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Urumi (2011)
A Historical Drama which Requires Patience
This film covers a few chapters in Kerala history, including the first meeting between Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama and the Zamorin of Calicut. Historical characters, including Arakkal Beevi and Talappana Namboothiri, appear in supporting roles.
Then the story shifts to the Chirakkal principality, where a fictitious plot around Vasco Da Gama takes place.
The hero of Urumi is Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran. It takes some time to get on board, but once Kelu meets Ayesha (Genelia D'Souza), the movie gains our emotional investment.
Sadly, the battle scenes do not live up to the struggle they go through together.
Good drama, though.
Mamangam: History of the Brave (2019)
Zero Gravity in a Tale of Bloodshed
During the Mamankam festival, Chavers (a suicide squad), went to the venue on behalf of the Valluvanadu chieftain. Their aim was to overthrow the Zamorin of Calicut. None of them survived, and this happened every 12 years or so.
This Kerala legend had enough material for an action-packed movie, but the filmmaker focused on creating an investigative thriller with Mamankam as the backdrop.
If you're seeking authenticity in this film, the gravity-defying stunts will dash it to pieces. It is sad, knowing that some of the finest actors assembled for this ill-fated production.
But what sells Mamangam, as a movie, is the conviction of young Achuthan B. Nair, who plays one of the Chavers.
Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989)
A Revisionist Take on the Ballads of North Malabar
We've grown up on the legend of Aromal, Unniyarcha and Chanthu Chekavar. In 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha', they get a Shakespeare-level facelift. Character flaws act as extra layers, so folklore buffs may find their depiction in the movie slightly unrecognizable.
Actors Suresh Gopi, Madhavi and Mammootty exhibit these fatal traits with ease. K. Ramachandra Babu immortalizes their performances through graceful cinematography. Bombay Ravi's haunting compositions add gravity to the storytelling.
Though this take of director Hariharan and writer M. T. Vasudevan Nair deviated from the source material, they wove a brilliant tapestry of emotions here.
Look out for Captain Raju's underrated portrayal of Aringodar.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Terminator, yes Salvation, no!
This review contains spoilers.
Where I come from, a lot of people have seen Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) before gaining access to the rarely obtainable The Terminator (1984). I had seen bits of T2, but not enough to become familiar with the concept. So my fortune of seeing The Terminator first made me eager to watch the second, and when I did, both the movies went to the list of my childhood favorites.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) was fairly good according to me, although I had wanted more content, not action. And Terminator Salvation
what happened, McG?
I remember seeing an interview of director McG, where he had commented on the unnecessary amount of money spent on a film's special effects. He believed in being economical and optimal. He achieved that, but at the cost of the story, the drama and the ideals that the Terminator series stood for.
In order to understand TS, one has to recall the past, the future, or whatever the directors James Cameron and Jonathan Mostow had presented in the earlier installments.
Right now, I am trying to piece the time-lines of all the four movies in a coherent manner.
*** Spoilers Begin Here ***
The year is 2018. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn in the 1980s, Anton Yelchin in TS), a boy who had grown up in harsh apocalyptic Blade-Runner-The- Matrix-Transformers-like surroundings, was rescued by John Connor (Christian Bale) and Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) from Skynet, a self-aware Artificial Intelligent system. John does not get to hand over a photograph of his mother Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) to Kyle even after all this.
This is the franchise's backbone, but when it was completely dismissed, a true Terminator fan is bound to be disappointed.
What is landmark about this subplot? Reese (Yelchin) will be infatuated with the woman in the photo. He will also be sent back in time to 1984 to save her from a cybernetic assassin: a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger). In the process, Reese (Biehn) and Sarah fall in love, and she later becomes pregnant with his son: John Connor.
The next issue is to do with the resistance movement that is given a lot of importance in the previous Terminator outings. John Connor (Michael Edwards in T2, Bale in TS) was spoken of as an extremely inspirational character. He had motivated the surviving human race against the machine tyranny. Kate Brewster, now Connor (Claire Danes in T3, Bryce Dallas Howard in TS), was painstakingly introduced in T3 as well, so one will imagine their presence in TS as potentially magical.
Those who are waiting to see the John Connor as prophesied in past tense statements of characters sent back in time will have to wait more because Christian Bale is not ready yet. It is always up to the Terminator (Schwarzenegger and Roland Kickinger), T-1000 (Robert Patrick), T-X (Kristanna Loken), Marcus Wright and Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter) to charm the audiences.
Even the small fry Earl Boen gets to shine in the earlier parts, but filmmakers have still not decided what to do with Connor. Anyhow, one saving grace is that Kyle Reese stood the test of time, literally.
