Movie Review: Jungle Cruise (English)

JUNGLE CRUISE is the story of a trio trying to find a magical Tree that can cure all illnesses. In 1556, Don Aguirre (Edgar Ramirez) leads Spanish conquistadors to South America in search of the Lágrimas de Cristal Tree aka Tears of the Moon, whose flowers can cure illnesses, heal injuries and lift curses. Most conquistadors die due to jungle-related illnesses. Don Aguirre and a few of his associates are rescued by the Guardians of the Tree. They are healed using the Tree’s flowers. When Don Aguirre asks the tribal chief about the Tree’s location, the latter refuses. Don Aguirre then sets their village on fire. Before his death, the tribal chief curses Don Aguirre and his associates. Due to the curse, they can’t leave the sight of the river again and they can neither live nor die. In 1916, MacGregor Houghton (Jack Whitehall) requests the members of the Royal Anthropological And Diverse Adventure Society, London for access to an ancient Arrowhead recovered by a certain Dr Albert Falls. The members of the society, however, refuse permission. MacGregor’s sister, Dr Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), a botanist, sneaks into the Society building and steals the Arrowhead. She is looking to find Tears of the Moon and feels that the Arrowhead can help her in locating the Tree. While she steals the Arrowhead, she also almost gets caught by Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons), an ambitious German royal who is also seeking the Tree. MacGregor and Lily then arrive at Porto Velho, Brazil, from where the Tree’s location is the nearest. They hire skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson), who offers the cheapest cruise ride of the Amazon river and who’s perceived to be quite tough and knowledgeable about the topography. The adventure begins but it's not going to be an easy one. The route is dangerous and moreover, Prince Joachim has also reached Porto Velho. To find the Tree and defeat Team Lily, he locates Don Aguirre and his associates and gets them back to ‘life’. On the other hand, Lily realizes that Frank is mysterious and has been lying to her the whole time about several things. What happens next forms the rest of the film. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1276353" src="https://ift.tt/3i2jvXt" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> John Norville, Josh Goldstein, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's story is formulaic and clichéd but is entertaining. Like THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, JUNGLE CRUISE is also based on a theme park attraction at Disney World. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa and Michael Gree's screenplay is light and is peppered with loads of fun and thrilling moments. A few twists in the second half also keep the interest going. The writers also make an interesting comment on how women were treated then and how Dr Lily proves misogynist men wrong; this bit will surely be lapped up by the audiences. However, the second half gets a bit heavy especially the track of Don Aguirre. Also, despite the unexpected twists, the overall narrative is predictable as there have been several such films in this genre. Dialogues are very well worded and add to the humour quotient. Dwayne Johnson’s corny one-liners are hilarious. Jaume Collet-Serra's direction follows the standard template seen in jungle adventure films. The filmmaker in the past has handled small and mid-sized films. This is his first biggie but the way he executes it shows that he knows his job well. The characters are very well introduced, the setting is well explained and that he keeps the tone of the film light will help in attracting families and kids. He also deserves praise for the way he has fleshed out electrifying chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. On the flipside, the film gives a strong déjà vu of films like THE MUMMY, JUMANJI, INDIANA JONES and THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. JUNGLE CRUISE is like a <em>bhel puri</em> of the template, setting and such other elements of the aforementioned films. The second half could have been better or more novel. Also, the film releases too late in India. It had a release in the USA on July 30 in cinemas as well as on Disney+. As a result, its pirated copies have been out for more than 50 days. Hence, just like it happened with FAST &amp; FURIOUS 9, JUNGLE CRUISE has already been seen by many Indian moviegoers, and this would affect the footfalls. JUNGLE CRUISE starts off very well. The chase sequence inside the Royal Society involving Dr Lily sets the mood. Dr Lily and Frank’s first meeting is hilarious and so is Frank’s subsequent fight with a jaguar. The cruise ride begins with a bang as Frank’s boat is attacked by a torpedo. How Frank, Dr Lily and MacGregor survive this attack is too good. The waterfall scene is nail biting. In the second half, the twist in the tribal track is fine but it’s not as interesting. The scene where Frank reveals the truth about his identity is sure to shock viewers as they would not see it coming. In the pre-climax, the scene where Dr Lily goes underwater arrests attention. But it’s too unconvincing as Dr Lily is shown to have a phobia of swimming. Yet, in her first attempt at going underwater, she manages to nearly unlock the lever leading to the Tree and it’s too difficult to digest. The climax fight is fine but predictable. The film ends on a little abrupt note. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1276354" src="https://ift.tt/3AInXlO" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Dwayne Johnson brings the star power to the film and is absolutely entertaining. He also ensures that his character looks different from his act in JUMANJI, which was also a jungle adventure. Emily Blunt is quite lovable in the role, which can be described as the female Indiana Jones. She is great in action scenes and her comic timing is spot on. The scene where she is required to remove a sword from Dwayne’s chest is too funny, thanks to her. Jack Whitehall delivers a fine performance and contributes a lot to the laughter quotient. The scene where he tells Dwayne Johnson about his past is memorable. Edgar Ramirez is okay. Jesse Plemons is decent but raises laughs in the scene where he mispronounces ‘jungle’. Paul Giamatti (Nilo Nemolato) and Veronica Falcón (Trader Sam, chief of the Puka Michuna tribe) do very well but get limited scope. James Newton Howard's music has the elements of the adventure of period drama and it works. Flavio Labiano's cinematography is spectacular. Jean-Vincent Puzos's production design is detailed. Paco Delgado's costumes are very impressive. The Amelia Earhart-inspired clothes of Emily Blunt especially are praiseworthy. Action is fun and sans violence and blood. VFX is extraordinary, which was expected. Joel Negron's editing is neat. On the whole, JUNGLE CRUISE is formulaic and clichéd but manages to give an entertaining time to the viewers and has tremendous appeal for kids and family audiences. Unlike SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS and FREE GUY, this film will have a 3D release in India. This and the casting of Dwayne Johnson, a popular actor even for Indian masses, will help the film get footfalls. On the other hand, it is releasing nearly two months after its release in the USA and on Disney+. As a result, its pirated prints have flooded the internet for a long time and this would affect the box office to an extent.

