Review - " X Men : Days Of Future Past" - Celebrates Mutants & Their Pride

With the movie that has been on everyone's movie calender, People waiting for "23rd May" to come as soon as possible. When, "X Men : First Class" ended, all were really curious to see as "what will happen next for the mutants?", "Can Bryan Singer do anything better than "First Class"?" When the first trailer came out of the movie, the one thing that came onto everybody's mind & mouth was "WOW". Not just for the visual effects, but for the impeccable cast it holds & it gets more interesting with it's tag line "Days Of Future Past". What does that really mean? Why we see 2 Professor X & 2 Magneto's? Today, i review " X Men : Days Of Future Past".


(Jackman(Wolverine), Fassbender(Magneto), McAvoy(Prof.X) & Peters(Quik-Silver in a scene from movie)

The movie starts in not-so-distant future, where "Mutants" are fighting for their lives but this time not against one of them or humans, but a completely new enemy "Sentinels". Genetically engineered machines which are made to kill "Mutants" due to a mistake in which "Mystique" played by "Jennifer Lawrence" kills the chairman of "Trask Industries" who has built these things, but all this incident happened in 1973. After seeing that the Mutant race is coming to an extinction, "Professor X" played by "Sir Patrick Stewart", "Magneto" played by "Sir Ian McKellen", "Wolverine" played by "Hugh Jackman", "Storm" played by "Halle Berry", "Kitty Pryde" played by "Ellen Page", they all come to a decision that someone has to go back in the past to change the incident & stop "Mystique" before she kills "Trask" & extinction comes upon them. But, they think no one is that strong to bear the pain. Now, that's where our "Macho Man", "Wolverine" comes who can bear any pain. So, they use the teleportation abilities of Kitty to send "Logan"(Wolverine) into past & change their future. In order to change it, Logan must find the younger selves of "Professor X"(Charles Xavier) played by "James McAvoy" & "Magneto" played by "Michael Fassbender". "Logan" is sent to past, in "1973" & his blades are not made up of "Ademantium" now. He finds, "Professor X" at his school, School has been shut down due to Vietnam War, he finds out that "Hank" (Beast) played by "Nicholas Hoult" is the only person/mutant now Professor X has, others have just left him, which has made Professor to forget all his magical abilities by taking a cure after every now & then. Wolverine tells X & Hank that it is "You & Magneto" who have sent me here to stop the assassination of Trask. But, now they have take out "Magneto" who is been in prison as he is a suspect in the killing of "John F Kennedy". For this work, they contact another mutant in his younger self, "Quik-Silver" played by "Evan Peters" whose ability is to move very fast at the speed of the sound. He does this work with style. With "Professor X" & "Magneto" again on the same side with "Wolverine" from the future & Hank, they all gear up to stop Mystique to save their race from extinction. Do they get to stop Mystique? Can X & Magneto again work with each other? Can Wolverine bear the pain? You will all see this in " X Men : Days Of Future Past". Now, i won't be a party pooper & i won't state any "Spoilers" here for those who have not seen the movie yet.

There are some interesting twists & turns to keep you glued to your seats, "Dr. Bolivar Trask" played by "Peter Dinklage" was killed by "Mystique" as he was conducting some experiments on Mutants. The story folds up step by step & within minutes you are a part of X-Men world. Perhaps the film's standout sequence features the much discussed addition of the new mutant "Peter Maximoff" aka "Quik-Silver". The most amazing scene in this movie is the "Pentagon" escape scene of "Magneto" with the help of "Quik-Silver", where all goes in slow-motion & he runs through the walls, all shown in slow-motion, the scene is one of the best performed scene in movies, ever, which is funny & spectacular at the same time & "Evan" who plays "Quik-Silver" has done a superb job in doing this scene. Hats Of to him & visual team.

Michael Fassbender's young "Erik/Magneto" was first shown in "First Class" & the actor's superb work still goes on in "Days Of Future Past" & does his role with all the charisma Fassbender has. But, this movie belongs to "Jackman" & "Lawrence". "Logan/Wolverine", you possibly would not find him more compelling. In his 7th turn in portraying the role, Jackman brings his macho-man power to the screen again. He is in his best shape ever, his comic timing, his action scenes & depths of sorrow inspite of everything to make him the real hero of the super-hero's. Switching from her honorable figure played in Hunger Games to a badass mode with ease, "Jennifer Lawrence" is sensational, whether she is in his role of "Mystique" where she walks like shape shifter, displaying her fighting skills or when she adopts seductive human form. She is just superb to see on the screen. "James McAvoy" as young "Professor X" is brilliant, whenever he is on screen you feel bad for the guy, for all the sufferings he has gone through. Nicholas Hoult looks actually a beast in the movie.

