Film Review - Cinderella

Fairy And Lovely

Film: Cinderella

Cast: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Duration: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: *  *  *

British director Kenneth Branagh has made a handful of Shakespeare’s adaptation, so he is no stranger when it comes to making classic stories into films. This time it is the popular folk story Cinderella which was made famous by a few writers including Brothers Grimm.

There have been a few of those fairy tales which have made for the screen lately, which some of them have attempted to give it a twist, this film is a very straightforward adaptation. Branagh keeps it nice and simple and even though everyone knows the story very well, it is still a delight to watch because he doesn’t deviate from the basics.

Lily James plays Cinderella, the young girl who is orphaned and left in the clutches of her wicked step mother (Cate Blanchett, wickedly delightful) and step sisters. Richard Madden plays the Prince who is swept of his feet and Helena Bonham Carter is seen in a cameo as the fairy god mother.

Even after all the years, the story has considerable appeal, after all the good versus evil tales will never go out of fashion. The production values are the best that money can buy adding that extra factor to the visuals.

Overall, Cinderella is an enjoyable tale for children and adults alike.

Published in The Navhind Times, Goa on 22nd March 2015

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Film Review - How To Train Your Dragon 2

Return Of The Dragon

Film: How To Train Your Dragon 2

Voices of: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler

Directed by: Dean DeBlois

Duration: 1 hr 45 mins

Rating: * * *

When How to Train Your Dragon was released in 2010, it became an instant success because it had that extra zing, compared to most other animation films. The good news is that the sequel is also in the same vein and a good follow up to the tale of bonding between man and animal.

It is set a few years after the fight between humans and dragons that happened in the first installment. Now they are all happily living together, even the chief (voice of Gerard Butler) is friendly with them and his son Hiccup’s (Jay Baruchel) bond with the dragon Toothless has only become stronger. While the initial bits of the film just meander with the fun and games, the young man also meets his mother (Cate Blanchett) who was separated from him when he was a baby. 

All such films need a villain and here it is Drago (Djimon Hounsou) who wants to capture all the dragons and take over them. It is upto Hiccup and his friends to save the day as the proceedings get a little darker when to monstrous dragons fight with each other.

Barring the initial bits when precious little happens, once the story gets moving it keeps up the pace with a thrilling climax. The animation is top notch and all the colorful creatures look beautiful, am sure they look even better in 2D. Many of the characters from the previous film also make an appearance.

The first film was more fun because it had considerable novelty but since the plot doesn’t really push the boundaries this time, there isn’t any surprise element. But for those looking for some fun time at the theatres, go ahead, enter the dragon. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 15th June 2014

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Film Review - The Monuments Men

Art For Art's Sake

Film: The Monuments Men

Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray

Directed by: George Clooney

Duration: 2 hrs

Rating: * * *

The Monuments Men directed by George Clooney is based on a true story and make no mistake; it is a great story but doesn’t quite translate into film that is in the same league.  Is the world’s greatest art worth risking one’s life to save it? During the World War II when the Nazis were on a rampage, a bunch of good men thought it was well worth it.

The veracity of the details may be disputed, but considering this is a film, (there is also an excellent documentary made in 2006, The Rape of Europa) you are willing to overlook the authenticity of the proceedings. After all, these men did exist and helped save a lot of treasured art.

The Train (1964) starring Burt Lancaster had a similar story where the Resistance had to stop and salvage a train carrying precious art to Germany. While that film was an absolute edge of the seat thriller, the flaw with Monuments Men lies with the script which has a bit of action, buddy bonding and the occasional bout of thrill without really digging deep in to any of them.

‘Why the three stars then?’ you might ask. Well, consider the story –as WWII was coming to end, the Nazis were looting or destroying all sorts of precious art and sculptures. Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Rembrandt, you name it they were all stolen and Hitler had a grand design of making a Fuehrer museum.  

Enter the art historians and curators, led by the American Lt. Frank Stokes (Clooney) who gets on the scene of action in Europe with his men that has an excellent cast of John Goodman, Billy Murray, Matt Damon and Bob Balaban. Jean Dujardin plays a Frenchman who helps them in their endeavors. Together they help retrieve thousands of prized artworks, which were meant to be purged by the Nazis. Cate Blanchett also plays an important role as the curator of a museum who supports the Resistance and keeps a close eye on the movement of the paintings.

While lots of scenes are sugary, the film succeeds in making the point about how important our art and history is. As Clooney says in the film, if a generation is wiped out, a new generation will come up but if our past culture is destroyed, there is no bringing it back.   

The screenplay should have been more terse, most of the time it appears to be skimming the surface as far as the individual stories are concerned. Nevertheless, it serves as a great lesson in history and serves ample food for thought. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 23rd Feb 2014
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