Anjaan (Tamil) - A boring gangster bromance, sheer snorefest.

What a snorefest?! I mean they've actors like Suriya & Manoj Bajpai in the film who are unanimously deemed as one of the best actors of Indian cinema & director Lingusamy makes a mess of them. Yes, Vidyut Jamwal can't act especially when his voice is getting dubbed, he struggles a lot to fit the south Indian gang. But the dubbing made even Manoj Bajpai look tedious along with that ghastly hairdo.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has been given a role which is mastered by Tamannaah Bhatia. Samantha is desperate to be accepted in Tamil films & it shows on screen. While Tamannaah is yet to say yes for a bikini avatar, Samantha goes ahead to show her bikini avatar for a few seconds which was totally needless as well as pointless. The moment second half starts she's completely missing. The director thought he has an unique way of storytelling keeping her character hidden but that came out totally lame.

They said Rajpal Yadav was in the film, I kept searching for him throughout. Notable Bollywood actor Dalip Tahil was there in the film too. Infact all the posters have highlighted him as one of the main villains. He hardly comes for a scene or two of maximum 5-6 mins in the first half & he vanishes. There are few other Bollywood actors but why are they even there is totally left unanswered. Those roles could've been played by anybody, the UTV factor made them to cast the Bollywood actors.

Maryam Zakaria makes a very very short appearance. Before people could recognize her she vanishes. I mean what was the point? Chitrangada Singh in an item number. I mean it's villain's birthday & item number is still the way to celebrate it. Bad guy has a receptionist, she must wear shorts so short that it looks like she isn't wearing one & it's mandatory for her to show her cleavage more than necessary. If you are not able to catch her then not to worry, there's a table infront of her so that she can deliberately bend right into the camera.

Like I had predicted the film had a threadbare storyline. The moment the interval twist is revealed, it's like what's the point of watching the second half? Oh yeah, Brahmi darling aka Brahmanandam has a short role which tries to be funny & is funny for a very shortperiod of time. I mean it's more like a cameo for Brahmi & sadly, the comedy is also treated like a cameo.

Good points, they showed Suriya & Samantha go to the theater to watch Chennai Express, the train anthakshari scene & the audience did receive it well. Infact in the second half just for the sake of killing time, a medley is inserted where Suriya remembers in the flashback where he, Samantha & Vidyut dance for fusion of hit songs - ek do teen (Tezaab - Samantha fails totally to match Madhuri or even to give a tribute to her), Kajra re (Bunty Aur Babli - Suriya & Samantha seems to be having fun), Ringa Ringa (Arya 2 - wonder why they were doing Dhinka Chika's steps. Guess when Anjaan gets dubbed in Hindi, the Hindi audience will get to hear Dhinka Chika song) & Lungi Dance (Chennai Express - Everybody including Vidyut dances for it. The song is still a rage among the audience, it got the loudest of cheer, something even the original version didn't get).

The songs are bad too. The production values are better. Some of the action though routine is still good since there isn't much ropework to ruin the action scenes. The dialogues heavily inspired, I mean they fizzle out way too quickly. The punch dialogue "(translated) I will decide when I have to die, I will only decide when you are going to die", doesn't work.

This is Samantha's desperate attempt to get accepted in Tamil industry, an actress of her calibre, brought down to just a glamdoll to show off her cleavage, waist & thighs... not acceptable.

And it's unpardonable to waste the talents of Suriya & Manoj Bajpai combined. I mean with talent like this, a director could do wonders. Lingusamy just decides not to.

Vidyut Jamwal now has starred along with Ajith Kumar (Billa 2), Vijay (Thuppakki) & now Suriya (Anjaan). While he played the villain to eventually get beaten up by Ajith & Vijay, he gets to have a bromance with Suriya where he gets to mouth, he's his life & even goes on to ask "Will you give your life for me?".

My Rating - 1.5/5 (1 for Suriya & the rest for Samantha's honest efforts in exposing.)

Finally mil hi gaya mujhe mera asli KICK. Salman Khan & Single Screens zindabad.

Have to say watching KICK in a multiplex that too twice, had still made me feel something was missing. That too this time, it didn't feel like watching a Salman Khan flick due to audience pretending to be over-sophisticated. It's a Salman Khan film for heaven's sake & there is only one way to watch it. And if you're like me who doesn't know to whistle, doesn't scream or shout or openly dance in the theater then the least you could do is enjoy others doing it, every bit of it. Without that, it ain't the way to watch a Salman Khan film.

