Movie Review

Pirates of The Caribbean

Tired tides

TSI Five-O: Orthodox pirate tale that is fun in flashes

To be sure, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has very little juice left to squeeze out of it. The fact that it does manage a decent fourth installment is largely due to the inimitable zing that Johnny Depp brings to the character of Jack Sparrow. After the whirlpool of complexity that ‘At World’s End’ ended in, ‘On Stranger Tides’ goes all linear with a pretty direct plot - Sparrow becomes a part of Blackbeard’s (Ian MacShane) crew on board Queen Anne’s Revenge thanks to a run in with an old flame, Angelica (Penelope Cruz) as they seek the mythical fountain of youth.

But pursuing the same lead is captain Hector Barbossa (Goffrey Rush) as a privateer under the orders of the King as well as the Spanish who wish to destroy the fountain. The sights and sounds of the classical pirate mould treasure hunt are still fun and the dialogue does deliver some wit but there are no interesting additions to the characters or any new sub plot. It is not difficult to see that only Depp’s effervescence and rush being every inch the pirate that provides respectability to On Stranger Tides. Undoubtedly it is a fun summer ride, but only if you don’t mind living with a sense of deja vu.

404

Schizophrenic

TSI Five-O: Psychological thriller with a hint of horror

A thriller set in a hostel and thus inevitably named after a room, 404 starts rather shakily, failing to muster a grip on the audience through its opening sequence of comical yet meticulously honest documentation of ragging. But soon enough, the missing bite is instated by the unfolding plot that modestly enriches the flow of the film.

A haunted hostel room (no. 404) in a medical college is occupied by a seemingly ‘sorted’ individual Abhimanyu (Rajvvir Aroraa), despite his friends’ ire and the chilling whispers of the former occupant’s spirit living in the room. Abhimanyu’s seniors, the typical Indian med-school lot, mentally deride and degrade him, often scarring him with the repeated mention of Gaurav, who tragically committed suicide three years back in room no. 404, ironically due to ragging.

Abhimanyu turns schizophrenic. He talks, laughs and communicates with Gaurav, much to the excitement of his famed favourite Professor Anirudh (Nishikant Kamath).
The movie is true to its promise. It packs more than a couple of turns. Though predictable, the plot of the film is intriguing. The actors, including the maturing Imaad Shah are thoroughly impressive.

However, you would at times wonder if the medical college has only about nine students. The editing is not the most imaginative. And after an overdose of psychology, the end leaves you with more than a couple of versions, science being just one of them. Whatever. The bottom line is, it will thrill.