Movie Review: Ikkis

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A very moving war film from India.

Many Bollywood war films too often suffer from overly simplistic jingoism.  Luckily that is not the case here. This film takes no real sides but instead focuses on the effect that war has upon two countries and those fighting. This film's message is one that is not exactly simplistic. In many ways it is an anti-war film but at the same time it honors the bravery of those who fought. This is frankly the best way to make a war movie because to give a true honest look at war requires something more complex than simple black and white or good and evil. This film also does a great job of exploring the main character and what turns him from a naive boy to a war hero in short time. It also examines what it truly means to be brave through this character. Even the romance, while quite cliché is pretty touching at times. The scenes with his elderly father many years later are also quite touching. This is another very well-developed character. These scenes are also where the film gives its most intelligent commentary about the aftermath of war. 

This movie does however have its problems with clumsy filmmaking at times. The film cuts back and forth between the story of the young war hero and his dad decades later trying to understand the death of his son. Unfortunately, the transitions between these two stories and separate time periods are abrupt and distracting. Sometimes it seems like it cuts from one time period to another at random times. It seems like both characters' stories are intruding on each other throughout. The pacing is also off in this film. Some scenes go on much too long (especially the climactic battle sequence), while others are too rushed (after the romance having been the focus of the film from a while, it is soon sidelined and later given a very rushed conclusion). 

This is a smart and intelligent movie; however, it could have benefited from stronger direction and especially stronger editing. 

Movie Review: Raid 2

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An entertaining drama from India. 

This movie features Indian Revenue Service Officer Amay Patnaik going after another criminal committing a white-collar crime. 

The storyline is very simplistic but there is a certain charm to that. The villain is ridiculously over the top but in a way that is a lot of fun. The hero is very likable but can be almost too perfect at times. However, while these characters may not have any complexity to them, they do their jobs well. We root for the hero and hiss the villain and sometimes this is all you need. Despite the simplicity to the story, there are some very good twists here that help make it quite a bit of fun. The acting is excellent, and these actors do a lot to make these simplistic characters feel more real to us. The humor is pretty good, and I actually laughed a few times watching this. The song numbers are quite a bit of fun, even if the songs are not especially memorable. 

However, the main problem with this film is that it is simply too long for such a simple story. I don't know why so many Bollywood movies feel they have to be so long, but it can cause otherwise fun movies to drag and that certainly happens here. There is also some clumsy dialogue here that sounds forced and could have used a rewrite. 

This is not a great film by any means, but it does provide a fun trip to the movies. 

Movie Review: Superboys of Malegaon

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

A delightful dramedy from India. 

This film has a storyline (that is based on a true story) that is irresistible to movie lovers. This film is about when a young man, who worked in a tiny movie theater in a small town in India (that is showing old silent movies as the can't get the hold of modern films) decides to make his own movies with his friends. However, what starts out well, eventually causes much conflict when egos become involved. The highlight of this film is when we watch them actually make the movies. These scenes are filled with a real sense of playfulness and a great sense of humor mixed with a real loving tribute to the magic of movies. It is hard to imagine any movie lover not loving these scenes. However, the rest of the film is excellent as well. Many of the characters are wonderful and feel completely real to us (I know they were based off real people but still). They are quite likable and relatable, while not being devoid of the faults that make them human. They are also the ultimate underdogs, and this makes it almost impossible to not root for them. 

This film does have its flaws though. The romantic scenes don't quite work, especially since the main character's love interests are the least interesting and least developed characters in the movie. This movie is also longer than it needs to be, and it can drag a little bit in the middle.

This is a loving and fun tribute to the movies that is a delight for any movie fan. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Baby John

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

A decent but overlong action film from India. 

This movie has a lot to like about it. The action scenes are fantastic. They feel larger than life, are well paced, have a good deal of suspense and are quite exciting. Both our hero and his young daughter are very likable. They may not be complex characters, but they are easy to care about and the relationship between them is quite charming. The villain is incredibly over the top but in a way fun way. He is also so cartoonily evil, that it is so easy to hate him. The song numbers are also a lot of fun here. 

The main problem with this film is simply its length. There is no reason for it to be this long. The storyline is a pretty simple straightforward action story that could have been told in an hour and a half. However, the movie is instead over two and a half hours. There are many points when it can really drag. This is especially true in the middle section, which is often downright boring. The film also has the same problem as many Bollywood movies. Its messaging can be a little too on the nose and didactic, even if you agree with it.

There are quite a few things that I really liked about this movie but that doesn't change that it should have been at least an hour shorter.   

