Sunday, September 28, 2014

Movie Review: 3 A.M.

For the uninitiated, the movie (the Hindi flick which borrows its name from the 2001 Hollywood gig) starts off with an explanation: 3 pm was when Jesus came to Earth, so the evil spirits mockingly use 3 am to unleash their worst behavior.

MTV Roadies heart throb Rannvijay plays an avatar of himself in the movie - a reality show anchor who embarks on a new show around the paranormal after his girlfriend is found mysteriously hanging in the abandoned Rudra Mills, while researching on its haunted character. And no surprises, he decides to start right from where it all started for him - the same Rudra Mills. We are not here to trouble you, he announces, imploring the spirits of the workers who were killed in a major mill fire years ago to show themselves. But has he accounted for the dreaded Rudra, the last owner of the mill, who continues to terrorize his workers?

A good horror movie relies on atmospherics, and that's where 3 AM fails. Incessant loud chatter and (intentional?) comic situations never allow the audience to really start feeling the chill. While a couple of scenes are effective, there are too many false starts, too many acoustic pointers, and some pretty amateurish SFX. There is an element of a surprise twist towards the end, but if you are a real fan of suspense horror movies, you will guess it right from the first scene!

The female lead Anindita Nayar looks interesting, while Rannvijay continues to woo with his good looks. Salil Acharya and Kevin Dave round up the cast.

If you really had nothing to do, this is a good one to curl up with your girl friend, given how empty the theatres are likely to be!

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