TRON: Legacy Movie Review

It has been my most eagerly anticipated movie of the year and I’d have to say that TRON: Legacy has pretty much lived up to my expectations. The movie features somewhat the most breathtaking and immersive 3D action sequences and graphics that I’ve ever seen.

The movie begins with the disappearance of Kevin Flynn, an innovative software programmer who created the popular arcade game TRON, in the year 1989. Before he disappears, he tells the world that he’s working on "a digital frontier that will reshape the human condition.”

 Kevin Flynn

Then, 20-odd years later in the present day, Kevin’s close friend, Alan Bradley, receives a message on his pager device from Kevin’s office. Alan gets hold of Sam Flynn, Kevin’s son, and tells him about the message.

Curious, Sam goes to his father’s office. And after a relatively slow start, the story takes off from there. Sam accidentally gets transported into the digital world of TRON, where he’s mistaken to be a computer program.

 A 'light disc' duel

The underlying theme of this movie is how a son (Sam) sets out to rescue his father (Kevin) who gets trapped in his own creation. This shapes the course of the movie. Together, they must evade Clu 2, a computer program created by Kevin who turns on him. To know how the story ends, I’m afraid you’ve got to watch the movie for yourself.

For me, the best action in the movie takes place when Sam encounters spectacular one-on-one ‘light disc’ duels with numerous TRON programs. Apart from the ‘light disc’ duels, the ‘light cycle’ battles are also great.

The 'light cycle' battle

The one thing that I really loved about the movie was the blue and orange illuminated body suits. Everything else from the transport ships to the buildings were also illuminated in these two colours. Set against a dark backdrop, these colours really stood out.

I watched the movie in 3D, and I think to feel the full effect of the world of TRON one has to watch the movie in 3D. My friend watched it in the 2D format and he said that there was nothing particularly great about the movie.

One of the transport ships in the movie

The irony of it though is that during the first half-hour or so, before Sam gets transported into TRON, there’s not a single 3D effect. So, I removed my 3D glasses and just watched the movie like that, which was actually a good thing because it’s not all that comfortable to have to wear 3D glasses on top of regular glasses.

I’d say that the director, Joseph Kosinski, has done a relatively good job with the movie. Undoubtedly, the graphics and 3D effects are simply amazing, but I felt that the movie could do with a little more twist and turns as the net running time of the movie was a little less than two hours.

Quorra, the fearless TRON warrior

The film also features a stellar cast. Jeff Bridges plays the aged Kevin Flynn as well as the program Clu 2. Garrett Hedlund portrays the bold Sam Flynn while Olivia Wilde plays the role of Quorra, the only computer program who’s on the same side with Sam and his father. She’s also an adept warrior in the movie.

There were certain bits in the movie where I couldn’t put two and two together. Perhaps that’s because I hadn’t watched the original Tron movie which was released in 1982 prior to watching this one. However, I strongly do feel that there will be a sequel to TRON: Legacy because this movie didn’t seem quite finished. 

Overall rating: 8.5/10 (Best movie of the year for me!)

Alice in Wonderland Movie Review

Having gotten rave reviews in the mainstream media, and based on my friends recommendations, I decided to watch Alice in Wonderland. However, I must say that my general impression after having watched the movie, which is directed by Tim Burton, falls some way off my expectations.

To begin with, I would say that there is nothing wrong with the movie. There are no flaws to the storyline, there are pretty decent cinematography and film effects, and also they’ve got the right people to bring alive the characters in the movie. But that’s just about where it stops. Nothing great; nothing particularly special about the movie.

This feature film, which is adapted from Lewis Caroll’s similarly titled novel, aroused much fanfare due to its release in 3-D trim. Believe it or not, I hadn’t watched any movie in 3-D before, so I was looking to make this the first movie that I watched in 3-D.

Speaking of the 3-D experience, there is nothing much to shout about. The glasses for one made me feel very uncomfortable since I already have a pair of spectacles. Therefore, I literally had six eyes for the duration of the movie!

The story begins with Alice having to meet with a perspective candidate for marriage, and he proposes her. Alice isn’t quite open to this idea though. Then, Alice sees a rabbit that is intent on leading her somewhere. Curious, she follows the rabbit and so, down they go a rabbit hole and end up in Wonderland, which is inhabitated by all sorts of peculiar creatures.

The main characters in the film, besides Alice (Mia Wasikowska) of course, are The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). The performance of Alice is palpable on screen, while The Mad Hatter and Red Queen are standouts from my point of view. I am a little disappointed with the White Queen though.

