could have got a better touch. The music remains somewhat effective.

The performers of the soul :: Shane Nigam who had the biggest hit of Kerala’s grand festival in the form of RDX: Robert Dony Xavier, makes his mark again, and seems to be perfectly suited in the role of the youngster hopelessly trying to bring out the truth. His helplessness and angst while facing the supreme political and other faces of extreme power can be clearly seen here. His shades of excellence are often repeated through interesting moments. Sunny Wayne is a very admirable antagonist here, as he is one villain who has many shades of villainy. His dialogues remain very memorable, and he is clearly seen as the menace that we do not want to face. Sidharth Bharathan plays the third most important character in the film, and he has a much different avatar than we had seen him in, and he will also remain with us in the form of this character. Namritha MV, the new face leaves a lovely mark, and we expect to see her in more roles in future. We would have wanted to see her as part of the romantic side further, but the film remains focused on two main characters for most of its time. Aditi Balan’s small role will also be remembered for the timing itself.

How it finishes :: Vela seems to get less response at the theatres, but it is rather a strange thing because this is a classic story of unauthorized investigation with twists and turns having suspense maintained well at all times. The female characters in the movie could have had more screentime, at least the main heroine, and it could have been shorter with a smarter ending, but we know that this is one classic and mostly realistic tale about two sides of law and justice that never ceases to make us wonder what is going to happen next. The movie came without much hype, but has gained enough positive reviews to keep it going and gain the pace. After all, we have had our love for investigations before corona virus through Anjaam Paathira and Forensic, and the same effect has continued during these days too, as we have hoped for the police to do the right thing every time.

Release date: 10th November 2023
Running time: 148 minutes
Directed by: Syam Sasi
Starring: Shane Nigam, Sunny Wayne, Sidharth Bharathan, Aditi Balan, Namritha MV, Bipin Perumbilli, M Sajas

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous non-Malayalam film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Garudan

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Vampire Owl: How many investigation thrillers have we watched in such a short period of time?

Vampire Bat: I feel that this movie could be more than just a usual thriller.

Vampire Owl: The reviews have surely been good.

Vampire Bat: I think that some vampires read the title as guardian.

Vampire Owl: Well, both names sound pretty good.

Vampire Bat: There have been so many serial killers.

Vampire Owl: I know that most humans are serial killers.

Vampire Bat: They are killers of environment.

Vampire Owl: And killers by nature.

Vampire Bat: Destroyers of nature as we know it.

[Gets a Paneer Tikka Pizza and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Theresa Philip (Chaithanya Prakash), a student of a reputed arts and science college in the city returns home late after the rehearsal for a theatre programme. As she walked through the streets on a rainy day, she is sexually assaulted by an unknown person. But a local worker called Salam Kaiperi (Jagadish) who reaches the local building site where the incident takes place, and the assaulter makes a quick escape. A police officer with a clean track record, SP Harish Madhav IPS (Suresh Gopi) is assigned to the case. Even after checking the area for evidence and questioning everyone who might have some information, there are no clues though. Theresa’s father and retired army man Colonel Philip George (Thalaivasal Vijay) is desperate for answers. As so much of time passes without any clue, the case is about to be passed to the crime branch, and Harish goes for the DNA sample test, and comes out with possibilities, and the same is narrowed down to one person in the city. Salam also identifies the man as the one who was responsible for the sexual assault. This makes Harish confident to proceed with the arrest.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The newly discovered culprit is Dr. Nishanth Kumar (Biju Menon), Assistant Professor in the Department of Commerce at the same college, one of the best teachers around with a PhD in Finance and Taxation. He has been known as a figure with no match for his speaking and teaching skills, but his world involving his wife Haritha (Divya Pillai) and child gets twisted with that grand revelation. He is convicted by the court and sent to prison, and the scene shifts to many years later to that week when Harish is on the verge of retirement. Nishanth is outside, and begins to make an attempt to prove that he innocent. He had kept a low profile in the prison, but it turns out that he has done a lot of work, and is ready to present his case. This has Harish and his best friend Advocate Thomas Iype (Siddique) who pleaded the case in surprise. Are they ready for the return of Harish, or will the returning convict get the best of them?