Movie Review: The Greatest of All Time

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

An exciting and well-made action thriller from India.

There is a lot to enjoy about this movie. The action scenes are a lot of fun. They are very well paced and staged as well as feeling larger than life in a good way. The main character is quite likable. While he is not complex, it is very easy to root for him. The song numbers are a lot of fun. This is true of both the songs themselves and the choreography. For Bollywood fans this film is also loaded with fun references to various gems of Indian cinema. However, where this movie shines the best is in the last third. The last hour (of this three-hour movie) is very well made. There is a real sense of suspense and urgency throughout as well as some plot twists that keep you guessing what is going to happen next. Much of this is due to the great villain of this movie. When he shows his true colors, he is quite chilling and unpredictable. You never know what he is going to do next, and this kept me firmly on the edge of my seat. There is also some great uses of crosscutting as our heroes try to save the day, while he is growing increasingly dangerous. 

This movie does have the same problem as many Bollywood films today. That is overlength. There is no reason for an action flick like this to be three hours and it definitely feels overstuffed. This movie really drags at times especially in the middle. The special effects here also often look very fake. 

Despite its flaws, this is an exciting action thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. 

Movie Review: Khel Khel Mein

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

A decent enough comedy-drama from India. 

This Indian film is a remake of the Italian movie, Perfect Strangers (2016) (which has already been remade plenty of times). While it can't quite live up to the original, this movie is good enough for a fun trip to the movies. The basic plot of a group of friends having a dinner party where they have to share every text, email and call they receive on their cell phones is still a very clever one. It highlights how everyone has another side to them that even their closest friends don't know about. Also important for a film like this is that the main characters (and the actors portraying them) all have great chemistry with each other. They truly seem like a group of best friends who have known each other their whole lives. Because of this we have an emotional connection to them throughout the whole film, even when things get very soap opera like towards the end. 

The humor in this movie is fine. There definitely moments that I smiled or even laughed out loud here. However, I felt that this movie as a whole was never as funny as it should have been and quite a few comedic moments fall flat. 

This movie also feels much longer than it needs to be, and this causes it to drag sometimes. The music in this movie (with the exception of the opening song) can be quite distracting at times as it often doesn't fit the action on screen. The dialogue in this film can often be too clumsy and preachy. I agree with much of what this movie is saying but sadly the way it chooses to convey these messages is through overly preachy and unnatural dialogue. 

Don't expect anything great from this film but it is reasonably entertaining for what it is.  

Movie Review: Kill

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A well-made action film from India. 

This movie may have a familiar story to any action fan but it is done well enough that you may not care. One of the aspects that really makes this movie stand out is that despite being familiar in some parts there is a real sense of suspense here. Unlike a Hollywood action flick, this film is not afraid to kill off characters that most action films wouldn't touch. With the knowledge that no one is completely safe here, we can actually feel worried about what might happen. The action scenes themselves are very well done with quite a bit of great chorography, cinematography and pacing. All of these enhance these incredibly gory action scenes making them very exciting. The characters and story may be simple, but they do their job of making us care about these characters just enough. 

This film does have its flaws though. Chief these is that as great as the action is, it can get much too repetitive at times especially with the film mostly taking place in one setting. The dialogue during the romantic scenes can feel quite forced and corny at times. 

While not a perfect movie, this has more than enough to satisfy action fans.  

Movie Review: Kalki 2898 AD

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

An engaging sci-fi epic from India. 

One of the main reasons this movie works is because the filmmakers understand that the most important aspect of a sci-fi film is the world building. This movie takes its time building up the world rather than simply rushing into the action. This works very well. By the time we get to the larger action scenes, we know how this world works and what each character is fighting for. This not only gives us an emotional connection to what we are seeing, but for nearly 3 hours we are transported to this sci-fi world. When the action scenes come, they are quite good. The chorography and pacing on them is great. There is also a scope to these action scenes that make some of them feel larger than life. The story is also often very clever with how well it combines mythology with sci-fi. This is done in a smart and effective way and there is even some intelligent commentary snuck in here. 

This movie does have its flaws though. Even though the early scenes take their time setting up the world and the characters, the last act feels really rushed. One of the most important twists especially feels quite rushed and because of this it cannot have the emotional impact it should. This twist can almost feel like a deux ex machina. The ending also feels too abrupt. While I understand that this is the start of a cinematic universe, it feels like the credits just start rolling out of nowhere. While an ending doesn't need to fully end a story, it needs to feel like the ending of this chapter of the story. This doesn't. The movie also often suffers from bad CGI. You can easily tell it is CGI and this can distract from the story. 

Despite its flaws, this is an engaging sci-fi epic that is a lot of fun. I just wish the ending was as good as the rest of the film. 

Movie Review: Crew

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable heist film from India. 

This is one of those movies that works heavily because of the stars. The story about three flight attendants who get involved in a gold smuggling scheme is nothing we haven't seen before. However it is Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon as these three hostesses that make this film worth watching. The three are delightful in these roles and seem to be having a great time making this film. Because of this we simply have a great time watching them. Not only are these fun performances but the three also work together very well. It is simply a lot of fun to watch these three actresses play off each other. Their great chemistry even makes some of the weaker scenes work. Director Rajesh A Krishnan (in what is only his second feature length film) keeps the movie moving at a quick pace. This makes this simply a fun breezy watch that never gets boring. Being less than two hours (short compared to many modern Bollywood films) helps as the runtime goes by very quick.

The humor in this film is okay. There are a few good laughs here, but not anywhere near as much as there should be. This movie tries very hard to be a great comedy as well as a heist film. While it is enjoyable as a comedy, it does fall short of that goal. 

This movie also suffers from weak supporting characters and a very heavy-handed message. The heavy-handed message about wealth and class feels out of place with the rest of this mostly breezy fun movie. 

This is not a great film by any means, but it does provide a fun trip to the movies. Sometimes that is enough. 

Movie Review: Fighter

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A well-made action flick from India. 

This movie is a very straight forward military action flick in the vein of Top Gun. Throughout the film it is obvious that the filmmakers understand exactly what makes these movies so popular. The action scenes here are excellent and not even some poor CGI, can take away from the excitement. These action scenes are well staged, paced and simply very exciting. The main character goes through the type of arc you might expect but it is handled very well here. This is because while he may not be a complex character, he is always a likable one that is very easy to root for. The same can be said for his teammates, who are all very likable. Because we care about these characters the emotional moments here are surprisingly quite effective. I did not expect the emotional moments in this film to work anywhere near as well as they do. The romance here is also very well handled as we actually care about the relationship between these two characters and there is a real chemistry between them. Like a lot of Bollywood films, there are some musical numbers here and they are a lot of fun.

This film (like too many Bollywood movies) does suffer from overlength and there are too many times it can drag a little. There is also some very clumsily dialogue in this movie at times. The movie also has a villain that is so over the top that it is hard to take any scene with him in it seriously.

Despite its flaws this is a well-made film with a lot for Bollywood fans to enjoy.  

Movie Review: Dunki

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

An extremely overlong but emotionally effective film from India. 

For a film that deals with such a heavy topic as illegal immigration, surprisingly the strongest part of this movie is the romance. The romance here is very well flushed out and quite heartfelt. We truly care about these characters and want to see them get together. This results in some very emotional scenes. Because of this even the most melodramatic scenes are emotionally effective. Because this movie focuses on giving us an emotional connection to our characters, this makes its message all the more effective. There is no way to get an audience to care about a movie's message than giving us an emotional connection to it. While some of the speeches can get a little heavy handed, the movie's heart is always in the right place. It never talks down to you, but instead talks to you in an open and honest way. Though there aren't a lot of song numbers here, each one works very well and fits the story perfectly.

The main problem with this movie is overlength. At 2 hours and 40 minutes, if it was an hour shorter it wouldn't lose much. This is especially a problem as the film can really drag early on. The tonal shifts here also do not always work, but sometimes feel quite forced. Also much of the comedy simply falls flat. 

This isn't a bad movie, but it could have been much better.     

Movie Review: Tiger 3

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B-

A really enjoyable dumb-fun action movie from India. 

This film is part of what is known as the Spy Universe. This is a franchise of various Indian action movies that exist in a shared universe (obviously inspired by the MCU). This may not be the strongest film of the franchise, but it is a fun movie. The action scenes are quite good and very exciting here. These action scenes are delightfully over the top. We are well aware that they could never happen and real life, but that is just part of the fun. The choreography and staging of these action scenes are also wonderful. The scene in the Russian bathhouse is probably the best example of this. It has all the wonderful choreography of the best martial arts films with a little bit of sexiness through in. The result is simply a lot of fun. Also wonderful is the fight on the highway. This is as over the top as action scenes can get and I loved it. Our heroes are not especially deep or complex, but they are likable and easy to root for. Much of this is due to the charm that Salman Khan and especially Katrina Kaif bring to their roles. Katrina Kaif especially seems to be perfectly cut out to play this type of action heroine. 

