Pratheej On Cinema: 07/12/13

Friday 12 July 2013

PACIFIC RIM ("MONSTERS V/S ALIENS")

July 12, 2013

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Ray.

Director: Guillermo Del Torro.

It is not too much to expect something different from the man who gave us Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy. Guillermo Del Torro continues his way of surprising people with Pacific Rim.

Here it is a different take about the alien invasion where the Godzilla like aliens called Kaijus come from a passage way seated deep within the Pacific. When the humans realise the Kaijus are not gonna stop coming unless they take some drastic measures they start building “Jaegers” or biomechanically linked human-driven robots as defense.

After the US Jaeger “Gypsy Ranger” loses a battle to Kaiju resulting in the death of one of the Railegh brothers (the pilots), the governments across the world decide to abandon the Jaeger program in favour of a wall built against the Pacific. When that, as expected, fails miserably it’s upto the Jaeger teams across the world to form a resistance that will decide the fate of the world.

Plot-wise Pacific Rim has nothing new to offer except for the timespan and the enormity of the events happening which is done by Del Torro with the help of a voice-over (something he seems to have deliberately planned so as to make the film loaded with nothing but action).

After the first battle between Gypsy Ranger and a Kaiju, Del Torro dedicates a little bit of time to build up the scene for the final battle against the Kaijus. But the waiting time, that seems to fly by, is very well rewarded once the action starts rolling sometime before the interval. And once it starts you are in for a feast followed by a heavy desert!!!

Del Torro seems to have made the film keeping in mind only two words – Entertainment galore!! The people who thought the Transformers look alike robots would be much similar to the Transformer series are in for a real surprise. Del Torro offers a dazzling display of action loaded with splendid special effects especially during the Jaeger-Kaiju encounters!

The battle involving Gypsy Ranger and the category 4 Kaiju where Gypsy Ranger beats the living hell outta the Kaiju with a ship is one of the highlights of the film. As an action junkie you would never be able to ask for more.

I am giving a 3.25/5 for Pacific Rim. You are being offered 2 hours of jaw dropping effects and some kick ass action. This one is a battle you do not wanna miss!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2 - Unwatchable.

2 to 2.25 - Below average.

2.5 to 2.75 - Average.

3 to 3.25 - Good.

3.5 to 3.75 - Really Good.

4 to 4.25 - Great.

4.5 and above - Extraordinary.

BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG ("OVER INDULGENCE KILLS")

July 12, 2013

Cast: Farhan Akthar, Sonam Kapoor.

Director: Rakesyh Omprakash Mehra.

For the last few months a particular trailer has been revving up excitement amongst all Indians promising to deliver a fiery adventure full of fast paced action; and that is the trailer of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag!

But the moment you see the Censor Board certificate of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag with 187 minutes runtime, the first sensation of doubt and anxiety strikes you. Your doubts start getting solidified once the film starts rolling and a few minutes into it you would bid adieu to all that hope of a fast paced thriller. Inspite of being a person who enjoys serious drama, I found myself checking the time every now and then.

Bhaag Milkha starts off very promisingly enough with the 1960 Rome Olympics race where Milkha Singh finishes fourth. But after that bit by bit boredom creeps in when Mehra starts showing signs of over indulgence bringing in a barrage of details; way too many details! The unnecessary songs in the already long film add fuel to the fire!

The inclusion of various flings of Milkha (some which might have been necessary for the film) coupled with the songs for each of those flings do nothing other than adding to the length of the film. Same is the case with the real footage of the various Olympic meets and the extra long depiction of his childhood, notwithstanding the fact that it is a director simply trying to be earnest in his portrayal.

When it is a biopic it is understandable to include as many details as possible to portray a correct picture, but then there is also a few parameters that determine the intensity of a film, something which Mehra seems to have utterly missed in his effort to come up with an epic, and the end result is a stretched out film with bits and pieces of inspiration!

If there are two reasons why you should watch Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, they are Farhan Akthar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the sheer effort they have put in for achieving perfection. Farhan Akthar sizzles as the inspiring Milkha, who would have been one of the greatest icons in Bollywood if not for the ultra long screenplay. Divya Dutta and Pavan Malhotra play their parts very well offering support to Milkha.

Visually spectacular, Bhaag Milkha has the trademark Mehra slo mo shots in a song, the likes of which you have seen in Rang de Basanti’s “Khalbali”. The BGM is more like an ECG offering some really innovative tunes at times and very clichéd ones otherwise.

The moments in the film involving training and athletic meets are nothing short of fabulous and Mehra has to be really appreciated for such splendid execution, something that is a rarity in Hindi Cinema where you always require masala no matter what!

This film could have been an epic if Mehra had seen it from a third party’s perspective, something that would have gone a really long way in limiting the over indulgence.

I am giving a 3/5 for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Watch it for Farhan Akthar and the sheer honesty and efforts involved in it’s execution. If you are patient enough and you will be rewarded with some really exciting races.