JakDexxter Reviews

Fighter (2024)

Great attempt but the plot itself is a bit underwhelming

[6/10 · 31 January 2024]

Great interval episode which lasted about 30 minutes. Great aviation scenes. Very rarely we see such scenes in Indian movies. Hrithik's screen presence is as usual great. He suited the part. As far as the authentic Indian Navy's portrayal on to the screen is concerned, they did their best. That's all is what I can think about what worked for me in the movie.

Everything else is just decently packed and never impressed me in any sorts. The story itself is thin and predictable. A lot more writing is needed to make a solid movie. The love track was meh. Unnecessary and stretched. No proper character arc for Anil Kapoor. He hates Hrithik, dances with him, again hates him, and again loves him.

Nothing really happened in the first hour of the first half and the first 30 minutes of the second half. Whatever happened in the last 45 minutes was boring / predictable/ rushed.

I left the theatre with a bit of disappointment. One would expect more from this combo, especially with Sid after War and Pathaan. Not a bad movie either.

Saindhav (2024)

What a downfall of Sailesh Kolanu

[1/10 · 15 January 2024]

Seriously, what a downfall of Sailesh Kolanu From HIT: The First Case to Saindhav! Saindhav is a cliched movie with cliched characters, cliched treatment, and cliched storytelling in a cliched setup.

I remember coming out of HIT: The Second Case's premier show with bit of a disappointment. But, now in comparison with Saindhav, it seems like an absolute masterpiece.

I don't know why all these young directors make the same mistake of making these outdated scripts when working with the senior actors. I get it that these senior actors have large fan bases, etc., but, you need to understand that these large fan bases have brains too. They dont want outdated content especially when paying premium to get the tickets for the whole family and making an effort to move to the theatres.

I hope and wish Sailesh will comeback with an absolute gem like HIT Chapter 1.

Fair Play (2023)

Loved it because there is no agenda

[9/10 · 9 October 2023]

I'm a man and always found most of the women empowering movies silly because the men were always cutthroat bad and the women were always straight up innocent in those. But this one is different because it showed subtle / unapologetic nuances in both male and female behaviors in a relationship.

The makers clearly established the characters and stuck to it throughout the movie. I loved the portrayal of the male lead getting insecure about the success of his female partner. This point of view is very under explored in movies.

I also loved the sensible portrayal of the female lead trying her level best to set right the falling relationship which any sensible human would do.

Had the genders been reversed, I would still have ended up liking this movie. In my book, that's the definition of a "story".

The Equalizer 3 (2023)

Outdated

[5/10 · 4 September 2023]

The same old mafia story and three mediocre action sequences. They shouldn't have made this movie. I was surprised that the movie ended after the third fight sequence. I was expecting there would be something meaningful.

The entire movie is loaded with cliches. The antagonist is very weak. I've actually realized that that cliched Italy guy is the lead antagonist after the end card.

They should have made the third movie in boston itself with a proper story. This is a sequel no one asked for.

The only positives in this movie are obviously Denzel and the locations in Italy. I would've stayed home and watched in OTT had anybody told me the movie is this bad.

Kushi (2023)

Good but not enough

[5/10 · 1 September 2023]

I was with the majority here who wants to see both VD and Siva comeback strong, but, unfortunately, we have to wait for their next outings. Kushi is definitely not their comeback.

That being said, the movie is not completely bad either. It has it's beautiful moments too.

The first one hour of the movie is silly where the writing could have been way more better. Interval is the only decent to good part of the entire first half.

The second half started well with few good scenes & laughter and eventually faltered during the pre-climax and climax. Siva could not find the right balance between the two layers he tried to present in this movie.

Siva's stories are always familiar but they all used to have an x-factor in them. Kushi lacks that X-factor. Also, thinking back now, Siva made his entire second half favoring a certain gender. So, maybe, this movie will work for them.

But for me, this movie did not work except for few comedy scenes in the second half and the screen presence of VD.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023)

Except for two three jokes...

[5/10 · 23 August 2023]

After looking at the humongous noise this movie is making at the box-office, I decided to watch this movie after it's 25th day in theatres.

I really wanted to like this movie, but, other than few jokes here and there, this movie offered nothing new and it did not work for me.

The first 30 minutes and maybe a little bit of interval episode is good. Other than that the first half is pretty boring. No one asked for Kashmir episode/ song. Seemed forceful.

The second half started good with Ranveer's comedy in Alia's house.

The real torture started during the last hour of the movie. Everybody starts singing old Hindi songs out of no where, too many scenes emphasizing on women empowerment, a bra scene no one asked for, unintentionally funny over-the-top emotional scenes, etc. Clearly it felt like Karan got confused in dealing with too many layers that he tried to put in one movie.

I saw few ladies crying in the climax and after the movie I heard few family audience discussing the movie is good enough. Maybe it is working for the neutral audience / family audience who come to the theatres once in a decade.

The Crowded Room (2023)

They should have done only 5 eps instead of 10

[6/10 · 17 August 2023]

Things worked for me - Courtroom episodes; Tom, Amanda, and Christopher's performances, beautiful set pieces & locations showing the New York of 1970's & 80's; etc.

Things did not work for me - The plot itself is a bit confusing and the screenplay is even more confusing. I had to go back searching through the episodes re-visiting the scenes again and again to understand. The London episodes are completely unnecessary. There are few scenes that are painfully long. I took 4 evenings to finish this mini series but it felt like a decade long. They could show some important parts of the story instead of prolonging the unnecessary scenes. Overall, if you like the genre and if you have all the patience on this earth, you can give this show a shot. You will most probably end up tired like me.

Baby (III) (2023)

If not for great music and decent first half...

[2/10 · 18 July 2023]

Firstly, there is no need to discuss if this a great movie, because, its a no-brainer that this is a stupid movie.

The only reason I gave it a shot is because of it's great ilayaraja-sque music. The first half is decent, at least, I did not think to walk out.

The real torture starts after the intermission. Almost all the scenes in the second half are logic less. The director must have gotten these cringe scenes first in his mind and then he tried to weave the second half around it. Honestly, if you search for Telugu s*x stories on google, you could find even better stories with proper logic. No one in this movie knows what they are doing and why they are doing.

All said and done, if you want to laugh at this movie, you can give it a shot.

Por Thozhil (2023)

Great first half, good second half, a little less impressive climax

[7/10 · 12 June 2023]

Firstly, I am not the target audience here. I am a Telugu speaking person. I have picked this movie to watch only because I am a fan of this genre.

The first half is great. Classic crime investigation stuff. The second half is good too. The graph dropped a bit after the flash back in the second half which is followed by a decent climax.

If you are expecting something on a level of Ratsasan, you will be disappointed for sure. Not sure why everybody is comparing this movie with Ratsasan.

However, if you are interested in this movie, you can definitely give it a shot - be it in theatre or on OTT.

Dahaad (2023– )

Good addition to watch for crime thriller fans

[8/10 · 12 June 2023]

Firstly, I am not the target audience here. I am a Telugu speaking person. I picked this web-series only because I am fan of crime / mystery/ thrillers.

I was a little skeptical if I should continue watching this show after the first episode. Glad, I decided to give it an other chance because the episodes 2 to 8 are intriguing. I wouldn't say the show is mind-boggling or out of the world but its definitely a good enough show especially if you are interested in this genre.

The plot is good (based on a real criminal) / actors suit the part (most of them slayed their performances) / locations are neat (very raw and realistic) / very rarely lagged - most of the episodes are crisp.

Other than good crime/ thriller / mystery / drama aspects, this show has some beautiful sub-plots showing all the bad stuff that's happening in our society.

The way we force our kids /especially women to get married as if there is nothing else for them to do in their life - The way we should support every individual / especially women to be independent in their life - The way we still discriminate people based on their caste but not their caliber - Normalizing having a freedom of seeing someone before getting married, especially of a women - How to subtly teach kids what is right and wrong when they do something bad in stead of beating / abusing them left right center - Treating male kid same as ones female kid - Normalizing having an attraction towards the colleagues at workplaces and the doesn't necessarily mean one should get into affairs which could affect an entire family / generation - Showing how a strong man can also be mentally affected and how we neglect it in our society.

There might be few other things I might have missed. However, on a final note, I liked my time watching this series. Will recommend.

Custody (2023)

Very bland from VP

[3/10 · 12 May 2023]

Maybe the weakest work from VP till date. Even his earlier flop movies at least had some kind of half baked content in them. But 'Custody' has nothing new to offer. I felt bored all along and very difficult to sit through.

The only thing that stood out for me is the cinematography. The water sequences are good and I am sure the makers must have gone through a lot of challenging situations to bring this output, but, what's the point in trying all these unique film making ideas without a proper story.

Chay did his best but the character itself is very ordinary. In fact all the characters in this movie are just ordinary.

Plot is very thin and routine with no conflict among the characters.

I don't know if VP got confused in dealing a bilingual or if he is genuinely out of ideas, but it didn't feel like a VP film at all.

Overall, a disappointing movie. Forgettable.

Dasara (2023)

Over hyped and no content

[4/10 · 20 April 2023]

There is really no new content in this movie. I was expecting at least a mediocre movie as the reviews were a bit mixed on social media. The first half is watchable and it met my expectation.