This film does have its problems though. The villain is quite bland. The movie is too long for a simple dumb-fun action film and can drag at times. Also, most of the humor falls flat. 

This is not great art, but for fans of Bollywood action movies, this is a lot of fun. 

Movie Review: Leo: Bloody Sweet

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A really fun action flick from India. 

This movie has a very simple and familiar premise. A man lives a peaceful life and seems just like a regular guy. However, when bad people mess with his family, he turns very violent and kills them all like a pro. This makes people begin to question just what his past is. We have seen this type of story many times, however it is very well told here. I love that this film not only has its (extremely) violent action scenes, but it also takes a further effect into the effect this violence has on the characters. This works especially well when it comes to his youngest daughter. Most of this type of film, would simply overlook how such violence might affect the little kid in the picture. However, this movie takes a very well-done look into the effect such violence would have. While this is not the focus of the film, it does add an extra layer that makes this movie feel more human. You also see how much of an effect this violence has on the main character. While he is never afraid for himself, the way that this might affect his family pays an emotional toll on him. This again adds a very effective human element. Of course, though this is first and foremost an action film and the action is excellent. This is the type of over the top and very bloody action that is simply a lot of fun to watch. Plus, many of these action sequences are well thought out set pieces that are wonderfully choregraphed and staged. This movie also works very well as a suspense film. Many of the suspense sequences are very tense and simply wonderful. The story also keeps you guessing at times whether it will go down the obvious path or not. 

On the downside the villains are all very bland here, with nothing that makes them feel especially memorable. These are just typical movie villains we have seen many times before. This film also has no need to be as long as it is. Because of this it can feel overstuffed and can really drag in some parts. 

While this may not be perfect, it is a really funny and quite well-made action movie. 

Movie Review: Jawan

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent action film from India. 

This movie stands out from many other Bollywood action films, hugely because of its main characters. These are not your typical Bollywood action heroes because they are a little more complex than that. While you are never in doubt that what they are fighting for is the right thing, there are times when we are not sure whether the way they are going about it is morally right. This makes it so we are always rooting for them, while at the same time we don't always know what they will do next. This also adds a real sense of suspense to the film as we never fully know what will happen next. This is especially true with how many well-done twists and turns there are here. This movie also works in some good political commentary into its action-packed story. While this commentary is (like many Indian films) very patriotic, it is also a bit more complex than the average Bollywood film. While this is more complex than the average Bollywood movie, it is no less fun. The action scenes here are excellent. They are wonderfully staged, very exciting, over the top (in a good way) and quite tense. The humor in this movie is also often excellent. The song numbers are also simply a lot of fun. 

This film is admittedly longer than it needs to be and there are times when it can drag. This is especially true in a flashback that goes on much too long. This movie also has a very boring villain. 

While not perfect, this is definitely one of the better Bollywood action movies of recent years. 

Movie Review: Gadar 2

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

An okay action film from India.

Despite its major flaws, there is still enough here for Bollywood fans to enjoy. For an action movie like this, the main characters serve their jobs quite well. They do not come off as particularly deep here but they do not need to be. The main heroes are easy to like and root for and the villain is easy to hate. While this may be very basic stuff, it does makes us care about what happens to these characters. The action scenes are a lot of fun. Though it may take too long to get to the action scenes, when they come along they are simply too over the top not too enjoy. The pure gleeful absurdity of these scenes simply put a big smile on my face. The song numbers here are also really good. Not only are the songs well written and fun to listen to, but the visuals accompanying them on screen are just as delightful. 

The main problem with this film is that it is much longer than it needs to be. This is a simple action movie with a simple story, there is simply no need for it to be approaching three hours. Honestly this movie could have been an hour shorter and could have worked much better. Many of the early scenes in this film and the romantic scenes all could have been cut without losing anything. The romance scenes are also simply not very interesting at all. The attempts at humor in this film also mostly fall flat. 

This may not be a great film, but it makes for a decent trip to the movies. 