source https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/jungle-cruise-english/critic-review/jungle-cruise-english-movie-review/

Movie Review: Bhoot Police

BHOOT POLICE is the story of two tantriks who discover themselves when trying to ward off an evil spirit. Vibhooti (Saif Ali Khan) and Chiraunji (Arjun Kapoor) are brothers who pretend to be ghostbusters. They are the sons of the famed Ullat Baba (Saurabh Sachdeva) who died when Chiraunji was just 5 years old. Vibhooti doesn’t believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits. Till now, they have encountered several instances where there were no evil spirits. But instead of telling their clients the truth, Vibhooti and Chiraunji would pretend to eradicate the ghost from their lives and take a fat fee in return. Vibhooti, however, believes that ghosts exist and is waiting for an opportunity to teach an evil spirit a lesson. The opportunity arrives at their doorstep when they meet Maya (Yami Gautam). She runs the Silawar Tea Factory and owns a sprawling estate. She lives here with her sister Kanika (Jacqueline Fernandez). Yami tells Vibhooti and Chiraunji that she and the tea factory labourers have experienced the presence of a ghost (aka <em>kichkandi</em>) in the estate. A similar spirit was seen at their place 27 years back and it was Ullat Baba who had trapped it in a pot and kept it in a safe place in a forest. At the estate, Vibhooti, who still doesn’t feel there’s any ghost in the estate, challenges the <em>kichkandi</em>. The same night, a labourer, Lata (Jamie Lever) and her husband Vinod (Rupesh Tillu) encounter the <em>kichkandi</em>. A few days later, many other labourers claim to have witnessed the spirit but the description of the <em>kichkandi</em> varies from person to person. One night, Vibhooti and Chiraunji venture into the forest and come across the tree where the <em>kichkandi</em> was trapped in the pot and stored. Chiraunji is shocked as he realizes that the pot is intact and unbroken. This means that the spirit is still inside. Hence, he concludes that the spirit troubling the estate at present is different. To make matters worse, Vibhooti claims that their father was also a conman and that the pot has no evil spirit. To prove his point, he breaks the pot. What happens next forms the rest of the film. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1270123 size-full" title="Movie Review Bhoot Police" src="https://ift.tt/3ldY7PJ" alt="Movie Review Bhoot Police" width="720" height="450" /> Pavan Kirpalani's story is novel. It gives a déjà vu of STREE [2018] and ROOHI [2021] as BHOOT POLICE is also a horror comedy. But unlike the other two films, BHOOT POLICE focuses on ghostbusters and that gives a unique touch. Pavan Kirpalani, Pooja Ladha Surti and Sumit Batheja's screenplay (additional screenplay by Anuvab Pal and Devashish Makhija) is entertaining. The characters are very well fleshed out and the balance between horror and comedy is well maintained. A few jump scares do remind one of Hollywood horror flicks though. On the flipside, the first half is alright and it's only from the intermission point that the film becomes intriguing. A few developments are bewildering. The track of Inspector Cheddi Singh (Jaaved Jaaferi), meanwhile, is far from funny. Pooja Ladha Surti and Sumit Batheja's dialogues are quite witty and funny but only at places. There was a lot of opportunity for many more funny dialogues in a film like this. Pavan Kirpalani's direction is stellar. He has made horror films in the past and