Category Archives: Action

A Working Man

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: We are all working all the time, you know.

Vampire Bat: Everybody including Uncle Dracula knows that you do no work at all.

Vampire Owl: I work at my own office within my room.

Vampire Bat: You know that there is no business firms allowed in the Dracula Castle.

Vampire Owl: This is just me showing my skills making blood milk shake and blood cake.

Vampire Bat: Do you even know the sugar levels of vampires of the castle?

Vampire Owl: It is approved by Dr. Frankenstein and his medical company.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has never been a real doctor who can do that.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein has presented and published a research paper on vampire blood sugar and was appreciated for the same by different universities.

Vampire Bat: I have heard that they were promised infinite amount of money just to accept the abstract and let him present it.

[Gets a paneer samosa and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Levon Cade (Jason Statham) is a retired Royal Marines Officer, now working as a construction foreman in Chicago, leaving the United Kingdom after his service and settling down in the United States as his American wife had committed suicide, and his father-in-law Jordan Roth (Richard Heap) who had settled down in the same city does not allow him to see his only daughter Merry Cade (Isla Gie) as he is known to suffer from PTSD and has been struggling to gain custody of his daughter. Levon maintains a close friendship with the family who employs him at the construction site – Joe Garcia (Michael Pena), his wife, Carla Garcia (Noemi Gonzalez) and their daughter, Jenny Garcia (Arianna Rivas), as they consider him as one of their own. One night, while Jenny is out at a bar, enjoying with her friends, she is kidnapped by two Russian traffickers who randomly choose their victims from the night club, the ruthless mercenaries known by the names Viper (Emmett J Scanlan) and Artemis (Eve Mauro).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Joe and Carla report the case of their missing daughter to the police, but they are unable to find any leads, and do not seem to keep this anywhere close to priority. Desperate to find their daughter, the parents who know about Levon’s military past, offer him money to find Jenny, but he refuses to do anything about it, as he feels that his past was responsible for the death of his wife and hostility of his father-in-law who has always been a pacifist. But after consulting his former friend and comrade in arms in the military Gunny Lefferty (David Harbour), decides to what he does his best and follow his heart, as he had once promised Jenny to watch and protect her, making sure that no harm would come upon her. As he decides to use his best skills for the purpose, follows the bartender who was there at the time when Jenny went missing, and finds connection to Russian mafia which has been involved in human trafficking in the past. He finds out that the situation is more complicated than he thought. Can he find more clues and reach Jenny before time runs out?

The defence of A Working Man :: Watching this movie, one feels that this is a movie well set for Jason Statham to come up with all the action, and the same is asserted again and again as the movie progresses and gets close to the end. The action sequences are excellent and staying within the willing suspension of disbelief limits. It was best seen with that beginning fight scene and it just gets bigger in the final scenes as there is a lot to be done. We see something to root for the protagonist every moment as the film progresses – there is also an emotional touch to the main character, and we connect to the same with the feelings rightly felt. There is also that feeling of nostalgia that runs through in the movie reminding us those other earlier movies that we have seen before. The stylish and immensely evil Russian mobsters to a biker gang leader sitting on a literal throne in a basement with his black-wearing people, the variety of villains that make quite some impact. The visuals are quite nice, with different settings nicely used for the situation.

The claws of flaw :: The movie feels like a Taken-inspired weaker version with search for one woman who has taken by drug traffickers often forced into prostitution, as even the less appreciated Malayalam movie Karam doing better than this particular one. Yet, one feels that the danger is not that much felt here with the kidnapped woman, as she seems to be too comfortable with the same even when in so much of a terrifying situation as part of her captivity. For some reason, we do not see facing that much of a terror, and she seems to be more military-trained than even the main protagonist – this is where the other movies dealing with the same premise dealt with the situations much better. Even the search for the woman seems to be lagging, as the pace comes down. Then those fast cuts and shaky camera work during the quick action makes things feel rather strange, and leaves a lot to be desired. The title of the movie is also never really justified as the construction work never really gets the attention again.

The performers of the soul :: Jason Statham once again does what he does best as he has a strong physical presence, charm, as well as nice fight scenes including hand-to-hand combat and some shooting to go with it. Starting with a construction site fight and finishing after a full set of climax battle sequences keep us satisfied. It is once again asserted that he is the man for this kind of a job, after Liam Neeson did the same multiple times with his one series of movies starting with saving his daughter from human traffickers. Being a part of The Mechanic and one among of Hobbs and Shaw battling in Fast and Furious series had made us hope for him even in Hitman: Agent 47 which would have been perfect for him. After John Wick and friends in a chaotic murder spree universe, he remains seemingly best choice for this kind of worlds. Arianna Rivas as Jenny Garcia does not get much except for those last moments when there seems to be a fight forced on her – in a movie focused on her kidnapping, she is just not shown enough. Then the antagonists seem balanced, rightly there to be menacing enough.

How it finishes :: This remains an interesting movie, even though nothing much new in its content, and reminds us of many other movies in the past. The movie gains the advantage from Jason Statham as the main character, and even when there is not much to raise the level in the narrative, the man takes the movie straight up to another level. But we cannot help feeling that he could have done more if the search was better arranged and if the danger was really felt except for the kidnapped not shown much after being kidnapped except for the end, and due to the hero quickly going through the villains without that much of a difficulty as one should be having when facing a mafia, The emotional side with daughter works, but not with the kidnapped one as we rarely feel that she is in trouble, and yet we feel that the poor mafia members are really in bigger trouble – this is something which should not have happened in a movie like this which does not go over the line with its action. Well, the fight scenes work really well, and keeps us interested, and we are thrilled to see the happenings on the screen; often that much is enough for the genre, but not for a second watch on any day.

Release date: 28 March 2025
Running time: 116 minutes
Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Jason Statham, David Harbour, Michael Peña, Jason Flemyng, Arianna Rivas

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Masters of the Universe

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Aren’t we the true masters of the universe?

Vampire Bat: I do not think that they are talking about the vampire universe.

Vampire Owl: Every universe requires its own masters.

Vampire Bat: We already have Uncle Dracula here.

Vampire Owl: Yes, even Vampire Elders are there, but they are all symbolic heads.

Vampire Bat: So, you consider us as the true masters.

Vampire Owl: Well, this is the only working universe, isn’t it?

Vampire Bat: The only true universe with relevance, yes.

Vampire Owl: And the only realm without the pure human evil.

Vampire Bat: The human evil has already reached our borders. There is not much of magic left that seems to stop it.

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

What is the movie about? :: Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) works in human resources, while keeping on searching for a certain sword and lives with his only friend Hussein (Christian Vunipola) in Oklahoma City. People think that him keeping on searching for a sword and telling everyone a specific story about his escape from another planet are parts of his nerd madness which he always had since he was a kid. The search for the sword would affect both his work and social life, as he even tells the same story when on a date. Obsessed with finding the sword due to his memories about being part of another strange world in which he lived as the prince and had come to Earth with a magic sword, Adam receives an anonymous tip in the form of a text message that the sword is located and he reclaims it at a comic store, running away with it. But the next day, he is arrested for stealing the sword, but the police car is stopped in transit on the highway when a strange creature attacks them and halts the traffic. The ape-like creature turns out to be Beast Man (Gary Martin) who had come from another world and chases Adam.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Adam keeps running, a woman in white comes to the scene, identifying herself as his childhood friend, Teela (Camila Mendes). She tells him that the sword had given her a signal when it was claimed and raised to the sky, seemingly provided the same signal to many others of their planet far away. In this planet named Eternia which was once ruled by Adam’s parents King Randor (James Purefoy) and Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley), no longer maintains that peace and prosperity after being taken over by Skeletor (Jared Leto), his sidekick Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) and a number of other evil minions. This loss after being defeated by a cyborg and weapons expert of Skeletor, Trap Jaw (Sam C Wilson) had also left the commander-in-chief of the army of Eterna, Man-At-Arms a.k.a. Duncan (Idris Elba) to severe depression and alcoholism, much to the dismay of his daughter Teela. After training so many people of the planet to defend the evil forces, he along with many others had fallen into disarray after Skeletor took over and unleashed chaos.

And what more can happen in this world of chaos and destruction unleashed by forces of evil? :: It was the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) who sent Adam to Earth to save him and the sword from Skeletor, and as it was the original home planet of the queen a long distance away from Eternia, safety was guaranteed, but as a child, he had lost the sword only to be found now, triggering alarms all around the universe. Adam and Teela manage to outrun the Beast Man and escape in their spaceship in front of shocked humans who could do nothing but stare. Back home, the resistance forces against Skeletor who are not imprisoned by Teela leaving her defence outpost and bringing a strange man with the sword, imprisons her and Adam along with an alcoholic Duncan and a former combat robot reprogrammed as a cleaning robot, Roboto (Kristen Wiig). But they escape with the help of the robot and keeps the sword with them while the defenders of the resistance are either killed or captured by Skeletor’s forces. As they try to escape them and come face to face against Trap Jaw, it seems to be the end for them, but can they find a way to defeat him and his shooters against all odds?

The defence of Masters of the Universe :: The movie has some stunning visuals with the setting in a beautiful planet. The world is too good with the fantasy model buildings and the environment which makes it feel like a colourful paradise. Nicholas Galitzine makes a fine impact as the protagonist, while Idris Elba brings the fun. But the best impact is made by Camila Mendes as Teela, who remains a stunner in those action sequences with her movement and style, as the only one true character who is a born-fighter continuing to be so at all times. Jared Leto as Skeletor is a villain to remember, and gets the screen-time he missed as the Joker in Suicide Squad. Morena Baccarin who gets back after The Wrecking Crew gets less screen time even as such a significant character. Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn works nicely too as one never sees any evil this cute and strong in magic. The humour in the movie also remains so much fun, and the elements taken from cartoon are nicely placed here without too much darkness ever coming into picture. Adora a.k.a. She-Ra played by Lauren Saliu shown during mid-credits also keeps us interested as the one scene itself seems to bring lot of hope for a possible sequel about which we are still not that sure.

Positives and negatives :: This is a feeling of nostalgia, and as we had the cartoon of the same name running in Malayalam in this part of the world, there is no other superhero who had this much of an influence on us as children. We had to return home early from school and then we would successfully watch this one. In the case of the movie, people might find that this is a little bit too cartoonish and as more for the children, but those would be the people who forgot how they grew up watching this, and if Avengers, Justice League and team could be taken as full action, this could be too. The supporting characters here could have had some more time, while cutting some time from the moments spent on Earth. The final fight is lovely to watch, even though the moments back on Earth coming in between do not impress much. The quality of the computer-generated imagery losses some quality at times, but remains stable and stylish for most of the time. Use of more magic could have made the world look more charming, and even more shown as part of an exploration like in Avatar, as the design here never far behind.