Movie Review: Zara Hatke Zara Bachke

Michael's Movie Grade: D-

A messy and farfetched comedy drama from India

This film's story involves a couple, who gets a divorce so the wife can be eligible for a really nice house, then they plan to remarry once she has said house. If this sounds too much like a simple sitcom plot to hold together as a movie that is almost 2 and a half hours long, that is because it is. This type of story can work very well within a time frame of a half hour or so, but when you add two hours to that, it is simply much too slim of a story. It tries to pad this out with subplots that feel underdeveloped, many unbelievable plot complications, unfunny comedic bits and very repetitive plot points. To make matters worse, there are many times when this movie actually asks us to take this farcical storyline seriously. It doesn't help that there are many times when there is simply no logic behind major plot points. Many of them just make you wonder what the characters were thinking and if they were actively trying to make things harder for themselves. A lot of the family drama especially makes you question what kind of internal logic these characters actually have as so much of it is caused by our main characters for reasons that make no sense to anyone actually watching this film. This also makes the characters often seem incredibly unlikable and leave us to where we don't care about the main couple in a romantic movie. There is a tiny bit at the end which seems to try to make these characters seem like good people, but it simply comes much too late. This film is also filled with unfunny humor. There may have been a couple moments that made me giggle, but they did not make up for how painful many other comedic moments where. This is one of those movies that seems to think that the louder and more obnoxiously a character yells the funnier the joke is. Sadly this is not the case. The music and sound effects are also often too on the nose during the comedic moments, as if they are just obnoxiously telling us what is supposed to be funny. This is an annoying habit that can even easily kill a good joke (not that there are many of those here). 

Even the two leads giving good performances and a couple jokes that are decent, are not enough to make up for the many flaws of this movie. 

  If you want to watch a romantic movie from Bollywood, you can do much better than this film.  

Movie Review: Selfiee

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

An okay comedy-drama from India. 

What really works about this film is how it handles the two main characters. This film involves an ordinary guy who idolizes a major Bollywood actor. He becomes very excited when he gets a chance to meet his hero, but due to a misunderstanding the two soon find themselves in a heated fight that creates a media frenzy. In this type of scenario it would have been very easy for the filmmakers to make one of these characters simply in the right and the other in the wrong. However there is a bit more to these characters than that. Both of them are often in the wrong with their actions and jumping to accusations towards the other without making sure that these accusations are true. Yet neither of them is simply mean to be mean to one another. They both have their reasons for all of their actions. While we may not always agree with their actions, we always understand and relate to their reasons and wonder if we might have done the same in each of their shoes. The relationship between the two is also very well handled. I love how no matter how antagonistic the ordinary person can feel towards the star, he never completely loses the side of him that idolizes his hero. I love this little touch and it goes a long way to make this character more likable. This is also helped by the good chemistry between Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi, who simply play off each other quite well. 

The humor can be hit and miss here. There were definitely some moments that made me laugh out loud, but unfortunately there was also often times too much time between these great laughs. The time between the best laughs in this movie are often full of gags that simply fall flat. Few of these gags are outright terrible or made me groan, but they didn't make me laugh either. There are less songs here than are present in many Bollywood movies, but the song numbers that are here are fun and pleasant.

This film does have quite a few flaws though. One is that it is simply much longer than it needs to be. It is nearly two and a half hours which is simply too long for a movie with such a simple plot and there are times when it can really drag. The last act especially seems to go on too long. Speaking of the last act, during this last act the film leaves behind all sense of believability and simply becomes too over the top for the dramatic part of this movie to work. This over-the-top craziness could have worked in a Mel Brooks style farce, where nothing is meant to be taken seriously. However this film instead tries to still have many dramatic moments during this last act, which are simply impossible to take seriously because we can no longer believe a thing that is happening. This movie also seems like it is trying to provide some sort of commentary on celebrity culture but danged if I know just what it is trying to say. This film not only doesn't say anything new about celebrity culture but it doesn't really say anything at all. 

This is far from a great movie but there is definitely enough that works here to make for a nice trip to the movies. 

Movie Review: Shehzada

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable comedy-drama from India. 

This film is very much a vehicle for actor, Kartik Aaryan. As a vehicle for him, it certainly does a good job of letting him do what he does best. So much of this movie rests on his wonderful charisma and he certainly shines here. He effortlessly plays this type of cocky self-assured character, that deep down has a heart of gold. Just like some of the characters in this film, we find ourselves often times simply won over by his charm. With pretty much any other actor in this role, the character simply wouldn't have worked as well. It doesn't hurt that he has wonderful chemistry with the beautiful Kriti Sanon, who plays his love interest here. The romance between the two is quite good and believable here. The storyline here is over the top and melodramatic, but it works well enough and has an intriguing premise (a man switches babies with his rich boss who has never treated with respect, so his own son would be rich and powerful, while he mistreats his boss' son). While the humor may not be consistently great, there are some really funny moments here, including a bit with a police officer that really cracked me up. The musical numbers are also a lot of fun here. 