in that regard, he deserves praise for putting up a convincing horror setup in the film. He handles the comedy well but what’s surprising is that even the dramatic and emotional moments are executed nicely. The scene where Vibhooti slaps Chiraunji and the dialogues that follow is memorable. Also, the climax has an emotional angle and it's well woven into the narrative. However, he leaves a few questions unanswered. BHOOT POLICE starts very well. There’s humour, horror and an unexpected twist in the entry scene and it sets the mood. The chase sequence at the Tantrik Fair fails to raise laughs. The scene where Lata is compelled to sing a song by her husband Vinod is scary and also funny. But apart from this scene and the beginning sequence, nothing interesting happens in the film. The interest level increases only when Vibhooti breaks the pot. Post-interval, the humour is minimal and horror gets preference. The last 30 minutes are quite gripping. The numerous twists and the emotional track works well. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>RAPID FIRE- Saif Ali Khan &amp; Arjun Kapoor’s LAUGH RIOT| SRK | Kareena Kapoor | Ranbir Kapoor</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/38Vtmtu" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Saif Ali Khan is the best performer in the film. He slips into the part of the wicked tantric effortlessly and adds to the madness. Arjun Kapoor is sincere. His role doesn’t allow him to contribute to the laughter quotient. But he seems apt for the part and looks quite better than his other film appearances off late. Yami Gautam is decent but goes on another level in the pre-climax. Jacqueline Fernandez is average. Jaaved Jaaferi fails to raise laughs. Saurabh Sachdeva and Girish Kulkarni (Santu the monk) are there for just a scene and deliver worthy performances. Late Amit Mistry (Hari Kumar) has a substantial role and is entertaining. Jamie Lever and Rupesh Tillu leave a mark, especially the former. Yashaswini Dayama (Guddi) is too good. Rajpal Yadav (Goggle Baba) is wasted. The kid actor playing Titli is adorable. BHOOT POLICE is a songless film. <em>'Aayi Aayi Bhoot Police'</em> is played in the end credits while <em>'Mujhe Pyaar Aaya Hai'</em> and <em>'Raat Gayi'</em> are absent in the narrative. It’s great that the actors don’t break into song and dance and that the romantic track between the leads is subtly shown. Clinton Cerejo's background score is excellent and special mention should also go to Anirban Sengupta's sound design. It enhances the spooky element of the film. Jayakrishna Gummadi's cinematography is breathaking. The locales of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are captured with finesse. Anita Rajgopalan and Donald Reagen Stanley's production design is rich and in sync with the film’s theme. Abhilasha Devnani and Manisha Melwani's costumes are glamorous. The ones worn by Saif and Arjun are stylish and yet go with their tantric characters. Redefine, Fractal Picture Pvt Ltd and Old Monk Studios's VFX is a bit unreal but works. Pooja Ladha Surti's editing is smooth. On the whole, BHOOT POLICE has a weak first half but the post-interval portions are quite entertaining and thrilling. The combo of horror, comedy and emotion makes for a decent watch.

source https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/bhoot-police/critic-review/bhoot-police-movie-review/pavan-kirpalanis-story-gives-a-deja-vu-of-stree-2018-and-roohi-2021-but-unlike-the-other-two-films-it-focuses-on-ghostbusters-and-that-gives-a-unique-touch/