How it finishes :: The lack of some seriousness might be the reason why it had the same effect as John Carter at the box-office, but one cannot forget the fact that it was one fine movie, and one of the best of that year. We can blame the strange movie-watching habits of the biggest markets of the movie which did not even make Pacific Rim a super-hit, but Asia serves that title well. All these movies surely did well in this part of the world, and one keeps wondering if a better trailer could have meant better result for the movie at the box-office. I would surely love to see its sequel with the lady superhero, but one has to wonder if the same would happen when the total collection is considered. But this is sure to do well on Amazon Prime Video, and that should also mean something to everyone. For now, this is a charming adventure and entertainer which does not have a dull moment once the scenes shift to the far away planet. The beautiful spectacle of a world with a classic adventure with battles to remember is not something that we can always see with this much charm. People can find cartoon-faults, but I find this to be something I should have watched on the big screen with all of its big screen splendour.

Release date: 5 June 2026
Running time: 140 minutes
Directed by: Travis Knight
Starring: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, Idris Elba

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Yakuza League

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I am pretty sure that Batman has always been your relative.

Vampire Bat: I do not know how a man’s masked personality relates to me.

Vampire Owl: Every life is a mask, isn’t it? People take so many forms.

Vampire Bat: Humans are never true to the society or even to themselves.

Vampire Owl: We know that humans are evil, so there is no surprise at all.

Vampire Bat: The Vampire Elders were so shocked that they banned the humans.

Vampire Owl: So, Uncle Dracula was never the first one to ban them.

Vampire Bat: He only extended the ban for humans which was already established.

Vampire Owl: I hope that Dr. Frankenstein is not banned anymore.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will not even be accepted.

[Gets an ulli vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Batman (Koichi Yamadera) has come back home after being sent to feudal Japan through a time displacement machine called the Quake Engine. After all of Gotham City’s top criminals who also reach there became feudal lords, he had stopped the villains from altering history and brought them back to Gotham City in the present. But it seems that he would have no time to rest in his own world with something strange occurring around the city. He is surprised to see that the Justice League is no longer there and he cannot find Japan in its location either. He also finds that yakuza are raining from the sky above. He finds out that they belong to Hinomoto, a different Japan from a parallel universe which has placed itself in the sky of the city. He is able to see an interdimensional rift above Gotham City which seems to be part of a plan to invade Earth. As only the people who previously time-traveled can see this particular rift, the others call it a yakuza tornado, a storm which carries them to Gotham City – they deny the other-worldly elements of the same.

And what more is to follow in a world facing imminent destruction through timelines? :: Before he can process this new reality, Batman understands that there is more to this than what meets the eye. Batman and Robin (Yuki Kaji) travel through the rift to Hinomoto, while the other members of the Bat family Nightwing (Daisuke Ono), Red Hood (Akira Ishida), and Red Robin (Yuki Kaji) stay behind to fight the yakuza who have fallen into the city through the tornado. The Bat family are soon ambushed by some more yakuza fighters who are part of the Hagane yakuza clan who took over Hinomoto. They are surprised to find out that the first three big yakuza members who come against them are Zeshika the Emerald Ray (Ayane Sakura), a version of Green Lantern, Asha the Aqua Dragon (Akio Otsuka), an alternate version of Aquaman and Bari the Fleet-Footed (Kengo Kawanishi), a Japanese version of the Flash. The Bat family struggles in the fight with them, but with additional help from the Daiana the Eagle Goddess (Saori Hayami), an alternate Wonder Woman who is the member of an opposing Yakuza clan called Amazone, they manage to escape.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After leading them safely to the Amazone base, with the help of Harley Quinn (Rie Kugimiya) from Batman’s timeline, Daiana explains the rising power of of the Hagane clan at Hinomoto from the time when the area consisted solely of yakuza families fighting each ither. After a clan leader Deio Domuzu (Kenta Miyake), an alternate version of Doomsday, was killed by Kuraku (Takaya Kamikawa), the new leader and an alternate Superman, the Amazone is the only opposing group left, and they have decided to keep their code of honour and respect. Harley Quinn had escaped with Joker (Wataru Takagi) after hearing about the strange incidents happening in Gotham City. After being ambushed on the way back, Batman is saved by Joker who didn’t want anyone else to kill the bat other than him, but Robin is captured. During the fight, it is revealed that the mastermind behind all of these is Ra’s al Ghul (Kazuhiro Yamaji) who had found the Quake Engine and upgraded it into a Four-Dimensional Origami System, and used it to manipulate certain parts of Earth’s history, creating Hinomoto with the new rulers. With all members of Justice League except Wonder Woman going against him, can Batman stop the new villain intending to capture Earth with the help of Wonder Woman and Harley Queen?

The defence of Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League :: The art style used here is so interesting as the movie nicely blends the 3D and hand-sketched 2D animation together. There are also the segments that change styles which will have our attention, and when each character is introduced in a different form, it catches our attention, for the Japanese versions of Green Lantern is the best, and that of Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Superman – all feel like made with some smart thoughts as our interest in parallel worlds grow further. This idea of having the most powerful Justice League superheroes on one side and Batman only with Wonder Woman to help him, is more of a terrifying situation for fans of the universe, as Harley Quinn helping Wonder Woman at times and Joker only caring about Batman not getting killed would not mean they can save the world. Well, we know the powers of Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Flash, and so this situation is one of the biggest dangers that the world can have. It is the advantage of the tale, and it is nicely told with a Japanese touch, with everything nicely coming together in the end. The character design is so well matched by the grand action.

The claws of flaw :: There is no tight narrative coherence around here as the movie keeps going through the action which is sometimes too quick and a little bit overdone for some characters without superpowers. The change to the main Justice League characters is not always that interesting when we look closer. The display of power seems a little too much for our interest and quickly going through here and there. There is the explanation of Superman’s power a little too much even for the new version, and instead we are left with less understanding of what has really happened in this universe as the earlier movie release too long ago, and this would feel like a standalone for even the people who watched that one; a recap would have done the universe better especially as the length is not that much already. To make this shorter run-time possible, the movie seems to have gone through some quickened edits too, as we shift the shifts happening at a better speed. One would also feel that the Japanese version might have been the better suited mode for this particular movie.

How it finishes :: The movie does embrace its own existence, as it remains a high-octane return to those classic cartoon adventure, anime tropes and manga aesthetics, as there is more Japanese about this particular superhero journey than American. The comic book nostalgia is nicely reflected here as we take a closer look. The best of multi-stylistic animation comes up with a visual feast that keeps shifting between different versions, none of them deviating from the purpose. The high-level comics superhero battles and the tale of parallel universes go on making an impact. I have always preferred DC’s model over that of Marvel, whose classic superhero power was ruined by the new group of superheroes with the one exception being Thunderbolts, and even DC had itself coming down from Man of Steel by a weakened by a new Superman. Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League above others embrace the pure joy of Batman going against all odds from start to finish – he is the underdog again, but he stands tall. We see him proving himself not only as Gotham’s Dark Knight, but also the best of a Japanese underworld even when facing the superpowered or the overpowered juggernauts of destruction.

Release date: 18 March 2025
Running time: 89 minutes
Directed by: Junpei Mizusaki, Shinji Takagi
Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Daisuke Ono, Akira Ishida, Kengo Kawanishi, Yuki Kaji, Hōchū Ōtsuka, Masaki Terasoma, Wataru Takagi, Rie Kugimiya, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Romi Park, Akio Otsuka, Ayane Sakura, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Takaya Kamikawa

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Eenie Meanie

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: This sounds like a nice name which we can use for a new vampire.

Vampire Bat: How can a vampire be called by such a name in our realm?

Vampire Owl: It is still better than being called Vampire Owl I and Vampire Owl II.

Vampire Bat: So, there is a second vampire who is an owl?

Vampire Owl: We have to be ready for all possibilities in a world of chaos.

Vampire Bat: A world of chaos can only use a chaotic name.

Vampire Owl: That would scare legends like Dr. Frankenstein away.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein already have a scary name for himself.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein is a name given to legends these days.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula has been fed up with that name for some time due to those illegal and ridiculous experiments involving lightning, which have caused power shortage in the castle.

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

What is the movie about? :: Edie Meaney (Samara Weaving) had a troubled past which included being pulled over by police while driving her drunk parents who had drugs in their possession, and had ended up crashing the car. Then, as she was aged fourteen, with her mother dead and father paralyzed after the accident which was meant to save them from being arrested, had to go through a series of abusive foster homes, and was almost sold to sexual slavery, but was saved by John (Karl Glusman), a young criminal with whom she had also fallen in love, and stayed together for about fifteen years. Edie and John had carried out multiple robberies for the ruthless mob boss Nico (Andy Garcia), who had nicknamed her “Eenie Meanie”. She was known for her driving skills which had helped them a lot during the most complicated situations, something which had made her the favourite driver of the group, and her getaways have been iconic. Even her rival driver Perm (Marshawn Lynch) had a high opinion about her.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In the present, Edie has left her life as a getaway driver a long way behind, and had finally found the emotional courage to break up with John. As she works at a bank to support herself in going to college and get a degree, she becomes stuck at the bank counter during a robbery and is hit on the head to be knocked out. At the hospital, she finds out that she is pregnant with the child of John. Even though there are many advice for her to mind her own business, Edie goes and visits John, who is being interrogated by Nico’s men, and after surprising them, reluctantly uses her driving skills to save him. John had kidnapped Nico’s card counter man Leo (Randall Park) for a certain activity, and as he takes them out of the hiding place, ends up killing him much to the dismay of Edie. Once again pulled into the criminal world, this time being pregnant, she gets a call of Nico and him as well as his right-hand man George (Mike O’Malley) provides her with an offer.

And what more is to happen here as one man would dictate the terms? :: This offer would involve stealing a car containing three million dollars in cash, which is to serve as the prize for an upcoming poker tournament at a casino in the state. Only this could cover their losses due to the death of the man and this would be the one thing that could keep John alive at least for now. After getting a new car with the amount provided by Nico, they go and see Chaperone (Jermaine Fowler) as instructed, but he finds John to be liability who slows down both Edie and the mission, but she remains adamant that he is an integral part of the mission, and it is not just because he had helped him a lot in the past when she had no hope. She asserts that he also has the same kind of skills within him, and has helped a lot with the earlier missions, and that leaves the doubts behind for the time being for them. With some help from casino staff, the Dodge Charger which is to be given as the prize with three million inside is replaced with an identical model which is ready to drive as soon as the cash is loaded into it. But can Edie manage to take it out when everyone’s watching?

