control – Movies of the Soul

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

Vampire Bat: There is no other like the vampires.

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

Vampire Bat: The claim is certainly not valid.

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

Vampire Bat: Most of those assurances do not bind.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: Are we going for another investigative thriller?

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

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

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

Vampire Owl: The trailer was pretty much interesting.

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

Vampire Owl: I miss those serial killers a lot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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