Movie Reviews
'Flow' Is the Perfect Movie for Animation Fans, Animal Lovers, and Environmental Doomsayers
And a pussycat shall lead them! Flow, the animated film that’s Latvia’s submission for the Best International Feature Oscar, kicks off with a beautiful moment of tranquility: A small, black feline, staring wide-eyed at itself in a rippling puddle. It’s somewhere in a forest, surrounded by foliage, and the ambient sounds of nature fill the soundtrack. A rabbit runs by, momentarily startling the cat. It’s soon followed by a pack of dogs, chasing the bunny and barely registering the meowing bystander’s existence. The creature will eventually amble up to a house with a cracked attic window, slipping inside for an early afternoon nap.
It’s all very soothing, giving you the sense that you’re watching the animation equivalent of ASMR. Then, after some business involving a stolen fish, our furry little friend finds itself in the same patch of green earth as before. Once again, the dogs sprint past it. This time, however, they’re followed by a thundering herd of deer. The animals appear to be running away from something. In the background, the trees begin to violently sway back and forth. And then, a huge wave rushes through and washes away everything in its path, including the cat. It eventually gets back to dry land, but then the water keeps rising. And rising. And rising….
A survivalist thriller that’s designed to appeal equally to animal lovers, avant-garde-cartoon aficionados and environmental doomsayers, Flow will spend the next 80 minutes following this feline and his fellow interspecific travelers as they try to navigate the end of the world as we know it. Eventually, the Golden Retriever who’d been part of that roving gang of doggy miscreants will join the freaked-out kitty on a boat they happen to spy passing by. So will a capybara, a lemur and a secretarybird. When the cat falls overboard and can’t paw its way back to the surface, it’s rescued from drowning by the opportune passing of a mammoth humpback, who catches the animal on its nose and breaches just in time. Saved by the whale! One life down, eight to go — although given the obstacles it will continually face, you worry that this resourceful lil’ buddy will eventually run through all of them before the day is over.
Director Gints Zilbalodis may be gathering an admittedly adorable posse of all creatures bright and beautiful, each of them rendered in a gorgeous, sometimes crude style of animation that would be best characterized as Early PlayStation Cut-Scene Chic. But in terms of storytelling, he’s going a specifically anti-Disney route here, and this road less traveled makes all of the difference. There’s no dialogue, at least none decipherable to human ears — everything is a symphony of meows, woofs, squawks, grunts, squeaks, squeals and simian cries. With the possible exception of one act of heroism late in the film, none of the animals are anthropomorphized. They more or less act in accordance with their IRL counterparts. There is no identification regarding where this is taking place — some of the stunningly detailed backgrounds suggest Angkor Wat, others bear a striking resemblance to Venice — though the predominance of both medium-sized and massive cat statues suggest it’s some sort of SPCA-sponsored sanctuary city. No explanation is given as to where the humans have gone. No explanation is given as to why a biblical flood is threatening to destroy it all, though for anyone who’s cared to keep their eyes open and their heads out of the sand, no explanation is necessary.
There’s little to no hand-holding — and/or paw-, talon-, or hoof-holding — in Flow. There’s simply making sure you keep your nose above water. There’s another enigmatic sequence that occurs as Zilbalodis ushers us into the third act, in which some sort of cosmic force grants one of these critters what appears to be a last-minute reprieve from terra firma. But the real takeaway is that we have to rely on each other for salvation. And it’s here where this experiential experiment in empathy, eco-activism and elation over the creative possibilities of a medium too often hijacked to sell toys truly hits its marks. Most of these animals either show up with or encounter a group of their fellow species (monkeys, dogs, birds). Most of them are abandoned or rejected by their peer groups, thanks to tribalism or simple self-preservation. The one moment in which these four-legged beasts resemble their furless, featherless two-legged neighbors is when several of them abandon a rescue mission midway through because of a passing distraction. Ain’t that just like a Homo sapien?
