‘The Archies’ Movie- A Franchisee Fan’s Review

Archie’s the movie attempted by an Indian film fraternity team, broke the OTT yesterday! So, how was it? Here is a die-hard Archies’ fan review of the movie.

Being a part of millions and millions of Indian kids of the 80s & 90’s, I too was hooked to the gang from Riverdale- The Archies’ gang, and was I waiting for this movie? You bechcha!

Let us first begin the concept of the film. The proposition was extremely risky- a well-set American franchisee in an Indian scenario! Would it be believable?

Well, I would say it is! The back story, a short couple of minutes introduction to Riverdale is not only believable but also relatable, so I think the Director got it right there, because I definitely went along with it.

Coming to the Direction- Zoya Akhtar, a fine director, has a clear vision for the film, and that vision comes through hooking us to it from the word go!

The dialogs are short, sweet and interactive- just like the comics. Farhan Akhtar does a fantastic job writing them.

Dialog delivery is light and effervescent- Opinionated without being committal!

The film is a musical- that works- because these short interactions get augmented by songs that the cast breaks into ever so often. The beauty of the songs lie in the fact that they are so seamless that you really wonder after the end of each one- was it in English or Hindi?

The film has been shot in an old-world charm, the colour tones are warm just like the pages of the Double Digests that we so fondly turned.

Many of the recognizable places are very much a part of the film plot- Riverdale High, Pop-Tate’s café, the Lodge Mansion, the water hole & more.

A shout out to the Art Direction team! Their work stands out big time and is one of the highlights of the film. Riverdale High looks oh so believable, Lodge Mansion with its manicured gardens, the deck by the pool, all stand out, though Archie’s & Betty’s rooms bare a sort of a different look to the actual one’s we have grown up with.

Now let is talk about the casting of the film- The film was touted to be a debut for many star kids. Interestingly, what the film has done, is that it has put the star kids and the non-star kids in one BIG GANG and each one of them appear effortless and believable in their respective roles- So this kind-off slays the big Nepo-kids verses the Non-Nepo one’s argument, atleast for this film.

Agastya Nanda (Grandson of Amitabh Bachchan), AKA Archie Andrews, Suhana Khan (SRK’s daughter) AKA Veronica, Khushi Kapoor, (daughter of Sri Devi & Boney Kapoor) AKA Betty, Vedang Raina AKA Reginald Mantle, Mihir Ahuja as Jughead Jones all stand out in their respective roles.

Tara Sharma, Alyy Khan, Koel Puri and above all Vinay Pathak also have done a great job playing various important characters in the film. Suhaas Ahuja, as Fred Andrews is very good too!

But do I have more to say about the casting? Sure, I do!! While a lot was done right, it is in this department where I believe a lot more could have been achieved!
Some major mis-fits were-

The Bee (Mr. Weatherbee) has a head full of hair! What happened to good old Bee & his famous 4-hair toupee?
Big Moose should have been atleast head and shoulders above the rest.
Big Ethel much taller.
Midge was almost totally non-existent!
Fred Andrews is supposed to be fat and bald, instead he is the handsomest member of the star cast- Though I am not complaining!
Smithers is not the big overpowering, yet soft spoken mushy character that I was hoping for.

Missed Ms Beazly, Coach Clayton, Chuck, The Pussycats, Mr Svenson and Professor Flutesnoot & Archie’s jalopy to name a few.

Also surprised to have a face to Mrs. Lodge, someone who was never shown only referred to! She was not only prominently featured but was also a part of the opening act.

Spoiler’s alert, Reggie Mantel is not self-obsessed, Archie who was the editor of The Riverdale High’s paper does not have a political opinion for most part of the film and Dilton crushes on Reggie.

Talking of the plot, the story is based on the struggle to save the Central Park from making way for a swank hotel owned by the powerful Hiram Lodge.

The story-line is not only weak but also a little frivolous. It lacks conviction and the way it finally fizzles out leaves us a little flummoxed.

As it was pivotal to the narrative, I believe that plot should have been better thrashed-out and the grey areas should have been etched out better to enable us to ride along the journey of struggle that Riverdale took up against greed and thoughtless modernization.

Having Archie innocently and unknowingly unravel and then undo Mr. Lodge’s grandiose plans of modernizing Riverdale through his goofy yet endearing antics, pushing Mr. Lodge on the edge, while sending us into peels of laughter, was something that I would have enjoyed much more.

Overall, would have I recommended the film if it were released in the theatres? No!!
Would I recommend watching the film on Netflix? Absolutely!!
Would I say there is scope for a sequel? Sure why not bring! it on!!

All in all, it was a mixed bag experience for me as an Archies’ fan, but the standout thing was how brilliant the director was in Indianising an American concept and making it believable!!