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Yakuza League

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Superman

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Vampire Owl: I will always miss the Man of Steel version.

Vampire Bat: I feel that we are going back to the stone age.

Vampire Owl: Well, it is in Jio Hotstar, so we have to watch it.

Vampire Bat: Yes, after watching this one, we will watch the classic one.

Vampire Owl: I am worried about the state of DC after this.

Vampire Bat: We know that DC will never be the same without that darkness.

Vampire Owl: That versions of Aquaman and the Flash were too good.

Vampire Bat: We also know that people do not appreciate the best.

Vampire Owl: Aren’t they the same people who abandoned John Carter and Battleship?

Vampire Bat: If it was not for India and China, Pacific Rim would have also been done.

[Gets a savala vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman (David Corenswet) was having a smooth run as the friendly superhero and part of world’s conversations while involved in saving people in trouble before he decides to illegally interfere in international matters and mess up diplomacy at a global level, destroying balance by stopping the nation of Boravia from invading its neighboring country known as Jarhanpur, after forcing himself upon the former. He even threatened its President with brutal force, making it impossible for most countries and their leaders to think about diplomacy and the need for the existence of countries on Earth. But soon enough, he is defeated for the first time by Hammer of Boravia (David Corenswet), who keeps a step ahead of Superman, and almost kills him before he is revived in his safehouse, the Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica with the help of his superpowered dog Krypto which also arrived from the same planet. He is only healed eighty three percent, but goes for it, only to be beaten up until the villain finally leaves.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Superman finally agrees to be interviewed for media by Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), as she his girlfriend as much as his colleague at the Daily Planet. Luthor uses a fire-breathing alien creature as a distraction while he manages to get into Superman’s fortress and overpower the robots while kidnapping Krypto. They also manage to find and translate a message from Superman’s parents with the help of Angela Spica a.k.a. The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faria) who has nanotechnology in each part of her body helping her to hack as much as to fight. Superman rescues the civilians while fighting the creature with the superhero team known as the Justice Gang including heroes Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). Despite Superman not wanting to hurt the creature too much, Mister Terrific kills it. But this success is short-lived, as this was supposed to be a moment when Superman would find that revelation which he would have never wanted in his life, but becomes the biggest weapon for his enemies.

And what more is to follow here as things are supposed to get much worse with chaos ready to unleash itself on Earth? :: Luthor broadcasts the Kryptonian message in which Superman’s parents ask him to conquer Earth and take many women of Earth as sex slaves to restore the Kryptonian race. Superman had not listened to that last part of the message as it was somewhat damaged and could not be heard before it was corrected and amplified enough. The master brain behind all of these is Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), the CEO of Luthor Corp who wishes to end Superman forever to make sure that his plans work out as expected. But he reveals that he desired for his business, but his true inspiration was always his hatred for Superman. Public opinion turns against Superman in no time, and his anger while searching for Krypto only makes it worse. Lois reassures Superman that she believes in him and he can only be good. Superman decides to surrender himself to the government, but they hand him over to Luthor as they doubt in their own ability to contain him. Lois asks Justice Gang to save him, but the question remains if they will respond and if they will be enough against Luthor’s seemingly unstoppable force of mercenaries.

The defence of Superman :: David Corenswet makes a pretty good Superman as long as too many comparisons are not made. Isabela Merced is the best part of the movie that gets so less space on the screen. While Nicholas Hoult makes a tough villain, María Gabriela de Faria’s performance makes her that one villain coming so close to killing Superman and such greatness is written on that side of antagonism. Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane also remains memorable. The visuals are nice for most of the time even though not at same level all the time. There are lots of fight sequences around, and they remain effective even though not as fiery as the earlier movies. The final fight remains memorable and the pocket universe is something of another level. There is a certain amount of optimism and hope in this movie, even though it is something which can get us all killed – this is a motivation speaker special. The humour is effective at times, and the supporting cast does the job really well. The movie also leaves a nice beginning for what can follow with the same superhero and his newfound friends. A weaker Superman is also good for future.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not feel that much power-packed for a superhero movie. There is too much focus on the dog, and that should explain how it would work better for the United States scenario. In other parts of the world where children get bitten by stray dogs, the interest in such a character are rather less. Even otherwise, a comparison would make it less interesting. The loss of that feeling of real danger as in the earlier universe cannot be felt here, and we just care less for the main character and his dog. The dialogues and emotions do not touch the hearts that much with this one, and the return of Superman to the more traditional clothing is rather strange, as this kind of a going back to comics is not applied to many other characters that could use it. The focus on Green Lantern and Hawkgirl are rather too less, even though they were the most interesting characters in the whole movie. If DC is going to go the new Marvel way without keeping its essence, there might not be a future for the franchise at least in this part of the world. The engagement is just so week at parts, and there feels like too much politics wander around the movie. Even the graphics and CGI as well as the music remain inferior to the earlier Krypto-alien journey.

How it finishes :: Superman will not match or seem satisfying for the fans of Man of Steel, the movie which set new standards for the character of Superman. A weaker Superman is still a bonus considering how ridiculously powerful and terrible character Captain Marvel ended up to be, and that too without weaknesses. Still, we wonder if the team of Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific and Metamorpho can match Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the Flash who were such classic characters and provided the feeling of being another level and having such class that could be unmatched by any other. This movie also makes us wonder where Batman can stand in such a light environment? There are lots of questions which are left to be answered with the future of DC, which struggles just like Marvel did with the return of the Fantastic Four. The future might be a struggle for both sets of superheroes, as there are local superheroes from Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Minnal Murali, Gundala and others from different industries catering really well to the audience from those parts of the world.

