Minority Report (2002)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Crime/Thriller/Drama/Mystery

Starring: Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Samantha Morton, Collin Farrell

How do reduce crime in the city? Prevent crime from ever happening of course. Three mutated human beings, called Precogs, gain the gift of seeing the future and detecting murder. Washington D.C. sets up a Precrime department, headed by John Anderton (Cruise), whose task is to learn of any murders predicted by the Precogs and prevent them from happening. With the high success ratio of the operation that the city experiences, Precrime is going national and a member of the Department of Justice, Danny Witwer (Farrell) is sent to evaluate the effectiveness of the department before the crucial decision is taken. Since Precrime solely relies on the vision obtained by the Precogs, the possibility of the actual murder not taking place exists and the question arises, how can you arrest someone for a crime they never did but were only forecasted to do. John staunchely believes in Precrime and its ideology but found himself on the other side of the line when a crime to be conducted by him is foretold, where he supposedly is to murder a man he has never met. John tries to prove the prediction wrong and runs against the very ideology that a crime, if predicted, will happen. The movie is layered with multiple stories that all go in the direction to fathom the dilemma that arises out of the ideology of the Precrime department. Tom Cruise has put on a fabulous performance and is not action focused as his more recent movies and comes out as a more contemporary actor who can do serious acting. The movie's storyline is unique and interesting and coming from the notable Steven Speilberg, one expects as much.

Thumbs up: Tom Cruise and the plot
Thumbs down: Repeatedly fast and slow, pace changing plot development

Rating: 7.9/10

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Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Science-fiction/Drama/Fantasy

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L.Jackson, Frank Oz (voice)

The epic inter-galactic saga comes to an end after five successful movies with the sixth movie aiming to bring a end to the entire story. The movie had garnered millions of fans from throughout the world of all ages, right from those who have seen the very first movie back in 1977 to their sons who enjoyed the prequel movies. Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) is a Jedi warrior and is in love with Padme (Portman). Senator Palpatine (McDiarmid) has been kidnapped by the enemies of the republic and Anakin along with Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) must rescue him. The Jedi council and particularly Master Yoda (Oz) had their doubts on Anakin and were not sure if the force within him was for good or for bad. Anakin breached the Jedi's regulations by submitting himself to desire and want by fathering a child with Padame. Anakin saw a vision of Padame dying during childbirth but did not know what he could do to stop it without the Jedi council knowing about it. Senator Palpatine is in reality the Sith Lord who realised that the dark side was strong within Anakin and lured him to join hands with the context of being able to save Padame. The greatest achievement of the movie is its ability to fluidly join the story lines together although the first movie began halfway through the story. Episode III and Episode IV might have been made around 30 years apart yet each and every aspect of new vs old have been cunningly brought together with adequate detailing on the finer aspects. The movie, however, failed to bring out a high climax which would have been deservedly fit for a saga of its kind. That said, it does give a good closing feature which gives you the impression that it has finally all come to an end. This movie is perhaps the most dissected and detailed movie ever, with every vehicle, army, planet and character having a name and story behind it. A worthy finishing movie with only some minor drawbacks.

Thumbs up: Good ending, highly entertaining

Thumbs down: Climax sequence is a bit weak

Rating: 7.5/10

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Ra.One (2011)

Genre: Action/Drama/Romance/Science-fiction

Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Tom Wu, Armaan Verma, Shahana Goswami

Time and gain I have said that Bollywood lacks recipe and in spite of rapid evolutions in movie-making, ideas still seemed to be ripped out of Hollywood blockbusters. Shekhar Subramanium (Khan) is a game developer for Barron Industries but does not appear to be cool enough in the eyes of his son Prateek (Verma). In a bid to get into his sons good books and make an outstanding video game, Shekhar develops the ultimate super villain, Ra.One (Rampal/Wu). Ra.One is equipped with artificial intelligence where he quickly learns the moves of his players and gets smarter and hence tougher. Things start going haywire and Ra.One from the game comes to life and wrecks havoc. He is out to hunt for Prateek whom he has learnt is his most formidable opponent and decides to hunt him down. In order to stop Ra.One the good guy G.One (Khan) is brought to life and to bring an end to his mutiny. Shekhar's wife Sonia (Kapoor) and Prateek are in danger of being killed and it is up to G.One to save them. The movie is a rip-off of Hollywood's best superheroes all in one. Ra.One and G.One share the same suit design as Iron Man, especially the HART which is a direct copy of the same device on Iron Man. Many fight scenes are copied from Terminator including the one from Terminator 2 where T-1000 rebuilds itself after getting disintegrated by liquid nitrogen. The movie has supposedly tried to use the most advanced special effects to date but yet many scenes seem be hopelessly out of place and look tacky even for 20-year-old graphics technology standard. The movie is a total wash down and a case study of 'How to create too much buzz for an entirely worthless product'. It still kills me on how G.One managed to come back to life after being killed, any answers?

