Hitman vs. Transporter

The Onam season is over and the Malayalam movies have finished the battle with each other. As it seems, the battle has been clearly won by Kunjiramayanam. There is no doubt to that except for the fan-boys and fan-girls who might disagree, but for the common audience, that should never really matter because the truth has already been spoken by the normal people in such a way that the fans’ say won’t be of that much significance. Loham and Jamna Pyari has also managed to do pretty good in the end.

So, this week has no Malayalam releases, and it seems that the battle will go back to Hollywood with the exception of Welcome Back which has managed to find a good number of theatres around here. There will be two big action movies, both being action thriller movies which has already had movies with same title, one being there in 2007, and the other one having a whole trilogy. Both movies have protagonists skilled and ready for dangerous situations, having almost no hair on the head, and wearing the suit which has a colour change on the tie.

You would have easily guessed the titles right now, as Hitman: Agent 47 goes face to face against The Transporter: Refueled here, even though the former had already released and the latter is going to release tomorrow in the United States. These movies collide here, even though the reception has been very low outside India – but that shouldn’t stop people from watching it; Terminator: Genisys did do very well here, if you remember. While at IMDb, Hitman: Agent 47 has 5.9/10 and The Transporter: Refueled has 4.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes has them at 8% and 13% respectively.

Hitman: Agent 47 is a movie which needs no real introduction, as long you are a gamer, or have known a gamer well enough. The genetically-engineered super-assassin was a big hit at a time when we were into a lot of gaming. Hitman: Codename 47 was the game to look out for, and the stealth-mode killing became a trend in the gaming world. It was also one of the first games which I finished, and the second part Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was also a big hit among us. I have played until Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money – I would guess that more of them were released, but these games are enough to bring anyone to this movie!

The 2007 Hitman movie was also not that well-received with 14% at the Rotten Tomatoes and 6.3 at IMDb. Even though I didn’t think that Timothy Olyphant looked that much of the Hitman as I wanted from the game, but he did manage the role quite well. Olga Kurylenko was a wonderful addition to that movie too, and it surely could have used a sequel. There is a certain amount of bloody beauty when you think about Hitman and its sequels, and I have felt with the game and its sequels. But there will be no sequel as what we got was a reboot in return.

This was going to have Paul Walker as Agent 47, but sadly that wasn’t the case due to his sudden demise. It would have been a dream thing, as he was always my choice for this role along with Jason Statham. Rupert Friend still looks like an interesting Hitman, and Hannah Ware seems like a smart choice for an action lead here. If you have watched the trailer, you will know that there will be less stealth and more action in store. Some fans of the game might have wanted to see more of a stealthy hero, but some who just wishes to see him back will be happy with this stylish action.

The Transporter: Refueled also needs no introduction because of the three big movies which made a nice impact among the audience. It was all Jason Statham earlier, but the protagonist has now been replaced with Ed Skrein. This one also offers a lot as the trailer suggests, but people still seems to look for Jason Statham as the one true Transporter. Lets hope that this will work well as long as The Transporter: Refueled proves to be action-packed adventure that the franchise deserves. I loved The Transporter and Transporter 3 and felt that what came between was more of a “Driver”. The third is the highest grossing movie of the franchise, and this should do better!

***The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Pages of these movies.

TeNy

The Bright Future

As this year’s movie watching adventures come to a close, there are a number of movies which I am looking forward to in the next year, not including the sequels. As far as the quality and the variety of movies which released in 2014 are concerned, I would consider the year far behind 2013, whether we are considering Hollywood, Bollywood or even the Malayalam movie industry. There are only a few movies that are left for release in 2014, which can change that, but there is hope for the next year. It might be too early now, but these are the five non-sequel movies which I am looking forward to in 2015.

The Last Witch Hunter: Even as it kind of brings some doubt into our minds with sounding like The Last Airbender, I would trust Vin Diesel on this one, and joining him is Rose Leslie from Game of Thrones, this time with a hero who knows a lot, and this should keep the standards. As witches seek to unleash a plague, it is this hunter who stands between them. I would have like The Rock to do such a role, but it seems that Vin Diesel would do nicely – he hunts witches this time, and not aliens or humans, works perfectly well for me. May this one not be the last witch hunter you will ever want to see, hoping that this will do only good to the genre – meanwhile look at this poster’s similarities to the creature in Mama.

This should be a fascinating story (Pic from movie’s FB Page)

Victor Frankenstein: As James McAvoy plays Victor Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe is Igor in this different adaptation of the original classic from Mary Shelley, there is the certainty of some beauty in variety here. We have had the perspectives of the monster as well as the scientist, and it is time we get the viewpoint of the scientist’s assistant. Coming up on Gandhi Jayanthi next year, lets hope that this one is not lost and not shown here due to some random stupid Bollywood movie with any superstar releasing in India, like Besharam in 2013 and Bang Bang! in 2014.

Hitman: Agent 47: As this movie which needs no introduction comes to the big screen as a reboot, this adaptation of the game franchise should do even better than the other one which released earlier. Hitman is that kind of a character with immense possibilities and a lot less chance to go wrong. Lets hope that this movie twists the wrong idea about video game adaptations and turn it into something better. Paul Walker would have been an amazing Hitman, and it is saddening that he had to be replaced with the accident. We should give this assassin a chance, because video games can certainly make good movies without getting the critical appreciation, and it is a proven fact.

Hitman was never just another game for us (Pic from movie’s FB Page)

Crimson Peak: Its been sometimes since we saw something from Guillermo del Toro, and I have to say that whenever his name is involved, I consider the movie a must watch, and that feeling has never failed me. It has Mia Wasikowska in the lead role. If you have seen her in Stoker, you would know how good she would be in a movie like this. The nineteen century setting in a Gothic mansion far away from the city, sounds too good to go wrong. As it is supposed to be not just a ghost story, but also a Gothic romance, there is going to be mysterious feel about this one which is going to be special. Our own Loki, Tom Hiddleston is going to be there – something big is surely coming here!

Jupiter Ascending: This one has been making us wait rather too much. Along with having Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis together, this movie provides us with a huge universe extending through different planets and solar systems and if what we see in the trailer keeps happening a lot, we can be sure that there will be some incredibly powerful action and magnificent visual effects which will rule the screen. This should be an amazing new world if it can rightly deliver what it seems to possess. Check the posters and the trailer and you will know. Lets trust The Wachowskis once again to bring that awesome science fiction movie of the year to us.

Such awesome visuals and action (Pic from movie’s FB Page)

Among the sequels, my best bet would be on Avengers: Age of Ultron and Furious 7 – no surprises there. I also have high hopes for Insidious: Chapter 3, Sinister 2, Jurrasic World, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, The Transporter Legacy, Terminator: Genisys, Taken 3, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, Kung Fu Panda 3, Mission: Impossible 5 and London has Fallen. There are also the upcoming James Bond and Star Wars movies, plus Fifty Shades of Grey. It is a long list of movies yet again, and my guess is that it will surely be a better year than 2014.

TeNy