Creating a Better World

It is a year post an apocalypse - Nomad led by the US fights the Nirmata of the AI led New Asia. In fight sequences that are reminiscent of US overreach in Vietnam the American soldier Joshua (John David Washington) finds himself with his loyalties entirely subsumed by simulant wife Maya (Gemma Chan) and Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). In a movie that takes on the best of Dust, Chappie, District 9 and the likes of Terminator, The Creator is bit of an unsung hero among post apocalyptic thrillers. While I'll desist from calling it a must watch, if you have spent time on Oppenheimer this year this is a better use of your time

 

15.5/20

The Lizard Chronicles

Godzilla aka Gojira is yet another tired remake of a hackneyed franchise. Barring a few visual effects that stand out somewhat, the balance is largely a smorgasbord of Gojira playing the guardian angel and trying to save the West Coast of the United States from some mythical destructive insect species, thereby following the laws of Nature of a gargantuan scale. Again, vague memories of the movie and its many clichés, without remembering a single concrete detail. My bad. Or is it?

11/20

Dream Merchants

Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb) continues his winning streak with Inception – a taut sci-fi thriller about men that construct dreams and through them seek to prise out the secrets of their fellow men. Lured by Saito’s (Ken Watanabe) promise of being re-united with his children, Cobb embarks on a mission fraught with danger – the inception of an idea in Saito’s arch-rival Robert Fischer Jr (Cillian Murphy) – to break up the latter’s business empire. Aided by a core team including architect Ardiane (Ellen Page), Cobb and his team must travel successive levels of dreams to seed the idea – and see the fruition of the same in the real world. However, the memories of Mal (Marion Cotillard), the ex-wife of Cobb, cloud Cobb’s presence and his dream, and imperil the success of the mission. With the slightest hint of the Matrix, and of Shutter Island (the movie trails off in a fashion where the eventual truth is unclear), this is a carefully crafted movie with moments of brilliance, and sterling performances all round. But good enough to be cult?.. as in Matrix/ Dark Knight class? Didnt think so.

14.5/20