Thumbs up: Arjun Rampal filled Ra.One's character well with some scenes being executed with finesse

Thumbs down: Copied plot, very poor special effects.

Rating: 4.8/10

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Thor (2011)

Genre: Action/Science-fiction/Fantasy/Adventure

Starring: Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Colm Feore

According to ancient Nordic mythology, the god of gods, Odin (Hopkins) had two sons Loki (Hiddleston) and Thor (Hemsworth). Thor was the heir-apparent to the throne of Odin's kingdom much to the despise of Loki. Loki, God of Mischief, was known for his trickery and Lies and Thor, God of Thunder, for his rage and arrogance. The movie blends the old mythical story with new-age science to narrate the story of King Odin, ruler of the planet Asgard who once waged war against the Frost Giants and their leader King Laufey (Feore) and seized their prized Casket of Ancient Winter, their only source of power. Thor eventually accesses the throne and in order to celebrate his new accession, wages war once again with the Frost Giants in order to prove his might. Angered, his father banishes him to Earth and casts a spell on his Hammer which would only answer to a person worthy of wielding it. Jane Foster (Portman) an astrophysicist rescues Thor upon his arrival and aides him in whatever way she could. Thor wants to retrieve his hammer and return to Asgard but mischievous Loki has other secret plans for him. The movie is a good blend of mythology and science and seamless and convincing blend does not seem awkward or out of place. For anyone familiar with Nordic mythology or for someone who played the very famous PC game Age of Mythology would be familiar with gods featured in the movie and their powers and characters. A good adventure and fantasy watch that ticks the right boxes.

Thumbs up: Good graphics, great seamless blending of stories

Thumbs down: Nothing really, ticks the right boxes to be a decent entertainer

Rating: 7.5/10

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Dude, Where's My Car (2000)

Genre: Comedy/Adventure/Science-fiction/Mystery

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Marla Sokoloff, Hal Sparks

Two pot-heads have a crazy night and the next day, they don't remember a thing. Jesse (Kutcher) and Chester (Scott) cannot remember where they went and what they did but all they know is that they might have had a really good time. The two forgot their anniversary with the twins, Wanda (Garner) and Wilma (Sokoloff), forgot where they kept their gifts, forgot why a transsexual is demanding $200,000 from them, forgot why two Nordic dudes, a group of girls calling themselves 'hot chicks' and a team of very geeky cult members are after them for the 'Continuum Transfunctioner' a device that can destroy the entire universe and forgot where they parked Jesse's car. They realised that if they find the car most of their questions about last night would be solved, but that is if they can find out where the car is. Since this movie preceded The Hangover one can say that it might have been the source of inspiration for the epic laugh riot. This movie, however, was not all that funny but just plain stupid. Its the very typical slap-stick humour that you sit and enjoy with friends and simply erase it from your memory later. Stupid and funny but don't expect too much out of it.

Thumbs up: Stupid humour, a sex-comedy with a plot

Thumbs down: Not funny enough

Rating: 6.2/10

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Despicable Me (2010)

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Drama/Science-fiction/Action

