Bahubali 2 : The Conclusion - Movie Review

CAST: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, Tamannaah, Nassar and Ramya Krishnan

DIRECTION: S S Rajamouli

DURATION: 2 hours 48 minutes

The biggest movie of 2017, or perhaps of Indian cinema, is here. Bahubali 2 aka Bahubali: The Conclusion is in theatres, and it is an experience that has to be enjoyed on the big screen only. So all those people watching the pirated version of the movie on their mobile phones, you are missing out on the whole point of why the movie exists in the first place. If you are watching it on your phones, it’s your loss.

Anyway, Bahubali 2 is directed by SS Rajamouli, and stars an ensemble cast to the likes of Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia and Rana Daggubati in the lead roles. While the first movie was a treat to watch, though its narrative was patchy. Will the sequel rectify this? Read on …

What is the film about

Nearly 80 percent of the movie is set in establishing Amarendra Bahubali’s love story and how it leads to his own demise, before his son takes over and makes things right for the kingdom of Mahishmati. Amarendra (Prabhas) is just a few weeks away from being appointed the king, when his adoptive mother and Queen Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) asks him to tour the kingdom before his anointment, along with his trusted aide and uncle Kattappa (Sathyaraj). 

While doing so, he meets and falls in love with Devasena (Anushka Shetty), the fearless warrior princess of Kunthala. Bhalladheva (Rana Daggubati), Sivagami’s real son, who is also infatuated with Devasena, uses this opportunity to poison Sivagami’s mind against Baahubali, and he becomes the king in the process. How he manages to finish Amarendra forever and how his son Mahendra (Prabhas again) manages to avenge his father’s death is what the rest of the movie is all about.

What’s hot

Prabhas is not the hero of the movie… I mean, Prabhas is not the only hero of the movie. Let me list down the real heroes that make Baahubali 2 such a grand experience for most of its runtime. Let’s start with the real hero – the director SS Rajamouli. For a dream to come true, there has to be a man with a great vision and dedication to run it, and for Baahubali, it’s always this whizkid from South. Though his direction is not perfect, Rajamouli manages to bring grandiose to every frame of the movie. This is a man who knows his craft, and every filmmaker should learn from his commitment and passion. He knows how to create powerful scenes, like Bhalladheva’s coronation scene or when Baahubali metes out justice to a perverse minister. You can’t help but cheer for the hero in these scenes, and it has more to do with how Rajamouli has crafted these scenes.

The second hero, or set of heroes, is the main cast. As the leading man, Prabhas commands your complete attention in every scene with his arresting screen presence and performance. He brings both mass appeal and class to his act, and I am grateful that Rajamouli chose such a dedicated actor as his hero. After being trapped in an old woman’s getup and in chains in the first movie, Anushka Shetty gets her spotlight here and she greedily grabs the opportunity to outshine even her leading man on a few instances. Her character is well-written, and she delivers her sharp dialogue with aplomb. Above all, her chemistry with Prabhas is amazing and that makes their love story heart-warming (unlike Prabhas and Tamannaah’s in the first movie, which bordered on creepy and unbelievable). Anushka is also great in action sequences.

The first half is quite engaging because of their love story and how it influences the politics of Mahishmati. Rana is subdued for most of the movie, till he gets to break out near the climax and exhibit his steely demeanour. Sathyaraj shines in both comic and dramatic scenes, with the highlight being the moment where he confronts Sivagami after carrying out the dreaded task. The reason why Kattappa kills Baahubali is predictable, but the build-up is done well. Ramya Krishnan continues her powerful act from the previous movie, while Nasser is, as always, adept in the role of the male Manthra.

Now let’s talk about the third hero – the technical department, especially the VFX, the art direction, cinematography and background score. The special effects on display are some of the best we have seen in Indian cinema. Sure, in certain scenes the CGI looks obvious, but we do have to give it to the team who gave it their best shot to make their director’s vision come alive. The cinematography by Senthil Kumar is simply brilliant. The way he captures the beauty of the kingdom or the grittiness of the war is simply spell-binding. If you are in love with every frame of the movie, it’s because of this man. The set direction is applause-worthy while the background score is powerful. The songs by MM Keeravani are suited for cinematic viewing, especially how they picturised the love song between Amarendra and Devasena. The action scenes are choreographed in a massy way that will appeal to almost everyone.

What’s not

Unfortunately for all Baahubali fans, even Baahubali 2 cannot escape the wrath of the second half. After a powerful and engaging first half, I did expect the same momentum in the concluding portion as well. But thanks to some melodramatic writing and lax editing, there is quite a lag in the narrative. I knew by then as to how the movie will end, and I hoped to have the conclusion soon. But the makers take their own sweet time to bring justice to Mahishmati. After spending nearly the entire runtime with Amarendra Baahubali, it felt a very sudden and awkward transition when the action shifts to his son in the climax. It feels like the makers rushed towards the climax, after realising the movie has run too long. Even that would have been forgiven, if the climactic battle would have been as grand as the makers had promised. But it fell short even of the standards of the final battle in the first film, with some over the top action choreography and dodgy special effects. And it tends to drag on and on before going for a tame happy ending. Baahubali might be a great warrior, but the frequent need to make him like Rajinikanth could have been trimmed. Tamannaah Bhatia is absolutely wasted in the sequel and I don’t remember if she even has a dialogue in the movie.

What to do

Baahubali 2 is an experience that should be enjoyed on the big screen. While the movie gets high points in most of the departments, I do wish Rajamouli could have given his magnum opus a befitting conclusion.

Still, I would recommend the movie for Prabhas and Anushka Shetty’s powerful performances and its epic grandeur.

My Rating: 4/5

Kingsman : The Golden Circle - Trailer Review

The first Kingsman: The Golden Circle trailer has arrived and, at first glance, it appears to live up to the first film’s audaciousness.

The survivors of the first movie are back (remember, part one did wipe out a not-insignificant percentage of the world’s population), with Taron Egerton once again starring as Gary “Eggsy” Unwin, the street tough turned dashing gentleman spy. Sophie Cookson‘s Roxanne “Roxy” Morton and Mark Strong‘s Merlin, who also made it to end credits with breath in their lungs, will once again be on hand to lend support.

