Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock for the last time in 'Venom: The Last Dance'. Directed by Kelly Marcel, this third instalment introduces a new villain, possibly Knull. The film is set to release in Indian cinemas on 25th October 2024 and will be available in multiple languages
Tom Hardy is set to make his final appearance as Eddie Brock in one of the most anticipated anti-hero films of the year, 'Venom: The Last Dance'. The film, which is the third part of the franchise, comes to an epic conclusion, promising even more thrills, symbiote action and space creatures. In 'Venom: The Last Dance', Hardy reprises his role as the iconic character Venom.
Writers: Christopher GoldenMike MignolaBrian Taylor
Stars: Jack KesyJefferson WhiteAdeline Rudolph
Hellboy: The Crooked Man review:
Story:A robot becomes marooned on a remote island after a violent storm capsizes the ship transporting it. Stranded in a lush, untamed wilderness, far from human civilization, the robot must adapt to this new environment. Over time, it forms a profound and unexpected bond with an orphaned gosling and the island's wildlife, defying its mechanical programming and embarking on an uncharted journey that reshapes its purpose forever.
Review:While many films have explored the relationship between robots and humans, The Wild Robot takes a refreshing departure, presenting the story of a machine's interaction with the animal kingdom. Meet ROZZUM Unit 7134, or Roz (voiced brilliantly by Lupita Nyong’o) – a cutting-edge, multi-functional robot designed to assist humans in all aspects of life. Programmed for utility, Roz’s purpose is clear: to serve. However, fate has a different plan when Roz finds itself in a forest where the only living creatures are wary animals. Initially viewed as a foreign and intimidating presence, Roz gradually forms a deep connection with its surroundings, especially with a vulnerable gosling named Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor). Alongside characters like Fink (Pedro Pascal), a wily red fox, and Pinktail (Catherine O'Hara), a resourceful opossum, Roz begins an extraordinary adventure in the wild, taking on the responsibility of nurturing Brightbill and preparing him for his first flight to join the migration.
What sets The Wild Robot apart from typical animated features is its originality, unburdened by the expectations of a pre-existing franchise. Director and screenwriter Chris Sanders delivers a narrative that is both heartfelt and imaginative, resonating with viewers of all ages. The film’s emotional core is powerful, inviting the audience to share in the bonds Roz forms with the forest creatures. The character development is rich and authentic, drawing the viewer deeper into this unique story.
The animation itself is visually stunning, with breathtaking attention to detail in the rendering of the island’s vibrant ecosystem. Cinematographer Chris Stover captures the beauty and danger of the wild, immersing the audience in this visually lush environment. The seamless editing by Mary Blee ensures that the film never loses momentum, keeping the story engaging without dragging. Kris Bowers' musical score further elevates the experience, adding emotional depth with its delicate, moving compositions that beautifully complement both the humour and the heartache present in the story.
Lupita Nyong'o’s voice performance as Roz is nothing short of exceptional. She infuses the character with warmth, vulnerability, and nuance, turning a robotic entity into a deeply relatable figure. Her portrayal is an emotional tour de force, making Roz’s journey one that audiences will remember long after the credits roll. Supporting performances by Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, and Catherine O’Hara are equally commendable, bringing their respective characters to life with distinct personalities and emotional resonance.
Although The Wild Robot features a relatively straightforward plot, it never feels predictable. Roz's trials in the wild, and its eventual confrontation with human and technological worlds, are compelling and often surprising. The film subtly explores themes of identity, belonging, and the complexities of human (and non-human) connection, wrapped in an accessible yet meaningful narrative.
Ultimately, The Wild Robot is a film that transcends its genre, offering a heartfelt meditation on the power of relationships and the enduring spirit of compassion. It's a timeless tale of love, survival, and self-discovery, one that stirs deep emotions and often leaves you with a lump in your throat. Profound and beautifully crafted, this animated gem is a must-watch for audiences of all generations, leaving an indelible impression long after its final moments.
