We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The much awaited live-action adaptation of the American cartoon ‘Avatar’ is finally here and is visibly less ‘White’ thanks to the Asian-American and indigenous cast. For those unfamiliar with the plot, the story takes place in a fantasy world where different clans can manipulate different elements of the world—earth, fire, water or air—through the Chinese martial arts practice of ‘bending’.
The protagonist is a young boy named Aang (Gordon Cormier)—who can manipulate all elements and is the sole survivor of the Air Nomads—who were destroyed by the ruthless Fire Nation. Aang and his flying bison Appa are now set on a journey to learn how to manipulate all elements to fulfil his destiny. Along the way, they meet Water Nation siblings Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley).
The reviews are mixed. The Verge says “Avatar has its heart in the right place, but its pacing and uneven performances leave a lot to be desired.” OTOH Vox reassuringly writes: “Crucially, it retains the balance of the original: depth and darkness, levity and light.” Our take: No amount of bad CGI or bad reviews can compete with the nostalgia attached to the original, hence we will definitely watch it. The eight-part series was released on Netflix yesterday.
All India Rank: Set in the late 1990s, this is a film that revolves around 17-year-old Vivek Singh who is sent by his family to a coaching centre in Kota to prepare for the IIT entrance exams. The story follows the pressure that young students in India face to prepare for these exams, and asks whether it is all worth it. The movie marks the directorial debut of Varun Grover, a writer, comedian and lyricist.
Reviews are a little disappointing. Film Companion says: All India Ranks breaks into tracks all too familiar, like a movie that is inadvertently influenced by cinema of nostalgia and striving. Though The Quint found it predictable, “one thing All India Rank gets right is the details of its setting — both in time and geography.” Our take: We love supporting indie movies, and admire Varun Grover a lot. We’ll definitely be getting popcorn and watching this on the big screen. The movie is out in theatres.
Constellation: Psychological horrors of being alone in space hits different. In ‘Constellation’ Jo Ericsson (Noomi Rapace) is an astronaut on a space mission but something goes horribly wrong and she manages to get back to Earth to her 10-year-old daughter. However, she realises there are gaps in her memory and something is amiss about her house and family. This begs the question: is she different after coming back or is her reality itself somehow different? The action-packed series explores this question.
The reviews are quite good. The Guardian commends the lead actors and calls it “elegant and classy science fiction” but cautions that it is “uneven and almost stubbornly slow.” NPR says “the more you watch this ‘Constellation’, the more profound and disturbing it becomes.” Our take: We are intrigued by the plot. The first three episodes are on Apple TV+ now.
Poacher: This is a more serious watch than the rest on the watchlist. ‘Poacher’ is based on the illegal ivory trade that was ousted in 2015 (see this story for more context). The eight-episode series is helmed by director Richie Mehta—who is best known for directing the first season of ‘Delhi Crime’—and produced by Alia Bhatt, and stars Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Nimisha Sajayan and Roshan Mathew in the lead roles. The show is multilingual and has a mix of Malayalam, English and Hindi.
As expected, the reviews are really good! Indian Express says ‘Poacher’ “is spot on, especially in the way the camera seems to capture big and small animals lurking in the most unexpected urban places, even if they are clearly computer-generated.” Scroll is of the view that: “There is ample momentum to the handsomely produced show, which maintains interest, but Poacher could arguably have been more effective if it had shed a few episodes.” Our take: We are immediately adding the show to our watchlist because we have full faith in the cast and crew to bring this ecocentric drama to life. All eight episodes dropped on Amazon Prime yesterday.
Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend: When Messi led Argentina to win the FIFA World Cup in 2022, he fulfilled the dreams of millions of Argentinians and also crowned himself as one of the greatest players of all time. But the relationship of the boy from Rosario with Argentina is complicated. This is a four-part documentary series that looks at the leadup to this great achievement and provides access to all that happened in Messi’s life to get here.
There aren’t many reviews for the docu series. Times of India concludes: “Apart from chronicling Lionel Messi's astronomical success, this series delves into the profound hopes of a nation that perennially rested on the shoulders of this maverick player.” Our take: We love Messi and we enjoy sports documentaries. There’s no way we’re missing out on this one. The series is streaming on Apple TV+ .
Hideo Kojima - Connecting World: This one’s for the nerds and those who are fascinated by game design and production. Hideo Kajima is a popular game designer best known for his ‘Metal Gear’ series and for his PlayStation console exclusive game ‘Death Stranding’.
There was only one review for the documentary. Axios writes that “it is heavy on beautiful slow-motion shots of Kojima” but “it skips most of Kojima’s three-decade-long career making games in Japan.” Our take: We are quite fascinated by the world of video game design and this seems like a good starting point. You can watch the documentary film on Disney+ Hotstar.
Kimetsu no Yaiba — To the Hashira Training: Here’s a treat for desi Anime fans! Demon Slayer’s fourth arc called ‘To the Hashira Training’ is finally releasing in India. The plot: The anime is about Tanjiro Kamado who is training to slay the demon who killed his entire family and turned his sister into his kind. He gets stronger with the help of the demon slayer mentors called Hashiras. Technically, the film is a mashup of the finale episode of Season 3 and the first episode of the upcoming season.
The reviews are not as great as expected but they are quite decent considering this isn’t a standalone movie. New York Times says it’s meant only for the fans as the episodes are “neatly spliced together but otherwise unchanged in the transition to the big screen.” IndieWire writes: "It’s a cool way to see a brand-new episode of your favorite show along with an auditorium of its biggest fans, but if you’re all caught up, you’ll have to sit through an hour of stuff you’ve already seen to get there." Our take: Watching anime on a big screen is still a novel experience in India. If you’re a fan of the show, we think it will be time well spent. Catch the movie in the theatres.
Here’s a new chapter…
Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 6: The latest season of Netflix's most popular sports documentary series is back. This season will cover the 2023 Formula One World Championship and features a lot of fascinating behind the scenes drama of this intense competition. One of the storylines we’re on the lookout for is Lewis Hamilton’s pivotal contract decision with Mercedes.