Strangely enough, Colin Firth‘s Harry Hart, who was deader than dead after being literally shot in the face during the events of the first movie, is also somehow back. Since he was one of the film’s many highlights, that’s a hard thing to complain about.

Of course, there are plenty of new names tossed into the mix. The title of the movie refers to the USA’s equivalent of the Kingsman, the super-spies from across the pond who utilize deadly lassos instead of tricked-out umbrellas and lean as heavily on American iconography as Eggsy and his allies lean on English tropes.

Jeff Bridges is on hand as the leader of the Golden Circle, with Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, and Halle Berry all playing agents.

The new villain is played by the great Julianne Moore and it’s going to be fascinating to watch her cut loose as the bad guy in a major Hollywood movie. And pop star Elton John plays a big enough part that he’s listed prominently on the poster…not to mention the two robot dogs named “Benny” and “Jet.” What?! This looks like it’s going to be a pretty wild movie…hopefully, that wildness ends up leading to a sequel that is as much fun as the first one.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle opens on September 22, 2017.

Raabta - Trailer Review

The much-awaited ‘Raabta’ trailer starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon is out today, and displays beautiful chemistry between the lead couple.

The most striking thing about Raabta's trailer is the way it weaves the Kuch Toh Hai Tujhse Raabta song (the unforgettable number from Agent Vinod), into the narrative.

Directed by Dinesh Vijan (who has produced Finding Fanny, Cocktail, Badlapur), the film stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon in leading roles, with Jim Sarbh (he, of Neerja fame) as the main antagonist.

While it starts off with some easy conversation between the good-looking lead pair, it's soon revealed the film isn't yet another romantic drama set in a European city (Budapest), but has another layer of complexity to it.

Now, this layer makes the film a little over-ambitious (we've never really been able to deal with reincarnation with plausibility, most recent example being Mirzya).

There's a sudden shift in the film's tonality as the narrative jumps back-and-forth between present and (distant) past, where sinister-looking kohl-eyed men charge against our lead couple.

Will first-time director, Dinesh Vijan, pull off this epic love saga with conviction?

Going by the ensemble cast, one can be assured of the film's performances but as far as the storyline goes, guess we'll find that out on June 9th, when the film releases.

The Fate of the Furious - Movie Review

CAST: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood and Charlize Theron.

DIRECTION: F. Gary Gray

DURATION: 2 hours 25 minutes

Dominic (Vin Diesel) and Letty Toretto (Michelle Rodriguez) are finally enjoying their honeymoon in Cuba and even giving thought to their future together, now that their lives have settled down (as much as Dom’s life ever settles down, anyway). Everything changes one day when, without warning, Dom is approached by a mysterious woman who calls herself Cipher (Charlize Theron) and is forced into carrying out her criminal bidding, for reasons that he cannot reveal to his trusted team and family – without suffering terrible consequences, in the process.

Upon betraying his team, including Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), during an off-the-books mission that involves a dangerous device that Cipher wants to get her hands on, Dom finds himself a fugitive from justice yet again – with those closest to him, Letty included, left to wonder why Dom has turned his back on them and “gone rogue”. It soon becomes clear that Hobbs and the others will need all the help they can get, in order to stop whatever this terrible plan is that the “high-tech terrorist” Cipher has set in motion… even if that means working alongside someone like their sworn enemy, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham).

The eighth installment overall in the Fast & Furious franchise, The Fate of the Furious is the first Fast & Furious movie released since Paul Walker’s passing during production on Furious 7. With respected genre filmmaker F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Straight Outta Compton) at the helm, Fate of the Furious ultimately manages to transition the larger Fast & Furious franchise into the post-Walker era and pave the way for a new trilogy-in-development… though not without encountering some bumps in the road along the way. The Fate of the Furious is a solid addition to the franchise, but falls short of the bar set by recent Fast & Furious instalments.

Fate of the Furious and long-time Fast & Furious movie series writer, Chris Morgan is given an admittedly daunting task here: to fully transition this franchise into James Bond-style globetrotting action (building on elements, such as the Mr. Nobody character, that were introduced in Furious 7), while at the same time picking up loose story threads from previous instalments – Fast Five and Furious 6, to be specific – and laying the foundation for the next trilogy of Fast & Furious adventures. Morgan and his collaborators here are most successful at fulfilling the first and last of those three goals, but they do so by using narrative set-ups that strain credibility… even by the standards of the Fast & Furious property. Moreover, Fate of the Furious includes plot points that work in the context of the film, yet arguably do a damage to key characters from previous instalments and somewhat conflict with the themes of family that have long been championed by this franchise

After being mostly side-lined during Furious 7 (due to The Rock’s packed work schedule), Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs serves as co-protagonist in Fate of the Furious opposite Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto – to the degree that the rest of the core Fast & Furious ensemble wind up being partly side-lined. Even as Fate of the Furious struggles to give its two biggest stars equal time in the spotlight, Johnson settles nicely into his evolving role here as the Fast & Furious movie franchise’s “co-hero” here. At the same time, Diesel delivers his most dramatic and emotionally-rich performance in a Fast & Furious movie to date; even as the actual “Evil Dom” storyline falls short of revealing more layers to his character. It remains to be seen if the franchise can continue to accommodate Johnson and Diesel hereon forward (giving Hobbs a spinoff seems like the obvious solution), but the real standout action star in Fate of the Furious is Jason Statham – not only during his fight scenes, but also his playful banter with Johnson as Hobbs and other important characters in the film.

The core Fast & Furious acting crew (see: Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges and Furious 7 addition Nathalie Emmanuel) are comfortable as ever in their respective roles in Fate of the Furious, though the new franchise additions get more attention here. Kristofer Hivju brings the same sense of menacing, if offbeat, presence to his role here as Cipher’s henchman Rhodes, as he does to his fan-favourite role as Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones. Scott Eastwood, unfortunately, has less success playing a semi-literal replacement for Kurt Russell as Mr. Nobody (whose reduced role here may be the result of Russell working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 around the same time that Fate of the Furious was filming), outside of the scenes where he’s being physically and/or verbally tormented by the more seasoned, recurring Fast & Furious cast members.