The real struggle started after intermission. The placement of song "chemkeela angeelesi" gave me instant disaster vibes. I liked Nani's previous outing ante sundharaniki but this character didn't really suit him. The entire effort went into cinematography and set pieces. Music is okay. Villain's character is under written and routine. Keerthy is forgettable. Climax is forced. Overall, I don't really remember at least one good scene in this movie.

Kannai Nambathey (2023)

Actually liked it barring the last 45 minutes

[7/10 · 18 April 2023]

Just finished watching this movie on Netflix. I quite like the director's previous outing (Iravukku Ayiram Kangal) and the protagonist's previous outing (Kalaga Thalaivan).

Coming to Kannai Nambathey, I was actually quite impressed with first 90 minutes of the movie. Unfortunately, the same clarity in writing is not maintained in the last 45 minutes.

Had the last 45 minutes of the movie handled differently, the result would have been a little better. However, if you are into crime drama thrillers this a very good watch for the weekend.

Quite liked the performance of Vasundhara Kashyap. Snall role though.

HIT: The 2nd Case (2022)

Good but not great

[5/10 · 6 December 2022]

I don't know if it's the standard set by the first part or the second part's trailer, I came out of the theatre with a little bit of disappointment.

But is it bad? Definitely NO.

The movie is far better than any average Indian movie.

The beauty of hit 1 is its originality - no usual templates or whatsoever.

Whereas in Hit 2, makers tried to take the template "serial killer vs i know all cop" route.

I'm afraid after watching the glimpse of hit 3 in the climax of hit 2 because it seemed like any commercial Telugu cop's role.

It would be great if Sailesh don't fall for these template traps while working with these big heroes.

A true/ original film like Hit 1 is all we need from him.

Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022)

GVMs comeback

[10/10 · 18 September 2022]

I am Telugu speaking person, kind of a GVM fan, I have watched it with open captions, and I went to the movie with an open mind.

I am sold completely after watching the first half. I knew most of the reviews said that the 2nd half is underwhelming. But I liked second half too. "Unna Nenachadhum" song is the only place where I felt bored. Actually second half started slow but the writing and taking of the last 40 minutes writing and taking are brilliant. So many GVM touches throughout the movie but this is not one of those GVM's love/ romantic movies. So many single shot sequences that came out brilliant. This is STR's one-man show. I am completely sold by his acting. ARR is brilliant too although the same track keeps on playing throughout the first half.

Darlings (I) (2022)

Boring after an hour

[2/10 · 6 August 2022]

Not sure what the makers were trying to say through this movie. Not sure whom to root for in the movie. Dragged too much after an hour. Someone dies in the movie and everybody act cool about it. Forgettable one.

Ante Sundharaniki (2022)

Very under-rated movie which is unfair

[10/10 · 1 July 2022]

Back to back good films from the director Vivek Athreya.

Vivek sagar's best music work till date.

Nani and Nazriya super cute.

Will remain as my all-time favorite movie.

Jug Jugg Jeeyo (2022)

Nothing

[3/10 · 29 June 2022]

6 stars for the first half which is decent enough.

0 stars for the second half, everything is bad in it.

Anil kapoor, Kiara, etc are good. Music is good.

Overall a forgettable movie. Good news is still the best movie of the makers.

Acharya (2022)

Hilarious

[1/10 · 6 May 2022]

Only positives - Chiru's fitness especially his cheeks (not bottom ones), charan's acting like kamal hassan sorry ram hassan, chiru's daughter role regina, charan's elder sister role pooja excellent.

Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022)

deserves zero star

[1/10 · 9 April 2022]

I was living my life peacefully with the memories of my good old Dex and the makers ruined it with this "New blood" season. He is a legend and he deserves a respectful ending.

The Priest (I) (2021)

watchable for sure but something is missing.

[7/10 · 17 April 2021]

I am a Telugu speaking person (not the target audience). The highest positive thing is there is no lag in the movie and it is very crisp. That's the reason one can easily give it a try and maybe watch the movie till the end. The highest negative thing would be that there is no wow factor in the movie. Even though there are few potential wow factors, the makers did not properly communicated them. The main lead actor suits the character but for some reason I fell this is not tailormade for him. Overall, onetime watchable for sure if you love crime investigation/ horror/ dark movies.

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

Watchable for an unexpected climax

[8/10 · 24 February 2021]

You need to bear first three episodes with not much story going forward but amazing locations in London suburbs and amazing actress (Hewson). Episodes 4,5,6 are intriguing. Two twists in climax are next level and unexpected. Not a good ending though. Overall watchable ministries and I liked my time watching it.