The defence of Eenie Meanie :: The movie rest on the shoulders of Samara Weaving, without doubt – her style, dialogues, charisma, dry humour and screen presence, all rises all the way above the whole movie, and rarely do we such a work which feels better than the film itself, and as we remember her performance in Ready or Not, we do feel here that she has always been ready, and eternally ready to shine in action movies. Whenever the movie gets weaker due to its lack of anything special, she becomes the one special ingredient. Elle Graham who plays her younger version had also made an early impact. Then, it can be seen that the heist and getaway driving sequences are nicely shot. During these moments, the high-speed thrills look polished and fast-paced. The humour works at times, and we see some elevation here and there. The second half shows a clear upgrade from the dumb beginning moments, and all the memorable moments are right there. Andy Garcia remains solid as the crime boss. Then the movie has its good looks.

The claws of flaw :: The movie feels elongated with not that much of a content to stretch it to the final run-time which it has achieved. Karl Glusman is playing a strange man who is good for nothing, and the main character for a past, remains attached to the person, and one cannot stop being bothered about it – there are not many things absurd than this which seems to cause everything that happens in the movie. One can only wonder if such a step will be taken by a smart modern woman in any case, as there is always limit to everything. The movie also seems to try too many things, some of them unnecessary – there is a pregnancy storyline, family estrangement and a number of unnecessary characters, which leaves the main heist plot feeling rushed and most of the things seem to wait till the end, even when there were so many opportunities to keep planning and talk about the same in between. There was much to be done to add right towards the action and even humour, and the emotional side just goes not useful at all. Some of the scenes including the first meeting of the two former lovers stay ridiculous.

How it finishes :: The movie maintains the brainless fun mode pretty well, but the slow progress does not help the same too much. The tale also does not seem to add anything too interesting in its narrative, and holds back with its action which arrives too late. The final moments do come up with what it was required to do, but it feels rushed, after all those talks in between. There is some poetic justice delivered right there. Then there is Samara Weaving who makes this feel so much better, and as she shoulders this, the quality itself feels very much improved. There is always hope when she is around, and we see the level of the movie elevated, and this much she achieves with that strange character that takes decisions against her own ideas and plans. The ending stays closer to reality, and most of it was something we waited to see happen. There are many thoughts about how this one could be improved. We would expect a more fast-paced full action thriller with a nicely planned heist, but that much is not reached. This one serves as an entertainer in Jio Hotstar which we can watch for time-pass.

Release date: 22 August 2025
Running time: 106 minutes
Directed by: Shawn Simmons
Starring: Samara Weaving, Karl Glusman, Jermaine Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Steve Zahn, Andy Garcia, Randall Park, Mike O’Malley

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ice Road: Vengeance

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I have always thought about creating an ice road in the realm.

Vampire Bat: An ice road would not be that smooth a path for vehicles.

Vampire Owl: We just hover over the ice with our vampire levitating skills.

Vampire Bat: In that case, you can ask the vampire sorcerers to create a magical path.

Vampire Owl: No, too many magical witches on the way who could devastate the path.

Vampire Bat: Well, all the magic does not belong to one particular group.

Vampire Owl: Yes, like Dr. Frankenstein uses that magic of science.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will never know true science.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein’s science is beyond all vampire limits.

Vampire Bat: We will know more about the same when Uncle Dracula addresses one of the great vampire gatherings again and make declarations.

[Gets a fortune cookie and three cups of taro tea].

What is the movie about? :: Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) a seasoned ice-road trucker, is going through a certain amount of survivor’s guilt after the death of his younger brother, Gurty McCann who (Marcus Thomas). Despite the best efforts of his psychologist, he is not able to find anything positive in life. After some days, to honour Gurty’s last wish, Mike decides to travel to Nepal so that he can scatter his ashes on the top of Mount Everest. As he reaches there, there is something going in a village further away from Kathmandu, in Kodari. There, local people keep opposing the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam that would affect the access of water supply from the river, which is the biggest dream and grand project of the nation’s leading industrialist Rudra Yash (Mahesh Jadu). Rudra is determined to make this happen one way or the other, and decides to kill the members of the family who refused to send the lands to them – Vijay Rai (Saksham Sharma), the youngest member of the family is chased by goons through the town.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: While standing in front of protests, Vijay understands that his grandfather was murdered by Rudra’s henchmen by pushing his bus off the huge cliff using a truck killing so many other passengers, thus making it look like an accident, as nobody else was around. Mikes finds his guide to travel to the top of Everest as some guy named Dani, but later realizes that it is Dhani Yangchen (Fan Bingbing), half-Nepali and half-Malaysian who had reached the top of the mountain many times. They join a group of passengers aboard a bus known as Kiwi Express which goes through the Road to the Sky, a narrow, high-altitude mountain pass. An American professor who had recently delivered a talk in the nearby university, Evan Myers (Bernard Curry), and his daughter Starr Myers (Grace O’Sullivan) also get into the bus along with a few others. But soon, Vijay is attacked by two strangers with guns and they knock out the boy while hijacking the bus, asking the driver to go through another route so that they can take him to a location according to their plan. Now, can the bus be saved?

The defence of Ice Road: Vengeance :: All the action at Kathmandu around the Himalayas makes sure that a visually unique and stunning background is achieved, and there are moments with this landscape which makes the situation even better. The visuals keep us hoping for such a journey through Himalayas or any other snow-covered mountains, especially as we rarely see any snow around. The quick pace of the movie makes sure that we are always in an action thriller, even those dialogues seem to support the same. Almost everyone among the cast seems to be fully powered for action, and there is something about their fight for survival which keeps us wishing them the best against all odds. Different types of people coming together to save themselves and defeat the villains never gets less interesting. There is a certain amount of humour and the emotional side is also there up to an extent. The nostalgic, old-school formula which reminds us of those 1980s and 1990s action flicks working so well here keeps us more interested. In the end, it is all about saving a village, and that matters here.

Positives and negatives :: The movie nicely makes use of the available elements from its cast to the visual world that surrounds everyone. It might not become the perfect action thriller without those huge action sequences, but we always have enough. Even with a message about nature and conservation of environment ready to come to the front, it never does the same, and leaving with the same does not happen at all. There are also moments when the movie feels like going the silly way, but with some willing suspension of disbelief, the same is handled well. Even though this one remains visually stunning, the Computer Generated Imagery is not used to the best advantage. The journey through ice road is rather less in this one too. The ending scene is lovely, but it seems a little bit forced. The action just before that was grand, but could have been quicker in execution, and the danger in the end should have given a riskier feeling, especially with a group with rich and powerful people with control over police chasing the people in the bus. Yet, the thrills remain there and the fights continue to be effective.

The performers of the soul :: Liam Neeson once again does the job, and like in Taken, A Walk Among the Tombstones, The Grey and Non-stop, goes through the difficult times to make it better. Nobody does it better than him when playing an aged hero with a past which has more tales to tell than people can think about. Fan Bingbing as the mountain guide Dhani Yangchen is a strong lady lead who can hold her own side in the narrative, and there are some fine fight scenes for her to excel. Amelia Bishop also plays a mercenary villain who gets a lot of action for herself. Grace O’Sullivan’s character is also played well as the significance of this one is also there at all times. Bernard Curry’s work is short-lived as the character is the first one to be killed. Marcus Thomas as Gurty McCann makes some presence through the flashbacks which come to the screen at times. Mahesh Jadu plays an antagonist who is menacing enough, Monish Anand’s supportive villain also has his moments. Geoff Morrell’s character adds some initial fun too. Saksham Sharma as Vijay Rai manages the role just as expected.

How it finishes :: Ice Road: Vengeance is one of those fine entertaining action thrillers which never losses its strength during its journey with a run-time just a little bit less than two hours. This is that kind of a movie which leaves us the feeling of a natural thriller, as it feels close to life due to never overdoing it and the situation related to dam construction and destruction of home and nature remaining even closer to life. There is no extra effort, but we are glad about what we see around. The 70-plus-year-old Liam Neeson trying to climb the Himalayas and also beating up people with a certain amount of struggle still makes it believable while staying on to be a highly entertaining watch which has shots which we will remember. As the movie also has everyone fighting for lives, there is a certain amount of balance here too. As most of us have not watched the previous movie, we cannot really compare this to the first movie, but this is surely that kind of a movie which should have released in the theatres here in style as there is a specific touch that could attract the audience around here.

Release date: June 27, 2025
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Jonathan Hensleigh
Starring: Liam Neeson, Fan Bingbing, Marcus Thomas, Bernard Curry, Geoff Morrell, Mahesh Jadu, Amelia Bishop, Salim Fayad, Saksham Sharma, Grace O’Sullivan, Monish Anand, Shivantha Wijesinha, Rosie Traynor, Seth Kannof, CJ. Bloomfield, Luke Clayson, Sahil Saluja, Anna-Mai Hoek

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ready or Not 2

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: The thing about me is that I am always ready.

Vampire Bat: You were never really ready in your whole life.

Vampire Owl: I was never ready for human evil; that much, I am sure.

Vampire Bat: Human evil is exactly the same as pure evil as we know it.

Vampire Owl: Pure evil is what humans call what they do not understand.

Vampire Bat: It is exactly what they call each other when time comes.

Vampire Owl: The worst time of humans is considered their best time.

Vampire Bat: They are people of paradoxes and antitheses, aren’t they?

Vampire Owl: Their existence itself goes against their nature.

Vampire Bat: Hell has a special infinite place for them elevated above the eternal fire that burns even further.

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

What is the movie about? :: Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) had married Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien), the estranged member of the successful Le Domas Family Games company. The other members of the Le Domases starting from his father Daniel Le Domas (Adam Brody) and mother Charity Le Domas (Elyse Levesque) had a deal with a devilish figure to highly improve the Le Domas fortune in exchange for going through a tradition. According to the same, at the midnight on their wedding day, she was asked to draw a game card from a puzzle box, and Grace had got the “Hide-and-Seek” card. She feels that it’s a harmless game, but then the Le Domases had started off hunting her with weapons. There was a violent fight in which she was never supposed to win with family having the weapons and full control of the house. But surprisingly, against all odds, she had ended up being alive during the dawn of next day while the family was wiped out as they failed to live up to the promise.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After that success, Grace is taken to the hospital by the cops who arrive at the scene. She is handcuffed to the bed as the police does not believe anything that she says, and they feel that she might have brutally murdered everyone in the family and tried to get away with it when the cops arrived on the scene. They decide to keep her handcuffed and take her to the police station as she has a lot more explaining to do in prison. It is then that Grace’s estranged sister Faith MacCaullay (Kathryn Newton) arrives at the hospital as she got the information with her phone number being added in the mobile phone as the only emergency contact of Grace. The two sisters were separated for some time as Grace left her when Faith was only fifteen years old. When the cops try to take Grace to the police station, they are attacked by the members of the satanic group, but they are wiped out as they try to kill her outside the game. A group of members of the cult arrives to take Grace to their mansion to begin the next game with her, and they also take Faith with them.