The defence of Garudan :: The beginning of Garudan is exactly as one would expect from this kind of a movie, with a strong attachment to the roots. There is the crime and the investigation that follows while the case goes on to become more and more sensational. There are some twists which are of high quality, and they make appearance out of nowhere. The emotional side is also strong, and it keeps the drama going, especially with the father’s angle getting strong on feelings. There is strength in the way in which the world keeps turning one way or the other, heroes and villains are further asserted by the incredible power of the visual media. The visuals are really good, and the presence of darkness with the settings remains interesting as well as setting up the mood. The foreshadowing which is used in the movie is really good, and we see that from the beginning theatrical scene on the stage itself. The presence of Suresh Gopi itself is a kind of eternal reminder of a foreshadowing if you ask me. Red herrings somewhat holds on. It is clear that Midhun Manuel Thomas can get a thriller moving with his writing at any moment, and can bring the suspense out of thin air.

The claws of flaw :: The ending of the movie could have surely been better, and sitting in front of a table and explaining everything about the crime is not really the thing to do. Listing out an entire history of crime would pale in comparison to things coming to light, or being revealed in parts through dialogues. The final scenes are surely overdone, and asking about John Wick is misplaced just like tying up someone else with a plastic cover over the head for the police to prove a point. The movie could have maintained a certain amount of strength with the ways of investigation, and bring out a real surprise instead of finally ending up with the usual. Even with the initial scenes, there is not much of an investigation being shown, and one gets to march towards the culprit too soon. The personal stories also get a little bit too stretched, and we could have been left with those elements which had direct connection to the major event. The power of the interval punch is not that much carried over to the second half, as we await more than what meets the eye.

The performers of the soul :: Suresh Gopi leads the movie as expected, and there are moments which are custom made for his kind of roles. Some of them could have undergone some change, but he surely suits the role as usual. There are not many things that can substitute Suresh Gopi as a police officer leading an investigation. Biju Menon on the other side, often steals the show from the rest of the cast. He controls the movie with his multiple layers of emotions, and one can continue to trust him with all kinds of roles. Thalaivasal Vijay is the one actor here who makes us feel the emotions, as the other side of the film also comes into the picture. Siddique continues to provide the support as he has always done, and Jagadish’s very serious role is something that catches our attention. The two female leads Abhirami and Divya Pillai have very less to do. It is good to see in Chaithanya Prakash of Star Magic fame in big films. Nishanth Sagar once again proves that he deserves more from each role. Usual supporters like Dileesh Pothan and Major Ravi remains strong in the small roles.

How it finishes :: The movie becomes more suitable for family audiences as it does not have any violence despite having serial killer mode activated from the beginning itself. From Forensic, Anjaam Paathira, Antakshari, Heaven, Cold Case, Paappan, Twenty One Grams, John Luther and the others, we have had a great dose of thrillers that came one after the other. This movie is another interesting addition to that list of investigative thrillers. In a world where there is too much presence of evil, and with humanity embracing the inherent evil, there will always be the presence of darkness, and serial killers to be caught by investigators through multiple movies. This is the kind of genre that suits our age, and I am sure that more of similar movies will follow. But one needs to remember that these are the kind of movies which can also go out of hand completely. Yet, we would choose to trust Malayalam films not to overdo its serial killers and bring them to the level of being jokers under the superstars.

Release date: 3rd November 2023
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: Arun Varma
Starring: Suresh Gopi, Biju Menon, Siddique, Jagadish, Thalaivasal Vijay, Abhirami, Divya Pillai, Dileesh Pothan, Nishanth Sagar, Chaithanya Prakash, Josekutty Jacob, Dinesh Prabhakar, Arjun Nandhakumar, Sadiq, Saranya Anand, Prem Prakash, Kichu Tellus, Jayan Cherthala, Major Ravi, Pradeep Chandran, Shyna Chandran

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Leo

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Vampire Owl: The theatre requires more area, doesn’t it?

Vampire Bat: The movie has been taken up as a celebration by the audience.

Vampire Owl: These are the Pooja Holidays. So, it is expected.

Vampire Bat: Even for such a holiday rush, this is quite a lot.

Vampire Owl: It is only the blog which has lacked any rush this year.

Vampire Bat: We have been too busy this year.

Vampire Owl: We have always been busy towards eternity.

Vampire Bat: This is also the first Vijay movie that we are reviewing.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we had at least one review of most of the other stars already.

Vampire Bat: There is always a chance in violence for a new beginning.

