Tag Archives: war

War Machine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Aadu 3

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Vampire Owl: So, we have the third movie this time.

Vampire Bat: Well, there was always going to be a third.

Vampire Owl: But the situation seems to be entirely different in this case.

Vampire Bat: Well, there was the talk about the grandeur being a lot more.

Vampire Owl: The connections which seem to be made here feels rather strange when together.

Vampire Bat: That is quite natural as the genre itself seems to have changed by a mile.

Vampire Owl: I do not know if Uncle Dracula would like this change.

Vampire Bat: There is no need for you to show this to him, or your friend Mr. Frankenstein.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein is now beyond all entertainment.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frank is beyond everything sensible.

[Gets a taco and three cups of Strawberry milk tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is the year 2370, and Earth is ruled by a ruthless dictatorship known as The Organization which has managed to quash every attempt at rebellion. They are an all-powerful entity which was never really challenged, considering its power and ability to stop all riots even before they begin. The dictatorship would not stay away from unleashing violence if it is threatened, making the ruling group an entity which one would need to fear beyond everything else. According to the resistance leader Baba (Indrans), the Organization has achieved this status through a celestial object called the Star Dust, which allows time travel, and in the process, rewrites timelines according to their will. Baba assures the other resistance fighters that time is not linear as past, present and future coexist simultaneously, and actions in one timeline would change the other. Baba understands that preventing the Organization from acquiring the Star Dust is the only way to stop them from achieving total dominance through time travel. For the same, he feels that there can be some unexpected heroes in different timelines who can help them and make sure that the balance is maintained and the inter-timeline evil can be stopped.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In 2025, Shaji (Jayasurya) and his gang had received three million US dollars after the events involving the fight with Chekuthan Lazar (Hariprashanth M G), Anali Sabu (Anson Paul). They make the plans to travel to the United States of America to convert the cash from dollars to rupees, but Cleetus (Dharmajan Bolgatty) misses out as he has no proof, neither an SSLC Certificate, driving license nor an aadhar card to prove his identity, missing out on passport as well as that possible visa to the United States. As Cleetus gets depressed about missing out on the opportunity, takes a funny dialogue by Shaji’s niece Rachael (Athira Patel) related to seeing the American President when he comes to Coimbatore and exchange the dollars for rupees by just talking to him. As the date of Donald Trump visit arrives, and Tamil Nadu Police with the Central Forces have come up with a strong security, and Cleetus gets in there and shouts terrorist instead of tourist as he gets arrested. The currency is discovered to be fake, with Benjamin Franklin wearing glasses for the first time in a note, and now the team has to save Cleetus.

And what more is to happen here as another timeline calls for more? :: In 1790, Maharaja Padmanabhan Thampuran (Jayasurya) is ruling his small kingdom which seems to be weakening day by day, as his influence keeps going down even in his own circle. He is helping Vareed Mappila (Vijay Babu), to build a bridge which would change the fate of his kingdom – Vareed is an architect who had earned his degree from abroad in a reputed university, but is struggling, and is strongly supported by Kunjukunju (Noby Marcose) and Palazhi (Nirmal Palazhi) who provide local support even though adding a little bit of silliness to the situation. The whole thing has Lord Walter Joseph (Sunny Wayne) as the overseer, but this British lieutenant is called more as “water” due to him being drunk for most of the time. He always has Soman (Sudhi Koppa) and Sundar (Bijukuttan) to aid him, as they struggle to finish the bridge in time. As the king has problems with his spine, he sends his driver Koran (Aju Varghese) to find a doctor, but the bigger problem arrives in the form of the ruthless Azam Khan (Vinayakan), a commander under Tipu Sultan who wishes to destroy everything. How will all of these incidents in different timelines come together now?

The defence of Aadu 3 :: Jayasurya as Shaji Paappan holds the most value once again, and we see him leading the way to glory here too, as this character gets another twist for him with one more to play around here. Among the characters, those played by Saiju Kurup, Vinayakan, Sunny Wayne, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Vijay Babu and Indrans score the highest, while the support only seems to get only stronger. The bigger than usual attempt makes it possible to have a post-apocalyptic dystopian connection out of nowhere make it one of the best attempts to go big with some risks taken. We could have never had our own post-apocalyptic world with a past without this, as even though I have written a novel in such a world, such world-building feels outside the limits of Malayalam movie-makers. Then they create those new generation alcoholic high grossers without content, but I shall watch none of them. But here, some fine production values and background score along with that humour which comes out of nowhere and takes it out of nowhere makes an impression. The feeling of nostalgia will still continue with this world and its characters with that cult following.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s deviation from the original ideas might hurt its purpose and the loss of two of its best characters played by Sandra Thomas and Chemban Vinod Jose had already hurt the second movie and it misses out more on humour every time. There are also too many worlds and happenings around here, and this non-linear narrative does not always seem like managed in the same manner. The time spent at establishing different worlds seem to have affected the humour’s balance at times. The franchise has always been something belonging to silly humour like Kunjiramayanam and Maranamass which never really hard a smart character; yet we remember that Adi Kapyare Koottamani could add some seriousness to the same. In comparison, in this movie which tries so much, despite trying very hard, the overcrowded feeling seems more like a setting for the next movie rather than keeping this one going forward. This might be same reason why we do feel that the movie is not reaching anywhere as the timelines go through middle part. We often keep looking forward to having better connection and a smarter arrangement of things, and it is something elder audience would feel more.

How it finishes :: We are no longer watching that usual fun-filled silly entertainer, but something more, as we see different timelines coming together to face a problem of timelines – from a light-hearted situation to universe-threatening darkness that spreads, we feel that change is too much real and with high ambitions. Now, the next movie is sure to be something grand, and we will see such spectacles in Malayalam cinema that we might not have imagined before. It is a commendable job to transform a cult comedy franchise into a huge-scale fantasy adventure having time travel, reincarnations, future post-apocalyptic world and dystopia, with the same characters living through different timelines – still, the movie maintains the quality, and we can only appreciate the same. Midhun Manuel Thomas taking the decision not to repeat the same formula and instead choosing the unexplored territory has kept this franchise alive, as it was already losing a lot of steam with Aadu 2. He has indeed tried to make this work with all his heart, and this is the kind of grand experimentation that Malayalam cinema needed, and it should keep pursuing the same while leaving that new generation nonsense behind.

Release date: 19 March 2026
Running time: 170 minutes
Directed by: Midhun Manuel Thomas
Starring: Jayasurya, Saiju Kurup, Vinayakan, Sunny Wayne, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Vijay Babu, Bhagath Manuel, Harikrishnan, Renji Panicker, Indrans, Bijukuttan, Sudhi Koppa, Alleya Bourne, Krishna Jeev

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pretty Lethal

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Vampire Owl: There is nothing more lethal than vampires, not even werewolves who crawl in.

Vampire Bat: These people are referring to ballerinas in a fight.

Vampire Owl: I have always felt that vampires need ballerinas around for positive influence.

Vampire Bat: Don’t we fight enough in other forms?

Vampire Owl: We should never be that short of options in a world of chaos.

Vampire Bat: At least this is on Amazon Prime Video for reference.

Vampire Owl: I think that I am going to learn dancing outside too.

Vampire Bat: You remember the dancing fight of Jumanji too?

Vampire Owl: Yes, that has inspired me to develop my fighting steps. I am issuing a red notice.

Vampire Bat: You do not need to learn any more fighting as there no wars or encounters in our realm right now.

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

What is the movie about? :: An American ballet troupe is honoured to be part of a prestigious international ballet competition in Budapest. This invited team consists of their leading dancer Bones (Maddie Ziegler), a rich and selfish Princess (Lana Condor), very religious and prude Grace (Avantika Vandanapu), kind-hearted and helpful Zoe (Iris Apatow) and her dumb and mute sister Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), and their proud and highly supportive teacher, Thorna (Lydia Leonard). The group is not that fond of each other, but gets together with their dancing routine really well. A series of confusion in their travel arrangements and also at the airport ends them in a bus which also gets broken down near a small town, from where transportation seems to be difficult to get in a short notice. They move into the town, hoping for a place to stay the night until the bus is repaired or some alternate mode of transportation is arranged by the authorities. A man from the town invites them to the Teremok Inn which served as a fine hotel and restaurant.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The place is under the control of Devora (Uma Thurman), a former ballerina who also runs a small crime family. While taking Chloe to the toilet, Thorna sees Devora brutally torturing a man in her office, and feels that the situation is not safe for the girls. She tries to call all the girls so that they can leave, but Pasha (Tamás Szabó Sipos), who is the son of another crime lord who collects money from the area, shoots her on the head as she pushes him away when he tries to make sexual advances to her. When Princess threatens to call the police, Devora takes the corpse away and has the girls locked in her basement. She also burns their passports and cellphones, as she feels that nobody knows that the girls are in the inn or even this particular town. Bones tries to run away, but is knocked out and dragged downstairs by her legs. At the same time, Chloe who was in the toilet, unaware of the situation, continues to be friendly with the people around her, and even gets the offer of a tattoo.

