Tag Archives: apocalypse

Uglies

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Vampire Owl: Are they calling vampires by new names now?

Vampire Bat: They are not even sure that we exist.

Vampire Owl: They are calling us these names without even knowing about our existence.

Vampire Bat: People can even hate non-existing entities.

Vampire Owl: Will that make sure that they exist?

Vampire Bat: Well, that depends on the final conclusion.

Vampire Owl: I am not letting them conclude about us.

Vampire Bat: Why do their conclusions matter to us? Are they hunting us?

Vampire Owl: Because they think and we exist?

Vampire Bat: Thoughts and existence are not co-existing around here.

[Gets a parippu vada and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Tally (Joey King) and Peris (Chase Stokes) are best friends in a post-apocalyptic world where future seems to offer not much divergence. It is shown that the world has fallen into the ultimate chaos after a group known as “Rusties” exhausted all natural resources and polluted its environment, leading to fight among themselves. To keep the remaining humanity alive, Earth’s best scientists created a set of genetically modified orchids which acted as the energy source without polluting the air or water. Humans who went through the worst and their descendants had to undergo a surgical procedure to enhance human beings in both appearance and fitness so that they could all look the same, with everyone beautiful, lovely and charming. The surgery is performed on humans who are called “Uglies” until then, and would turn them into the “Pretties”, letting them into the colourful area of the city where there are celebrations and only happiness, with no sad or grieving face ever seen.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Tally and Peris are Uglies, but Peris would leave for his surgery first as he is older. He is excited about it as the batch is welcomed to a new world by the representatives of the new world. The two have scars on their hands, which they promise to keep despite the procedure means to make them perfect without even such a scar. They also promise to meet again and rekindle their friendship. But as she finds him again, she realizes that he is not really bothered about her, and had even broken the promise by getting the scar on the hand removed. This leaves Tally sad and depressed, but is forced to flee the area as she is chased by machines, but is helped by Shay (Brianne Tju) who has been planning to rebel against the government. Shay is hoping to travel to “The Smoke”, a land of freedom within nature based on a book written Henry David Thoreau, one of the last copies of those older books available during the time when not much has remained against chaos.

And what more is to follow as things get stranger and weird? :: Shay who becomes best friends with Tally, asks her to reject the surgery and remain what she really is. She believes that hope is in the outskirts of the city and only a man named David (Keith Powers) who leads the resistance against the government can lead them to hope and truth, and they will remain who they really are, not perfect, but as the right people. As Shay leaves Tally to find David in the outskirts of the city, Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox) hold the surgical procedure of Tally. She tells Tally that that David is a dangerous man who will hurt Shay, and is building a weapon to destroy the city and what remains of this perfect civilization. Cable feels that only Tally can find Shay as their friendship is very deep. She asks Tally to do something right now and save her new friend, and find herself becomes the perfect person among Pretties and rejoin with her former best friend. She wonders if this is the right thing to do, but as she cares for Shay and her own surgery, she would have to agree. But how far will she go to achieve her newly found objective?

The defence of Uglies :: The movie is led nicely by Joey King and Brianne Tju follows the same path really well. The themes remain very much clearly seen, from beauty standards to conforming to the laws and freedom as well as self-worth. The impact of technology on people is clearly seen and also its adverse effects on the environment. It reminds us that the future will never be bright, and that there will always be someone to control humanity. The movie seems to have built a world that we will remember for long, as there is a bright one, a devastated one and one in between, all of them looking like a lot of work has been done around here. The stylish world of the Pretties world will surely catch the attention of lovers of futuristic designs and the other world is of interest to the lovers of post-apocalyptic and dystopian situations. The looks of different sections of people also get our attention. There is also some fine futuristic action as the movie gets to an end, a certain amount of mystery is also felt around here. There is surely hope for a future sequel too considering where the movie ended.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s supporting cast do not come up with that much as we look at it, and the characters are also not that much developed except for the two main ladies. The story does seem to be just a repetition of what we have been seeing all the time, and it does not bring that much of a change when on the screen. There is not that much time taken in making the world better, as there are more things under-explored than what is shown in style. The archetypes seem to be given more focus not just with the situations and the world, but also with the characters who give the feeling that we have surely seen them before. There could have been more commitment around here, and even with themes, going deeper does not seem to be something of relevance here. The ending is also not that strong, even if it was meant to stay faithful to the novel. It is a case of wonder why so much power is not felt around here, even though such strong themes are dealt with, and from the title itself, the exploration of the themes seems to begin and only feel like getting stronger as the world moves forward.

How it finishes :: The movie goes through the pattern set by The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner and Divergent, with the setup closest to the last one mentioned – then there are these movies‘ sequels. If you like these movies and its sequels coming right out the Young Adult movies, you are sure to like this one too, for the world and action remains interesting with themes and messages that catch our attention, despite not using the strengths to the best or finishing that well as one would expect from a movie like this. The lack of originality and the presence of predictability do not affect this one like in some other cases, as it remains visually that good and the leading lady handles the situation well, and as messages are rather direct, there is no holding back. As it released directly to Netflix, the visual style might not be that powerfully felt, but this is the kind of entertainment that we can have on a fine weekend, and there is no shortage of enjoyment in this movie of the post-apocalyptic and dystopic future that would come to us in one way or the other.

Release date: 13th September 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Joseph McGinty Nichol
Starring: Joey King, Keith Powers, Chase Stokes, Brianne Tju, Jan Luis Castellanos, Charmin Lee, Laverne Cox

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Survive

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Vampire Owl: Do you think that we really need another movie on survival?

Vampire Bat: Well, we are surviving right now. So, this is a realistic movie.

Vampire Owl: Does this have someone’s survival for centuries?

Vampire Bat: I think that this is just about a few days, maximum.

Vampire Owl: So, they are dealing with some crisis which would not matter for vampires.

Vampire Bat: You should understand that everything matters for vampires.

Vampire Owl: We are people of the past. So, future should not matter to us.

Vampire Bat: We live in the present whether we are in the past or future.

Vampire Owl: We do not live in timelines, we never did.

Vampire Bat: We blended in, and we become part of the nocturnal world then.

[Gets a kathi roll and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: A family of four have been celebrating togetherness – Tom (Andreas Pietschmann), an expert oceanographer, Julia (Émilie Dequenne), an experienced doctor, and their two children Cassie (Lisa Delamar) and Ben (Lucas Ebel) are on a yacht named Orca somewhere in the Caribbean area, celebrating the boy’s thirteenth birthday and enjoying vacation, even though the girl does seem to miss her boyfriend too much, and finds the trip boring without his presence. She keeps making video calls to him even though the network connectivity is very low, often ruining family moments. This is a family vacation that occurs after quite a long time. There is something strange happening around though, as expert swimmer Julia almost drowns with sea getting rougher than usual, and whales also seems to flee, with some problems seemingly occurring with the compass too. There is a violent storm that also follows, and the family keeps themselves safe within the deck of the ship, passing out in the process.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As they wake up next morning after the storm, the family is shocked to find out that the ocean has disappeared — there is no water, as the ocean bed has exposed itself as a strange desert. Tom feels that the poles of the planet have been reversed, leaving the oceans at what used to be land and vice versa. Even though there is no reply to their distress calls, they are finally able to contact Nao (Olivier Ho Hio Hen), a submariner who found himself on land from underneath the ocean floor all of a sudden. He feels that the poles will flip again in about a week and that the seas will return violently, devouring everything without trace. He offers his submarine as a safe location, with space for two more people, and Tom and wife quickly asks him to save their children. Nao gives them the coordinates, and they decide to start their journey only to find that something more has been unleashed there. Can they survive the unexpected terror on the way?

The defence of Survive :: A family trying to survive when there is almost no chance to do so is always worth our attention. After all, families staying together these days has been a rare thing as we look at most of them. The apocalyptic twist used here is nice, and nicely changed from the usual things which we keep finding everywhere. The end of the world has been shown clearly with only a few characters and grandeur of destruction is still felt. The visuals of a dry world nicely add to the same, and feels like a classic apocalypse with a twist to the incidents causing the same. The fine looks along with the sounds to set the mood has us interested early enough. The newly formed desert world is as interesting as the creatures and the debris that goes through them to make us feel the effect of the catastrophe rather than to spread fear. With action here and there and the family bonding moments, it does not drag, but keep the pace going – it is quite a short film indeed, and we are never out of the apocalyptic mood.

The claws of flaw :: The grand idea could have had further grandeur could have come up with a spectacle that we would remember for what is shown on the screen. There could have been some shots which would stay in our minds forever and remind us of this movie – the iconic shots could have been here, as the opportunity was clearly there. The idea of being terrifying is not that much around, and it never really gets into full fun either. Also, everything happens all of a sudden, and there is not much of an explanation for all these strange of end of the world incidents. The characters do not develop that much, and children show irritating side at times. The end also seems rushed, as if it has come around too soon after accelerating a little too much in the final moments. This is not that kind of a movie which we would feel the need to watch again, even with moments. The idea had possibilities from not just the ocean, but also from the newly formed wastelands and nature behaving strange.

