Tag Archives: superhero

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 Fantastic Four

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Vampire Owl: We should have been the fantastic two.

Vampire Bat: So, you do not wish to include Vampire Penguin and Vampire Panda to make it four.

Vampire Owl: This would be more than enough. Anyone else would make Vampire Alligator and Vampire Crocodile too angry.

Vampire Bat: You can still have a fantastic four plus two.

Vampire Owl: Why would I wish to make too many people become fantastic?

Vampire Bat: Maybe we can develop a team good enough to fight zombies all by ourselves.

Vampire Owl: To fight such mindless creatures, random vampire troops will be enough.

Vampire Bat: We do not have a standing military force anymore.

Vampire Owl: We, the vampires are always military civilians.

Vampire Bat: We are no longer the hunters that we used to be.

[Gets a tea cake and three cups of Valparai tea].

What is the movie about? :: Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) with the ability to extend his body to any lengths, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) who can be invisible and also generate force fields, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) with superhuman strength and durability, and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) who can control fire and fly, together makes the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four that keeps their Earth safe from evil that tries to keep unleashing on the common people. After after they gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission as astronauts, they have been appreciated and celebrated by media. The team became celebrities like no other, with on other heroes to rely on on that Earth. Reed’s inventions have improved technology while Sue’s diplomacy has brought peace for most of the world. When Reed and Sue reveal that they are expecting a child, thing could not be any better, with their world even thinking about a kid with superpowers, making it a Fantastic Five team instead of the usual four.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: One day, they witness meteors in the sky, and along with then, a humanoid alien called Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) descends on a surf board. She tells them that Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a gigantic cosmic creature has chosen to consume their planet and that all life on Earth shall perish without leaving any sign of previous existence. He is someone who predates the universe as everyone knows it, existing like a cosmic vampire as well as an unstoppable godlike power lasting for billions of years, feeding on planets. Silver Surfer has been providing Galactus assistance in his objectives in exchange for him sparing her planet. She has been traveling through space on a surfboard in search of the right planets for Galactus to feed on. The team decides to go to space to stop Galactus from coming to Earth and destroying it. They do not feel that this is something they cannot handle, as negotiation was also an option along with fighting just two superpowered aliens.

And what more in to follow as a planet faces total annihilation? :: They track the Silver Surfer’s energy signature and reach a planet which is quickly destroyed by Galactus, only to escape for the devastation at the last moment. The team is found by the Silver Surfer and brought to Galactus, who tells them that it is his need to feed on planets to hunger that has been going on for billions of years. Galactus senses that Reed and Sue’s unborn child has an immense cosmic power and could take on his place, thus freeing him from hunger. He offers to spare their planet in exchange for the child, but the team refuses and escapes to the spaceship. The team, with a tough effort, manages to delay Silver Surfer who was chasing them, and reaches Earth with Sue giving birth during the journey in space. As Reed reveals the details of their encounter with Galactus during a press conference, their decision to save one child over billions of humans on Earth leads to negative opinions on them. People call for the sacrifice of the child, as saving them is what superheroes should do, and one life should not be valuable than billions of lives. As time keeps running out, what can Fantastic Four finally figure out to save both the world and the newborn child?

The defence of The Fantastic Four: First Steps :: The movie has an interesting cast that begins well, except for the emotional lag, as they get into action nicely. The visuals are nothing less than stunning with focus not only on what happens on Earth, with other areas also getting some nice detail. Galactus, his spaceship and Silver Surfer, all look really good. There seems to be a lot of effort to make the whole thing close to comics as well as suitable for the real world in live-action. There are some stunning action scenes which keep the viewers thrilled as danger is that huge with almost no hope left for Earth, as even superheroes just hope and believe rather than go for anything with full confidence. Back on Earth, the retro-style futuristic world is something that will keep us interesting, and the nice use of colours do not cease to amaze us, as a new Earth is brought to us. The fact that origin story is skipped gives us some more time to work with the world, as we do know how these particular superheroes came into being, and the small reminder added in the beginning helps the new viewers too. It is to be noted that any connection made to the superheroes of the other universes is going to make the whole thing so huge.

The claws of flaw :: None of the new cast matches the team of Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis, with Jessica being the one true Invisible Woman as we know them – the new cast still got a long way to establish themselves in their newfound roles. That movie was just classic nostalgia material which could not be matched by that one reboot which came next either. Compared to that which had lots of fun, this movie becomes an emotional absurdity at times, especially related to a kid who is valued more than a billion lives. Even the antagonist’s helper seems to know this and values human lives, as she herself has gone through personal sacrifices to save others. This over-emotional side seems to curse the movie more than anything else, as the cheap melodrama often gets into our heads. The final battle also feels like the four members of the team having too much power against such a godlike cosmic undefeated creature, especially the character of Sue, which feels overdone in not just emotions, but also with the powers and meaningless anger. The characterization and story struggle often shows up as if it needed to be there.

How it finishes :: The superhero team in a fresh universe with a retro-futuristic 1960s model provides this particular movie with a new style, as this one also seems to get the critical appreciation on its favour, even though I would always love the Jessica Alba starrer above others for its simplicity with a classic tale without messing it up with too many misdirected emotions – the reboot never came close after that. There is some bigger action here and real danger, even though the attempts at solving problems seem to be misdirected, and emotional get the weaker side of superhero despite movie trying to make some characters feel too strong. Yet, the team of cast seems to work well as one, and the beauty of the visuals cannot be easily matched, whether on Earth or outside. For a fan of the Fantastic Four series, this version is surely more ambitious, and might mean more when connected with the universe with a sequel or as part of other Marvel movies. As we remember seeing a Fantastic Four spaceship in Thunderbolts, we know that something grand is yet to be seen and Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame might not be the biggest Avengers movie on Earth.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Lokah: Chapter I

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“Lokah Chapter I: Chandra” with Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, is the latest superhero movie in this part of the world, and is based on the myths, legends and folklore which had been spreading through the state of Kerala in the distant past and are loved by people of the state. It is the first of a planned cinematic universe. Watch a quicker opinion in the form of video here:

For the detailed written review, please continue below:

Entry of a superhero universe blended with myth and legends :: Among the superhero movies of India, Minnal Murali has been a game changer, and four years later, another film, this time produced by Dulquer Salmaan and directed by Dominic Arun, which brings back the genre to life has released for Onam in the form of Lokah Chapter: 1 Chandra. With we all waiting for Kathanar: The Wild Sorcerer coming back to life with a work of fantasy and folklore, this one comes into the picture, taking the myths and legends into its wings. We had ARM dealing with a folklore depiction, but this one is different, as it establishes a universe. It serves as the origin story for a character that becomes a superhero with a dark side. But it is not the tale of one such a being with superpowers, for it introduces many more. There are characters who make the presence felt here, and we know that we will see them again. We see that a lot of skill is displayed in working with this tale, which would offer more. You know that there is no life in a folklore without the yakshi myth, and that would stay not that distant from the vampire legend from Eastern Europe, through the literary vampire and to the present friendly neighbourhood vampire due to the popular culture effect.

