Inferno

I'm not one to be disappointed by movie adaptations of books. This isn't because I know that they'd get them right, rather I don't let my hopes get too high due to the inevitability that they will butcher the source material. I don't know why I let my guard down with the latest Dan Brown adaptation. Past experiences with The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons should have taught me otherwise, but I ended up getting hurt more than ever with this one.

Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) wakes up in a hospital in Florence with no memory of how he got there and a head wound. His attending doctor, Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), explains that he arrived at the hospital with bloodied clothes and that his head wound has caused amnesia, but his memory should return. Before any of this can be processed, he is attacked by Vayentha (Ana Ularu), a mysterious assassin disguised as an Italian police officer. Soon Langdon and Brooks discover that he was there to prevent the release of a plague that could wipe out half of the world's population, a plan devised by Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster), a scientist concerned with overpopulation and who died at the start of the film.

Let me talk about the brief positives of the film before I get into how it devastated me. The film really captured the effects of amnesia and really eased the audience into the story. This is a pretty creative way to convey the confusion of the characters as well as not giving away everything at once. The scenery is spectacular, but that's what is expected when you set your film in Florence, Venice and Istanbul.

I know this isn't a book review, so I won't go into too much detail about it. While Dan Brown's writing is somewhat formulaic, the ending of the book was very different and original. While the movie has the super Hollywood ending (spoilers!) of Langdon stopping the plague from being released and saving the world, the book actually reveals that the plague has already been released and the day that they spent trying to stop was actually the day when the whole world would be infected. Instead of the plague killing people, it actually just made a third of the population infertile, a trait that may or may not be passed down through the gene pool. This ending is so much better and would make people stop and think. But because of Hollywood, we now just got a movie that everyone will forget because it lacks anything to make it stand out. That just defeats the purpose of making a movie, you want something that lasts the test of time to make as much money as possible.

Even if you haven't read the book on which it's based, Inferno is a pretty dreary movie. It sets an exhilarated pace that it can't keep up with. This is combined with a bland and conventional story, as well as confusing twist, to make an unforgettable movie that no one wanted.

Jurassic World

So I've shown time and again that I am a huge fan of the Jurassic Park movies. I grew up as a dinosaur kid and the movies really did feed my desire to want to be a palaeontologist (I've since discovered that movies have impacted those desires and choices). The last movie in the series was a bit of a departure from the whole trying to build a dinosaur theme park. This movie sets that all back on track. 

In Jurassic World, the theme park has been running for quite a few years. It is headed by ambitious Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) whose estranged nephews Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins) are coming to stay for a week. Elsewhere on the island, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Velociraptor expert has being training a team of raptors under the watchful eye of InGen head of security Vic Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio). Claire is also getting ready to reveal a new attraction in the park; the first genetically engineered dinosaur created by Dr Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), a process the park owner, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan), has come to oversee. As usual nothing goes to plan.

It is very enjoyable for me to see a functional Jurassic Park (or World in this case). The park has some super enjoyable attractions, such as the rides and attractions that John Hammond would have wanted. There is even a super cute petting zoo for the kids. Of course we get to see the complete destruction of all of this. The action that happens is really fun and completely ridiculous. At one stage a velociraptor is riding the back of a T.Rex and there are many other moments that are just mindblowingly exciting. There are also dozens of references back to the original film. Some are glaringly obvious (they visit the abandoned original Welcome Centre) and some of the imagery is reminiscent of shots from that one.

I have a few minor gripes with the movie. One is that there are way too many characters. They all are introduced rather quickly and we have to juggle where they all fit in. There is also not too much care given to the minor characters who we are teased with interested backstories but not developed at all. The characters I wanted to see to see more of were Masrani as he takes over the role of charming head and plays the character exactly the same as Richard Attenborough. Also Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus play park controllers that provide great comedic relief. B.D. Wong is the only actor to return from the original film, but his character is tarred as a bad guy, which is a shame because I have always loved Dr Henry Wu. A lot of people have also criticised the ridiculous ending, but I just laughed the entire time.