Oscar-winner Charlize Theron brings a nice air of malice and ice-cold villainy to the character of Cipher, as her one-on-one scenes with Diesel are the most tense and suspenseful moments in Fate of the Furious (playing to director F. Gary Gray’s proven strength at crafting terse, character-driven drama). Fellow Oscar-winner Helen Mirren is fun in her small role here, though Fate of the Furious struggles to hide that Mirren’s character was a late addition to the project. There is potential for Mirren to play a more substantial role worthy of her talents in future Fast & Furious instalments – but here her screen time mostly amounts to a glorified “special guest star” appearance.

From a directorial perspective, Gray and his production team succeed at delivering slickly-constructed action sequences (including, a major vehicle-based set piece for each narrative act) throughout The Fate of the Furious; at the same time, smoothly melding together those action scenes with equally over the top soap opera drama and cyber-warfare sequences. However, while the action in Fate of the Furious scales new heights of ridiculousness for even the Fast & Furious franchise, it lacks the distinct technical flourishes that directors James Wan and Justin Lin brought to the proceedings in previous instalments. Fate of the Furious is thus another example that shows how being “bigger” in multiple respects (stunts, drama and the global scale of the plot) doesn’t necessarily result in a better spin on a familiar property; nor one that puts a fresh spin on the franchise’s tried-and-true cinematography/editing style, either.

As mentioned before, The Fate of the Furious juggles several balls in the air at once and isn’t lacking for ambition, from a franchise-progressing perspective. Because of that, the elements that have earned the Fast & Furious franchise a loyal fan following over the years (once that has rapidly grown since the release of Fast Five in 2011) aren’t handled as carefully, in what amounts to an overstuffed installment.

The Fate of the Furious nonetheless delivers enough in the way of enjoyable character interactions and delightfully silly action to make for a solid addition to the series – and now that the heavy lifting is out of the way, the stage has been set for the next (final?) two planned chapters to conclude the Fast & Furious saga on a stronger note on time will tell!

My Rating: 2/5

Begum Jaan - Movie Review

CAST: Vidya Balan, Ila Arun, Gauahar Khan, Pitobash Tripathy, Pallavi Sharda, Chunky Pandey, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajit Kapoor, Sumit Nijhawan and Naseeruddin Shah.

DIRECTION: Srijit Mukherji

DURATION: 2 hours 15 minutes

I’d like to first start this review with making a few things clear about me and my reviews – 1st I don’t do paid reviews, 2nd I care for my readers, 3rd I never mince my words and they do not change or get SCARED ! From any production house or movie star or director and lastly…these are my reviews of cinema – which to me is an ART form that I LOVE and I stay TRUE to my words… to watch a movie or not is entirely up to the readers.

Movie Review Starts…!

Sir Cyril Radcliffe probably didn’t think about the misery the line, which was named after him that divided Indian and Pakistan after partition, would bring upon the people living closer to it. Or, maybe the unethical British Empire saved its most potent weapon for the last.

The Radcliffe Line divided one nation into three parts: East Pakistan, West Pakistan and India.

Director Srijit Mukherji’s Bengali film Rajkahini featured a group of men and women living in a house situated right in the middle of East Pakistan and West Bengal.

Now, Mukherji shifts this house to the Punjab-Pakistan border in his debut Hindi film Begum Jaan.

Here lives a brothel owner Begum Jaan (Vidya Balan) and her girls. The local king has taken them under his wings and that’s a relationship Begum loves to flaunt. The locals are scared of her, so is the administration. Her crumbling mansion is her kingdom. Nobody dares talk to her in a mocking tone. However, her inner self is much mellowed and benevolent than what she cares to show and she knows what it means to be a sex worker.

Law enforcing agencies find it difficult to dislodge Begum from the line and that leads to a war which is layered, unequal and self-explanatory. At different stages, it showcases various shapes and forms of patriarchy. If it suggests male domination as the root cause of the problem, it also seeks a solution through the same process. But all this will come later.

We first need to understand Begum Jaan. A hookah-snorting, razor-tongued woman with authoritarian air, she is the master of her fate. From Gujarati to Bengali to Awadhi, her brothel has women of every caste, language and religion. Some are riot victims, some are simply thrown out of their houses and some have failed in love. Begum knows all their secrets and saves them from being homeless. New and younger girls are anyway sought in her business.

She keeps reminding them of how she saved them in a bid to win them over, but she could well have avoided it as genuine loyalty for Begum Jaan is not difficult to trace among the girls.

It’s a typical good woman-bad business kind of character. She will offer explanations for morally ambiguous decisions and will take credit for all the right moves. Vidya Balan adds her persona and charm to Begum Jaan and dominates the screen from the word go.

The moment we meet Begum and watch her ruthlessly slapping a new girl, we understand that Mukherji is preparing her for a volcanic eruption. She says, “Aazaadi keval mardon ke liye hoti hai,” (Freedom is only for men) and sets the ball rolling.

It’s going to be a fight between two genders with traitors from both sides crossing the fences. From an ageing king to meek farmers, men treat women as a mere commodity. Begum is not willing to take things lying down and thus she fights each of these men.

The side stories of Gauahar Khan-Pitobash and Pallavi Sharda-Vivek Mushran reinforce the same idea. The men in Begum Jaan do everything in their might to harass women and keep them under check.

In fact, the film begins with an elderly woman offering her body to a group of potential rapists in order to protect a younger woman in 2016’s Delhi suggesting the power dynamics haven’t changed much since Independence.

It’s an important and notice-worthy statement to make, but the efforts to present many facets of the problem at the same time takes a toll on the film. Many stories collide and fail to become one thick central line.

As if back stories of at least 6 major characters were not enough, Srijit Mukherji introduces two more: Iliyas (Rajit Kapoor) and Hariprasad (Ashish Vidyarthi), leaders of Muslim League and Congress. They too have suffered a lot during the riots and like to recall their old glorious days.

Amid so much recalling and nostalgia, the film’s theme gets even more diluted. And when the director remembers it mid-way, he wants to force it down the audience’s throat via heavily-worded dialogues. This technique makes some scenes powerful enough to make your eyes moist, but they aren’t bounded by one thread.

