X-Men:First Class-Indeed!!!

No this is not the MARVEL hangover...this was in fact among the Biggest Blockbusters of Last Summer, and honestly I was surprised. This is a franchise that took off slowly but with each movie they have surpassed the people's expectations-especially with this one. This is a Prequel, and the 5th movie of the X Men Franchise, so one might think that this is just another cash card waiting to be en cashed at the Box Office and move on. It does not have the original actors and although they are characters we know, it's really hard to connect with a different actor playing your favorite character, right? Either that, or this creates a whole new dimension for your favorite characters and you start appreciating the franchise even more. That's what happened with me at least.

The Story takes you back to the Origin of the Leaders of the 2 factions-The X Men & The Brotherhood of Mutants that we know now under Magneto and Professor X, both having their own viewpoints about whether or not Mutants belong among Humans.
This gives a picture of their childhood, how they become friends and how they ultimately split due to their varied ideologies. Fassbender again is a revelation for me with him playing the younger magneto. Keeping my partiality aside(as my favorite character is Magneto as well), I must say that he has been a revelation and has taken this movie several notches higher. The angst, the confusion, the determination and the fall of Magneto have been perfectly depicted in the best way possible. He has lived Magneto in a way.

The rest of the ensemble have played their parts well and it was refreshing and surprising to see the relationship that Prof.X and Mystique share prior to the separation.
There is a certain Mutant who makes a cameo as well, and is a 5 second scene but will stay with you long after you have seen the movie-I guess that is indeed the sign of a good cameo.

Besides everything else, one must keep in mind that this is a period film as well a superhero film. Captain America did a bad job out of the combination( which also released last summer) but X Men:First Class shines out as a part of both Genres and also adds in the comedy, drama and thriller elements.

It's the kind of movie which you would not at all get bored of and there is something in each scene that will keep you wanting more. It's the kind of movie which will pleasantly surprise you with how good it really is.

And with sequels planned for X Men Origins: Wolverine and this movie as well, this franchise looks far from over and if they keep improving the way they have been, this might just go on to be the best superhero movie franchise ever!!!

I'm going with 4 out of 5 for X Men:First Class..Lives up to the name...

Keep Reeling!!!

Prometheus-A Sci-Fi with a soul!

One of the most anticipated summer blockbusters is finally here. Or is it??...firstly watching the movie in a theatre that was half empty on a Friday is really discouraging especially when you have a movie of this scale and magnitude from a studio you know won't disappoint with the visuals and deliver the 3D promises and ofcourse behind the lens is one of the most visionary Directors of our time-Sir Ridley Scott!..What went wrong with the ticket sales, I'm not sure, but what I can tell you is what went right and wrong with the movie. So read on...

Now Prometheus was actually a Greek Titan who was known to have created man from clay. This fits in so perfect with the title and the premise of the movie-it's absolutely perfect in hindsight once you have seen the movie. Reason, being that this movie is about the hunt for our origin. Where do we come from? Why are we here?...According to one of the movie's characters, the most meaningful questions a man has ever asked. And if in the near future we get a chance to explore this possibilty and discount God, would we do it??

A bunch of people in this movie do though.The year is 2089 and the two archeoligists discover a pattern that is found across civilazations that spanned thousands of years. Now they see this as an invitation to see their 'engineer' and they hop on on the Spacecraft aptly named Prometheus funded by a huge corporation to go and discover man's origin-to go where no man has gone before. Upon reaching there they see that things are not as simple as they would have hoped. A scientific exploration becomes a battle for their survival as a couple of the crew members unexpectedly die on their expedition. What follows is a sort of thrilling prequel to the Alien series but hopes for a sequel to Prometheus itself lingers around as there are still a few unanswered questions that should be answered in the sequel.

Now I haven't seen Alien and that may be a good thing in this case because I have no scale to compare. People who have seen Alien and then have seen this, seem to be a tad disappointed with the movie. My only comparison is with AVP which was HORRIBLE!!!

The movie is definitely good, no doubt about that, but it falils to be EPIC. The 3D is definitely impressive and the build up to the thrills is quite good, but I just wish that the thrills were not so few and far between.

Out of the cast it's Fassbender playing an Android who stands out. Theron is just wasted again really with a significant yet small part but lends the tiny bit of star power that is required for a film of this scale.

Overall it is definitely a must watch for people who seek a massive 3D Blockbuster this summer, but not necessarily for an action freak because like I said earlier, the thrills are few in number.

I'm going with 3.5 out of 5 for Ridley Scott's Prometheus!

Keep reeling!!

Snow White & The Huntsman!-A Twisted Fairytale

The Summer Blockbusters are here and we are kick starting with one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of the season starring Twilight’s Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Chris ‘Thor’ Hemsworth as the Huntsman in this unique twisted fairytale that is meant to be a ‘Dark’ take on the story. Now if you’ll remember ‘Red Riding Hood’-with it’s ‘New Moon-ish’ feel, failed badly to make a mark. Snow White & The Huntsman is no classic either, but first time director Rupert Sanders ensures that he is remembered for his visuals and drama(which is expected from the producers, Roth Films as well as this is their second movie after Alice in Wonderland).

Now the basic premise of the story is known to all of how the evil queen wanted to be ‘fairest of them all’ with only her step-daughter, Snow White in the way & the way she tried to trick her and kill her so that she can remain young forever. All this is certainly there, with it’s own twisted outtakes and brilliant cinematography and special effects. Credit should also go for the background score and sound mixing for giving it a contemporary yet classical sound that we associate Big-Ticket movies to be. It’s one of those movies which ensure that you feel the scale of it, even if it does not overwhelm you.

Now Charlize Theron is perfectly cast as the Evil Queen, but my only problem with her is that she overacts a bit too much in sections which makes her performance feel inconsistent inspite of her being brilliant in some of the scenes. Apart from that you cannot possibly have a woman looking like that at her age. Absolutely perfect. Chris Hemsworth seems to have carried on from Thor where the only thing is that an Axe has replaced his Hammer. He definitely draws a huge visual appeal but his acting skills can still improve(that being said, he was most impressive among the 3 with his acting). And ofcourse Kristen Stewart looks like she could be fairest in the land and looks much better than she did in any of the Twilight movies but as my friend aptly put-she seems to have a set of expressions which she just keeps reusing. The versitality is highly missing in her but again, for a movie like this, it does not matter that much to be honest.

*SPOILER ALERT*Do not read this if you do not want to-The Biggest Surprise Package has to be the dwarves-I mean, I was almost prepared to do away with 7 dwarves for 1 Huntsman, but the makers realized their importance and they really do create an impact. They are funny and ferocious and their relationship with Snow White is indeed a special one.

Overall, this might not be the Biggest Blockbuster of the season but if you are itching to watch even half an entertainer and you don’t have the patience to wait for the rest of the movies coming, then this might be a safe bet. It’s that kind of movie which isn’t really good, but not unwatchable either.

I’ll give it 2.5 out of 5.

Keep Reeling!!!