Release date: 11th July 2025
Running time: 129 minutes
Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, María Gabriela de Faria

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Lego Movie

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thelegomovie (1)

The Lego animation :: We all know Lego bricks, don’t we? Those interlocking plastic brick-like things were part of our childhood, and most of us did build a lot of things with them – one of our first teachers of creativity and imagination. Even as they came in many colours, the one I remember the most is blue, and I wonder how that comes to mind often; may be I broke most of the pieces of other colour, who knows? I had them strong until Hasbro came into my life with G.I. Joe. Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and Daestro took over at that time. But where did my Lego go? I have to admit that I no longer knew anything about it, and I guess it passed on to my younger cousin brothers and sisters, and I had completely forgotten about the same until I came across the trailer of this movie; yes the Lego people were back, stronger than ever, and they had Batman and Wonder Woman for support. The toys had win hearts, and this was the time of the movies – lets see how they fare.

What is it about? :: Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) is a wizard and one of the master-builders of the Lego universe, but he fails to stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from taking over a superweapon Kragle. He still tells the villain about the prophecy about a special person who will stop his villainy. Years later, an ordinary construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) accidently finds “Piece of Resistance” which can stop Lord Business. As Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) captures him, he is rescued by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) who takes him to another world where Vitruvius lives. As the wizard tries to make him imagine and create something like a master-builder, they find out that his creativity is zero, and he needs an instruction manual to create anything. The other master-builders, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Dumbledore, Shakespeare, Gandalf, Dracula, Green Lantern, Pirate Metal Beard and rest of the team are very much unimpressed by him as he makes a hopeless speech and shows his lack of creativity. But as time is less, they have to work together to find a way to stop the Lord before using the weapon. Can they do it?

The defence of The Lego Movie :: This is one of the funniest animated movies of the decade. even as one might wonder if Lego qualifies as animation. Their use of superhero characters is hilarious, and how they managed to bring them into the story is very nice, especially Batman. There is Batman saying “I only work in black. And sometimes, very, very dark gray” and Superman saying “I super hate you” to the Green Lantern. The Wonder Woman is not left behind in fun either, and Metal Beard jumps in like Blackbeard might have did. Uni-Kitty’s attempts to be happy and positive is another thing to watch out for. Even Abraham Lincoln and Michelangelo joins. There are dialogues like “Come with me if you want to not die” parodying The Terminator. I would still prefer Frozen any day, that is for sure. It is nice how a few other worlds are added to the original city of Lord Business, involving Wild West as well as Castles and Dragons settings.

The claws of flaw :: The 3D was totally unnecessary, not only is it ineffective, but it doesn’t suit this kind of toyline animation. It worked well with movies like Frozen and a good number of such titles, but when used with this, it is not effective, in my opinion. There could have also been an even better use of these characters, with our vampire guy and the Shakespeare guy given a better due. I didn’t like the way in which its central theme was exaggerated again and again, even as it was nice in the beginning. This is also too much of a common story, about a normal guy trying to save the world, even as the superheroes fails to do the same – for the same, the movie preaches a lot, and keeps saying that everyone is so special and shouldn’t go according to the rules. Looking at a whole world made of Lego looks fresh in the beginning, but keeps losing its charm. Its connection with the real world is interesting, but is still too weird or rather a little too unnecessary, but that worked, no doubt about it.

How it works :: There might be the usual misconception that a movie which shows so much of a toy-line can’t be that good. Now, that might still be valid even after the success of this movie. A major question might be about what they can come up with such a toyline which is all about construction; what can one bring out of Simcity? But here is the idea that changed that thought. Here is something that rivals the over-hyped animated movies like Brave. The voices are nice, and other than the two main characters, there is some really interesting stuff from Liam Neeson as Bad Cop/Good Cop with that split personality, and Alison Brie as Uni-Kitty. Will Ferrell as Lord Business is another nice villain performance, just like he did with the voice in Megamind. Channing Tatum has a very short time as Superman, but that’s pretty nice too. Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius even comes back as a ghost, and that was a nice surprise. All the voice actors seem to become the character they were embodying.

Soul exploration :: The movie tells that everyone is special and there is the need to nurture the imaginations and show creativity rather than just follow the instructions. It comes up with he idea that almost anyone can make a difference, no matter how much immature or inexperienced that person is. Now, that sounds nice, but when it is completely against that order which works against chaos, there is a little bit loss of trust. It fails to set a limit to that imagination, and it is only in a perfect world under the best circumstances that such things can happen in the right way. Otherwise, instructions can always be helpful, no matter how much they are hated or opposed to prevent people from following them. The movie also doesn’t really come up on top when thinking about being special or adding more imagination, as it could have definitely used more as it neared the end. The end doesn’t justify the nice beginning, as there is the ordinary stuff that fills the finish.

How it finishes :: As we can see from the reviews all around, The Lego Movie finishes strong in the theatre. We should wait very long to meet someone who didn’t like this movie. As an animated movie, it is difficult to find errors from this movie, and almost everyone who have ever played with a Lego toy will like this one a lot, and this one also mostly applies to the rest. From what the year has to offer, this might be the best animated movie of the year. It surely has a colder reception here though, as there are not many screens showing the movie, and the maximum of about three shows or something among so many theatres and multiplexes, with not many viewers either. But it is indeed going on to become a global success, and it can surely stay in the top grossing movies of the year for some time. I can only be glad that this didn’t become one of those movies which didn’t release here, as there are so many movies of other languages which have occupied the screen at this time.

Release date: 7th February 2014
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Starring (voice): Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman

thelegomovie copy

@ Cemetery Watch
✠The Vampire Bat.