And what more can happen as there seems to be something more terrifying coming up? :: While Chloe becomes friends with Devora’s son Artyom (Krisztián Csákvári) over the tattoo for which she waits in the room, an unconscious Bones is tied up. Devora’s right-hand man Osip (Miklós Béres) drugs and tries to rape Grace, only to find himself killed by the girls, as Bones escapes from her bondage. Princess (Lana Condor) tries to escape all by herself, but as she finds their teacher being chopped into pieces by a man known by the name Doktor (Gábor Nagypál), returns to them, as they go searching for Chloe. As the girls find themselves surrounded by Devora’s henchmen, they come up with dance moves with razors blades stuck in their shoes and taped to their fingertips, doing well enough to mortally wound the henchmen, surprising everyone in the building. Devora asks for Pasha’s father, the dreaded crime lord Lothar (Michael Culkin) to come there by himself before any deal could be made, and reminds Doktor to be prepared to deal with corpses of ballerina girls. Can the girls do well enough to survive as further evil is unleashed on them?

The defence of Pretty Lethal :: This is one movie which quickly gets into action, and the whole 10o minutes of run-time is used well to create maximum impact. The use of dance training as a lethal weapon works really well here, and each actress is so graceful in their movements. When this dance choreography meets some violent action, we have the feeling of class all around. There is also a lot of energy and style related to the proceedings. Even though everyone has similar significance here, Maddie Ziegler as Bones remains the one who remains closes to a protagonist as a leader-kind figure, and comes up with a splendid performance with a lot of energy that seems to come from within, making her a perfect action star. Avantika Vandanapu plays the next notable role, and the Tarot-star blends in incredibly well. Millicent Simmonds of A Quiet Place fame makes this one count, while Iris Apatow and Lana Condor also join well. Uma Thurman has a strong presence as the revenge-seeking antagonist who moves on between different shades while Lydia Leonard’s character is missed too soon.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have used better promotions, as most of us came to know about this one by accident while looking at Amazon Prime Video for new movies. There are also those usual cliches that run through the movie, even though sometimes, it just adds to the overall charm of the flick within the genre. The characters are all interesting even though there is not that much development related to it due to the focus on action – we surely would not mind the same. The movie still maintains some good humour, and that comes out of nowhere to keep us more interested in the proceedings. The viewers can think that this is too much away from being realistic, but when we think about very old superstars beating up fifty people at a time, this is not that much, and the dance steps keep us believing in the world. The choice of setting, and the one particular building and its inside makes another world working like a dream. As the progress is even, there is nothing much lost around here.

How it finishes :: Pretty Lethal is a fun ride which never really stops being entertaining throughout its run; there are no ups and downs as this feels like one complete entertainer of its genre with some fine action and beautiful visuals supported by the actors who shows their skills in this environment really well. Being an entertaining action-thriller with some inventive ballet-based combat would never be easy, but with some energetic performances, this one score very well. If you are looking for some stylish action and don’t mind the movie taking a few things for granted, there is a big entertainer with some moments to remember. After all, we are always looking for someone who thinks differently and creates a movie out of it. This is surely one of them, and it has ballerina getting the central focus, and making an impression like never before – maybe that title could have been used here in plural, but when we look closely, we have that fine weekend entertainer which can be watched with a lot of fun expectation.

Release date: 25th March 2026 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Vicky Jewson
Starring: Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika Vandanapu, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ballerina

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Vampire Owl: So, we are going to have a dancing assassin now?

Vampire Bat: John Wick universe surely needed an extra addition.

Vampire Owl: Even Dr. Frankenstein’s universe demands many upgrades.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has had enough extra additions.

Vampire Owl: So, are we going to have a female John Wick here?

Vampire Bat: It would not be exactly the same, as no two assassins are the same.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I know that Hitman is surely not the same.

Vampire Bat: Different assassins will be around, even in the same universe.

Vampire Owl: At least nobody killed Ballerina’s dog, I hope.

Vampire Bat: Well, I am sure that she has lost much more than a dog.

[Gets an uzhunnu vada and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) was taken away from a dangerous crime syndicate by her father, who as well as her mother were killed by the same group. Orphaned at a young age, New York Continental hotel manager Winston Scott (Ian McShane) had taken Eve to the Ruska Roma, an assassin’s society under the cover of performance dancers, where she had met their Director (Anjelica Huston) and decided to be part of the same – she had taken the new girl under her wing as she finds anger and fire in her, which could be put to the best use. She goes through a tough training as an assassin as much as in the form of a ballerina, and meets John Wick (Keanu Reeves) with whom she has a talk about escaping from the cycle and seek her revenge. Eve fights hard and completes her training by killing a former Ruska Roma member and earns the title of “Kikimora”. On her first mission, she successfully protects the girl whom she is assigned with, even after being beaten up and thrown to each corner of a pub.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As she moves higher in the ranks, turning her weaknesses in fights to her advantage, and completing missions, she ends up killing a man who had the same mark on his hand as the killer of her father. Despite asking too many questions, she is forbidden from pursuing them due to a longstanding peace treaty which has remained in place to avoid bloodshed. But Eve is not happy at all, and disobeys the Director to visit the New York Continental to meet Winston, and she understands that this particular group she is searching is more uncivilized and kill not just for business, but for sport. Winston also adds that a man from this group Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) is staying at the Prague branch of Continental with a huge bounty on his life. Eve travels all the way to Prague only to find out that there are too many people waiting for Daniel to come out, and there is more about what is happening with him than what meets the eye. Can Even go through all these secrets, and find a way to have her revenge in one way or the other?

The defence of Ballerina :: The movie delivers some more of stylish gun-fu, hand-to-hand combat, and inventive kills that fans have seen in this particular universe. The flamethrower sequence and the quick movements with smart kills in the snow-covered town adds on nicely in the end. All of these rests on Ana de Armas’ shoulders and she goes through the same like a dream which only she is capable of living. It was a tough job to match the Keanu Reeves’ mode, and she has managed the same in her own way. This expansion of the John Wick world was much needed, and we had felt the same after watching the last movie – the mythology itself gets extended so well. The visuals are nothing less than stunning, as we see the same never being less interesting. There is also a certain kind of style which is followed here, and we can never stop appreciating the same. The connection to the other movies of the universe is also really well managed, and even though we watch this as a stand-alone movie, those who watch this together with other movies also have the right elements to make a relation.

Positives and negatives :: One might feel that the villain could have been shown for more time on screen and that the sister bonding needed more than the very few minutes that it had managed. The movie should have also been marketed better, as the box-office could have managed more; maybe it is due to the time of release. But for now, you witness the intensity of the battles and creativity of the fights on Amazon Prime Video where it has found the OTT release. The balance of gunfights and hand-to-hand combat is also something that you will not see this well-executed anywhere else. When we look closer, this has done its duty even better than the original movies of the franchise, as the whole thing is not about the death of a dog anymore, as we get back to being human-centered and on parents being more important. I would be more interested in what Eve can achieve in this world of chaos with a bounty on her head more than John himself, and we can hope that we will know more in a sequel or a combination of sequels connecting this to the original story.

The performers of the soul :: Ana de Armas is an excellent action heroine, and it is something that she has already proven as a Bond girl. Her physical commitment, screen presence and ability to carry the film’s most brutal action sequences while staying on par with Keanu Reeves’ John Wick is worth all the applause. She nicely establishes Eve Macarro as a capable protagonist in her own special way rather than coming up with simply a female version of John Wick. Ever since her debut in Knock Knock, that too with the same actor, Ana surely has come a long way with works like Deep Water making an impact out of nowhere, as she has also been the first Cuban to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her action here is too good, from that first big action sequence in the pub while defending a target, then that rather funny fight in the kitchen, and that final battle, all getting to the best, while there is no doubt left about the fact that she is a ballerina. The emotions are also reflected really well on her, as she becomes the perfect package here. Keanu Reeves presence also adds to the over quality, while Gabriel Byrne makes a good enough antagonist.