Starring (voice): Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher

How I love a good, humourous and fun to watch animation! It is indeed pleasing when every now and then there comes a comedy that you can watch over and over again and enjoy it just as you did when you saw it the very first time. Gru (Carell) a master conman has a falling reputation that he needs to improve. Vector (Segal) a new thief in the business has managed to steal the Pyramid of Giza putting Gru's thefts, the Times Square Jumbotron, The Statue of Liberty (from Vegas) and the Eiffel Tower (also from Vegas) to shame. Gru comes up with one large theft that will change the way the world looks at him, but for that he needs the Shrink Ray, which is currently in Vector's possession. Three orphan girls, Margo (Cosgrove), Edith (Gaier) and Agnes (Fisher) have easy access to Vector's facility because he loves the cookies they sell to him. Gru plans to adopt them to gain entry to Vector's facility, not knowing that his evil, cunning, stone-cold and selfish heart will change forever. The best thing about the movie is its subtle humour that would make people of all ages roll over with laughter and guarantee a great time. Agnes' character is extremely cute and is made to appeal to young kids and Gru's minion's take the cake when it comes to idiotic and enjoyable humour. The movie can promptly shift from being a comedy to an action sequence and can suddenly bring out all the emotions from within you in a flash. A definite watch and a sure shot entertainer. I'm lovin' it!

Thumbs up: Great humour, brilliant entertainer, fabulous character creation

Thumbs done: None at all

Rating: 8.5/10

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Drama

Starring: James Franco, Frieda Pinto, John Lithgow, David Oyelowo

As the name suggests, this movies comes as a prequel to the 1968 original Planet of the Apes series of movies, although the story does not fit in to the original series and only supposes what could be the beginning. Will Rodman (Franco) is a medical scientist working for a drug manufacturing company looking for a cure to Alzheimer's disease. Will develops a drug and tests it on a chimpanzee and is amazed to find the form in which the drug boosts the mental capability of the animal. The chimpanzee, Bright Eyes is accidentally killed and leaves behind a young child that Will raises and decides to take care of. The drug gets passed on to child Caesar soon grows up to become a very smart chimpanzee. Will decides to try the drug on his dying father (Lithgow) and obtains marvelous results. He meets and falls in love with Caroline (Pinto) a vet and just as everything was going good, the adverse effects of the drug started creeping up. The movie starts with a very interesting bang but unfortunately progress is extremely slow with too much focus on the growth of Caesar and the development of the drug. The stunts and actions being performed by the chimpanzees is outrageous and unbelievable; it seems more like an ape version of James Bond. Although I haven't seen the original Planet of the Apes series, I am told that this movie does not come even close in matching the classic.

Thumbs up: Graphics and special effects

Thumbs down: Over-the-top action especially for a monkey

Rating: 7.0/10

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TRON: Legacy (2010)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Adventure

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruxe Boxleitner

An innovative and world-renowned computer programmer, Kevin Flynn (Bridges) mysteriously disappears one day never to return. After twenty-six years, his son Sam (Hedlund) a reflection of his father stumbles upon his fathers secret office in the old arcade building. He accidentally gets transported to a virtual world inside the computer where he meets his fathers virtual clone CLU (Bridges) who rules over the computer grid and has banished his father from the grid. Sam meets his fathers accomplice Quorra (Wilde) who takes him to his fathers hideout where he learns that his father had created a clone of himself to help create the perfect system that betrayed his father and took over the entire system. With the portal to the outside world closed, Kevin became a captive inside his own system and has been reported missing ever since. Unknown to most people, the movie is a sequel to the 1982 movie TRON which narrates the story of how Kevin first built the system with the help of CLU and the betrayal. The movie excels in special effects and boasts of path-breaking clarity. Performances by Jeff Bridges was fantastic as always and has finely executed both his roles. The only let down was the action which largely encompassed the regular kicks and punches and had nothing new on offer. A good and interesting movie nonetheless.

Thumbs up: Great special effects and graphics

Thumbs down: Average action

Rating: 7.3/10

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D) (2011)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Adventure

Starring: Shia LeBeouf, Rosie-Huntingtong Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand, Alan Tudyk, Peter Cullen (voice), Hugo Weaving (voice), Leonard Nimoy (voice)