What is the movie about? :: Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) is a mysterious woman who have come to live in the city of Bangalore, and works night shift in a popular café. Her friend and seemingly a mentor Prakash (Nishanth Sagar) keeps asking her to stay low, without letting many people know about her presence, and she makes minimum contact with people. Meanwhile, opposite to her apartment, lives Sunny (Naslen K Gafoor), Venu (Chandu Salimkumar) and Naijil (Arun Kurian), three best friends who have nothing much to do with their lives, and pretend to be still students, even though they are not that much into gaining knowledge or going for a job. While Naijil stays nearby, Sunny and Venu share the same apartment. One day, Sunny comes across this new unfamiliar face living opposite to him. He becomes more and more interested in her, and after he feels that he was saved from an accident as Chandra pushed him away, his infatuation grows.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But there is something more serious going on in the city, in the darkness of the night. A group of criminals is conducting kidnappings and organ trade, and supporting them is the corrupt and arrogant police officer Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda (Sandy) who believes only in having ultimate power and using them on the weak and subaltern. His path would come across that of Chandra, as she beats up one of the goons associated with these criminal activities for trying to throw acid on her co-worker in the café. At the same time, an elderly man named Daniel (Vijayaraghavan) has been writing about supernatural forces that have lived with humans through the ages, and that most of the tales of folklore are true, and real incidents passed on orally by people who witnessed the same. He believes that many people have superpowers and they would be unleashed in time. With the organ trade mafia running through the city, can there be a superhero to stop it?

The defence of Lokah: Chapter I: Chandra :: Dominic Arun has brought a masterpiece on the big screen, a perfect treat for the Onam holidays. His tale with Santhy Balachandran, the Tharangam star also holding a side of the pen, has taken us to a world of magic with the base so well rooted in the folktales that we are familiar with. The movie thrives on this familiarity and builds on those pillars which might be like some of those ruined but strong pillars that archeologists would find in Rome or Egypt during some excavations – the folktales of Kerala that grows on us. What is a folk-tale without the epic saga of Kadamattathu Kathanar and Kaliyankattu Neeli? And the twist that this movie takes is something that could grow further spin-offs, and for now, to rule the box-office, with contrasting moments that we remember, from the protagonist’s first fight to her human appearance in party, and then the violence that follows in the next night and her final preparation for the impossible – all these are sources of contrasting emotions – then there is the cameo appearance of Tovino Thomas that totally changes the mood to even better. The music by Jakes Bejoy is just impeccable in the case of this movie.

Positives and negatives :: The action here is amazingly good choregraphed by Yannick Ben. The final action sequences inside the café are beyond impressive, and the detailing of that world within that place keeps us enchanted. The humour which might have felt as just a side element often makes the movie a lot more enjoyable even when the dark side is on focus. The cinematography by Nimish Ravi and the editing by Chaman Chakko does a magnificent job in keeping this movie strong, and raising it to a level which would make the whole industry proud. The world detail and the colours are too good to escape our attention, while the flashbacks feel so well placed, and there are those scenes that add on in the end like watching those Marvel movies – they work on excellence to make us interested and not with mass appeal, and that would be the feature that keeps our movies apart. The movie uses its complexities like Minnal Murali used its simplicity to its advantage – nobody becomes a superhero by a lightning, for complexity comes in the darkness and not in the light. Some people might find some mixing to be forced with some moments going on as they would expect, but that is to be decided by nature.

The performers of the soul :: Kalyani Priyadarshan comes up with what might be the greatest of her career, not easy to outdo, and working like a dream. She had this so effective that imagining someone else in this particular role would be very difficult. She shines as a superhero who works on another level as an anti-hero with different shades of her character. There is also an emotional side that comes up, and shows further effectiveness. Naslen K Gafoor adds further emotions and a funny side with Chandu Salimkumar and Arun Kurian nicely contributing to the same. The three keeps the humour alive throughout the run, and this different role of Arun is to be noted, as one would not identify him from that work in Aanandam. Meanwhile, Sandy here makes a perfect antagonist, more menacing that him in Leo, a man to be feared, and someone who keeps bringing more than what meets the eye. Nishanth Sagar and Vijayaraghavan plays two characters who nicely add to the mystery of the overall tale. Then we have Tovino Thomas, Sunny Wayne and Dulquer Salmaan in some big cameo roles, and a few more are also shown, Soubin Shahir, Balu Varghese, Ahaana Krishna, Santhy Balachandran and Vijay Menon.

How it finishes :: As the first installment in a new cinematic universe, this one is a classic beginning. If Minnal Murali was a lighter version of a beginning of a possible large cinematic universe like Marvel, this one here is more like that early version of DC Universe with The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel and others. Unlike the Tovino-starrer of 2021, the danger here is more felt, and while the villain there was a man of circumstances, we see antagonists as personification of pure evil. With people more wronged in further violent ways, redemption here is not attained by saving a village. There is no lightning striking people to make people better here, as the superpowers are attained by sacrifices. With all the action, classic flashbacks, visual spectacles and added humour with memorable character ready to spawn more sequels, this is one movie that truly begins a perfect superhero universe in India. This is something I had wished for when I watched the Indonesian superhero movie Gundala which was followed by many sequels to extend it. This Onam, it is an honour to watch this one, our newly found prestige on the big screen.

