Bollywood World

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : 21st August, 2015
Time : 100 minutes
Director: Josh Trank; Writers: Jeremy Slater, Simon Kinberg, Josh Trank based on the Marvel comic by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Music : Marco Beltrami, Philip Glass
Starring : Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E Cathey, Tim Blake Nelson, Owen Judge, Evan Hannemann, Dan Castellaneta



Owen Judge, a young kid, wants to build a teleportation device, despite the cynicism of his teacher, Dan Castellaneta. With his friend, Evan�s support, he succeeds and when older (as Miles and Jamie), they manage to build a larger machine, which, at a science fair, catches the attention of Reg Cathey (who runs a foundation) and his adopted daughter, Kate Mara. Toby Kebbell and Reg�s son, Michael also join the project. They succeed with a monkey but then, when they experiment on themselves, things go wrong�




This film gets a lot of Super-hero movie rules wrong

a) It�s too soon for a remake � the last one in the series was just 8 years ago � the earlier faces are still fresh in our minds and the comparisons are inevitable


b) There is no action � just a lot of unbelievable scientific mumbo-jumbo about teleportation, dimensions. You don�t even see the Four in action till the last 15 minutes


c) The whole premise � the whole bit about space travel - is scarcely credible. As mentioned in the movie, the ease with which it happens gives it a school project feel


d) The casting is all wrong. None of the four, with the possible exception of Miles Teller, exude any charisma or flair. Everyone is too grim, somber. Even Toby Kebbell (remember him in RocknRolla?) fails to lighten things up as the bad boy.


e) The mood of the film is just too melancholic, especially for a super hero film. No one smiles, has fun. The rivalry between Miles and Toby is scarcely developed as is the romance between Miles and Kate. Everything is just about the project and the foundation led by the benevolent Reg Cathey (House of Cards) versus the board led by the war-minded Tim Blake Nelson



The talented Miles (Whiplash) is probably the only one who shines in this version. The others fail to demonstrate any personality or traits, and along with the entire film, make no impression whatsoever on our minds.

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 24th April, 2015
Time : 142 minutes
Director & Writer : Joss Whedon, based on characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Music : Danny Elfman
Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader (voice), Paul Bettany (voice), Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Idris Elba, Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgard, Claudia Kim, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis (whew, some cast, isn�t it�.)

If you havent seen the first one, you could read my review here



Wasn�t it in Megamind where someone said, a superhero movie is only as good as the villain ? Leaving aside the irony of the fact that such a profound thought, about the balance between good and evil, comes from a children�s animated film � and the fact that its true vice versa � what villain do you think could seriously challenge our team of superheroes, make them sweat ? They were almost cocky in the opening sequence � cutting through a mini-army, destroying tanks, mashing missiles � with an arrogant ease�And that is why, you�ll like the villain the makers come up with�Ultron�who provides more than a fight for our Marvels�




In the beginning its about an organization called Hydra. Then its about Loki�s Sceptre. Then two fascinating twin mutants (Aaron & Elizabeth). Then Ultron. And then something else�At times you may even feel its all of the above�but even the ever-changing nature of the villain is a thrill, keeps us and our planet�s Guardians (sorry, that�s another Marvel series, no ?) on their toes.

They retain certain key elements from the first one (and why not, it worked, didn�t it ?) � the slight edge-laden banter between them; the differences in opinion, especially on the big stuff; the secretiveness, the cliques; how each of them has a role, no one really shortchanged (not an easy writing task, as anyone who�s written a multi-character story will tell you); and the Hulk continuing to be the joker in the pack�





There are jaw-dropping action sequences. Good music. An overall storyline that is interesting enough to keep you entertained despite the many obvious flaws (which superhero film is without them). But its the repartee that keeps you hooked � some excellent, crisp dialogue � the mini-battles between some of them : Ironman vs Captain America (�He�s the boss�I only pay for, design everything and make everyone look cooler�); The twin mutants vs Hawkeye (�You didn�t see that coming?� and jibes about his age); Black Widow and Hulk (singing lullabies�); Ultron�s philosophical musings about human frailty, dripping with sarcasm and the song he hums (�I�ve got no strings to hold me down�); And a really hilarious sequence about Thor�s hammer�which doesn�t exactly end as you would expect�




This isn�t the first film about artificial intelligence and doomsday scenarios�Terminator, i,Robot, even Transcendence� After a while, with most films around robots, it does get a bit mechanical (pun intended), watching them fight, get beaten � the mid section does flag a little � but overall, its still quite enjoyable, there is plenty of flair, panache to keep things interesting. Am going to be a bit generous and go with possibly a slightly higher rating � just because its not easy to pull off a sequel with so many superheroes, super villains and still manage to entertain !

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 7th November, 2014
Time : 108 minutes
Director: Don Hall, Chris Williams; Writer: Don Hall, Jordan Roberts based on the comic by Duncan Rouleau and Steven T Seagle; Music : Henry Jackman
Starring : (voices of) Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, TJ Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr, Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph



The first fifteen minutes here are really great � expand how we think, what is possible in the world of science, robotics. The first half is pretty good � slightly predictable but we are quite invested in our boy hero, his angst and his inventions � and await more stuff like we saw in the beginning. The second half really unravels though, logically inconsistent, moving from a good, personal, albeit tech based story into superhero territory. However, the huge, ungainly but extremely lovable BayMax, our friendly health companion probably does enough to salvage the film.









Hiro, our hero, is a young child prodigy who�s finished high school by 13 and is currently using his brains to win at Bot-Fighting. His elder brother, also a science genius, luckily is around to help when needed and show him the way. When an accident causes his untimely death, his invention, BayMax and some friends from the science lab have to step in to help Hiro rediscover his path and his true self. Set in the city of San Fransokyo � a kind of Japanese version of San Fransisco � the film has its share of funny moments, endearing characters. But where it really scores is with its techie, nerdy stuff � its inventiveness, its zaniness, its combination of flair and science � helping us think beyond what is available today. Just for that alone, this one is worth taking the kids to !