Smart location choices help Mukherji in setting up the right milieu. It’s a house in the middle of a barren stretch surrounded by nature. Credit says its shot somewhere in Jharkhand. It’s beside a dirt road and no houses can be seen even in the long shots which gives Begum’s brothel a weird sense of serenity and a disturbing atmosphere at the same time. It’s a used universe which is getting ready for one final battle.

If Vidya Balan is the showstopper of Begum Jaan, Gauahar Khan, Chunkey Pandey and Sumit Nijhawan are her most worthy partners. Pandey as a cold-blooded contract killer will remain in your memory for some time.

At 2 hours 15 minutes Begum Jaan surely has Vidya Balan in good form and makes for a compelling watch, at least once.

My Rating: 3/5

Sachin A Billion Dreams - Trailer Review

Sachin Tendulkar, the God of Indian Cricket’s most awaited biopic ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ is the film entire world has been waiting for. Here comes ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ trailer and has set the standard high.

The film is sure to unveil many unknown shades in Sachin’s personality as director James Erskine and producers Ravi Bhagchandka and Shrikant Bhasi of Carnival Pictures took the project very prestigiously.

‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ trailer of 133 seconds length begins from Sachin Tendulkar’s unruly childhood and how 1983’s world cup winning Indian team inspired a 10 years young kid to begin a new journey of his cricketing life to hold world cup in his hands.

Then the worst phase of Indian cricket came when match fixing controversy marred our future. During those times, the hopes of billion people are carried by a single man called Sachin.

For him playing cricket was like going to a temple. He walked out for us a 1000 times into the field and what a wonderful player he really is. For the first time, he lets us to walk into his life.

Sachin’s wife Anjali says, ‘cricket was first for him and we were always second. We accepted it. Whenever the team didn’t do well, he would be upset and he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.’

Every frame in the trailer is heart touching. Sachin’s voice over and feel enhancing background score by AR Rahman kept me hooked.

For all the cricket lovers on this world, ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ trailer is sure to connect emotionally.

Though the movie is not like the other biopics and has documentary style shots accumulated over the years and directed by James Erskine, when the crowd shouts out the name of their favourite player – it echoes.

The trailer has managed to capture the attention of the fans, but will the movie be a successful biopic or will it go down as yet another documentary on a legendary cricketer? Is something that we will have to wait and find out!

The film is slated for a release on 26th May in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi languages.

The Hitman's Bodyguard - Trailer Review

If you've been dreaming of the day where Deadpool and Nick Fury trade R-rated barbs on the big screen, you may have to just keep dreaming. But, if you'll settle for Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson cursing and shooting up a storm in a non-superhero movie, then the red band trailer for The Hitman's Bodyguard should be right up your alley.

The world's top protection agent (Ryan Reynolds) is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world's most notorious hit men (Samuel L. Jackson). The relentless bodyguard and manipulative assassin have been on the opposite end of the bullet for years and are thrown together for a wildly outrageous 24 hours. During their raucous and hilarious adventure from England to The Hague, they encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator (Gary Oldman) who is out for blood.

Salma Hayek joins the mayhem as Jackson's equally notorious wife, with a supporting cast that also includes Elodie Yung, Kirsty Mitchell, Joaquim de Almeida, Sam Hazeldine, Joséphine de La Baume, Rod Hallett and Ori Pfeffer. Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3, Red Hill) directs from a screenplay by Tom O'Connor (Fire with Fire). Skydance Productions' David Ellison and Dana Goldberg and Mark Gill are producing alongside Matthew O'Toole, Les Weldon and John Thompson. Christa Campbell, Lati Grobman, Avi Lerner, Yarvi Lerner, Samuel Hadida and Victor Hadida serve as executive producers.

While this R-rated action-thriller does not involve Deadpool or any other superheroes for that matter, it could lure in fans of Deadpool with plenty of adult language and action that could very well tide fans over until Deadpool 2, which is slated to begin production this summer, for a 2018 release

Lionsgate has set an August 18 release date for The Hitman's Bodyguard.

Valerian And The City of A Thousand Planets - Trailer Review

Europa has finally released the first full trailer for Luc Besson’s upcoming science fiction film, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, showing off more of the movie’s wild sci-fi world.

The first look or the teaser was released back in November 2016 it introduced the two main characters, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne).

This new trailer shows off more of the story, revealing that the duo is sent to Alpha — the titular “City of a Thousand Planets” — to help save the city from an unknown threat that could destroy it.

Like the teaser, the trailer portrays a film that looks very much like it’s in the same vein as Besson’s other big science fiction film, The Fifth Element, with tons of creatures, lush landscapes, and what looks like some incredible action sequences.

The movie is based on a series of French graphic novels Valérian and Laureline by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières, and was published between the 1960s and 2010. The comics are incredibly popular, and it’s a project that Besson has been working on since 2012.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets will hit the screens on July 21st, 2017.

Thor: Ragnarok - Trailer Review

Have you always wanted to see Thor and Hulk team up with one another to take down a very powerful villain played by an Oscar-winning actress? Well then, you are in luck! Thor: Ragnarok is going to be delivering exactly that to Marvel fans around the world later this year and Marvel has finally released the very first trailer online.

In a year that also will see Marvel releasing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, it looks like there is a very real chance that Thor: Ragnarok could wind up being the best of the bunch, which is a crazy thing to say, but this movie has a lot going for it.

Marvel decided not to make us wait any longer and they have finally given us our first real look at the third installment of the Thor franchise. Well, this is technically a solo movie, but Doctor Strange is going to be along for the ride and so is Hulk. And not only is Hulk going to be in the movie, but Thor 3 is finally going to deliver on that sweet, sweet Planet Hulk action many Marvel fans have been dying to see for years now, which is teased in this video.

Here is the official synopsis for Thor: Ragnarok.

"In Marvel Studios' Thor Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiator contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger, the Incredible Hulk!"

Historically speaking, the Thor movies have not been the most beloved solo adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They are still decent superhero movies, no doubt, and fans have always loved Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder, but the movies themselves have always been missing something. To that point, both Thor and Thor: The Dark World are among the lowest-grossing movies in the MCU. Only Ant-Man, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Incredible Hulk have grossed less domestically.