Release date: 28th August 2025
Running time: 149 minutes
Directed by: Dominic Arun
Starring: Kalyani Priyadarshan, Naslen K Gafoor, Sandy, Arun Kurian, Chandu Salimkumar, Nishanth Sagar, Vijayaraghavan, Shivajith Padmanabhan, Nithya Shri, Sarath Sabha, Anna Ben, Tovino Thomas (cameo), Sunny Wayne (cameo), Dulquer Salmaan (cameo)

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

@ 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.

Madame Web

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Vampire Owl: I have a doubt if this is about World Wide Web.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that there is no relation to that particular web.

Vampire Owl: What about the web woven by a Vampire Spider?

Vampire Bat: I do not know about any such spider being appointed.

Vampire Owl: Spiders can always be evil.

Vampire Bat: There are some spiders that are too lazy to be evil.

Vampire Owl: They still weave some fine webs.

Vampire Bat: There is no web that is woven by vampires through.

Vampire Owl: The whole vampire community is part of one interconnected web.

Vampire Bat: Well, there is truth in that point.

[Gets a kulfi shake and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) works as a paramedic in New York City, and tries to help as many people as she can. She works with her good friends Ben Parker (Adam Scott) and O’Neil (Mike Epps), and attempts to save lives, and during one among a few accidents, she has a near-death experience. After this incident, she begins to have visions about her future, and after seeing her friend die, but being not able to stop the incident, becomes sure about what she has been witnessing in the last few days. Meanwhile, a man named Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who has certain precognition power and some enhanced physical abilities resembling a spider, is trying to find three teenage girls who might end up killing him in the future according to his visions – Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor) comes under his radar and he would finish them off before they try anything on him.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Cassandra and the three girls end up in the same coach in the train, she begins to see vision of the death of the girls in the hand of Ezekiel, which alerts her as she tries to save them. Ezekiel seems to exhibit the powers of spiders at the same time. This makes Ezekiel aware of her presence, and begins to chase all of them. The group just manages to save themselves from the chaser. She hides the girls in a forest area and goes back home searching for answers as everything seems to lead back to her mother who had traveled all the way to the Amazon forests while researching on spiders. As she somewhat understands what is happening, the girls go to a diner for food where Ezekiel finds them, but Cassandra has a vision which helps her to intervene at the right time. But it is to be seen how long she can continue to protect the girls as the man seems to be too powerful for anyone to stop. Will Cassandra be able to find something from the past which could finally stop him?

The defence of Madame Web :: The idea of the movie has been pretty well-executed, and there is no unnecessary melodrama like that of Guardians of the Galaxy which goes silly for even racoon. Madame Web keeps the balance as we keep feeling for the characters, but without the melodrama. There is also a certain amount of classic look throughout the movie. It is always more joy to watch three Spider-girls on the screen rather than the Spider-Men. We just had too much of the new generation of dumb Spider-Man that it is less relevant, and we need Madame Web and her Spider-Girls in action. Saving three girls by going through the terrifying situation and taking the right action to change the future just seen, only keeps getting more and more interesting. The villain here is nothing less than a Spider-Man of another kind, but not related the urban radio-active one. The trackback to the interiors of jungle also suits another kind of spider-world quite well. The big names of this movie adds to the whole thing with ease too.

The claws of flaw :: There could have been a lot that this movie could accomplish, but it does stay behind, lagging with no particular reason. There could have been signs of later battles, and present battles could have also been more intense. The foreshadowing could have actually more intense, with such a cast around. One would keep wondering when all of these get to be full of high intense non-stop action, but that is not what this movie is about. With the possibility of a sequel never seemingly there, we might be losing the opportunity to see something huge on the screen. There has also not been enough right publicity about the movie at least in this part of the world. This could have been more related to some specially-powered spiders, supernatural, paranormal, radio-active or whatever names one would wish to call them. After all, the world of spiders should always be about something special and not much more.

The performers of the soul :: There are some big names here among the performers. Dakota Johnson who is known to most of the people around us due to her leading work in Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels which changed more than one shade when on the screen. Stepdaughter to one of our favourite actors remembered for cult classics, Antonio Banderas, she has worked through this with ease, even though one would have wanted her to go through the powers in a more stylish and elegant manner. Among the next leading ladies, Sydney Sweeney has the best moments, and the much-loved star with The Voyeurs fame all around the world through a quick release on Amazon Prime, surely becomes the best Spider-girl around here, and that is evident in the one action scene from the future which involves them in combat. Isabela Merced who was seen in Alien Covenant comes next in a role which has her as the more matured one around. Celeste O’Connor contrasts with her character well, but is the less interesting one. Tahar Rahim’s villain is indeed an interesting one, even though at times, he acts too strange for a person of his level of villainy.

How it finishes :: Madame Web is surely not that bad movie that you should miss, and listening to the critics and looking at the box-office collections are not required at this moment. This is one Marvel movie with spider-elements that means more than what meets the eye. There seems to be a certain amount of natural flow in this movie and the web that it seems to have with its story, is very well connected. With some visual splendour also on the screen, one has to wonder how this is not better than most of those Spider-Man movies around, with those predictable paths and foolish main characters including the silly superhero who puts the other powerless heroes to shame. If people would prefer characters like Deadpool that makes no sense in comparison to this one, it is only a matter of time when we begin to doubt the senses that prevail these days. I could not catch this movie at the theatres despite eagerly waiting for it, but surely could catch it on Netflix later, for which I am very much glad. I would surely love to see a sequel with these three Spider-girls around, especially that of Sydney Sweeney who makes a fine superhero.

Release date: 14th February 2024
Running time: 116 minutes
Directed by: S J Clarkson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3

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Vampire Owl: We have not been watching enough movies in the last few months.

Vampire Bat: We have surely been affected by vlogging taking over blogging too.

Vampire Owl: Yet, there have not been enough videos put in YouTube.

Vampire Bat: Well, we will never have enough of them.

Vampire Owl: There can always be enough videos and we slow down.

Vampire Bat: We do not slow down without a reason.

Vampire Owl: Old age always makes us slow down.

Vampire Bat: We have only recently slowed down with this blog.

Vampire Owl: Still, we are watching less movies.

Vampire Bat: The theatres have turned into nonsense with some dumb movies.

[Gets a blueberry cake and three cups of mango smoothie].