And what more can happen here as many deaths seem to be certain? :: The two sisters wake up in a room of a giant mansion; both their arms and legs tied to chairs and their mouths gagged. There they find the twins Titus Danforth (Shawn Hatosy) and Ursula Danforth (Sarah Michelle Gellar) who represents the Danforth family after murdering their father upon his wish as he found himself too weak for another game – it was the most powerful family which held the high seat of the council which controlled most of the world, and now there was going to be a fight for the seat due to what she did. Grace would be set free and the four remaining families must kill her before dawn to acquire the high seat which would leave worldwide power to person who murders her. Grace refuses to participate, but when the families put the knife on Faith’s neck, she agrees, and both sisters are sedated and thrown into the middle of a golf course around the mansion, handcuffed to each other. Now it is to be seen if they can survive against this incoming attack from the heads of each family.

The defence of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come :: Samara Weaving feels like a perfect scream queen, and that return in the blood-soaked wedding dress is a stunner. The addition of Kathryn Newton as her sister in fighting, brings more fun and the chaotic survival partnership is more than just memorable – it is very much unlike her character in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which was not something to remember much. Kathryn shows that she is also the scream queen as much as an action star, and she also adds a lot of humour to the movie. The movie gets into action-comedy and horror-comedy mostly because of her interactions with her sister character and those around her. A movie with her fighting vampires, zombies or demons would be delightful whether it’s as a scream queen of horror or in a demon-hunter in action. The two sisters fighting together brings some fine scenes, and the final moments with the satanic terror is worth mentioning too. The whole atmosphere of the movie with huge mansion in the front and a hidden satanic world underneath creates an impact.

Positives and negatives :: The movie has that kind of a supporting cast who manages to come up with a fine job too. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy are just too good, while Elijah Wood and Maia Jae come up with moments to remember. The kills here are memorable, and even though we see a lot of blood around, the violence remains under control, and the splattering blood do not make it unbearable for a younger audience; a perfect example of how to keep creative carnage within the perfect limits. The movie could have had more villains around here with a bigger backstory, as this movie never feels too long with its content, and we are only looking for more and more as time progresses. The use of a demonic presence and the satanic cult create effective danger around there, as it is not just a few fighting families that the sisters need to escape from. Even if they get out of the yard, they cannot be sure what would happen next. The supernatural and the influential spread all around the world would have a lot to say about their plans being ruined. The movie could feel like some originality lost, and the final resolution would feel too easy. Some big scares could also come in here and there.

How it finishes :: Most of us never really had the chance to watch the first movie when it released in the theatres, as it never really graced us around here, but with the OTT option available, this one came to Jio Hotstar pretty much quickly. This one picks up right where the early movie left us. This one does a fine job in expanding the universe from a single terrifying family to a massive battle for global supremacy with many devil-worshipping elite dynasties hunting the woman in trouble and also her sister who almost becomes collateral damage in a world of chaos. It is indeed a highly entertaining sequel to a movie which was watched by a smaller number of people as it was a sleeper hit which never really managed many theatres, and the same can be said about this sequel in this part of the world too. A chaotic, bloody energy has been maintained here, and with two sisters fighting against all odds with influential families carrying weapons coming after them. This reminds one the movies like Breakdown Forest and The Hunt, and remains a true entertainer with a fine leading cast of two.

Release date: 20 March 2026
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, Dan Beirne, Nadeem Umar-Khitab, Masa Lizdek

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Wrecking Crew

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: We have acted as wrecking crew of our vampire army before.

Vampire Bat: I thought you preferred the words, destruction and devastation.

Vampire Owl: I had also used the word, annihilation. But not anymore.

Vampire Bat: So, you are becoming more positive in your ideology.

Vampire Owl: As long as I do not see any human; they are too evil towards infinity.

Vampire Bat: Human evil in a particular form is also shown in this movie, I believe.

Vampire Owl: Humans can only elevate the evil; there is no escape.

Vampire Bat: Shadow demons once called them the true demonic ones.

Vampire Owl: Shadow demons, despite their strength in shades are lesser evil.

Vampire Bat: Human evil will always find a way, even better than the undead witches.

[Gets a pineapple cake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: James Hale (Dave Bautista) and Jonny Hale (Jason Momoa) are step brothers who have been living apart for a long time, never really feeling the need to meet each other or even have a talk over the phone in the last few years. Jonny has moved to Oklahoma, and is working as a police officer with his girlfriend Valentina Silva (Morena Baccarin) a Portuguese-speaking immigrant from Brazil. After he makes a mess of things again as he has been doing for a long time, he gets suspended, and despite all the begging about him needing her and in spite of all the sweet talk about her being the most beautiful Latino girl he ever known, Valentina decides to leave him citing the lack of concern and talk he had with her in the last few months. At the same time, James is an officer in the United States Navy, and is living a happy and peaceful life with his wife Leila Hale (Roimata Fox) and his two children back in Hawaii, and takes his job very seriously. He is a much-loved figure in his town for his responsible and helpful behaviour, and the family has built quite a positive reputation.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The death of their father by a car accident brings them together, even though they know nothing about him from the last few years, and have not seen him quite some time. Jonny decides to stay at Hawaii for some time to attend the funeral as well as investigate his death. The meeting with James and his family feels like a thought process, as they had not seen each other for such a long time, and never even called to know the other. Their cousin Haunani Palakiko (Frankie Adams) also arrives for the funeral, and she is one of the few people permanently settled in the area as she works for the mayor of the town, Peter Mahoe (Temuera Morrison). Jonny tells James that the death of their father was not an accident, as he was attacked by some Yakuza thugs at his Oklahoma home, and they were asking for a package which was sent by their father. James does not want Jonny to investigate and get into trouble as the police had already called it an accident, and their father was carelessly standing on the road while the car was speeding.

And what more would happening here as there is indeed a mystery to solve? :: James feels that Jonny just keeps getting into trouble for one reason or the other like the day when he had to leave home for a long time while being hunted by a local crime syndicate who still seeks vengeance. But James decides to go through the investigation just to make sure, and Jonny is already on the same, beating up people according to the need for information. As their paths converge to their father’s apartment, they find plans for a casino and resort. With their cousin’s help, they discover that the casino is to be built on the Hawaiian homes which are already occupied by the locals. It is to be built by an influential billionaire known as Marcus Robichaux (Claes Bang), and the brothers decide to crash one of their grand parties. There, they meet Monica Robichaux (Lydia Peckham), who is Marcus’ wife, and also the members of the same gang who launched an attack on Jonny. Monica tells him that she had hired their father to investigate on her husband. They realize that all of these are connected and there might have been some secrets which got out. But can they find out anything before they are hunted or the evidence is destroyed by money and influence?

The defence of The Wrecking Crew :: The movie works the best more due to its use of its leading cast, the two classic action heroes who do such a fine work. Dave Bautista, the Drax of Guardians of the Galaxy from Marvel and Jason Momoa, the Aquaman of Justice League of America from DC, manages to do deliver heavy punches as they did in those movies where they had superpowers, but this case remains much believable. The different characters which they have been playing in the past also helps in the purpose, and they genuinely look like they belong to one bloodline and fights together like a near-perfect team of two brothers. The hand-to-hand fight scenes are intensely physical and very much gory, with the fight between two brothers also adding to the same. Then there is Morena Baccarin who gets into the action so well, and that sequence with a helicopter chasing the car is too good especially with her around. Along with the rest, she also handles the humour really well. Morena transforms into an action star very soon, and the other female characters despite following well, just got to do the usual thing.

The claws of flaw :: The movie depends too much on the main characters and does not come up with anything different or special. The action and the journey itself never really leave the predictability as we look at the beginning and the initial situations. We should have also had more of Morena, as she seems to have come to leave her lover and drive a car away from a helicopter, and is not present during the rest of the movie at all. Lydia Peckham could have also had a bigger role here, as she looked stunning when she was there, and her character had a lot of scope too. Then the investigation could have also been as interesting as the action, as we wonder how this could have been made more of a suspense-filled search for a murderer and what lies beneath all of these. The final moments become predictable in nature as the bigger revelations happen too soon. The later moments of the movie after the big fights serve less than one would expect. This could have also used the beaches to a better advantage as we look closer.

How it finishes :: The Wrecking Crew goes through its action and a certain amount of humour without looking back at any moment. There are some stylish and classic action moments which would be remembered for how well it is shot with that humorous side, and never really moving away from that light-hearted side. The energy that the characters possess in unparalleled, and it is not just limited to the main protagonists, but also to their partners. As Dave Bautista’s serious strength and Jason Momoa’s wild-man energy matches each other, we watch it in the style of watching a computer game with wrestlers beating up the bad guys – with the case of WWE’s Batista, this would feel as perfect as it could be, as he and the Rock has provided the feeling that wrestling has come to Hollywood, and John Cena has also did it up to an extent. It is a privilege to have wresters who can act in action thrillers, as they make the whole situation better in a believable manner with that kind of a physique. After all, there is no better places to build performers for action that World Wrestling Entertainment which had some of the most classic scripts and on-ring works that we watched during childhood.

Release date: 28th January 2026
Running time: 122 minutes
Directed by: Ángel Manuel Soto
Starring: Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Morena Baccarin

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Predator: Badlands

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: They used to call vampires by the title predators.

Vampire Bat: Those times are over now, with a specific set of books and movies.

Vampire Owl: You should know that there is always a chance to reclaim that position.

Vampire Bat: As far as I know, predator is not really a position.

Vampire Owl: It could be the side title of a vampire.

Vampire Bat: You know that these predators are aliens, don’t you?

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has told us that there is information which shouldn’t be revealed.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein, in the form of a fake doctor, tells nothing of relevance.

Vampire Owl: You know that he inspired a book and so many adaptations.

Vampire Bat: That was the imagination that served, not the person.

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

What is the movie about? :: Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is the smallest member of his clan on the planet Yautja Prime, and is considered too weak to be among the predators. To prove that he is better than most of his kind, Dek plans to hunt a creature known as the Kalisk, an apex predator on what is often called the death planet – the world far away known as Genna. Kwei (Mike Homik), his stronger elder brother tries to prepare him for his battles as much as he can. But their father Njohrr (Reuben de Jong) appears all of a sudden and asks Kwei to kill his brother as he is a shame to the clan of fierce warriors. But Kwei refuses only to be killed by their father, but not before he sends his brother to the death planet so that he can prove his worth by hunting and defeating the feared creature. He reaches the planet, but realizes that this is no easy task, as the planet itself has that kind of flora and fauna which makes it very difficult to survive, as danger is hidden in almost every spot around there.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Dek losses most of his weapons and tech while fighting the forest, he comes across Thia (Elle Fanning), an advanced, but damaged Weyland-Yutani Corporation android, whose team of synthetic soldiers was destroyed by the Kalisk while on a mission. She had lost her body from the waist downwards and with the help of Dek, manages to free herself from her predicament and supports him against the incoming trouble, and guide him. He ties her to himself as she had no legs and faces the dangers while moving forward through the treacherous terrain. Soon, while on a hunt, they are joined by a friendly creature that Thia names Bud. The creature marks Dek with her saliva and accepts him as her clan as he defeats two creatures which were on their trail. But he tells them that the one thing that matters is the trophy, and that it can only be gained by killing the creature. Despite Thia telling him that back on Earth predators like wolves have the alpha that protects the pack, he remains adamant that he would be the alpha who kills the most and not the one who protects.

