Is the future truly set? Or can we change it? Can we? Is our past the answer to our future?...

"The past: a place of potential promise, and possibility. We are the sum of our choices, as what we do now defines what we will do. Infinite decisions mean infinite consequences, for the future is never truly set." -Charles Xavier

When the idea of the seventh installment of the X-Men franchise was taken up, there was a lot of debate about whether it would act as a sequel to First Class (2011) or The Last Stand (2006). Ultimately, Bryan Singer and the X-Men team decided to connect both the movies in Days of Future Past. So, yeah, the movie is a big cluster of around a dozen heroes and some not-so-powerful villains. Since I had been following the X-Men movies, Days of Future Past was a snooze for me, but if you are deciding to watch the movie without watching the other six, well, best of luck. As I said before, the movie is a big cluster that connects various plots from the previous six movies.

However, even though a bit too complicated, this movie is without doubt the best X-Men film yet. Here is a brief plot of the film:

SPOILERS ALERT

The movie starts in the future, where most of Professor X's students have been murdered by the Sentinels, robots who kill mutants and humans who support them. Professor X's last hope of averting this future is to go back in the past and change a certain event which has led to such a situation, the event being the murder of Bolivar Trask (creator of the Sentinels) at the hands of Raven/Mystique. Since professor X is too old and weak to go back 50 years, Wolverine is sent back by Kitty Pryde to find Charles and Erik (the future Magneto) and convince them to help stop Mystique (then Raven). Wolverine wakes up in 1973, finds Charles at X-Mansion with Hank (a.k.a. Beast), and is surprised to see that Charles is able to walk. Somehow, he convinces them to help him. The three decide to take the help of a mutant Quicksilver to break Erik out of a prison in the Pentagon. After Erik is out, the four set out to find Raven. They are successful in this and are able to stop Trask's assassination, but Magneto has his own plans and decides to kill Raven to secure his future. He is stopped by Beast (Hank) and Raven escapes.Full of anger, Raven decides to kill Trask in Washington D.C., during the inauguration of the Sentinels by the President, Richard Nixon. However, Charles is able to use his powers (giving up his legs) and gets into Raven's head, hence, stopping her. However, Magneto thinks that this war was inevitable and decides to take out the humans before they take out the mutants. He surrounds the White House by the RFK Memorial Stadium and commands the Sentinels to attack the humans.

At this point, most of the X-Men of the future such as Storm, Bishop, Iceman have died and Charles and Magneto are on the brink of death.

Magneto is about to kill the President Richard Nixon, when he is shot by him, who turns out to be Raven. With Raven's help, Charles is able to get inside Magneto's head and convinces him to stop. Magneto leaves and Raven disappears in the frantic crowd, and so, the dystopian future is averted. Wolverine is back in the future and sees that all the X-Men, Storm, Iceman, Bishop, Beast, Kitty, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Rogue etc. are alive.

Now, the positives of the film:

Overall, Bryan Singer and his team has done a very good job. The action and the visual effects are trademark X-Men style and the actors have done a fairly good job. The new look of a more mature Professor X suits James McAvoy. Wolverine is just as destructive as he was in the last six films. Micheal Fassbender is again, very intense in the role of Magneto. However, the pick of the actors was Jennifer Lawrence. She had quite a lot of screen time as compared to the other X-Men and the whole plot was centered around her. She certainly lived up to what was expected of her and really gave a new insight into Raven/Mystique.

As far as the negatives go, well, the plot was too clustered. as I have repeatedly mentioned, if you have missed even one movie, nothing will make sense to you. Another thing is the inclusion of too many heroes. There were around  eight X-Men in the future and around six in 1973. Many of these heroes, such as Bishop and storm were not required but in their defense, it completes the connection. Other than this, there are no negatives.

Professor X (Future) and Professor X (1973)

With such a huge star cast and such expectations from the fans, Days of Future Past was sure to do well at the box office. The film has been well-received and now the fans can look forward to the next installment, X-Men: Apocalypse. in the post-credits scene, a glimpse of Apocalype and his Four Horsemen was shown, and this has already created a buzz among the X-Men fans.