How it finishes :: Ballerina remains a solid action movie and one of Ana de Armas’s strongest performances of any kind till date. The fight scenes with that particular visual style are excellent, and the tale nicely fits into the universe and promises to bring more, especially as the leading lady here feels like having so much to offer. If you have not seen her fighting in a pub, snow-covered buildings, hotel lobbies and more, there is much that you have missed, especially if you have loved watching a lot action on the screen in the past. The one thing I would regret more than others is not watching this one on the big screen, as I saw how good it looked on an android mobile phone with Amazon Prime Video. You might not find a better-looking action movie not on superhero mode, as this kind of mythology is set for group of assassins, and that serves really well. If you have enjoyed the John Wick universe, this one is worth watching for the action alone, and your entry to this extension will be something memorable. The movie could have had a wider release in this part of the world too, as this universe had never ceased being interesting here. For now, you go back to Amazon Prime Video and give it a try.

Release date: 6th June 2025
Running time: 125 minutes
Directed by: Len Wiseman
Starring: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Osiris

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Vampire Owl: A movie about the Egyptian god who brings the dead back to life?

Vampire Bat: I feel that there will be only a small connection.

Vampire Owl: The name should actually be associated with us as we come back from the dead.

Vampire Bat: The vampire elders do not approve of the dead given more importance than the undead.

Vampire Owl: Is there any undead who do not come from the dead?

Vampire Bat: The undead are also summoned through magic.

Vampire Owl: Aren’t they the animated skeletons of necromancers and northern witches?

Vampire Bat: And they call us the animated ones.

Vampire Owl: The necromancers have been banished for too long.

Vampire Bat: There are still the necromancer vampires.

[Gets an avocado shake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: US Special Forces on a mission in the desert, Kelly (Max Martini), Rhodie (LaMonica Garrett), Jax (Jaren Mitchell), Reyes (Michael Irby), Gibbs (David Meadows), Nash (Linds Edwards), Bull (Dawson Towery) and Scars (Stanley White Jr) find themselves in a tough battle on the ground, only to find something else also coming up. They are abducted by some strange floating structure of gigantic proportions that appears on the sky after unleashing some kind of weapon on the ground. The floating structure seemed to cause enough havoc on the ground, much more than what was happening around. After a series of nightmares, those who survived awaken, disoriented and confined within some stasis pods, on what seems to be an alien spaceship or an extra-terrestrial building, maybe even located outside the planet. The structure seems to be scientifically advanced, with very less lighting, even though not without stains and dirt, as if straight out of a realistic first-person shooter game.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As the soldiers further explore the areas, they come across skinned human corpses hanging from above and unfamiliar but seemingly advanced weapons and technology. They also find a struggling young Russian woman Ravishka (Brianna Hildebrand) who is tightly chained to a pole, and as they rescue her, they meet her captors too. The captors are strange creatures, tall, eyeless humanoids with armored skin, sharp claws and energy-based weapons and shields. They keep fighting their way with the help of alien devices which they manage to take from the fallen ones. Ravishka tells them that she feels that she is from around there as she has been around for a long time, and explains that the ship collects humans to be processed as food. She guides them in a journey away from danger through lesser-traveled maintenance tunnels. After a series of encounters with aliens and near-death situations, they fall into a pool of blood filled with remains of dead humans.

What more happens here as aliens seem to be near-invincible and ready for food? :: They are rescued by another survivor named Anya (Linda Hamilton), Ravishka’s mother, who tells them that she has been there for a very long time, and was part of a Russian team which tried to fight the aliens who tried to take over the world. None of them are left now with the last group being captured with Ravishka and brutally murdered. Now, they have to depend on the newly found friends. There, they realize some of the strangest truths about what happened on Earth and how aliens have been going about. They have now lost almost half their soldiers, and are only fortified better with the alien weapons and ammunitions – but the aliens are tracking them through heat signatures and sound. After knowing more, they realize that they have a bigger mission than they thought about and it would be tougher than ever. Can they accomplish that without losing any more of their people?

The defence of Osiris :: The movie has some fast-paced combat that keeps us interested at all times. The signs are shown early enough with the first battle in the desert before the aliens’ arrival, and points to some military warfare more than a random alien invasion. The shootouts feel great from the desert to the alien ship and we have an action game mode feeling going on here. The details are very good, with the spaceship having a classic look, and aliens looking like part of a fine design. There are those moments when we first see the aliens, and the second just before that, which kept us at the edge of the seat like not many other alien movies could do. These are the kind of aliens that we can accept more than any other, and brings some nostalgia back to us. The action feels classic, and we are reminded of Doom in its multiple forms as aliens are no less than demons either, even supported further by some dialogues spoken. The intensity of the battles keeps a certain level at all times. The need for survival is always there, hoping against hopelessness.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not go deep into the material, and is happy with the surface level journey. There seems to be a little bit too much dependance on the early science fiction movies, including Alien and Predator as well as those sequels. The innovation was there to be taken, but it does not come to the front. The script could have used a push, with more classic elements, and as we see how the movie ended, there could have been more clues in between, with better connection to the title. By the end of the movie, saving the girl gets too much of an attention despite her being introduced as a fighter in captivity in the beginning. Some of the characters are just there for the sake of being there, and even the main characters seem to get less attention to their detail. The moments of survival and twists could have also been better written to create better impact, and alien invasions could have been explained with visuals. There were so many opportunities to make the situations more and more interesting.

How it finishes :: There was always scope for so much more, but that much is not taken here, with the safe zone seemingly the place to be, without that extra innovation. There are not many deviations which seem to be in the mind of the makers which could come out of the box. Still, this remains a very much entertaining journey – there is no boring moment as you are transported to this dangerous world. It is that strong sci-fi action entertainer rather than a thoughtful science-fiction movie. The fast-paced action, alien attacks and nostalgic appeal the best for some time-pass watch rather than provoking thoughts. But some struggle in writing, predictability in plotting, and thin character development keep it from standing out within its genre or leaving a lasting impact. It feels more like a derivative sci-fi action film that never ceases to be entertaining, and also has a scary side taking it close to another genre, as we wonder if this could also become a successful computer game in future.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: William Kaufman
Starring: Max Martini, Brianna Hildebrand, LaMonica Garrett, Linds Edwards, Jaren Mitchell, David Meadows, Michael Irby, Linda Hamilton

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dirty Angels

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember that angels were banned from the realm?

Vampire Bat: They never really belonged here, did they?

Vampire Owl: Well, there are demons, so there should be angels around.

Vampire Bat: There is no angel-demon balance maintained here.

Vampire Owl: There should be something like the reverse Shadow World.

Vampire Bat: Shadow World is a closed portal away and not part of our realm.

Vampire Owl: You know that we have them in the map made my Dr. Frankenstein.

Vampire Bat: You are the only one looking at a map belonging to a pseudo doctor.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein is a scientist and the greatest of achievers.

Vampire Bat: He was never supposed to be one, everyone knows that.

[Gets a Malabar Chicken biryani and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: Badia (May Kurtz), the daughter of Afghanistan’s Minister of Education finds herself kidnapped from her school by a terrorist group which identifies itself as a subgroup of the Islamic State. Most of the girls of the school are shot dead or pushed to death from the top of the school, with a few of them who are children of important people taken as hostages. The leader of the group is Amir (George Iskandar), a man who had a terrible past, and cannot align with either the Pakistani government or the newly formed Taliban government of Afghanistan, both for him, have aligned with the devils for profit. Jake (Eva Green) who was tortured and chained up in a cage by the local militia, and was about to be stoned to death by the locals and militia, is rescued at the last moment by the American forces, and on recovery, is assigned to be part of this mission involving the missing girls. She is not happy about her escape, as there were men left behind, but decides to go on with it after persuaded by her old friend Travis (Christopher Backus).

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: She gets to Pakistan with a plan to cross the border and meets her team with Medic (Ruby Rose), Bomb (Maria Bakalova), Mechanic (Rona-Lee Shimon), Shooter (Emily Bruni) and Geek (Jojo T Gibbs), along with their team doctor Mike (Edmund Kingsley), drivers Abbas (Aziz Capkurt) and Malik (Reza Brojerdi) who also provides them with local support in the country before they cross over to Afghanistan with what is disguised as medical aid. The terrorists had demand ten million dollars ransom per hostage and also the release of a prisoner in the Afghan prison, but the demands were not accepted. In Afghanistan, some local information is attained through Awina (Laetitia Eïdo), a woman whose life was saved by Jake during her last mission, as the United States of America has pulled out of the nation all of a sudden. But the mission does not seem to be as easy as expected with so many lives at stake, and so many people with higher profile involved. Now, can they go through this mission and achieve the objective in time without loss of civilian lives?

