BATMAN vs SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE Review

Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jessie Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne

Director: Zack Snyder

Music: Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL

Initial Release: March 25th, 2016

We all know that it would be an unfair battle between Batman & Superman. The odds pitted against Batman for his lack of genetic superpowers over Superman gives Superman an evolutionary advantage. Theoretically it is near impossible for batman to defeat superman, but thanks to Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Batman. It’s the character that none of us wanted Batman to evince. Yes, The Dark Knight kills in this movie.

Having a sublime story, Batman V Superman (BvS) never utilizes the evangelistic narrative to its maximum potential. When it scores high in its brilliant film-making, it fails miserably in the screenplay and succumbs to predictability. Thanks to the trailers which gave away all the surprising elements in the movie. It turns out to be a vexing drivel considering that it is unbearably long at 2 hours and 33 minutes.

The biggest problem with BvS is that it takes too long for the plot to gain some steam. It delves in the criticism of Superman for major part of the story and never does it give much weight-age to the Bat vigilante albeit the Batman having a well established tale.

Coming to the action sequences, it’s all a savagery mess lest to say. The self-driven and narcissistic indulgence of the superheroes which brings them against each other is silly if not convincing enough. When the movie reaches the ultimate showdown, supposedly the greatest gladiator match of all time, we all are forced into a state where we just want to get over with it. Probably it’s because of the fact that it comes too late into the movie and we are left wanting for more.

Ben Affleck as Batman is convincing enough. Maybe the fact that Christian Bale is irreplaceable as Batman clouds our decision to accept Ben Affleck as The Dark Knight. Sadly, the movie doesn’t offer much for him to explore his competencies as Batman. All in all it is an okayish portrayal.

Henry Cavill as Superman lacks the charm and has a serious smug face all the time. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor turns out to be one of the most boring and annoying antagonists that a superhero movie can have. The director then again doesn’t give a clear depth in the plot which will lead to the motive that the nemesis wants to achieve inveterately. The Doomsday finale is an incorrigible mishmash of the action pieces from MAN OF STEEL and a chaotic clutter. Gal Gadot as the Wonder Woman has the most fun of all. She’s charismatic, formidable & intimidating even though she doesn’t have much screen time.
The remaining characters like, Amy Adams as Louis Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent & Laurence Fishburne as Perry white acts as an auxiliary to take the story forward. They play to their cards and that’s about it.

BvS is a big disgrace of a movie per se and deserves no critical acclaim for its grotesque depiction of the two of the greatest superheroes of all time. When all of us were expecting an amalgamation of THE DARK KNIGHT and MAN OF STEEL, both the movies which redefined the characters: Batman & Superman, Zack Snyder puts it all together to give us another WATCHMEN and SUCKER PUNCH which were dark, gloomy and painfully sombre. BvS will go down in history as one of the weakest superhero movies of all time.

This movie is nothing but a slugfest between two super weights. Neither does it make sense nor does it entertain. Superman fans will be left disappointed. Batman fans, even more!

Save yourself from this altercation by watching all the trailers in 5.1 surround sound sequentially. That’s the only best thing about this movie as it has the best moments of some of the riveting sequences. Also, thanks to the amazing score by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL. If not for them, I would have walked out of the theatre half way through.

All that being said, those who still consider watching this movie in theatres, go with least expectations. The brilliant opening sequence and the classy ending might entice you just a little bit. BvS lays a solid platform for the further superhero movies to come. This is the only good thing about it.

Verdict – Marvel fans can rejoice. BATMAN vs SUPERMAN: Dawn Of Justice is not a marvellous superhero movie after all.

Rating –

Batman Vs Superman: Final Trailer

Airlift Movie Review

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Kumud Mishra, Prakash Belawadi, Inaamulhaq, Purab Kohli, Avtaar Gill

Director: Raja Menon

Release Date: 22nd January, 2016

Airlift is the story of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein on August 2, 1990, which led to the Gulf war. Told in the eyes of a wealthy Indian businessman (Akshay Kumar as Ranjit Katyal) in Kuwait who played a major role in aiding the evacuation of 1,70,000 Indian men, Airlift remains authentic to the original events conveyed in a simplistic way.

A movie such as this needs to be constantly engaging so that the audience do not lose track of what’s going on. Airlift exactly does that. Often riveting with brilliant and underplayed performances, the movie is a true gem when it comes to an amalgamation of both storytelling as well as meticulously planned film making.

Akshay Kumar sheds off his massy, over-dosed commercial image that he is known for and portrays his character with such ease and dedication that makes us relive those events without any such effort. Nimrat Kaur (as Amritha Katyal), on the other hand, takes her time to blend in to the movie’s scope until a monologue where she stands up for her husband’s actions and acts as an emotional support. She aces it with her homely, yet powerful performance.
Backed with gritty and taut sequences, amazing cinematography, extemporaneous screenplay and well-guided acting by the supporting characters, Airlift leaves you with an emotional high when the end credits start rolling.
Undertaken for more than 59 days, over 488 Indian airlines and Air India flights and bringing almost 1,70,000 Indians home, it is the largest evacuation that has ever happened. Though slow at times, the movie is full of passion and patriotism, which makes us leave with a full-heart when we come out of the theatres.

I’m going with three and a half stars out of five. Other than the occasional drags in the screenplay, Airlift deserves a watch for its earnestness and brilliant performances by its cast.

Rating –

HAPPY NEW YEAR….

 

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivvan Shah, Jackie Shroff
Director: Farah Khan
What’s it about?