THE VERDICT:

Besides maybe an over-complicated plot, the movie is surely one of the best in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As far as the other X-Men films go, this is without doubt the best among them.

OVERALL RATING: 8.2/10

(P.S: Leave comments, it really encourages me.)

Till the future is being written,

He Who Must Not Be Named

You MUST watch this movie!

The name is SHERLOCK HOLMES and the address is 221B BAKER STREET...

Sherlock Holmes, all of us know this guy. Yes, he is probably the world's most famous detective. The only problem for all of us 'Sherlocked' people out there (including me) is that he is fictional, and he has to be, for if a man with such intellectual gifts was to ever walk upon the Earth, the governments and criminals worldwide would have a hell of a problem upon their hands. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about this consulting detective have been adapted into various forms- plays, movies and TV shows. I, being a die-hard Holmes fan, am familiar with all adaptions of this genius, and personally the BBC TV series titled 'Sherlock' is my favorite. 

Yes, I know that this blog is about movies, but for Sherlock Holmes, I think I can make an exception and write about the TV series.

"I know you're an army doctor and you've been invalided home from Afghanistan. I know you've got a brother who's worried about you, but you won't go to him for help because you don't approve of him- possibly because he's an alcoholic, more likely because he recently walked out on his wife. And I know that your therapist thinks your limp's psychosomatic, quite correctly, I'm afraid. That's enough to be going on with, don't you think?" -Sherlock Holmes to John Watson

This quote tells you all that you need to know about Mr. Holmes. One word- Genius.

Yes, this man is the most intellectually gifted person to be ever born, and the way he has been portrayed in the TV series is just phenomenal. Benedict Cumberbatch, the highly talented actor, plays the lead in 'Sherlock'. The actor portraying Sherlock's only friend, Dr. John Watson, is also one of the few actors who can fit into any role- Martin Freeman. Since most of us are familiar with the basic plots of the Sherlock Holmes' stories and novels, I don't think I need to summarize the episodes here, unlike my previous articles. In all, there are 9 episodes of 'Sherlock', divided among 3 seasons. Each episode is generally 85-90 minutes long, but once you start watching it, you get so engrossed that 90 minutes seem to pass in no time.

The first episode of season one is based on the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study In Scarlet. It introduces John Watson, an army doctor invalided to London, to the highly gifted Sherlock Holmes while looking for a flatmate. The first two episodes in season one focus on making the viewers familiar with the personality of Holmes and Watson. Both the episodes have different criminals and are not linked to one another except for their benefactor- Jim Moriarty. Yes, Jim Moriarty is the main villain in the series and he has been portrayed wonderfully by Andrew Scott. Moriarty is the only criminal who has been at least mentioned in every Sherlock episode till Season 3. Moriarty is the south pole to Sherlock's north, just like Sherlock is the world's only consulting detective, Moriarty is the world's only consulting criminal. Moriarty's character was shown extensively in episode three,'The Great Game'.  And yes, another important character that can be seen throughout the three seasons is the co-creator himself, Mark Gatiss, who portrays Sherlock's elder brother, Mycroft Holmes. Mark's acting as Mycroft is just as commendable as Benedict and Martin's. His accent and dialogue delivery is so pure that it is almost bewitching. 

The first episode of the second season introduces the character of Irene Adler, the dominatrix who brings England to its knees. She is also seen to have a romantic attachment with Sherlock, which ultimately leads to her defeat. The second episode is based on one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes novels, The Hound Of The Baskerville. The storyline is somewhat different from the novel but just like the other Sherlock episodes, simply amazing. The third episode is without doubt the best of them all. It is based on the story 'The Final Problem', where Moriarty sets out to destroy Holmes and in the end of which both, Holmes and Moriarty fall to their deaths. The story was changed for the adaptation but the basic plot remained the same, with Moriarty committing suicide and Sherlock jumping off the roof of Bart's Hospital.