I reached at the venue. Big hoardings of Salman Khan & his fans welcomed me. I knew I was at the right place.

The fans had already climbed up to do all the pooja's & decorate the poster. It's Bhai's film & it's on EID. Double celebrations toh banta hai. EID is a huge festival by itself & Salman Khan's film demands to be celebrated. It was indeed a sight to watch, something to be experienced.

Thankfully, I had already booked my tickets online so that housefull board didn't bother me much at all. And this time no more buying tickets in black. Spoke directly to the theater's manager & he took extra care to let me inside before everyone rushes in. But before I made up my mind to get inside the theater this happened.

When this was happening outside there was no way of me missing it. I joined the rest of the crowd to capture this moment which has become a synonym with any Salman Khan starrer. I might've shifted to multiplex for a long time now but when it's a Salman Khan starrer, single screens are the best way to experience his films. Infact it's like a tribute on it's own. The LAST ACTION HERO of Bollywood & one of the rare megastar to actually get this kind of "worshipping" from his fans. Single screens are deteriorating, worst part is that one day this madness will come to an end along with the single screens. Capture most of it as and when you can. Because this is something you can only experience & the actual KICK lies in it.

I am a loyal fan of Salman Khan for more than two decades, well that's another way of saying I've been his fan ever since I realized I could be a "fan" of someone. Was one year old when Maine Pyar Kiya released, the first ever song I sang as a kid was from the same film. Ofcourse as told by my parents. See, the connection has been instant which has turned into loyalty.

Being loyal fan of his, I refused to take any sort of pics or video inside the theater. Nevertheless, the experience of people cheering, whistling, clapping throughout the film & dancing whenever the songs arrived, it was really a treat to me as a fan. EID pe maine apna EIDI zarur paya.

Aur isse kehte hai asli KICK. Aur sabhi ko life long KICK prapthirasthu !

Jao, aap bhi movie ko dekho apne 3 doston ke saath, feel the experience. aur apne 3 doston se kehna ki woh aur 3 logon ko zarur Salman Khan ki film dekhne ko bole. JAI HO !!!

KICK - Yaar Is KICK ki HANGOVER itni aasani uthregi nahi. KIIIICCKKKAAA !!!

Story -

As we all know this is a remake of Telugu hit KICK. The female lead's characterization has taken major changes. Shaina is a psychiatrist, who is asked to meet Himanshu Tyagi who is a strict police officer. They meet on a train formally as their families want them to get married. They choose to open up to each other & Shaina starts narrating her past to him, her lost love Devi Lal Singh. He's a character who does anything for his own "KICK". Devi Lal Singh chooses his "KICK" over his love Shaina & has left her. Himanshu too shares his story where he found his partner in the form of Devil, a thief who has robbed over 600cr & how he has given him nightmares. Himanshu has come to Poland, not just to marry Shaina but also to catch the Devil. Devi Lal Singh re-enters Shaina's life & what happens forms the rest of the story.

Film -

The first half of the film is completely loyal to the Telugu original. The pace is decent here with right amount of entertaining scenes backed up by very good dialogues & comic timing of the actors making it a fun first half. The story like in the original, takes a lot of time to begin so until then it's more of an assortment of all the fun escapades of Devi Lal Singh. Enough time is given to establish his character. The actual "KICK" begins when Randeep Hooda's Himanshu starts narrating about Devil. The action scenes kick in & the camaraderie between Hooda & Salman, all the war of words makes it very entertaining helping the first half to end on a very high note.

The second half has a complete different approach compared to original version. Unlike Telugu, here the writers don't follow the comedic approach. The retrograde amnesia which was portrayed completely comically in the original version is completely toned down here with the second half starting on a serious note with the twists happening at the right time. Most importantly, one of the best talent of our industry, Nawazuddin Siddique makes his entry as Shiv & right away steals the show. The pace in only certain scenes seems to drop a bit but that's no concern once the truth about Salman Khan's KICK is revealed which is extremely emotional & well captured. The climax of the original is retained in Hindi too but what makes it extra special is the blockbuster dialogue "Dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein nahi" is the last thing you get to hear. Now that's a powerpack punch.

Performances -

The role is tailor made for Salman Khan. He lives it, he enjoys every bit of it & excels in the emotional scene like anything. It's his show all the way, he looks a lot younger which is a huge asset. He dances his way, he excels in comic timing, the action involving him is all the more common things which people are so used to now but what makes this more special he gets the romantic Salman Khan from 90's efficiently & shows the glimpses of his attitude of the Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya era. Awestruck is the word.