Several generations following Caesar's reign, apes – now the dominant species – live harmoniously while humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all he's known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.show less.
Directed by Wes Ball, 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'opens with a clear shift away from the iconic figure of Caesar, confirming that this beloved character's story is definitively concluded. The film focuses on Noa (Owen Teague), a young chimpanzee who survives a brutal attack on his village. His quest for answers and revenge is the heart of the plot, and his journey reveals more about his species' complicated relationship with humans and the machinations of the despotic Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Along the way,
Noa encounters Mae (Freya Allan), a human whose role is crucial yet not fully explored, and Raka (Peter Macon), an orangutan who represents the lost values of Caesar's original vision of harmony between apes and humans.
Although the story and characters in this new instalment don't achieve the same intensity as the previous trilogy, the film sets the stage for an intriguing journey, providing a glimpse into a future that holds potential for more engaging storytelling. The primary characters are mostly digital apes, convincingly portrayed through the remarkable work of visual effects artists and motion-capture performances. They are instilled with realism through their physical movements, facial expressions, and emotions. This technical marvel ensures that the apes are believable in their pursuit of building communities, whether they align with good intentions or more nefarious plans.
Visually, it is a spectacle portraying a desolate world overgrown and reclaimed by nature. Abandoned skyscrapers, lush scenery, and Proximus' stronghold are all rendered with exquisite detail. However, the film occasionally lingers too long on these landscapes, resulting in pacing issues that leave viewers yearning for more narrative depth. The foreshadowing and hints at future storylines suggest that this instalment may serve as a stepping stone for future films, albeit at the cost of leaving some storylines unresolved.
Despite the film's narrative shortcomings, it is an entertaining adventure that engages viewers. The performances, particularly by Teague and Durand, are commendable, and the visual effects set new benchmarks for the franchise. While it may not linger in the memory as the preceding trilogy did, 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' is a worthy addition, offering a mix of action, drama, and visual wonder.
With Thangalaan, Pa Ranjith crafts a stunning spectacle on human greed, societal oppression, and self-assertion. The film often feels like a psychedelic trip through pages of history, and Ranjith, through the story of Thangalaan (a fantastic Vikram, who delivers a beast of a performance that is full of fury and fear), takes us from the 18th century onwards all the way back to 5 BCE.
When Thangalaan begins, we are introduced to the simple 18th century life of its titular character, who is one of the very few land-owning members in his community. Most of them are already bonded labours to a landlord, who has managed to deprive them of their land through crooked means. And soon, Thangalaan, too, falls a victim to his wily ways.
But he sees a way out when Clement, a British explorer, seeks help from the community to get gold from a region believed to be haunted. Thangalaan, who has already heard of his forefather's vain attempt at getting gold from the region, decides to accompany Clement, hoping that discovering gold might help him earn money to win back his land and even empower his people. Can he succeed in his mission, especially when it's not just the unforgiving landscape that's standing in the way.
The term visionary is so casually tossed around these days, but with Thangalaan, Pa Ranjith can stake a valid claim to it. The film is a true-blue big-screen experience that immerses us into its world and keeps us glued with arresting visuals and intense drama. Not since Aayirathil Oruvan have we seen such go-for-broke filmmaking where we are left in a trance by the visuals even if the narrative doesn't make complete sense. Interestingly, GV Prakash Kumar, who was the composer of that film is also behind this one's music, and he comes up with a score that's grand even if it's a little loud at times. It also doesn't help that the dialogues aren't clear in some places; this is a film that would have benefitted from having subtitles.
But the four to five setpieces, like the flashback involving Thangalaan's forefather, and an extended stretch that involves a perilous crossing of a river that is followed by a battle with a black panther and culminates with a guerilla attack where chaos reigns, that are truly world-class in the way they have been conceived. The visual effects of the creatures, though, are a sore point.
