Movie Reviews
Raid 2 Movie Review: Ajay Devgn’s Amey Patnaik Returns In A Riveting Sequel That Effortlessly Outshines The Original
Star Cast: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Amit Sial
Director: Raj Kumar Gupta
What’s Good: Script, dialogues, direction, technical values, and above all, performances.
What’s Bad: Huh?
Loo Break: No way!
Watch or Not?: One of the few must-watch movies this year!
Language: Hindi
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 139 Minutes
User Rating:
Raid 2 continues with the exploits of Indian Revenue Service Officer Amey Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) from Raid. He is now into his 75th transfer (!) for using uncompromising methods and measures to trap and punish income-tax defaulters. However, this time, there are two fresh angles: one, that in his new raid, he actually spoils his immaculate reputation and asks the defaulter (Govind Namdeo) for a two-crore bribe, and two, this time, his wife, Malini (Vaani Kapoor) also has a significant role in exposing the new villain.
The new villain is the people’s hero and almost demi-god, Manohar Sarang, a.k.a. Dada Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh), who has come up the hard way from being a mere cobbler. Dada Bhai has started a “Foundation” named after his father for seemingly all-encompassing social and charitable work and considers his mother, Amma (Supriya Pathak Kapur), his actual goddess over the Almighty.
Obviously, in a story like this, there are wheels within wheels, but over here, they become almost cartwheels, as the twists follow in rapid succession. This true sequel’s tanginess is exalted manifold by the original film’s master-villain, Tauji (Saurabh Shukla), still in jail and relentlessly keeping a watch on Amey’s activities with reluctant admiration and sympathetic whimsical humour! Quite simply, this is the best comic performance of the year, so far!
Layer by layer, Amey unravels Dada Bhai’s murkier side and humongous black money, and gets help from expected as well as unexpected sources. And as said before, his devoted wife is steadfastly with him, all the way.
Raid 2 Movie Review: Script Analysis
The multifaceted Ritesh Shah had written the original Raid, based on the exploits of three real-life income-tax officers coalesced into one character—Amey Patnaik—and a dramatized real case. This time, he is joined by director Raj Kumar Gupta, Jaideep Yadav, Karan Vyas, and Akshat Tiwari in a banger of a script that seems, in the way things pan out, completely fictional—and delectably so.
The one-liners are superb (“Maine kab kahaa ke main paandav hoon? Main to poori Mahabarat hoon!” says Amey), and there are several moments that are edge-of-the-seat in this riveting drama of an intrepid revenue officer. The way Amey is introduced by Dada Bhai to his mother, and the one-liners by Lallan Sudheer (Amit Sial), Amey’s successor, who is “open” to financial negotiations with Dada Bhai, are all outstandingly conceived and written sequences.
A crackerjack finale helps complete the cherry on this gigantic and gripping confection of entertainment.
Raid 2 Movie Review: Star Performance
Ajay Devgn, completely in the zor ka dhakka dheere se lage mode, towers as Amey Naik, his eyes always speaking volumes. This redoubtable, multiple award-winning actor fabulously delivers his sardonic smiles and steely determination.
Vaani Kapoor is excellent in the downplayed role of Malini. Riteish Deshmukh is fabulous as the cold yet dedicated-to-his-mother Dada Bhai. Stealing the show in superbly written characters are Amit Sial as Lallan and Saurabh Shukla as Tauji. Supriya Pathak Kapur is brilliant as Amma, a role that could have come across as a merely melodramatic mother character kind. She gives it a fresh and wholesome feel.
Shruti Pandey as Geeta, Amey’s aide, and the other loyal officer (the actor’s name is not known) are very effective, too. Old timers Brijendra Kala and Mukesh Tiwari do dependably well, and so does Rajat Kapur as Amey’s boss.
Raid 2 Movie Review: Direction, Music
Raj Kumar Gupta evolved into a fine commercial yet realistic director with No One Killed Jessica and especially Raid. He goes places more with this brilliant cinematic essay. It is always welcome to see a mid-stream director break successfully into the mainstream mould without either overdoing it or falling flat on the face. His sweep in the various sequences and shot-taking vision (Sudhir K. Chaudhary is the outstanding DOP) are indeed impressive and expressive!
The music is a mixed bag, though I liked Nasha, composed by Sachin-Jigar. Money, Money is alright, while the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan re-creation is just okay. But Amit Trivedi’s background score is excellently done.
Raid 2 Movie Review: The Last Word
Very few sequels better their originals. This one does it effortlessly, so don’t even think of missing it! Amey Patnaik, as the publicity blurb says, is back. Here’s waiting for Raid 3!