And what more could follow in this world of unmatched danger? :: Thia understands that Dek only understands revenge and is looking forward to prove that he is worthy against all odds. It is then that Thia’s twin android and the expert hunter Tessa (Elle Fanning) is found and revived by Weyland-Yutani androids and is repaired at their main base. She is warned that she would be decommissioned and replaced if she fails her mission. She finds out that she is with an alien creature that would remain a threat to their mission. With a new Weyland-Yutani team, Tessa begins searching for Dek’s group, and finds his crashed ship which has the arms and ammunitions which interests her including those which belonged to his brother. Thia who reaches the area where she was ambushed, finds enough of the technology to connect herself to her body parts below the waist. But at the same time, she understands that Tessa and her group is coming, and the creature is also nearby. A big fight seems to be on the cards. Now, who will survive and will the fight be worth it?

The defence of Predator: Badlands :: The movie surely has some good action, and fighting is all around, from surviving a dangerous jungle with strange flora and fauna to fighting android robots with advanced weapons. The battle against the apex predator and the final battle requires special mention along with that fight of Thia with her body separated into two especially of the waist below has an innovative as much as funny side to it. There are also some funny lines to go with the fight, but that does not bring the quality of the battles down, as we see the big creatures being destroyed and getting attacked by nature itself in all its grandeur. The movie never ceases to be a spectacle, as the scope is a lot, with alien planets including desert lands and dense forests – the creatures are nicely created and detailed, with the possibility of danger nicely felt. It would have been a movie more for the theatre than for Jio Hotstar as we enjoy the beauty of the worlds on the screen, as we would have in computer games like Mass Effect and Unreal Tournament, or Star Trek works.

Positives and negatives :: Elle Fanning as Thia stands apart as one of the best android robotic characters of all-time, something which we see this good only in the Alien movies – Prometheus, Covenant, Romulus etc have known this Weyland Corporation more than any other, and the cross-breed of franchises has been clearly shown here with this particular presence. Her other character in the form of antagonist pales in comparison as this one keep scoring all the time. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi makes this particular Predator work well according to the situation, and the bonding works nicely. Other humanoids become rather irrelevant here. The movie also provides the message of being together and coming back strong as the underdog, but in the process, loss some of the qualities of Predator franchise, seemingly getting closer to the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad. There seems to be the easy way taken at times, especially after that grand fight at human side in the end. The characters are still well-developed to keep us further interested.

How it finishes :: Predator: Badlands releasing on Jio Hotstar was something quick that we did not realize that the same had happened. This quick release was pretty much needed though, as we looked forward to watching another live-action movie featuring the classic alien or predator. There are those action sequences which justify its release, and despite the predator character undergoing a little too much of a transformation, works really well. The final scenes leave scope for a fine sequel, and we all hope that it will be served well. Until then, we enjoy being transported to a world of charm and danger, but certainly that of beauty in a planet far away. After all, when people were after Terminator, its sequels and others, we were the ones who stuck to Predator as the one classic science fiction thriller that we would remember. After all, we are all in a world of the hunted and the hunters. There is no escaping the same. The idea of hunters developing a conscience is never a bad idea despite changing a little too much of the core idea.

Release date: 7th November 2025
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Reuben de Jong, Mike Homik, Alison Wright, Cameron Brown, Rohinal Narayan

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Silent Night

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: We have always wished for silent nights in favour of vampire activity.

Vampire Bat: Vampires have always hoped for silence to keep on hunting, that too in a flash.

Vampire Owl: For vegetarian vampires, we do hunt really well.

Vampire Bat: We have hunted evil better these days.

Vampire Owl: Yet, humans consider us to be evil.

Vampire Bat: There will never be bigger evil than humans. Their evil returns every time and rises like a phoenix.

Vampire Owl: Well, we are yet to find a good human during our visits to their lands.

Vampire Bat: But serial killers are too easy to find, especially on the 11th day of terror. We are watching them at all times.

Vampire Owl: They call these people psychos, but this cruelty comes natural to them.

Vampire Bat: There are always much bigger modes of cruelty among humans. Just make a call on the vampire phone.

[Gets some tacos and three cups of taro tea].

What is the movie about? :: On a Christmas evening, a child is seen traveling by car with his parents from his grandfather’s place and their vehicle is seen as stopping on a remote road. A man dressed as Santa Claus arrives in another car and murders Billy’s parents in front of him. The killer, who is also stabbed, is revealed to be Charlie (Mark Acheson). As the child comes into physical contact with Charlie, an electrical surge appears to pass between them, and there seems to be something which has passed on from the dying killer. As the child grows up, known to the society as Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), he is seen as taking over the duty of committing murders while wearing the costume of Santa Claus during the Christmas season. The idea goes like this – during each Christmas, he begins hearing Charlie’s voice urging him to punish people who have been evil, and from then he would need to commit a murder for each day leading up to Christmas. There will be no failure to follow this particular procedure.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After committing a quick murder at a motel, Billy escapes from the scene to avoid suspicion and arrives in the town of Hackett. There he becomes instantly interested in the beautiful, but angry lady of the town Pamela Sims (Ruby Modine) and her father Dean Sims (Lawrence Brown) who runs a gift shop. He gets a job in the same shop, and gets closer to Pamela, finally beginning an intimate relationship. But he never really losses his skill in murders as new victims is found and killed without remorse. A local police officer and Pamela’s abusive ex-boyfriend Max Benedict (David Tomlinson) is not happy about Billy being around her, and also develops suspicions about the new person moving into the town after which too many murders happen at the same place. But it is revealed that there is some other series of incidents happening in the same area, with little kids going missing one after another. There is a suspected abductor referred to as “the Snatcher”, but it is to be seen how the incidents go on as Christmas gets closer.

The defence of Silent Night, Deadly Night :: The slasher horror mode activated very quickly with this one, not really wasting that much time. The protagonist here is a tragic anti-hero who is forced to go through what he does, rather than the usual supernatural or psychotic villain, and that surely brings a change from the usual. There is time spent in exploring his trauma and motivations, which makes the character more relatable. To add to it the same, there is a mythology, supernatural elements and mystery involving missing children. The horror effects work well with the blood and gore, as one would expect from a slasher horror movie, and deaths become natural part of the film with ease. The killing are also justified for a change, instead of making the whole thing random or a case of revenge like some other flicks. The holiday mood can also be felt with the Christmas elements around, and the ending nicely supports a sequel which could have further variety with the kind of serial killer it develops with the finish.

The claws of flaw :: Silent Night, Deadly Night feels absurd even for a slasher horror movie with its content which does not innovate, or chooses not to bring some nice creative elements. There were many moments which it could have made more interesting, especially by adding usual elements of the genre which have been going through a classic path for a very long time. The question about what special elements this one brings or what it brings as part of the genre, would need better answers here. There is also a certain amount of extra complication that comes with some of these additions here, and the background tale with the mythology is not that much thought about. There is the slow pace and drag that comes in between, and the romance is also not going too deep, and never being emotional enough. The strange ideas are not that much explored, and we feel the need during regular intervals. Many viewers could feel that there is something missing around here, as the movie seems to just go on as it wishes to, and thinks not that much about connections.

The performers of the soul :: Rohan Campbell makes the main character memorable, and worth being the Christmas killer that we would need to follow. There is something more than a serial killer or a murderous psychopath about him, as more aspects of the character are nicely shown by him. A man with a deeply damaged childhood and never-ending emotional conflicts also with the trauma and violent impulses, remains safe in his hands while going through vulnerability and terrifying menace. Ruby Modine makes her character interesting, and there is something about the same all the time, and might have even more to contribute later in a possible sequel – there is a lot that a scream queen in a slasher can do. There are violence and darkness in her, which she manages to display with a charming ease. Her scenes bring some of the most emotionally grounded moments to the movie, and elevate the whole thing. Mark Acheson has a more unusual role, but contributes nicely to the film’s dark and supernatural elements.

How it finishes :: This serves as the second remake of the 1984 film with the same name, after the 2012 reimagining of the same. The audience who enjoys traditional slashers focused mainly on the brutal kills and other elements may find the added mythology and the strange emotional storytelling distracting, as deviation from the usual ideas is surely present here. This is not your classic old slasher of nostalgia and memories for sure. But those who are willing to accept its strange mix of genres are likely to find a surprisingly engaging work with a divergence. Despite not sticking to a classic tradition, it remains a solid Christmas horror film that will probably appeal most to a certain kind of audience. One would guess that making it interesting for all kinds of viewers was never really the idea with this one. Still, we are having the slashers in this world which is going after nonsense because it pretends to be funny, and that much is hope with feathers. Something more sinister might still be coming in a sequel.

Release date: 12th December 2025
Running time: 96 minutes
Directed by: Mike P Nelson
Starring: Rohan Campbell, Ruby Modine, David Lawrence Brown, David Tomlinson, Mark Acheson

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Running Man

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I have been wondering why humans keep running so much in their lives.

Vampire Bat: They search for meaning in their lives, but finds nothing in the end.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that there is no hope for humanity.

Vampire Bat: Well, humanity never really had any hope.

Vampire Owl: I remember watching that old movie with the same name.

Vampire Bat: Well, we had also read the book with the same name.

Vampire Owl: Stephen King movies have often struggled to make an impact in the last few years.

Vampire Bat: Yet, Doctor Sleep was one of the greatest among them.

Vampire Owl: There are always It, Pet Sematary, The Monkey, Carrie, Salem’s Lot and others too.

Vampire Bat: We cannot expected all such adaptations to be classic horror stories.

[Gets one M&M McFlurry and three cups of mint tea].

What is the movie about? :: In a not that distant future United States of America, an authoritarian media network takes control of the nation while focusing on patriotism and the need to keep the country safe from its usual and common enemies, some of the inside and the others from outside. Most of the citizens of the United States live in poverty with minimal access to healthcare which leads to a high infant mortality and most children not even born among the majority who lives with minimum low wages. Most people are busy with the meaningless and unreal violent game shows and absurd reality television. The most popular programme running in the nation is The Running Man, hosted by Bobby Thompson (Colman Domingo), which has three runners selected with a big opportunity to win a billion dollars by surviving 30 days while being hunted down by five hunters selected by the media team itself. They are led by the furious Evan McCone (Lee Pace) as they are allowed to take any step to end the runners, while citizens are also provided with opportunities which would bring them rewards.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Starting with thousand dollars and a twelve-hour head start when they are not attacked by anyone, the runners are also required to video tape themselves and send to the media office or else forfeit their earnings and more viciously hunted with no rewards. The murder of the hunters would also bring rewards to the runners, raising their earning by a long way. This is where Ben Richards (Glen Powell) attempts to join, as he is not able to buy medicine for his little daughter after being blacklisted for union activism which had him standing for the other workers, leaving him jobless and not able to care for his family. He had planned to join a game with lesser risk, but was drafted into The Running Man with Jenni Laughlin (Katy O’Brian), a seemingly confident young woman in his neighborhood and Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy), a nerdy character who seems nice to everyone. Despite trying to back down, Ben is made to agree to the offer by Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) with an amount which he had never seen in his life, despite his wife Sheila Richards (Jayme Lawson) warning him against it.