The defence of Dirty Angels :: The movie does manage to keep the action going with thrills that come with, as the action thriller mode was always on for the movie. The beginning scenes with the main character is very nicely done, even though leaving more scope for not opting for the safe mode as the opportunity seemed eternal; still manages to set the mood right there. Then there are moments which keep the tension going, and some humour is placed well in between. The visuals are also nicely arranged here with the feeling of being right there in the middle of danger to be taken. There is no budget lost there as it seems to have come in the right path. The action is never overdone and the interest is never lost. The combination of actors do their job well, and we see the combo working nicely, and those who feel like non-native adds nicely. This would not have been an easy thing to do, but the world and its problems have been depicted well with a fictional incident nicely worked on. There will surely be situations that would last for at least some time. Eva Green leads the way so well too.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does wonder about how to make the best of situations, from the first scenes involving the main character to the abduction and getting into mission, things could be used to be better advantage of the movie. The characters are not that much well-defined as we look closer, with all of them just existing for the sake of the mission. There could have been a stronger script which could have made the characters better too. The presence of stereotypes would also be felt, and the predictability factor often gets higher. The mood also keeps changing at times, affecting the flow, making one feel like the movie is bigger than what it really is. There could have been more talk about the danger and situation which is around. The potential would have led somewhere else, as we look at it. The evil could have also depicted with a much more force, and we know that this is not really what we had expected, and we were surely in requirement for much more. This could have even been a full-action adventure instead going into any political or social details, otherwise it needed more details.

How it finishes :: This movie, does manage to come up with quite some good work in the end, despite seemingly diverting in between. This would qualify as one of those rare movies with strong female leads and some morally complex objectives which seem to get to a pretty good end in the end. The uneven execution and the lack of balance is what keeps pulling it back. It was never going to be an American Sniper either, as one might realize it early enough. It is that kind of a movie which goes through the middle path, not aspiring for greatness through innovation or by trying hard, as the lookout for safe mode ends in just the usual. One can keep wondering how much bigger this could have managed to be, if diverted to the right path. They have this world and premise, and we can keep wondering about the possibilities – at the same time, enjoy the movie as it should be. It is now available in Lionsgate Play, and with one good mobile phone recharge offer, the same can be accessed and watched.

Vampire Owl: So, are we going back to getting the angels back in?

Vampire Bat: No, we are not having another open portal in the realm.

Vampire Owl: You know that this will bring balance.

Vampire Bat: There would be no balance in a world of chaos.

Vampire Owl: So, we will have no angels in the realm.

Vampire Bat: The realm would stay as it is, in a traditional manner.

Vampire Owl: The zombies were outside the tradition and still accepted.

Vampire Bat: You know that they are just partial vampires without brains.

Vampire Owl: Well, there can be no real relation, you know.

Vampire Bat: The relationships are for humans; we have bloodlines.

[Moves into the darkness of the night].

Release date: 13th December 2024
Running time: 104 minutes
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Eva Green, Maria Bakalova, Ruby Rose, Rona-Lee Shimon, Jojo T Gibbs, Emily Bruni, Christopher Backus, Zoha Rahman, Laetitia Eïdo, Aziz Çapkurt, George Iskandar, Reza Brojerdi, Edmund Kingsley as Dr. Mike Claudia, May Kurtz

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

M3GAN 2.0

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Vampire Owl: So, we are now looking at advanced AI dolls.

Vampire Bat: Vampires do not need artificial intelligence at all.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has been trying to bring AI to vampire world.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are going without science, for we have magic here.

Vampire Owl: The advertisements for AI seem to suggest otherwise.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will keep adding absurd things to the same.

Vampire Owl: He is the realm’s most popular doctor and scientist.

Vampire Bat: He is the biggest pseudo-doctor and pseudo-scientist.

Vampire Owl: Nobody else has ever created a human being through science.

Vampire Bat: It was the raising of the dead. We have risen, and so have the zombies along with all those skeletons brought to life by necromancers and dark witches.

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

What is the movie about? :: At a time when people are protesting about the unregulated use of Artificial Intelligence in a world having machines exercising too much control, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) aka Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics & Infiltration Android) is the latest robot created from M3GAN’s original design, and is declared safe for operations as a military unit. It is set to be used for high profile missions of the government including well-targeted assassination of enemies of the state. Confident about this achievement, the United States Army colonel Sattler (Timm Sharp), head of a top-secret branch of the Pentagon, arranges a demonstration. But during her mission, AMELIA reveals to Sattler that she is self-aware and manages to escape from his control. At the same time, Gemma (Allison Williams) who had created M3GAN (Amie Donald) has now become an author. She had changed her views after an artificially intelligent doll who had developed an advanced level of self-awareness and became overprotective to her human companion, leading to the need to deactivate her as part of an unexpected turn of events.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Gemma has been warning people against the dependence on technology, starting from children using smartphones, comparing it to drug addiction or sometimes saying that both are the same. She inspires an AI regulation bill and even makes some parents take away mobile phones from their children. Sharing the same ideas leads her to have a partnership with cybersecurity expert Christian (Aristotle Athari), and along with him, she goes on working with an experimental robotic exoskeleton with former workmates Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps). She still lives with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), who is very interested in computer science despite Gemma wishing that she would do something not involving much technology, like playing soccer. Gemma turns down an offer from corrupted billionaire Alton Appleton (Jemaine Clement) to work for him, but soon has FBI after her, and maybe even AMELIA who has been killing those who were responsible for creating her. This might be bigger than she thinks.

The defence of M3GAN 2.0 :: As the second movie of the series, this one gets more into action and tries to be more entertaining than the previous as far as the common audience is concerned. The action sequences are really good, and they are also never overdone even when there is a chance to go down to the ridiculous. There is also the possible end-of-the-world situation which makes the whole thing even more interesting. The emotional connection works really well, and the final sequences are really good, with a classic ending. There are so many emotional moments, and focus is also there on self-sacrifice and understanding of the other. The CGI has been nicely worked out, and some fine locations have been created, both within and also outside. Then there is the humour that comes out of nowhere and scores so well. The contemporary concerns about Artificial Intelligence, negative effects of science, technology misuse and corporate power all get a chance to be present here. The talk about the mobile misuse among children is relevant to the core, and the idea of bad parenting is relevant for all times.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have developed further on the premise. The deviation from the original film with the style might not impress the fans of that particular film. The feeling that movie has chosen action instead of the creepy horror elements might not be satisfying to everyone. But the fact that it has deviated without missing its core or messing up things is to be remembered here. There is the feeling that Ivanna Sakhno was not given that focus which she deserved, as she is that android that needed a terminator-ish introduction. This is one android that has raised the stakes even above the original. The movie does have some doubt if it is to support or be against Artificial Intelligence, and seems to end up with a safe mode. One might feel that there could have been some nice scares with the available elements, and there could have also been so much more to talk about related to the themes. The beginning stages of the movie had also taken a little bit too much time to get going. When it starts to get going, it goes strong.

The performers of the soul :: Allison Williams leads the list of performers and manages to be the one who makes the difference. She shines as the aunty who wishes to be the mother to her niece as much as the scientist that we have already seen. Amie Donald’s android continues to impress us, and there seems to be always more to the technology than what meets the eye. Ivanna Sakhno’s android is also lovely, but does not get enough like the lady terminator of the third instalment of that “machine from future” managed. She could have had more to do, and more classic action, but gets limited – there is no Ex Machina-kind of crisis and classic moments added here either. Violet McGraw as Cady also adds more in this journey which has shifted to science fiction action. She would do even better with an extension of this world with another sequel in collaboration with the AI characters. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps support well and even adds some humour around here. Aristotle Athari and Jemaine Clement have something extra to add, while Timm Sharp does well when he is around.

How it finishes :: The movie gets much more into action science fiction compared to the earlier film, as the idea itself had suggested, and therefore would appeal more to the usual audience. Those who enjoyed the first movie would continue to love the franchise with this one too. Moving from horror-thriller to action-thriller, this one also works, particularly in its own way. It becomes a classic holiday blockbuster with a twist, as the thrills often come out of nowhere and some suspense also comes all of a sudden. In the end, you will ask yourself about the role of technology in your life and how Artificial Intelligence would affect your life. Next time, when you are going through some Artificial Intelligence, you will wonder about this particular flick. This movie could inspire more of similar works, as Artificial Intelligence always require our attention, and a future with a robotic influence is not that far away. Let us have more of similar robots that will catch our attention related to the idea and expanding them.

Release date: 27th June 2025
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno, Jemaine Clement, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Elevation

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Vampire Owl: So, we are going back to the post-apocalyptic?

Vampire Bat: Yes, we are back to an end of the world event.

Vampire Owl: It only qualifies as the end of human world.

Vampire Bat: Well, they are the people of the apocalypse.