The performers of the soul :: The movie had to depend on its performances, as there are only a few characters and the focus is so much on them. There is no scope for falling behind with this particular aspect, as the grandeur of the visuals make way for the characters with ease. Émilie Dequenne plays the mother and doctor figure trying to save her family, and she shows the fight so well, fighting against all odds. Andreas Pietschmann plays the protector, the strong father who keeps hoping to save his children and wife even at the cost of his own life. The two manages the role so well that they make the perfect parents. Lucas Ebel adds more or less to the emotional side as the child who needs support. Lisa Delamar lays the younger child with emotional problems and tension with other members of the family. From the beginning stage itself, we see she wants to be with her boyfriend and not with the family, and the rebel role is managed well. Arben Bajraktaraj and Olivier Ho Hio Hen adds well in support.

How it finishes :: Survival against all odds when even nature goes against you is something a lot more interesting than one can think about. This movie manages to be successful in doing the same even though not without the feeling that the grand idea did not get the execution it really deserved – still, it manages to rise well and create something of interest and remain entertaining from the beginning stages itself. With quality added to its visuals and the tense moments which brings the thrills in an apocalyptic world, one would appreciate the effort behind the movie. We would still keep wondering how huge this movie with such a premise and idea could have become, as we see movies like Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra and Minnal Murali doing so much with such a low budget in this part of the world. Then you see a family surviving in a world without hope, and it could even have a sequel that could expand things. Well, good people will always find themselves in trouble, and evil survives and thrives, doesn’t it?

Release date: 19th June 2024
Running time: 86 minutes
Directed by: Frédéric Jardin
Starring: Émilie Dequenne, Andreas Pietschmann, Lisa Delamar, Lucas Ebel

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Infinite Earths III

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

Vampire Bat: There is no true meaning of infinity.

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

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

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

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

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

Vampire Bat: The world is quickly traveling towards infinity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Infinite Earths I

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

Vampire Bat: There are no parallel universes in our world

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Furiosa

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Vampire Owl: I remember watching Mad Max: Fury Road.

Vampire Bat: Yes, that was when you arrived late in the movie theatre.

Vampire Owl: I was not that late because there were too many advertisements.

Vampire Bat: Still, you arrive late each and every time.

Vampire Owl: I am only as late as it is required of me.

Vampire Bat: You fail to watch the beginning of every movie.

Vampire Owl: Some of the beginnings are not that worthy to be watched.

Vampire Bat: What is a movie without its beginning?

Vampire Owl: We often start our vampire lives in the middle, don’t we?

Vampire Bat: I would agree to that. Why shouldn’t I?

[Gets a chilly chicken pizza and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Many decades have passed after the grand apocalypse that has turned the lands to the wastelands with no hope of returning to the green glory. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) maintains control over the wastelands with his biker gang and manages to get his hands on a child who seems to be from a land of plenty far outside the world known to them. With her mother who attacks them tortured to death for not revealing the location of that particular place, he adopts the child as his own without hesitation while murdering anyone who has a second opinion about such ideas. Years later, there is new clue about the place with abundant resources, and Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme) who rules the Citadel with hidden resources finds himself attacked by Dementus and his gang, but manages to defeat the bikers with ease with the help of his fanatic, suicidal War Boys. Dementus manages to capture Gastown, an oil refinery which supplies power to the Citadel, which helps him to come up with a deal for resources from Immortan Joe, but losses the child Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) in the process.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Furiosa manages to escape from being the future wife of Immortan Joe or any of his children, and disguised as a mute War Boy, Furiosa works her way up through the ranks of Citadel. She helps them in building the War Rig, a heavily armed fuel supply tanker that could survive the wastelands where there is no law, but ruthlessness. As she teams up with Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke) and manages to win impossible battles, she becomes Jack’s second-in-command and is promoted to the ranks of a Praetorian, despite everyone including Immortal Joe coming to know that she is not a War Boy, but a girl in disguise. She gets the honour and privilege in the Citadel, even from the toughest warriors, and is feared by many. But she does not stop thinking about escaping from the situation and go back to her original home and live with her people. For this, Jack also pledges to support her, and they make plans to escape. But can they really get away from the Citadel? And what will Dementus at Gastown think about it?

The defence of Furiosa :: Here is one prequel that leads well to the next one with its story and the narrative. The establishment of connection seems to be one thing done with precision and so is the choice of the main character, the titular person who makes all the difference, even though the other characters often get lost in the process. The fights here would not seem any big for those who have watched the predecessor, which set the world as something grand for vehicular mayhem, but this one adds the emotional touch to it, to make things feel better. The world still looks grand, with the land after apocalypse is just as we would expect it to be, both with the looks and the content. The feeling of danger is there, and so is hopelessness, as we see a world without greenery of expectations – the environment seems to have finally met its end here, as it expected with so many fake environment lovers wandering around even in our world who make absolutely no impact, and instead creates some nonsense just to escape from their responsibilities, and in the process, wastes the time of people and much of the resources too. At the same time, the fights on the truck remains the best, and the titular character is a classic action character doing the same, and the support makes an impact too.

The claws of flaw :: Slower than its predecessor and with its main character talking so less, the movie has a little bit of struggle at times to keep going on a path similar to what happened on that Fury Road with Max. It takes too much time to get into action and has too long a run-time. There is also too much time when nothing really happens. The green place is not a believable thing at all in that world, considering the various features of it, even though after an apocalypse, everything else shown there feels not just real within that universe, but even possible now. The greenery in the nothingness would have been better if it was established as something not that big. Then, the villain is too unpredictable, and it’s the kind of villainy that takes the funny side for no reason instead of staying menacing at all times. It keeps one wondering if the same thing happened because of the Thor series going dumb and silly after Thor: Ragnarok. We know that there has not been a likable Thor with the same actor since that classic movie with God of Thunder fighting the Goddess of Death. It could be the Marvel foolishness discovery syndrome. The franchise which was full of vehicular mayhem could have done better with this one and should have come at least close to the fast-paced quality of the screen that was displayed by its predecessor.

The performers of the soul :: The movie belongs to Anya Taylor-Joy who comes up with a performance which perfectly blends into the mood of the movie, and we feel with her here. Alyla Browne who plays the same character at a younger age is not that far behind in performance either. Anya excels with her facial expressions, limited dialogues and the actions sequences which seems to make a point that she has got a diversion from The Witch, Morgan, Split and Glass. From the possibility of becoming the next scream queen, she might be going on to be the one action star whom we can have in those futuristic action movies that have had remakes in the past or are going for a few, Total Recall for example. It is sad that most of her movies never really released in this part of the world, and even if they did, never really had enough screens to prove their existence in busy theatres showing movies of too many languages. Chris Hemsworth makes a fine impact, but the focus is never really on him, and we end up forgetting him due to the way the movie is written. So, it is Tom Burke who makes the next fine impact. Then there is Charlee Fraser who rules the first few minutes of the movie.

How it finishes :: The movie could have been better than Mad Max: Fury Road, but that level is surely not reached. A prequel could have done so much, but this one only manages to connect well and add a little bit more of reason of the happenings of the film which released earlier. There is no bigger battle or something of grandeur that raises the level of this one, as it goes through a slower path. But this one manages to do its job as a prequel which acts as a raising stone for sure. With some fine performances, one can be sure to enjoy the Fury Road better after watching this tale of Furiosa – it is how things should go, and not the other way around. If this prequel is watched first, the quality of the 2014 movie would improve even more, and that should be the way to go. This one provides the wastelands with a beginning for the new generation, as the other movies of the series go a long way behind, and they were never among the best known action films in this part of the world for sure.

Release date: 24th May 2024
Running time: 148 minutes
Directed by: George Miller
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, George Shevtsov, Lachy Hulme, John Howard, Angus Sampson, Charlee Fraser, Elsa Pataky, Nathan Jones, Josh Helman, David Field, Rahel Romahn, David Collins, Goran D Kleut, C J Bloomfield, Ian Roberts, Guy Spence, Rob Jones, Clarence Ryan, Tim Burns, Quaden Bayles

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Atlas

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Vampire Owl: I have known others with the name Atlas before.

Vampire Bat: I believe that it was Cloud Atlas.

Vampire Owl: So, you feel that there is nothing common among the two.

Vampire Bat: There should be a little bit of future related things in both.

Vampire Owl: A world of future never gets old in the past or present.

Vampire Bat: Well, the future does seem to be very much different than what we thought many years ago.

Vampire Owl: Yes, third world war is too late in human world.

Vampire Bat: And the space colonization has been delayed too much.

Vampire Owl: What about time travel? I believe that there was going to be a time machine with a rage of 10000 BC to 12000 AD.

Vampire Bat: Well, we do not even have teleportation yet.