Movie Review: Thalaivii

THALAIVII is the story of a girl’s journey from being a prominent heroine to a prominent political figure. The story begins in 1965. Jayalalithaa aka Jaya (Kangana Ranaut) is an upcoming actress in Tamil cinema. She has been coaxed into joining the profession by her mother (Bhagyashree) so that they can have a steady means of income. In no time, Jaya gets a chance to star opposite MJR (Arvind Swamy), one of the biggest superstars of Tamil cinema. MJR loves Jaya’s attitude and her fearless persona. She, meanwhile, falls for his good-hearted nature. Both end up working in many films together. They emerge as one of the most popular <em>jodis</em>, much to the annoyance of R M Veerappan (Raj Arjun), MJR’s PA. Veerappan believes that MJR’s fondness for Jaya can spell doom for the superstar. A few years later, MJR enters politics and joins DMK, headed by Karunanidhi (Nassar). Karunanidhi wins the state elections by a record margin and one of the reasons is that MJR campaigned for him. MJR sadly is not able to attend party meetings. Also, he is more popular and that doesn’t go down well with Karunanidhi. Both have a showdown after which MJR quits DMK. He decides to float his own political party. Veerappan advises MJR that he should stay away from Jaya before it causes problems for him in his political career. MJR agrees. Jaya is devastated. The story then moves 10 years ahead. MJR has become the Chief Minister for the second time. Jaya is not getting many films due to her age. She starts accepting dance shows. One such show offered to her is a government sponsored one in Madurai. At this event, she meets MJR once again. This time, MJR invites her to join his party. Jaya declines but while going back to Chennai, an incident leaves a deep influence on her. In no time, she enters politics. What happens next forms the rest of the film. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1269174 size-full" title="Movie Review Thalaivii" src="https://ift.tt/3ha3SwY" alt="Movie Review Thalaivii" width="720" height="450" /> THALAIVII is based on the book 'Thalaivi' by Ajayan Bala. Vijayendra Prasad's story is excellent and does total justice to J Jayalalithaa’s journey from being a film star to being a Chief Minister. It is not possible to show all major episodes and hence the writer has handpicked and chosen the best aspects of her life. Thankfully, it pays off. Vijayendra Prasad and Rajat Arora's screenplay is captivating. There are a lot of dramatic moments in the film and the writers have penned them very well to bring out the desired impact. However, the first half is not as powerful. Also, the focus at this hour is mostly on Jaya’s film journey. Rajat Arora's dialogues are sharp. The dialogue writer is known for some smart, whistle-worthy lines and he lives up to the expectations. A L Vijay's direction is very simplistic and massy. The film is executed in such a way that it is easy to understand for all sections of the audiences. He defines the characters very well from the very beginning and has peppered the film with some well executed dramatic sequences. In the second half, he takes the film to another level. Special mention here should be made of the funeral sequence of MGR. It’s sure to give one goose bumps. On the flipside, he is not in top form in the first half. The scenes are recklessly edited as if to hurriedly reduce the runtime. A few sequences will leave audiences bewildered. For instance, the scene where MJR is shot by a disgruntled film producer is quickly wrapped up and viewers will have difficulty in understanding what exactly happened. This flaw is