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

What is the movie about? :: Parthiban (Vijay) is an animal rescuer and a chocolate-specialized café owner who is now settled in Theog, Himachal Pradesh. He lives with his wife Sathya (Trisha Krishnan) and two children Siddharth (Mathew Thomas) and Mathi (Iyal) in a cottage which is located some distance away from the main town. Their only family friends are Forest Ranger Joshy Andrews (Gautham Vasudev Menon) and his wife Priya Joshy Andrews (Priya Anand). Parthiban wishes to keep himself away from public attention, which he somewhat manages to do despite him being able to tame a hyena which attacks the town with the help of Joshy and Siddharth. But when his café is attacked by a group of robbers and one of them tries to sexually harass his employee Shruthi (Janany Kunaseelan), he takes matters into his hands, and seeing his daughter in grave danger, ends up murdering all of them using their gun, despite never having used any firearms before. The court declares it self-defense, but the family of one of the robbers swear vengeance and his photos also become part of different newspapers all around India.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After the incident, Parthiban becomes very careful about his family’s safety, installing CCTV cameras everywhere and checking the entry points to his home. He wakes up at night, feeling the requirement to protect his family from evil forces. His photos which were published in newspapers come to the attention of some of the gangsters in Telangana and the news spread further. Harold Das (Arjun Sarja), a notorious and ruthless gangster with roots in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He informs his brother Antony Das (Sanja Dutt) who is a dreaded crime lord running an international drug business. Antony and Harold seem to identify Parthiban with another name Leo Das, as Antony’s son who was supposed to be dead some years ago. At the same time, facing threats from the relatives of Shanmugam (Mysskin) the leader of the robbers whom he murdered, Police Officer Napoleon (George Maryan) is assigned to his protection. Napoleon spends most of his time sleeping during duty, much to the dismay of Parthiban who feels that his home remains unprotected despite the best efforts.

And what more is to follow when chaos unleashes itself in the hilly terrain? :: Antony reaches the quiet town of Himachal Pradesh with his large group of henchmen. He gets to the café run by Parthiban and calls him Leo. But Parthiban refuses to acknowledge even knowing the man and the name which has been put on him. Antony meets Sathya and saves her from the relatives of Shanmugam and murders all members of the gang who were trying to hurt Parthiban’s family, while reminding them that the children are his own blood, the offsprings of Leo. This sets a sequence of confusing elements in motion, as Joshy Andrews visits Hridayaraj D’Souza (Mansoor Ali Khan), a former gangster now in prison, and he lets out a flashback about Leo and his twin sister Elisa Das (Madonna Sebastian). Meanwhile, Sathya and Priya goes on with their own methods to search more about Leo and Parthiban. But it seems that the truth is not something that they can find out easily. But they would need to unearth that early enough with Antony wandering around the town of Theog and Parthiban seemingly losing his mind. The question remains if they can be quick enough to do that.

The defence of Leo :: The movie, as expected is held strong by Vijay, and the action sequences here are difference, and in this world, mindless action makes way for more classic action. Vijay suits well in a new world of violence without that repeated style of action that we usually see. The action here remains more memorable as much as the violence. The visuals are breathtaking and the locations for the fights are so good that we will keep remembering them for the next few days. There is also no shortage of style, which is yet kept in control not to go overboard. We also have no slow-motion overdose here, even though the tendency would have been there. The final revelations nicely set things in motion here for more, and the good supporting cast means that this can contribute more to the overall universe of the same kind of movies. The background music remains stunning at all times, and we are made to go with the flow which is already supported by the visuals. Mathew Thomas of Kumbalangi Nights, Thanneermathan Dinangal and Jo and Jo also get the honours. The team of Gautham Vasudev Menon, Trisha, Priya Anand and George Maryan are very good and so are the menacing villains played by Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Sarja.

The claws of flaw :: The flashback remains a weak point of the movie, as Madonna Sebastian, despite making a quick impact with a return to the past, is done away too soon, and the same can be seen about Babu Antony who does not even get a name for his character after seemingly getting back to power with RDX again. The initial group of robbers are also disposed too early despite the scope which was exhibited. The movie also has that overdose of style even though not that much as one would fear. Some moments seem to be like from a game, and some of the action just goes a little too much ahead. Some characters actually needed to be stronger, and the antagonists could have been more than people of style and threatening. Considering the scale here, there could have been more to achieve, especially with the earlier avatar of the main character. A movie like this one requires to be more complex with its subplots getting further attention, but the secondary elements just seem to be there for providing support to the newly established hero. The movie, without that much of a tale from the past, could have surely been shorter too.