Critically speaking, Thor did well enough, with a 77 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that is oddly on the lower side for the MCU. Thor: The Dark World only has a 66 percent which isn't awful, but again, certainly can't compete with the likes of Captain America: Civil War or Doctor Strange. Maybe Thor: Ragnarok can finally deliver the solo Thor movie we have all been waiting for.

Thor: Ragnarok includes Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Jaimie Alexander, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Mark Ruffalo.

Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi and is set for release on November 3.

Half Girlfriend - Trailer Review

Finally, the wait for the trailer of the movie based on Chetan Bhagat's novel, Half Girlfriend is over. The film stars Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles. The tagline of the film is 'dost se zyada, girlfriend se kam' and narrowly reflects on commitment-phobic young mindset of today's time.

Arjun essays the role of Madhav Jha, a young lad from Bihar while Shraddha is rich Delhi girl Ria Somani, who loves basketball and music. The film, which is directed by Mohit Suri (of Aashiqui 2 fame), portrays their complex love story that takes them from Delhi to Patna and then London.

Shraddha's character is shown half-heartedly in the trailer, but Arjun surprises with his adaptive Bihari accent and decent acting skills.

The locales are beautifully captured as are the lead characters' emotions. It was reported that Suri has changed the track of Ria's tragic back story for the film.

However, how much would that justify the title, only the film can tell.

Arijit Singh's magical voice melts in your ears like honey and makes you believe in the charisma of love.

Bhagat's bestseller tackles strong issues alongside a complicated love story. He has unapologetically claimed to always write his novels for the masses of India, whom he calls the "non-English types". A look at the trailer makes us believe in his words yet again.

Half Girlfriend explored the conditional side of love story and I can't wait to watch how the book unfolds on screen.

Half Girlfriend releases in cinemas on 19th of May 2017.

Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laddoo Deewana - Movie Review

CAST: Akshara Haasan, Vivaan Shah, Gurmeet Choudhary, Darshan Jariwala, Saurabh Shukla, Sanjay Mishra

DIRECTION: Manish Harishankar

DURATION: 2 hours 10 minutes

Laaddoo is an ambitious young man who has no conscience when it comes to making money. He's in love with Laali who becomes pregnant soon into their relationship. Laaddoo wants no kid in their life but when his parents get to know, they denounce him and take Laali away. The boss then discovers some fraud Laaddoo was planning and kicks him out.

Laaddoo realises that he needs to go back to his parents but then they have Laali now. A kindly uncle suggests he do what Laali had done: go to her parents and win them over, then make an offer for Laali's hand in marriage. A heavily pregnant Laali is now going to get married to prince (what's with these royal weddings and Hindi movies? Each just gets worse than the one before!) Who needs to marry because of some forecast! Laaddoo arrives at the wedding venue with a fake fiancée, makes friends with the prince, and hopes to win over his own parents who are there as Laali's parents.

Confused yet?

Vivaan Shah plays Laaddoo, with all the enthusiasm of a high school annual play, offering voice modulation that is more radio than on screen, but using only two expressions no matter what the situation is. He either smiles or he cries. There is nothing in between. It is very disconcerting to watch someone smile while singing a love song or indeed when planning to defraud the company they work for. If you look away from the screen, then he sounds appropriate, but otherwise, it is odd to see someone smile as he is defending himself from a bamboo stick wielding father of a girl who...

Wait a minute! If Laali has a family, who knows that she's going to be an 'unwed' mother, who knows that she has nowhere to go, just let her go to Laaddoo's parents? Yes, she ran away from home to escape a father who beats up the mother but she had confronted him before leaving home, no? He had not hit her...

If you get used to Laaddoo's constant smiling, then there's another curveball that hits you smack on the face: Laali's vacant expression. Now don't get me wrong. Akshara Haasan is beautiful, she has inherited her mother Saarika's hazel eyes... But she truly, truly lacks any sort of expression. Even when there are tears running down her face, the rest of her face is blank. She smiles, but her eyes are vacant.

With the lead pair being disastrous to watch, you fervently wish the rest of the cast will help pull the convoluted story through. There's Saurabh Shukla and Darshan Jariwala, Suhasini Mulay, Gurmeet Choudhary (famous after hit TV shows like Ramayan and Geet - Huyi Sabse Parayi) and even Sanjay Mishra. But when you see Suhasini Mulay slap Sanjay Mishra each time they meet, you wonder what the filmmakers are thinking. Saurabh Shukla is shown to be a lush, a bottle of dubious liquor in his hand. Not funny. Darshan Jariwala is meant to be uptight so he shows his disapproval by turning away physically in a huff. Watching them all interact with each other, is pure torture. And since it's a wedding at a castle (Gurmeet is the prince), everyone is dressed in bling.

Of course, you have inadvertent hilarity. Those moments keep you going. The funniest one: The prince has a horse called Stallion. Not kidding. And he says that, 'Stallion is my one truly loving companion!'

It’s a MIRACLE I made it ALIVE out of the cinema hall!

My Rating: 1/5

Ghost In The Shell - Movie Review

CAST: Scarlett Johansson, Michael Pitt, Takeshi Kitano, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han, Juliette Binoche

DIRECTION: Rupert Sanders

DURATION: 1 hour 45 minutes

It’s always difficult for a remake of a beloved film to please audiences – despite exceptions like Scarface and The Fly, there are way too many colossal failures to side with the reasoning behind why remakes should exist.

The live action remake of Ghost in the Shell, an incredibly popular manga of the same name, always had an uphill task, and though it is a pale shadow of the source material, surprisingly it doesn’t completely disappoint as an entertaining action movie.

Directed by Rupert Sanders who made Snow White and the Huntsman and got himself in a lot of trouble for it for his behind the scenes antics, Ghost in the Shell carries a giant controversy on its own.

There’s just no escaping the white washing in the casting of Scarlett Johansson as a cyberpunk Japanese manga heroine.

Luckily, the film, right with its stunningly photographed opening scene, quickly makes you forget about this controversy and dive right into the visually resplendent action.