Vampire Owl: They like these apocalyptic stories so much too.

Vampire Bat: The truth is that they are the ones bringing the end of the world.

Vampire Owl: So, do you think that the humans are going to be finished soon?

Vampire Bat: I do not see why they won’t be.

Vampire Owl: I hope none of them get transformed into vampires anymore.

Vampire Bat: We are not turning anyone anymore. There will be no more human vampires.

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

What is the movie about? :: A number of mysterious creatures called Reapers emerges from sinkholes leading to underground and begins attacking humanity, with most of humanity not surviving the very first month. These creatures keep coming, and there are no bullets or missiles that could destroy them. The creatures establish themselves as the new apex predators, and just kills humans at will, while human weapons prove to be meaningless against them. Small numbers of human survivors live in different communities eight thousand feet or more above the sea level where the creatures do not reach. The new small towns are built exactly about the eight thousand feet limit, and there are boundaries drawn to make sure that nobody will dare to cross that limit and become prey to the newly arrived hunters. But there would always be an occasional traveler who try to get through for resources, communications or something else, but that do not end well for the person, and only serves the hunting creatures well.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Three years later, Will (Anthony Mackie) who has been a single father for quite some time after the death of his wife Tara (Rachel Nicks), is trying to save his son Hunter (Danny Boyd Jr) who is suffering from a lung disease which only seems to be getting worse with them staying at the higher elevation. Nina (Morena Baccarin) holds the guilt for Tara’s death, as both Will and Tara were helping her in an expedition to find out the weaknesses of the Reapers before being attacked by them, and the experiment had ended with the untimely death. Will’s only good friend is Katie (Maddie Hasson) who develops a liking to him and also supports his son who faces usual breathing problems whenever he has some strain in that altitude. Will, concerned about his son, decides to do something about the situation, facing isolation from other communities and not having enough oxygen filters for his son. So, he decides to go and get a few oxygen filters after leaving his son with the elderly neighbour Hannah (Shauna Earp), and maybe find some more support in the process.

And what more is to follow in this terrible situation which seems to mean the end of humanity as we know it? :: He makes Nina agree to come with him so that they can go to her former laboratory and maybe find some clue to killing or at least temporarily stopping them. At the same time, Katie also decides to join them, despite Will asking her to stay and take care of things there. She feels that she could finally be useful, and does not wish to stay like this living in an area in the hills, doing nothing but wait for some creatures to die or humanity to be extinct. Their plan is to travel to a mine below the safety line and reach their destination through it without gaining the attention of the creatures. Nina has a device that can detect a nearby Reaper through their high bioelectromagnetic pulses. They gather supplies along the way, including a grenade launcher, but a Reaper spots them, and they just manage to escape at the last moment, as even grenades seem to have no effect on them. Even if they get to the laboratory, will there be a chance to stop creatures like these?

The defence of Elevation :: The movie surely gets the post-apocalyptic setting right, and is successful in taking us to that particular world which would come now or later. The mountain setting adds to that feeling as we feel the loneliness and depression which is prevalent in this particular world. The movie being not that long also works in the movie’s favour. It also does not overuse its content, and the creatures are also there creating the impact. As much as the visuals, the sound effects also contribute to create an impact, in a lesser level of The Quiet Place. The post-apocalyptic world keeps us close to the genre here, and we obviously get what we want. Anthony Mackie who is known for multiple Avengers and Captain America movies as well as Outside the Wire and The Woman in the Window, gets into action with ease, and leads the movie in style. With his name of character being Will, one also feels a certain nostalgia of having Will Smith in similar movies of action, adventure and apocalypse. Morena Baccarin, the Deadpool and Gotham star remains impressive in a role which has multiple faces.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not use its resources to best advantage, despite the premise holding on so well in the beginning. Maddie Hasson’s character is missed too early, as she was just getting better with each scene, and we wanted to see her in those final moments. The father-son relationship seems to be just added to feel an emotional effect, but that is not felt in a deep manner, especially when the world seems to be too close to an end. The movie’s stay at the safe zone might not satisfy everyone, as one cannot help seeing it as somewhat a derivative of other movies. The creatures are also not seen that many times up close to create some unforgettable horror. The backstories could have also been explored in a better way. A lot of world-wide destruction is left for the imagination, and so are many other elements of the creature attack. The chance to go to a higher level is missed here, and a lot of action could have come in some corners, as the final line of defence is often what would matter the most in a big apocalyptic movie.

How it finishes :: Elevation makes a strong point among the post-apocalyptic movies, even though it will not be among the best, and there were surely chances to make it bigger in scope and also to add more action without killing one of its main characters too early. As the ending leaves scope for a sequel, we can hope for getting the canvas bigger in the next one. The movie is a strong enough visually pleasing survival-monster action-adventure thriller which becomes an entertaining, watch. It would just feel like going deep enough, but not to its end. The cast mainly of three works really well, and their success in making us feel that the danger is real, and do take us to the environment to which we also become a part. After all, this is surely going to be our future, as an apocalyptic event would come in one way or the other. This is another one of those movies which prepares us for that unstoppable doom – these kinds of movies should be more or less be saved as the manuals for the end of the world scenarios even though hypothetical, and available of Jio Hotstar.

Release date: 8th November 2024
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: George Nolfi
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson, Shauna Earp, Rachel Nicks, Danny Boyd Jr, Tyler Grey

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Witch: Revenge

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Vampire Owl: Is this a witch that we know?

Vampire Bat: We no longer know any witches.

Vampire Owl: But there are many in the north.

Vampire Bat: There are no wars anymore, and they live there in peace without contact.

Vampire Owl: They do not eat child vampires anymore?

Vampire Bat: I feel that they are more afraid of being bitten by child vampires now.

Vampire Owl: So, the treaty among species have weakened them?

Vampire Bat: Yes, by a long way, because we gained territory.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that the zombies or werewolves might be still at war with them.

Vampire Bat: I have heard that they are on war with elves and dwarves over the custody of magical forests which they use for creating their special potions.

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

What is the movie about? :: Olena (Tetiana Malkova) is living a happy life with her fiancé Andriy (Taras Tsymbaliuk) in a small town in Ukraine, but their life meets new struggles as they have to face the Russian Invasion, which quickly reaches their place, and feels the needs to quickly escape into the woods. Olena suggests moving further into the dark forest, as Yevdokiya (Olena Khokhlatkina), her aunty is there to take care of them, and people do not usually go that way. But on the way, they are attacked by a Russian military unit, and Andriy is murdered with their dog injured, and Olena just manages to escape from a sexual assault. They reach the place of her aunt, and she remembers her earlier nightmare about death. Back there, angry, frustrated and in grief, Olena releases another side of her, that of a witch, as she has been an immortal being of magic for a long time, only to renounce the same after falling in love with a man whom she met. She unrobes in front of a mirror to reflect the ancient signs engraved on her and lets the ancient magic run through her naked eternally young body yet again.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Being an immortal guised at a mortal, she lets go of the human side and embraces ancient magic with its darkest elements in search of brutal vengeance. She combines forces from various nodes of power to become something more than the supernatural witch she had ever been. It is then that another girl named Katya (Oleksandra Pankova) gets kidnapped and sexually assaulted by the invading soldiers. Even though they decide to keep her for more abuse by the other soldiers, the effects of the witch force them to leave her in the middle of nowhere. But she is also found by Olena who promises her a chance at having revenge. Katya, who is on a desperate state after that brutal violation will stop at nothing to have her revenge. But the soldiers remain remorseless and looks to punish the locals as much as possible, as they move further into Ukrainian territory. Meanwhile, Olena has transformed into something different, and she seems to resemble something other than humans even though she retained her human form. Can Olena and Katya have their revenge in the most brutal way or will the soldiers somehow escape?

The defence of The Witch: Revenge :: The movie scores the best with its visuals and there is some beauty about even the most evil of acts and the gore with goes with the same. This comes after some of the most colourful and happy moments that a movie can have in the beginning, with the true love feeling running through. On one side, there is that terror of modern warfare in the form of Russian invasion of Ukraine which seems to have no end, and on the other side, there is that mastery of the supernatural, which bring multiple levels of strength to the movie. Those elements of magic and witchcraft are nicely shown, and blood often makes a stylish entry, looking even better in the presence of snow. The atmosphere feels always suitable, and the emotional side also makes an entry at times with confidence. The witch becomes a metaphor for the Ukrainian resistance with ease, as there is the talk about ancient folktales. The mood of folklore is at the best with dark forests, candle-lit interiors and ritual elements while being bold with its true reflection of war-related violence among the weak.