Jacqueline Fernandez is good, her dance bit in the Jumme Ki Raat song is a paisa vasool moment. Ofcourse her diction is just like Katrina in her early days, nice that she gets limited scope in the second half which doesn't let her shortcomings to be visible. Randeep Hooda plays the role of a cop with gusto, he brings in a honest performance & all his scenes with Salman Khan is commendable. Mithun Chakraborthy is good as the father of Salman Khan & his party scene with Salman in the first half is more entertaining than the police station scene. Archana Puran Singh is alright. Saurabh Shukla is good & the scene where he interacts with Salman at his house is hilarious. Sanjay Mishra is very effective, his comic timing deserves to be applauded. Sumona Chakravarthy is passable. Nargis Fakhri is eye candy but the choreography isn't.

Now what do I say about this actor? Nawazuddin Siddique is an asset to our film industry. Loved every scene he featured in as he undoubtedly ruled it. Be it the dialogue delivery, that weird laugh, the bottle cap popping sound.... whatever he does straight away entertains. Watch out for him during the climax. I Salute him.

Technical Department -

The production values is never seen before for a Salman Khan film. It's lavish & every frame looks like a million bucks. The DOP deserves all the credit. The background score was decent but nothing more than that. The film's runtime is perfect but considering some of the scenes that drop in momentum, I felt the editing could've been a little more crispier. As far as choreography goes, it was just about okay. Expected a lot so I can say it was just not at the level of Ahmed Khan. Although the choreography was nowhere close to be called bad, just the expectations were higher & only Jacqueline's solo act matches it. Action is mindblowing.

Direction -

Got to praise Sajid Nadiadwala on his first attempt at direction. He has definitely handled the film well for a first timer. Wish he had ventured into direction a lot before.

Plusses -

1. Ofcourse Salman Khan. He's loving, living and enjoying his character. We all know we are in for a grand treat when Salman does that.
2. Some episodes in the first half is very entertaining. The police station scene featuring Sanjay Mishra. Ofcourse the action scene before that is very good too. But it was even more fun when Salman Khan & Mithun Chakraborthy danced for Akshay's Party All Night from Boss.
3. The whole Devil's introduction, the chase scene & most importantly the train-bicycle scene.
4. Again Salman Khan dancing to Divya Bharti's Saat Samundar song was again a high point.
5. Salman Khan doing Nawazuddin's bottle popping noise & laugh pre-climax plus Salman's dil mein aata hoon dialogue in the end.
6. The entire kid's episode in the flashback. Salman Khan at his emotional best.
7. And who else, NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUE & every scene that he features. 1-2 cha cha cha.....

Negatives - 

1. The pace being uneven when it comes to certain scenes. Those few scenes just couldn't maintain the momentum.
2. The songs placement. Yes, the songs were entertaining but except the Tu Hi Tu version which comes in the opening credits and Yaar Naa Miley, Jacqueline's version in the end credits, all other songs were not placed properly as they affected the pace.
3. They said only 6 scenes are similar to original version & rest all is new. That is not at all the case. Still couldn't find what new was contributed by Chetan Bhagat.


Final Word - KIIIICCCKKKAAA !!!

My Rating - 4/5

Yes the movie deserves it for it's entertainment. Although I am being slightly influenced to rate it 3.5 because the makers said the story is not a scene to scene remake but apart from the Nawazuddin's character, the movie was indeed a scene to scene remake. But anyways it's EID, it's SALMAN KHAN & the movie is damn entertaining so as of now I will stick to 4/5.

Edge of Tomorrow - Get off your asses and watch this movie, you maggots.

Story - 

Private Cage happens to relive his day over & over again where he combats with the mimics (extraterrestrial enemy). The future of mankind lies in his hands. How he succeeds in doing this forms the rest of the screenplay.

Movie -

The movie begins with the news reports of various tv channels announcing the invasion by the extraterrestrials and the whole world is fighting them although the news channels only mention the Russian & Chinese troupes. Anyways, Private Cage is arrested for impersonating a military officer & is forced to join the combat army to be part of the battlefield. As unwilling he is, he joins the forces to battle out the mimics at the beach in France. He is not trained & he wants to escape from his situation. The brutal battlefield turns into a slaughter, Private Cage runs into the most celebrated war hero Rita Vrataski only to see her die. This is followed by Cage's death. Now, Cage wakes up and his day starts all over again with the events repeating themselves as it is. Sooner it's revealed what actually triggered this Groundhog Day fiasco but ofcourse not before Cage's killed enough number of times. Now Cage must team up with Rita to make his nightmare, the nightmare for the enemy. The first half is terrificly told, the pace is faster, entertainment guaranteed with enough amount of laughs that compliment the scenes.