Although Depp’s portrayal of The Mad Hatter seems clichéd as some of his actions are reminiscent of his trademark acting in the Pirates films, especially the way he walks, but they still make for great entertainment. The Red Queen on the other hand is very much glum, like the way she shouts her head off, and this spices things up!

What’s the climax of the movie, you must be wondering? It’s the battle between the Red Queen (supposedly bad) and the White Queen (supposedly good) for control over Wonderland. I’d not give too much away, but I am sure you can already picture the ending.

The easy going and light-hearted nature of this movie makes it  for a good family outing. I’m sure watching the movie in normal mode would be more than enough, but if you fancy something different, then 3-D it is. As I had said earlier, there’s nothing bad about this movie, and nothing great either. But it's worthwhile enough to spend two hours of your free time though.

The Verdict

6/10

'The Hurt Locker' Rocks

Eat humble pie – that’s exactly what I have got to do. Ask me why? Well, that’s because of my angry tirade against the results of the Oscar awards... for choosing The Hurt Locker as the best motion picture ahead of Avatar. It was an unwarranted outburst to say the least, as I hadn't watched the movie yet. But now that I have watched The Hurt Locker, I must say that it has earned its stripes in an admirable fashion.

Set in the war-ravaged homeland of the Iraqis, this movie has all the ingredients of a multiple Oscar award-winning film. It also has loads of action and drama befitting a war film, besides being based on real-life happenings. It has good sound effects too. And the best of it all, it leaves the mind of the viewer to wonder what is going to happen next as the suspense is unbelievably high in this film!

You must be wondering why I used the term ‘unbelievingly high’ to describe the suspense of the movie. The reason behind that is because every time the three-man US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, on which the movie is centred on, is called into action, you never know when there is an insurgent lurking in the background, ready to detonate a bomb.

When you think something is going to happen, nothing happens, and when you think all is calm and secure, BOOM!

The movie starts at an intense pace. The EOD team is called in to secure an area. After the US Army clears everyone out of the danger zone, they get down to work. Ironically, just when the situation seems to be under control, disaster strikes. Of all things, a hand phone triggers a heavy bomb blast, by accident that is.

The movie offers a peak into what life is in a war-torn country like Iraq. The people there are forced to evacuate whenever there is a bomb scare, and as a result of that, they can barely go on with their daily lives. Furthermore, when the EOD team is at work, people would watch what they do with intent. Not surprising since they have got nothing better to do.

In addition to that, viewers get to have a glimpse into the lives of US Army personnel. There are the customary profanities slammed at one another every now and then, and the occasional ungodly hand gestures. Then, there is the professionalism of the US Army in carrying out these tasks, plus how they work together as a unit, though intermittent frictions are all but inevitable.

Nobody would believe that this movie cost a mere $11 million to make. I still don’t believe it, even after watching the movie as the film effects and cast among others are of the highest quality. The director, Kathryn Bigelow, who coincidently happens to be the ex-wife of James Cameron, has done a good job shooting this movie in Jordan and working on a shoestring budget.

What baffles me though to no end is the fact that The Hurt Locker didn’t get a substantial amount of publicity prior to and also after its release. I guess not many people even heard of it until it appeared in the running to win the Oscars. And now, people like me scramble madly to watch this movie.

Having said that, I cannot comment on whether The Hurt Locker fully deserves its Oscar win or not, for to compare The Hurt Locker with Avatar is tantamount to comparing Michael Schumacher with Lance Armstrong. Both movies are based on completely different storylines and have their respective plus-points.

But what I can say for sure is that The Hurt Locker belongs in the legion of the best movies ever. So, go watch it, and as I would put it, go see what’s the fuss all about.

The Verdict:

8/10

"The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug."

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Movie Review

The ancient, fabled and legendary Olympians come back to life in Chris Columbus’s amazing and classy latest feature film, entitled ‘Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief’ that has been adapted from Rick Riordan’s similarly titled novel.

The central idea, or rather the mystery that charts the direction of the movie is that Zeus’s lightning bolt has been stolen. It is the most powerful bolt, and weapon, that any god can acquire. And all fingers point towards Percy Jackson, a young boy suffering from ADHD and dyslexia who happens to be the offspring of Poseidon, the god of the seas.

The plot thickens thereafter. For a start, Percy knows not of his godly powers, and of course, he knows he didn’t steal the lightning bolt. So, there is someone out there who is bent on taking advantage of Percy by framing him and making him a scapegoat.