[Gets some Paneer 65 and three cups of orange tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is the year 2043, and humanoid artificial intelligence terrorist Harlan Shepherd (Simu Liu) leads a war of machines against humans, which leaves about three million people dead, proving the scientist who adopted him as his son, and the founder of the programme Val Shepherd (Lana Parrilla) wrong in her theories and expectations about a better future with Artificial Intelligence. The group of machines seem to be too powerful a force to counter for any nation and its military power. An apocalyptic event which soon lead to the extinction of humanity seems imminent, with Harlan having full access to all machines and controlling all similar forces. There are talks around and the military forces of the world join together to form a group known as International Coalition of Nations (ICN), and this leads to the humans finally winning many battles against Harlan much to the dismay of the machines. This forces him to escape Earth and locate himself in outer space, with a promise to come back and finish what he had started with determination.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After twenty-eight years pass without the machines making any direct battles with humans, Atlas Maru Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez), an analyst, the daughter of Harlan’s designer, has been hunting for a chance to find the escaped machines who are responsible for that near-apocalyptic event. After one of Harlan’s AI agents is captured and interrogated by her using special techniques, she finds out that Harlan can be found on a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. As she provides this information to the others, keeps insisting that she should come along and face Harlan, something which she has wanted to do for a very long time. The military hopes to use AI-assisted giant robots known as ARCs which connect to human rangers through a neural link, but Atlas in not ready for the same as she distrusts all kinds of Artificial Intelligence. But Harlan’s drones attack their spaceship just before entering the planet’s atmosphere, and Atlas is forced to enter an ARC herself and falls right on to the planet’s surface.

And what more can happen between humans and machines now? :: Atlas is not happy about her situation within a machine, but she manages to gain basic control of the ARC despite her distrust of the Artificial Intelligence who introduces itself as Smith in a very friendly manner. As they move, the two combine forces and soon find the rest of the rangers dead, and somehow manages to escape to escape from the humanoids chasing them despite the link between her and the machine being weak. She reluctantly agrees to directly interface her mind with Smith, allowing for greater control of the ARC. This allows them to move on with a hope to escape, as finding and defeating Harlan seems to be almost impossible now as she is no monster hunter and the enemy is too strong. But is there still a chance to stop Harlan, and should they take it instead of going through the route to the escape pod? Is there something they can do, and is there a chance that Harlan will directly come to get them? Is Harlan actually a villain or is there something more to him than what meets the eye?

The defence of Atlas :: The biggest advantage of this movie is its stunning visuals with some fine Computer-Generated Imagery and visual effects that elevates this movie so much that people would have wanted to watch the same on the big screen. The spaceships, visuals of space and the planet in Proxima Centauri, along with the stylish AI machines are joy to watch, often reminding one of some computer games – remembering MissionForce: CyberStorm of 1996. Then we know Pacific Rim and its sequel. The messages of Artificial Intelligence and trust, along with the idea about human future being devastation does keep all the thinking going forward. All the action makes things more interesting, and the alien planet is something that everyone would look forward to. Jennifer Lopez mostly manages to handle this quite well, even though the role would have suited a newer, younger or lesser-known actress better with the tale seemingly going in that path. There are no unnecessary complications of science here though, and without an Interstellar-kind of scientific overdose, the move scores more on the true science-fiction and not that science-reality mode that keeps the viewers struggling. The Mech-AI and bonding feels nice too.

The claws of flaw :: The movie not having a younger main character to suit the situation more does hurt it at times, and there are moments when it seems to go into a silly mode. There is too much focus on one character even when this is about saving the world. It does not feel appropriate to see that the most trained leader of the rangers and his fully matched AI companion falls too easily while the analyst gets to defeat advanced Artificial Intelligence humanoids with powerful weapons with ease – it is quite the disgrace to the soldiers and their battle-hardened commander intending on saving the world. Somehow, their only duty seems to be focused on keeping the seemingly useless emotionally struggling elder lady who might be mostly out control, safe at all times. In that case, they should have kept her back home, as she is nowhere close to as guide as she claimed to be with the Artificial Intelligence leader, with her missing out on the most predictable part of the movie. The basic idea about Artificial Intelligence seems to be overused, even though we do not come to know that it is what we are dealing with, until the movie is somewhat closer to its end.

How it finishes :: Atlas could have surely been a better movie with less predictability, with more of a consideration on its basic strengths, but it remains an entertainer, and for that much there is no doubt. The repetition itself holds it down, but the same seems to be the one thing that would drive movies like this forever. The film was surely not well-received by the critics and Jennifer Lopez was even nominated for the Worst Actress category at the Golden Raspberry Awards – but you know that critics often make no sense, as they recently did with Madame Web, and we know that even the best movies do not make money, like John Carter. This movie could have at least received some accolades for its graphics and visuals, for the settings in space need not always be this good, and not all science fiction are spectacles of this quality, not even those much-famed superhero movies of Marvel. You watch this one for the beauty on the screen and another world of future with an emotional and classic touch. Well, you need movies like these at regular intervals to keep the love for science fiction going, and not those silly stuff which deviates from the genre’s core.

Release date: 24th May 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: Brad Peyton
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K Brown, Mark Strong, Gregory James Cohan, Abraham Popoola, Lana Parrilla

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Apocalypse Z

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Vampire Owl: Are we going to watch the end of the world again?

Vampire Bat: We are never tired of watching it.

Vampire Owl: Would this be like World War Z?

Vampire Bat: Well, there is never really a shortage of movies showing the end.

Vampire Owl: How beautiful can the end of the world be?

Vampire Bat: I would say that it would be a life with less anxiety and depression.

Vampire Owl: Train to Busan showed a lot of anxiety.

Vampire Bat: It was lessened with Peninsula, right?

Vampire Owl: You know where Resident Evil stands.

Vampire Bat: Still, not all sequels of Resident Evil stands at the same level.

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

What is the movie about? :: Manel (Francisco Ortiz) and his wife Julia (Iria del Río) returns home after visiting his sister Belén (Marta Poveda) and her husband Mario (Oriol Ruiz), and meets with an accident on road while losing focus during an argument about having children. Following the incident, he leaves the town and lives in isolation with his cat. Due to the same reason, he does not care about a new virus called TSJ which has spread around the nation and even outside the continent like COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Then, the one thing which is not said in the news is that this particular pandemic differs from the corona virus and would cause people to turn into flesh-eating zombies. The whole Europe has been under attack and going down for some time, and the Germans had already evacuated Berlin. As Belén’s family is evacuated to the Canary Islands, Manel tries to join them, the government closes the borders, and declares a general state of emergency which cancels all the flights and leaves people where they are.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: With no option to join his sister and brother-in-law, and having all routes closed, he promises her that he will stay there safe and within the house, only to lose all internet and communications soon enough. While going out to collect supplies, he finds out that people are quickly turning into zombies, and finds even police officers turning into zombies or killing themselves to escape from the terrible fate. Running out of supplies and while searching for food in nearby homes, he comes across an old lady named Gabriela (Amalia Gómez) who has also run out food herself. They help each other, as she knows where he could find the food and he get them with relative ease. Soon, they are able to intercept a radio transmission which has a message from the survivors who feel that they would be evacuated soon and it is safe where they were staying. This provides hope for both of them, even though Gabriela is not sure if she would survive the journey.

And what more can follow in a zombie-infested world? :: Gabriela understands that she would only slow him down and could end up being a burden, and commits suicide when Manel comes to get her on the next day. This leaves him and his cat to go through the journey to the place which might be a safe haven. With the cat Lúculo, and with a diving suit and a speargun for defense, Manel barely manages to escape from a zombie horde, but finds all larger boats either taken away or unusable. After finding a little zombie toddler, he is only able to use an inflatable dinghy to travel to his destination, with all roads taken over by zombies. On the way, he finds a few Russians who asks for his help while on the way and offers him a cabin to stay in their big boat. But Manel feels that the Russians are not that straightforward as they claim to be, even though the only person in the ship who can speak Spanish denies his suspicions. Now, it seems that it would not be that easy to get away and reach the new place which is claimed as a safe house. Can he somehow do what he has been planning to?

The defence of Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End :: Some of the most interesting foreign movies which I have watched were in Spanish, and the movies like The Platform has always gained the attention of a wider audience. As the main character grapples with the zombie-powered societal collapse and fights to reunite with his only family, this movie remains strong both as an emotional as well as terrifying one, with an adventure that keeps us going. The man’s survival from a tragic loss makes this another journey of a flawed character who wishes to finally get back to his family from that self-inflicted solitude. All those real‑world COVID-19 pandemic responses like acts of selfishness which are not limited to panic buying, along with those lockdowns and quarantine that we have experienced will keep us close to the movie’s reality, for it does not give away the fact that there are zombies involved until quite some time into the film. The terrifying elements do follow, and they are pretty much effective along with the emotional side.

Positives and negatives :: There might be similarities to the other titles dealing with similar topics, and it is not easy to come out of that feeling that we know what would happen, and it is know how this would keep going. Yet, powered by the performance provided by Francisco Ortiz, the movie rises above the usual expectations. One cannot help wondering how well the Spanish movies have managed to keep its side strong, no matter what kind of a genre it deals with. The support is really good too, even from the kids and one cat. There is a certain amount of realism when the zombies are shown, as they also seem as much desperate as humans for food, seemingly emotional too, unlike the usual mindless displays. It is also based on the novel by Manel Loureiro, and how much this one stay close or deviates from the original, is something we can only understand from the fans of book. The heartfelt zombie film seems to be appreciated enough to bring more viewers to the same on OTT.

How it finishes :: We are never short of some fine zombie movies, and the apocalypse is something we can never stop waiting for, whether in fiction or in reality as an inevitable fate. There is a fine journey through the world affected by the terrifying zombie reality which is slowly destroying the world as it is known. The terrible situation is shown with a fine scary side as much the emotional moments which makes this one a thriller drama as well as part of the genres of horror and adventure. This movie becomes another addition to that fine list. The ending makes sure that a scope for sequel is there to be taken, and from what is heard, it is there to come soon enough. Among the movies about the end of the world, it seems that the Spanish has managed to get on a higher level. We can have many similar movies to follow, but in between the earlier movies and those which are to come, this one has maintained some fine class while keeping the entertaining side high enough.

Release date: 31st October 2024
Running time: 118 minutes
Directed by: Carles Torrens
Starring: Francisco Ortiz, José María Yazpik, Berta Vázquez, Iria del Río, Marta Poveda, Amalia Gómez, María Salgueiro, Yuri Mikhaylychenko, Oriol Ruiz

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Outside

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Vampire Owl: It has been a long time since a zombie attack.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that they are preparing for an apocalypse.

Vampire Owl: There can be no zombie apocalypse in the undead world.

Vampire Bat: You feel that vampires cannot turn into zombies.

Vampire Owl: Yes, the undead are already transformed around here.

Vampire Bat: Not even when a zombie bites a vampire?

Vampire Owl: Well, vampires would bite them first and they would still remain zombies.

Vampire Bat: Becoming a vampire is an upgrade which they cannot have.

Vampire Owl: You mean vampires can go into base zombie forms instead.

Vampire Bat: Yes, it might be a first, but surely possible.

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

What is the movie about? :: Francis (Sid Lucero), his wife Iris (Beauty Gonzalez), and two sons Joshua (Marco Masa) and Lucas (Aiden Tyler Patdu) are trying to survive during a zombie outbreak which plagued their city. They run away to an old, abandoned plantation and farm house owned by Francis’ father, hoping for safety. Even though he finds his father dead by suicide before infection, her mother comes to him as a zombie, and he is forced to kill her. They decide to stay there for now, as the zombie infestation seems to have affected the area only in a lesser way. It is a world where there is no electricity or mobile phone signal. Iris feels that they should travel further north it was supposed to be safer there. Even though Joshua also feels that the northern side is safer, Francis feels that he should remain at his ancestral home to be safe, despite having terrible memories about the place from his past. With some difficulty, Iris manages to convince Francis that it is the best to move forward as the place was already attacked by zombies.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Francis is bothered by his memories of the troubled past during the childhood and the fact that Iris had cheated him with his brother and the elder son was born of the brother. But they have been forgetting that past and moving on. They go back to the plantation and decides to spend they remaining days there as there is just enough for them to live through the days in peace. Francise also manages to find some fuel to keep the electricity running. It is then that Francis’ brother Diego (James Blanco) comes home while travelling towards north. But Francis asks him to leave, as he feels that it would be a strain for him and his relationship with the family. Diego is hopeful of a better future in the north and leaves a map with Francis, who decides to burn it instead. Joshua is more irritated with the actions of his father, and hopes that he could leave. It is then that an injured soldier reaches the farm – what would this mean to all of them and how will it change the situation?

The defence of Outside :: This is surely not your usual zombie outbreak movie even though it is the same in the background. There are lots of thing happening in this movie, and a zombie apocalypse is just one of them, while emotions run strong on the front. The scary side takes the secondary role as the human feelings make an impact. We see a family, especially two parents trying to make it happen for their children and keep them alive. The choices that they make finally lead to that end which remains uncertain, and as we go through this journey with them, we feel as much we understand the danger that surrounds them. Even with focus on emotions, the world past the apocalypse is well-detailed and we see enough zombies for it to stay close to the genre. There has always been something about family in trouble during an apocalypse with monsters around, like in A Quiet Place and its worthy sequel. This is the kind of situation where the viewers can place themselves, and the fear about zombies not just of the appearance, but of their existence as creatures that had an identity to remember, and one will know that tragedy when they encounter them in this movie.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have used a little more of its zombies to create an effect, that of the prevailing danger, which is often lost in the emotional problems that occur in between. As much as the human feelings that work, the realization that this is a movie on zombie outbreak needs to have us moving forward. There will always be something else that is expected of a zombie movie, close to the infections and far away from the human interaction. You know that you are looking for less dialogues and more action whenever there is an apocalyptic event. You can have all the dialogues later when you are ready to rebuild and are doing the same. There could have also been more interesting characters, except for those who are there for a short period of time. The night and darkness could have also been used more. Some classic horror with the usual elements would have also done this movie better.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is indeed blessed with some fine performance, added nicely with emotions running above an apocalypse, as horror makes way for the feelings efficiently due to these performances. You do not usually see the emotions displayed this well when there is horror taking the base and keep the tale of a terrifying world going in the background. Sid Lucero as Francis steals the show in one of the most emotional performances that you will see around, playing a man troubled by his long gone past as much as his immediate past, living in a confusing past and uncertain future. This is that kind of a world for him where even hope is uncertain. Beauty Gonzalez who plays the only female character to be seen as human in the movie does not lag either, as we get to see a memorable performance instead of the usual running around by heroines that leads to a predictable end. Then, it is to be noted that the kids also do so well within the movie, and their work is surely a reflection of bigger things to come. We do not really know these performers, but we are immersed in their work, as we are provided a realistic side with the same in an unreal, but highly possible world as it has been depicted.

How it finishes :: This is the first Filipino movie review on this website, and after twelve years of its existence, here is one, and the right movie indeed to be reviewed as the first one. There have been some south-east Asian film reviews from Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai to Chinese and Korean – this one gets to that list as the thirty-first language movie around here. It is great to have a post-apocalyptic movie for the purpose, just like my first novel, and this is a version of zombie apocalypse that I enjoyed. I would have loved to have more horror here, but there is still enough to be taken from this world. This is a slow, but effective journey through a world affected by flesh-eaters. This will not be your Train to Busan, Resident Evil or Warm Bodies with its zombies, but something different, and even in an undead world, as close to reality as it can get. You expect a zombie apocalypse, and you expect this one – you can also go for my novel, Wrath of the Future which is available on Amazon which has enough of end of the world scenarios with similar creatures.

Release date: 17th October 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 142 minutes
Directed by: Carlo Ledesma
Starring: Sid Lucero, Beauty Gonzalez, Marco Masa, Aiden Tyler Patdu, Joel Torre, James Blanco, Enchong Dee, Bing Pimentel

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Colony

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Vampire Owl: I feel that there will be a lot of dead humans in this movie.

Vampire Bat: Humans will still continue to exist with their souls.

Vampire Owl: Why are the humans supposed to have souls?

Vampire Bat: I guess that is because we are always in need of evil human spirits.

Vampire Owl: You mean, like the ghost which cleans the rooms of the castle?

Vampire Bat: Yes, such works are specifically reserved for the strange souls rejected by heaven, hell and purgatory.

Vampire Owl: I thought that they were souls of wizards or sorcerers. The costume seemed to point in that direction only.

Vampire Bat: Well, that is a lady who died during a fashion show.

Vampire Owl: Okay, at least it is not someone who died during a Halloween party.

Vampire Bat: You can at least be glad that this is not an evil spirit who wants to haunt the castle during the nights.

[Gets a ghee roast and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: The story takes place in a distant future in which multiple reasons like climate change, war and pandemics have made the earth not worthy of supporting life. But the elite class has successfully escaped from the misery to settle on Kepler 209, a space colony. After two generations, the rich and the elite are ready to try and find out if a return to Earth is possible through the Ulysses Project. Even though they have advanced science and technology out there, the heavy radiation has left the people of Kepler 209 mostly infertile. First mission to Earth was lost shortly after landing, but the second one named Ulysses 2 begins shortly enough. Louise Blake (Nora Arnezeder) arrives with her crew and crashlands on Earth. Tucker (Sope Dirisu) is the only other survivor of the crash. They are glad to understand that there is no radiation on Earth, despite all those terrible wars of destruction and global warming. They hope to collect enough data from the planet and take them back so that the scientists up there can make an analysis about the same.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They are able to find lifeforms which are able to reproduce, and wonders if they will be able to adapt to the situation and be able for reproduction if they indulge in sex too. It also seems that the weather has managed to become a little too intense than they had known, and there is so much of flatlands with less visibility all around. At the same time, a few people attacks the space shuttle, and attacks both of them, taking them prisoners. These people seems to have very primitive technology in comparison to what they possess. The people talked in some strange languages and used bows and arrows as weapons, while living in an area which seems to be in the middle of nowhere. They destroy almost everything in the pod which can be used for communication or exploration. Tucker who lost too much blood decides to commit suicide against Blake’s assurance that he is eight seven percentage fertility match for her to have a child if they have sexual intercourse soon enough.

And what more is to happen in this world which seems to have no hope for future? :: After the death of Tucker, Blake is left in a well which has water up to her thighs. She almost drowns as water comes into this particular settlement, and is only saved at the last minute. She remember what she was taught about the planet, and continues to hope about Earth. She remembers that there were always hope about the planet if they could find the right area to grow a new Earth, as much as there was chance for reproduction against all odds. Soon, the area is raided by a group of hostile humans who kidnap all of them. The locals are captured and taken to a huge space that is located above the continuous storms and floods which terribly affects the people around. Now, Blake finds herself in a situation for which she was not prepared at all. Now, the question remains if she can defy all odds to get what she wants. With more ruthless humans being added to the list of enemies that she has to face, can she do what is enough to help these people and also those who are left in their space station? Is there still hope for a better future on Earth?

