X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: Entertainment just can’t get any bigger, any better! [4/5]

The most loved mutant series X-MEN returns to its original generator after 11 long years and the influence, empathy and compassion between the two grow like they were never separated. No wonder, Bryan Singer helmed X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST turns out to be the most entertaining affair of the lot. It is also an adrenaline-charged reunion of the older and newer members of the mutant gang known for their magical, mystical & marvellous powers. Together they ensure a wholesome entertainer you’ll cherish long after leaving the theatre. Action speaks louder than words but action here in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is more amusing, enjoyable and flattering but without eclipsing the power of words.

In the futuristic world of endless possibilities, heroic mutants headed by the older professor X [Patrick Stewart] and Magneto [Ian McKellan] are being hunt and gunned down by army of Robotic Giants called The Sentinels supposedly developed by the gene and blood-cells of Raven-the Mystique, played by the enigmatic Jennifer Lawrence. The threat upon the very existence of mankind and mutants are constantly getting thicken and the only way out is to rectify the mistakes done in the past by taking the much fascinating time-travel route. The volunteer chosen is the edgy & impatient Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. Now, he has to deal with the younger versions of his associates who are still ambitiously driven by their own set of differences and unaware of the fact that eventually they had to be one at one point of time.

This journey from future to past sees ample of electrifying moments to keep you constantly on the edge of your seats. The engaging plot and unpredictability in the writing make sure you never have a dull moment even for once. Rather, the story moves forward and gets unfold in a manner that the 2 hour duration of the film looks absolutely jam-packed with much of thrills and chills. Of the lot, the best is when Peter aka Quicksilver [Played by Evan Peters] decides to help Charles Xavier [James McAvoy] and Wolverine release Erik [Michael Fassbender] in a prison-break in an almost impossible Pentagon. In a lyrical representation of how the ‘blink and you miss’ fastest of the all Quicksilver reacts in fractions of a second to this particular sequence, you are bound to be left awe-struck and overwhelmingly impressed by the ultra-slow-motion technique and the fascinating music score over it to double it up the whole experience. In another, you see Erik using his epic superpowers to thrash and lift up an entire sports stadium in the air and later, to make it a guarding wall around Washington DC. This is as big as Chris Nolan creates in his super science fictions. Absolutely breath-taking!

If anything that does get unsatisfying to some extent, is when you see many of your favourite characters like Storm played by Halle Berry getting side-lined with a not-so-evolved brief role but then possibly this is not the film for them to be remembered for. They had their own share in the previous and hopefully will get another in next. With the layered emotionally dehydrated and hilarious drunken act of James McAvoy as younger professor X, the witty reactions and one-liners of Wolverine, the action sequences involving the tiff between Erik and Raven, you shouldn’t really ask for more reasons. It tastes as good as it smells. Entertainment just can’t get any bigger, any better! [4/5]  

PRISONERS: What ‘THE CONJURING’ did to horror, ‘PRISONERS’ does to thriller! [3.5/5]

In order to keep you glued to your seats, regular thrillers often try to bomb every trick mentioned in the rulebook on you, one after other. Exhaustively pacey narration, deliberately designed twists, in your face-jaw dropping action, over the top drama and what not…but it all looks so gimmick-so unreal-so unconvincing when you experience Denis Villeneuve’s PRISONERS.

PRISONERS belongs to the same genre but mainly to a minimal sub-part of it that doesn't believe in all those textbook rules and absorbs your soul in its atmospheric mood and the intensity of the actions. The complex human behavior itself plays so hard as an integral motivator that you don’t feel alienated to what is happening on the screen. It is dark, murky, intricate, violent, layered, riveting and a pure thriller to enjoy-indulge & invade!

When law enforcement agencies [Jake Gyllenhaal as an out-and-out dedicated police detective] find it hard to book a possible suspect in a child-abduction case lacking enough evidential proofs, father of one such girl [Huge Jackman, riding high on emotions rather than showing muscular strength] decides to take charge in his hands, illegally of course. But the density in the maze to track down the offender is so thick that even a far-sighted would need to think twice before guessing who’s behind all.

From the very first frame, film creates a perfect ambiance for a thriller with the suspenseful chilly-frosty-foggy woods of Pennsylvania as the base of events. Camera beautifully captures and extracts the mystical feel from those wooden houses to torch-lit shots used mostly for the dark places to explore and investigate. But as I have made it clear above, the focus is always on how human behavior gets adulterated by the heat of the situation and complexities take over. And to show it better, nothing but the performances emerge as the winner. 

Two towering infernos here are subtle at the most parts but when the break down happens, you should never miss a moment. The way Jake reproaches his supervisor for not being supportive is hilarious. The way Jackman as a helpless father shows his angst and aggravation while torturing the possible suspect in his illegal custody is disturbingly bone-chilling. His hard-to-break instinct to believe that the man in his charge is the culprit they all are looking out for is very contagious.

The name Denis Villeneuve is well-associated with the Oscar-nominated incest-thriller INCENDIES. That was a complete awe-striking movie that takes your breath away with its exceptional ending. This is not that but still a genre-defying effort. 

One or two not-so hard-to crack twists, a slow pace that might work in negative to lose your constant consideration and a little drawn out duration of the film [153 min is quite unseen-unexpected for recent Hollywood movies] could easily be avoided if you have an urge to watch good thriller with performances of first rate. This is definitely season’s best. What ‘THE CONJURING’ did to horror, ‘PRISONERS’ does to thriller! [3.5/5]