As Percy travels from one place to another along with his two buddies, Annabeth, the daughter of Athena and the jovial Grover, a half-human half-goat, known as a satyr, in a bid to prove his innocence, they have to endure numerous trials and tribulations.

One thing that sets this movie apart from many other movies correlated to the ancient Greek mythology is the way in which it is able to seamlessly condense the mythological gods into the present day modern world. Plus, with the gods having children, it makes the story much more interesting.

Of course, due credit has to be given to Riordan for his brilliant novel on which basis the story is centred, but the good movie graphics and film effects are the brainchild of the director. Furthermore, the way in which the director is able to convey the story in an engaging and appealing manner has to be applauded.

In addition to that, don’t forget the cast. Logan Lerman, who plays Percy, has revelled in his biggest project thus far. He enthuses much life into his character. Alexandra Dodario, whose character is Annabeth, also stars in her biggest assignment prior to this movie while Brandon T.Jackson, who plays Grover, delivers a nonchalant yet sublime performance.

Although the chief characters in the movie are mostly unknown quantities to the world at large, bigger names such as Sean Bean, Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan add quality and experience to the line-up of the cast, though they play smaller roles in the movie.

On a separate note, I would say that the movie isn't really an action flick. Instead, it is geared more towards adventure. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if elderly folks don’t quite like this movie, but surely those who are younger will like it.

Certain scenes in the movie, for instance when Percy battles Annabeth in a mock war-like game where she boasts she had never lost before or when they dance to Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ in Las Vegas while searching for a pearl are my favourite parts of the movie. I also liked the part where they paid a visit to hell!

Unlike many, I hadn’t read the novel nor viewed the trailer before watching this movie. Therefore, I just went into the cinema with a clear head not having a clue on what was going to happen next, which I feel fueled the suspense even more.

On the overall, this is a superb movie that would give you a worthy return for your money. I am sure you would have a good time watching the movie, and if you like it, which I think you would, a sequel that is slated for release in the year 2012 would be awaiting you. 

The Verdict

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

'All Iz Well' in '3 Idiots'

‘3 Idiots’ is one of the most meaningful movies that I have seen throughout my life. Infused with some wacky sense of comedy at times, it stars the widely-acclaimed Aamir Khan alongside Sharman Joshi and R.Madhavan as the main characters in the movie. Kareena Kapoor is the lead actress.

Don't get put-off by the name of the movie, for the movie is anything but about three idiots. Many people, me included, thought this was going to be a foolish movie with petty comedy but that surely wasn't the case. Thus, it is no surprise that this movie has broken the Bollywood box-offive record.

The central-idea to the movie is that Rancho (Khan), Raju (Joshi) and Farhan (Madhavan) are living together in the campus of their university, which is the fictional Imperial College of Engineering, one of the best of its kind in the whole of India. As the name of the college sounds, the three of them are enrolled there to study engineering.

The movie starts in real-time but about quarter of an hour into the movie, the flashback starts. The college episode is all part of the flashback, which is narrated by Farhan.

Actually, the beginning of the plot is regarding the date ‘Sep 5’. It was ten years back that a nerdy maniac, Chatur Ramalingam, had placed a bet with Rancho on who would be successful in life in ten years time.

And so, it was 10 years already, and Chatur called on Raju and Farhan to follow him to meet Rancho, to see who was indeed more successful in life. And then, as they travel to find Rancho, who had disappeared, they had to undergo a lot of detours. One of the climax of the story is when viewers find out Rancho isn’t actually Rancho. But you would only understand by watching the movie.

As their journey to search for Rancho progressed, the flashback on what transpired 10 years back made the whole picture much clearer. Their life at college was obviously the focus of the flashback.

From that, viewers know that Rancho was a bright student with bags of potential but he disliked the education system which was all directed towards who-has-the-most-marks kind a type of thing.

Many a times, he would challenge the professors and lecturers at the classes with his rhetorical ideas. He even challenged the head of the campus, Professor Sahastrabudhhe, with his uncanny fundamentals. The Professor was absolutely ticked off by Rancho’s behavior and was totally fed up with him.

The Professor always said, “Life is a race....” And as Rancho got more out-of-hand in the eyes of the Professor, he attempted to break the strong friendship bond between Rancho and Raju and Farhan. Professor Sahastrabudhhe did so by calling Raju’s and Farhan’s parents and informing them of the menace in the form of Rancho who was disturbing their children’s education.

Although Rancho was always lambasting the professors and didn’t pay much attention in class, he used to claim the top-spot in the exams. This is a stark contrast to what his two friends used to get – they were always at the rear-end of the marks list. This caused Raju to reconsider his friendship with Rancho at one point.

I wouldn’t like to spoil your appetite in wanting to watch the movie, so I would leave the rest of the story to you. Just to add on a little bit more, Pia (Kapoor), the daughter of Professor Sahastrabudhhe, began developing feelings for Rancho, much to the dismay of her father.

On a personal note, I like the movie most because of its messages which can be closely related to our daily lives. For instance, parents who pre-determine the fate of their children’s careers the moment they are born.

The other messages range from students who commit suicide due to the pressure of education to the rigid education system in which nerdy individuals who memorize textbooks are rewarded whilst visionary budding talents are wasted.

The mantra coined by Rancho, “All Iz Well”, reflects Rancho’s belief that we should focus on the present and live it as it is, instead of worrying over the future in the case of Raju, who used to constantly think of the fate of his yet unmarried 28 year-old sister.

In addition to that, Rancho’s dislike of the default education system in India would lead him to start his own school that is conducive to the growth of budding talents. He says in the movie, “Choose excellence – and success will follow.”

There is much more to the movie than what I have penned here. Perhaps, my explanation would do no justice to the real greatness of the movie. My sincere advice is for you to watch the movie.

Even if you are not Hindi-literate, just watch it for quite a bit of the talking is done in English. The sure thing here is that the movie has a very deep meaning and it is something different to what we are used to watching.

The Verdict:

Overall Rating: 9/10

Have you watched '3 Idiots'? If yes, what are your reservations? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Review of the Drama Series 'Merlin'

Need a break from all the TV drama series such as Lost, CSI and a host of other shows? Well, then I guess you could try watching Merlin. Merlin is an amazing British drama series set in the medieval times of the yesteryear.

Maybe some of you would have already heard of this series, but many still don’t know much about it. Actually, this is the best TV drama series that I have watched over these years. I mean, I don’t have access to satellite or pay-per-view TV stations, so I don’t quite have the tools to explore many other drama series out there, but yea, this makes for a good viewing experience to just wind down, relax and be entertained.

Merlin, though it is the title of the series, is actually the name of a young man who is the central protagonist in the plot of the story. He has a likable, easy-going character and most of the time his character is portrayed in a humorous and enjoyable manner.

The mystery of the story lies in the fact that Merlin possesses magical powers. The King, named Uther, is the ruler of the land called Camelot where the story is centred. He is essentially in an all-out battle against magic for he sees it to pose a risk to his autonomy power over the throne that he presides on.

Gaius

Therefore, Merlin’s magical powers are unknown to everybody, except for the King’s trusted deputy, Gaius. Gaius took care of Merlin after knowing of his secret powers and has protected him thereafter. Additionally, Gaius is responsible to further enhance Merlin’s magical prowess, but all this has to be done in utmost level of secrecy.

Officially, Merlin is known to be the servant of Arthur, crown prince and the one and only child that Uther has. Arthur actually has a sister, Lady Morgana, but she is the adopted child of Uther. Arthur is more than often seen to be a friend of Merlin, but he doesn’t seem to give much respect to Merlin. After all, you may say Merlin is just his servant.

Arthur

But no – Merlin is more than that. Merlin has helped save Arthur on numerous occasions using his magic. Of course though, Arthur, who is a worthy knight, doesn’t know. He thinks that he is the greatest fighter as he has never been beaten, when in true fact, he is heavily indebted to Merlin.

Just in case you were wondering if is there a Guinevere in the story since there are Arthur and Merlin from the tales of ‘King Arthur and His Seven Knights’, there indeed is a Guinevere in the story. She is a royal servant, just like Merlin. Interestingly, she happens to have a strong bond towards Arthur.

One one or two occasions, even Lancelot appeared. However, I am quite sure there is nothing in similarity between King Arthur and Merlin. Well, that is because this series has an all new plot and storyline.

Every week, the series has a new adventure, a new twist and a new saga. Fictional creatures such as dragons, trolls and witches have been featured. I must accept the fact that there have been a few episodes where the plot is a letdown, but on the overall, it is beautifully polished.

This is just a brief account of the Merlin series. Definitely there is more to tell, but if you want to know what Merlin is really all about and rate it for yourself, just catch it on TV or on the Internet or where ever else you can find it on.

Zombieland Movie Review

Today, I went to watch Zombieland, a so-called zombie-comedy kind of tie up. Well, after watching it, I can assure you that yes – it is a zombie-comedy tie up – but, other than that, there is nothing much to it.

