Dhoom 2

Okay, as I've said before I believe that to truly get maximum pleasure out of a cinematic experience, one must first accept the film for what it is. If you go to a Summer Blockbuster expecting a transformative piece of art, then you'll be disappointed. That said, the Summer Blockbuster shouldn't be dismissed either, just coordinating the stunts and explosions is hard work, and they still entertain. Let me put it another way, Da Vinci created art that set the standard for centuries, Andy Warhol made a statement with a Campbell's soup can, both are the masters of their unique artistic spectrums.This is my long-winded way of saying Dhoom 2 is a darn good Campbell's soup can. Does it have an impressive script? Nope. Are the characters well developed? Not particularly. Does this movie make you think? Definitely not! It does entertain you and that's the point of a great action flick.This was also my first time seeing Abhishek Bachchan (the son of legendary Amitabh Bachchan, and now hubby to Aishwarya Rai) and I have to admit it took seeing a few Salman Khan movies to appreciate that he's not quite as dull as my first impression said he was. Only Mr. Salman Khan is a worse dancer, with a more limited emotional acting range. (Just my personal opinion and he has produced some AWESOME movies) Sad to say, although Mr. Bachchan Jr. is technically the "hero" in this film he's swallowed up by the charisma of his future bride, and Mr. Roshan. Jai Dixit has only three emotions, anger, disgust, and contempt. Contempt is the one he offers to friends and loved ones. All others get disgust and anger.Uday Chopra has such a bad reputation as an actor and it's *completely* undeserved! I cheerfully admit that Ali irritates the heck out of me, and if I hadn't seen him in films like Mohabbatein Bollywood DVD With English Subtitles Pyaar Impossible (which he wrote) and Mujhse Dosti Karoge Bollywood DVD With English Subtitles I'd fall victim to categorize him as an over-the-top actor as well. But the truth is he's a dang genius who not only writes and directs movies but he's developed his own comic book company! Unfortunately, even in his native land he's lampooned as an acting failure, and it's widely reported that he won't act in any other films aside from the Dhoom franchise. Since his work will be focused behind the camera from now on, I urge people to not judge him solely as Ali and give his other work a shot both on screen and off.Bipasha Basu has a double role as ACP Shonali Bose and her twin sister Monali. I have to say, she is a beautiful lady, but as an actress and a dancer she leaves me cold. As Shonali she's more repressed than any Vulcan and not nearly as interesting. And there's the fact that she shamelessly flirts with soon-to-be-father, and very married Jai (who himself deserves worst-husband-of-the-century) without any real sparks. As Monali she's slightly more engaging because it's fun to watch Jai's reactions to her air-headedness. It's the only time in the movie that Mr. Bachachan Jr. conveys any genuine emotion (disgust). However, there is one reason she deserves a little shout out. According to reports she lived on oranges for four days before her bikini shots. I don't care what they'd pay me there's no way I'd EVER do that! I hope they paid her well.I have to say that my main interest in this movie was born from falling in love with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in Jodhaa Akbar (Three-Disc Collector's Edition). Frankly they're the reason this film works as well as it does. Without these two playing the antagonists there's nothing to lose myself in as an audience. Ali is simply too foolish, and Jai is so cardboard that I have absolutely no way of connecting to them emotionally. Normally, I'd blame this on the script, but in this case it boils down it the illusive, indefinable, "IT" factor. Mr. Bachchan Jr. simply doesn't have "IT" in this film, meanwhile Mr. Roshan and Ms. Rai have so much "IT" that it allows them to take two character outlines and make you care without knowing anything about them. We're never told why they do what they do, we're never told how they became what they are, we're never even privy to their surnames! It doesn't matter, once Sunehri and Aryan come together it's their movie.One can't talk about this movie without discussing the infamous kiss between Ms. Rai and Mr. Roshan, what to people in the USA would regard as something chaste and benign was called up before the courts in India, recently the now Mrs. Bachchan has said that she had her doubts the kiss would be well received when she did it, and felt the hoopla proved her right. Frankly, I was disappointed that felt that way because it's a gorgeous scene, but I give her kudos for going for it despite her reluctance.Ms. Rai's portrayal of Sunerhi is a demonstration of just how good of an actress she is. She's one of a very select group of actors who understand and use their eyes and bodies to their full potential in a performance. Now you might think I've lost my marbles for this one but hear me out... Look at a film like the incomparable Guzaarish (English Subtitles) and notice how she's used her voice differently, her gait and her body language is different, even the way she sits and eats are totally different. Guzzarish is the superior film and role no question, but it's equally hard to create something out of fluff. It's true Sunehri's primary function in the film is to be the sexy temptress, but Ms. Rai embraces the role, and retains her own elegance and innate dignity, which makes her the perfect mate for Aryan. My one complaint is that her dancing talent is tragically misused by the choreographer. She should have been able to bust out some flashy moves on par with her leading man. If you have the two best dancers in film paired with each other USE THE OPPERTUNITY. Her great dancing moments are during the end credits!Which brings me to Mr. Roshan, he's labeled as a so-called "negative character" but to me he's the real hero here. His character, unlike Jai Dixit has no backstory whatsoever. He's as mysterious at the end of the movie as he is at it's start, but his emerald eyes pull you into his heart and the way his brain works. Considering he has less dialogue than any other character Mr. Roshan has to rely on his face and body for the bulk of his performance. This is why he's rightly hailed as "India's most complete actor" I've yet to see any other Bollywood actor with a more thorough understanding of how to convey emotion through his eyes. To tell the truth, I can't think of many actors in this day and age anywhere who approach Mr. Roshan's talent of expression. It's this talent that ground Mr. A as a person, otherwise the character and his robberies would be so fantastical that he'd be just as remote as Jai Dixit. Since Mr. Roshan and Ms. Rai share the same level of talent, they're able to bring a certain level of depth to the movie without destroying the "good time, no thinking, all entertainment, purpose of the film." Oh and he deserves all the applause in the world for the makeup and disguises he dons in this. The man had to get acrylic nails! Speaking as someone who's endured the horror of acrylic nails, my heart bled for him! I assure you, they're far worse than hanging off a cliff.As far as the soundtrack goes, it's the perfect score for the movie. The songs are sexy without being vulgar. They're perfect for a rocking party, and a great blend of the Hindi film experience and spicy Latin beats of Carnival. The only weak track for me was Touch Me Don't Touch Me, but that might be because it's the only dance number I didn't like.One quick note about the basketball game, my mother (Mrs. My-High School-Records-Still-Stand) bashes the basketball game every time she sees it. For any purists, it's NOT supposed to be a good game, it's supposed to be sexy and it IS! Lighten up and enjoy it okay.