Final verdict, mixed reactions. The story first; the Autobots are living peacefully on Earth and are helping humans resolve their conflict. As they continue to help, they are searching for any clues about Megatron, their enemy, and Cybertron, their home planet. Sentinel Prime (Nimoy) the leader of the Autobots was carrying a technology that could save the Autobots but was intercepted by Decepticons and his space craft crash landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong found this site and NASA has kept this information a secret from the world. Optimus Prime (Cullen) learns about and revives the Sentinel to lead the Autobots once more. However, unknown to him, Megatron (Weaving) has a cunning plan up his sleeve to take over planet Earth once and for all. Sam Witwicky (LeBeouf) basking in his fame and glory after saving mankind twice, cannot find himself a job. Along with that, he is not being involved in the Autobots missions which has made his life even more frustrating. To add more fire, the boss of his super-sexy girlfriend Carly (Whiteley) is showering her with gifts and compliments that Sam cant take anymore. The action sequences and special effects of the movie are mind-numbing. The insane new technology has provided the utmost clarity and detail that this movie demands. However, there are some scenes which look like a video game but that aspect can be overlooked. Shia LeBeouf's role has been over-shadowed by the Autobots and he seems to be a forceful addition since he was present in the earlier movies. What was even more disbelieving were his insane stunts and falls that left him with little injuries and minor scratches. All in all, the movie is worth watching only to enjoy the clarity of the special effects that too in 3D and no more. The movie is all about its graphics and loses out on all other aspects.

Thumbs up: Great special effects, super hot debutant Rosie-Huntington Whiteley

Thumbs down: Over dramatic action

Rating: 7.3/10

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Green Lantern (3D) (2011)

Genre: Science-fiction/Fantasy/Action/Adventure

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong

Super-hero movies is not new to cinema and saving the world through the discovery of a super-natural power is not new either. Upon the creation of the universe, the Guardians decided to hold it together by tapping into the will power of all beings surviving within it. The universe was divided into various sectors, each controlled by a Green Lantern who would look into the well-being of all the planets with it. Hal Jordan (Reynolds) is fighter jet test-pilot with Ferris Aircraft company who stumbles upon a dying Green Lantern. The Green Lantern's ring selected Jordan as the successor for the dying warrior and all the responsibilities that come with it. When confronted by Sinestro (Strong) the leader of the Lanterns, Hal realises he is not up to the task and loses faith in his powers. Meanwhile, Dr. Hector Hammond (Sarsgaard) is asked to conduct an analysis of the dead Green Lantern's body who comes in contact with an organ that adversely affects his mental and physical structure. The movie outline is a tried and tested super hero story which does not have anything new to offer except for the design of his suit. The 3D technology used in the movie is extremely inferior with blurred and hazy images constantly occurring. Although the blame may lie with something outside the scope of the producer, it still makes the 3D experience not worth the extra cost. A big no-show, not even on a DVD.

Thumbs up: The bold attempt to create something so lame

Thumbs down: Bad graphics, poor plot

Rating: 6.1/10

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X-Men: First Class (2011)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Fantasy/Adventure

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones

The fifth installment of the X-Men series goes back in time to 1962 when Charles Xavier graduated as a mutant researcher, brimming with knowledge and working towards creating peace between humans and mutants. He himself is a mutant with the unique ability to read peoples minds and control them. Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto (Fassbender) suffered at the hands of a Nazi officer, Sebastian Shaw (Bacon) who murdered his mother in order to enrage Erik and bring out his magnetic powers. Ever since, Erik, seething with anger, has sworn revenge against Shaw and his accomplices. Shaw is trying to take advantage of the Cold War and has pitched the Russians and the Americans against each other and hopes to trigger a nuclear war which would see the destruction of the worlds two largest super-powers with him emerging as the ruler of the world. Erik, Charles and CIA Agent Moira MacTaggert (Byrne) along with a group of young mutants have decided to take matters into their own hands to prevent a third world war. The biggest plus side of the movie is the continuation of the story and not just the simple good vs evil plotline. The movie highlights the fallout between Xavier and Magneto which was an essential missing link to the main storyline. Their is tons of hugely destructive action sequences, although many people may point and laugh at the super-natural powers and its complete preposterousness. The movie hints at a sixth installment and considering the missing story from X-Men: Wolverine be prepared for at least 2 more movies in this ever famous series.