Unfortunately this movie is a lot longer than it needs to be and there are quite a few times when it can really drag. The storyline also often times gets too conveniently melodramatic and heavily stretches one's suspension of disbelief. There are just too many extremely handy coincidences, even for a melodrama like this. Adding to this is the weird times in which this movie suddenly becomes an action film. These scenes come so abruptly without anything really building up to them. They feel completely out of place in the movie and frankly aren't even that much fun. This movie is already a comedy, a melodrama and a romance, to add action to the mix just feels like overkill. 

This is by no means a great film, but it does provide one with a nice trip to the movies.

Movie Review: Pathaan

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable dumb-fun action film from India. 

This is not the type of movie; you want to stop and think about the storyline while watching but if you come to it with the right mindset, you will enjoy yourself. This is about as over-the-top and silly as an action movie can get, but to complain about the over-the-top action scenes here is like complaining about the ones in the Fast and the Furious movies, they are exactly what the filmmakers intended them to be. Not only are these scenes quite a bit of silly fun, but they are also well staged and paced. The storyline is nothing special, but it does its job. It moves at a quick pace and keeps the viewers' interest from start to finish. Also for a film with such a simple storyline that runs nearly 2 and a half hours, it somehow doesn't feel padded. The characters, while not exactly deep are quite likable and easy to root for. This is helped by really good chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan (this is intended as a bit of a comeback film for him as he hasn't played a major movie role in four years) and Deepika Padukone, who play off each other very well. Naturally all the sexy costumes that the beautiful Deepika Padukone wears here definitely helps keep the viewers' attention and fits this type of spy action movie perfectly. This film also had a really fun villain. It is becoming rarer that we get movie villains that simply enjoy being evil this movie serves as a great reminder why these types of villains are so much fun, especially as John Abraham Though there are not as many musical numbers as in many other Bollywood films, the ones that are here are a lot of fun. 

This film's sense of humor definitely is not its strong suit. Nearly every comedic moment falls completely flat and some of them are just embarrassing. There is also some really fake looking CGI throughout this movie. When compared to how real the CGI looks in many mainstream movies today, this feels all the more apparent. There is also some awkward and clumsy dialogue here. However, the biggest fault of this movie is just how much it feels exactly like so many other movies, much of the time. Many scenes here will immediately remind moviegoers of scenes from other movies, which often times are not as great as they are in the other movies. If one is familiar with the James Bond, Marvel and Fast and Furious films, these scenes will be all too familiar and you can't watch them without automatically comparing them to those movies. 

This is by no means a great movie, but if you just want to turn your mind off and have a nice trip to the movies, this film will provide you with that. 

Movie Review: Cirkus

 

Michael's Movie Grade: F

A painfully unfunny slapstick comedy from India. 

This film takes a very old and often used comedy idea and does nothing remotely entertaining with it. In this picture two sets of identically twins, not knowing about each other cause lots of "funny" mishaps as people constantly mistake them for one another. We have seen Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges and Charlie Chaplin (to name only a few) all do similar films. The main difference is that those films were funny, and this movie is anything but. You think with such a standard comedy idea, Cirkus could at least get a few laughs, even if they are unoriginal but this movie couldn't even do that. I don't think I laughed once watching this and that is about the worst fault a comedy film could have. Rather than relying on clever misunderstandings or silly sight gags, this film's sense of humor seems to be all the actors chewing the scenery and seeing who can overact the most. Those familiar with Indian cinema will know that these actors have all given good (and sometimes great) performances in other films. This makes it even more of a shock how annoying they can all be here. You get the feeling that everyone is working too hard to try and make an unfunny script funny, but all it does is make the comedy even worse. This is especially true of the scenes with the over-the-top slapstick humor scenes, where this comedy is killed on sight by horrible and annoying delivery. The actual jokes here are not much to write home about either. Most of the gags here feel like setup with little payoff or simply observations of how ridiculous this plot is. Again with how much this story has been used before in good comedies, it is amazing that this film could not even have one joke that slightly worked. The movie is further hurt by how bland and boring these characters are. After watching the whole nearly two-and-a-half-hour movie, I am at a loss for what the basic personalities of some of these characters even was. This is especially true of our two main characters, who are bland as all get out. This movie also has a weird storybook style look that does not seem to match anything happening on screen. 

The only thing that kind of works about this film is the song numbers, which are kind of fun. However these are not anywhere enough to make up for how terrible the rest of the picture is.