We’re introduced to a futuristic world full of cybernetics and humans trying to upgrade their limbs with robotics replacements. Public Security Section 9 is a shady organization running agents and uses cybernetics to its own advantage. Johansson plays Major, a new recruit in the organization whose brain was encapsulated in a robotic body after a near fatal accident.

After an assassination attempt goes wrong she stumbles upon clues that leads to the information about her life before she was turned into a robot. She then deflects and goes on a rampage to find out the truth, leaving a trail of destruction.

Needless to say, fans of the 1995 film are going to loathe this remake, or at the very least walk into this film with an undercurrent of pessimism. In their defense there’s little in the film to make them prefer this version over the previous one.

Dramatically this is a weaker movie, and the ingenuity is lost in translating the cyberpunk palette the original so beautifully executed thanks to the manga artwork. Moreover, the humans are second fiddle here because Sanders clearly has more flair for CGI than character development.

On the flip side, the surprising aspect here is that Sanders really does try very hard to both pay homage to the source material, and establish his own vision – an incredibly hard feat.

This is not an average cash grab designed purely to cash in on a known brand name, but the work of a genuine artist whose fandom for the source material results in an inspired action flick with gorgeous visuals. As a standalone action movie it delivers the goods - most of the action sequences, set in red blue shimmering neon are eye popping.

The whole world feels like an electric nightmare of sorts and it’s hard not to be swayed by the unsubtle commentary on the parallels between the evil futuristic corporations in the film and the narcissistic behavior of present day real life organizations.

Taken as a pure action movie and an enjoyable thrill ride with a butt kicking Scarlett Johansson clad in body hugging outfits, Ghost in the Shell is serviceable fare, and definitely worth your effort to head to the theater.

As a bonus those not familiar with the original film can watch it right after reading this review by me and figure out for themselves which version worked better.

My Rating: 3/5

Hindi Medium - Trailer Review

Irrfan Khan never stops surprising his fans. After a string of superlative performances in recent times, the Bollywood actor revealed the first trailer of his next big surprise: Hindi Medium.

The trailer finds Irrfan in elements. He deadpans as he drops one hilarious line after another and the fun part is, there is a message embedded in every single of those laughter riots. One such line that has stayed with me is “My life is Hindi but my wife is English.”

Set to the original track by Sukhbir, Ishq Tera Tadpaave, the trailer is about a couple who is trying hard to get their daughter admitted to a good English school.

According to Irrfan’s wife English is not a language but a class and if not them, at least their daughter should be a part of that class.

The film showcases how difficult it is to get your child admitted to schools which can easily double up as luxury hotels. The family goes for a makeover but there is no admission in sight.

Their Plan B is to get their girl admitted through ‘gareeb quota’, for which they turn poor. Now that brings in its wake everything that poverty entails, including mosquitoes and dengue.

Any parent who has gone through the experience of getting his or her child to a ‘good school’ will definitely empathise. As will those whose lack of English makes them feel left out. Because in our country, knowing English is akin to being intelligent.

Pakistani actor Saba Qamar makes her Bollywood debut with this film, and she does her job pretty well and equally stands out in the trailer despite the strong screen presence of Irrfan.

Hindi Medium is directed by Saket Chaudhary, who previously co-wrote Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Asoka and has directed films like Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Shaadi Ke Side Effects.

The film is produced by Dinesh Vijan, Bhushan Kumar, and Krishan Kumar and it also stars Deepak Dobriyal and Amrita Singh in key roles.

The film will clash with Ayushmann Khurrana and Parineeti Chopra starrer Meri Pyaari Bindu and Amitabh Bachchan’s Sarkar 3 on 12th May at the box office.

Annabelle : Creation - Trailer Review

Even though The Conjuring spin-off Annabelle showed us one of the earlier supernatural frights created by the doll that eventually ends up in the hands of paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren, we still don’t know much about where the creepy toy came from. But we’ll find out late this monsoon.

Annabelle: Creation will take us back even further into the history of the possessed doll with Lights Out director David F. Sandberg bringing us the origin story of how this doll became evil and who it terrorized first.

There have been hints about what kind of spirit resides within Annabelle, but now we get to see the story of she came to be, because origin stories are always necessary in Hollywood nowadays.

The daughter of a dollmaker (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife (Miranda Otto) meets a tragic end, but a spirit shows up inside the house and wants to be placed inside the doll. Hoping to hold on to their departed daughter, they agree, but it doesn’t turn out exactly as they planned.

The trailer wants to make it perfectly clear that this sequel also takes place in the same universe of The Conjuring, dropping the franchise name towards the end of the trailer.

Will Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga show up in this movie as bookends to the story as they did in the first film? It’s certainly possible, and it would help sell the shared universe even more.

Annabelle: Creation is written by Gary Dauberman, who also wrote Annabelle, and the film stars Stephanie Sigman (Spectre), Talitha Bateman (The 5th Wave), Lulu Wilson (Ouija: Origin of Evil), Philippa Coulthard (After the Dark), Grace Fulton (Badland), Lou Lou Safran (The Choice), Samara Lee (Foxcatcher) and Tayler Buck.

It hits the cinema screens late this monsoon on August 11. Get ready to be get spooked!

Mom Teaser - Review

I’ve have been eagerly waiting to see Sridevi on screen again after English Vinglish. My wish is coming true with the Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor’s next production venture ‘Mom’. The upcoming thriller stars Sridevi, Akshaye Khanna in lead roles.

It is nothing like what Sridevi has ever done before, and including me you all too should be very very excited! That is if you’re a Sridevi fan like me.

The teaser of Mom was released during the Zee Cine Awards 2017. As Salman Khan gushed about Sridevi, the actress entered the stage. She thanked her daughters for giving her the power to take up acting once again.

She further launched the teaser of Mom, as the audience cheered and clapped. After which the 1 minute teaser was simultaneously released on all digital platforms.

As soon as the Mom teaser begins to roll out on the screen you are hooked. First the music catches your attention, and within seconds Sridevi’s look gives you the feeling that this is not your regular thriller.

Soon, the tone of the teaser changes, so does music! As the clock ticks closer to the end of the teaser, it turns grittier and darker.