The second half is where the fun time looping thing ends and the film gets more serious. Sure, Cage keeps dying only to learn from his mistakes and use it as a strategy to execute his true mission. There's an well intentioned attempt to give an emotional touch to the lead pair's relationship which looks half baked or rushed but the acting definitely makes up for it & succeeds somewhat in separating this film from the usual Sci-Fi fantasy films. The battle shifts to Paris, the major twists appear at the right time to make this film a nail-biter. The success of the mission depends on Cage's ability to hold onto his visions long enough to execute the plan & kill the extraterrestrials. The last 15 minutes of the film will take the audience for a ride. The climax too is as subtle as it can get, giving perferct justification. By the time the end credits roll in, you will know you had got your money's worth.

Performances -

Tom Cruise as William Cage really kills it. He is in his elements and entertains you throughout. The age will never stop this guy. Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski gives an effective performance & supports Tom Cruise superbly. Bill Paxton is first-rate, it's always good to see him on the big screen. There are bunch of supporting actors & their performances are in sync with that of the lead actors.

Technical Aspect -

Again the 3D worked big time. The visual effects definitely justifies the huge budget of $175+ million. The mimics design is super effective and the battlefield shots are terrific.

Positives -

1. The interesting plot revolving around repeating time loop.

2. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt's highly energetic performance.

3. Highly entertaining first half.

4. Doug Liman is back. The one we know for The Bourne Identity & not for Jumper.

Negatives -

1. The film does lose it's pace for a while in the second half.

2. The emotional connect seems half baked.

Final Word - Get off your a**es and watch this movie, you maggots. Hollywood is on fire with back to back best entertainers.

My Rating - 4/5

X-Men: Days of Future Past is entertainment at it's best.

Story - 

It goes something like this, the mutants should time travel to the past to stop one of the mutants from committing a grave mistake that would lead to their destruction in the future. To alter the course of events means to alter the entire history, affecting the past & the future. Mutants in the present day have united to alter the past, but will the mutants in the past unite?

Movie -

Bryan Singer, the director of X-Men & it's sequel X2: X-Men United knows the franchise better, gets to business right from the first scene. He doesn't waste time in introducing us to the present day scenario & the war with The Sentinels. Here, we are introduced to a small band of X-Men who fight The Sentinels & manage to defeat with the help of Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde's ability to phase through solid objects as well as time. The initial few minutes itself prove that this is an high octane action ride. In the present day, Charles Xavier & Magneto have united & along with The Wolverine & Storm meet this small band of X-Men & asks Kitty Pryde to send them back in time to alter certain event. Now Kitty Pryde has the power to send them back in time but it's limited to a month at most, anything more than that will rupture the mind. What Charles Xavier asks for is to be sent back to 1973. Knowing the danger involved, The Wolverine steps in as he can withstand the rupture through his power to heal quickly. So, The Wolverine gets sent back to 1973 where his task is to unite Charles Xavier & Magneto, the glitch? They can't stand each other & reaching Magneto is, to put in his own words "complicated". How The Wolverine succeeds in getting them together & will they stop the actual event from happening forms the first half of the film. The pace is extremely good here, you've all the whistle-worthy, clap-worthy scenes in this segment. Not revealing much, yes the first half enough provides double the entertainment for the money you've spent.

The second half elegantly passes through past & the present time, the twists come in the right time & the follow up for that twist is commendable. Like I said, Bryan Singer knows the franchise better than everybody & his vision does justice to the characters. It's a very interesting but deadly game between the mutants themselves & between the mutants & the humans. Is altering the event enough to change the course of the future? Is it worth changing if the war is inevitable? Does mutants have a chance or should the humans be given a chance? All these questions are answered as the screenplay for the second half is entire based on those answers. The pace loses a bit in the second half since concentration on building up scenes for the grand finale. The grand finale is ofcourse epic considering the huge budget spent on the film & it's the CGI which does the talking. The ending if revealed will be the worst thing for any reviewer to do, if you're a true X-Men fan then all I can say is this is the ending you were all waiting for. Ofcourse the logic does take a toss in the second half but hey that's exactly the last thing you wanted while buying the ticket.