How it finishes :: Leo feels much divergent from other films of Vijay, and has a certain amount of Hollywood touch to it – the control that it manages to exhibit is to be appreciated as it does not go the way of Baahubali and RRR, overdoing with heroism. Our protagonist has been nicely managed in comparison, and so is his world, a small one in a large canvas which the viewer can relate with touch of horror running in the mind. The movie nicely blends into the bigger universe, and one can hope that there would be much more to come in future. After Jai Bhim, it took a long time to watch another Tamil film even though the first Tamil film review happened here a longer time ago in the form of David, and it is evident that this is movie here is worth the time. The huge collections that it received would feel worth it, as an exit into a world which feels magically terrifying with the spectacle of a view that is not seen so often. The fans would find this as the bliss of their free-time, but one can find no trouble in being assured that the movie is for everyone, despite a little bit of extra violence added here and there. Blood and gore have been on our list for some time too.

Release date: 19th October 2023
Running time: 164 minutes
Directed by: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Starring: Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Madonna Sebastian, Babu Antony, George Maryan, Mathew Thomas, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priya Anand, Iyal, Mansoor Ali Khan, Shanthi Master, Janany Kunaseelan, Sandy Master, Madhusudhan Rao, Sachin Mani, Denzil Smith, Santhi Mayadevi, Leela Samson

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Orphan: First Kill

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember watching the first Orphan movie earlier?

Vampire Bat: I do not remember like that. I remember back in centuries.

Vampire Owl: You are not supposed to go that long back with memories.

Vampire Bat: Well, Uncle Dracula goes back longer than that.

Vampire Owl: He can go back as long as the vampire elders can go infinitely.

Vampire Bat: You know the elders. They don’t count.

Vampire Owl: They have been further violent during these years.

Vampire Bat: It is quite natural, considering their loss of fangs.

Vampire Owl: The lost fangs can be recreated with the help of the witches.

Vampire Bat: I hope it is not left in the hands of Doctor Frankenstein.

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

What is the movie about? :: Leena Klammer (Isabelle Fuhrman), a thirty one year old woman with the appearance of a ten year old child has been locked in psychiatric hospital in Estonia for a long time, but has been planning an escape for a long time. She finds a way by hiding inside the car of Anna (Gwendolyn Collins), an art therapist, whom she kills after breaking into her house. She temporarily finds a new home in her place. She looks up for missing girls in the United States of America, and finds that she looks similar to a girl named Esther Albright. For her, it also seems to be an interesting home to live. This gives her a new idea, and she pretends to be the same American child who had gone missing a few years ago. She gets herself found in a children’s park by a police officer who has absolutely no doubts about her, as she has planned the whole thing really well. Allen Albright (Rossif Sutherland) and Tricia Albright (Julia Stiles) get the news that their disappeared daughter has been found in Eastern Europe, and couldn’t get any happier as they were sure that she was lost forever.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Tricia brings her home, she begins to have doubts about her soon enough, as she has forgotten that their grandmother died, and has developed some painting skills which she never really came close to possessing. Detective Donnan (Hiro Kanagawa) and the child psychologist Dr Segar (Samantha Walkes) feel that there is surely something wrong about her, but they don’t really know what it is. She seems to be rather too different, and doesn’t act like a child at all times. She doesn’t seem to get along well with the brother Gunnar Albright (Matthew Finlan) either. Soon, it turns out that there are family secrets that are being hidden in the house. Leena keeps getting closer to her newly discovered father-figure, which upsets the others in the family. Soon, she will be facing her family which suspects her, but she has her plans to rise above those doubts. But how long can she go on playing this role which only seems to get more and more difficult for her? She would have to get rid of the detective soon enough, but is that an easy job to do? How can she achieve this without being deported back to the mental asylum back in Estonia?

The defence of Orphan: First Kill :: This movie is powered by that antagonist who continues to be a favourite among the horror lovers, and that stays as an advantage. The atmosphere here is interesting, and the setting provides an assurance that there will be some nice moments to remember. The early setting of the mental asylum is more than just interesting. We keep feeling that there could be something more coming up at all times in the first half, the big reveal only set things up well for a grand battle of women. The movie’s hesitation often has it lagging, but it does manage to make things better in the very next scene or so. The cast members do manage to overcome them all, and this selection of the leading performers comes as an advantage. The movie is also a reminder for us to not fall a prey to the cute ones, especially children who are not too far away from the Lord of the Flies situation of William Golding. Well, the cutest among them all might be the one diabolical evil creature which needs to be feared at all times.