Much of the film unfolds like a horror movie, with the horror coming in many forms - mythical, personal and social. And in between these, we get brief moments of tenderness that capture the simple lives of Thangalaan and his people. Ranjith does a great job capturing the intimacy between Thangalaan and his wife Gangamma (Parvathy Thiruvothu, who adds more to the role with her performance even if the way it's written falls short), and the psychic connection of sorts between his protagonist and Aarathi (Malavika Mohanan, who looks every inch a warrior woman), the fierce guardian angel who has been protecting the land of gold.
Even without the social aspect, the film would have been an engrossing adventure, but it's this element that elevates the film into something truly special. Though the oppressor characters (especially the Brahmin interpreter, who works for the British) come across as somewhat caricaturish, Ranjith shows how "varna sadhi" has managed to deprive a few communities of what's rightfully theirs. Early on, we see Genguvan (Pasupathy, another actor who fixes the writing shortfalls with his sheer presence), one of Thangalaan's community members, urging them to follow in the footsteps of Ramanujar and wear the poonal, so that they will no longer be discriminated, only to later realise that just the mere prop might not be enough to 'uplift' an oppressed person.
The director doesn't spare the British as well. Even if Clement promises better things for the people who agree to work in his mine, we later see how greed turns him into just another version of an oppressor.
The magical realism in the final act does make us wonder how much of what's unfolding is happening inside Thangalaan's head, but Ranjith's refusal to spell it out is what makes the film singular. And while history may have played out otherwise when it came to deciding the fate of the workers who worked in the Kolar gold fields, the director's revisionist take doesn't come across as fanciful, but only as an effort at self-assertion
After the events of Stree, the town of Chanderi is being haunted again. This time, women are mysteriously abducted by a terrifying headless entity. Once again, it's up to Vicky and his friends to save their town and loved ones.
“Stree 2” picks up right where the 2018 horror-comedy Stree left off, bringing us back to the eerie and quirky town of Chanderi. This time, the villagers are confronted with a new supernatural threat, a terrifying entity named Sarkata, who seems to be a more significant challenge than Stree herself. The movie is expected to blend horror and comedy seamlessly, keeping audiences at the edge of their seats while making them laugh out loud.
Rajkummar Rao reprises his role as Vicky, the endearing yet somewhat dim-witted tailor who once again finds himself at the centre of the spooky chaos. Shraddha Kapoor returns as the mysterious woman with a questionable identity, leaving us guessing whether she’s an ally or foe. Pankaj Tripathi’s character, Rudra, the eccentric “know-it-all” with a penchant for ghost stories, is back with his signature witty one-liners. Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana return as Vicky’s loyal but equally terrified friends, Jana and Bittu.
New to the cast is Tamannaah Bhatia, who plays Shama, a character introduced briefly in the first film. Her role is crucial to the unfolding mystery and promises to add an exciting new dynamic to the story.
The film is filled with absurdly funny moments that keep you laughing from start to finish. Rajkummar Rao plays a tailor with a supernatural ability to measure clients by looking at them. He’s also a sewing whiz, and his father thinks he’s a reincarnation of a tailoring deity. Their conversation about sex is hilarious!
The ghost in the film is equally comical, with a penchant for kidnapping men in their birthday suits. The camaraderie between the three friends is heartwarming and feels authentic, like real-life conversations between childhood buddies. And Rajkummar’s clumsy attempts to woo Shraddha will surely make you smile.
What to Expect?
Fans of the original film can expect Stree 2 to maintain the perfect balance between humour and horror that made its predecessor such a hit. The film delves deeper into the lore of Chanderi, exploring new myths and legends while keeping the audience engaged with its well-crafted screenplay. The dialogue, a highlight in the first movie, is sharp and witty, ensuring that the humour lands right amidst the spooky atmosphere.