Performances -

Hugh Jackman as The Wolverine nails it. It's a treat to watch him, wonder why he doesn't get any decent standalone film? James McAvoy takes off from the prequel & is very efficient as Professor Charles Xavier. Patrick Stewart makes a comeback as the original old Charles Xavier & he does what he does best. Ian Mckellen as Magneto is very effective while Michael Fassbender as the young Magneto gives a an elegant performance as the baddie making up for the Ian Mckellen's positive portrayal of Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, well what can I say for her, respect is the word. Halle Berry as Storm doesn't get much to do but very glad to see her. Ellen Page as Shadowcat contributes a lot during the initial few minutes which is very important for the entire film. Nicholas Hoult as the Beast renders great support throughout the film. Peter Dinklage as Trask is first rate. Shawn Ashmore as Iceman is decent but again limited scope. There's a bunch of actors playing mutants & they support really well. Not going to mention few actors as I said I'm not going to reveal much.

Special mention for Evan Peters as Quicksilver, if you're going to love this movie it's because of him. His action scene in the first half is what gonna get the maximum cheers, whistles & claps. Yes, he's that fabulous.

Techinal Aspect -

What can I say? The 3D is efficient in certain parts, but the CGI is extra-ordinary. All I can say is money well spent & it shows on screen making the film a visual treat both in the action sequences & the scenes that doesn't involve action.

Positives -

1. Evan Peters as Quicksilver.

2. The Wolverine.

3. The whole concept of the past and the present. The conception of having the characters together in their older form as well as younger form.

4. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. You just can't stop loving her.

5. Also, Ellen Page as Shadowcat & the new band of X-Men.

6. The Climax.

Negatives -

1. You wish Evan Peters was part of the plan in the 2nd half too. He's used only in the first half & it's not justified at all in not involving him in the second half.

2. Logic does take a toss.

3. The involvement of Magneto's younger version starts losing it's justification in the second half.

4. Storm literally has nothing to do. When you see her, you would atleast expect one contributing scene involving her.

Final Word - Watch it because it's entertainment at it's best.

My Rating - 4/5 [3.5 for the actual film + 0.5 rating only for Quicksilver. After a long time I clapped, cheered during a scene & it truly deserved it.]

Godzilla - The King of Monsters, saviour of the city. Finally Hollywood pays a true homage to Gojira.

Plot - 

Let me clarify that this movie is not about Godzilla vs Humans, it's treatment is completely different than the 1998's Roland Emmerich's Godzilla. This movie solely lies on the battle of the monsters where humans are made into just spectators unlike the previous film where humans were made to battle it out directly.

So, this time Godzilla is back but for a reason & that reason is what holds the movie till the end. He has his monster friends who call him out for a battle & humans are caught in between them. All the humans do is get shocked looking at the monsters in Japan followed by Honolulu & of course California. The story begins in 1999 where a nuclear plant is being attacked by an unknown force, we are introduced to Joe Brody played by Bryan Cranston who is the first one to detect the unusual events that occurs. The attack results in a mysterious meltdown of the nuclear reactor leaving Brody's wife dead. Now Joe Brody, the Hollywood's most conventional be-the-only-person-to-know-it-all, continues his search for the truth behind the nuclear meltdown. 15 years later, the truth is revealed & it comes with it's own price. The monsters get unleashed & what follows forms the entire film.

Movie -

The first 15 minutes of the film starts as a prologue with the events that occur in the nuclear reactor. Then the story moves forward to the current times where the characters of Aaron-Taylor Johnson & Jennifer Olsen are introduced along with their son. Soon, Aaron has to leave for Japan to get his father who is currently been arrested for getting inside a prohibited zone. After the father-son reunite, they opt for their own journey back to the prohibited area in search for the truth. The entire first half is about introducing the main human characters & move the story forward along with them. Apart from Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Bryan Cranston there is Ken Watanabe to introduce the audience to the respective monsters as the story moves forward in it's own pace. The main character, Gojira aka Godzilla makes an entry only towards the end of the first half & it's a superb introduction scene for him.

The second half shifts to Las Vegas where all the monsters are headed to. All the attempts by humans to contain these monsters go in vain. The story moves in a brisk pace here as the audience anticipate a huge showdown between the monsters & any scenes before the final battle adds as a built up having a positive effect on the scenes that unfold. The audience get to view the three huge monsters, they get to sympathize with the big guy, they get a glimpse of human emotions & efforts to witness as well as do their part in this epic battle. The final showdown like I mentioned is epic & is worth all the wait. The movie ends on an open note & yes there'll be a sequel. But to the ones who expected an after credit scene, realized that it's not a Marvel movie a tad bit late.