The claws of flaw :: Orphan: First Kill doesn’t raise the level from the original movie at all. There were so many opportunities with this idea when going back, but that much is not taken here. This one has also come too late for anyone’s liking, as the gap between the original and this prequel is rather too much. The antagonist does seem to have a more artificial look in comparison to the looks in the first flick. Yet, there are also too many similarities with the first movie, and we also have the absence of surprises here, with twists not getting the required strength either. We know too much about the main character as we have watched the earlier film, and bringing a certain secret ingredient was a necessity. We could have also had some creepy sequences around here which could have managed to balance the situation, but such an attempt is also not made here. It is only with another prequel set almost completely in a mental asylum in Estonia that the bar can be raised now.

The performers of the soul :: Isabelle Fuhrman continues to make Esther an interesting character, a role which she had performed at a young age, and made it a thing of quality. Isabelle does have a challenge in here, as despite the experience that she may have earned through the years, she is still not of that same age anymore. In comparison to her other roles, her work as Esther or Leena is something that has her raising the bar each and every time. Julia Stiles makes another strong character here, and two main lady characters show their strength even further when they are standing against each other, even when not showing the hatred that much. Rossif Sutherland also has his moments here. Matthew Finlan comes out strong in the later stages of the film, and that too when less expected. Gwendolyn Collins makes an initial impression well, and it is sad that she had to disappear too early. Hiro Kanagawa also leaves a mark, and needed more time on screen.

How it finishes :: Orphan: First Kill cannot be compared to the original movie which set something up so well, and it was also something which felt much innovative at that time. The fans would have been expecting a film which would score better than this one. After all, Esther has become a horror icon like no other, and the earlier movie’s twist was something which people didn’t really except. But the prequel has been organized well, and we can see that at the end of the movie, things come together well to bring the possibilities of the next one on to the scene. This one does deserve to become a much longer franchise with a deeper idea about the origins of the main character given. A fine psychopath of the antagonist’s level can do magic for the genre. After all, movies like these serve as those the reminders that we cannot trust anyone, especially someone with the cute side on display – this is a mad world indeed, and has the worst in store for us.

Release date: 19th August 2022
Running time: 99 minutes
Directed by: William Brent Bell
Starring: Isabelle Fuhrman, Rossif Sutherland, Hiro Kanagawa, Matthew Finlan, Julia Stiles

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

RDX

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Vampire Owl: Are humans talking about explosives again?

Vampire Bat: Humans have always been interested in destruction using explosives.

Vampire Owl: So, can we expect some complete devastation?

Vampire Bat: This is more about fighting rather than using explosion.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that there is an explosion of fighting.

Vampire Bat: You can say that. We are no strangers to that.

Vampire Owl: Vampires do not fight within.

Vampire Bat: Not when there is are cold vampires involved.

Vampire Owl: The cold vampires are just a myth.

Vampire Bat: The cold vampires are gods among the elders and a matter of faith. Let us not play with matters of faith, belief and hope.

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

What is the movie about? :: Robert Philip (Shane Nigam), his brother Dony Philip (Antony Varghese) and their best friend Xavier Antony (Neeraj Madhav) have been training in martial arts and picking up fights in the city and the outskirts. Antony Aashaan (Babu Antony) who is their karate and boxing master still reminds them that martial arts is not for fighting with others, but only for self-defense. Despite the promises which they make to the master, there is always one fight or the other which they are part of, much to the dismay of their father Philip (Lal) and mother Kunjumol (Maala Parvathi). Circle Inspector of Police, Roy (Baiju Santhosh), Philip’s brother-in-law is the only one who seems to be able to take care of solving their problems from the side of the law. Robert finds a girlfriend in the form of Mini (Mahima Nambiar) who is from a different social, economic and religious side after helping her to deal with a repetitious problem. But their relationship is being noted by people from her colony. At the same time, Dony is in love with Simi (Aima Rosmy Sebastian), a school teacher in the nearby school, which seems to be a more acceptable relationship.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: To make sure that their wedding happens very soon, Robert makes Simi reveal her relationship with Dony, and gets the marriage alliance fixed with no delay. He feels that now he can go forward with a marriage alliance to Mini as he has a nice plan in getting respectable a job in the city. But soon, they find themselves in the centre of Cochin Carnival where Mini has a dance performance. But it turns out that the whole carnival is full of people from Mini’s colony, and most of them are not happy with Robert having a relationship with her. There is another score to settle for Anas (Harisankar Rajendran), who had a fight with Robert, Dony and Xavier during an earlier cricket match was never completed. This would lead to a fight with not only Anas, but also with the leader figure of the colony, Jaison (Sujith Shanker), his younger brother Paulson (Vishnu Agasthya), as well as their sidekicks Davis (Nishanth Sagar), Seban (Sandeep Raj) and Faisal (Midhun Venugopal) among others. This would lead to a long sequence of events which would leads to families and relationships breaking up without chances for mending, and soon there might be no way home.