When Season 3 started this year, there was a lot of excitement among the fans who wanted to know how Sherlock had faked his death. Sherlock did return in the first episode and even stopped a terrorist activity in the heart of London. This episode also introduced the character of Mary Morstan, who marries John Watson in the second episode of the season, 'The Sign of Three'. The first two episodes might have been average from Sherlock's standard, but the third one was again one of the very best. It introduced a new villain, the king of blackmail, Charles Augustus Magnussen. The standoff between Sherlock and Magnussen was amazing to watch, but in the end, Magnussen was shot by Sherlock.

However, the third season was left at a cliffhanger, with a video message showing the apparent return of Moriarty.

Season 4 is set to air by mid-2015.

The way the stories have been adapted by the creators, Mark Gatiss ans Steven Moffat, are just amazing. The wit and brilliance of Sherlock can be seen in everything he does- his walk, his dressing sense, his eating habits etc. Benedict Cumberbatch has done a phenomenal job as Sherlock. In fact, he looks best as Sherlock from among his many different roles and its as if he really was Sherlock Holmes. Martin Freeman as John Watson is a perfect choice, and he really portrays the character very well. As talked above, Mark Gatiss as Mycroft is amazing. Besides, various characters play supporting roles, such as Mrs. Hudson, DI Lestrade, Anderson, Molly Hooper, Sgt. Sally Donovan etc.

The one thing that the world learns from this show is The Science Of Deduction. The beauty of the show is so engrossing that you keep wanting for more. I'm sure all the Sherlock fans out there are eagerly waiting for Season 4.

So to conclude, I quote DI Lestrade,

"Sherlock Holmes is a great man, and we are lucky, one day he might even be a good one."

THE VERDICT:

Simply stunning. Even if you are not into detectives and crime shows, it's a must watch, for you will realize how much of your brain is unused and how much you can know if you stop seeing and start observing.

Overall rating: 9.7/10

(PS: A few likes wouldn't hurt.)

Till you deduce the truth,

He Who Must Not Be Named

Why can't people just THINK?

Drink up me' hearties yo ho! It's a pirate's life for me. Savvy?

"Alas, this is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!" -Johnny Depp

The year was 1967 when Disney opened the Pirates of the Caribbean theme park ride in Disneyland, Orlando, Florida. Who would've thought that one day, a film series based on that ride will become one of the most popular and loved film series of all time. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise is without doubt one of the most popular film series in the world. According to me there are two reasons for the series' being a huge success:

1. Hollywood doesn't have many pirate films that are both, entertaining and thrilling.

2. Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp portrays the lead character, Captain Jack Sparrow, in all the four films. The film series are based in the late nineteenth century, when piracy was at its peak in the world. The first three films follow the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, his rivalry with his treacherous First Mate, Captain Hector Barbossa (Rush), and the variety of problems that come their from, from the East India Company to ancient sea monsters. The main plot also includes a romantic side story between the EIC's Governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann (Knightly) and a blacksmith-turned-pirate, Will Turner (Bloom), and how the two of them somehow get involved in Jack Sparrow's adventures.

Till date, there have been four films in the franchise, with a fifth one currently in development. The first three films are based on the Turner-Swann adventures, while the fourth film is a stand-alone sequel.

As far as the story line goes, here is a brief synopsis:

The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Captain Sparrow's former First Mate and his crew of undead pirates kidnap Governor Swann's daughter, Elizabeth. In order to save his love, blacksmith Will Turner teams up with Captain Jack Sparrow, who wants revenge on Barbossa (his first mate), for marooning him on an island and stealing his ship, the Black Pearl. On the other hand, Barbossa and his crew want to lift the curse of the 882 pieces of Aztec gold by returning them to Isla de Muerta. The last piece, however, is in the possession of William Turner, whose father was a pirate on the Black Pearl before his disappearance. The story follows Jack and Will's adventures to save Elizabeth and destroy Barbossa.

Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Lord Beckett of the EIC arrests Will and Elizabeth for aiding Jack Sparrow's escape. Jack, on the other hand, has to pay his debt to a sea monster, Davy Jones, who had raised the Pearl from the depths and made Jack captain for 13 years. In order to escape the debt, i.e., 100 years of service aboard Davy Jones' ship (The Flying Dutchman), Jack is in the search of a chest which contains Davy Jones' heart. Beckett too wants the heart to control the seas, and he guarantees clemency to Will and Elizabeth should Will be successful in obtaining the chest.
However, Will finds out that his father is alive and that he can use to chest to free of his debt. So, all three want the chest and what follows is a spectacular adventure.
(Personally,this one is my favorite out of the four.) 
At World's End (2007)
This movie continues from where the second one left off. Lord Beckett gains power over Davy Jones' and decides to use him to extinguish piracy and make the EIC the masters of the sea.
The Nine Pirate Lords (which include Jack Sparrow and Barbossa) decide to meet at Shipwreck Cove in order to summon the help of the ancient sea goddess Calypso, and to make their final stand against the EIC. What follows throughout the rest of the movie are fights and fight between the EIC, Davy Jones and the pirates. In the end, Jack Sparrow escapes his debt to Jones', Jones' heart is stabbed by Will, and Will becomes the new captain of the Flying Dutchman. Will and Elizabeth marry and the post-credits scene shows Will Turner Jr. at the shore with his mother, waiting for his father.
(This movie brings an end to the Turner-Swann faction of the franchise.)
On Stranger Tides (2011)
This movie is a stand-alone sequel to the first three, and follows the adventures of Jack Sparrow and his search for the Fountain of Youth. Captain Barbossa has left piracy and has become a privateer in King George II's Navy, and he too is in a race against the Spanish to find the Fountain. This movie also introduces the character of Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard, an infamous pirate who is also in search of the fountain. As it turns out, Blackbeard's daughter was a former love interest of Jack's, and she still remembers Jack's betrayal. All three want to reach the Fountain for different reasons and the visual effects in this movie are better than the ones seen in the first three.

In total, the four movies have grossed somewhere around $3.8 billion at the box office, making it one of the highest grossing film franchises in the world. The concept of the films was new, something which the world wasn't familiar with and roping in Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow was the icing on the cake. Depp's portrayal of the character cannot be described in words. The rest of the cast has done a pretty good job in creating good story lines which maintain the interest of the viewers. A major positive in the series are the excellent dialogues. Throughout the series, the actors have talked like pirates, with constant use of phrase like 'Aye!', 'Land Ho!', 'Savvy?' etc. The direction provided by Verbinski and Marshall has been good and has really allowed the series to reach such heights.



In general, there are no negatives. Maybe the movies are a bit too long, maybe some scenes are unnecessarily stretched, maybe the creatures and pirates are too ugly etc. All these are very minor points and can even go unnoticed.
The movie has received a variety of awards and accolades, and I think think that the series very well deserved these honors.

THE VERDICT:

"Oi Mate, you like pirates?You like Johnny Depp? You wanna watch pirate movies? I tell ya what mate, Pirates of the Caribbean is just the perfect film series for you.

If you like the concept of pirates, sea monsters and unknown treasures of the seas, this is the film series for you.

Overall Rating: 8.8/10
Best Movie: Dead Man's Chest
Not the Best Movie: The Curse of the Black Pearl

(PS: A few likes wouldn't hurt.)

Till you are out of rum,
He Who Must Not Be Named

Do you like Pirates of the Caribbean?

When this city needs me, I will be there. Who am I? I am THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.

"Soon everyone in this city will know how it is to live in my world. A world without power, without mercy, a world without Spider-Man. They will see me for who I truly am. I'm Electro."                             -Jamie Foxx

Yes, it is here. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is in theaters. After two years, all the fans of the web-slinger have something to see, and enjoy too. After the first movie, the expectations from Marc Webb and Columbia Pictures were very high. And boy, they have delivered one heck of a movie.
In 2012, when the first movie was release, it was marketed as "The Untold Story". The plot of the first movie was all about one thing- Peter finding out the truth about his parents. The second movie too starts from that base only, with Richard Parker's footage about the disappearance of his wife and him.First of all, I have to commend Marc Webb on the direction and Alex Kurtzman on the screenplay adaptation, for these two things were at a level completely different from what we saw in the first movie.
Now, I am going to talk a bit about the movie. Since this is a review (not a plot summation like my first article), there will be some SPOILERS ahead. So all of you Spidey fans who haven't seen the movie, well, read at your own risk.

