arungeorge13

At this point, the D-Rex has more in common with a Xenomorph than a dinosaur (..are we getting an Alien x Jurassic World crossover?), but whatever. Such forgettable characters, mediocre dino-kills, and and a weak as hell payoff in the final act -- not what you'd expect usually of David Koepp (the writer behind the original JP), though this is what we get. Gareth Edwards is good at stirring tensions with "monstrous" set pieces, and while it works with the sequence at sea, the rest don't pack any punch given almost all the characters are disposable (and not worth caring about). Yeah, the film takes far too many storytelling liberties (like a character falling off a cliff and not having a single cracked bone; the dinosaurs seem to be great at playing hide-and-seek, and so on) and you'd easily be knowing which characters are going to be dino-dinner and when. Also, solid product placement by Lay's and Snickers!

P. S. The most disappointing thing about these movies lately have to be how UNSCARY the CG dinosaurs have become. It's not the worst entry in the series, but it'll be disregarded pretty soon. And no, ScarJo being present in it makes no difference.

I wasn't entirely sure how Ram's thesis-styled writing would marry into Shiva's comedic sensibilities (and one-liners), but they work like wine and cheese here. Shiva's constant replies in English seamlessly tickle the funny bone. At the same time, the film itself offers a wealth of engaging commentary on parenting, unplanned adventures, reconnecting with nature, and acknowledging our flaws and quirks. The road trip story is further enriched by N. K. Ekambaram's scintillating rural visuals and the presence of performers such as Grace Antony, Anjali, and Aju Varghese only help.

Grace especially shines in a scene where she bumps into her sister. Her character, while missing the road trip parts of the plot, still feels so integrally written into the proceedings. She's sure to land more roles (with depth and meaning) in Tamil after this. The surprising star here is Mithul Ryan (as the wacky, always-curious, and innocently adorable Anbu), who cracks the assignment spectacularly. My only major gripe is with the "explanatory" songs, which kinda ruin the visual beauty of some scenes. Otherwise, let's "keep flying."

As a remake to the Spanish film Campeones and its English counterpart Champions, it's decent. But when you give it the name Sitaare Zameen Par, it also has to live up to the legacy left by a film like Taare Zameen Par, and that's where it falls short. The Aamir Khan film spends slightly more time on the family dynamic bit than the original, whereas the Woody Harrelson version was basically just a straightforward sports comedy with a central redeeming arc. The first half of Sitaare Zameen Par was actually just okayish for me, not hitting the highs in humour or character establishment.

It's only at the interval point that scenes start to feel refreshing and authentic. Aamir Khan's performance, while better than some of his recent efforts, still needs to step out of that overzealous, overreacting zone. Hopefully, a director like Lokesh Kanagaraj is exactly what he needs for a course correction. Genelia's presence is such a breath of fresh air, and while the character isn't the most well-written, I absolutely enjoyed seeing her on screen. This is a film for the intellectually challenged ensemble, and they get their sweet, shining moments. The sports element doesn't leave much of an impact here, and if basketball was replaced by any other sport, it would've hardly made a difference. It's the in-between scenes that land well. Guddu, Golu, and the rest -- you guys were awesome!