What is the movie about? :: As the Guardians of the Galaxy remains at Knowhere which serves as their new headquarters, things seems to go smooth without much of a crisis that used to be always there providing a sense of danger. Everything seems to come easy for them at the new place, with no need to even train for a possible coming adventure. It is then that a powerful artificial being named Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) arrives there and starts attacking them. He easily defeats Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) before severely wounding Rocket (Bradley Cooper). He is finally defeated by Nebula (Karen Gillan) who returns after being run through a series of buildings. They are not able to heal Rocket with the medical packs which they have as he has kill switches implanted in him by an organization known as Orgocorp, whom the Guardians intend to target and find the override codes which can save Rocket’s life.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The new version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who does not recognize Star-Lord also joins the group, coming from the Ravagers. They manage to infiltrate Orgocorp, but after a long fight and some injuries, they find out that they have to travel further to the area known as Counter-Earth which was built in the image of Earth, mostly focusing on New York model, having even its own Statue of Liberty on the image of High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) who has been chasing Rocket, and is responsible for his present situation. But High Evolutionary feels that the world is not perfect yet and intends to destroy it in a period of time. He feels that finding Rocket is necessary in his quest for attaining perfection through evolution, something for which he had been striving for so long. But Star-Lord and his team are determined to save their friend, and Gamora is interested in what she can earn in the process. Can the team win their battle?

The defence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 :: There is always that interest in seeing new worlds and exploring them being fulfilled – the world detail here remains interesting, and the same can be said about the aliens who wander around here. The Computer-Generated Imagery remains interesting around here, and adds to the total visuals that do not hold back. The emotional side often works well, especially with the bonding among friends. The backstory of another interesting character has been built with the emotional touch, and one would expect to see these characters separately in different movies from Marvel. There are some nicely created action scenes around here too, and with aliens involved, there is always something more to be seen. There are some fight scenes in some interesting environments that we will remember too, along with a comic side.

The claws of flaw :: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not raise the bar at all, even though we often have the feeling that it is going to, and there were also many reviews which seemed to suggest the possibility of the same. The run-time feels a little more than needed, as the whole movie itself focuses on just one thing, not having that much to spread the wings. The emotional side does not work at all times, as there are moments when it seems to be created just for the sake of creating sympathy for a main character. There are moments which needs to be serious, but not emotional – this kind of a difference needs to be better understood by the makers from Marvel. The ending seems to be forced and repeated at times rather than bringing the innovation or the spectacle as one would have wanted. The formula really needed to have something special this time.

The performers of the soul :: The performers feel usual for us as these people have been playing these characters for quite a long time. These are not different from what all have been witnessed in the last two chapters. The one notable new addition here is Will Poulter, who plays one new character that seems to go through interesting changes, and the powers also remain interesting. Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary makes a strong and interesting villain with the motives that never seems to end as far as evil keeps going in this world, trying to find one way or the other. Among the Guardians, it is Karen Gillan who has our attention the most, and keeps the base strong. Chris Pratt does the usual job with ease. Dave Bautista who has been keeping us interested from the WWE days remain a joy to watch on the big screen. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel with their voices manage to contribute nicely around here as we have been hearing them in the series. Pom Klementieff brings some fine humour. Sylvester Stallone becomes a fine addition around here too.

How it finishes :: Guardians of the Galaxy series of movies have never mean among the best quality superhero movies that we have known in the last few years. This one does not manage to be that great as the reviews say either. Marvel could not maintain that strength that they had by the end of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. It is still very much entertaining with the content, despite the bigger run-time than it should have had. With the tag of a fine entertainer, the movie will keep its audience interested, as they have been deprived of some good entertainment ever since Avengers decided to end and the fans had to depend on some strange series instead of the regular movies to get their entertainment. Considering the kind of movies that Marvel has been making with unnecessary deviation and dumb characters who never deserved to be superheroes, this movie is very much ahead on many different angles.

Release date: 5th May 2023
Running time: 150 minutes
Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, Sylvester Stallone

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

<<< Click here to go to the greatest superhero of India.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Shazam II

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Vampire Owl: Shazam has not been on the list of our favourite superheroes.

Vampire Bat: But it is surely on the funny list.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that there is another list?

Vampire Bat: Yes, we have to separate the comic side from the serious.

Vampire Owl: So, you mean to say that all superheroes are not considered on the same list?

Vampire Bat: No two superheroes are the same.

Vampire Owl: Not when we consider a few from different comics.

Vampire Bat: You mean to talk about Marvel’s parallels in DC.

Vampire Owl: Well, there are exceptions.

Vampire Bat: I would work on those exceptions.

[Gets a chocolate brownie and three cups of green apple tea].

What is the movie about? :: Billy Batson a.k.a Shazam (Zachary Levi and Asher Angel) is trying to keep his family of superheroes going, but it seems that everyone wishes to go on their way as they have grown up. Billy is further worried about being thrown out of the family when he turns eighteen, and his elder foster sister, Mary Bromfield (Grace Caroline Currey) feels that the day will come rather soon. It is then that the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) provides Billy with a warning that the “Daughters of Atlas” are coming to get them. Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler), the three daughters of the titan have decided to unleash their wrath on humans. They would steal the wizard’s broken staff from the Acropolis Museum in Athens and take it to the Wizard who is already imprisoned by them. They forcibly use the powers of the wizard to fix the staff and reactivate its powers with a grand plan to bring back the world of the gods.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The daughters manage to capture Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and trap everyone in the city within an indestructible forcefield created out of godly magic. They imprison Freddy along with the Wizard in the realm of gods. Billy makes an attempt to negotiate with the sisters, while Anthea gives tips to the Wizard and Freddy to escape from captivity. Back home, the battle sees more members of the Shazam family losing their power, and Hespera is captured by them to negotiate another more even deal. But it is revealed that she allowed herself to be captured so that she could steal something from their lair. This would help her to make their world greater than ever, and at the same time, destroy the other worlds including that of humans. Can the remaining members of the Shazam family manage to stop the daughters, or will there be chaos unleashed? Will the Wizard finally believe that she should not have given the power to Billy who has almost no true wisdom?

