'The Archies' review: Come, relive your childhood with Archie's gang
What's the story
The much-awaited movie The Archies is now available for streaming! An Indian adaptation of Archie Comics, the film marks the debut of not one but at least six newcomers in the industry.
A musical film, The Archies has a feel-good factor backed by noteworthy performances, a crisp screenplay, and a special audio cameo that you shouldn't miss.
Read our review of the Netflix film.
Plot
Can 'The Archies' gang save Riverdale's Green Park?
The Archies is set in the early 1960s with Riverdale shown as a small hill station. The residents of Riverdale are Anglo-Indians (half British-half Indian), who decided to stay in India after partition.
While everyone's leading a happy life, trouble erupts when their beloved Green Park is threatened by a hotel construction.
Archie and his gang come together to save the park.
Casting
The gang makes a stellar debut
Directed by Zoya Akhtar, The Archies is the debut for Agastya Nanda (Archie), Khushi Kapoor (Betty), Suhana Khan (Veronica), Yuvraj Menda (Dilton), Dot (Ethel), and Vedang Raina (Reggie). Mihir Ahuja (Jughead) is the only one in the gang who has faced the camera for celluloid before.
Although it's the debut movie for these young stars, their brilliant performances will make you think otherwise.
Performance
Nanda is the brightest star of them all
When it comes to acting, not one actor will disappoint you. Menda's innocence as Dilton and Raina's wit as Reggie are some of the many highlights. Khan and Kapoor did a fine job, too.
But Nanda's act goes on to show the bright future he holds in the industry. He shows maturity while also the confusion that a teenager goes through.
Writing
A tightly-written tale
The screenplay and story have been written by Ayesha Devitre Dhillon, Reema Kagti, and Akhtar, while Farhan Akhtar has written the dialogues for it.
There's a thing with adaptations that they can go terribly wrong. But, here, The Archies has passed.
One hiccup is that equal screen time wasn't given to all actors. I wished to see more of Dilton, Jughead, and Ethel.
Music
Music won't necessarily strike a chord
Though it's a musical comedy-drama, music is the weak link here. When you get Shankar-Ehsan-Loy on board to compose the songs, you would expect every track to be a hit.
However, barring a couple of songs including Sunoh, the others won't stay with you.
Somehow, The Archies's music failed to build a connection and made me jump past songs, mostly.
Verdict
Makes for a delightful watch
A few more aspects where the film has earned points are with its support cast (comprising Vinay Pathak, Ally Khan, and others), breathing life into Riverdale, and, its costumes.
The Archies is a film that caters to audiences of every kind, especially those who've read the comics.
In all, it's a movie you will enjoy watching.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars.