Indian Palace: Suite royale

I have such a huge affection for the first film, it's so warm, captivating and funny. The follow up had huge shoes to fill, and for the most part it does. I founds the first thirty minutes a little pedestrian, but after that it opened up and turned into a beautiful film. It's very emotionally charged, puts you in a hugely reflective state and really draws you in. It terms of acting it was never going to fail was it? There is a host of stellar acting going on, Maggie, Judi, Celia etc are all glorious, but this time I was hooked on Bill Nighy's character, he's just fabulous.

I applaud this film for capitalising on the more mature acting talents out there, even though the second offering focuses slightly more on the youngsters, who are also brilliant, fans of Toast of London will recognise Clem Fandango!!

An excellent film that makes me desperate for a third. BTW Richard Gere has no right to still be that handsome!

9/10

film of a state of soul. seductive for humor. for the teenage side of an age. for the lights and characters, music, dance and the British mark. for the gentle manner to say truth as words from ancient Oriental poem. and for its silence isles. a perfect film as refuge because it is not only the second part of Marigold Hotel but an oasis , far by the trend of blockbusters or independent films, manifestos or moral lessons. a film who gives solid proofs for the admirable art of great actors. out of fans circle interests. because it has not stars. because each new presence - Richard Gere especially- represents the right part of the puzzle from the first Marigold. a film about essential small things. and theirs roots, fruits and taste. a film about solitude, happiness and courage.and, like the hotel itself, comfortable refuge for the viewer.

This film tells the story of a group of senior citizens from the Western world settling in a hotel in India.

"The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" us exactly what the title is. It's second best compared to the first one. The first one had a cohesive story about a group of individuals finding themselves and their happiness. This time around, the story concentrates on the hotel owner's marriage and hotel expansion, and much less about the residents. Even when they tell stories about the residents, it's not as engaging and touching as it could be. I don't find myself caring for the characters at all. It's quite a disappointment for me.

Many cinematic releases of late have excelled at contaminating us with dross, puerile swearing and mindless violence. Here then is an oasis of colour in both settings and characters. The first film was a heart-warming experience, which reacquainted viewers with what good cinema should be about. The sequel is equally as splendid - in my opinion, and judging by my fellow cinema-goers, by all of those attendees to. No violence, no swearing, no lavatorial humour. Gosh, what is the world coming to? Just dollops of old-fashioned (and I am not ashamed of using the term), gentle humour. The film is chock-full of some of our (British, that is) top-notch thespians and boy, do they knock anything our Yankee brethren could conceive in a million years into a cocked hat. Okay,Richard Gere pops up as the token 'American', but even he is out-acted by the British and Indian cast ten times over. For two hours of sheer entertainment, with a feel-good factor tipping the scales, then you will be hard pushed to beat this fine example.

...but managed pretty well.

There's a terrible risk with producing a sequel to a unique, quirky and successful movie. For want of a better cliché, it's flogging a dead horse.

This film confronted that risk and trounced it soundly. I was wondering how the heck the producers would manage it, and went to the cinema expecting to be disappointed at best and mildly annoyed at worst. But no. I left uplifted, happy and feeling as though I had wasted neither the time nor the ticket price.

The characters continue to develop. New characters are introduced but are generally given the chance to have their own back stories as well. The film genuinely manages to give the impression of being a candid look at the lives of a disparate bunch of people - their interactions, hopes, fears, prejudices and so on are all laid bare for us, as before, yet somehow it still manages to feel fresh.

There are real, proper laughs, some fantastic one-liners and some very well done moments of pathos. It's beautifully filmed and the big set-pieces are a delight.

In short it steps into the large boots of its predecessor, and fills them nicely. Go and see it.