The defence of Shazam II: Fury of the Gods :: The attempt to keep the funny side alive has worked again for the DC Extended Universe, and we see this world colliding with another, as we see the connection more than once. The movie’s best new addition might be Rachel Zegler, and the idea of the family that runs through, maybe even more than Fast and Furious franchise. The action sequences are nicely done, and we see the aerial battles with all the effectiveness. The different worlds are created well with the special effects, and this can be said with those location with derive power from the settings. The film keeps us going and whenever it seems to lose some strength, something stronger always comes up and adds to the occasion. The movie serves as a reminder that DC has come up above Marvel after the end of the greatest superheroes like Captain America and Iron Man, while the darker heroes of this side have more to prove, and even bring some of the best villains around.

The claws of flaw :: The childish side which is present in this movie never really leaves us – the silliness could have been kept to the minimum as some points seem to be not maintaining a certain amount of quality. The lack of seriousness at some points feels to be rather strange, even though not that ridiculous as we have seen in Deadpool and its sequel. The deviation that the movie takes from the other films of DC Extended Universe works only at times. Some of the moments travel too far away from the core and seems to favour an animated movie, and the lightness of this particular flick often becomes rather too much. The magic could always look better and bring a more stylish spectacle, something which Doctor Strange has perfected so well. This movie could have also used some support from Black Adam, as The Rock would make things eternally grand.

The performers of the soul :: Zachary Levi manages the humour in this sequel with ease, and the emotional side also comes strong with him around. The work here becomes a fine extension of what he did in the first movie. Jack Dylan Grazer’s work is to be remembered next, and remains something that rises to the occasion with the humour as well as the emotional elements. Grace Caroline Currey who was earlier credited as Grace Fulton with the previous movie continues to have a memorable impact here. Rachel Zegler brings a great amount of charm to the movie, and her avatar remains a truly memorable one with an emotional touch as much as the magic that surrounds her. Lucy Liu becomes the villain that catches our attention more while Helen Mirren also contributes effectively to the process. Djimon Hounsou’s work remains notable as the one wizard who keeps the magic alive. The cameo from Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman will stay with us for a long time too, but the earlier moments had left us thinking if that was to come at all.

How it finishes :: Shazam II: Fury of the Gods takes the deviation from the other superheroes of the franchise very seriously, and could have even used Black Adam around here. There are many interesting moments here, and the emotional side is also working, with messages that work with effectiveness. The entertaining side stays strong, and we know that there is always something bigger to come, and it could manage to be better than the earlier movie with ease. The messages stay strong and about family and the underdogs, we know how it manages to go as expected. This is another movie which keeps DC flying high enough, even though not as much as it could have managed. This one manages to be interesting for both adults and kids, as the action or the funny side never shows up alone. Marvel could not have achieved such balance with such material after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game – maybe with the looks, but not with the rest.

Release date: 17th March 2023
Running time: 130 minutes
Directed by: David F Sandberg
Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, D. J. Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Meagan Good, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou, Helen Mirren

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Blue Beetle

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Vampire Owl: So, are we looking for a Vampire Beetle?

Vampire Bat: Beetles are too small to be transformed into vampires.

Vampire Owl: Well, they can be trained to bite people secretly.

Vampire Bat: We are vampires. We can bite people publicly in our territory.

Vampire Owl: Beetles can infiltrate other territories for our people.

Vampire Bat: We are not in war with any other territories.

Vampire Owl: With the exception of werewolves, zombies and witches.

Vampire Bat: The witches will identify a vampire from miles away.

Vampire Owl: With the right amount of magic, the beetle can go through.

Vampire Bat: No, we have always preferred resistance to magic.

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

What is the movie about? :: Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena) is a recent graduate from college in law who comes back to his home after a long time, only to find that his family is going to be evicted from where they have been staying. His parents Alberto Reyes (Damian Alcazar) and Rocio Reyes (Elpidia Carrillo) more than just happy to see him again, and are glad to be together as a family and asserts that they would solve this as one as they have always done with their troubles. His sister Milagro Reyes (Belissa Escobedo) finds both of them a job at a mansion and resort owned by Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), the CEO of Kord Industries. He comes across a heated argument between her and her niece Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine) about the company which was earlier headed by Jenny’s missing father manufacturing dangerous weapons able to trigger a third world war. As Jaime intervenes, Victoria immediately fires him and his sister. But Jenny asks him to meet her at the Kord Tower on the very next day to discuss the possibility of a job opportunity.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Victoria has been using an ancient alien artifact known only as Scarab for her One Man Army Corps (OMAC) projects creating a large number of super-soldiers. Jenny steals the same and hides it inside a burger box which she gives to Jaime who arrived there to see her, as she runs away while being chased by the security after the alarm is set off. As Jaime opens the box, the Scarab activates and fuses with his body. Jaime is not able to control what the Scarab is doing as it forms an exoskeleton on his body, leading him to search for Jenny for answers. They decide to infiltrate Kord Tower again to retrieve a smart watch that belonged to Jenny’s father, only to find them being attacked by Ignacio Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo) who is a cyborg-like soldier serving as Victoria’s personal bodyguard and meant to lead the future group of super-soldiers. They just manage to escape from there, but can they make sure that the OMAC never gets built? Can they stop Victoria before she brings the war to everyone?

The defence of Blue Beetle :: It can be seen that Blue Beetle becomes another movie that focuses on the superhero of the family, something which would make the Fast and Furious franchise proud. This particular focus on family makes sure that there is a lot of heart associated with the movie, and the feel-good also has a role to play. This also leads to the assurance that there will be an emotional side that runs strong in between. The action sequences are really good, even when not done in a grand mode – the battles are never really overdone, and controlled within the possibilities of the main characters. With its family-friendly content, it is the kind of movie which one can watch with the whole family and enjoy without second thoughts. The skill to keep the world not that complicated, can also be appreciated, as we can smoothly go through this one, and yet the movie does not compromise on quality. The final moments also assure the possibility of a sequel which can follow with a grand sequence of proceedings, expanding the world by a long way. This is the movie which surely deserved better reception in the theatres, and the funny side is also pretty good.

The claws of flaw :: There can be no doubt about the fact that this movie could have done better with the action and the use of antagonists. The visuals could have created better detail with the battle suits as well as the special effects during combat. The predictability factor does have its presence in this movie, and very often, this is the superhero movie that follows the usual procedure – often resembling movies outside Marvel and DC Extended Universes too. One cannot be blamed for making the wish to watch something divergent, as Marvel has done most of the things possible with the worlds of superheroes already, and ending a wave of grandeur well with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. There are so many DC movies which have deserved better, including Black Adam, and Blue Beetle sadly did not do that well at the box-office, but we hope that the same will be watched more in the OTT platform. A good viewership there would be the reminder that this is one movie which is much more than what the box-office numbers say.