The movie starts with Richard and Mary Parker leaving their son Peter at Uncle Ben's house and the events that followed,i.e., the death of Richard and Mary Parker. In the present, Peter is loving his double-life as Spider-Man, beating criminals, saving the damsel in distress, and being loved by the kids. Peter has graduated from Midtown High and is dating Gwen Stacy, though he continues to be haunted by the promise he made to her father, Captain Stacy in the first movie. While chasing a Russian mobster, Peter saves the life of Max Dillon, an Oscorp employee who is a nobody. Since Max is a loner and is always being used by people for getting their work done, he is inspired by Spider-Man and begins to idolize him.
 So much so, that he becomes obsessed with him and thinks of him as his 'best friend'. In another part of the city, Harry Osborn is back from boarding school after 10 years. Norman Osborn is dead and he realizes that he too, was going to die of the same disease that took his father's life (since the disease for hereditary). He becomes CEO of Oscorp Industries and starts looking for his cure. Now, Peter breaks up with Gwen and in Oscorp, Max is involved in an accident with electric eels which make him into a blue colored alien. After being humiliated by Spidey, Max becomes Electro and his only goal is to finish Spider-Man. Harry, in the search of his cure, realizes that Spider-Man's blood might be the only thing that could save him. When Spider-Man refuses, he decides to conduct an experiment on himself with the spiders from the first film (the spiders that bit Peter). Skipping the useless parts in the story line, the experiment goes wrong and Harry is converted into a green colored man, thus naming his avatar The Green Goblin. What follows are fights and fights between Spidey, Electro and the Green Goblin, with Electro and the Goblin teaming up against Spidey. Quite standard, huh? Here is the big twist in the tale.

In the last fight, The Green Goblin manages to kill Gwen Stacy. Yes, Gwen Stacy DIES in the movie. Peter is left heartbroken, he quits as Spider-Man, but one day Aunt May makes him realize how he had to go on and forget the events of the past. Peter realizes his responsibility to the city and returns, fighting a new villain called Rhino in the end. In the last scene of the movie, the shadowy figure is seen talking to Harry (who is in a mental asylum) about raising an army and revealing that Rhino was his creation
This is the basic plot.


Now, let's talk about the positives. Personally, I think Dane DeHann has done an amazing job bringing the character of harry Osborn to life. From his looks to his acting, he was completely immersed in the role and has definitely done a much better job than James Franco from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. 

Secondly, I think Electro's character was very well written. Jamie Foxx's acting might have been average, but the portrayal of this classic villain from the Spider-Man comics was a huge success. For a first on-screen appearance, kudos to Electro.
Andrew Garfield and the supporting cast was good as usual, though there was nothing spectacular about them.

On the negative side, the scenes involving Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy were far too lengthy and there was no need for them. Had those scenes been removed, the movie would have been shorter by at least 20 minutes. Plus, the death of Gwen in the end makes no sense. You can't kill the heroine in a superhero movie. Perhaps Webb was inspired by Nolan's The Dark Knight, in which the Joker killed Batman's love interest.
Secondly, I think the character of Rhino was a waste. He came on for only five minutes in the film, and that too at the very end. They could have introduce his character in the next film itself. Why they brought him for a cameo, I don't know.

Besides this, the movie was good.
THE VERDICT:
If you are a Spidey fan, this is a must-watch for you. For those who are not fans of the web-slinger, well, if you nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon, give this movie a shot, you might like it.

Andrew Garfield has signed a four film deal with Columbia, and two more films are in the making.
If you guys have any predictions regarding the third film, please right them down in the comments.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

(P.S: A few likes wouldn't hurt.)

Till you unravel yourself,

He Who Must Not Be Named.

Is Spider-Man my best friend?