Not being all that familiar with Indian cinema or pop culture, I really didn't know what to expect when I added this to my Netflix queue, just that it looked colorful and might be entertaining. Being not all that fond of musicals, I almost bugged out of the movie about fifteen or twenty minutes in.
But something made me stick with it, and I'm glad I did.
Take one part "Machiste" muscleman sword-and-sandal flick, one part "Lord of the Rings", add a liberal dose of Shakespearean tragedy, and season the result a bit too heavily (for my taste, anyway) with lavish musical numbers (Okay, I did like the Mahishmati anthem: It's a stirring and very catchy composition.) Garnish with some jaw-dropping wackiness -- from a Western perspective, anyway -- and you've got "Baahubali".
I have to admit I found the second movie somewhat better than the first, but by the end of "Baahubali: The Beginning" I was captivated by its larger-than-life characters and epic storytelling. This and its sequel are well worth watching, even if like me you're not a big fan of Bollywood films.
But something made me stick with it, and I'm glad I did.
Take one part "Machiste" muscleman sword-and-sandal flick, one part "Lord of the Rings", add a liberal dose of Shakespearean tragedy, and season the result a bit too heavily (for my taste, anyway) with lavish musical numbers (Okay, I did like the Mahishmati anthem: It's a stirring and very catchy composition.) Garnish with some jaw-dropping wackiness -- from a Western perspective, anyway -- and you've got "Baahubali".
I have to admit I found the second movie somewhat better than the first, but by the end of "Baahubali: The Beginning" I was captivated by its larger-than-life characters and epic storytelling. This and its sequel are well worth watching, even if like me you're not a big fan of Bollywood films.