Film Review - Jurassic World

Walk In The Park

Film: Jurassic World

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan

Directed by: Colin Trevorrow

Duration: 2 hrs 4mins

Rating:  *  *  * 1 / 2

It’s been over 20 years since the dinosaurs and Steven Spielberg’s vision blew us away with Jurassic Park, adapted from Michael Crichton’s book. While watching Jurassic World the latest in the franchise and fourth in line, you are constantly reminded, in a good way, what a spectacular film the original one was - anyone can use CGI but to use it tell a darn good story with so many memorable scenes, it takes a Spielberg to do that.     

Director Colin Trevorrow has done a commendable job with Spielberg on board as executive producer – there is only so much you can do when dinosaur’s run riot in a fairly predictable plot and he seems to be aware of that. Within those parameters, considering that the previous two films failed, Trevorrow does well to pull it off by keeping it simple.  Time and again, the film also pays a tribute to the original, the rear view mirror shot being one of them.

John Hammond who envisaged the park is gone but his dream has come alive.  A fully functional Jurassic park but called Jurassic World is operational in Costa Rica and tourists are flocking there, ignoring everything that happened in part 2 and 3.

The place is managed by Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) who is career oriented woman and a bit stiff at time. Investors want something bigger bolder and cool and the park to keep the interest going, it is bit like mobile companies coming up with new models ever so often. Hence a new dinosaur is genetically modified, he is called Indominus Rex.  While Claire is supposed to look after her two nephews, which she doesn’t, all hell breaks loose when Indominus Rex comes out in the open. Irrfan Khan plays an entrepreneur who controls the park while Owen (Chris Pratt) is a dinosaur trainer of sorts. The stage is all set for the prehistoric creatures to run amok.

There are a couple of sub plots thrown in for good measure – an army man (Vincent D’Onofrio)  is controlling the ‘experiment’, after robots, the army is looking for dinosaurs to fight for them and the relationship between man and animal, raptors in this case adds a nice touch to the proceedings. Trevorrow knows which buttons to press, and when, to keep the audience engaged despite of the plot being formulaic.  

Even if the dinosaur is threatening lives, there has to be some romance in the story, that is the order of the day, so Claire and Owen have a thing going between them and it would have also been interesting to see in a mid or close up shot how she managed to run at quick speed in those heels. 

The acting is at par, Bryce Dallas Howard (Manderlay, The Village) is not seen that often but she is a mighty good actress while Chris Pratt is likable, much like the dinosaurs he trains. 

In toto, Jurassic Park delivers what it promises. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 14th June 2015

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Film Review - Dil Dhadakne Do

Cruise Control

Film: Dil Dhadakne Do

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Shefali Shah

Directed by: Zoya Akhtar

Duration:  2 hrs 47 mins

Rating:  *  * 1 / 2

Dil Dhadakne Do is about a bunch of people who think they are going places but actually they are going nowhere and they all have some serious problems to boot. Of all places, the resolution incidentally happens on cruise ship during a holiday in the Mediterranean. That’s Zoya Akhtar’s ultra long Dil Dhadakne Do, a film that has a decent beginning and a redeeming end with a whole lot of nothing to fill up the spaces in between. 

We are introduced to the Mehra family with a voice over, that’s turns out to be of the family dog (Aamir Khan’s distinct voice). The patriarch Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) is a rich self made tycoon and never misses a chance to remind everyone about that.  His wife Neelam (Shefali Shah) is not exactly suffering in silence, she makes her presence felt from time to time, but she is suffering all the same. Their son Kabir (Ranveer Singh) is still learning the ropes as far as managing their business is concerned, he has no knack for it, instead, he is interested in flying he family plane. At that point you very well know how his career is going to unfold. 

Their daughter Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra), now a successful businesswoman, was married off to Manav (Rahul Bose) who treats her marginally better than a doormat. Her erstwhile heartthrob Sunny (Farhan Akhtar) also lands on the scene and at that point, you know very well how this love story is going to unfold.  