The defence of RDX: Robert Dony Xavier :: This is one movie which rises above the rest of the action films so effectively with a cast that feels so perfectly suited for the roles. The action is of top quality, and it has also managed to keep a realistic side to the genre with ease. The characters here makes the feelings stronger, The emotional connection is also too good, and the fights with family bond that comes with it never gets old. Unlike Thallumaala which dealt with too much of action and remained not serious, this takes the much serious and dark tone right into it. The dialogues also work out really well, and the setting as well as the situations can be directly connected to the common audience. The one memorable song in the movie keeps us going forward with the musical elements too. We will keep remembering the song as the second best of the year after the 2018 song unless some other comes up. The fight at the carnival and final exchange at the ground are very much memorable. The movie has the ability to have everyone in a family immersed in its proceedings, and its beauty is more than what is felt in the beginning stages.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not bring anything new, as we look at it. We can see that it follows the same policy as one would expect a film of this genre to follow. There could have been some fine additional elements which would make things better. This also happens to be another movie which has a superhit romantic song, but there is no romantic success to keep it in memory as part of romantic success. The flashback could have also been less predictable, as we just go through the usual thing with fights going on all the time with a terrible turn of events that makes the whole thing even worse. Where it lags behind Thallumaala is the lack of experimentation with the usual stuff. Despite the initial feeling and small burst in the end, the women in the film have much less to do, even with the romantic side going strong beyond the fight. The final fighting sequences just become the reason to finish things, and not more. Despite the grand success, the question will remain if this movie could have become this grand if its competition was better.

The performers of the soul :: Shane Nigam clearly leads the movie, and is in an avatar with which we do not usually associated him. He has nicely blended into the proceedings here, and proves well that action genre also suits him well. The romantic side of the youth has always been safe in his hands. Antony Varghese has already proven that action is his fortress, and this kind of action might still feel new to him, but he manages the same well too. Among the three, it is Neeraj Madhav who scores the most with action. His use of the traditional chainsticks will remain as a highlight here. Mahima Nambiar who plays the female lead after a number of smaller, notable roles, does a fine job – one still wishes that she could have been there for longer. The last scenes have one special moment for her. Babu Antony’s screen presence is magnificent here, even though he only has less action moments than wanted. Aima Rosmy Sebastian returning after five years adds well to proceedings. Lal is once again very good in a role that suits him. Vishnu Agasthya’s villain feels like a fine prospect for future. Sujith Shanker and Nishanth Sagar could have been there for longer, as they do create some fine impact with their moments.

How it finishes :: RDX maintains its similarities with Thallumaala as much as the differences. While former maintains the emotional side well with addition of the family side, latter was never an emotional adventure, with the absence of categorization into good and evil. The Tovino Thomas starrer was never about defeating the antagonist who becomes a challenge to a life with family, but about finishing something which was left unfinished. RDX has nicely eclipsed the releases of the same time such as Dulquer Salmaan’s King of Kotha and Nivin Pauly’s Ramachandra Boss and Co which were supposed to be the bigger releases of the festival. The movie has also overtaken Thallumaala to get to the hundred crore mark with ease. The non-linear narration of Thallumaala is done away with, and the movie here deals with more connectable kind of people, which led to the bigger success of RDX. To add to it, Thallumaala did not have that much of a story. Basically, both movies are for different kind of people, and in finding the type of people for which it would appeal, RDX has won the battle with ease, and that too without that big superstar set for action.

Release date: 24th September 2023 (Netflix); 25th August 2023 (Theatre)
Running time: 146 minutes
Directed by: Nahas Hidayath
Starring: Shane Nigam, Antony Varghese, Neeraj Madhav, Babu Antony, Aima Rosmy Sebasian, Lal, Mahima Nambiar, Baiju Santhosh, Maala Parvathi, Vishnu Agasthya, Siraj, Harisankar Rajendran, Midhun Venugopal, Dineesh Aleppey, Rigil Mundakkal, Aravind Thampan, Sandeep Raj, Nishanth Sagar, Sujith Shanker as Jaison, Arya Salim, Nahas Hidayath

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

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous action-filled film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.