The plot of the movie revolves around a world that is overtaken by zombies. The zombies are cannibals, for they eat humans, feasting feast-fully on their bodily flesh. Actually, the depiction of the zombies are rather gooey – with blood and botched saliva dripping from their mouth.

So, the main protagonist of the film, a character known simply as Columbus, has his own set of rules, running all the way down to #32 to facilitate him in evading the zombies to continue living. He also has the misconception that he is the last remaining non-cannibal human on the face of the planet.

Then, as he drives out to return to his hometown in Ohio to return to his family's home, he meets Tallahassee, a zombie-killing tough-guy.  Along the way, Columbus and Tallahassee kill a host of zombies using baseball bats and their shotguns and rifles which seemed all too easy for me.

Together, Tallahassee and Columbus move on to the east-coast. Tallahassee, however, itches for a food-stuff called Twinkle. This leads them to a supermarket where they meet two sisters, Little Rock and Wichita, who, after a series of sub-plots, travel together.

But the two sisters have a game plan – trust no one but themselves. They would therefore ditch Tallahassee and Columbus towards the end only for the both of them to come back and save 12 year-old Little Rock and Wichita when the zombies swarm them at an amusement park.

The movie is very barren in the sense that the environment is very dull. A point to note is that the only humans in the movie are the four above and A-List Hollywood actor, Bill Murray, whose house they lived in for a few days. They mistaken Murray as a zombie, when in true fact, he wore make-up to blend in with the zombies so as to save himself from getting eaten.

Besides that, the movie doesn’t really have a plot-line that it follows. It is tantamount to a kid directing a movie, with no headway whatsoever. There aren’t many scenes where I believe as a matter of fact, anyone was in a state suspense. It lacked dramatic scenes in other words.

In addition to that, the conversations and dialogues are also dry and dull, and they tend to slam profanities at one another every so often. Columbus especially has a limited set of expressions. The only bright side to the movie is that it has a sense of humour; wacky at times, but otherwise lame.

Interestingly, the characters in this movie are not known by their real name. Instead, they are addressed by their place of origin.

One thing for sure is that the movie is definitely not a horror flick. I cannot really say what the director wanted to achieve with this sort of a movie. In a way, yes – it is different, but different in a negative manner.

I would simply say that the movie is downright stupid, lame and dim-witted to comprehend it better. How on earth it could pass the test to be screened in cinemas worldwide is another mystery in itself.

I wasted 12 Ringgit and one and a half precious hours of my Sunday watching the movie. Fine, not my twelve bucks since my cousin paid for it, but come on, trust me – it ain’t worth watching, unless you don’t have qualms about wasting your time and money that is.

The Verdict:

Storyline: Negligible a.k.a. Non-Existent
Character Portrayal: 5/10
Humour: 6.5/10
Overall: 4/10

Ice Age 3 Movie Review

I know that this is a little too late for the Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs movie review, but I decided I had to review it after watching it on VCD recently.

For me, this is truly the most enthralling, enchanting, wacky as well as action-packed animated feature film of all time. The graphics were jaw-dropping, the storyline immersing, and the characters and their roles provided a perfect blend with the movie.

The story starts with the nut-loving Scrat running aimlessly for his priced nut which in all dubiosity, he had not eaten ever since the first movie. He then meets his opposite sex, Scratte, and throughout the movie, the limelight comes back to them.

Then, Manny hysterically puts the whole kingdom on the verge of pandemonium by announcing that Ellie is due. That was a false alarm though. At this instance, the plot was slow moving as it was only the build up to the blockbuster part.

Diego says that he would have to leave since Manny’s fanaticism with his family matters was none of his business, and this prompts Sid to find his ‘own’ friends too. Interestingly, Sid finds three eggs after falling down into a cave, and he decides to keep them, against the wishes of Manny.

Soon, the eggs hatch, but no one has to clue as to what they are. Before long, the mother comes looking for the eggs, and takes them together with Sid to an unknown world below the ice. A rescue mission led by Manny ensues. Later on, Diego joins forces with them at the dinosaur-land, and they also meet a pirate-like weasel called Buck.

In the words of Buck, they have to endure and outwit the jungle of misery, the chasm of death and the plates of woe in order to save Sid. The worst part – there is this monstrous mother-of-all dinosaurs called Rudy that threatens to ruin their rescue mission as well as having them for dinner.