Thumbs up: Great action, good plot

Thumbs down: Good enough for a prelogue to the main story, no major fallout

Rating: 7.2/10

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Source Code (2011)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Drama/Romance

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaall, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright

Yep, another unbelievable American science-fiction movie. Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) is a US Army soldier who has been assigned a task in a new research project undertaken by the government. The device, developed by Dr. Rutledge (Wright), is capable of extracting the memory of a dead person limited to the last 8 minutes before death. A passenger train in Chicago was bombed and many more such attacks are to follow. Colter Stevens is asked to assume the identity of a passenger on the train whose memory has been extracted. He has 8 minutes to go back in time and assume the identity of the person and find the bomber, if the 8 minutes run out, he is reset back in the same scenario over and over again until his mission is completed, however, each reset means that the bomber in reality is slowly approaching his and Colter has very little time. He meets Christina (Monoghan) on the train who is an associate of the man whose identity he has assumed and falls in love with her. Apart from just deactivating the bomb, he wants to save the lives of every other person on the train, including Christina. In order to understand the format of the movie in more simpler terms, simply imagine yourself playing a computer game where each unsuccessful mission makes you reset the game and you try a different tactic. The movie gets boring with the same scenarios occurring over and over again with a very weak climax. The romance bit too didn't help too much but just made it a bigger bore. 

Thumbs up: Nothing in particular

Thumbs down: Boring plot and story

Rating: 6.0/10

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Limitless (2011)

Genre: Science-fiction/Crime/Drama

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard

Another druggie movie? Maybe, maybe not. Eddie Morra (Cooper) is a low-life aspiring writer who lacks inspiration and words to fulfill his book contract. His girlfriend Lindy (Cornish) dumps him because he cant support himself and his life is not going anywhere he wants it to go. He meets his ex-girlfriends brother on the streets one day who used to be a drug peddler and now claims to be a consultant for a pharmaceutical company. He shows him a new drug called NZT which is due to be made legal in the market which enhances the brains efficiency and improves the persons working capacity. Eddie suddenly receives a shower of enlightenment and is able to write a book in four days and accomplish multiple tasks he couldn't do earlier. He realises that book writing is not going to make him filthy rich so he starts trading on the stock market and quickly gets employed in a stock broking company. He develops an algorithm which makes him determine which way the stock market is going and ends up making millions of dollars. Enter Carl Van Loon (De Niro) a business tycoon who wants to use Eddie's knowledge in helping him improve takeover deals and make him more money. Like any other drug, NZT too has its side-effects whose knowledge and consequences Eddie is unaware of. To answer the very question, yes this is just another drug movie with nothing real to offer. The only good part about the movie is the unique twists in the storyline. Even these twists aren't all that great but somehow manage to improve the movies overall impact and make it more interesting. A decent watch which could have been better.

Thumbs up: Decent improvements to the storyline

Thumbs down: Another run-of-the-mill drug movie

Rating: 6.2/10

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Zoom (2006)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Science-fiction/Fantasy/Adventure/Action

Starring: Tim Allen, Courteney Cox, Chevy Chase, Spencer Breslin, Kate Mara, Michael Cassidy, Ryan Newman

The Zenith Team was a team of super-heroes led by Zoom (Allen) many years ago. The team collapsed when the government tried to artificially enhance their powers which turned Zoom's brother Concussion onto the evil side who subsequently killed all the team members except Zoom who simply lost his powers. Concussion was presumed dead and now the government has information that he will return in less than 10 days. Zoom is now a demoralised aging man who doesn't believe in super-heroes anymore and is recruited by the government to initiate a training programme where people with unique powers are to be recruited and trained by Zoom. A new team is formed consisting of Tucker aka Mega-Boy (Breslin) who can inflate any part of his body, Summer aka Wonder (Mara) who can control objects with her mind, Dylan aka Houdini (Cassidy) who can become invisible and Cindy aka Princess (Newman) who has super-strength. Time is slowly ticking by and the new team is far from ready. With Zoom not having any amount of faith in the children, his demoralising and uninterested attitude don't help things too much. The movie tries to blend every possible genre known to movie-making and makes a big mess of things. Multiple lose strings, scenes added without having anything to do with the storyline and unexplained parts plague the entire movie. The movie might just vaguely appeal to the average 7-year-old but still needs a lot to work on. Highly avoidable.