Performances -

Bryan Cranston sets the mood of the film as the scientist & the father of Sam Brody. He forms the emotional involvement in the initial 15 minutes. Juliette Binoche is effective in her brief role. Aaron-Taylor Johnson puts up an honest effort to make up for all the scenes not featuring the monsters. Jennifer Olsen gets very little scope. Ken Watanabe gets limited exposure but all his scenes contribute majorly to the film.

Technical Aspects -

As usual it's done brilliantly. You get to see choppers to trains to submarines being played upon as broken toys, you get to see a tsunami, you get to see several money shots of Godzilla, all that money spent proves to be worthy. The 3D, well enhances the film.

Positives -

1. Godzilla himself.

2. The epic battle between Godzilla & the MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms)

3. The effective initial 15 minutes.

4. Portraying Gojira/Godzilla in it's original form nowhere like the 1998 version.

Negatives -

1. Godzilla has roughly about 20 minutes screen appearance & he's absent for the larger part.

2. MUTOs though positive additions to the movie remain unidentified creatures as far as the Indian audiences go. As happened with the audience in my theater, they seemed largely disconnected with MUTOs till the entry of the big guy.

3. Humans are turned into mere spectators throughout since the entire movie is about the battle between the three monsters. This could be a negative aspect for those people who expect  Godzilla vs Humans showdown.

The movie is typical Hollywood in all aspects, got way too many cheesy scenes, entire climax is heavily relied upon the battle that turns out to be epic & despite it's cheesiness what makes this movie so good is the fact they've got everything right this time. It's pretty clear whose side we are on, it's not the MUTOs, it's definitely not the humans...  yes it's the big guy, who gets all the sympathies followed by loud cheers as he gets up, walks towards the ocean & swims off.

Final Word -

This Godzilla is a true homage to the original Gojira series. He's the King of the Monsters & he's definitely the saviour of the city. GO FOR IT !!!

My Rating - 4/5

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: A ridiculously pointless sequel.

Story - 

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) has successfully graduated from high school & he is still fighting the crimes in the city as well as seeing Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) breaking the promise he made to her father in the prequel. He's feeling guilty about breaking the promise & calls it off or to say let Gwen call it off between them. That's the only way for him to save his love. On the other hand, a new villain character Electro effectively portrayed by Jamie Foxx emerges & Peter Parker gets to meet his old frined Harry Osborn played by Dane DeHaan [well don't we all know what Harry is going to turn into!]. So, there's our hero, his complicated love story, two villains, his search for the truth about his parents, Aunt May (Sally Field) & a cameo by Stan Lee... the ingredients for the Spider-Man sequel is ready. Isn't it Amazing? Hold on, it's not.

Movie -

Well, the first half begins with Richard Parker & their back story regarding what happens to them. Then the story gets back to New York where the Spidey is flying all over the city to fight crimes. Unlike the prequel, the lead pair goes through a break up which leads to several scenes that doesn't feature them together which makes the first half miss that much needed spark. Sure, there are funny moments, few manage to get some chuckles the rest seems repetitively old. The highlight in the first half is Jamie Foxx's character, it's unique characterization & Jamie Foxx's performance holds the first half of the film tight. The pace here is decent & events unravel smoothly enough.

The second half loses it's steam with several twists which was supposed to be thrilling but ends up dragged. It's here where the film actually seems crowded where too much concentration is put on several sub-plots & make it part of the main story. What holds the second half is the honest performances & those few scenes which are perfectly handled by the director, the inconsistency in the screenplay shows which plays the spoilsport. Honestly, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is way better than The Amazing Spider-Man 1, but the problem is apart from the technical aspects, the standards were never set that high as far the story goes. Purposefully not going to speak about the pre-climax & climax, just going to reveal the fact that, close to the climax you will feel that the entire 2hrs 20mins journey was pointless.

Technical Aspects -

It's brilliant. The camera work is top notch, the 3D is very effective unlike several other superhero movies that hardly exploit the 3D technology, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 perfectly uses it & it justifies to be made in 3D.

Performances -

Andrew Garfield has worked really hard to get it right this time. He does grow on you in this sequel. Emma Watson takes off from where she left in the first part, she is good. Jamie Foxx steals the show as Electro. Dane DeHaan handles his part very well. Paul Giamatti excels. Sally Field does justice to her character & surprisingly she gets to do a major melodramatic scene.

Final Word - This Spider-Man is still far from being AMAZING. So if you want something Amazing, still suggest you to watch Sam Raimi's Spider-Man sequel.

My Rating - 3/5