Though there’s no shortage of fantastic special effects, the film isn’t in the least bit overbearing. While it assumes viewer familiarity with all the characters, *Days of Future Past* does manage the improbable task of combining almost everything that we love about the X-Men series, in one place.

Fioravante and Avigal’s equation transcends sexuality and steps into more tender territory. The film has plenty of clever humour underscored by a jazzy score throughout. Vergara oozes sex while Sharon Stone is a veteran vixen. On the flip side, Gigolo is pure Woody Allen formula and provides the right amount of gags to keep this sex comedy afloat.

Those who have seen previous avatars of this scaly beast will immediately reconnect with that sense of speechlessness and rapt awe they felt when they saw Godzilla in their childhood. Godzilla’s roar is not for the faint-hearted. This is a fantastic homage to monster movies of yore and is bound to go down as a modern classic. Go Godzilla!

Sure, there are all the usual cliches you’d expect from a movie that sees India through the Occidental lens. You have claustrophobically crowded streets, chaotic honking and food that gives Bernstein the runs. But these cliches are handled in such a deft manner by Gillespie as to make the overall package quite heartwarming.

The action sequences are breathtaking and despite the running time, the film doesn’t drag. Garfield and Stone, in the scenes where they are together, have a palpable chemistry. This Spider-Man serves up both pathos and power.

The film is essentially a far-fetched, sometimes muddled, cautionary tale about mankind being taken over by the machines that they themselves have created, albeit with the best of intentions.

At face value, Divergent comes across as a film that doesn’t push any boundaries whatsoever. But at the heart of this dystopian tale awash in grays and browns is a lesson about finding one’s identity and being at peace with oneself.

Colourful and well-paced except for a cloyingly sweet song or two, the kids will enjoy this one.

While Romanoff adds some playful sex appeal, Captain America is a lot more aggressive in this outing as he takes on the Winter Soldier (Stan) and increasingly uses his shield as an offensive weapon. Rogers might not have Batman’s toys, Tony Stark’s wisecracks or Superman’s strength, but he is the most ‘human’. This ranks among the finest in the super-hero genre.

Although Aronofsky has dipped liberally into the well of fantasy in his recreation of Noah’s tale, he does it in a manner that serves up a quasi-modern story laced generously with allegory and backed by some solid, no-nonsense performances. He does not go overboard on religious subject matter and instead, chooses to give the movie a more human, moralistic direction. There’s even an interesting montage describing the origin of the universe. All in all, a lush visual spectacle told on a fittingly grand scale.