The music score is by the legendary A.R.Rahman. It is written by fiction author Girish Kohli (of Marathon Baba fame) and is directed by Ravi Udyawar.

The last shot with Sridev’s voice will leave you stunned and wanting to know more about the story.

And if you’ve failed to spot Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the teaser, look again. He is absolutely unrecognizable in his latest avatar, and I wonder what he has in store for us this time!

I have to give credit to the editor. This is one of the best cut teasers I have seen in the longest of times. The music is fabulous, the transitions are crisp. The colour correction gives a melancholic touch to the video.

Now, the wait for the full-fledged trailer has only increased.

Mom is scheduled to release in cinemas on July 14 2017.

Naam Shabana - Movie Review

CAST: Taapsee Pannu, Akshay Kumar, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa.

DIRECTION: Shivam Nair

DURATION: 2 hours 28 minutes

Early in director Shivam Nair’s Naam Shabana, the eponymous heroine asks her beau why he loves her. He replies: I doubt if any man has said this to a woman before, but I love you because being with you makes me feel safe. Since there is no logical or biological reason why the fellow should assume that no man feels emotionally safe with a woman, I assume the allusion here is to a sense of physical security inspired by the feisty Shabana’s exceptional martial arts prowess.

It is an odd reason to love another human being. More to the point, it is the first of many unsatisfactory responses to the question why repeatedly crying out to be addressed by this film.

Here is one why, not from Shabana but about her: Why does that uninspiring chap Jai love Shabana though she is so unappealing and so listless except when in a sporting ring?

There are more whys coming up later in this review.

Taapsee Pannu plays Naam Shabana’s Shabana Khan, a college student and kudo practitioner who is recruited by a top-secret, off-the-grid Indian intelligence agency. Shabana lives in Maharashtra with her mother. Jai is not the only one with an eye on her. An invisible someone is tailing this beautiful, middle-class woman from a congested Mumbai colony. When tragedy strikes her life, we are told that the unnamed agency was tracking her as a potential recruit.

Naam Shabana is a prequel to the 2015 hit Baby directed by Neeraj Pandey starring Akshay Kumar, with Pannu in a small but memorable supporting role. The new film – produced by Pandey – tells us her character’s story preceding the events in Baby. Since Pannu’s performance and her evident skill in Baby’s action scenes drew audience and critical acclaim in 2015, it makes sense that someone thought of making a film placing the spotlight on her.

Now if only they had devoted time to building up her character and developing a credible story around her. Although Pannu is first-rate in Naam Shabana’s many fight scenes, her acting is off the mark in the rest of the film and Shabana is half-baked. In the effort to portray a woman who suppresses her feelings, Pannu ends up delivering a bland performance except when she is indulging in fisticuffs. When she is throwing punches, she is captivating. When she is not participating in a tournament or bashing up some evil wretch, she is dull.

Southern Indian audiences know Pannu well. Hindi viewers got the full blast of her acting talent in last year’s Pink. She falls short of expectations in Naam Shabana, a victim of inadequate writing and direction.

Like her, the story too never rises above being a promising concept. The team of Naam Shabana – in the footsteps of Akira’s team last year – seems to have been more focused on making a film that can be labelled “woman-centric”, rather than creating a woman character of some worth. In the absence of an engaging protagonist and well-thought-out script, what we get are efficiently choreographed action sequences, a slick surface and a pace that is impressive at first until it adds up to nought when glaring loopholes and many unanswered whys start calling out.

Why, for instance, was Shabana picked by the agency? Considering that there are scores of fiery, aggressive, driven, earnest female athletes enrolled in the country’s national and private sports programmes and clubs, what is the defining quality that distinguishes her from other such gifted women?

Her religion, we are told, is an important qualification, since it gives her perspective that no politician – Hindu or Muslim – has. (The point is raised in the film’s one genuinely contemplative conversation which, by the way, is over too soon.) Could that be all though? What else?

Which brings us to other whys.

Why on earth is she pulled out of her training to join one of the most important intelligence operations in the world? Sure she is good, but that good? There is no evidence to prove that she is even India’s best, so why why why?

Why would a covert arm of the government of India bet everything on a rookie?

Why would a much-wanted international criminal not confine himself to fortified and isolated residential and medical facilities, considering that for years he has gone to great lengths to protect himself from multiple security and intelligence agencies?

Why would such a man turn stupid one fine day, if not for the convenience of Shabana and her colleagues, and because Pandey – who has written Naam Shabana – could not think of a more intelligent idea to get him in captivity?

Why would an individual who has been at pains to hide his identity from the aforesaid agencies then reveal it at the drop of a hat under duress, instead of having a well-planned, carefully conceived lie at hand to deceive them?

Why, when your best man is available, would you assign the most crucial job in a crucial group assignment to Shabana, an untested newcomer? I mean, I get that you want to prove that you are indeed making a “woman-centric” film, but for heaven’s sake could you not come up with a believable reason for the team leader’s decisions beyond your film’s projected USP?

Women can do without such condescension. And Pannu can do without superficial female characters on her resume.

Akshay Kumar has a cameo in Naam Shabana as Ajay, the leading man from Baby. His character is not half as cool as the makers seem to think he is. And when he is around, through Ajay’s behaviour and authoritarian body language, Pandey and Nair unwittingly betray the male-centricity of their worldview.

Anupam Kher is here too, in a brief role as the unconvincing, unfunny tech wiz Shuklaji who too we first saw in Baby. Manoj Bajpayee as Shabana’s boss and Danny Denzongpa as his boss are both so-so.

Malayalam superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran as one of the villains of the plot is handsome as ever and trying his best. The wilting film perks up when he enters the picture, but the big twist in that passage can be seen coming from a mile and frankly, there is only so much that an actor’s natural charisma can do in the face of writing that lacks conviction.

Here is a thought. Next time you make a film supposedly revolving around a woman, please do so because you have a great story to tell, not because female-led cinema is a hot current trend.

And next time you wish to make a prequel to a hit, again, please do so because you have a substantial story to tell, not because you want to cash in on a successful brand.