seen in the second half as well. Why didn’t Jaya inform MJR that her meeting with Indira Gandhi has been successful? Was it a way to extract revenge or something else is again something that can confuse audiences. Lastly, the Hindi version has a major challenge since the film is about a politician down South. Most viewers in North, Western and Eastern India are aware of her but may not be interested to see her biopic. THALAIVII begins with a dramatic scene in the Assembly and sets the mood. One expects fireworks from here on. But the film then focuses on Jaya’s film career. Even here, the makers try their best to keep viewers engaged. The Medu Wada sequence works very well. However, one gets restless as one waits for her political journey to begin. That finally happens in the second half and then there’s no looking back. From Jaya exposing the corruption in the mid-day meal programme to Jaya wooing Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to her campaigning to the climax, A L Vijay keeps the film on a constant high. The funeral sequence of course is out of the world and even the pre-climax and climax contributes to the mass quotient. The film ends on a rocking note. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1269175" src="https://ift.tt/3nf66Pk" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Kangana Ranaut lives the role and is fantastic to say the least. As the heroine of the bygone era, she is completely convincing and even as a fiery political leader, she rocks the show. In short, this is yet another award worthy performance from the National Award winning actor. Arvind Swamy is a big surprise. He had a very challenging role but he pulls it off effortlessly. Both Kangana and Arvind compliment each other well and their chemistry is electrifying. It’s also praiseworthy how the makers have treated the bond of Jaya and MJR. Raj Arjun is the third most important actor and has a considerable screen role. For most parts of the film, he’s constantly angry with Jaya. However, he plays his part well. His eyes do a lot of talking. Nassar, as expected, is quite nice. Bhagyashree is subtle and apt for the part. Madhoo (Janaki; MJR's wife) doesn’t get much scope. Thambi Ramaiah (Madhavan) is fair. Flora Jacob (Indira Gandhi) is alright but Rajiv Kumar (Rajiv Gandhi) looks ditto like the ex-Prime Minister of India. G V Prakash Kumar's music is poor. The film would have benefited if it had one chartburster. <em>'Chali Chali'</em> is average while <em>'Nain Bandhe Naino Se'</em> is well shot and choreographed. <em>'Teri Aankhon Mein'</em> doesn’t leave a mark while <em>'Hai Kamaal'</em> works more due to the visuals. The title track is the best of the lot. The background score is cinematic and dramatic. Vishal Vittal's cinematography is spectacular. The indoor and campaigning scenes especially are exceptionally shot. Neeta Lulla's costumes are glamorous and reminiscent of the clothes worn at that time by the stars and political leaders. S Ramakrishna and Monika Nigotre's production design is very detailed. The bygone era is perfectly recreated and they have also ensured that the film looks like a grand affair. Pattanam Rasheed's makeup is spot-on. Unifi Media's VFX is decent. Ballu Saluja's editing is first-rate in the second half but in the pre-interval, it’s quite haphazard. On the whole, THALAIVII is a well-made and well-written political saga that is embellished with yet another award winning performance by Kangana Ranaut. However, the poor buzz and prolonged closure of theatres in Maharashtra will affect the box office prospects of the Hindi version to a great extent.