The claws of flaw :: The movie seems to stop trying at times, and keeps moving on the ordinary path when there was so much of a chance for greatness. With the Ukrainian side taken, one would wonder if the feeling of one-sidedness will be omnipresent. There is only one kind of portrayal of the Russian side, and showing the two sides in black and white will not be satisfying at all times, with the grey side definitely missing. Despite the understanding that invasions can keep being brutal, the grey side is expected at some points. Even though the movie is rather short, we feel that there are moments when it stretches from within, and some moments could have just been avoided. We feel that some touch is lost in between, as a venture through the classic revenge in a tale of brutality and chaos. The male protagonist is killed too early and there is no character development regarding him. The villains just seem like the usual antagonists without any variety between them. All women characters other than the protagonist does not seem to rise that much and pales in comparison to her.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is strongly and soulfully led by Tetiana Malkova, who remains at the core, setting the bar high. It has always been easier to portray vampires and zombies than witches these days, and we are lucky enough to have a good one here with a fine performance as the supernatural creature. The romantic side was also strong with her, as it was where her transformation began and went on to the other. The romance feels as much real as the revenge and the feelings behind them are portrayed very well. The next one to catch our attention is Oleksandra Pankova who also leads the way in an act of revenge, and this search to bring deaths to the violators also has the same intensity, even though not that much of witchcraft and sorcery. Taras Tsymbaliuk as Andriy does a good job as the lover and Olena Khokhlatkina as Yevdokiya plays a believable aunty with magical roots. The villains in the form of soldiers does fine even though too restricted in the second half with nothing much to do.

How it finishes :: We have had our movies with the presence of witches, from the action adventure of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters to a more classic kind with The Witch and much twisted versions from Russia like Baba Yaga and Mara that went the divergent way in comparison to what we have been seeing in Hollywood. This is only the second Ukrainian movie on this website after The Rising Hawk which also had its moments, and I would love to expand on this Eastern European movie collection, as some of the finest movies from the Romanian work named The Whistlers to the Serbian film The Balkan Lane are from that side. Still, let us hope that there will be no more wars to become background for future movies, and that there can be imaginary battles or some Nosferatu to replace the same. Until then, we watch this movie, and enjoy it even though not without some small troubles that come here and there. One can find that there is something about this movie, which can also have a sequel, and by that time, there will be no war, but lesser problems running in the background.

Release date: 22nd August 2024
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Andriy Kolesnyk
Starring: Tetiana Malkova, Oleksandra Pankova, Taras Tsimbalyuk, Olena Khokhlatkina, Pavel Vyshniakov, Ivan Sharan

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Warriors of Future

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Vampire Owl: I don’t know these warriors at all.

Vampire Bat: They are from the future. We belong to the past.

Vampire Owl: Eternity is not something of the past.

Vampire Bat: The quality of eternity is that it always begins in a past.

Vampire Owl: We do not always sit in a future to see it.

Vampire Bat: We are currently in a future of that eternity’s past.

Vampire Owl: Why do you sound like parts of an X-Men movie?

Vampire Bat: You could also ask your Frankenstein for answers.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein do not answer to speculations.

Vampire Bat: Well, it is because he is not a real doctor at all.

[Gets a chicken puffs and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: The story moves to a world in crisis in a distant future. Humans have been fighting each other for years without thinking about the consequences of their actions, and the invention of battle robots which were made specifically for combat and mass destruction made things even worse. There have been countries going against each other and people against their own kind. Humans never learned their lessons, and people had to pay the price for the non-stop wars which led to devastation of environment with polluted air and water, as well as devastated ecological balance. Earth has turned not suitable for living for most creatures, and it particularly affected the health of humans. The newly born children had terrible diseases, and some of them barely lived past a few years. Then, the governments all around the world wishes to fix things, and built machines called Skynets to purify the air. These Skynets do manage to bring fresh air to some sectors of the major cities, but in a restricted manner. Then on one day, a giant meteorite falls into one of those sectors, and a giant plant begins to emerge out of it.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The plant would wreak havoc everywhere whenever it comes into contact with water, and scientists called it Pandora after the box from the Greek myth. The plant has the power to reclaim environment and get Earth to its previous state, but it only goes on destroying cities as it grows when it comes into contact with water. Scientists feel that there should be some method through which it could be made useful to humanity, instead of causing chaos, but that seems to be hope against all hope. Pandora’s growth has been proportional to the amount of rain it gets. It absorbs pollutants, then releases hydrogen, and the new idea of the scientists is to use a virus to alter Pandora. If the plant can be stopped from growing using the virus before the next thunderstorm, it could actually save a lot of lives, as the air will be purified, and the plant would not grow to take over anything more. But the mission is a very difficult one, as nobody knows how exactly the alien plant would reach to the humans coming near it with machines and trying to drop a virus which it would consider harmful.

And what more can happen in this future world of chaos and destruction? :: There could be side-effects to the initial Plan A, and Plan B is not something positive, as there would be massive destruction all around. The only backup plan is to destroy the whole plant from a distance along with the many people and structures which surround it. The number of corpses would then be more than anyone could have seen before from a single event. Usually, people would not keep such a plan at all with lives at stake. But there are people who wishes to keep the Skynets working instead of Pandora replacing the machines. They would want to keep their prized possession at the top. So, not everyone wants this mission to be successful, and with some possibility of chaos around, can the mission be successful quickly enough and save lives? Are the troops which were sent for the purpose experienced enough, and are their gadgets good enough to serve the objective well enough? As the plant also has its own defense mechanisms, things might not be that easy as healing a random plant with a medicine. So what kind of a future are we looking at as far as humanity is concerned?

The defence of Warriors of Future :: Here is another Chinese movie which gets the science fiction and apocalyptic world closer to an enjoyable reality. Russian films have also come close to making such things happen, and here we see a visual treat of a future world plagued by pollution and an alien plant which grows without limits. The idea has been nicely put into picture, and the action sequences are really good. The creatures are well-detailed and so are the robots. There are deviations from the usual pictures of monsters in armour and skin nicely brought to light here. The Skynet and Pandora visuals are nicely created to bring the special feel of the environment. The performances are really good, and the leading cast seems to be wisely chosen to keep the seriousness alive even while adding some nice humour here and there. They have nicely contributed to being part of a science fiction action thriller set in the distant future with the right elements. The high box-office collections of the movie are a reminder that it would have been a fine spectacle on the big screen in Hong Kong, as we find the visual strength to be worth watching in the theatres.

The claws of flaw :: This movie was supposed to release three years earlier, and if that had happened the visual effects would have been even further ahead – it still remains a visual effect treat as of now. One can feel that there is some inspiration taken from other works here too. This journey feels like the return to a zombie-infested world like in Peninsula or Army of the Dead to do the near impossible task. The world, even though not explored from everyman’s point of view, can be a part of the list of our favourite ones from fiction. The alien creatures could have been more terrifying in appearance rather than having similarities with a few that we already know to be scarier. We could have also had more alien attacks, even though not in the mode as explored in the Alien franchise. The robots could have had some more battles in the earlier stages of the movie, as the early war is not that much shown with all the devastation which occurred to Earth’s flora and fauna. The movie could actually have a sequel too, as the tree still remains a mystery, and more could follow it.

How it finishes :: Warriors of Future makes another interesting piece of science fiction from China like The Wandering Earth which had raised the level of the possibility of an apocalyptic scenario to something very interesting as well as divergent in nature – with films like The Soul bringing even more divergence. The movie here, despite having some similarities with other titles, do have the divergence of its own. Outside Hollywood, Russia also had so much of entertaining science fiction ideas with movies like Superdeep, Coma, Sputnik and The Blackout. During these days, science fiction needs to have its divergence from all languages and cultures, and this film takes another fine step towards it. At the same time, we see another warning against wars and weapons of mass destruction as well as the actions against environment. Then you have the science fiction entertainment with an apocalyptic scenario right here. We keep watching some fine horror and science fiction from all around the world, and they make us feel like that is the closest to truth and a probable future that we can get.

Release date: 25th August 2022 (China); 2nd December 2022 (Netflix)
Running time: 99 minutes
Directed by: Ng Yuen-fai
Starring: Louis Koo, Sean Lau, Carina Lau, Philip Keung, Tse Kwan-ho, Nick Cheung, Janice Wu, Wan Guopeng as Connor Kwon, Eddy Ko, Sakurako Okubo

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Don’t Kill Me

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Vampire Owl: At some point, a werewolf asked me not to kill him.

Vampire Bat: So, you have started fighting werewolves on your own.

Vampire Owl: No, it was an arena battle during the last carnival.

Vampire Bat: Why would you kill a werewolf on an arena?