The performers of the soul :: Xolo Mariduena makes the character of Blue Beetle a fun watch, and he works with the bonding with family as well as the superpowers really well. The Brazilian actress Bruna Marquezine plays the female lead here, and makes a good point to become an action heroine running through DC Extended Universe, as the character is left with lot of options. We never really have enough billionaires who can help the superheroes in their work, unless the hero gets to be among the richest people around. We have always remembered Elpidia Carrillo in relation to an original Predator and Arnold Schwarzenegger hunting as well as being hunted, and it is good to see her around here. Damian Alcazar makes a lovely father figure here, while Adriana Barraza adds on as the grandmother in style. Susan Sarandon is pretty much an interesting antagonist, while Raoul Max Trujillo makes the nemesis who gets all the action sequences to perform. George Lopez also makes a fine impact here while Belissa Escobedo adds to the family well.

How it finishes :: Blue Beetle might feel like Antman from a distance, but we know that they are not similar as it begins and gets the first interesting sequences. It really deserved to be a grand success with the content that never ceases to be entertaining. In the DC Extended Universe, this particular superhero has the chance to be something big, but considering the lack of success of this film might have blocked that opportunity – I would find that choice of audience surprising though, as the strangest of superheroes have done better, and Deadpool might be the weirdest that deserved no big attention. The movie here could have brought more though, and if there is no sequel, that cannot be achieved – this is that kind of a film which can broaden its scope by a long way. We would remain hopeful against a future with a sequel, and at the same time, consider this as an interesting origin story. Until then, we enjoy this movie, and consider this particular superhero as someone who can rise even above some of the well-known superheroes.

Release date: 18th August 2023
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Angel Manuel Soto
Starring: Xolo Mariduena, Bruna Marquezine, Adriana Barraza, Damian Alcazar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Elpidia Carrillo

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Aquaman 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vampire Owl: I choose a life without human nonsense.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Wakanda Forever

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Multiverse of Madness

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

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

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

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

Vampire Owl: Are we shifting our loyalties to DC?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Black Adam

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Vampire Owl: I have heard about this person before.

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

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein has already confirmed it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

No Way Home

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Vampire Owl: How many Spider-Mans do we get to see here?

Vampire Bat: Well, I know more about Batmans.

Vampire Owl: I don’t know anyone else to ask, as I don’t know a Vampire Spider.

Vampire Bat: You can still ask someone who has watched this particular movie.

Vampire Owl: I don’t need to ask any human about that.

Vampire Bat: There can always be exceptions.

Vampire Owl: I don’t make exceptions with humans.

Vampire Bat: You should try trusting one human per day.

Vampire Owl: You think that it is going to mean something.

Vampire Bat: Make an attempt today, and you will at least have a decision.

[Gets a gobi paratha and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: After the death of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), it comes to light that he had revealed Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) identity as Peter Parker. Michelle Jones-Watson a.k.a. MJ (Zendaya) finds herself as the celebrity girlfriend of a superhero without any idea what is to happen next, as they are hunted for the drones of Stark Technologies which were used by Mysterio, who had manipulated the scene as if it was Spider-Man who controlled the drones against the people of the city. People seem to believe more in Mysterio rather than Spider-Man, and Peter’s friends are questioned by the federal agents. Their applications for future studies far away from the city with a fresh start are also rejected. The charges are dropped soon enough, but they are not able to get rid of the crowd which keeps following him to such an extent that he wishes to spend most of his time on the roof of a building. Fed up with everything that has been happening around him, Peter decides to meet Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), hoping that he can come up with a solution to the miserable turn of events.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In New York Sanctum, he hopes that Strange can go back in time, and make sure that what happened to him didn’t really happen. Strange doesn’t have the time stone any more, but he manages to cast a spell that would be able to make everyone forget that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are the same person. Despite being warned against using it, he feels that he is in full control. Even though the spell seems to go on well in the beginning, Peter continues to be the foolish youngster that he has always been, and request alterations with different names so that his loved ones can remember his secret identity. Strange is forced to stop the spell before something terrible happens. He contains the spell, and Strange asks him to at least try to plead his case before trying something strange like this. While he tries to do the same, Otto Octavius a.k.a. Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) appears out of nowhere, searching for his machine, and almost kills everyone on a bridge, causing massive destruction and loss of public and private property in the process.

And what more could happen around here as the world seems to have changed? :: As Spider-Man seems to have things in control, Norman Osborn a.k.a. Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) seems to appear out of nowhere. Then there is Dr Curt Connors a.k.a. The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and also Max Dillon a.k.a. Electro (Jamie Foxx) who also seems to have come from other universe, as the spell seems to have summoned people from the other universes who know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Doctor Strange now really needs Peter Parker and his friends to search the internet for anything strange which might have happened in the nearby areas, and get all the villains from other universes in captivity. But these are the supervillains whom he hasn’t encountered before. Electro is rather too powerful for the Spider-Man of this world, as he is too super-charged, and they don’t really know what the Green Goblin is capable of. There seems to be some changes to the powers of the supervillains too, and they hope that it is not for the worst. Now, can the newly arrived supervillains be stopped?

The defence of Spider-Man: No Way Home :: This is one movie from the third group of Spider-Man franchise that manages to bigger than ever, and also has more smartness than the earlier films of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Even though the danger is more serious here, the humour is surely not lost with the characters. With more than one Spider-Man around, there is a lot of nostalgia related to this one too, and my favourite would always be the one from The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. As far as the villains are concerned, they provide nostalgia from all universes almost equally. We can credit the performers who bring the different elements of antagonists in a variety of universes very well. The action sequences continue to impress us, and with so many villains around, this surely has the grandeur. Visually, the world has been done very well, as we look at it. Even though it is not his movie with the title, it is still Benedict Cumberbatch who impresses the most here too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie becomes more relevant as it seems to begin something which will have some grand influence on the whole cinematic universe. Some repetitions will be felt, and the youngsters do feel like going a little bit too irritating. These are the kind of youth that doesn’t even take the responsibility for their actions, and still blame others for whatever dumb things they did. The seriousness should have been there during at least some of those situations which meant terrible danger for everyone around. The movie should have also focused less on getting the clap from the masses, as that time is now over after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. But we know where the movie is heading – the exciting finish, that too without exaggeration, does the job. There is something for everyone who has loved Spidey through the years, no matter what the age group might be – you get enough of the superhero here.