This film’s real heart and soul lie in its engaging characters and their witty banter. Pankaj Tripathi steals the show as the local wise guy, and his comedic timing is impeccable. We can’t help but wish he had more screen time! Aparshakti brings a cynical charm to his role, while Abhishek Banerjee delivers a hilarious performance as a man possessed. Shraddha Kapoor exudes a captivating mystery, and her chemistry with Rajkummar Rao is undeniable. Rao, however, is the film’s true star, elevating even the most absurd moments with his nuanced performance. His reactions to the supernatural occurrences are priceless, and his awkwardness around Shraddha adds a delightful touch of humour. Compared to the First Film – Stree
While Stree introduces us to the peculiar world of Chanderi and its haunted history, Stree 2 expands on this universe. The stakes are higher, the horror elements more intense, and the comedy more refined. The sequel builds on the cliffhanger ending of the first film, answering lingering questions while posing new ones, making it a worthy continuation of the story.
“Disney’s so stupid,” Deadpool declares trollishly at the beginning of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” It’s the sort of jab — in this case, at the studio distributing the film we’re watching — that we’ve grown used to from this dude, a potty-mouthed exterminator in a face-obscuring suit vaguely reminiscent of Spider-Man. Not quite a hero, not quite anything else, Deadpool is an answer to the conflicted but upstanding superheroes of 21st-century Hollywood. He kills messily, he makes a lot of inappropriate jokes and, in an industry that practically decrees a profit-boosting PG-13 rating, his movies are always rated R.
Despite first appearing in Marvel comics, Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds), a.k.a. Wade Wilson, also used to stand slightly outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in the six years since his last big-screen appearance in “Deadpool 2,” the Merc with the Mouth has been shoehorned into the M.C.U., along with the X-Men, for reasons involving Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox. (Which was promptly renamed 20th Century Studios, and you can be sure Deadpool will joke about that too.)
Deadpool explains all this very quickly at the beginning of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” just to catch us up. He has a lot of expositional ground to cover, since he also has to clarify how this movie will avoid desecrating the memory of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a.k.a. Logan, who was laid to rest in the excellent eponymous swan song from 2017. “We’re not,” Deadpool announces. Deal with it.
The first two Deadpool movies set out to skewer the conventions of superhero cinema, with “Deadpool” (2016) scrapping conventional opening credits for alternate text jabbing at tropes: “A British Villain,” “A Hot Chick,” “A Moody Teen,” “A C.G.I. Character” and also some words we can’t print here. Deadpool broke the fourth wall constantly, remarking to the audience about what was happening or about to happen, as well as the paltry budget of the film and the silliness of him, a minor and ridiculous character, being in a movie at all.
Based on the best-selling videogame, this all-star action-adventure follows a ragtag team of misfits on a mission to save a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.
The film operates like Borderlands 101, focusing on Cate Blanchett's grumbly bounty hunter Lilith. Roth and co-writer Joe Crombie – replacing original co-writer Craig Mazin, whose name mysteriously vanished from the project in 2023 – interpret Gearbox's interplanetary world-building in disappointingly linear fashion. All the excitement of traversing Pandora's Skag-ridden territories and Psycho outposts is jettisoned, as Roth boxes his characters into a single mission: Lilith is hired by business titan and arms manufacturer Atlas (Edgar Ramírez) to find his daughter on Pandora – and that daughter ends up being the dainty demolitionist "Tiny" Tina (Ariana Greenblatt). But, in true Borderlands fashion, Lilith's objective isn't just about rescuing Tina from former mercenary Roland (Kevin Hart) and Psycho Krieg (Florian Munteanu). There's also an ancient Eridian vault, and Tina might be one of three required keys to opening it.
Roth’s movie blends together plot points that span the Borderlands timeline, but the experience is regrettably simplistic. It's only a matter of time before Lilith, Tina, Roland, Krieg, and everyone's favorite mouthy robot, Claptrap (Jack Black), form a vault-hunting squad. Between the adversarial Crimson Lance soldiers led by Commander Knoxx (Janina Gavankar) and massive Threshers that could swallow a hunter whole, their mission seems daunting. But any challenge they face breezes by with deflated stakes. Lilith lucks into a crucial artifact by opening a single drawer, while Roland avoids what should be certain Psycho-inflicted death off camera, neutering any sense of peril. It's like watching gameplay on God Mode with infinite lives, except these characters don't even take damage – so what's the point?
