PAWAN KR. JHA

I was not very excited about the movie, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025), a spin-off of the blockbuster John Wick franchise, when I first saw its trailer. Now, I think I misjudged the movie because of the trailer. Honestly speaking, it was surprisingly entertaining, perhaps not in terms of storyline, but in terms of its brilliant action-choreography. I was more surprised at the performance of Ana de Armas as the ballerina/assassin Eve Macarro. Because, the trailer gave me an ill impression of her fighting style, but in the movie, she pulled it off like a pro, I mean it felt beautiful to watch her in action. WHAT I LIKED IN THE MOVIE: Action-choreography, top-notch and engrossing. Cameo appearance of Keanu as legendary John Wick. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE IN THE MOVIE Predictable storyline (though it was aptly compensated with breathtaking actions) A character repeating few lines from The Matrix. That scene I didn't find very encouraging, even if that seems relevant to the context. Because that scene reminded me of Morpheus' epic "Don't think you are, know you are," line he says to Neo. CONCLUSION In my point of view, Ballerina is going to be perhaps the most beautiful action movie of 2025, though the year is yet to come to an end. If you leave the first 30 minutes of the movie trying to lay the foundation for what is to come next, the rest of the movie is pure action drama. Though I have missed the soundtrack of the John Wick franchise, especially when it is played at the entry scene of John Wick, yet the movie is a pure delight. My gut feeling says another spin-off is in the making. My rating: 7.0

The movie starts with a compelling (and lachrymatory) presidential appeal to Ethan Hunt acknowledging his unflinching dedication to serving the nation, even if that means defying the chain of command. Up to that point, I thought movie was gonna be a real entertainer, but I was let down as the story started to unfold layer by layer. I am not saying that it is good for nothing, but it is 30% less engaging than its prequel, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One. What I found GOOD: Action choreography, better than the prequel. Underwater scene, inside the submarine. Very impressive. Final verdict: Entertaining, but don't expect it to have any "WOW!" factor if you watch the movie impassively. But if you are a die-hard fan of Tom, and you feel inclined to ignore "not so tight" plot just because it happens to be the swan song of the franchise, the movie will feel awesome to you.

It was surprisingly the best show I've ever watched in recent times. What a delicious entertainment! John Cena fits so well in his comedic role, though in this show, he does so well in actions. It is hilarious, sometimes emotional, and sometimes graphically sanguine reminiscence of The Boys.

I was curious to watch the movie, The Prosecutor, for two reasons; firstly, it was for Donnie Yen, Secondly, it was for action. While I have no complaint about the action choreography of the movie, I was not ready for the fact that I'd be in for witnessing doleful cinematic litigation so complex in nature that it felt like "Ok, just stick to the action and skip the rest." However, it doesn't mean to say that the movie is boring. In fact, it is scripted well, though in most of the scenes, actors don't feel like they're immersed in their respective roles. It is a predictable plot when you involve Chinese Department of Justice to ensure fair justice to the wrong accused. I am mostly impressed with the action choreography of the movie. It is wonderful. Good thing about actions is that they are not mindless. Very relevant to the script. Donnie's directorial debut seems to get off to a good start, in my opinion.

Frankly speaking, I didn't like Deva at all, though earlier I expected to have good entertainment with it because of Shahid Kapoor in it. What a disappointment. The reason I am not liking the movie is due to senseless acting coupled with meaningless plot heading for a deadpan delight.

Finished Season 2 of Paatal Lok today on Amazon Prime Video and I must say, it was way better than its prequel. Jaideep as a cop Hathiram has pulled off perhaps the most ever iconic performance till date in this series, according to my observation. Though it doesn't mean to imply that the performance of other casts is not impressive. Ishwak Singh has also performed well and I liked his character a lot. It's just that Jaideep steals the show here. I also appreciate the creator of the show for conceiving such a brilliant plot.

I watched Den of Thieves 2 - Pantera and truth to be told, didn't like it the way I loved its prequel. For me, it looked like a ridiculous deviation from the creative elements that were in the original prequel. I was disappointed to see the storyline unfolding tardy and lackluster performance of the casts. Gerald looks so hopeless.

Very entertaining movie. Except few lousy scenes, Fateh is great action thriller. Though while watching this movie, I had a feeling that the story is similar to Jason Statham's The Beekeeper, but still the movie sparks suspense. Good thing is Sonu maintains calmness and lethality in perfect combination. Otherwise, the film would have turned out to be predictably boring. I don't know if the movie is gonna be hit or flop, but one thing is clear that Sonu has pulled off great action sequences, at par with John Wick mayhem. I mostly admire the action choreography of Fateh. Storywise, you can easily premise its conclusion, like a search for a missing village girl ends up cinematic carnage of loan sharks, hackers and criminals of cyberworld. My point is, Fateh is a good action thriller. Sonu looks convincing in his action, especially the way he pulls off combination of calmness and brutality when needed. The movie doesn't have mindless action scenes. Very relevant, as per the story line. Directoral debut of Sonu, Fateh is a good entertainer, if not the very best.

The whole series of freedom at midnight felt like watching the history through cinematic lens and sometimes crying and feeling sorry over the state of affairs, political tug of war, brutality and the helplessness of those leaders I was taught were brave and fearless. What a fantastic series disabusing me of many illusions I had about India's freedom fight and the enormity of pressures, sacrifices and hatred running in its underbelly. Terrific performance of all the casts is making this series an educative and engaging show. For me, the biggest eye-opening moment in the series is how Jawahar and Patel respected each other and exchanged counselling over sensitive issues. That was so memorable. I hope it would serve as a guiding wisdom for hate-mongers peddling lies and misleading people about the duo. Please do watch the series. It is well-scripted and superbly well-acted show giving us a glimpse of what horror and helplessness of our forefathers and our Hindustan had to undergo before attaining its much-ambitious freedom. It tells you a glaring tale of how a madman's lust for power and fixation for an independent nation can cost numerous innocent lives.

The Shadow Strays, to my observation, is an impressive legacy of Indonesian action movies, especially the most memorable ones such as the Raid, The Raid 2, Headshot, and The Night Comes for Us. This movie doesn't have much in its store in terms of engaging storyline but the way it has been supplemented by high-octane action scenes makes it a terrific cinematic experience for people who love well-choreographed action films. If you ask me, I've found the action scenes of The Shadow Strays, to a certain degree, far better than John Wick franchises. Glad that the degree of cinematic carnage in this movie is not as horrific and nauseating as The Night Comes for Us, and perhaps this is what makes it engaging. The crazy bitch fight in the climax and the cameo of Yayan Ruhian (though I wished it was Iko Uwais) felt like a desert after savoring the deliciousness of whole action extravaganzas.