source https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/thalaivi/critic-review/thalaivi-movie-review/kangana-ranaut-starrer-thalaivii-is-a-well-made-and-well-written-political-saga-that-is-embellished-with-yet-another-award-winning-performance-by-kangana-ranaut/

Movie Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (English)

It has been over two years since the release of the last Marvel film in theatres in India. Since SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME [2019], Marvel fans have been waiting for the next in the series or rather phase to hit screens. Hopes were pinned on the Scarlett Johannsson film BLACK WIDOW [2021]. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic that film saw a direct OTT release in India. But now, with SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, Marvel intends on returning to the big screen with a bang. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1266908" src="https://ift.tt/3DI8xQj" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS begins with the introduction of a man named Xu Wenwu, who finds the mystical ten rings that grant him immortality and great powers. The plot follows Wenwu as he amasses an army of warriors called the Ten Rings and conquers many kingdoms and topples governments throughout history. In 1996, Wenwu begins searching for the village of Ta Lo, which is said to harbour various mythical beasts, in order to expand his power. He finds the entrance of the village, but is stopped from entering by the village's guardian, Ying Li. The two eventually fall in love and have two children, Xu Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing. Wenwu abandons the ten rings and his organization to be with his family. However, Li is eventually murdered by the Iron Gang, old rivals of the Ten Rings, and Wenwu once again takes up the rings to massacre them and resume his criminal activities. Shang-Chi is brought to the Ten Rings' compound to be trained in all forms of combat by the Death Dealer, a high-ranking member of the Ten Rings. At the age of 14, Shang-Chi is sent by Wenwu to assassinate the leader of the Iron Gang. After fulfilling his mission, a traumatized Shang-Chi abandons the Ten Rings and escapes to the United States, where he adopts the name Shaun. Years later, Shaun AKA Shang-Chi is living in San Francisco and working as valet with his best friend, Katy Chen. One day while on the way to work on the Muni Metro, Shang-Chi and Katy are attacked by members of the Ten Rings led by Razor Fist. Despite fighting them off, Shang-Chi discovers that his pendant given to him by his mother has been taken by them. Fearing that the Ten Rings are going after Xialing for her pendant, Shang-Chi decides to track her down and reveals his past to Katy, who agrees to help him. They eventually find her at an underground fight club in Macau, of which she is the owner; Xialing expresses her resentment towards Shang-Chi for abandoning their family and their father for neglecting her. The fight club is then attacked by a regiment of the Ten Rings led by Death Dealer. Wenwu unexpectedly arrives during the attack and captures Shang-Chi, Katy and Xialing. Once captured they are taken back to Wenwu’s compound, and told that he is on a quest to save his wife, their mother who is being held captive. However, Shang-Chi, Katy and Xialing escape and make their way to the village only to realize that their father had been duped by an evil being and to protect all life on earth they will now have to face their father Wenwu, the leader of the Ten Rings. Being an ode to Chinese culture and wisdom, SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS involves plenty of references to oriental folklore. From stories being told of soul devouring demons to eternal guardian spirits, the film covers a vast gamut. The film starts off on a light note with basic character introductions and soon progresses into laying the groundwork for what is to come. Once Shang-Chi (Shaun) and Katy are introduced, the plot fast moves to revealing who they really are and their backstory. From there we see new characters being introduced, which helps move the story forward. Interestingly, despite being an action film, SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS starts off slow and gathers pace. However, towards the interval proceedings slow down considerably, but pick up in the second half. Humorous elements sprinkled aplenty through the film, with a number of Easter eggs and surprises for true Marvel fans the film keeps the viewer in his seat. The second half of the film though is a well-executed and built action sequence that sees almost all of those introduce in the first half participating. In fact, SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS makes Marvel fans jump with joy as the action unfolds with seamless CGI, well-co-ordinated action &amp; stunts and of course the trademark Marvel flare with the background music building a thumping crescendo till the finale. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Destin Daniel Cretton on Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Avengers | Shang-Chi &amp; The Legend Of the Ten Rings</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://ift.tt/3yIGqNc" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Despite this though, for those who have been following the Marvel series from Day 1, SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS seems to be missing a crucial ‘X’ factor, a panache of sorts that made the likes of IRON MAN, THOR, AVENGERS and HULK stand out. But despite this, and the fact that the story is rather predictable the film does manage to entertain and revive a nostalgic feeling of watch a Marvel film in theatres. Performance wise, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi does a good job of essaying the role of a child trained to be a master assassin. Liu manages to execute his action sequences with aplomb while managing to emote as well. Nora Lum professionally known as Awkwafina as Katy, Meng'er Zhang as Xialing, and Tony Chiu-Wai Leung as Xu Wenwu do similarly well in their given roles. A special mention for Tony Chiu here, as he balances his character of a father longing for his children, a husband for his wife, and a warlord for his power with finesse. Michelle Yeoh, and Ben Kingsley are severely underutilized, with one being there only as a welcoming party and the other as a comic interlude. As for the background score, Marvel has time and again proved that they are masters of the game when it comes to using sound in building up to a climax. Be it in any of their previous releases the background score has always played a major role in lending gravitas to the onscreen happenings. In SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, it is the same, the difference being this time the music feature heavy undertones of oriental instruments. This coupled with flawless CGI, and seamless transitions makes for an entertaining watch. On the whole, SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS manages to revive the Marvel action hero saga rather well. Despite a predictable story line the film is definitely a visual spectacle to be experienced on the big screen.

source https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/shang-chi-legend-ten-rings-english/critic-review/shang-chi-legend-ten-rings-english-movie-review/despite-a-predictable-story-line-the-film-is-definitely-a-visual-spectacle-to-be-experienced-on-the-big-screen/

Movie Review: Fast And Furious 9 - The Fast Saga (English)