The internet is full of Borderlands fan fiction that’s more inspired than Roth's vanilla nostalgia fest. He directs action sequences like he’s posing action figures, instructing Blanchett to posture, hips-cocked, as if Lilith were Dystopian Marauder Barbie. The characters’ costumes are always pristine despite enduring battlefield wear and tear, explained away by a silly "electric shower" gadget that eliminates stains. The question "Wouldn't it be cool if?" seems to be the most thought anyone put into Borderlands, and the answer is frequently "No." Roth's production doesn’t genuinely invest in the universe Gearbox has built, so why should we care about this emaciated excuse for a sci-fi adventure? Sure you’ll ride Marcus’ (Benjamin Byron Davis) bus, spot Dahl ECHO HUDs, and gander at Pandoran locales like the acidic Caustic Caverns. But it’s all spoonfed, familiar, and as filling as a single rice cake.
Visually, Borderlands is one of the ugliest studio releases you'll see this year. Even in IMAX, Pandora's dusty digital backdrops resemble pixelated vomit. There's an early scene where bunny-eared Tina tosses explosive stuffed animals at Lilith from above, and the green-screening of Greenblatt atop her junkyard perch doesn't even attempt to believably plug Tina into place. Later, when Atlas confronts our unlikely heroes, it's like Roth shot them against an LED wall showing a low-res YouTube feed. The games’ cel-shaded, pleasingly pop-arty aesthetic is one of their most attractive features, so why would you drown the movie’s opening sequence in dimly lit murk? At least the wardrobe department nailed the ensembles’ outfits, which burst with signature colors – but even those look like trash against the washed-out, eyesore landscapes inserted during post-production.
Outside of Greenblatt – playing an explosives addict clearly modeled after Harley Quinn – no one on screen appears to be enjoying themselves. Especially Blanchett: She's the correct choice for Lilith, but plays the gunslinging mercenary with eye-rolling ambivalence that translates into a dry, disinterested performance. Kevin Hart plays Kevin Hart in a beret, portions of Florian Munteanu's nonsense dialogue are inaudible, and Roth can't even coax a consistently funny Claptrap out of Jack Black. Gina Gershon's Mad Moxxi lacks seductive burlesque charm, while Jamie Lee Curtis' neurotic Dr. Patricia Tannis exists merely to rattle off exposition. The complaint here isn’t one of Hollywood stars failing to properly emulate their in-game counterparts – it’s more that Roth wastes their talents, treating a cast of heavy hitters like personality-free eye candy for the fandom.
In all honesty, Borderlands feels incomplete. Roth's storytelling rushes forward with a conspicuous briskness, as if crucial building blocks were missing from the plot. (Maybe those two weeks of reshoots under fill-in director Tim Miller shaved Roth's vision down to what we see here?) Why else would Krom (Olivier Richters) deserve a portrait in the end credits when he's barely a last-minute cameo in the movie? Something's not adding up. Gearbox's games are dense, expansive, and brimming with the freedom to get buck wild, whereas Roth's interpretation is like a preschooler's Guardians of the Galaxy coloring book. Verdict
Borderlands is an abysmal waste of a beloved franchise that takes a kooky band of murderous misfits and drains the life out of their first adventure together. Eli Roth is no James Gunn, and this film has none of the lovable lunatics, awe-striking sci-fi visuals, and out-of-this-world storytelling of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The hyper-stylized flair of the Borderlands games is replicated only on the most superficial level, and with a PG-13 rating, all the limb-severing gore, dirty-minded humor, and uniquely deranged themes are replaced by recycled blandness geared toward mass marketability. It's the worst-case-scenario Borderlands movie that goes against everything Borderlands stands for as a series – a miserable failure.
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