And what more can happen in this world of future chaos with no real hope for humanity? :: Despite giving a safe house to his family and also providing an advance, Ben is shown as an enemy of the state to the audience and his wife’s moral side is also questioned, much to his dismay, as he promises to be back and give them what they deserve. But he would have no time for anything, as his time started, with all three contestants keeping on running through their own paths. With the help of a disguise taken from a friend, he goes to New York City and manages to start there by staying in a hotel right in the middle of the city and blend among the crowd with his changed looks. He watches Tim wandering in the city as it is shown as part of the show in television, and as he just goes through a normal life, is shot dead by the hunters bringing excitement to the audience who call for the blood of the other two runners. Ben who gets scared about the situation, and not sure about his safety in the big city anymore, decides to escape to Boston. But would that save him from the hunt or will be able to finish the hunters instead?

The defence of The Running Man :: The dark and possible future of the world and with a feeling of Stephen King’s novel, this one makes us very much interested in the movie which also has some nice chase and fight scenes. The world has been very nicely created, and we see how will it suits the situation, and there is a certain amount of charm even to its dark side. The charisma and intense physicality of Glen Powell as the desperate hero of his family manages to keep the movie strong. He had to do something extra to match the original hero and he comes close. Josh Brolin becomes the true antagonist whom we will remember for that terrifying face within that visage. Colman Domingo’s energy makes this even more suitable for its premise and genre as that works so well. Among the ladies, it is Emilia Jones who scores the most, and she is that character whom the audience will fall in love and even brings a certain amount of humour here. They fit nicely into this dystopian society which is obsessed with the circuses of ultra-violent television while being told what to do and made to struggle by the ruling class with the help of the reality shows which reflects the world differently.

Positives and negatives :: There are some classic moments from Lee Pace, but that comes a little late for our liking. The fans of the original might not feel that this matches, due to the absence of Arnold as the man of unparalleled strength. There were still opportunities for more, as the other runners could have also had focus, especially that of the lady runner who was doing so well. The emotional side of the wife and kid works less here for some reason, and the wife role seems to be dismissed as an irrelevant one with Emilia taking over as the lady who decides to switch sides to save the hero. The 1987 version, despite its own deviations, had a more heroic version of the same, and it is only natural that people would prefer that Arnold version, as his work with the fights would also be more believable as he is provided with that kind of a past; the female lead in that movie also had that unparalleled presence in the film, but not anymore. The final battle in the flight could have also been bigger, and the lack of a huge spectacle makes sure that the movie struggles even further.

How it finishes :: Those who have watched that older version might wonder about the necessity of having this one around. There is the world that we have seen before, brought to the big screen again in a similar, but different form. There is the action and thrills in a fine world, and we are entertained enough to be interesting in the movie throughout its run. But when the familiar scenario keeps getting repeated, people will wonder if how much of the same returning to the screen and what all not being adapted from the novel would be the right thing for this kind of movies. The movie remains visually striking and adds to the Stephen King adaptations which have done a good job on the screen, but it was surprising to see it not going too good at the box-office – well, we never really go to know if the movie even released at this part of the world, and one has to guess that due to those lower quality imitations released in different languages in India, with even post-apocalyptic worlds cheaply imitated. This one is superior to those movies which ridiculously copies elements from Hollywood and other languages and presents them as their own, but does leave the audiences slightly wishing that the creative strength here had run stronger, but most of us would be happy with what is found here. Then there is the message against government control.

Release date: 14th November 2025
Running time: 133 minutes
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Glen Powell, William H Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Katy O’Brian, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Fear Below

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Things that we should fear would not come from below.

Vampire Bat: So, you are looking for the flying fears from above.

Vampire Owl: I feel that the dead below are less scary.

Vampire Bat: There can always be the shadow demons from the underworld.

Vampire Owl: The underworld does not qualify as from below.

Vampire Bat: They are surely located deep underneath us, and you can even see them as a warning.

Vampire Owl: Shadow World of underworld is technically another realm.

Vampire Bat: Well, they are here now, in a series of underworld tunnels, beyond the red door of chaos.

Vampire Owl: The tunnels only serve as portal to another world.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires do not shadow walk, but we are able to go through their world – connects them to ours as one, doesn’t it?

[Gets a packet of pineapple cream biscuits and three cups of Peerumade tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the late 1940s Australia, a team consisting of Ernie Morgan (Arthur Angel), Clara Bennett (Hermione Corfield) and Jimmy Barriakada (Jacob Junior Nayinggul) are part of the Sea Dog Diving Company, which is going through a terrible financial crisis. They have had training in the military during the Second World War or had won medals for their diving performances, but are not able to run the business due to tough competition in the field, and with a lot of people ready to invest money, they struggle, and hope that they can buy a boat to further support their cause, while competing better. It is then that they are approached by a mafia leader named Dylan Maddock (Jake Ryan) to retrieve a sunken car from the bottom of the river which has some very valuable items which he recently lost due to some careless driving. He provides them with a deal which would involve a lot of money and gives them an advance, but warns them that this much of cash is given for no questions being asked.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It is revealed that he cannot go to the authorities and get a crane service to lift the car due to smuggled gold biscuits being present inside – he would be just happy with the crates holding the gold biscuits being taken to the land, and nothing more. They had not reported the accident too, as any forced help from people would lead to the gold biscuits being discovered. The plan is to make the divers go in and get the crates, and after that, to just murder them. Ernie is overjoyed with the proposal of so much money without knowing the danger behind the same, and so are his crew members. They make detailed preparations for the big job which has come to them after such a long time. They reach the place, only to find Clara being attacked by a bull shark underwater, but manages to come out without that much of a problem. But now, the shark remains a major problem, and the mafia is also getting restless. Can they find a way to get out of this crisis? And who will get to keep all the gold under the river?

The defence of Fear Below :: The film nicely adds a gangster story with what seems to be a shark horror from the posters, as the attempt to recover stolen gold from a river where a bull shark is ready to attack anyone who sets foot in there. The combination would itself feel innovative enough, as the blending works well here. The 1940s feeling with post-war effect remains a fine addition to the overall movie which uses the style to the best effect. The movie never really moves out of that feeling, even when we look closer. The whole thing does have a realistic rather than exaggerated feeling, with nothing impossible being given a push. The effects also seem to have not much computer-generated imagery, which means more of a feeling close to life. The shark does not have too much extra around here, as the situation looks like a usual crisis, never going too much beyond. The urgency is never really found in the movie either, as the simple world and simpler people will also stay around.

The claws of flaw :: Even with a shorter run-time, the movie does seem to have too much of wasted time, where there is nothing much of interest. The pace of the movie is not much as we keep looking closely, and all these things could have happened within a few minutes without using one and half hours. The predictability factor is always present, pulling the whole movie downwards. The action is also low in quantity, with the shark being present only for a few minutes of time. This had felt more like a shark movie from all its posters, but we see it just for some time, and the shark attack is also not that strong enough to leave an impact. The scenes underwater seem to be more or less without clarity with the water itself being not clear – comparing this to movies like Deep Blue Sea and Underwater or even Under Paris which have clear water visibility of waterbodies will feel like a crime. The budget might have been a problem here, not just with water, but also with showing more of the shark which needed to go beyond what seemed to be a guest role of a different kind. There are some supporting characters who feel rather weak too.

The performers of the soul :: Hermione Corfield here is coming up more with the cuteness factor than anything else, and she surely nails that side, but does not get that much of an action as one would expect from the lady lead who plays an expert diver. Despite being only one of the main characters, she maintains a certain amount of charm throughout the movie, making sure that she is the one character whom we all wish to see having survived in the end, no matter what shark or even whale or dinosaur comes through for the prey. She plays a determined and confident young lady, who is also looking at an uncertain future, but never losses hope in the way. Arthur Angel adds further emotional weight as the older man who is determined to make things happen and help his younger colleagues survive too – this is also a character we love to see around. Jake Ryan plays the gangster who remains a threatening presence through the crime drama setup of the movie. The support that includes Maximillian Johnson, does just enough here.

How it finishes :: Fear Below, despite blending different sides, manages both, but is often confused in the process, as if someone who is trying to find oneself in a world which has chaos on one side and opportunities on the other. From the posters, it is a shark movie, but as one reads about it, the focus is more on a few gangsters seeking their gold – the balance is not exactly there, but both sides do the job well enough. For a low budget crime thriller having a shark around, the whole thing might feel enough, but we have seen bigger movies made out of smaller budgets in our part of the world; guess not with where the movie comes from. It would feel fine if you are not really looking for that grand shark with computer-generated imagery to support the same. Well, some of us are never really satisfied by this much, especially with Amazon Prime Video being the platform, and the other films recommended with this one are quite bigger and having a higher budget. In the end, it all depends on the viewer to go for it.

Release date: 15th May 2025
Running time: 85 minutes
Directed by: Matthew Holmes
Starring: Hermione Corfield, Jake Ryan, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Arthur Angel, Josh McConville, Clayton Watson, Maximillian Johnson, Will Fletcher, Kevin Dee

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Gorge

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I know such a gorge at the end of the vampire world.

Vampire Bat: It is the border of the known vampire lands.

Vampire Owl: Where do we reach if we cross that?

Vampire Bat: They call it the whisper to infinity.

Vampire Owl: There is no infinity in this world. Everyone ends.

Vampire Bat: Our immortality is subject to market risks. It is not the same for everyone.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about the vampire elders.

Vampire Bat: There could be creatures lurking under the border gorge.

Vampire Owl: Yet we leave that area unprotected.

Vampire Bat: Well, if any zombie is going to fall into it, let it better be underneath rather than at the surface. The shadow demons have already crossed over to the surface from the shadow world.