How it finishes :: The movie which continues the Spider-Man legacy, and had a nomination for the Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards. We have all been waiting for this movie more than the other Marvel films for sure. After all, we have been fans of Spidey for such a long time, and none of our favourites were with this particular spider. It just doesn’t feel like having the effect of what has been spread as the great superhero experience with multiple Spider-Man impact. It seems that the new generation superheroes need more to be of use, after Avengers took it beyond the limits. Yet, the movie remains as interesting as most of the superheroes should be. With a superior finish after a lot of action, the movie manages to end things well. The movie surely leaves us with more to hope for with the later films. We are never finished with the superheroes who seem to keep providing us with the false hope about a world which will always remain hopeless – the world needs what is not real at all times, because reality is always worse.

Release date: 17th December 2021
Running time: 148 minutes
Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Soul of the Dragon

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Vampire Owl: Do you know that Uncle Dracula once owned a dragon?

Vampire Bat: Vampires don’t own dragons. The sorcerers do.

Vampire Owl: Well, with the rise of the witches, there are not many left.

Vampire Bat: At least, the necromancers live well with the zombies.

Vampire Owl: You should know that the dragons lived in the dungeons of this castle.

Vampire Bat: You are talking about a legend spread by the villagers.

Vampire Owl: Dr Frankenstein has assured me that it is true.

Vampire Bat: Well, he is one scientist who knows nothing.

Vampire Owl: You don’t know the doctor enough.

Vampire Bat: Well, I know Mr Frankenstein well enough.

[Gets a paneer biriyani and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman (David Giuntoli) has a visit from Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos), an old from a very long time ago, and Bruce is very glad to see him again, but they are attacked by some strangers with axes in their hands. It is then revealed that before he became the vigilante crime fighter known to the world as Batman, he had traveled to Nanda Parbat, a secret monastery in the Hindu Kush area of the Himalayas where he received training in martial arts. There, he was trained by the master of the arts, O-Sensei (James Hong), along with other students, and Richard was one of them. The others included Lady Shiva (Kelly Hu), Ben Turner (Michael Jai White), Jade Nguyen (Jamie Chung) and Rip Jagger (Chris Cox), who are supposed to among his best students – those who are already well-trained in the art. Bruce decides to train among them despite the doubts being present there. He had also learned to control his emotions and redirect them efficiently, along with using the darkness to his advantage.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: O-Sensei bestows upon Shiva, the responsibility of guarding a Muramasa sword called Soul Breaker, after Rip who also claims the same is defeated by her with ease. But Rip has other plans with the sword. He takes the sword, murders Jade who seems to blindly trust him with everything, and ends up opening a portal with the weapon. The area has a magical gate which is guarded by the master, and it would open this portal to world of the serpent god who is mentioned more as a demon, Naga. They had closed the gate once after a long fight against the giant serpents, but not without the sacrifices which had to be made including that of the master himself. Richard had discovered that the millionaire Jeffrey Burr (Josh Keaton) who leads a cult based on snakes named Kobra had taken control of the gate, and hopes to stop him and his allies at any cost. The strangers who attacked them were also mercenaries sent by him, and were expected to stop any progress.

And what more is to be offered here with the bat and his people on the hunt? :: They look for allies, and also hope to find and protect the sword before it is used to open the gate to the other world. For the same, they travel all the way to the Chinatown in Gotham where Shiva who is still in possession of the sword, and is controlling the world of crime out there. Batman is aligned to the opposite side of the law, but she is only happy to see a good friend again. But they are attacked by a bigger group of trained cultists, and the sword is also taken. The cult now owns a highly fortified island where they hope to open the gate using the sword and along with the same, sacrifice a number of kidnapped children. Now, they have to think differently to stop the worst from happening. They do find Ben and manage to make him a part of the team. But will they be enough to stop the evil from spreading? Are they fast enough to make the difference around here? Can Bruce Wayne contribute to all of these better as the Batman with all the equipment?

The defence of Batman: Soul of the Dragon :: There is something divergent about this particular animated movie that we see as following a different path. We do have the feeling of watching something nostalgic around here, reminding us of the animated series which came in the television, and this one surely has a lot of action along with some nice background music to go with it. You know that there is something about those times which we would wish to remember. The memories of the old kung-fu and karate movies also seem to come back to us to make an impact. It seems that there is also the chance to bring a sequel which can prove to be better than the original – a lot of action seems to be waiting to be unleashed, as we look at the final moments. With a short run-time that goes even below one and half hours, there is no drag in this particular movie as it keeps on going quick and smooth throughout its run. The antagonist of this movie serves really well as the one force of another world which seems to be near impossible to stop.

The claws of flaw :: There is not that much of a strength as in a Batman movie, whether as a detective or a superhero thing; for this one chooses a different path in comparison. It is certainly not the kind of DC movie which is expected too. The title is rather misleading as this is not really about Batman, as not just battle is shared – we just have the superhero in this movie which belongs more to the other characters. Well, Batman seems to be more like the guest who has decided to stay and own parts of the flick. The myth on the demon could have also been used in a better way. This also changes the Batman a little too much than what we know from the other movies, and that feels strange as so many things about our dark superhero seems to go some other way. When you have Batman in what feels more like a martial arts movie, this is expected, but the question still remains if it is what the fans of Gotham’s favourite vigilante would want. Well, you have supernatural forces, and Batman is also forced to go Mortal Kombat against them instead of being himself.

How it finishes :: Batman: Soul of the Dragon reminds one of the many interesting animated movies which DC has come up with in the last few years. Justice Society: World War II, Batman: The Long Halloween Part One and Batman: The Long Halloween Part Two are a few of them which made the impact earlier, and there are a lot of more of them which seems to be ready to contribute further to the world of the live-action, supplementing Aquaman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman and everyone around. While Marvel doesn’t seem to have these, DC surely has managed to keep one in the animated world too. Well, we know that animated superheroes have been our first love, and any reminder of the same only helps things further. We are all waiting for the bigger movies from DC, and there is no shortage of love for superheroes. After all, there is none in real life, as the only people who are termed super in our world are the most evil among them all.