Defence of The Colony a.k.a. Tides :: This is one post-apocalyptic movie which is imaginative enough, but at the same time, is also close enough to keeping the whole thing as real as possible, despite having the chances to go the other way on many occasions. Nora Arnezeder who leads the cast comes up with a pretty good performance too. The world is nicely created, with water all around, and the premise helps it to progress nicely to the one goal that is revealed later. They surely have done some nice work with the computer generated imagery and some special effects to make it feel real.It does have the theme of racial supremacy in there too, as the races having advanced science and technology with them don’t stop enslaving people – such need for control and hatred for the other within humans is reflected yet again, and so is the corruption of science which goes deep into humanity. There are also some small twists added in here, and the secrets of this mostly devastated Earth could use a sequel too. It is still nice to see that they haven’t chosen Mars or its moons this time, and makes use of another world, even though that area is not shown.

The claws of flaw :: The movie begins slow, and is mostly predictable through its first half of the run, until things do change in the later moments. As we have movies like these, there are always those things which keep on getting repeated. With a fine premise in here, the movie could have always done better, and it doesn’t add anything further, even though the chance for a certain fortification was always there. The central problem here shifts to the need for reproduction instead of having a green Earth to live on, and that is a quick transformation, and same doesn’t get explored properly either, as the movie changes the focus to emotions and kids added to take it further. There could have been some bigger shocks and twists related to the same, but the movie just continues to play it safe, and the question remains if there was the need for the same. It is also surprising that a technologically advanced group of humans depicted in the film are not good enough to expect or fight the rather primitive locals who have lived without science and technology for so many years on Earth – even their space shuttle is not good enough when we look close.

How it finishes :: Also known as Tides, this is a less known movie which can surely use our attention. There has been some interesting post-apocalyptic science fiction works with a certain amount of depression associated with them like Oblivion and Io. For the full action apocalypse, we have always had Resident Evil movies or those belonging to the Mad Max world. Then there would be Elysium with a message. Our movie here has its own space. The divergence that we see here is pretty much acceptable. Well, we know what the future of our world will be about, and we are waiting for the terrible things to happen, just like what is seen in the movie or even worse – the wars are there, ready to go nuclear; the global warming is also there, ready to devour the lands and people; pandemics have been unleashed, ready to bring more deviations of viruses; we can only be prepared for the same, and watch movies like this one. As we know at all times, the reflection is here, as the most scientifically advanced community will always be the most godless and the most advanced in not believing in goodness.

Release date: 27th August 2021
Running time: 104 minutes
Directed by: Tim Fehlbaum
Starring: Nora Arnezeder, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Iain Glen, Joel Basman, Sebastian Roche, Bella Bading, Sope Dirisu, Cloe Albertine Heinrich

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

A Quiet Place II

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Vampire Owl: Well, this one is quite a place.

Vampire Bat: They are talking about quiet places only.

Vampire Owl: Well, our castle is quiet enough, especially during day time.

Vampire Bat: There is too much of murmuring in there.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about the intellectual voice transfer.

Vampire Bat: How can you give it such fancy names?

Vampire Owl: It is the name which the vampire elders preferred.

Vampire Bat: The vampire elders are too old to call anything by any name.

Vampire Owl: It is also another Dr Frankenstein approved thing.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein can’t even approve himself as a doctor.

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

What is the movie about? :: Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt), Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) and their children, along with other spectators, witness the arrival of a strange object resembling an asteroid landing on Earth, while attending a little league game. Even though it lands some distance away from them, it scares them due to the size and sound being involved there. People in the town seems to be already in a state of panic. The police seems to be heading there, but already, some strange extraterrestrial creatures are attacking people. As the aliens cause chaos everywhere, the vehicles on the street are out of control, and people look for shelter. It turns out that the creatures are extremely hostile, tearing people into pieces using their extreme speed and strength, while being protected by what seems to be armoured skin. But the creatures are blind, and yet with hypersensitive hearing, would attack anything that makes even the slightest noise. The police seems to be ineffective against them, as their skin can stand the gunshots with ease.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: An year later, the alien creatures have brutally murdered most of the Earth’s population. With her husband dead while trying to protect her, Evelyn tries to survive with her kids, while their Regan Abbott (Millicent Simmonds)m their dumb and deaf daughter discovers a high-frequency audio feedback which can make the aliens vulnerable, and the same could be transmitted from her implant through a microphone. Her son, Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) also hopes to make something out of it, while also searching for a new home. On the way, the group accidentally triggers a sound alarm, alerting the creatures. At the same time, Marcus also steps into a bear trap and screams, thus alerting the creature again. They manage to one creature using the audio device and gun, while escaping from the other. They are taken to a soundproof hideout by one of their old friends, Emmett (Cillian Murphy) who lives in an abandoned steel foundry.

And what more is to follow in a world infested by ruthless alien creatures? :: Emmett had turned cynical and with no hope at all about future after all members of her family died, leaving him to survive for no reason. He feels that the humans who are left are not worth saving at all, even if there is something left. He also asks them leave the very next day, but after hearing the song, “Beyond the Sea” which according to Emmett has been playing continuously for four months, Regan feels that it is a signal which is telling them where to look, and it is on an island. She wants to go to that tower and use her high-frequency signal there, using it as a special weapon against the alien creatures. But it won’t be that easy, as the path in that direction is infested by many creatures, and Regan’s idea of going alone wouldn’t get the support of anyone. Yet, she would leave, and Emmett, with some love left for his old friends, will have to find her. Now, the question remains if her journey is really worth it. What awaits her near the tower? Is it going to work?

The defence of A Quiet Place Part II :: Just like the predecessor, this movie also depends on the same strength of sound effects which the predecessor displayed a few years ago. The alien creatures are also as good as they used to be, maintained the strength yet again. We also have more hope than there used to be. Emily Blunt continues what she was doing in the first film quite well, and she does have the warrior strength which she had displayed in the movies like Edge of Tomorrow and The Huntsman: Winter’s War. There is no loss of determination in her character here too. It is up to Millicent Simmonds and Cillian Murphy to become that characters who further to save the world though, and they are very much effective in doing the same, despite the early doubts put in there. Noah Jupe also joins well with newly found courage and wisdom in the character. Djimon Hounsou plays the man of another lands with authority. John Krasinski appears in the flashback moments, as the director also gets the acting in here again. Scoot McNairy as the leader of bandits could have had more screen space too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie still doesn’t bother to come up with any science fiction explanations about the origins of the creatures – people might have expected that, but they do get a flashback about their arrival with objects from space, which proves that they are indeed from another planet, moon or some interstellar object beyond our understanding. The movie is also in short of dialogues to keep the aliens away, but there is surely more than what we had in the first movie. The strength of the family and the importance of not giving up, also comes into the picture here. There is the idea that there is always hope for humanity, even though one does wonder if the aliens bringing extinction to humanity would have been the right thing to do, considering what mankind has done to their own people as well as the environment around them. Well, we don’t really know what the aliens were up to, as the focus is not on those scientific elements yet again, but we can be sure that there could be a sequel explaining all of these. One more sequel showing the ultimate battle of humanity against the creatures, and we can be done with it.

How it finishes :: The movie nicely continues the world which was left by the first part – the expansion that this world receives is almost as good as the first. Things continue to be kept simple as it used to be, in a post-apocalyptic world infested by ruthless alien creatures. The possibility of terror is always there, and we keep remembering about 10 Cloverfield Lane which dealt with similar creatures, but with not much of the visuals. The idea of the divergent horror movie is maintained here, as it was seen in Malignant, The Witch, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Don’t Breathe, It Follows and Lights Out. A Quiet Place Part II continues a world of divergence which in this case has the aliens bringing all the horror and very less science fiction. These are the movies which keep the horror alive in different patterns, and with noises at the very centre of everything. Even though it is currently on Amazon Prime Video, this is one movie which could have feel better on the big screen, as there is so much of silence and the sudden sound effects that make the big impact – moments which one needs to live through rather than just get hold of.

Release date: 28th May 2021
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Matrix: Resurrections

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember the first time that we watched The Matrix?

Vampire Bat: Yes, you understood twenty five percent of the movie then.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that I understood more than fifty percentage of it.

Vampire Bat: You still had to read details about the story a hundred times.

Vampire Owl: I don’t remember having read the plot even once.

Vampire Bat: I remember that you did the same for the makers’ other film, Jupiter Ascending.

Vampire Owl: I don’t even remember watching that movie.

Vampire Bat: It was on the same day that you attended Mr Frankenstein‘s Grand Exhibition.

Vampire Owl: Dr Frankenstein has thousands of exhibitions every year.

Vampire Bat: You are talking about that many fake science exhibitions.