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

What is the movie about? :: Levi (Miles Teller) is former United States Marine Sniper who is recruited by a mysterious woman for a special mission which requires his special skills as a record-breaking sniper on the enemy lines. He is taken on a flight to a remote location where he gets down on a parachute in the middle of nowhere. There he meets Drake (Sope Dirisu), a former British Royal Marine corporal, who was in charge of guarding a tower on the west side of a gorge. He explains that the location is kept hidden from the outside world by powerful cloaking antennas and he is not supposed to talk to the outside world about it. He adds that both the west and east towers are armed to contain some strange, monstrous creatures within the gorge, which they have nicknamed “The Hollow Men”. There is also the warning about “Straydog”, an unknown emergency protocol. He talks about the towers’ history which had that battalions of soldiers sent into the gorge in the late 1940s and none of them had ever returned. Drake who leaves the gorge is picked up by helicopter, but is not taken home as he is shot dead.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), a Lithuanian sniper who is involved in covert operations assigned by the Russian forces gets a special offer for a year. Her father Erikas (William Houston) who was once associated with KGB, is now dying due to cancer asks her to go on despite Drasa not feeling that good about so many sniping killings from a distance. The offer that she gets is the same as what Levi had received from the mysterious person whose name is revealed to be Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver). She is given charge of the eastern tower opposite Levi’s tower, fully armed and meant to stop the creatures coming out of the gorge, a position which has been held by so many people throughout the last few years. Levi who suffers from nightmares coming right out of his trauma tries to live by the rules including the ban on having any contact with the person on the other side. But Drasa contacts Levi with a writing which tells him that she does not care and that it is her birthday. With a birthday wish and following contact, they keep fighting the creatures coming up from underneath along with a lot of continuous talks getting them close to each other. But the secrets of the gorge might be the end of them, or will they survive this?

The defence of The Gorge :: The movie’s world is the first thing that catches our attention, as it is really well-created. The feeling that the two towers with horror in between keeps us excited from the beginning itself. A certain romantic side and the feeling of danger keep making an impact from two sides, while there are many heart-warming sweet moments as well as the surprising terror, making the two sides of the coin work so well in balance. The first point of contact between the two snipers is one of the most charming moments that one would ever see, and the quick twist see the danger, and then we see some more of those lovely situations which stay in our minds. The on-screen chemistry between the two is something that lasts since the first point of meeting itself, through the dangers, between all the shooting and explosions and more. As this one blend sci-fi, horror, action, thriller and romance in an unusual way, there is so much of freshness added here and we keep feeling the same throughout its run. The mysterious gorge setting, visual effects and creature and underworld designs are nothing less than classic in nature. What lies beneath gets the best of design as much as the view of the top.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have had more moments of romance, and the cuteness factor often leaves too early. But we see that the action scenes are so engaging with romantic possibilities never leaving either. The final moments seem to get to that end too early and the climax gets a little bit predictable with a quick finish. Even though the background tale is nicely revealed and remains strong, it is not something new or that innovative – yet, they have made the whole thing look so good and made in a way in which it will remain strong and interesting. The birthday and dance moments are the cutest moments of the movie, and there is also that satisfying lovely ending which would make you hope for a sequel with these two. The battle underneath definitely makes the whole world gain in strength, and such a world could not be made with such quality and style in another movie. The setting itself is the one thing which made this happen. If these protagonists of the movie are not the most likable ones around as they set new meanings for long distance relationships, one can only wonder what else can be.

The performers of the soul :: The movie thrives on its performances as the leading cast make the whole thing so lovely and believable. We have known Miles Teller from Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant making a trilogy, and that version of Fantastic Four which is not remembered in compared to two other more famous ones. Here, he comes up with a performance to remember for very long. Meanwhile, Anya Taylor-Joy is so lovely in such a way that she stays in our minds like a beautiful memory of a lost world. She was someone who started so well with her first flicks, The Witch and Morgan, followed by being a part of Split and Glass, and she made Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga a movie known as much as for her performance as it was for the action and world building. We know that she is also part of the Dune series, and we are sure to have more of her around. She could be the perfect Resident Evil protagonist, but Umbrella Corporation’s people seem to have other ideas even with reboots. She could also be in an Underworld reboot with the action skills. These two protagonists share such an onscreen chemistry that it is the viewer who falls in love. The two are just remarkable also in the action sequences as they were with those cute moments of romance together.

How it finishes :: The Gorge is the one movie which comes out of nowhere to make a huge impact while blending its genres as it hesitates to be limited to one thing or even two. While the film’s mystery leads to some genuine suspense in the first half, the later revelations and action-filled climax keep the movie at the same level, while never losing the romantic side in the process. The blend of romance, horror, action, thrills and impressive visuals make it a worthwhile watch with some genre-bending science fiction. The combination of Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy is something that we will remember for a long time, as the movie keeps itself emotionally strong, with no dull moment at all. I would consider this movie as one of those rare flicks which appealed to us as part of all genres which it represented. The same is not an easy job, but it has been achieved with such ease, thanks to the performances. I would recommend this for fans of different genres and almost everyone, and I would have loved to watch this one on the big screen.

Release date: 14th February 2025
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu, William Houston, Ruta Gedmintas

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

War Machine

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: I am sure that they are talking about.

Vampire Bat: We are not war machines, for we are simple friendly neighbourhood vampires.

Vampire Owl: There was a war in the realm, and we fought many battles.

Vampire Bat: The magical wars do not make us war machines.

Vampire Owl: Still, you have to agree that we are not friendly at all.

Vampire Bat: Well, we have been friendly with the vampire elders.

Vampire Owl: Vampire elders are just respectable seniors who cannot be fought against.

Vampire Bat: Still, most of the new generation vampires are not friendly with them.

Vampire Owl: The new generation was never meant to respect elders.

Vampire Bat: Well, we have already witnessed the highest level of new generation disrespect. And we know that it keeps happening each and every day.

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

What is the movie about? :: 81 (Alan Ritchson) attends RASP to earn and assignment to a battalion of the consolidated 75th Ranger Regiment, and meets others who wishes to be part of it and are assigned similar numbers. He was hoping to be part of the group with his brother, but both were attacked by insurgent groups in Afghanistan during a mission and only he had survived, despite sustaining heavy injuries. He was also awarded a medal which make him look like a war hero to other despite his guilt of surviving alone. 15 (Blake Richardson) who is an young man who does not care about anything immediately feels that 81 has the immense pride that keeps him apart, while he himself gets into trouble for unruly behaviour as the funny young man of the whole camp. 7 (Stephan James) attempts to get closer to 81 who continues to be not open to anything personal in nature and makes no conversations with others. The group that includes 60 (Keiynan Lonsdale), 57 (Daniel Webber), 44 (Alex King) and 109 (Jack Patten) gets to the final around along with 81 who almost drowns while giving up during an exercise.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The seniors have their doubt about 81’s mental state despite him doing physically well after coming back from that life-threatening injury. They feel that he should go back and attend some long sessions of counselling, but as he refuses to do so, they make him the leader of the final group. He had opposed to that idea from the beginning, but this time, there is no choice during the final exercise known as the Death March, which serves as a simulated mission in the nearby forest to destroy a classified aircraft and bring home a pilot. It is then that the reports on television talk about a suspected asteroid flying past the planet and slowly breaking off into pieces which move away from each other. But the same is dismissed are irrelevant as the team set on their mission, only to find a strange flight-like machine on the location and sets off the explosives. But it does not harm this particular machine which rises and begins an attack, surprising them. They do not have any contact with the base and are stranded there without any strong weapon as they are running simulation. What kind of other-worldly thing has come up with this attack?

The defence of War Machine :: The fights in the movie are really impressive, with some classic shots, but never really overdoing, and staying close to a reality of make believe, keeping the willing suspension of disbelief exactly where we wish to see it. There are the believable combat scenes and large-scale explosions, giving the action a realistic feel rather than that usual overload of alien unreality. The blend of military action and science fiction never really gets out of control as both are combined really well and without any doubt seemingly arising about the progress. There are not many alien movies which have managed to be this realistic in nature. The emotional side also works surprisingly well here. The alien machine is nicely designed and we see it working in a pattern which remains as much interesting as it catches our attention. The truth that during an invasion by an advanced alien civilization, humans never really stand a chance, and that they have no real superheroes to save them is asserted well, while focus still on the possibility of a sequel which could make some fine advancements here.

The claws of flaw :: The characters do not develop that much here, and we never even have the names of the main characters, which is strange, as at least the first name could have helped us to connect with them more. Some of the characters seem to be left there to die rather than to live inside the story. The predictability is there as we feel the aliens coming to Earth earlier, and the progress seems to reveal who all are going to survive and how this cannot end here with bigger scope only coming later. There is some loss of strength in between, and it is regained only a little later in the second part. A better focus on the other members of the squad, the supporting characters, would have helped better. The beginning stages do feel like there is something missing, and the power to satisfy the genre is also not there to be taken in the early stages. The story could have also had something special to make things better during the initial stages of soldier training which never really advances as we think it would – those moments seem to be just a random addition to make things get somewhere better.

The performers of the soul :: Alan Ritchson who leads the way comes up with a commanding performance as the central character, as he adds both physical intensity and screen presence to this particular role which demanded them. His portrayal lands an anchor for the film’s action-heavy narrative and keeps the strength felt whenever he is around. The emotional side is also handled well by him showing the loss as well as the bonding related to brotherhood. The movie always has something about him, and despite having so many characters around him, keeps the focus right there. Jai Courtney has only a small presence here, and we would miss having any more of the same later. Stephan James plays the second most important character to make an impact, and we see him developing into an important character soon enough. Blake Richardson brings the humour in a movie which mostly lacks in the same. Dennis Quaid also has his moments as we see how the movie progresses.

How it finishes :: This happens to be that science fiction action thriller focusing on an alien invasion that succeeds primarily through its strong but realistic action sequences, impressive but believable visual effects and some good performances from the leading cast which serves the emotions and the need for adventure really well. Even though it has that alien invasion to focus, it never really losses itself here in the process to create something like the usual movies of the genre. It only occasionally relies on familiar genre conventions, and manages to do enough for the fans of both military action and science fiction. Despite its shortcomings in some character development and often struggling with the narrative depth, this remains a fast-paced and engaging watch that serves as an enjoyable entertainer that could be watched on a fine weekend for some nice fun. After all, we have waited so long for an alien invasion to happen, but all that we are left with in real life is humans fighting each other due to different strange reasons, and we never really reached an end to that human violence itself. At least we see aliens making an impact in movies and considering the current situation, one has to wonder on which side most humans will be when there is that invasion.

Release date: 6th March 2026 (Netflix)
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Patrick Hughes
Starring: Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, Keiynan Lonsdale, Daniel Webber, Alex King, Jack Patten, Blake Richardson, Steve Nation, Robert Rabiah, Patrick Hughes

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Influencers

Posted on by


***Poster generated by AI for review purposes.

Vampire Owl: I still do not understand why humans call some online people influencers.

Vampire Bat: These online people have the power to affect the purchasing decisions and behaviours of others, through their presence and content on social media platforms.

Vampire Owl: But we are influenced by everyone around us.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but these people consider this as their job.

Vampire Owl: We also influence people, don’t we?

Vampire Bat: Yes, but we do not make people buy things.