Release date: 12th January 2021
Running time: 83 minutes
Directed by: Sam Liu
Starring: David Giuntoli, Kelly Hu, Jamie Chung, Mark Dacascos, Michael Jai White, James Hong, Josh Keaton

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Long Halloween I

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Vampire Owl: This reminds me of more than one Halloween.

Vampire Bat: You just cannot have enough of that festival.

Vampire Owl: It is not a festival, but life itself.

Vampire Bat: We are not even alive.

Vampire Owl: During Halloween, all the undead comes alive.

Vampire Bat: We come alive during the Night of the Dead.

Vampire Owl: I am not talking about that type of being alive.

Vampire Bat: So, you are talking about the life that Mr Frankenstein has.

Vampire Owl: You do not need to drag Doctor Frankenstein into this.

Vampire Bat: He doesn’t need to be dragged as he comes uninvited every time.

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

What is the movie about? :: When the nephew of a mob boss in Gotham City, Carmine Falcone (Titus Welliver), is murdered by an unknown figure who leaves a Halloween lantern at the crime scene, Commissioner Gordon (Billy Burke) seeks the help of both Batman a.k.a. Bruce Wayne (Jensen Ackles) and Harvey Dent (Josh Duhamel) for help with the investigation. Catwoman a.k.a. Selina Kyle (Naya Rivera) calls the Wayne Manor on Halloween, while the night only seems to get stranger, and Batman feels that the city has fallen without any hope for a return to its former glory. Harvey also feels that the place has turned into something like a ghost town, as it seems worse on the Halloween night. He feels that it was the uncle who arranged the murder because the dead man was going to help the police department, even though nobody was supposed to know about it. Falcone crime family was going to be taken down, and Harvey feels that their best chance has been missed due to the murder.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Carmine feels that it was Harvey who killed his nephew, and thinks that there could be a right moment for them to strike. As there are other gangs after them, he also decides to move his assets to a more secure facility. Catwoman leads Batman to the cash stockpile owned by Carmine. After doing a coin flip, Harvey decides to burn the money, as it would take them a lot of time to move this much of cash. Carmine who understands the role of Harvey behind all of these, hires Mickey Chen (Greg Chun) to kill him and Gilda Dent (Julie Nathanson). They survive the bomb attack on the house, but are hospitalized, with Harvey getting the worst of it. Batman chases down Mickey, and both run into Solomon Grundy Fred Tatasciore) after a fight with Mickey’s friends. Solomon almost kills him, before being pursuaded by Batman to leave him. But without evidence, Mickey is to be left free. There is nothing to link him to the bombing, and Gordon feels that Batman should have done better.

And what more is to happen with the superheroes here? :: Mickey feels that the bombing was ordered as an act of vengeance for the murder of Carmine’s nephew. Carmine also looks down upon his son Alberto Falcone (Jack Quaid) whom he considers to be too weak to handle the family business, or anything of use. Harvey escapes from the hospital and during the same night, Mickey and his friends are killed by someone. Gordon had also left Harvey with a gun to protect himself. The murder had happened on another holiday after Halloween, and as Christmas approaches, another one might take place – Batman and Gordon tries everything that they can, including taking advice from the inmates of Arkham Asylum. Soon, they realize that Joker (Troy Baker) has escaped from the mental institution. Joker does visit Harvey, and threatens him as he is also a suspect in being a killer – he doesn’t want anyone else to be the leading homicidal maniac in the city. But finding the real killer on holidays, there is the need for more than one detective or vigilante.

The defence of Batman: Long Halloween: Part One :: There is a different kind of feeling with the atmosphere of this particular movie, as it is not the usual superhero movie that you see anywhere around. It seems to have kept itself close to the feeling of a comics, but is not far from the quality of an animated series. We all remember having watched some animated series about Batman on television, and those episodes were very much enjoyed by us. We are brought back to that feeling yet again, and the dark atmosphere and the visuals are rightly suitable for this world of Batman’s Gotham City. It is the world in which a vampire would thrive better than a man in a bat’s costume, and with the quality being maintained here, one won’t hesitate to be there. Batman, as the superhero without superpowers, is the man whom we would always be looking for, as more than just the superhero – he is one among us, and it is once again proven here as there so many mistakes that he seems to make, along with mostly capturing the criminals and saving the day. Also, the Catwoman gets her due.

The claws of flaw :: The superhero elements go missing around here, and the investigative thriller comes to the front, with the hero turning into a detective – not something that many fans would prefer over the man they know well. The investigation seems to have gone rather too slow, and unlike the superhero world with investigation, this chooses for a universe of investigation with some superhero elements which are often not visible at all. As it drags at times, and we do feel that some part of it could have been stronger and sharper. It required to have a quick and clear path of investigation. The fights are very less, and there seems to be focus on having more dialogues. Some of these dialogues do make us feel that there is something that has gone missing – maybe we didn’t catch something from a previous movie or the fully myth. Joker is not really given the appreciation that the character has demanded throughout the ages – we would have hoped for the better when we knew that he was there in the movie.

How it finishes :: Batman: Long Halloween: Part One begins a journey which is divided into two. The first part has managed to be interesting enough, and moved through the mood of a murder investigation, having a serial killer at work. With the movie stopping in the middle, one still has to watch the second film to understand how all of these will turn out to be. It is actually nice to have this movie divided into two, as a longer version of this would have turned out to be too much of a killer of time. As this one, as well as the second part are available on Amazon Prime Video, these can actually be watched together if one needs continuity. Some interesting animated movies have been the need for the time, for Frozen, How to Train Your Dragon, Big Hero 6, Inside Out and team have all seem to have disappeared too early, and the only ones we are left with, are those Hotel Transylvania movies and its sequel. Let us have this type of animated movies, for we can celebrate the divergence as long as the work is good.

Release date: 22nd June 2021
Running time: 85 minutes
Directed by: Chris Palmer
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Josh Duhamel, Naya Rivera, Billy Burke, Alastair Duncan, Troy Baker, Amy Landecker, David Dastmalchian, Julie Nathanson, Gary LeRoi Gray, Fred Tatasciore, Jim Pirri, Titus Welliver

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.