Thumbs up: Nothing at all

Thumbs down: Bad story, poor acting

Rating: 4.9/10

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Hellboy (2004)

Genre: Science-fiction/Fantasy/Drama/Action/Romance/Thriller

Starring: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, Karel Roden

Towards the end of World War II, Adolf Hitler attempts at opening a dimensional portal and to free the Ogdru Jahad, a beast from another dimension in order to destroy the Allies. Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin (Roden) succeeds in opening the portal but their attempt is stubbed by an Allied attack on the portal, led by Prof. Trevor Broom (Hurt). Although the Nazi's attempt fails, a creature from the portal manages to pass through which the Allies adopt and name Hellboy (Perlman). Sixty years later, Hellboy grows up with Prof. Broom and does good for the world rather than evil. FBI agent John Meyers (Evans) is recruited by Broom to aid him in his Bureau and look after Hellboy. Rasputin's followers resurrect him and unleash a fearsome beast on the world which multiplies each time it dies. Its finally up to Hellboy to put a stop to Rasputin and prevent him from re-opening the portal. The movie does a very good job of mixing various elements together, yet the romance element does not seem to suit the movie and its plot and it makes it a tad boring. Probably if the focus was on the usual action and trying to solve the mystery, the movie would have been a less of a bore. The movie leaves behind a lot of lose and unanswered strings which make you wonder what really is going on. Probably they would get answered in upcoming sequences, yet the audience needs to have a basic understanding of the plot if one expects them to enjoy the subsequent parts. Its not something entirely new, but not something completely boring.

Thumbs up: Good thrills and action

Thumbs down: Unanswered and messy plot

Rating: 6.4/10

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Doomsday (2008)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Science-fiction/Thriller

Starring: Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester, David O'Hara, Craig Conway

A disease can erupt anytime, anywhere to anyone. It gives no warning and it gives no reason. Glasgow, Scotland, 2008, one such deadly virus erupted in this bustling city which quickly spread throughout Scotland like wild fire. The British government built a huge impenetrable wall covering the length and breadth of the Scottish borders. Scotland was put under quarantine and all its inhabitants were left there to die. London, 2035, the deadly Scottish virus reaches the city of London. 3 years ago the government stumbled upon evidence which showed human survivors in Scotland but did nothing about it. With London under threat, the government finally decides to send a team of soldiers to make their way through Scotland and come back with a cure within 48 hours. Major Eden Sinclair (Mitra) has been chosen to lead the team into what is possibly a wild, carnivorous and deadly territory. At first glance, the movie hugely reminds you of the Will Smith starrer, I Am Legend, with the basic outline being more or less the same. The movie feels dragged, predictable and boring at multiple occasions and seems like a very patchy and a last minute job. Poor performances does not help too much in uplifting this movie any further. Could have been better, but only slightly.

Thumbs up: Action, but vaguely

Thumbs down: Performances, plot execution

Rating: 5.9/10

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The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)

Genre: Fantasy/Science-fiction/War/Comedy/Drama

Starring: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey

During the Vietnam War, a United States Army soldier, Bill Django (Bridges) gained enlightenment on how to make war more peaceful. His teachings and trainings taught soldiers how to use their minds more effectively, which in turn led to the foundation of The New World Army. The army developed psychic soldiers aka super soldiers aka Jedi warriors who could use their minds to higher degree than normal humans. Lyn Cassidy (Clooney) went on to become one of the most powerful of these Jedi Warriors, much to the envy of co-soldier Larry Hooper (Spacey). Years later, a failed journalist, Bob Wilton (McGregor) decides to go and cover the Iraq war in a hope to redeem his life and prove to the world that he is not a failure. He stumbles across Cassidy and accompanies him on a secret mission of whose objective and location is not known to Cassidy. The movie has a very typical George Clooney humour and is the only reason one must watch it. There is no real end objective to the movie. It feels empty and you really don't know what point it is driving at. Performances are probably the only highlight, especially George Clooney's and apart from that, there isn't anything else in the movie. Only for Clooney fans.