[Gets a paneer fried rice and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a game designer and the creator of a very popular video game series called The Matrix, which already had three games in the franchise. The game is based on his memories as Neo, which is not clear, but he does feel that there is a lot in his head which feels real. He is mostly happy with his life, as living as a famous game designer seems like a pretty good option. He keeps coming across a woman named Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss) who is a married woman with two kids, and she seems to be based on a main character whom he had designed for the video game, Trinity. He becomes friendly with her, and he likes him, but doesn’t seem to remember him at all, just like he is not sure how she became a part of his game. He struggles to separate his life and these strange memories, and his therapist gives him some strange pills in support. A young lady named Bugs (Jessica Henwick) finds this game simulation which is running an old code in a loop based on the time when Trinity had found Neo. With the help of a programme which has embodied Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) in a new form, she starts searching for answers, as Neo was supposed to be dead. Two of them combine the forces looking for Neo and finds him in the end.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The machines sent by Bugs save him, and he is taken to her ship known as the Mnemosyne. He is taken to the new city of the human resistance, where a lot older Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) awaits them. She is not happy that Bugs brought Neo to the area which is now a safe house, and tells her that she and her crew of Lexy (Erendira Ibarra, Sequoia (Toby Onwumere), Berg (Brian J Smith) and others are now grounded with the ship. It turns out that sixty years have passed in the real world after the war between humans and machines had ended. Except for Niobe who now takes the decisions around there, mostly adamant and foolish, while everyone else from the original human resistance are now dead, including Morpheus as he was known, and had led the resistance earlier. She tells them that there was some peace achieved through his sacrifice, which lasted for some years, but eventually, things got worse. Now, can Trinity be freed? Can there be peace again?

The defence of The Matrix: Resurrections :: You know the thing about The Matrix, which means that you mostly know what can happen with this version too – the trailer had set the expectations going well. There is a lot of action for sure, and you do enjoy it, even though these are not things which you haven’t seen before – the fights go on in a stylish manner within the movie, and there are also some nice worlds built around here. The advanced special effects and computer generated imagery means that this particular world looks even better than how it used to be earlier. Here we have Keanu Reeves doing what he has been doing the best again, which is always a thing of quality – outside the world of John Wick, Neo is indeed an iconic character and we are never tired of watching him around there. The new additions of the cast are very much suited to this situation of post-apocalyptic science fiction action. After all, we know that this is the kind of situation which could happen at any point of time, with machines taking over being the best option for any apocalyptic event – the extinction of human kind is not something that we can resist. Then, this is a world which has no shortage of style.

The claws of flaw :: The Matrix: Resurrections which comes as the very late addition to the list of movies in a franchise which was far above the others of that time, doesn’t manage to live up to that hype or the grand expectations which were always present. When Neo is coming again after a long time, you expect that this is going to be something above all, but with the lack of innovation, they try to share the qualities that makes Neo with a female characters, which is pretty much the dumbest decision that they can do with some dumb romance added to a film which could have stopped that with the third movie and a few deaths. Actually, the third movie of the franchise served as such a fine ending, and this often keeps feeling a lot unnecessary. One has to wonder if any action sequences in this movie will be remembered much in comparison to the earlier movies, among which all of them had some special moments of fight scenes. The beginning is also too slow, leaving the film too long with so much of initial moments good enough to be cut. One would guess that this one is more intended to make some quick money on the fame which those classic movies had, but that attempt seems to have failed in rising up to the expectations too.

The performers of the soul :: We know that this has been the movie which made Keanu Reeves the huge star all around the world, even though I have always remembered him facing the devil in Constantine and Devil’s Advocate more than any others as well the vampire as Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula of 1992, and maybe a few older people might go for Speed as the initial big thing from him. The new generation surely had John Wick with its sequels, and I do like his science fiction works like Replicas too. Yet, this is the one role in which almost everyone of my age would have wanted to see him again, and he is here, with the same strength that he had at that earlier point. Carrie-Anne Moss is someone whom we remembers for this franchise itself, and it is always good to see her back – she has become part of this world again really well. Yet, the actress who makes the most impact is Jessica Henwick, who played second fiddle in Underwater nicely, and she is indeed lovely – the baton should be passed on to her soon enough. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II doesn’t stand up to Laurence Fishburne, but remains okay. Erendira Ibarra also has a notable role. Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris are villains for the sake of being, as machines rule over them. Priyanka Chopra Jonas is there for the sake of being there.

How it finishes :: The big question about this particular movie is whether it was actually needed at all, for these are not the times when the first three movies came into existence, and the adaptation to the new audience who have witnessed all of these already, and then again through other movies would have had some strange feeling about watching this one. You are coming up with a sequel so many years later, and it would require something more than what was already seen, and this one falls flat on innovation. But, there is a lot of entertainment with the action happening all around, and nostalgia is something that sells, which means that we can always watch this version of The Matrix too, and hope that a great worthy sequel will be made at some other point of time. Until then, let us be happy enough with this one, and hope that the Corona virus would stop coming again and again, as watching movies like this at the theatre can mean more, even though I would always prefer the OTT versions. After all, becoming poor by paying so much for the movie tickets, parking and food after being in a traffic jam for such a long time, followed by dumb fans in a theatre is terror, no matter which one is the flick.

Release date: 22nd December 2021 (Theatre); 12th May 2022 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 148 minutes
Directed by: Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Army of the Dead

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Vampire Owl: We are the Army of the Dead. This movie should be about us.

Vampire Bat: We are not the Army of the Dead. We are the Army of the Undead.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that they are different from each other.

Vampire Bat: Yes, there is also an Army of Darkness, you know.

Vampire Owl: Okay, still it is the dead that becomes the undead.

Vampire Bat: Well, death is a beginning, and for the undead, it has already begun.

Vampire Owl: I think that you are pointing to the zombies as the dead.

Vampire Bat: Yes, without full brain acitivity, they are to considered dead rather than undead, as we look closer at them.

Vampire Owl: Well, not all of the dead are undead, we can be sure about that.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that this one has some fine zombies though.

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

What is the movie about? :: A convoy coming from Area 51, the highly classified United States Air Force facility located within the Nevada Test and Training Range collides with the car of a newly married couple on a highway near Las Vegas. The high level of secrecy surrounding the base had already brought enough conspiracy theories to the scene including UFOs and aliens which are regular part of such talks. This time, the package which was part of the convoy is revealed to be a zombie, a very strong muscular creature which escapes, and during the process kills all the soldiers, among which some of them are infected and transformed into similar creatures, seeking to attack more humans. The zombies do head to the city, and infect most of its population. The United States military faces suffer heavy casualities, and is forced to retreat while facing the ever increasing hordes of zombies which are not that easy to kill as they only get stronger. The government decides to do what they considers to be the last resort, to deploy a tactical nuclear strike on the city to end the zombie threat forever, even though there are protests against the same.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Later, the very rich and influencial Japanese casino owner Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his associate Martin (Garret Dillahunt) asks a former resident of Las Vegas and earlier mercenary, Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) who is currently working at a burger joint to take over a job to recover two hundred million dollars from his casino vault in the quarantined Las Vegas. The time is running out, with the nuclear strike coming up. Ward agrees and recruits his former teammates Maria Cruz (Ana de la Reguera) and Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) as the maim mercenaries, along with a helicopter pilot Marianne Peters (Tig Notaro), a safecracker Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighofer), and a sharpshooter Mikey Guzman (Raul Castillo), who also brings his associate Chambers (Samantha Win). Martin also joins them to make sure that there is access. They have a thirty two hour window to do what they have done the best in history, and even though they cannot fly in due to flight restrictions, they can fly out in one of the rescue helicopter located at the top of the casino.

And what is with the humans and the zombies which we have around here? :: As they are not able to find a way inside, Scott searches and finds his daughter Kate Ward (Ella Purnell), and offers her his share of the millions, asking her to help him get into the city. Kate directs them to Lilly (Nora Arnezeder) or coyote, a smuggler who knows the city. Burt Cummings (Theo Rossi), an abusive security guard who knows exactly what happens inside with the zombies. When Kate understands that Geeta (Huma Qureshi) also went into Las Vegas with two others, she feels that she should also be inside. Being the badly raised dumb kid that she happens to be, she stops at nothing to get what she wants, and the returned father figure can only agree. When inside, the common zombies are not the only ones that they have to face, for there are zombie animals too, including a zombie tiger. There are also a different kind of zombies, which are not the usual mindless ones. They are smarter, faster and better organized, with a mark on their territories. It won’t be that easy to dupe these zombies. Can they get what they want and make it out?

The defence of Army of the Dead :: It is clear that we haven’t had a full fun zombie movie like this one for a long time, and there is a lot of entertainment with the action, thrills and even a certain amount of horror that has been going on with the undead creatures. It also has some humour in between, and a fine detail of the post-apocalyptic world as well as the zombie attacks with descriptions to support them. Among the performers, Dave Bautista and Ana de la Reguera are at the top, with Nora Arnezeder and Matthias Schweighofer following closely. The man who is known as Batista in WWE is another one of those ring performers who has done so well in cinema, after Dwayne Johnson’s classic performance, and also John Cena up-to an extent. Ana de la Reguera and Nora Arnezeder are perfect lady soldiers who know exactly what they are doing. The movie, with its ending, also leaves something for a possible film in the future. Even though it is pretty much a long movie, you don’t really feel the length, as there is so much of action going on at all times, and we are indeed taken to this world of post-apocalyptic chaos.