HAPPY NEW YEAR directed by Farah Khan has Shah Rukh Khan in lead as Charlie. Charlie is on a revenge mode to avenge his father’s death due to an accused theft of a very precious diamond. He then assembles a team of luckless ‘losers’ to assist him to steal a bunch of diamonds from a big businessman(Jackie Shroff) at the finale of World Dance Championship where the diamond has been planned to be displayed for one night in Dubai. Charlie and his team embark on all the possible ways to get into the finale illegally. Did SRK and his team succeed to get to the finale? Did Charlie get his revenge? What follows is a series of mini-plots, forced humor and unnecessary songs with a huge cast.
Is it good?
Happy New Year never gets itself clear: whether is it a revenge-saga or is it a comedy-drama or a heist movie? In the process of making a perfect Bollywood entertainer, Farah Khan tries to combine all the genres with very less homework and tries to pack it in a naïve way. At the end, it ends up as a 3 hour long drool. Neither it is witty and humorous nor is it as ingenious as a perfect heist movie. It makes you cringe in your seat at times. The only thing that shines in this crass comedy is its conviction in its main plot, to avenge the death of Charlie’s father. The movie takes its time to get on track. All the six characters are introduced in the stupidest way possible and it follows the same old template of any other Bollywood movie. HNY is best in its last 40 minutes or so. Everything comes together well during the heist even though we’ve seen it a million times. Luckily the comedy works well at its final hours!
HNY is a perfect desi product: brilliant cinematography, grand production values, visually appealing cast and extravagant art direction. The songs are splendid in its allure but, in a movie where dance takes the main-stage, it’s a shame on the makers that none of the songs stand out for its choreography. The movie is deeply flawed; thanks to the undercooked script and poorly handled direction. It never works in most parts.
How have they performed?

SRK acts well but his characterization is half-baked and is misplaced at most of the situations. He tries too hard to get every nuance right and ends up over acting at times. For an actor who has the biggest fan base, it is uncanny in every way that why he chooses such scripts despite having the best resources. Abhishek Bachchan gives one of his career best performances in a tricky dual role. He is jocular and humorous in every way. Deepika Padukone’s character falls for a guy who speaks ‘THE ENGLISH’ well. Yes, you heard it right, ‘THE ENGLISH’. She does justice to her part and is at her glamorous best. Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivvan shah and Jackie Shroff play their cards right.

Who should watch?
Fans of SRK, Deepika and those who love commercial cinema. It has everything in it to become a senseless Bollywood mega-hit. Can be seen for the cinematography alone!
Who shouldn’t?
If you’ve seen all the brilliant heist movies, if you aren’t a fan of insensible and naïve commercial cinema, then this one will give you a headache.
Final thoughts:
HNY is pure Blockbuster material. It takes all the cinematic liberties to justify itself in most of its juvenile encounters in its screenplay. The movie entertains in parts and leaves you longing for more. Given such a brilliant cast, team HNY could’ve concentrated to stick to one proper plot. It gets congested and intolerable at times when SRK utters dialogues from his previous films. This  isn’t a memorable one for SRK and Farah Khan compared to their last outing Om Shanti Om.
Verdict: Another B-Town movie which exploits the vulnerabilities of the festive season to attract spectators. Utterly disappointing!
Rating: 2/5

BANG BANG!

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Danny Denzongpa, Pavan Malhotra, Javed Jaffrey, Deepti Naval, Kanwaljeet Singh

Director: Siddharth Anand

Release date: October 02, 2014

Songs: Vishal-Shekhar

Background Score: Salim-Sulaiman

Produced by: Fox star studios

What’s it about?

BANG BANG! An official remake of the 2011 Tom cruise – Cameron Diaz starrer Knight And Day has Hrithik Roshan as Rajveer, a mysterious thief who’s stolen the Kohinoor diamond from the MI6 HQ. He dodges from the law and the henchmen of a criminal mastermind, meets Harleen(played by Katrina) on his globetrotting adventure. He falls in love with Harleen on this escapade and what follows is a series of intentional songs, action sequences and the spark-less romance between the lead pair. Why did Hrithik steal the diamond? Why are the criminals after him? Did his love succeed eventually? All these form the crux of the story.

Is it good?

The main problem with Bang Bang is in its writing. Every scene looks incomplete and either lot of things happen at a time or nothing happens in a particular scene. The chemistry between the hero and heroine lacks radiance and Katrina’s character ends up being very annoying after sometime. There’s not much to expect in such a straightforward story, but a little bit of concentration and homework over packaging those hummable songs, thumping action sequences shot in exotic locales would have made Bang Bang a better product. In spite of having such an excellent and dedicated actor like Hrithik , who is at his best on screen, the movie ends up as a tiring watch. The only asset in an otherwise old-school action movie is Bang Bang’s cinematography. Action sequences are slick and enjoyable; illogical at times. The movie lacks charm when compared to its English version.

 

 

How have they performed?

Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif looks like a million bucks on screen. Even during the most physically tiring sequences in the movie there is not even a single scratch on Katrina’s face. Her acting is as plastic as her lipstick. Hrithik gets a chance to rip off his shirt every now and then to display his perfectly oiled-abs, and yes the girls did drool over him in the theater. He is funny, angry, smart, charismatic, fit and the only saving grace in this otherwise boring film. The performances by the support cast are apt except for the antagonists’ characterizations which look caricatured.

Who should watch?

This movie is a treat for the fans of Hrithik and Katrina. Action lovers might lap it up for its expensive and over-the-top set pieces. A must watch for youngsters who would like to go on a date. All in all, a commercial pot boiler. If you have a couple of hours to waste, then go grab a pack of popcorn and enjoy!

Who shouldn’t?

If you are a person who wants to watch sensible and meaningful cinema, please stay away from it.

My opinion

If given a chance to choose between Knight And Day and Bang Bang, I would watch the former anytime. Hrithik is no match to Tom Cruise.

Verdict:  Not much of a BANG!

Rating:    2.5/5