Thumbs up: Mr. Clooney

Thumbs down: Plot

Rating: 6.9/10

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Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Genre: Science-fiction/Fantasy/Action/Adventure

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz (voice)

Young Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) is young no more and is now a Jedi warrior in training. Multiple solar systems have decided to break-off from the Republic, making it difficult for the few Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order within the galaxy. Senator Amidala (Portman) is facing an assassination threat since she is spear-heading the movement for the creation of an Army of the Republic to assist the Jedi Knights. Obie-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) and Anakin are assigned to protect Senator Amidala at all costs. Their adventures reveal that Count Dooku (Lee) a former Jedi has joined the dark side and is planning a well strategies attack on the Republic. Meanwhile, Obie-Wan learns of the existence of a huge clone army made for the assistance of the Republic, on the orders of a Jedi leader who died several years ago. Anakin falls in love with Amidala and lets his emotions supersede his Jedi mind. The movie is a decent continuation from where it last left, yet there seems to be an evident disconnect from the main storyline. The movie feels like a random filler to the main outline and lacks any kind of climax or twist which would make one want to wait for the next movie. The graphics are extremely refined, although they do look like a video game from time-to-time. A great movie for Star Wars fans with some very good action pieces, but still does not live up to the mark of the earlier movies.

Thumbs up: Great graphics, good action

Thumbs down: Feels disconnected from the main plot

Rating: 7.0/10

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Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)

Genre: Science-fiction/Fantasy/Adventure/Drama/Comedy

Starring: Chris D'Owd, Marc Wootton, Dean Lennox Kelly, Anna Faris, Meredith MacNeil

Three friends, Ray (D'Owd), Toby (Wootton) and Pete (Kelly) are siting in a pub and are discussing a topic they are least likely to discuss, time travel. Ray believes in it and reads various fictitious books on time travel. He meets Cassie (Faris) who claims to be a professional time traveller and who knows Ray from the future because he becomes really famous. Toby, who is a film fanatic, writes a crazy movie story which unknown to him would lead him to an adventure of a life-time. Pete refuses to believe Ray's story and after taking a piss, sees a pub full of dead people including himself. He allegedly went through a time-leak and managed to see the future and is badly shaken. The three friends start an adventure through time and realise that Toby's crazy movie idea made them famous, so famous that they might just get killed. The movie attempts at a wacky and crazy plot and almost manages to pull it off. the first half is confusing, slow and boring and its only during the second half that the movie picks up pace and starts making more sense. Perhaps if the movie was more than just going in and out of time and had some interesting parallel plots running alongside it, the movie might have been an even better watch. A nice movie, but may not appeal to all.

Thumbs up: Attempt at a great plot

Thumbs down: Slightly dragged and may not appeal to every ones tastes

Rating: 6.8/10

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Inception (2010)

Genre: Science-fiction/Action/Thriller/Mystery

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy

Mind, one of the most complex objects ever known. So complex, that we ourselves don't know the full potential of this amazing creation. Subconsciously, many of us hide our deep, dark and secret memories away in one tiny corner of the brain, not expecting anyone to find it. Cobb (DiCaprio) is an extractor, who goes inside ones memory and digs out and steals that very information that you try to hide. His entire procedure involves the extensive use of dreams. Dreams are randomly created by the brain, a function that he takes over and artificially creates a well-structured dream. Through this dream, he carefully plans a crafty plot by which he gets access to any information he needs. Saito (Watanabe) a Japanese business tycoon wants to do the exact opposite of extraction, inception. If information can be stolen from a dream, he believes it is possible to also plant information via a dream. Robert Fischer (Murphy) is the heir apparent of Saito's rival company and Saito wants him to break off his fathers massive business empire so that he may then control the industry. If Cobb could plant an emotion in Fischer's mind which would make him want to do away with the empire, Cobb would be handsomely rewarded. Cobb has had a very shaky past with his wife, Mal (Cotillard) who died in an accident. Cobb was never able to forget Mal and she somehow keeps getting in-between his dreams and missions and almost ruins them. Inception is not child's play and Cobb understands that he is putting his and five others' lives in danger while trying to perform this. The movie definitely gains appraisal for putting together such a fantastic plot and not executing it in a cliched manner. The mix of fantasy and reality with the regular back and forth keeps the story alive and going. It does, however, get a little tedious and dragged towards the end when you feel you have had enough of dreaming and want a bit of sane reality. The movie is as heavy as a thousand elephants and don't be surprised if you have a wonderful headache with too much information brimming your brain. The movie would not appeal to everyone due to its intense nature but a sure-shot watch for the fanatic. Leonardo as always, ensures quality performance that remains consistent to his style throughout. Worth every little penny that you have in your pocket.

Thumbs up: Fabulous plot, plot execution and performances

Thumbs down: Gets a bit too heavy to tolerate towards the end.

Rating: 8.8/10

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