Now the dysfunctional Mehra family is under huge debt and yet they plan this big celebration aboard a cruise liner because it is their 30^th wedding anniversary. They are also hoping to rope in some investors; their plan is to marry off their son to one of the rich businessman’s    daughter so that their company can be salvaged. If you think this “dosti ko rishtedari mein badalte hain” happened only in the 60’s and 70’s, then think again. 

It doesn’t take too long for the setting to be established but from there on, it doesn’t go anywhere. Well, physically it does, to many fancy places, including Istanbul targeting an audience that has aspirations. A serious amount of time is spent showing off all the locales while you wait patiently for the story to change gears. It doesn’t. 

It is only in the climax that it gets going, even if the proceedings are a bit illogical.

There are too many characters and you barely understand any of them. We get a glimpse of Ayesha and her mother, though the former is woman of resolve, the latter looks a bit confused. Kabir is more of a fun person who shares a chemistry with Farha (Anushka Sharma) but since other characters have to be accommodated, there isn’t enough screen time for him. 

Co-written by Reema Kagti (of Honeymoon Travels fame, another road movie about dysfunctional families, except that was in a bus this is a luxury ship) the screenplay not-so-cleverly makes way for what is coming up next. For instance, when Sunny’s name is mentioned you know Ayesha shares a past with him but yet that matter is delved upon till the cows come home.

The film touches upon patriarchy and women’s issues in a not so subtle manner - but at least it might make a point to a segment of the audience.  

On the acting front, Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah play their parts with conviction; the latter in fact stands out among all the ladies in the film. Ranveer Singh has his moments and Priyanka Chopra is apt. 

Dil Dhadakne Do has the makings of a Bollywood blockbuster, big stars, exotic locales, romance, bit of humor - never mind if the story is a bit tedious and about an hour too long. 

When it comes to Zoya Akhtar, give me Luck By Chance, any day.  

Published in The Navhind Times, Goa on 7th June 2015

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Film Review - Welcome 2 Karachi

No Country For Young Men

Film: Welcome To Karachi

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Jackky Bhagnani, Lauren Gottlieb

Directed by: Ashish R Mohan

Duration: 2 hrs 10 mins

Rating:  * * 1 / 2  

The story of a dumb and dumber Indian mistakenly landing on the shores of Pakistan is the not the story of your average Bollywood film, the jokes in it though cater to the lowest common denominator. The director Ashish R Mohan, was Rohit Shetty’s assistant, hence that should come as no surprise. To be fair to the film makers, it hits bulls eye as far as the target audience is concerned. It doesn’t aim to be politically correct, in fact far from it, there are caricatures and all possible stereotypes that you can imagine involving an Indo-Pak affair. It must also be added that by default, political correctness has never been the strong points of most films anyway.

After a boat cruise goes awry, Shammi (Arshad Warsi) an ex Navy man and Kedar (Jackky Bhagnani)who intelligence quotient is slightly on the lower side,  find themselves on the shores of Karachi. They are mistaken as Indian spies and a Pakistani intelligence agent (Lauren Gottlieb) is hot on their heels.  Every person they come across there is wielding a gun and has links to terrorists or gangsters.  

From the Taliban to a jihadi campin Waziristan, not to mention American agents, they keep jumping from one place to the other.  There is the occasional humor but it tries up as the film progresses. As a rule, comedy films should be crisp and to the point but alas, more often than not, they carry unnecessary baggage and this film also a climax that is a yawn.

Amidst all the zaniness, there are a few scenes that stand out. The embassy shootout for instance was a clever of showing how trigger happy nations are in today’s world or the scene where they discover that the barb wire along the border is stolen and Shammi remarks “Dono taraf hi chor hain” (there are thieves on both sides)

In many ways, Welcome To Karachi is also a missed opportunity because the plot had the potential to be more than what it is, as a comedy and satire. 

However odd it may sound, Arshad Warsi and Jackky Bhagnani share a good chemistry, the latter’s outing is much better than what he has done previously, but that is not saying much.