Chris Pratt continues to be the charming action movie lead and it really works to his benefit. He's serious demeanour also adds some variation. Bryce Dallas Howard acts well, but her character's clothing choices are questionable. I didn't even recognise Vincent D'Onofrio in his role and I feel so ashamed. Simpkins and Robinson are okay, but I felt as though their main purpose was just character motivation. Again Irrfan Khan provides some great moments.

All in all, Jurassic World is a lot of fun. It may not be scientifically accurate, but it's a fun ride. There are some romantic elements that are pointless. I thought that this movie would be a perfect opportunity to use something like this.

The Lunchbox

The Lunchbox is not another superficial romance that simply follows a clichéd boy-meets-girl plotline, but rather explores deeper themes that challenge us to think about our goals in life.

The film is presented through an epistolary structure and follows Saajan (Irrfan Khan), a middle-aged accountant who is plagued by loneliness, and Ila (Nimrat Kaur), a young wife who is experiencing troubles with her marriage. After attempting to re-kindle her relationship with her husband by cooking delicious lunches for him, Ila discovers that the lunches are being wrongly delivered to Saajan.

 The two begin to communicate through letters left in the lunchbox, and slowly start to pour out their inner-most feelings to one-another through their pens. The film deals with isolation, infidelity, retirement and the unknown but remains positive, despite these challenging themes. The connection that Ila and Saajan have with one another, reminds the audience that we share common concerns and difficulties in our lives, but that there is always hope with a fresh start.

This is a promising debut feature for director Ritesh Batra, who wrote the script with assistance from Rutvik Oza. The performances overall are generally very good, with a powerful portrayal of the despondent Saajan coming from Khan, whose previous works include Life of Pi, The Amazing Spider-Man and Slumdog Millionaire. Kaur is also very convincing, and there’s a surprisingly authentic performance from Bharati Achrekar as Mrs. Deshpande (Auntie) who we only ever hear from her apartment above, occasionally dropping her basket down with fresh ingredients.

This follows in the footsteps of Chef as another film that you really shouldn’t watch on an empty stomach. The scenes of food preparation and Saajan’s lunchtime are shot beautifully and really do make you water at the mouth. Though this is overshadowed as the characters start to read the next note, wondering what it says as much as the audience does. During these sequences the two inhabit their own fantasy world, conveyed through the sound design with, for example, songs that they are thinking of as well as the voiceover from the note overpowering the noise from their surroundings.

This is one of those films that finds the positives in its characters and always stays upbeat despite the sad and subdued nature of their lives. It’s funny and touching and leaves you with the hope that we’ll all find what we’re looking for in the end.

Life of Pi

First off, this movie did not need to be in 3D. 3D is for the kind of movies that I like, Piranha, Bait, Texas Chainsaw (which I hear is doing wonders in the US box office). This movie relies heavily on it's themes and story, which are superbly told. The story is basically the early life of a young Indian teen, who gets lost at sea when the freighter that is transporting his family and all the zoo animals that they own, mysteriously sinks and Pi, short for Piscine, is set adrift in a life boat with a Bengal tiger.

So I better start by talking about how good this movie looks, even without the 3D. Ang Lee, along with cinematographer Claudio Miranda, have put together an extremely beautiful film, which is a seamless blend of live-action and CGI effects and quite honestly I found it difficult to see the distinction between the two at times. The added effect of the 3D made the visuals pop, but once again they were capable of this on their own. Only once did the 3D get to me and that was a shot in the opening credits, where a slightly too long focus pull made the background blur for a period of time that was quite unnecessary.

Ang Lee also did a great job with a small cast and, for the majority of the film it seems, a room covered completely in green. But as amazing as the visuals are, the real star is the struggle that Pi has with confronting his beliefs about God. Early on in the film, we learn that he has adopted three religions of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Through the course of the film, he finds that all three of those belief systems have aided him in a certain way throughout his life. There is also a scene during a storm where he confronts God. This reminded me of Forrest Gump, where LT. Dan did the exact same thing.

Another theme in this movie is that all life is is a series of encounters with various people and that when they come to an end, the best thing is being able to say goodbye to whoever that person may be. The impact of that idea hit me quite hard and it is something I am going to be able to take with me.

Verdict: Not only is this film visually spectacular, but it also has a deep and powerful message, that leaves you warm inside. I know it's way to early to say, but it might be my favourite film of the year.