Vampire Owl: It was part of a great, memorable drama.

Vampire Bat: I knew it. You wouldn’t even slay a zombie juggernaut.

Vampire Owl: Why would I? Let them eat the brains of evil humans.

Vampire Bat: All zombies are not interested in human brains. Some of them just sleep in their graves at all times.

Vampire Owl: They are not undead – they are just the dead.

Vampire Bat: Well, zombies do have the right to make their choices too. Some of them even fall in love.

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

What is the movie about? :: Mirta (Alica Pagani) is madly in love with her boyfriend and drug addict Robin (Rocco Fasano) who is detested by her parents. One day, she decides to have drugs with him, and an overdose leads to the death of both of them. But soon enough, she finds herself waking up in the tomb. She escapes from her tomb in the mausoleum where she was laid to rest and starts walking towards her home. But she understands that she is dead, and leaves the house soon enough. The police informs her parents that someone has stolen her parents. She knows that her body has started decaying, and there are also people hunting her. A strange person also visits her home, and says that they are going to protect the living from the dead – he adds that the parents are going to see their child very soon, but she won’t be the person whom they knew earlier. Soon, she ends up committing her first murder, and after eating the man, feels much better.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But soon enough, she will understand that there is something more going on out there. There is a sect that has been hunting her kind from 1600s – destroying those who come back to life instead of staying dead, known to the secret organizations as the overdead. The group seems to be heavily organized, with lots of money, weapons and other resources. Mirta does find some help, but she wishes to go back and find Robin, hoping that he will also wake up at some point, as they died in almost the same way. But she is captured by the group, and is put in chains. It is then that she realizes that Robin has also come back to life. But that would also leave her with more revelations about what has happened with her life. It will also mean that she will have to make her own decisions against her heart. Where will that lead her in the end? Is there a war coming between the humans and the overdead? Will she choose one of those sides?

The defence of Don’t Kill Me a.k.a. Non Mi Uccidere :: This is a movie which comes up with some fine surprises, and even shocks in relation to its zombie world. It doesn’t hesitate to try something different, and take a few risks with its progression and scenes. The ability to stay unique in a world of repetitions is to appreciated. There are a few bloody moments in the final scene of the movie, and that result of an undead fighting the hunters has some quality setting which is going to stay for long. The moments of the protagonists meeting after dead are strangely interesting too, and there was that twist that worked out there. The bath scene seemed to point to some of the tales of the witches from the past, and maybe this will also come up with more links if there is a sequel. The visuals are really good here, not just with the scenery, but also with people and objects. The environment has worked in favour of the movie too. The message here seems to be about being careful about whom you are obsessed with, and that it is not about looks in a relationship. The movie also encourages one to take the path required instead of going with the flow.

Positives and negatives :: Don’t Kill Me does more than what was expected from it, and we are only to witness the same. It doesn’t overuse any of the special effects, and keep them to the minimum, but in an effective way. The idea here seems to be about using lower budget to achieve more. It does leave a few things to the imagination, without trying to explain them all. It could have also linked its sequences better, instead of seemingly straying from the path to come up with one scene or the other. Despite the zombie existence, you would still imagine Alice Pagani in a vampire movie, because the looks seem to work well with such an option – the Gothic world seems to suit her well. I would like to see her as part of an Underworld movie at some point of time. She is also suitable for the mood of Byzantium and Interview with the Vampire. The ability to move away from silly romance and keeping it natural also helps here – this movie could have easily been Twilight, but thankfully it is not. This one is a serious adventure at hand. The blood and gore is present, and still continues to be in control.

The performers of the soul :: The movie has its soul fixed on Alice Pagani, an actress who has made the transformation into the undead very smooth and believable – you don’t become the undead that easily and make it feel natural. She has this one in control throughout its run, as the confused youngster in love who doesn’t know much about what she has been forced to go through. Even in a decayed zombie form, she remains beautiful, and displaying the human confusion seemingly in an attempt to retain her humanity. She is there in every key moment of this movie, as if she is this movie, and it is all about her. Despite the thriving human beauty, she will make a fine undead, maybe even a vampire – Hollywood should have her. Rocco Fasano, for most of the movie, is the Robert Pattinson of this movie, the much liked Edward Cullen who is without his Twilight – has the looks of the undead working for him. They have some interesting scenes together, but there are not that much either – the romance doesn’t get overdone, and that is a nice way to keep away from the commonly expected undead infatuation.

How it finishes :: There are the usual romantic zombie movies like Warm Bodies which try to go the Twilight way, and then there is this one, which tries to be as divergent as possible. It knows that it has to be innovative in the zombie horror genre, as the idea has been repeated too many times. This is the realization which makes the whole thing better. One can only feel that Andrea De Sica is a visionary director who has brought another zombie origins story which can have a prequel or a sequel according to the need, as this one doesn’t end here at all. Italian movies have had some quality works in the last few months, like Security and A Classic Horror Story, both of them coming up with their own divergence in the process. When we look at these movies, despite the genres to which they belong, there is no exaggeration at all. Well, you know how wrong you can go with the zombies, and how much nonsense can be added in the name of the undead – here, we get them in our world, without those unnecessary ornaments or overdose of romance. The low ratings seem to be from those who expected a Twilight, but the beauty of this movie is that it is not here.

Release date: 21st April 2021 (Italy); 21st February 2022 (Netflix)
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Andrea De Sica
Starring: Alice Pagani, Rocco Fasano, Silvia Calderoni, Fabrizio Ferracane, Anita Caprioli, Sergio Albelli, Giacomo Ferrara, Esther Elisha, Kateryna Aresi, Francesca Alice Antonini, Federico Ielapi, Marco Boriero, Marco Matteo Donat-Cattin, Marco Pancrazi

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

<<< Click here to go to the first Italian film review here.

<<< Click here to go to the last Italian film review here.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Matrix: Resurrections

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Outside the Wire

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Vampire Owl: The area beyond the Greater Cemetery is now considered outside the wire.

Vampire Bat: Do you feel that there is a war coming soon?

Vampire Owl: Well, humans are building more weapons of war.

Vampire Bat: You are thinking that those weapons are meant for us.

Vampire Owl: After they are done with most of their own, yes.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think that most of their weapons will have any effect on us.

Vampire Owl: The weapons of mass destruction will erase the world as we know it.

Vampire Bat: Such a destructive and disappointing species.

Vampire Owl: I will ask Doctor Frankenstein to come up with an invention which can go back in time and brutally murder all those human scientists whose inventions led to these new generation of weapons.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein‘s time machines made of vampire steel are as much fake as humanity’s love for each other.

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

What is the movie about? :: The year is 2036, and there is a violent civil war going on in Eastern Europe between pro-Russian fighters and the local resistances in Ukraine, a struggle which seems to be nowhere close to reaching an end. After years of war, the United States has finally deployed their peacekeeping forces, and among them are the robotic soldiers known as GUMPs. But the team is ambushed, much to the dismay of the human soldiers. While disobeying a direct order, a drone pilot, Lieutanant Thomas Harp (Damson Idris) deploys a Hellfire missile against a suspected enemy missile launcher. The commander on the ground wanted time to save two marines who were caught in the danger zone, but Harp had felt that if he choose to delay the drone strike, all forty of them would die, and an attack would actually save thirty eight of them. But the senior officers do not believe in the same and considers him responsible for the death of those two soldiers.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite not being court-martialed, Harp is redeployed to on-site combat duty at Camp Nathaniel, where the United States military forces have set a base of operations for the war in Ukraine. He is supposed to work with Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie), who seems to be very strict as well as experienced, but turns out to be a very advanced android super soldier, the first of his kind – experimental, but a seemingly perfect prototype machine masquerading as a top level human officer. At the base, this is a secret known only the the commander of the camp, Colonel Eckhart (Michael Kelly), and now Harp. Leo has come into existence only five years ago, but is already programmed to be an effective killing machine. Their ultimate aim is to stop the terrorist known as Victor Koval (Pilou Asbaek) from gaining control of a vast network of nuclear missile silos which were left in the Ukrainian SSR possessing most of the nuclear weapons of the Soviet Union.

And what more does the future hold in a world of chaos and destruction? :: Russia has lost any control which they had over the rebels, and the new powerful terrorist is very close to controlling most of Ukraine and also those missile launcher facilities – it would prove lethal for world peace as much as it would mean for Ukraine and its remaining resistance. It could be the end of the world with nukes in the hands of such a terrorist who doesn’t even have religion or any of the morals to control him. They come across a reported attack on a truck with was providing aids, leading to a stand-off between the United States soldiers and the local militias. But the armed locals and the pro-Russian insurgents are the least of their problems as the trained spies and snipers of Victor Koval are there, which means that the possible event which could lead to the end of the world is closer than they thought. Then, what if the most dangerous man in that part of the world also manages to get the secret codes to the nuke? After all, he would do anything to get them – paying in billions, using brutal force or anything.