Welcome to Karachi is okay for a few silly laughs with silly being the operative word. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 31st May 2015

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Film Review - San Andreas

Earth Fury

Film: San Andreas

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Paul Giamatti

Directed by: Brad Peyton

Duration: 1 hr 54 mins

Rating: * * *

Every other year, there is always one big 'disaster' movie that comes from Hollywood, where mother nature unleashes it fury.  Audiences love such films, there is something about witnessing large scale devastation on the big screen and it doesn’t take much processing power of the mind either.  San Andreas is the latest in that list.

Directed by Brad Peyton, the film relies heavily on special effects where the buildings and skyscrapers of San Francisco and Los Angeles go down like a pack of cards is mighty impressive, but as far as the story goes, this draws a naught and ticks every possible box.

Dwayne Johnson, plays Ray, a rescue helicopter pilot. The film opens with a bang, he rescues a girl who car is precariously hanging on a cliff. In 'disaster' movies, the hero’s personal life is always in shambles, in this case he is going through a reluctant divorce with Emma (Carla Gugino) who has just moved in with her boyfriend who is a high flying architect. Rays daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario of True Detective and Percy Jackson fame, who will be 30 but looks 18) is supposed to spend the weekend with him when the earthquake strikes. First, a dam breaks open, starting the many catastrophes that follow. 

First his wife and then his daughter are caught in the middle of it all giving him an excellent opportunity to rekindle his relationship with his wife and prove that he is a true family man by rescuing his daughter.  That doesn’t say a lot about him as a professional though because he is busy saving his family. Blake meanwhile finds a good guy for company when the devastation happens. If a family is getting together, even mother nature makes way for them, at least that seems to be the message, given the way they survive and meet each other. 

The trump card are the special effects, which are used liberally, in fact if one were to nitpick, it is used too liberally – so while you are impressed while watching it, there is not particular image that stays in your head after the film -too many buildings and bridges get knocked down. 

There is the odd scene where there is a nice touch, for example, people looting supermarkets and malls in the wake of tragedy.

Paul Giamatti plays a scientist who is working on prediction of earthquakes and like most characters he has played, he does this one too with style. Dwayne Johnson has a limited range of expressions but he always uses them well and there is always something very sincere about his acting that makes him likable.

On the whole, San Andreas proves that it is indeed a marvel as to what they can do with computers these days. 

Published in The Navhind Times Goa on 31st May 2015

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Film Review - Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Two To Tango

Film: Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R. Madhavan, Deepak Dobriyal, Jimmy Shergill

Directed by: Aanand L Rai

Duration: 2 hrs 2 mins

Rating:  *  *  *  * 

Tanu Weds Manu Returns is yet another remarkable feather in Bollywood’s hat. More interestingly, this is clearly a case where the sequel betters the original by a decent margin and that is something you don’t see too often.

Either by coincidence or otherwise, the former mostly, since Kahaani there have been quite a few women centric films that have stood out not only in terms of quality cinema but they have also triumphed at the box office. Tanu Weds Manu Returns is another film that is dominated (and how!) by one actress playing two characters.

The film opens a few years after Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) and Dr. Manu’s (R. Madhavan) marriage. They are living in England but there is serious trouble in paradise, so much so that the good doctor ends up in a mental asylum for few days while Tanu takes the next flight back home. She couldn’t care less about her better half, without flinching too much she is ready to rekindle her relationship with her old flame Raja (Jimmy Shergill) while Chintu (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub) who is a part of her support staff, harbors feelings for her.

Meanwhile Manu’s friend Pappi (the fantastic Deepak Dobriyal) rescues him from England and before you can say cheese, Manu falls for Kusum (Kangana again) a Harayanvi athlete who looks like Tanu. The girl is as feisty as they come and a romance blossoms between them leading to a climax where Manu has to choose between the duplicate and the original.

For a large part, the film is breezy, in fact the first half is devoid of a single dull moment. It gets a bit contrived in the second, including some unnecessary song and dance routines but there is enough fodder to keep you entertained. The finale is bit of a predictable cop out but now that we are seeing feisty woman characters, our film makers will push the envelope further with them. 