What about the lines? Schwarzenegger had a prominent accent, so his "I'll be back" was repeated in a different variation in each movie. Biehn's "Come with me if you want to live" was done by a different actor in each sequel. "Talk to the hand" in Terminator 3 had come about as a surprise, and it remained untouched in Salvation. Yet some questions linger with every release. Who'll be back? Who will go with whom? And who will live?
*** Spoilers End Here ***
Moving on to the technical side, sources say that The Terminator had a budget of $ 6.5 million. So it was only obvious that James Cameron had to place a write-up at the beginning indicating the events. He corrects this in the second part by actually expanding on the futuristic scenes to the extent of revealing a rugged John Connor (Edwards). Judgment Day in every way was a masterpiece. Jonathan Mostow carbon-copied the idea for T3, and there were no complaints. McG could have very well inserted Bale's voice-over to narrate the machine takeover. He could have spent extra time on the introduction of the resistance movement. One simple conversation between the rebels would have done the trick, but that was not meant to be.
Music Composer Brad Fiedel was a pioneer, and Marco Beltrami saluted him by incorporating the famous Terminator soundtrack into the third installment. Danny Elfman, on the other hand, delivers a fair Salvation theme that resembles The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) on some notes. What happened to the master who weaved amazing nuances for Spider-Man (2002, 2004), Hulk (2003), Men in Black (1997) and Batman (1989, 1992)? Only filmmaker Tim Burton gets the best results out of him, so let us not dwell on that.
What is the verdict on Terminator Salvation? The truth is
I'm divided. I loved and hated it at the same time.
At the end of the day, this movie reminds me of the bizarre Planet of the Apes franchise spawned after the original 1968 classic. The 2001 remake was pathetic. Strangely, Helena Bonham Carter and Danny Elfman are a part of that cinematic entry too.
One should take a cue from J.J. Abrams whose Star Trek (2009) has a smart screenplay to back up, or cover up, an average storyline.
What did we learn after 11 artistes portrayed the same hero? Too many Connors spoil the franchise.
The Death of Batman (2003)
The Death of a Franchise
After Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher, here comes one. A franchise died in 1997, but this one sort of personifies that. The premise was good, the cast was good and the darkness quotient was fine. But the director should not have been explicit about certain matters. The ending should have been refined. There was no consistency in Batman's character and no effectiveness in the combat and counter-combat sequences. Other than that, this had the makings of a tolerable film. And please, do not make Batman appear so ineffective. There should have been a fight. Or if the director wanted to kill Batman with a whimper rather than a bang, he succeeded.
Batman Begins (2005)
We have seen Batman, but do we know the man?
The definitive account of the origin of the dark knight is not an easy story to tell. It is not for the faint of heart. Shedding away the comic look of the previous installments, Christopher Nolan's take on Batman is not only dramatic, but sensitive. For once, we are actually acquainted with the protagonist's parents. The buildup is done in such a way that we will feel for Bruce Wayne (Bale). Set in Gotham City, a place synonymous with crime, an orphaned Bruce Wayne searches for a solution by traveling the world. He returns home a new man, about to adopt a symbol that is elemental and terrifying to the criminals. His allies for this cause are butler Alfred Pennyworth (Caine), technical expert Lucius Fox (Freeman), Sgt. James Gordon (Oldman) and Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes (Holmes). Bruce Wayne will don the persona of a legend called Batman. Wally Pfister's cinematography was worthy of the Academy Award nomination. Nolan may not have followed some of the conventional comic book elements, but he has made a fairly feasible account of how a man, through self-discipline and coming to terms with his fears, can make a difference. Hats off to David S. Goyer for an excellent well-scripted tale. 10/10 for bringing back 'The Batman'.
Superman Returns (2006)
You may have believed that a man can fly, but what next?
Common Knowledge: This is a loose upgraded sequel to Superman: The Movie and Superman II, being shown twenty years after a Superman film was ever released. Plan of Action: There has to be something special and dramatic about this installment to ensure the survival of the franchise. Who will continue the legacy of the late Christopher Reeve? Look! Up in the sky! It's finally here! Superman Returns! The Plot: Kal-El AKA Superman (Routh) has come back from his self-exile to find that his world has moved on, especially Lois Lane (Bosworth). Although Superman is reinstated with ease, Clark Kent bears the brunt of this dual life as he watches Lois Lane pursue a seemingly happy life with Richard White (Marsden). Lex Luthor (Spacey) returns as well, and his ambition is more destructive than before. Need I say anymore? Bryan Singer has painstakingly introduced us to Superman's powers in the most artistic manner ever seen. The cast, replete with suitable costumes, is flawless. Using Marlon Brando's stock footage was the best and strongest link to the original series. The FX do tend to diminish the impact of the character at times, but I suppose Singer did well by giving us the people's perspective of the action, not Superman's. 10/10 for making my summer.