The defence of Outside the Wire :: We notice that Outside the Wire has created a fine world for the science fiction elements to start working effectively, early enough. The visuals are really good in this war-torn world In the beginning, there is the feeling that this one would go through action-war mode, but that idea which was earlier challenged with a few machines and later made clear, has a few interesting points for everyone to ponder about. It talks about war and the human need for the same with effectiveness, and we do understand that all sides are almost the same and loves to see collateral damage with the death of so many civilians. There is the fine display of hidden hatred being displayed around here, and we see a lot of the true nature of humans, even the machines who are created by them. These are also the kind of things which would happen at some point of time in future, and we are all with knowledge about the world descending into chaos sooner or later. The action is very good for most of the time with melee combat and gunshots being there, and we are glad to see different elements coming together. Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris do some good work here.

The claws of flaw :: The movie doesn’t make the best use of its resources, as we see a world in not so distant future, with advanced technology and interesting weapons. The war machines could have been used with more effectiveness, as we see a lot of fights struggling to go big on different occasions. The world of war which has been created here could have more of similar products of science and technology at work. The basic idea that the movie was trying to prove could have been clearer, but here they choose to make things rather easy. There is no big action moment that stands out around here, even though there are so many human and machine soldiers around here. At times, the movie just seems to move around without much of a clue, and the ideas about the use and effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence never really gets as strong as it should have been. It does keep one wonder about how well Will Smith has performed in so many science fiction action movies in the past, the one man who would have fit in here so well, and even brought a lot of audience to this lesser known film.

How it finishes :: When we look close, Outside the Wire seems to be a movie which has predicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine in another form. The movie deals with the interesting scientific concepts and also talks about the human greed and their never-ending need for more wars, even though the fact that the film has focused only one side feels rather strange – humans have always wanted war, and they have always hated each other, which means that this is not something restricted to a nation or two and their allies. We have always been looking for science-fiction doing their best, as we never stop wondering about a post-apocalyptic future with science playing a major role in ending the world as we know it. As science has been continuously contributing to making the global warming worse and developing enough weapons of mass destruction, along with helping the Artificial Intelligence and other machines to take over, we are all looking for the apocalyptic event, and this one surely has shades of the same.

Release date: 15th January 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 115 minutes
Directed by: Mikael Hafstrom
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, Pilou Asbaek, Kristina Tonteri-Young, Henry Garrett, Enzo Cilenti

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

<<< Will you look forward to a cop and a killer playing a game of music?

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dune

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Justice Society: WW II

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Full Title: Justice Society: World War II

Vampire Owl: Do you know that I had participated in the Second World War?

Vampire Bat: I am not sure if you are talking about the war that we know about.

Vampire Owl: I am talking about that very long and tiring magical war between vampires, zombies, witches and werewolves.

Vampire Bat: I am glad that you are not talking about that useless human war.

Vampire Owl: Human wars are those of greed and are always useless.

Vampire Bat: What did you do in our world war?

Vampire Owl: Ask me what I didn’t do then.

Vampire Bat: You were quite a young vampire during that time.

Vampire Owl: There is a story about my victory against the zombies.

Vampire Bat: There was no victory against the zombies. They just left the battle as there was the need for search for brains to eat.

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

What is the movie about? :: In Earth-two, the parallel universe, Nazi Germany has conquered most of Europe, winning most of the battles of the Second World War, and also possesses some magical artifacts. The United States gets involved in the war, as a team of superheroes called Justice Society of America has been formed with Steve Trevor (Chris Diamantopoulos), Wonder Woman (Stana Katic), Hawkman (Omid Abtahi), The Flash (Armen Taylor), Black Canary (Elysia Rotaru) and Hourman (Matthew Mercer). Hourman who has been a scientist, has developed a chemical called Miraclo which enhances all of his skills for about an hour. Black Canary has her sonic sound abilities. The Flash, with his superhuman speed, has been a full-time crime fighter always willing to serve his country. Hawkman, an ancient Egyptian in a modern Egyptian’s body, is also available for service. Wonder Woman will lead this team, as they hope to end this war before the Nazis get hold of all those artifacts and use them against the United States.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Back on Earth-one, its Flash (Matt Bomer) is going through a picnic with Iris West (Ashleigh LaThrop), but their plans to get away from the usual work is disrupted by Superman (Darren Criss) fighting Brainiac (Darin De Paul), a seemingly extra-terrestrial android with mechanical minions to support him, and has been the person responsible for the destruction of the planet of Krypton. The enemy is basically a supercomputer with artificial intelligence and an android body which gives him superhuman strength, durability, healing, flight, telekinesis and many other abilities which allows him to bring a strong fight to Superman. As Brainiac fires a Kryptonite bullet towards Superman, Flash tries to stop it, but he runs so fast that he channels the Speed Force. This means that he arrives at a time when the Nazis are fighting the Justice Society, and he feels that he has arrived in the past, when the Second World War was happening in their world. With the superheroes on their side, the United States, Britain and its allies seem to do better in a Nazi occupied France.

And what more is to happen with the superheroes here? :: But even after two years, the war doesn’t seem to end. The team is initially suspicious about him, but understands that he is also like them, and only wants to help humanity as a superhero. Barry as Flash also saves Trevor and also a number of civilians. They also feels that he is from the future. The team does take Barry into their team. They feel that they can use him in saving a codebreaker from a Nazi fortress, as only he can decode an encrypted message. But everything is not that right with the team, as the Black Canary feels that there is no point in doing all of these as they are not even remembered due to the whole thing being top secret, while the two Flashes have gone weaker in strength with them being together. Wonder Woman does have the romantic problems, and Hawkman still has trouble with dealing with his past life. It is then that the Flash realizes that this is not the world that he knows about – then there is Aquaman whom they come across on the way. He has to find a way to return to the other Earth, but it won’t be that easy.

The defence of Justice Society: World War II :: The movie has managed to make use of the parallel universe idea well, and has nicely placed the Justice Society during the time of World War II. The superheroes who are basically unknown to us are also introduced well. After all, the world can always use more imaginary superheroes, as we are all going to suffer in this world of chaos, and hope for the impossible is necessary. Black Canary, Hawkman and Hourman are not the kind of heroes with whom the audience of this part of the world are that familiar – they do get some introduction here. Unless one has been watching the series and all, the idea of the second Earth will also feel new, and it also gets the introduction here. The whole thing has also been nicely blended into the Second World War’s procedures. It is interesting enough to make us think about many other parallel universes, and also those with the Nazis winning. The underwater world has also been nicely incorporated into the story, and there are also some nice twists, even though they can be guessed up to an extent.

The claws of flaw :: Some of the characters could have been better, especially Wonder Woman, who doesn’t seem to be that interesting as Gal Gadot had portrayed her. From the clothing itself, this one seems to be very much unlike the one we know, even in a parallel universe – the freedom there doesn’t do well enough to make the character interesting. The other superheroes of the parallel universe are the ones whom we know less about, and therefore their versions only count as a positive addition. There could have also been more action, as there is scope for this movie to increase the total running time. The Nazi elements could have also been developed further, as we don’t see enough of them doing what we expect them to do. We don’t even get to their main areas with those special villains becoming part of them. Instead, we are having some of those rather weaker antagonists along with the talk about Nazis taking over the whole world. They could have developed this in a different way, and at the same time, without being repetitive with things.

How it finishes :: Here is another superhero movie which has Justice League-style coming together of heroes to save the world, even though in another parallel universe. It is a clear thing that humanity is going destroy itself, whether there are wars or not – the imaginary presence of these superheroes are indeed belonging to hope, and therefore, we always have our eyes in this genre. Amazon Prime Video does have this flick, and we can only be happy that they do, because people in this part of the world won’t be able to watch it otherwise. The film is the usual superhero thing in essence, and we can watch it just like we go through the rest of the movies of the genre. This is also that kind of a movie which can be divided into three parts to watch as a series. Well, superheroes need to bring that faith, belief and hope, don’t they? One can only wonder what the evil humans will have to think about it – hope for the superheroes to die maybe?

Release date: 27th April 2021
Running time: 84 minutes
Directed by: Jeff Wamester
Starring: Stana Katic, Matt Bomer, Elysia Rotaru, Chris Diamantopoulos, Omid Abtahi, Matthew Mercer, Armen Taylor, Liam McIntyre

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.