Mansi M

The movie lives up to its name - vanity pretending to be layered and complex. It has neither the intrigue of the first installment nor the elegance of a classic whodunnit. Rather it is saddled with unremarkable characters who represent cultural satire on both political sides. They seem to be mere props rather than living, breathing people. The whole premise of the whodunit is child-like. Is it plausible that the legal fate of a tech co-founder hinges on a small piece of paper that was scribbled on a decade ago? And not on the (probably) thousands of decisions, actions or work this individual did that would be commensurate with their position and lay their stake in a billion dollar company! It is laughable that the movie reduced it to something as flimsy as it did and that it was the lynchpin to the plot/murder. It is also quite clear who the murderer was in the first hour but a lot of meandering and “symbolism” is thrown around to lead the audience off. Unfortunately, the attempt falls as flat as the accents in the movie. Ah, but the abysmal point is the ending of it. The whole thing is unbelievably juvenile and naive. It leaves a number of questions in the viewer’s mind, at the top of which is how any of them survived while at the center of a hydrogen-related explosion. Followed by other questions on how the whole comeuppance could be avoided by canceling the launch of the new fuel. Not to mention perjury related charges and incarceration for most of them. Gaping plot holes aside, suffice to say this movie did not have the brilliance, the character development or the invisible thread running through bigger, deeper issues that the first one had - an intrinsic,‘aha’ moment into race and entitlement without making it a symbol or plot device before the very end. Though the filmmakers tried to pretend that it did. An opportunity squandered but hopefully redeemable in the third one! :)