"Bryan Singer" has pulled together an ambitious, suspenseful screen chapter that secures a future for this awesome franchise. The action & visual effects are excellent. The scale of some scenes is breath-taking. For a director who is famous of being making films with ensemble casts, Singer has done a very superb job.

All in All, if you've been waiting for this movie you won't be disappointed at all. Oh & yes, PLEASE ALL OF YOU SHOULD SIT TILL END CREDITS, AS THERE IS A SCENE AFTER THE CREDITS. 

GO WATCH THE MUTANTS!  :D  :D

Cast - Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin.

Director - Bryan Singer
My Rating - ****&1/2    (1/2 only for Hugh Jackman)

Movie Review - "GODZILLA" - "The Kaiju King Of Monsters Is Back"

The movie which i had been waiting for a long long time. I still remember the first time i saw Roland Emmerich's "Godzilla" in 1998, to be honest at that time i quite liked the movie. But, the movie was a major flop, not getting a thumbs up from critics as well as from the audiences. It took total, 16 years to make "Godzilla" happen again with worldwide release. The other Godzilla movie only released in some of the asian countries. The hype with this flick was enormous. As the first trailer rolled, people went buzzards to see the movie as soon as possible. So, does this live up to the hype? The Answer is YES, obviously.


(Image Courtesy - Godzilla-Movies.com, "GODZILLA" In a scene from movie "Godzilla")

The movie starts in Japan, in which a young scientist, Joe Brody played by the "Breaking Bad" fame "Bryan Cranston", studying the seismic activity around the nuclear plant he & his wife is working in. He believes that the seismic activity that has been going on is not due to earthquakes but due to electro magnetic pulse & believes something is hiding in this place as it is the only plant & place who is experiencing it. In all this, Joe loses his wife due to a lethal gas leak in the plant & due to this seismic activity, whole plant is turned into dust & is named a "Quarantine Zone" after the incident. After, 15 years, his son "Ford Brody" played by "Aaron-Taylor Johnson" is in US Army's Bomb Disposal Team & is now living happily with his wife, Elle, played by "Elizabeth Olsen" & his son Sam. But, Joe is still finding his way to know the truth that what caused that activity, to which he goes to his old house in Quarantine zone with his son, but sees that their is no radiation in that zone & Government, is just covering it up. He gets, what he has come for, the documents & disks which tells that something responded to the waves that were sent by Joe, to know exactly what is going on inside the earth's core. Police finds both father & son & takes them to the plant, which was said to be closed but in real is not. The scientist, "Dr Ichiro Serizawa" played by "Ken Watanabe" (Inception fame) & his team has found something which is showing a very high radiation. To, which Joe, says that he already knew that it was the earthquake, it was something else hiding underground. When they see that nothing is happening they decide to kill the structure but it turns out that the structure needs radiation to get more power. So, in turn to kill it, they free out a creature named "MUTO", who is man-made genetically engineered monster. In order, to kill this "MUTO", Dr. Seriwaza believes that only & only, "Gojira" can kill this monster. Will Gojira be able to stop this monster?, Is MUTO alone?. Well, i will give you no spoilers as many people are yet to see the movie.

"Gareth Edwards" is the director of the movie, who has the made the small budget, sci-fi hit "Monsters". But, he needed something big to this movie & he has done that. Edward;s latest venture "Godzilla" is not just a 3D bonanza, but he also maintains a fine grip on the narrative as the action-adventure moves on. The movie's script has an interesting spin, which i cannot discuss in detail, or that would be spoiler for all. I would just say that "Godzilla is a Good Guy Here".

The human drama content in this movie works. I hear people saying, human part was a bit-too much, now you can't just see "Godzilla" for whole 2 hours on the screen. It had to be there. This creature feature film, that is primarily meant for violence & special effects, the movie has got some good & interesting names in the movie, Aaron Taylor Johnson plays the role of an army man & also Joe's son, he quite good in his role, providing some insights of the life of Joe & Ford, as dad & son. But, sometimes looks stiff on the screen. Ken Watanabe, has a good role & is amazing in it. Elizabeth Olsen, shown as fun loving girl, who loves his husband & son, is a fun to watch, even with a role that is very short. Bryan Cranston, is spectacular in this short role & the emotions he shows during his scenes are fantastic. Now, the main hero of the movie, oh you know, "Godzilla", some of the people in Japan said that this Godzilla is too fat. Well, they are right, he is a little fat. But, he is as fit as a fighter, when he fights in the movie. The time he comes on the screen, the visuals are breath-taking & the entry he gets, you would just want to "clap" for the beast to come in.

