Film Review - Insidious: Chapter 3

Spirits in a Material World

Film: Insidious: Chapter 3

Cast: Stefanie Scott, Lin Shaye

Directed by: Leigh Whannel

Duration: 1 hr 37 mins           

Rating: * *

It is hard to tell one horror film from the other these days, they all revolve around haunted houses or possessed dolls. The only distinction is in the storytelling and director James Wan had done a remarkable job with Insidious (2010) although the sequel had gone slightly off the boil. Wan serves as the producer in Chapter 3 which is just a run of the mill horror film.

This is a prequel, as to what happened before the Lambert family got inflicted. It opens with Quinn (Stefanie Scott), a teenage girl who lives with her father, she wants to contact her dead mother and goes to a meet Elise (Lin Shaye) a specialist who knows how to communicate with the ‘other side’. Right off you know there is a whole load of baloney coming up in this film.

The mother doesn’t make any contact but instead another ghoul is on the prowl. When Quinn gets bed ridden due to an accident, the setting is perfect for the demon to make a move. She can’t move, he enjoys scaring her while you wait for her and your ordeal to end. 

Barring one impressive shot where the camera goes back and forth from the window, there is nothing much to write home about in Chapter 3. 

There is also a whole load of mumbo jumbo about ghosts, spirits, dark side, the world of spirits (which is referred to as Further).   There is little doubt in my mind that most of the superstitions in the world come from silly films like these.  

Published in The Navhind Times on 28th June 2015

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Film Review - Furious 7

Need For Speed

Film: Furious 7

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham

Directed by: James Wan

Duration: 2 hrs 17 mins

Rating: * * 1 / 2

Since they don’t have much of a plot anyway, come 2035 and I can see Fast and Furious 16 hitting the screens. In this franchise, the villain is merely an excuse for some car porn and Furious 7 is no different. The only dissimilarity would be the emotional factor, since this is actor Paul Walkers last outing.

But otherwise it is the same stuff, different cars. Since the cars have been long enough on road, this time you see them falling out of an aeroplane. Of course they land safely.

Given the impressive work director James Wan has done with horror films like Insidious and The Conjuring, one was hoping he would pull off something different in this action flick. But he is let down by the screenplay and the action scenes which are way over the top. In one sequence, a posh car flies out of what looks like the 60^th floor of a skyscraper. And where does it land? On the 50^th floor of the neighboring building.  That’s not all. It lands in the adjacent building after that.

Jason Statham plays Deckard Shaw who wants to avenge his brother’s death, he is gunning for Dominic (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) who are leading a quiet life till the peace is broken.

Dominic is helping Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) recover her memory after the incident in the previous film while Brian is spending time with his family. When Shaw attacks them, the Furious team is assembled taking them from country to another which is just another excuse for more mindless action. 

Fans of the franchise won’t be disappointed, there is enough being served here for them to enjoy. Car chases happen at the drop of a hat and there is also a race at the beginning that springs out of nowhere. 

What works in favor of the film is the chemistry between the characters, they is bonhomie between them. The final tribute to Walker is certainly one of the better moments in the film.

Published in The Navhind Times on 5th April 2015 

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Film Review - Annabelle

Girls and Dolls

Film: Annabelle

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton

Directed by: John Leonetti

Duration: 1 hr 48 mins

Rating: * *

In present day, any film that becomes successful at the box office has a very high chance of a sequel coming up sooner rather than later. If it is a horror film, the chances go up drastically. Annabelle is a prequel to The Conjuring, one of the biggest hits of last year. That James Wan film may have had a lot of mumbo-jumbo about evil but it was one of the better scary films in recent times.

Annabelle is directed by cinematographer John Leonetti (who also shot The Conjuring) and the level of abstract notions of evil, devil and ‘demons seeking the soul’ goes up a few notches higher in this film. In The Conjuring one could ignore that claptrap because one, it comes up only towards the end and two, it was an engaging film on most counts. 

Annabelle on the other hand is largely single track and for a film made in the 21^stcentury lines like “Ghosts haunt specific places whereas demons, they want a soul and the soul has to be offered to them”. Oh yeah.

Set in the 60’s, John (Ward Horton) and Mia (Annabelle Wallis) are a couple expecting their first child. During the pregnancy, their neighbors are killed by members of a satanic cult and the couple is also attacked. A rather creepy looking doll which was disposed off in the trash makes reappearance when they move to a different house.

All the things that should happen when you have a doll like that in the house do happen- strange sounds emanate, doors close on their own, sewing machines operate automatically. All that might give a momentary scare but on the whole it doesn’t engross you. Usually in horror films, all the ‘explanations’ about spirits, and haunted places come towards the end and you don’t mind it because that comprises of an undersized part of the film. But here all the so called rationalization happens at the mid point with dialogues like “The devil preys on the weak and the vulnerable” and “Evil is constant nothing that has not been created can be destroyed” or words to that effect.

There is the odd James Wan touch to the film (he is the co-producer) like the elevator scene for instance.

Annabelle, a real life doll like that will be far more exciting than this film. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 12th Oct 2014

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Film Review - Insidious 2

                        Haunted House             

Film: Insidious 2

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne

Directed by: James Wan

Duration: 1 hr 45 mins

Rating: * * *

           

After the success of Insidious (2010) directed by James Wan, a sequel was always on the cards. Meanwhile, the popularity of The Conjuring this year also elevated the status of the director who returns with Insidious - Chapter 2. 

Wan clearly has a knack for making horror films, even though the genre has become very predictable he knows how to keep the viewer engrossed. Unlike most gimmicky horror films, he doesn’t scare the viewer every ten minutes but instead, builds up the tension and suspense.

The one issue with Chapter 2 is that it has quite a few links with the first film, those who have seen it, will enjoy it best. It continues where the previous one left off with a quick flashback in the beginning. Renai (Rose Byrne) is recovering from the incident where Elise their friend was killed and her husband Josh (Patrick Wilson) is the suspect.

The strange occurrences continue in their house and she fears for her children. Meanwhile her mother in law seeks help from other sources and there in begins the journey to unravel the mystery. Sequels usually disappoint because of lackluster stories but the chances are very high that if you enjoyed the first part, the second one will not let you down. Even though the basic premise moves on expected lines, there are some nice touches from the writer and director which elevate the proceedings.

One the whole, it is an enjoyable treat for horror buffs. 

(Published in The Navhind Times on 17th Nov 2013)