Vampire Owl: That should be because we do not take cash to talk of a product.

Vampire Bat: So, technically, the influencers are those who do ads.

Vampire Owl: It feels like celebrities coming in advertisements.

Vampire Bat: True, those celebrities have always been the influencers, never really using the products, but taking cash to speak high of them.

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

What is the movie about? :: The movie begins by showing a visibly disturbed woman cutting her own throat after looking at the mobile phone. Meanwhile, it is seen that Catherine (Cassandra Naud) had left behind her past of taking on the identities of influencers on social media after abducting or murdering them. Her last victim Madison (Emily Tennant) had remained a suspect in the murders of influencers and their friends while nobody had any proof to make her a suspect – at least a photo of her to prove her to be the mastermind behind identity theft and killings was never to be discovered anywhere. Madison’s influencer life ended as she was continuously blamed online for the murders despite the court letting her go – she no longer remains a face for the advertisers who have gone after new viral names. Meanwhile, Catherine manages to hide nicely in France, and also finding a lesbian partner in a photographer named Diane (Lisa Delamar). This relationship goes stable as it becomes more and more romantic and intimate with their first anniversary which they decide to celebrate with another trip.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As they decide to get the best room in a hotel to share their intimacy, Catherine is frustrated to find out that the hotel had given the same room to an influencer Charlotte (Georgina Campbell), seemingly to get some promotion of their property. As Charlotte seems to message her and ask her to give her company on a journey, Catherine is further irritated. She gets out of the room early, and after finding Charlotte, tells her that she will accompany her and will take some nice photos. They go to an abandoned monument to take some special photos and she pushes Charlotte off to her death. After the act, she begins to impersonate the influencer on social media as she had done a long time ago. She even messages Diane from Charlotte’s mobile phone that she had left for Spain to make the disappearance feel natural to her. As Charlotte, like many other online influencers, did not have many friends in real life, which leads to her going missing being attributed to her usual journeys.

The defence of Influencers :: There is the strength of dark humour that this movie uses to effectiveness, as Cassandra Naud seems to make use of the same perfectly. Her negative role is something that need to become a measuring scale for similar performances of later – the close shots show the perfection in her facial expressions, and it is like the mark on her face also performs with her. The movie does make fun of the hashtag obsession, digital narcissism and unmatched addiction for social media in a way in which the movie world is in the realistic mode. In a world in which people create videos for money praising something and call themselves influencer despite not really knowing a product, the question remains if the word “influencer” can ever be used in a positive way. Well, during these days, people get viral by doing all the nonsense, and otherwise, there is the option to show partial nudity as much as it is allowed on the social media; Instagram being the most affected platform. It is always fair to satirize this kind of a situation as it influences the youth so much, and even causes suicides.

Positives and negatives :: There are moments when the movie seems to have missed chances for making it bigger, and the psychological terror could have reached bigger heights – but those are just small elements in a movie which makes uses of its minutes so well that even if it was a longer movie, we would have continued to watch it with the same interest. The visuals are so good with locations in France, Thailand and Bali. We get immersed in so many moments of the movie, as the antagonist’s manipulation is so good, as she known when to be a psychotic killer with a knife or axe, an intimate and romantic lover, a seductive beauty who sheds her clothes or a damsel in distress with tears coming out of her eyes as the situation demands. The way in which this difficult character with multiple shades has been done to perfection by Cassandra Naud is something nobody will miss around here. We would love to see her in a full horror movie with a psychotic serial killer or supernatural entity on the other side – she could be a scream queen of something like Evil Dead, Scream, Halloween or other long franchises or the next generation ones like X, I Heart Willie and others that we are to cherish for a long time. Just watch the final scene of fighting and stabbing and you will know.

The performers of the soul :: Cassandra Naud’s performance here might be the strongest element of the movie, as she elevates the whole thing at the beginning itself. It can be seen that she carries the movie with unparalleled confidence, and she does the same for a role which would have made the common actresses struggle or even overact, as we have seen in many cases. Even in those scenes which seem serene, her expressions and body language create such tension and the fear that the whole situation is going to be more twisted. The chaos in her cuteness and beauty will be something that we remember, and the way in which she manages that with grace is her class as an antagonist to remember. The chance to be a loud and exaggerated villain is avoided, and she is just too good in this manner – calm, calculated and manipulative like never before. Her friendliness and detachment and going there and back feels so good. The facial birthmark adds to the uniqueness of her character’s screen presence making the character so much visually and intellectually memorable. The others, especially Emily Tennant, Lisa Delamar and Veronica Lang shines and Jonathan Whitesell nicely adds to the same.

How it finishes :: Influencers is that movie which keeps one interested with dark humour and a possibility of infinite horror that too in a realistic way, as Cassandra Naud leads the path in a manner that not many lady antagonists have done before. She breathes life into this movie and raises the bar, keeping us wondering and surprised with different moments. Even though I have not watched the first movie, it feels that this can only be an improvement on that one unless that one had some special ingredient other than being the first of the franchise. The sharp commentary on influencer culture is the need of our world indeed. If you enjoy those modern psychological thrillers about identity, fame and online obsession, this is surely the movie for you, and Cassandra Naud’s magnetic performance attracts you more and more as your time in the movie passes, and despite her being the antagonist, you want to see her more, and keep asking for a sequel. Such a demand is just natural as she is indeed too good.

Release date: 12th December 2025
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: Kurtis David Harder
Starring: Cassandra Naud, Emily Tennant, Georgina Campbell, Lisa Delamar, Jonathan Whitesell, Veronica Long, Dylan Playfair

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Companion

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: Vampires have always looked for eternal companions for togetherness.

Vampire Bat: These people are talking about companion robots.

Vampire Owl: Haven’t we developed a vampire robot yet?

Vampire Bat: We do not need any more scientific development now.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that Dr. Frankenstein would have other ideas.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein and his ideas are surely not real science.

Vampire Owl: They are science, especially after inventing that time machine by the doctor.

Vampire Bat: He just declared that he travelled through time.

Vampire Owl: Yes, and it is truth, as he has proven with records.

Vampire Bat: He has always created all the fake records by himself.

[Gets a choco-marble cake and three cups of Chinese tea].

What is the movie about? :: Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid) travels to a mansion on the edge of civilization, a huge property around a lake owned by a billionaire named Sergey (Rupert Friend), who is the boyfriend of his Josh’s best friend Kat (Megan Suri) – Kat still calls herself Sergey’s property, keep or mistress due to the nature of Sergey, yet they remain open to welcoming friends as Kat maintains that influence on the Russian billionaire. They also invite two other friends Eli (Harvey Guillen) and his partner Patrick (Lukas Gage). The group seems to spend some happy moments in the mansion at night, and everyone seems to get along with each other well. But on the very next day, Sergey attempts to sexually assault Iris at the lakeside, and Iris ends up killing him in self-defense. She returns to the house in panic, attempting to explain what happened, but Josh tells the blood-covered Iris to go to sleep, and she losses her consciousness, waking up only to find herself strongly tied up to a chair.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Josh tells her that she is a companion robot that he is renting from a robotics company known as Empathix. He adds that her emotions and intelligence are controlled by an app on his phone, and the love and sexual desire are also under his control. He adds that the memory of them meeting for the first time is a lie, coming out of a pre-loaded idea chosen from many options, and it is her programming that makes her fall in love with him, and the past has all been part of that programme. He adds that now he has to take her back to the company, and maybe dismantle her there, but she does not believe her. He makes her believe by making her speak in the language he wishes to, and also shows that there are many other customizable options. As he goes for one final talk with Kat, Iris manages to escape though, and she also takes her phone to have full control over herself, increasing her intelligence and changing other options as the friends start to look for her.

The defence of Companion :: The movie can boast of a fine cast led by Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, along with Megan Suri’s perfect contribution as she makes that one the most interesting human character around. The film nicely explores the themes of control, need for freedom and toxic relationships through an entertaining sci-fi situation which is thrilling no because of the scientific situation, but the human predicament. The surprises of the movie are good, and even without those big twists, manage to keep us interested. The multiple elements of horror, thriller dark comedy and sci-fi nicely come together effectively while also leaving a few social messages about people, relationships, rights and freedom. The one and half hour length is supportive of the movie’s cause as it goes through the whole thing perfectly during that time period, never too much or less. There is no loss of strength here as we understand that we are quickly getting to a twisted situation, and the mood would remain somewhat similar throughout its run.

The claws of flaw :: The idea of artificial intelligence with a conscience, emotions and physical relationships may feel familiar to viewers with movies like Wifelike and Ex Machina which did the same better – the exploration of the ideas were so much better with an emotional side there, and the latter was indeed that sci-fi classic which deserved all the appreciation in the world. Those two movies were rather courageous with the depictions, but the movie here seems to keep to the safe zone, and at times, even comes up with just the blame game for all characters except the robotic main character. The science fiction mode is also on a struggle at times, as there is no clear focus on the robot either, and its making and structure, as well as the parent company are restricted to a few dialogues. One cannot say that the idea is original, and there is no real further development on the same available data. Some of the character decisions would seem illogical or seem to exist only to create more situations of interest, and the final hesitation of the robotic character to shoot is just one of them. This often feels like an opportunity for glory missed out.

The performers of the soul :: Sophie Thatcher delivers a fine performance, and the way in which she makes even the usual situations remarkable needs a mention. The final moments have her making an even bigger impression. Jack Quaid can also be considered highly effective in the darker role, and sometimes raise the level so much above what we expect according to the proceedings. This is one antagonist who brings the unexpected. Then, who strikes the most playing the side characters is Megan Suri, who is fantastic as the only woman character with a villainous side – among the characters, she seems like the most determined, and someone with a clear vision, and the same is depicted perfectly by her. For a slasher horror movie with supernatural or psycho killers, she would make a perfect choice – there is something about her that suits the genre. Lukas Gage’s work also remains notable, while Harvey Guillén does fine. Rupert Friend as Sergey has his moments despite being there for only a short amount of time. Jaboukie Young-White, Matthew J McCarthy and Marc Menchaca are there in smaller, but relevant roles.

How it finishes :: Companion becomes interesting because it successfully combines different genres with social commentary without being preachy or slow, and the cast nicely supports the same by adapting to the situations. The strongest points here are the performances, dark humour and interesting surprises, while it never really gets out of the familiar themes and the predictable side that comes even in the end. This will never be one of those movies which comes up with innovation in the topic, as it chooses the safe side, but the entertaining side is safe around here. It seems to know what kind of movie it needs to be, and with this knowledge, touches the necessary elements which need to keep the world interesting. The movie is currently available in Jio Hotstar, but you should remember that this idea can be seen in a few other movies which did the same better earlier. So, choose wisely, and go through the idea. Yet, remember that this is the newest version of the same, and therefore has made some nice changes too.

Release date: 31st January 2025
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: Drew Hancock
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.