Full credit goes to the writers, Anand L Rai and Himanshu Sharma for those sparkling dialogues and humor. After being a bit regressive in his previous film Raanjhanaa, Rai turns the tide this time. 

There are several wonderfully crafted scenes in the film but none better than the one where Tanu wanders on the streets in the middle of the night with a bottle in her hand with Geeta Dutt’s melancholic Ja Ja Ja Ja Bewafa (Aar Paar, 1954) playing the background - Tanu doesn’t say a word but yet she speaks volumes.  

It is criminal that we don’t see a talent like Deepak Dobriyal more often on screen, his sense of timing is immaculate. R. Madhavan is apt reprising his previous role. But the show belongs to Kangana Ranaut who steals the thunder, lightning, rain and sunshine. She slips so effortlessly into both those characters that you have to marvel, what a gifted actress she is. 

For her performance as well as for a film that delivers the goods, Tanu Weds Manu Returns is eminently worth a watch.

Published in The Navhind Times on 24th May 2015

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Film Review - Tommorowland

Brave New World 

Film: Tomorrowland

Cast: George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie

Directed by: Brad Bird

Duration:  2 hr 10 mins

Rating:  *  *  *  *

 

Director Brad Bird has a rather interesting profile – he directed The Incredibles and wrote Ratatouille, two of the most memorable contemporary animation films, and he made his live action debut with Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol. Now he has ventured into science fiction with Tomorrowland, produced by a studio not known for such films, Disney. In fact, this is a family science fiction film, if such a category exists.

With an original story co-written by Bird, the film has an interesting and refreshing take. We see Frank Walker (George Clooney) tell his story “When I was a kid, the future was different he says.” We then see him displaying his invention at a New York World Fair, which looks like a Disney fair actually. When he is not taken seriously, mysterious girl comes and helps him and gives him a pin badge.

Several years later, Casey (Britt Robertson) the daughter of a NASA engineer receives a similar badge when one of her adventures goes wrong. When she touches it, she is transported to a futuristic world. As the audience, you are also engrossed and wonder where all this is heading.

In a quick montage we are also told about her curiosity in class to question and look for solutions about all the problems plaguing the earth, right from terrorism to environmental issues.  The mysterious girl re-appears, she is the same as she was decades ago and tries to Casey who lands up at Franks doorsteps. The evil robots are closing in, Casey has no idea what is happening and questions everything to which Frank retorts “Do I have to explain everything to you? Can’t you just be amazed?”

There is action, adventure, science fiction and some serious themes about man kind’s survival.  An interesting and a very optimistic point is made amidst all the gloom and doom as see and hear of in real life. Brad Bird may not have an answer but he does have an idea which is the premise of the film.

The film works on two levels, even if kids and teenagers don’t understand the science fiction and other themes, there is enough razzle-dazzle to engage them. Go ahead, and be amazed.

Published in The Navhind Times on 24th May 2015

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Film Review - Poltergeist

Boys and Dolls

Film: Poltergeist

Cast: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt

Directed by: Gil Kenan

Duration: 1 hr 33 mins

Rating:  * *

 

Poltergeist is a remake of Tobe Hooper’s 1982 film (which was co-written by Steven Spielberg) and sadly, it has nothing new to contribute to the original film. It has partly been updated for modern times but that doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

Haunted houses, creaking doors, strange noises in the middle of the night, and scary looking toys in the attics - all this has been done to death in horror films over the years. Poltergeist gives us more of the same. 

The Bowen family, Eric (Sam Rockwell) and Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) move to a new house after he has been laid off from his job. They have a teenage daughter and a little boy and a girl, needless to say, strange things start happening in the house after a box of clown dolls is found.  

Even if you haven’t seen the original, it is very easy to predict what will happen next because it is all so passé. A group of paranormal investigators are brought in and being a horror film, you know that the ‘spirits’ will have the better of them. 

Surely, films have a major role to play in spreading mumbo-jumbo among gullible people about evil spirits, haunted houses and possessed dolls. 

The climax is the only redeeming factor in this otherwise run of the mill product. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 24th May 2015

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