Positives and negatives :: There are moments which this movie could have avoided to cut down the length, and it also kills one of its interesting characters too early – Samantha Win played quite a strong soldier who is lost before the big battles begin. Ella Purnell, even if meant to be irritating, plays the character that causes the death of most of the character – one of the most foolish characters ever in an action movie, for only horror films have dumber characters suiting them. Huma Qureshi is also here, but she is also wasted in a character which provides nothing good to the movie – without her, the film could have been shorter as there was no need to spare some time for the unnecessary. At least half of the characters are not made to be memorable either. This is also a movie about which not many people knows, and that is a disappointment – it could have had some advertisements in this part of the world, as it is something which will appeal to our audience too. Zombies will catch our attention as much as any undead creature rising from the dead.

How it finishes :: With the title, one wouldn’t really know if this is about vampires, zombies or ghosts, but the zombie idea also does work that effectively as any other monster, proven already in Warm Bodies, World War Z and so many Resident Evil films which kept coming back again, one after the other. This one makes a fine progress with the story, even with some predictability in store, and as it does have a lot of action to go with it. The movie is indeed an all-rounder, and you can feel that quite early itself. Even though the corona virus pandemic didn’t create the zombie apocalypse as a gamer or zombie-movie lover would have anticipated, it is only safe to say that there is always hope for something like it in the future. When that zombie pandemic happens, we will have watched some quality undead hunting movies like this one, and we will be ready. After all, Zombieland already has us partially prepared for the big event. For the rest of the procedure, the next sequel of this particular movie will keep us prepared.

Release date: 14th May 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 148 minutes
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Dave Bautista, Ana de la Reguera, Ella Purnell, Nora Arnezeder, Omari Hardwick, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighofer, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raul Castillo, Huma Qureshi, Garret Dillahunt

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dune

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Vampire Owl: A movie set in the future is the need of the hour.

Vampire Bat: There is no future that Uncle Dracula hasn’t seen.

Vampire Owl: Yet, he decides not to share the vision of future with us.

Vampire Bat: There is no future that we need to know.

Vampire Owl: You are more afraid of the future than the past now?

Vampire Bat: Everything except the present is to be feared.

Vampire Owl: You feel the need to prepared for a future you don’t know.

Vampire Bat: I am always prepared for that fearful future.

Vampire Owl: You can never be enough prepared for the same.

Vampire Bat: Which is why you need to be afraid of the future.

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

What is the movie about? :: The year is 10191, and in Caladan, the homeworld of House Atreides, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), the Duke of House Atreides is asked by the emperor of the Known Universe to replace House Harkonnen as the rulers of Arrakis, a desert planet which serves as the only source of spice, an incredibly valuable substance that improves human abilities and helps them to go on interstellar travel faster than light safely. But the brutal race of Harkonnens in their homeworld, Giedi Prime won’t be that happy about it as they had held the area for about eighty years. Beast Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista), the leading fighter among them is certainly not happy, but it turns out that the emperor means something else with these actions. Leto does feel that there is something wrong about all of these, and that the emperor has some sinister motives, but decides to form an alliance with the native fighters known as Fremen instead of enslaving them, thus bringing a twist to the plans.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) is the heir to the throne of House Atreides, and is worried about the recent happenings, as he had also come up against many nightmares about the planet which his people were going to invade. Paul’s mother Lady Jessica Atreides (Rebecca Ferguson) is a part of the Bene Gesserit, a group meant only for women, whose members have advanced physical and mental abilities – the group is not happy about Jessica having a male child instead of the female one which she was supposed to have. They are hoping for a perfect messiah-like superhuman who can guide humanity to a better future, and wonders if Paul is the one, even though he surely has a long way to go. House Atreides takes control and arrives on Arrakis, and the people there seems to appreciate them, especially Jessica and Paul. The terrain and the buildings in the place seems to be completely different, and Paul feels that Bene Gesserit is planting unnecessary superstitions about a messiah there too.

And what more can we expect in this world which has so many secrets in store? :: Paul understands more and more about the planet, its deep-rooted trees, sandworms and strongly held strange beliefs. Dr Liet Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) who serves as the judge of the change and the imperial ecologist talks to them about the dangers which exist there. Leto has a talk with Stilgar (Javier Bardem), the leader of the Fremens, and it goes on well. During a flight above the sands, they come against one of the sandworms coming towards a spice harvester which had almost finished harvesting. The group rescues the crew members, as the sandworms take the harvesting machine. They understand that the equipment out there are not good enough, and will not help them to bring the spice production back strong – they feel that they are destined to fail, and then someone else will take over. Meanwhile, at Salusa Secundus, the Imperial Army Planet, certain preparations are going on, and certain terror awaits.

The defence of Dune :: This movie, as any other story in a future set in another planet would come up with, has a grand spectacle in store, as far as the visuals are concerned. These worlds become part of you as it would do each and every time in Star Trek, Alien or the computer games like Mass Effect – space exploration never gets old. The special effects are used very effectively and the world detailing is really good – the details do not stop at the world with its buildings and people as it goes further with so many things established in this first movie which seems to serve as the pillars to what is to come later. There are also lots of action sequences, and we have that feeling of Game of Thrones coming back here after such a long time – well, War of the Roses can keep showing up in many movies and series in style. Based on one of the world’s best selling and the most appreciated science fiction novels, you would have always known what this movie would be capable of, with the use of new technology. The movie also serves as a reminder that the wars are forever, as long as any humanoid is alive in this galaxy or the others.

Positives and negatives :: The movie does remind you of a few others, but that is understandable as the story of human greed for power has remained the same throughout years. The film is also long, and the run-time might not be acceptable to most people as there are many scenes which seems to slow down things much. The movie is also not an easy movie to follow if you keep your eyes off the screen during regular intervals – there are many characters who are to be remembered and there are so many dialogues coming not just in English. The movie feels like that kind of a movie which will require you to have a bigger screen. This is also like a few drops of water in an ocean, as the world here seems to be huge, and there are so many books in this series which can be made into spectacular movies. The movie did have its own adaptations earlier, but this one right here might be the biggest of them all, even though one does feel at times that things could have been more direct – Jupiter Ascending, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and John Carter, two highly underrated inter-planetary movies could do that.

How it finishes :: Dune begins the journey of an epic really well, and has us waiting for the next movie in the series. As it is based on a 1965 epic science fiction novel by the American author Frank Herbert, there will always be questions about how much the adaptation had done justice to the original work. As I haven’t read the book, that wouldn’t be on my list of things to do, but I am sure that this movie is indeed a remarkable work that one will remember and shall wait for a possible sequel. The book did have five sequels after the first one – Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune. The sequel to the first movie and featuring the second half of the first book, Dune: Part Two will be releasing next year. So, this is not the end, but the beginning, and we can always hope for the tale to be continued in a better way as the basic origin story has been established well. The same would be in theatres unless corona virus will have another ride on its pale horse.

Release date: 22nd October 2021; 25th March 2022 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 156 minutes
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Charlotte Rampling, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Awake

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Vampire Owl: We are not supposed to be awake at this time.

Vampire Bat: We are awake because we are not supposed to go through eternal sleep.

Vampire Owl: Nothing is eternal, other than our immortality.

Vampire Bat: There are still limitations to our immortal nature.

Vampire Owl: The limitations have been imposed by the suppression of our true nature.

Vampire Bat: There is no definition of true nature of the undead.

Vampire Owl: It is what separates us, the undead from the undying.

Vampire Bat: You feel that it is going to matter in the end, do you?

Vampire Owl: Yes, we are going to live for such a long time.

Vampire Bat: Life after death do no usually count as life with its original meaning.

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

What is the movie about? :: Jill Adams (Gina Rodriguez) is a recovering drug addict, who is now working as a security guard at a local college, after serving as a United States Army medic much earlier. Along with the same, she also steals drugs from the research lab to sell them outside. She picks up her children Noah (Lucius Hoyos) and Matilda (Ariana Greenblatt) after work, only to meet an accident on the road, as it seems that everything which works with electricity is malfunctioning. All the cars lose control on the road, and there are many accidents. All the buildings have also lost power. The three somehow manages to get to the nearby hospitals, as people keep talking about this being a terrorist attack, maybe from the Chinese. In the hospital, they find out that the patients in coma have awakened, much to the surprise of the doctors and nurses who were treating them. At night, they are not able to sleep, and they attribute this inability to the trauma which they had to go through, related to the accident. As she travels to work using a bicycle, she is surprised to find out that the whole neighbourhood is awake.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: It turns out that nobody is able to sleep anymore. It turns out that anything with a microchip is fried, and of no use to anyone. Dr Murphy (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a psychiatrist understands that the sleeplessness will soon lead to the symptoms of complete sleep deprivation, and finally to death, but at a quicker pace. The only exception to this seems to be an old woman, whom they are researching on, hoping to find a cure to this seemingly terrifying disease. Jill then remembers that unlike others, Matilda could also fall asleep, and she searches for her, finally finding her at the church. Brian (Finn Jones) also tries to help them, and asks her to bring her daughter to Dr Murphy, but she disagrees. The pastor tells the followers that the girl is a beacon of hope, and they should pray to God for another miracle like her. But the sleep-deprived people feels that they should sacrifice her. As there is a fight in the church, and as Brian also asks for the girl to be handed over, Jill escapes with her children. But how far can they go?

