Black

I wasn't going to watch Black but the plot of Coherence had me eager to see how this had been adopted for the Tamil audience. I'd heard GOOD reviews, but I was fairly certain they'd take at least 20 mins to get the plot started but.....this, while a bold attempt at sci-fi in Kollywood, is a far cry from the original. You may find it worth your time if you have not watched Coherence, but boy was this a mess in comparison. The plot takes about 40 mins to get started, there are elements in the film that feel unnecessary, not sure about the creative decisions but the writer might have had reasons.

From a plot standpoint, this film throws very many scientific terms in the climax and hopes we're like "Oh, i see what happened" and I don't know if that was....convincing.

The original has 8 people central to the plot and you'd think this adds to the complexity but they surprisingly did a good job. In Black, the plot revolves around just the two leads and even that is needlessly convoluted.

Just by itself, it was..an OK movie at best. Keta "Hollywood la yedutha OK nu sollunvinga" nu dialogue viduvanungo. When you take into account that it was an official remake, this was an opportunity wasted.

Watch Coherence regardless, you can then watch Black or skip it.

Science fiction movies are relatively rare in Indian cinema, so when I find one, I have to give it a try. It's a tricky genre, and just because you have a basic storyline you can't make a feature film if you don't develop that thread-unfortunately, that's the issue here.

The film follows a couple who travel to their newly bought house in a community for a vacation, only to realize they're skipping timelines. Do they try to break the loop and save themselves, or do they remain trapped? That's for the viewers to discover.

The plot is interesting, and you start a guessing game with questions like what, why, and how it's happening to the couple. It takes a while to piece everything together, and the story makes sense up to that point. But once your questions are answered, the explanations are sloppy and unsatisfactory, leaving you disappointed. There are multiple sequences that feel like filler, adding no value and making you question their place in the narrative.

Jiiva does well in the lead, and he still has that charm; he definitely deserves more roles. Priyanka Bhavani Shankar provides solid support as his wife, with an earnest performance. However, the chemistry between them is lacking, largely due to the screenplay.

This film had a good premise but fell short in developing it. The suspense elements work in the movie's favor, making it worth a watch for a change, but don't expect anything extraordinary.

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It's 1964, Manohar is helping his friends elope and marry despite being in love with the girl. He takes them to his holiday home and soon, finds them both dead, shocking the bejesus out of him. Years later, Vasanth and Aranya are a couple who are happily married but small strain is showing in their relationship. To make up for it, they plan a vacation and land up in the holiday home. It's the night of red moon and both start feeling strong deja vu. They are further shocked to see similar houses which are occupied despite being not sold. What do they uncover on that night while being stuck in a loop? How does Aranya go missing, turning Vasanth into a suspect? Will Vasanth be able to prove his innocence and find his wife? The film tries to answer them all.

I have not seen the film that acts as inspiration to this one. It is commendable to see a film outside the usual Tamil cinema and 2024 has been the year where this has been tried a few times especially in Kannada films. The story deals with parallel universes theory and the director takes his sweet time to get to the point i.e. Good 40 odd minutes which would be my major complaint. Once the couple settle in the house, it gets interesting and the director is able to keep the mystery alive for the next one hour. The explanation does get oversimplified in the third act and I wish the director had explored the 1964 plot a bit more. The final twist is decent and again, it could have been executed a lot better if the climax had maintained the tense moment. I would still recommend Black to all, just for the attempt.

Good execution. Last 50 mins is the strongest segment of the movie.

Too many sequences spent to establish the theory behind the strange events, also in its completion by reverse tracking.

A Clean screenwriting just serves for a foolproof establishment and development of events, no serious effort is actually needed to know what's happening.

The setting of the story is very realistic and true to certain basic factors like the actual time period and follow up of events within.

This is a completely script driven movie and is fully engrossed into it's world, and does not depend on any additional effort by its actors and only demands a lot from the technicians, especially the editor of the movie.

In Overall, this movie is for a casual outing in theaters or ott.

I walked into Black with a bit of hesitation, mostly due to the mixed feedback from friends. Usually, I go into movies with little to no knowledge, relying on one simple metric: "Is it good or bad?" This time, however, I was given a small spoiler that the movie revolves around quantum computing. Strangely, instead of dampening my interest, it piqued my curiosity-even though I know very little about quantum computing myself.

To my surprise, I actually enjoyed it! Black felt like a bold, experimental attempt, with a storytelling style that reminded me of English-language sci-fi movies. Jeeva's natural acting stood out, and the heroine's stoic expressions added a unique layer of intrigue to the plot. There was no over-the-top melodrama-just a realistic portrayal of confusion and curiosity as the characters navigated through the story's twists. The narrative felt like a blend of inspiration from several iconic films (Harry Potter, Interstellar, Back to the Future, Edge of Tomorrow, Premonition, and more), yet it managed to retain its originality.

As the plot's complexity reached its peak, I found myself wondering how the movie would wrap everything up. To my relief, it concluded with a logical and satisfying ending that tied the story together neatly.

This film falls under the Horror and Science Fiction genres, though it serves as a great entry point for those who might be hesitant about traditional horror movies. The elements of suspense and intrigue are enough to scratch the surface of the horror genre without diving too deeply into gore or fear.

Interestingly, this experience reminded me of GOAT, Vijay's movie. I had heard overwhelmingly negative reviews about it, but going in with low expectations actually made me appreciate it more. On the other hand, Ganguva, which I approached with similarly low expectations, left me with a headache and regret by the end.

Overall, Black is worth a watch, especially for those who enjoy movies that challenge conventional storytelling while exploring unique sci-fi concepts. It's a bold attempt that deserves credit for its originality and execution.