Sid, on the other hand, is terrified at first by the mother of his three ‘kids’ – the T-Rex. She plans to kill Sid at first, but after much effort from Sid, she decides to allow Sid to be part of their family.

As they closed in on Sid, tragedy occurs. Ellie starts experiencing contractions, and then all of a sudden, the rocks start to move. Ellie manages to escape whilst the rest tumble down. At this juncture, Buck decrees that he was to go and save Sid with Crash and Eddie whilst Manny and Diego were to watch over Ellie.

For me, the best part of the movie is now; when Buck grabs a sort of flyable dinosaur and rides it as if it were a horse. However, trouble brews as tens of other flyable dinosaurs fly in a formation reminisce of jet-fighters and tail the dinosaur that Buck and company were on. Then, as they navigate through the volcano that was spitting hot lava, Crash and Eddie grab ‘ammunition’ from a plant and using a slingshot, shoot off the nasty creatures out of their tail.

Sid, who thought that he had seen the end of his end when he falls off the lava waterfall, is rescued. Back at the place where the others were, Ellie had given birth to a baby girl. Manny and Diego had warded off loads of dinosaurs in that period of time too.

With that, they begin their journey back. They reach the cave that leads back to their home, but guess what – Rudy was waiting for them! Together with the leadership of Buck; Diego, Manny and Sid brought the big beast to the ground. But it didn’t last long. Rudy was back on its feet. Then, the T-Rex that had taken Sid in its family came out of the blues to send Rudy down a cliff.

After saying the customary good-byes, they went back to their world. At first, Buck wanted to follow them, but from afar, he could hear Rudy rumbling. And so he decided that his world is here, not with Manny and the rest of them.

In a round-up, I would say that this movie makes for a good family viewing. The director and production crew together with the actors who have lent their voices to the characters have come up with a beautiful end-product. The movie is further enriched by humour, and therefore if you haven’t watched it, grab a DVD from the nearest store.

My Rating:

Animations: 9/10
Storyline: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Overall Rating: 8.5/10

2012: The Movie Review

"Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists and governments. '2012' is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggles of the survisors."

- http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/ -

A colossal letdown. That's how I would sum up my experience of watching '2012' and disappointing and below-par were the first two words that came to my mind after watching the movie.

It was an anti-climax in other words, not the least after all the hype and euphoria that was surrounding it pre-screening. '2012' was on the lips of every individual that I spoke to in the run up to the premiere of the movie. The trailer did its job pretty well, with unwary cinema-goers like me buying the fact that it was going to be one hell of a blockbuster. How wrong was I!

And so I headed into the cinema upbeat and in a state of utter excitement. I was glad I could watch the movie so soon after it was released, and had a premature picture in my mind that this would rank as one of the best movies I had seen in my lifetime.

Getting to the nitty-gritty bits, I would generally say that the plot was highly predictable. As such, you could anticipate what was going to happen next and this to a great extent killed the suspense of the movie. Expect for in the beginning of the movie, where they showed Satnam and the mining facility in India, the plot was lacking in immersive trepidation.

Incredibly glorified in the trailer, the special effects were not up to the standard. There were a good amount of scenes with decent special effects, but too often than not, the parts where the buildings came crashing down to the ground looked downright lame.

The bright spark though was that the cast chosen were well-suited to the make-up of the movie. The role played by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Adrian Helmsley was a blazing success. He made the character of Adrian as his own. His role was sometimes serious, but otherwise, his easy going character bode well with the movie on the whole.

Moreover, the Russian billionaire, Yuri Karpov, was another good portrayal. His character had a distinctive flavor to it. In addition to that, the other members of the cast played their roles with excellence too.

What baffles me most is that how can an old hand like Roland Emmerich, who directed ‘Independence Day’ and ‘The Day After Tomorrow’, direct a movie which is inferior in terms of overall experience compared to his previous two blockbusters. Roland is a highly capable director and surely he will bounce back with more gusto after learning from his mistakes.

Besides that, there is also a resemblance of '2012' with ‘The Day After Tomorrow’. Some might feel that the general flow of the story was same in both the movies. This is because both of the movies hinge on natural catastrophes that befall the human race. Therefore, Roland should have ventured into another movie genre.

To sum it all up in a nutshell, this movie has fallen some way off its desired benchmark that is to be an epic movie. However, the movie still makes for a good viewing, better than the likes of Terminator Salvation, but definitely not in the class of the Transformers franchise.

Overall Rating: 7/10
Plot: 6/10
Special Effects: 6.5/10
Cast: 8.5/10