The defence of Awake :: The movie does have the smart and innovative idea and the fine beginning, which could have surely served better if the move was quicker and better focused. The idea of humans not being able to sleep, which finally leads to their loss of mind and in the end, the extinction, is really an interesting concept – anyone who might have read about it or had a clue about the same would wish to watch the movie. This one can still use the same to make a better sequel in a world which has almost reached its end with humanity. The first few moments of accidents and waking up makes a good start, and then there is the scene at the church which makes one question humanity’s inherent evil, followed by the beginning of the journey of the protagonists – all of these have some good strength. The strange moments of the movie are also innovative enough, and mostly working, especially in the first half. The mother trying to save her children and teaching the little girl how to drive, are all interesting survival additions, and could have had better purpose. Along with the same, the visuals are pretty much beautiful.

The claws of flaw :: Awake is a movie which goes on with a slower pace than it would suit a post-apocalyptic film. It often seems to slow down for no reason at all. It also hesitates to take the opportunities which are there, and despite the grand premise, cannot come up with an ending of similar grandeur. This was one great chance to make something that would be remembered for long, but that is not case here. There are so many moments which could have been dealt with, and it is surprising that both science and religion don’t have the solution, but nonsensical kids do. There could have been better explanation of the happenings around here, as we have had strange events with alien or other paranormal attacks from the skyline or even from beneath. It could have also had more action, and maybe some horror elements too, as we have the beginning of a post-apocalyptic world here, and after all, humans are capable of the worst every time. Some more special effects could have also done this one good.

The performers of the soul :: Gina Rodriguez plays the mother figure really well. There has been better appreciated mothers in the past, but she has her moments too, even though her character remains one flawed mother. Ariana Greenblatt as Matilda is pretty much an annoying kid who is weird enough, and one has to wonder if the character was deliberately designed so – we surely had some better kids in the past. Lucius Hoyos as Noah doesn’t have that much of a work to do, as this one is just another teenager moving around during a terrible event, and nothing more is added here. Finn Jones played an interesting character, but unfortunately, the person is killed all of a sudden. Frances Fisher plays the grandmother figure pretty well too. Barry Pepper who plays the pastor has some fine moments, and he also has the dialogues of faith and hope to remember. Maybe, the pastor and the church could have been there for a longer period of time than a few minutes that we had. Jennifer Jason Leigh also has something to add, but we expected her to do more, after we had her in the earlier stages of the movie.

How it finishes :: The movie has a really interesting main idea – what would happen if we lose our ability to sleep? It is a question which can haunt us for a very long time, and this could have been a brilliant movie with the best use of the same idea. But it is certainly not the case here, as even though they have tried, the movie has struggled to live up to the idea, making it just another usual movie which goes through the post-apocalyptic world without surprises. It is often disappointing that a movie doesn’t use the best use of the opportunities presented to it. But we continue to watch this one as we are curious, and we are concerned about what is to happen next – the movie manages to create that desire to watch, and even with its slow pace, there is the movement towards that final destination, keeping it floating. It is the kind of movie which you can surely watch to pass the time, and at the same time, also ponder about the core idea – what if sleep evades you? How long can you hold on without being able to go to sleep?

Release date: 9th June 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 96 minutes
Directed by: Mark Raso
Starring: Gina Rodriguez, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Barry Pepper, Finn Jones, Ariana Greenblatt, Gil Bellows, Barry Pepper, Lucius Hoyos, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sebastian Pigott

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Space Sweepers

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Vampire Owl: I have a history of sweeping space for years.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think that this is the kind of space which you think it is.

Vampire Owl: Yes, how many spaces can there be?

Vampire Bat: This is certainly not about the space which you cleared in the cemetery.

Vampire Owl: I was talking about the space in Doctor Frankenstein‘s laboratory.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think that is going to count as space in science fiction.

Vampire Owl: The laboratory has been part of science fiction movies for a long time.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein himself is part of fictional programmes only.

Vampire Owl: I just hope that the Frankenstein monster doesn’t hear you.

Vampire Bat: There is no such monster. You are now taking characters out of stories.

[Gets a mango cake and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: The year is 2092, and the world that we know of, is no longer a suitable place for living. All the greenery of the forests have vanished, and deserts have spread. Fading sun and acidic soil has caused the plants to disappear. It was like Earth was on life support. But most of the people are forced to remain on the planet and live through is polluted ecosystem. The UTS Corporation has arranged an orbiting space habitat for people who can afford them, and only a few elite people are able to enjoy this Earth-model ecosystem which assures a happy living space for everyone who becomes part of it. The place is completely governed by UTS Corporation who defined the laws, and decided who came in and went out of there. Earth which used to be the symbol of life has become what space used to be – a symbol of death. James Sullivan (Richard Armitage) serves as the CEO of the corporation, and has his own collection of the best of the world, and is also cultivating life on Mars using a super plant.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: James intends to open a colony in Mars too, and considers it as New Eden. He considers humans responsible for the situation of Earth, and assures everyone that the new world will not be like that. Ninety five percent of the total human population fail to find a spot in the new world, and many non-citizens are forced to survive as space sweepers, collecting space debris floating in Earth’s orbit and then selling it to the company factory. One of the main space ships which try to do so and become very successful is the Victory. The team is led by Captain Jang Hyun-sook (Kim Tae-ri) who was earlier on the other side, but is now against UTS after knowing its true motives. She had even tried to assassinate its CEO, but failed miserably. Kim Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki) who is also a part of the team, used to be on the other side too, and is looking for the body of his daughter who was ejected into space after some debris collided with their station some time ago, and he is running out of time. The others are Tiger Park a.k.a. Park Kyung-soo (Jin Seon-kyu) and Robot Bubs (Yoo Hae-jin).

And what else is to follow in this adventure in space? :: All of the crew seems to have their own story, but has to come up with a new tale of their own now. The space ship Victory picks up a space shuttle floating in space, with a little girl inside. This girl named Dorothy (Park Ye-rin) is supposed to be a weapon of mass destruction which was created by the notorious terrorist group named Black Fox. As Dorothy’s bag has a phone with a number of missed calls, they call and connect to Kang Hyeon-u (Kim Mu-yeol), and make a deal with him to return her for a grand price. It is also assumed that she is also a robot, and that despite her appearance, she is very dangerous. But it seems that what they knew about the girl and the Black Fox might not be true, and there are some sinister motives that UTS might be having. Soon, their mission would change to something else, because James Sullivan likes to keep his own secrets about Mars, Earth and the orbital station. Dorothy will also have to play a part in the same, a very disastrous one.

The defence of Space Sweepers :: The story of the movie is nicely set with a fine premise, and the setting of a future world is nicely done. We are immersed in this world which is sure to come, as Earth is surely going to fall at some point, and a world without human extinction itself is a surprise. This new world is nicely detailed, not just with the newly created eco-system, but also related to space and everything around. Along with being the visually spectacular thing as expected, it is almost emotionally strong with its content. There are moments which keep us going with action, thrills as well as the drama. Kim Tae-ri also comes up with the best of performances among the cast, and other follow well – there is something about her as the captain, and the rest are only glad to continue the good work. We have been in short of some good space adventures after missing the Star Trek movies in the theatre, and this one adds well here. We did get to watch the Chinese movie, The Wandering Earth as a space odyssey, and now we have this one, strong enough to compete with the Hollywood movies based on future’s space.

Positives and negatives :: This doesn’t move that much away from what we have seen before including the theme and the visuals, but latter does get a special touch. It doesn’t raise itself to a complete fun movie, even though it doesn’t become a preachy film with Elysium-like content. With such open space, the opportunities were endless though, and all are not taken. There could have also been a Korean touch with this one, while this one goes close enough to Hollywood instead. It is also a lesser known movie, even though it basically stands taller than so many overrated Hollywood movies. The villainy in this movie is also a little bit too predictable, and there could have been some twist related to that, despite taking the safe side there. People do tend to expect more from a film like this, as the trailer looked to be of top class, and there are not many Korean space movies which I know about – so many of them have been about horror instead. I do feel that there is always scope for more of this kind of movies from South Korea.

How it finishes :: Space Sweepers deals with a future which is not that far away, and it is also the one which we are to expect sooner or later. Even though the facts about orbital stations and colonization of other planets might not be that accurate, the ultimate end of Earth and the escape of the richest among them – the quickly science-loving millionaires and billionaires to other planets remain true. Consider it in that manner, this movie is a fine prediction of a terrible future, which we have seen in other movies too, with or without the shots of space. I have also given it a chance in my novel, Wrath of the Future, which was published in 2020, after the first wave of COVID-19 had seemed to come down. Well, you always need a little bit of the future’s possible horror to think about, but that hasn’t really helped to make humanity better, has it? Well, it doesn’t seem to come close, and thinking about that, let us enjoy this movie the most for its entertainment value, as it creates that grand spectacle on the screen.

Release date: 5th February 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 136 minutes
Directed by: Jo Sung-hee
Starring: Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu, Yoo Hae-jin, Richard Armitage, Kim Mu-yeol, Park Ye-rin, Oh Ji-yul, Christian Lagahit, Kim Hyang-gi, Anupam Tripathi

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.