Four and a half stars!
Raid 2 Trailer
Raid 2 released on 01 May, 2025.
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Must Read: Costao Movie Review: Nawazuddin Siddiqui Arrives With A ’22 Carat Gold Story’ Giving Bollywood What It Missed – Good Films!
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(Credits: Far Out / Elevation Pictures)
Maxime Giroux – ‘In Cold Light’
The action is relentless in the complex thriller In Cold Light, a tense combination of crime and fugitive tale and family drama. It is the third feature and first English language film by Maxime Giroux, best known for a very different kind of film, the critically acclaimed 2014 drama Felix & Meira.
The tension and high energy of In Cold Light almost overwhelm the film, but are relieved, barely, by moments of character development and introspection that keep the audience pulling for the restrained and outwardly cold main character.
Speaking at the film’s Canadian premiere, director Giroux admitted he found creating an action film a challenge. Part of his approach was using very minimal dialogue, especially for the central character, letting the action speak for itself, and allowing silence to intensify suspense. Giroux has said he likes the lack of dialogue and speaks highly of the importance of silence in cinema; he prefers using “physical aspects of communication” in his films.
Young Ava Bly (Maika Monroe) is a competent and businesslike drug dealer, working in partnership with her brother Tom (Jesse Irving) and a small team. As the film begins, Ava has just been released from a brief prison sentence. She is hoping to return to her former position, but her brother’s associates consider her a risk due to her recent incarceration. While she works to re-establish herself, a shocking encounter with a corrupt police officer sends Ava’s life into chaos and forces her to go on the run.
Ava’s fugitive experience introduces a new character, to whom Ava turns for help: her father, Will Bly, played by Troy Kotsur, known for his excellent performance in CODA. Their first interaction is handled in a fascinating way, as Will is deaf and the two communicate through sign language. This, of course, provides another form of the silent interaction the director prefers; he explained that much of the father-daughter interaction was rewritten with the actor in mind. Their conflict is nicely expressed through a scene in which their initial conversation is intermittently cut off by a faulty light which goes out periodically, making communication through sign momentarily impossible, nicely expressing the rift between father and daughter.
As Ava continues to evade danger, her escape becomes complicated by new information, placing her in a painful dilemma. We gradually learn more about Ava, her background, and her character through occasional flashbacks and glimpses of her dreams. The plot becomes more complex and more poignant, and gains features of a mystery as well as an action tale, as she is pressed to choose from among equally unacceptable alternatives.
The climax of her efforts to protect both herself and those close to her comes to a head as she meets with the director of a rival drug gang. Veteran actress Helen Hunt is perfect in the minor but significant role of Claire, the rival drug lord, who plays odd mind games with Ava in an intriguing psychological fencing match. It’s an unusual scene, in which Ava’s personality is made clearer, and Claire’s understated dominance and casual speech do not quite conceal the threat she represents.
The frantic pace and emotional turmoil are enhanced by the camera work, which tends to focus tightly on Ava, and by a harsh, minimal musical score that sets the tone without distracting from the action. Giroux chose to shoot the film in Super 60; he describes digital as “too perfect” for the look he was going for, and since “Ava is rough,” the film portrays her better. The director describes the entire movie as “rough,” in fact, and deliberately chose a dark, washed-out look for much of the footage, occasionally using light and colour, in the form of fireworks, lightning, or a colourful carnival, to both relieve and emphasise the darkness.
The dynamic, intense story holds the attention in spite of the lengthy, sometimes repetitive chase scenes and subdued dialogue. Ava’s predicament, and the difficult decisions she is forced to make, are made surprisingly relatable, from the initial disaster that starts the action to the surprising flash-forward that concludes the film, on as high a note as the situation could allow. Fans of action movies will definitely enjoy this one.
PopHorror had the chance to check out Anacoreta (2022) ahead of its streaming release! Does this meta-horror flick provide interesting story telling or is it a confusing mess.
Let’s have a look…
Synopsis
A group of friends heads to a secluded woodland cabin for a weekend getaway, planning to film an experimental horror movie. As the shoot progresses, the project begins to fall apart—until a real and terrifying presence emerges from the darkness.
Anacoreta is directed by Jeremy Schuetze. It was written by Jeremy Schuetze and Matt Visser. The film stars Antonia Thomas (Bagman 2024), Jesse Stanley (Raf 2019), Jeremy Schuetze (Jennifer’s Body 2009), and Matt Visser (A Lot Like Christmas 2021)
My Thoughts
Antonia Thomas delivered an outstanding performance as the female lead in Anacoreta. It was remarkable to watch her convey such a wide range of emotions with authenticity and depth. I was continually impressed by her ability to switch seamlessly between different dialects. I absolutely loved her delivery of the dialogue of telling The Scorpion and the Frog fable.