Warner Brothers, played a deadly game to come up with this project, after the debacle of Sony's "Godzilla" in 1998 & they have done a smart job. I can see, a whole new franchise for "The King Of Monsters".

GO WATCH THIS BEAST! RECOMMENDED!

Cast - Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe
Director - Gareth Edwards
My Rating - ****

Blockbuster Summer Season : It has just "BEGUN"

The summer movie season has just begun & it is coming with big & i mean, very-very big releases. Movies like, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" & "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" have already been released & made big bucks & by seeing these 2 movies taking up the box office by storm & we have already started the "Blockbuster" season. Where people are very-very excited with Superhero movies, Animation movies & sequels. Let us see, the movies which have been released & which are waiting to release in coming weeks. Here are the movies :

Movies Which Are Released :


1. Captain America : The Winter Soldier

       The movie to start the blockbuster "Summer" season of movies & it just shattered all the box-office records. It had all the right ingredients of making it a blockbuster. Great plot, Great acting, Awesome Action, Fantastic background score & Scarlett Johansson. The Chase scenes take this movie onto a whole new level.

PLOT -  After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington DC, & trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague  comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. And, should stand against an unexpected & formidable enemy - "The Winter Soldier".

Cast - Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackle
Director - Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Box Office Collections - 683,567,000 US$ (683 million), till now.

2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

       The second movie to carry the blockbuster summer season of movies, ahead, was the highly anticipated  sequel of 2012's hit "The Amazing Spider-Man". The critics had mixed reviews about the movie. They said that the action sequences were just ecstatic but the story was just tangled up & confusing. But, great acting & mind-boggling stunts & action sequences made this movie into a blockbuster already in just 2 weeks of it's release.

PLOT - In this movie, we see, Peter Parker & his struggle between ordinary obligations of Peter Parker & the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. He feels awesome to be Spider-Man & there's no feeling quite like swinging the sky-scrapers  & spending time with Gwen. But being Spider-Man comes with a price. With the emergence of "Electro", Peter must confront a power more powerful than him & his friend, Harry Osborne, also returns.

Cast - Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Sally Field, Dane DeHaan, Paul Giamatti
Director - Mark Webb
Box Office Collections - 460,801,000 US$ (460+ million), till now.

Movies Yet To Be Released :


3. X Men : Days Of The Future Past 

        The movie which the whole world is waiting for. The first time, when it was announced that this new "X-Men" movie will comprise of all the characters from the previous movie with some new editions, people went crazy over this idea & it was named "X-Men : Days Of The Future Past". Then people, by the name began to think what will be the story of the movie.

PLOT - The ultimate X-men ensemble fights a war  for the survival of the species across 2 time periods in X-Men : Days Of The Future Past. The characters from the original X-Men Trilogy join the forced with their younger selves from X-Men : First Class in an epic battle that must change the past -  to save our future. Wolverine runs down the memory lane & goes in the past with X Men to the past in a desperate effort to change history & prevent an event in doom for both humans & mutants.

Cast - Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Anna Paquin.

Director - Bryan Singer

Releasing Date - May 23, 2014

4. GODZILLA

         The monster movie that whole is waiting for, after the span of 16 years, "Godzilla" is coming back to the big screen with worldwide reach. In, 1998, Godzilla from Sony Pictures came, which had a grand scale but couldn't satisfy the Kaiju's King's Fans. This time Godzilla, is the biggest in size from earlier versions, more darker & also is in a bad mood. The early screenings of the movie has garnered acclaim from everywhere.

PLOT - For the very first time, we have seen so less about the plot so that people can go to theatres to enjoy the whole experience. In the movie, we will see the rise of "Godzilla" to fight the human engineered MUTO, a big monster in itself.

Cast - Bryan Cranston, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe
Director - Gareth Edwards

Release Date - May 16, 2014

5. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

          With the success of "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes", people were wondering what will happen to Caesar? Or "Will it be any other Ape movie, coming up?". As soon, as the movie ended & was hugely successful, the answer came yes, their will be another movie in this franchise & will see the rise of Caesar & the apes set in the near future.

PLOT -  A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

Cast - Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Jason Clarke, Judy Greer
Director - Matt Reeves

Release Date - July 11, 2014

THESE ARE THE MOVIES THAT HAS BEEN RELEASED & SOME OF THE MOVIE WHICH ARE YET TO BE RELEASED & WILL HEAT UP THE BLOCKBUSTER SUMMER SEASON OF MOVIES.