Movie Review: The Dark Knight (Batman movie)

This Dark Knight is nothing short of amazing. If you do not catch this flick in the cinema this season, you will regret it…

Yes, I am a big fan of superhero antics, but Batman has forever remained one that hasn’t appealed to my senses. He just seemed just an angry rich kid who did not really get technology too much.

This movie, however, is mind boggling. It is intelligent, dark, scary and chaotic!

In fact, it is has plots and sub plots that are not easy to predict. As the Joker (Batman’s arch rival puts it), “I am not the scheming kind...I am like a dog chasing a car. If I ever caught one, I would not know what to do with it…introduce chaos…anarchy”.

To extrapolate a little, the best selling book The Black Swan talks of exactly this. Of course, more eloquently. It essentially says that we humans have a tendency to rationalize and look for logical patterns. We try, foolishly, to predict the next course of action…we expect certain outcomes. However, it is when a black swan ( i.e. completely random, unexpected event) occurs does it throws you off. The expected cannot make you panic.

Therefore, expect the unexpected.

The movie has really fantastic special effects. The suit, the weapons and the technology is more sophisticated. Joker is so dastardly that you do not hate him, but rather are astonished with the way his mind ticks.

Batman, Harvey Dent – the very respectable district attorney and the Joker are the prime characters.

I just have one thing to say – this movie is an absolutely, completely must watch.


Stars: * * * * 1/2

PS: The Joker is played by Heath Ledger. The actor passed away this January 2008. This role perhaps consumed him completely as he had rehearsed to play the psychopath all alone for a month in an apartment... A role he had described "extremely difficult", but is the best performance he ever gave....

Movie Review: Hancock

Yeah!!! This is not your ordinary good guy beats the villain and saves the girl story. Though, it does have this theme. (C’mon, it is a never fail formula)

This story is in fact about a drunk and depressed man who has amazing super powers. He can swing whales and trash trains with just one hand. He hates being called an “a**hole and flies into rage every time people call him that.

His idea of justice isn’t what the citizens of LA have asked for.

Being an amnesia patient he is sad and alone…he does not know who he is, why he has these powers, and if ever anyone even cared for him.

Yet, there comes along a savior who helps him pick up pieces of his life and work to make a difference. There are moments when you finally see the sadness behind his I-do-not-care power packed exterior.

Will Smith is brilliant here. Charlize Theron has quite an action packed scene that would make want to stand up and cheer for her. And yes, there is Jason Bateman, the PR man that god would want to hire.

Exciting, with a twist… Not typical, but astonishingly a comic hero movie that actually has some depth!

Stars ****

Incredible Hulk

It’s bigger and better than before.

The beloved monster has lost his girlfriend. He leads an ordinary life of a daily wager in Portugal. And in the confines of a slum dwelling is experimenting with antidotes for gamma poisoning.

But then such peace is only temporary.

General – the ever faithful villainous Army man is behind him. He has tracked down the Hulk and now he wants to capture him.

Hulk is a failed experiment; if successfully captured then the same gamma ray technology that turned the demure scientist into Hulk, could be used to make an army of humans ‘defending the nation’ with this incredible strength.

But the Hulk is invincible…

So, we have an army officer that during the course of the movie converts into a monster that is scarier and evil…

The drama continues with an awesome fight between Hulk, who now is the superhero defending his reunited girlfriend, and the evil monster.

The adrenalin rush never ends… Special effects are astonishing and the story is superb with an emotional angle that endears the Hulk to the audiences…

A sequel is surely due!

Stars: * * * *

Movie Review: Speed Racer

Another movie that has released close on the heels of action flick Iron Man is Speed Racer. Adapted from the Japanese animation by the same name it is a movie about a younger brother’s fight to avenge his ‘dead’ elder brother – Rex.

Rex Racer was in his time the best race car driver of all times. He, however, is supposed to have died in a Grand Prix that turned dirty. Accusation flew and Rex’s family was investigated for employing illegal means to win the races.

As li’l Speed grew, all he has ever wanted is to bring back the respect his family commanded. Racing is in his blood and he drives his Mach 5 like stupendously. As his name grows the racing cartel wants him to join them and play for their company.

Speed refuses only to realize that the cartel has been for years fixing the outcome of all races and since Rex was not on their side he was axed… To catch the bad guys he bands with a couple of racers including an amazing racer named Racer X. A race car drive whose abilities astonish even Speed.

The movie has very cartoon like special effects and is a typical good-versus-evil story. Star cast wise there is only one really well known name that is Susan Sarandon as Speed and Rex’s mom. Really, what was she thinking when she signed this. Susan has been brilliant in movies like Stepmom, but this was just tiny role that any run-of-the-mill actress could easily have slipped into.

It is neither a great movie nor is it bad.

It is an average flick that you could watch on DVD or perhaps if the summer holidays are near then you and your kids could go watch this. The racing scenes are fun to watch and some of the specially engineered new “tricks” that have been added to the cars for the Grand Prix race can be a real treat.

Stars: * * *

Movie Review: Iron Man

If action and panache is something you are searching for then Iron Man is a sure winner at the box office. A Marvel comic, it has been brilliantly adapted for the typical Hollywood experience.

It is a story about Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who is a weapons specialist. His genius has given the world fantastical destructive weapons, which according to Stark keeps the balance of power in the world…basically world peace intact.

During one of his trips to show off his new missile system, he encounters the wrath of terrorists. Trapped in a cave and sparked by a need to survive, Tony Stark transforms himself to Iron Man. A robot that can fly, shoot, save damsels in distress and do all that will fullfil any young boy's fantasy!

His journey from a spoilt brat to a world peace seeker is full of plenty of high action drama and humour. Gwyneth Paltrow as Ms. Pepper Pots plays the smart and very-much-in-love secretary. Very restrained acting by Paltrow...though really with an actress like her the director could have got much much more from her. Downey Jr., on the other hand, does great playing the brash over-confident young man he is in real life as well. He looks sexy and this being his first blockbuster, we are sure he will cherish this superhero forever.


All said and done, Iron Man has great stunts and special effects that keep you hooked through the entire 2 hours. Though, I wish they had the suit look and move in a sleeker fashion...like a Terminator inspired soft alloy one.

Recommended to all those who are looking for something to unwind with this weekend.

By the way, be sure that in the next year or two you will see a sequel...

Stars: * * * *