FAST AND FURIOUS 9 is the story of Dominic Toretto and his gang facing threat from none other than Dom’s estranged brother. The film begins in 1989. Dominic Toretto’s (Vinnie Bennett) father Jack Toretto (J D Pardo) is a racer who is killed in an accident while racing. Dominic is soon arrested after he assaults the rival racer who was involved in the accident leading to Jack’s death. In jail, Dominic realizes that it was his brother Jakob (Finn Cole) who did some mischief in Jack’s car and that he is responsible for his demise. After releasing from jail, Dominic challenges Jakob in a race. The deal is that Jakob will have to leave town if he loses. Dominic defeats Jakob and the latter runs away. In the present day, Dominic (Vin Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) their son Brian are living a peaceful life in a remote region. However, Dominic and Letty miss the thrill of their earlier life everyday. One day, their gang members – Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) – come to meet them. They inform Dominic and Letty that the plane carrying Cipher (Charlize Theron) was attacked by some rogue elements due to which it crashed in Montequinto, Central America. Dominic and Letty join them in finding the crash site. In the crashed aeroplane, they find a part of a devise named Ares but they don’t know what it is. At this point, they are attacked by a private army, headed by none other than Jakob (John Cena). Jakob steals the devise from them and escapes. Dominic and his gang then learn that what Jakob stole was one half of Ares. Once they get both the parts of Ares and they are able to unlock it, they’ll be able to hack into any computer-controlled weapons system. The other half of Ares is in Edinburgh where Jakob is headed too. Dominic and his gang follow suit. Meanwhile, they also find out that their deceased gang member Han Lue (Sung Kang) is also somehow connected with Ares. What happens next forms the rest of the film. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1266467" src="https://ift.tt/2WLEW7K" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Justin Lin, Alfredo Botello and Daniel Casey's story is ideal for this franchise. Daniel Casey and Justin Lin's screenplay is entertaining but has several loose ends. The first half has lot of drama but very little action and even the drama is not that exciting. Also, its predictable; one can easily guess from a mile that Jakob will get double crossed at some point and that he’ll join Dominic. Dialogues are simple and witty at some places Justin Lin's direction is great but one wishes he was equipped with a tighter script. Talking about the plus points, he handles the scale, the action and grandeur very well. A few dramatic scenes are deftly handled. On the flip side, the film has a lengthy run time (2.23 hours). The first half hardly has any action and after a point, it tests your patience. Thankfully, there’s plenty of action scenes in the second half and it compensates for the shortcomings to some extent. FAST AND FURIOUS 9 begins on a sad note, showing how Jack Toretto died. But soon the action shifts to the chase sequence of Central America. This one is a brilliant scene and the much exciting car jump scene involving Dominic and Letty comes within the first 20 minutes. From here, the film falls and rises only during the Edinburgh sequence. The final action scene is exciting. However, one expected a little bit more tension in the space sequence. Vin Diesel, as expected, is at his best. He’s the face of the franchise and he contributes to the mass quotient of the film. John Cena has an important part and is fair. Michelle Rodriguez is restrained in dramatic scenes but quite fun while performing stunts. Tyrese Gibson and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges contribute to the humour in the film. Nathalie Emmanuel springs a surprise in the second half in the Edinburgh chase sequence. Charlize Theron and Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto) get limited scope. Sung Kang is hardly there. Also the reason why he didn’t die and was underground all these years is not very convincing. Helen Mirren (Magdalene “Queenie” Shaw) is wasted. Anna Sawai (Elle) doesn’t have much to do after her whistle worthy action scene. But she can make for a great addition in the future installments of the series. Lucas Black (Sean Boswell) is strictly okay. Vinnie Bennett is great as the young Dominic. He even sounds like Vin Diesel to an extent. Fin Cole is fine. Jason Statham (Derek Shaw) appears in the mid-credit scene. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1266468" src="https://ift.tt/3jAFR3w" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> Brian Tyler's music is theatrical and enhances impact. Stephen F Windon's cinematography is spectacular. The lensman tries his best to get creative while taking shots and it gives a nice touch. Action and VFX are exhilarating. It is seen to be believed in the land mine sequence and the scenes where the electromagnetic waves create madness. Dylan Highsmith, Kelly Matsumoto and Greg D'Auria's editing should have been crisper in the first half. On the whole, FAST AND FURIOUS 9 is a decent, time pass entertainer which will be loved by the masses and the fans of the series. However, the long length, a comparatively unexciting first half and the prolonged lockdown for cinemas in Maharashtra would affect the box office collections in the long run.

source https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/fast-furious-9-fast-saga-english/critic-review/fast-furious-9-fast-saga-english-movie-review/fast-and-furious-9-is-a-decent-time-pass-entertainer-which-will-be-loved-by-the-masses-and-the-fans-of-the-series/