A Goof Up Spotted By Me: Trivia buffs FYI, a running counter on a CCTV in Naam Shabana reveals that the film is set in 2011, yet a television monitor moments later is shown tuned in to a news channel called CNN News18 reporting on Manmohan Singh. Of course Singh was PM back then, but for the record, CNN News18 went by the name CNN-IBN in 2011. The name was changed in 2016.

My Rating: 2/5

Meri Pyaari Bindu - Trailer Review

Bollywood romances teach us how to fall in love but do they teach us how to fall out of love or forget our love?

This is what Meri Pyaari Bindu starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Parineeti Chopra will shed light on. The upcoming Yash Raj Films production brings the unlikely star of 2015's Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Ayushmann Khurrana, together with Parineeti Chopra, who after the failure of Kill Dil, is looking for a strong comeback project.

In Meri Pyaari Bindu, Ayushmann Khurrana plays a Kolkata-based pulp writer Abhimanyu Roy whose romantic interest is Bindu (Parineeti Chopra), an aspiring singer.

The trailer gives a glimpse of old world charm. Khurrana and Chopra's characters have recorded their memories in a cassette, and not in Snapchat videos. The cassette plays another crucial role later in the teaser as it is used as a metaphor of the complicated and entwined bond that the two lovers share.

There is also the good old typewriter. Khurrana types down his thoughts, not on his MacBook, but on his typewriter. In fact, the idea of Khurrana looking at Chopra's quirks on a curtain-turned-screen and pouring out his feelings for her on paper is also a symbol of old school romance.

Besides these instruments that never get old, the background music also emits the warmth of the old world charm. Chopra's voice spells magic with the song 'Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar' from Vjay Anand's 1961 film Hum Dono.

The song aptly expresses the transition in the mood of the trailer, from love to abandonment. The abandonment part explains why Khurrana's book was titled 'Chudail Ki Choli', probably a vent to his lost love.

Not only Parineeti's but also Khurrana's voice is impressive in the trailer as he narrates his love for Bindu, played by Chopra.

Written by Suprotim Sengupta and directed by Akshay Roy, Meri Pyaari Bindu is produced by Fan and Band Baaja Baaraat director Maneesh Sharma and YRF head Aditya Chopra.

With music by Sachin-Jigar, Meri Pyaari Bindu promises to be an interesting take on Bollywood romances, if not anything else.

The film is scheduled to release on the 12th May 2017.

Maatr - Trailer Review

The trailer of Maatr is out. The film has been generating buzz for some time now and with the trailer, it has only increased and proves why Bollywood needs Raveena Tandon to make a comeback!

The movie stars Raveena Tandon, Divya Jagdale, Anurag Arora and others. Written by Michael Pellico and directed by Ashtar Sayed, this revenge thriller tells the tale of a mother who is out to get justice for her daughter. The tale is about the failure of the judiciary, and the society in the face of a heinous crime such as rape.

Raveena plays the role of the mother, a woman who wants to stand up to the criminals who destroyed her daughter Tia’s life. However, she stands alone with no support from the society, the law and her husband only want to move on past the incident. When she proceeds to file a complaint, her husband is beaten up and made to take back the charges against the criminal.

After all this, she becomes strong and spins the web. The web that catches everyone associated with the crime committed against her daughter. She leaves behind her belief in justice and law and takes the path of a vigilante.

Will she pull the trigger in the end? Will vengeance win in the end? One has to wait and watch the story unravel on the silver screen for that.

The trailer ends on a chilling note by pointing out that in the time that each of us watches this trailer, there was a girl raped in some part of our country.

It might be jarring to come face-to-face with this, but it is, after all, a fact.

Maatr is set to be released on 21st April 2017.

A Dog’s Purpose - Movie Review

CAST: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, KJ Apa, Peggy Lipton, Juliet Rylance

DIRECTION: Lasse Hallström

DURATION: 1 hour 40 minutes

Director Lasse Hallström has carved a career out of making twee and saccharine tearjerkers set in melancholic locations with just enough soul to tug at your heartstrings. A Dog’s Purpose, his latest film is no different – if you’re in the mood for a feel good time at the movies, and you are particularly fond of pets, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Based on the book of the same name by Bruce Cameron (who also co-wrote the screenplay), A Dog’s Purpose contains an odd Groundhog Day style story. We follow Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad), a golden retriever who, after suffering through many problematic life cycles is reincarnated as the pet dog of a boy named Ethan in the 1960’s. He grows fond of Ethan, watches the boy grow up, ultimately dies due to old age, but is reincarnated as another dog in a different part of the world.

The cycle keeps repeating as Bailey deals with multiple owners through the decades who treat him with varying levels of compassion and brutality, but his heart belongs to Ethan and is always on the lookout for the owner he was most fond of.

The film almost feels like it was conceived by people who are so attached to their pets they wish they would return to them reincarnated even after their death. As cheesy as the concept is, anyone who has ever had a pet in their lives will easily relate to the movie. A pet is a family member, and watching a pet slowly lose grip of its life is a heart-breaking experience; you wouldn’t be faulted for breaking off into a childlike dream of either cloning of wanting a resurrection of some sorts to be with the pet forever. Hallström mines that human emotion into an effective cathartic film that reminds you of the best times you had with your pet. So if you’ve ever experience the misfortune of watching your pet pass away, you’ll leave the theater with a tearful smile on your face.

On the downside the film offers little to those who don’t have pets. The narrative often veers into cringe inducing archetypal melodramatic beats like Ethan dealing with his troubled father, school bullies and a failed relationship. We see these story beats from the point of view of a dog with Josh Gad’s inner voice with existentialist problems — Hallström makes it real easy for your eyeballs to keep rolling at regular intervals.

It’s not hard to guess where the predictable journey of Bailey ends, and one wishes the film didn’t try so hard to make the spiritual aspect of the bond between a human and a pet so apparent. Most times subtext is more rewarding when kept underneath the layers rather than exposed so starkly, but that would be expecting too much from a film which has such simple goals as this one.

But who am I kidding, all you dog owners and lovers will pour your heart and your wallets over this film like I did, it gives you what you want, so go ahead. There are films when a reviewer wants to talk about the actors, plot lines, twists or simply the medium, but a film like this makes you numb to all those things.

My Rating: 3/5