Yet this disparate band somehow manages to endure, and though you can’t accuse Flow of having a happily-ever-after ending, it somehow does go out on a optimistic note — a water-logged Planet Earth half empty, rather than half-fully ruined. There is a reprise of that lovely opening shot, basking in a calm before the inevitable storm to come. The movie ends as it begins, with no easy solution in sight. Only now we see a makeshift community staring back at themselves, no one alone, everyone companions in the apocalypse. It’s a timeless moral. And yet, at this particular moment, for many of us staring down the next four years, the idea that a community can come together to take on the rising tides couldn’t be more welcome or needed.
Movie Reviews
Deva Movie Review: Shahid Kapoor Exudes High Octane Fire & Rage As A Flawed & Roguish Cop In This Engaging Thriller Flick!
Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Pooja Hegde, Pravesh Rana, Pavail Gulati, Kubbra Sait, Girish Kulkarni
Director: Rosshan Andrrews
What’s Good: Shahid Kapoor’s performance, background score, action sequences, an engaging first half.
What’s Bad: An underwhelming climax, the twist introduced in the end does not strike a chord, loopholes in the plot in the second half, and few supporting characters go underutilized.
Loo Break: Even though the second half loses the momentum, we recommend the interval because of this one being an overall riveting thriller.
Watch or Not?: All the fans of Shahid Kapoor can certainly give this one a watch.
Language: Hindi
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 156 minutes
User Rating:
Rosshan Andrrews has probably managed to showcase Shahid Kapoor in his massiest avatar with Deva. The actor exudes swag and oodles of roguish charm, which also surpasses the machismo that he possessed in Kabir Singh. It is also a subtle ode to Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Angry Young Man’ era, wherein he witnessed the flawed but fiery hero putting things into momentum in his own way.
The plot revolves around Deva Ambre (Shahid Kapoor), a far-from-perfect police officer who prefers to stick to his roguish and aggressive ways of handling a crime case. Having put his own father in jail, he battles his own inner demons, which makes it difficult for him to abide by the judicial rules and protocols. His only weakness is his friendships with his colleagues and childhood friends, Rohan D’silva (Pavail Gulati) and Farhan Khan (Pravesh Rana). He also falls in love with a crime journalist, Diya Sathaye (Pooja Hegde).
However, when a personal tragedy turns his life upside down, he realizes that there is a mole within the system. Just when he has uncovered the truth, Deva suffers a life-threatening accident that wipes out his memory. He must go to any lengths to unravel the truth again from the remnants of his past memory.
Deva Movie Review: Script Analysis
Deva has an engaging pace in the first half. Along with the protagonist’s character buildup, we are introduced to the police authorities trying to nab a dreaded gangster (Manish Wadhwa) and his entire nexus. However, it is soon hinted that there is a mole within the police system, which helps him stay one step ahead of the police.
Deva’s aggression and rage toward solving the case are showcased as a sharp contrast to the discipline and principles that his colleagues adhere to. The writing does not waste any time to accelerate the storyline of a police investigation after a tragedy occurs. The suspects, underlying secrets, and ulterior motives of the characters make the first half extremely interesting, keeping you hooked to the screens.
However, it is the second half which falters. The plot twist leading to the climax appears to be very disoriented and does not strike the chord that you expect. It appears to be rather underwhelming after such a strong buildup in the second half. There is also a disconnect with Shahid’s performance, even though he manages to keep the energy high. There are also some loopholes which do not let you abide by the climax.
Deva Movie Review: Star Performance
Talking about the performances, Shahid Kapoor is an absolute treat to behold. He does immense justice to all the shades of his character, from the rowdy and flawed cop to a colleague sensitive about his friends, he delivers the varied aspects of this complex role flawlessly. There is a reason why this role takes the bar higher than Kabir Singh. The actor unleashes the required angst, fire, and ferocity in his performance and keeps the energy levels consistent.
Pravesh Rana and Pavail Gulati impress amongst the supporting star cast. However, Pooja Hegde, along with Girish Kulkarni and Kubbra Sait are heavily underutilized. A cameo appearance by veteran Marathi actor Upendra Limaye makes way for an entertaining watch.