Anacoreta employs a distinctive, meta-horror style of storytelling. The narrative follows a group of friends creating a “scripted reality” horror film, and as the plot unfolds, the boundary between their staged production and their actual lives becomes increasingly blurred. This was interesting, but at the same time frustrating as a viewer.
Check out Anacoreta on Prime Video and let us know your thoughts!
“So it’s like Avatar?” one character quips in Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers,” bluntly translating the film’s high-concept premise for the sugar-fueled kids in the audience. And yes, the comparison is apt. The story follows a nature-obsessed teenage girl who manages to quite literally “hop” her consciousness into the body of a robotic beaver in order to spark an animal rebellion against a greedy mayor determined to bulldoze their forest for a freeway.
It’s a clever hook. The kind of big, elastic idea Pixar used to make look effortless. “Hoppers” does not reach the rarified air of “Up,” “Wall-E,” or “Inside Out,” but after a stretch of uneven originals like “Turning Red” and “Luca,” and outright misfires such as “Elemental” and “Elio,” this feels like a genuine course correction. The environmental messaging is clear without being preachy, the animals are irresistibly anthropomorphized, and the studio’s once-signature emotional sincerity is back in sturdy form.
Pixar can afford to gamble on originals when it has a guaranteed cash cow like this summer’s “Toy Story 5” waiting in the wings, but “Hoppers” earns its place in the catalogue. Director Daniel Chong crafts a warm, heartfelt film that occasionally strains under the weight of its own ambition, yet remains grounded by character and theme. Its meditation on conservation and animal displacement feels timely in a way that never tips into after-school-special territory.
We meet Mabel, voiced with bright conviction by Piper Curda, as a child liberating her classroom pets and returning them to the wild. Her moral compass is shaped by her grandmother, voiced by Karen Huie, who imparts wisdom about nature’s sanctity. True to both Pixar tradition and the broader Disney playbook, this beacon of guidance does not survive past the opening act. Loss, after all, is Pixar’s favorite inciting incident.
Years later, Mabel is still fighting the good fight, squaring off against the smarmy Mayor Jerry, voiced with slick menace by Jon Hamm. He plans to flatten the glade where Mabel and her grandmother once found solace. Mabel’s resistance feels noble but futile. The animals have already mysteriously vanished, the machinery is coming, and her last-ditch plan involves luring a beaver back to the abandoned forest in hopes of jumpstarting the ecosystem.
That’s when the film gleefully pivots into mad-scientist territory. At Beaverton University, Mabel discovers her professor, voiced by Kathy Najimy, has developed a device that can project human consciousness into synthetic animals. The process, dubbed “hopping,” allows Mabel to inhabit a robotic beaver and infiltrate the forest from within. It’s an inspired escalation that keeps the film buoyant even when the plotting grows predictable.
Her new posse includes King George, a lovably beaver voiced by Bobby Moynihan with distinct Bing Bong energy; a sharp-tongued bear voiced by Melissa Villaseñor; a regal bird king voiced by the late Isiah Whitlock Jr.; and a fish queen voiced by Ego Nwodim. As is often the case with Pixar, even in its lesser efforts, the world-building is meticulous. The animal hierarchy, complete with titles like “paw of the king,” is layered with jokes that play for kids while slyly winking at adults.
The plot ultimately follows a familiar template. Scrappy underdog rallies community. Corporate villain twirls metaphorical mustache. Emotional third-act sacrifice looms. At times, you can feel the machinery working a little too cleanly. Pixar, and Disney at large, has grown increasingly reliant on sequels and established IP, and “Hoppers” does not radically reinvent the wheel. In an animated landscape where films like “K-Pop: Demon Hunters,” “Across the Spider-Verse,” and “Goat” are pushing stylistic and narrative boundaries, being safe and sturdy may not always be enough.
And yet, there is something refreshing about a Pixar original that remembers how to tug at the heart without squeezing it dry. “Hoppers” is playful, peppered with cheeky needle drops, and builds to a sweet emotional catharsis that may or may not have left this critic a little misty-eyed. It feels earnest and engaged.
“Hoppers” may not be top-tier Pixar. But it is a welcome return to form, a reminder that the studio still knows how to marry big ideas with a bigger heart.
HOPPERS opens in theaters Friday, March 6th.
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