The concept of this movie is your standard 'master criminal, good cop' movie, but the execution is so unique, so fantastic, so much fun, you will be hard pressed to believe it's been two and a half hours! the dancing was beautifully choreographed, the locations were just as much a character as the people themselves, the cinematography was top notch and the imagination exhibited in the heist scenes surpasses some people working in American cinema. everything that the first film did well (and it did a lot of things well) has been polished, improved and amplified in this film. in fact, you could even believe that Dhoom was made as a proof-of-concept film to show to studios so the filmmakers could say, 'look how talented we are! if you give us money we can make it better!' if this movie has a flaw it's in Ali, the comic sidekick. if all of his scenes were taken out you would have an hour and 45 minutes of absolutely sublime cinema. but this film is so good that even his scenes don't bring the film to a halt, just slow it down a little bit. this film is HIGHLY recommended and you will want to show it to all of your friends. i became a believer in Bollywood because of this film.

Great balance of action, comedy and interesting well developed characters. Bollywood can make movied that entertain without heavily depending on the ultra special effects we use in the USA. Just a good story that pulls you in and keeps a smile on your face. Nothing to violent ir obscene, suitable to enjoy with the family. The dancing and singing were top notch, and the music really adds to the energy of the film.

This is the first of a series of movies called Dhoom. Although the other two movies are better, you cannot ignore this one. The actors are great. The story is good with just a few little flaws. Perhaps it was not the writing, but the execution. A few spots that were a bit too slow and easy for the audience to catch what was going on. The overall story is very good. The casting is excellent. SPOILER ALERT! The main annoying part was when the camera was trying build the action by switching from the motorcycle thieves and back to the squad car waiting at the red light. Then when the thieves were stealing the money from the truck, you could see just how close the squad car was to the scene (which supposedly they could not see). That is the reason for the 4 instead of 5 stars. The movie is still worth watching and leads you to know the two main characters. The humor is a exaggerated and a bit silly unless you are into that kind of humor. I think the writer or writers of the Dhoom series is awesome. Overall worth watching, worth buying.

It picks up where Dhoom left off, with Jai and Ali solving crimes together. The villian, played by the handsom and suave Hrithik Roshan it so easy on the eyes that I sometimes forgot to read the English subtitles! Overall, a fun action comedy with wonderful music sequences. And the soundtrack is worth a look, too.

This movie is a great entertainment - lots of eye candy as all of the cast is in incredible shape and knows how to show it :-), fantastic dance choreography, fashion details and catchy music, creative plot and ending ... . However, you cannot analyze this movie too much wondering how would all this worked in a real life - just enjoy the show!

I did not order this movie. I must have accidentally clicked on it when navigating my fire stick. However, Amazon only gives you 24 hours to refund, even though I didn't start streaming it. Now I'm going to have to add a code to make sure I don't accidentally order anything else because now I know I can't cancel.