Deva Movie Review: Direction, Music
The technical aspects of the Rosshan Andrrews directorial are top-notch. The cinematography and the production design add a fine catalyst to the plot. The background score by Jakes Bejoy, which plays the rap song ‘Marji Chaa Maalik’ keeps the adrenaline levels high, especially during the action sequences.
Deva Movie Review: The Last Word
Irrespective of the flawed second half, especially the climax, Deva is definitely one of Shahid Kapoor’s strongest works. The actor puts his heart and soul into this one, which is reflected in every frame. This promises to be a treat for all the die-hard fans of the actor.
3 star
Deva Trailer
Deva released today on 31 January, 2025.
Share with us your experience of watching Deva.
Must Read: Azaad Movie Review: Ajay Devgn, Aaman Devgan & Rasha Thadani Starrer Is A Compelling Tale Of Loyalty, Rebellion & Courage; The Black Beauty Is The Cherry On Top!
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Movie Reviews
Sundance 2025: all the latest movie reviews and updates from the festival
A new year means a new Sundance Film Festival, and a fresh crop of promising original features that could go on to become awards season darlings in a few months. It might be hard to top last year’s festival where Dìdi, A Different Man, and I Saw the TV Glow all made strong showings. But with films like Atropia, Bubble & Squeak, and Didn’t Die on the roster, this year’s Sundance might just do the trick.
Naturally, The Verge is going to be taking in as much of Sundance as we can and posting bite-sized reviews of everything we see. We’ll also be posting longer reviews and sharing trailers, and you can follow along here to keep up with all of the news out of the festival.
Movie Reviews
Bobby Canipe Jr’s ‘GRANDMA’ (2024) – Movie Review – PopHorror
I not very familiar with Shot On Video Horror, only recently being introduced to it through the films of Brewce Longo. My latest foray into SOV horror is Bobby Canipe Jr’s Grandma.
Synopsis
Dive into the blood-soaked nostalgia of ’90s shot-on-video horror with Grandma, Directed by Bobby Canipe Jr. This terrifying retro tale follows a young woman who inherits a countryside bed-and-breakfast with a chilling secret. The original owner, known only as “Grandma,” was a deranged serial killer (Josh Allman) who transformed her unfortunate guests into gruesome meals. As renovations unfold, the house’s horrific past reawakens, and the new owner (Anna Clary) and her friends (Angel Bradford, Kelsey Baker) must face the grisly return of Grandma’s deadly legacy.
Grandma was written and directed by Bobby Canipe Jr (Amityville Ripper). The film stars Anna Clary (Coffintooth), Angel Bradford (Crackcoon), Kelsey Baker (Red Light District Shark Attack), Ryan Carpenter, Hunter Redfern (Jeffrey’s Hell), Ryan Martel (Bad Girls), Cagney Larkin (Karate Ghost), Bartley Bess, and Josh Allman (Amityville Ripper).
What Worked For Me
I really enjoyed the cast here. Anna Clary, Angel Bradford and Kelsey Baker made the core trio of characters likable and it made me want to root for them. In addition to the core trio, I really enjoyed Ryan Martel and Cagney Larkin as the redneck fruit sellers. Their characters added a lot of humor to their scenes. I also enjoyed Hunter Redfern, who plays a redneck who has a habit of showing up at the B&B the girls are fixing up.
The film kind of feels like a modern gore centered take on Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There was one kill scene in particular that felt like it was directly influenced by a kill from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The killer, Grandma, was a really unsettling character. Her mannerisms and vocalizations were pretty creepy. The kills are pretty sadistic in nature, with one in particular being incredibly gruesome with a twisted sense of humor.
What Didn’t Work For Me
I would have liked to have a little more backstory on Grandma and her family. It felt like we were given just enough to move the story along and I personally would have liked a little more development. I also wasn’t a big fan of the ending, though that has more to do with my personal preferences.
Final Thoughts
Grandma is a solid shot on video indie slasher film with a great cast and some gruesome kills. Recommended.
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