2017 - BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION, sequel/prequel to Baahuvali The Beginning obviously

The writer/director S.S Rajamouli wraps up his medieval Indian action epic with this odd prequel/sequel to the first film. This film is even longer than the first one if that was possible

There's still plenty to enjoy in this series but it does seem that a lot of time is spent on this "who is the rightful ruler of the kingdom" stuff at the expense of the action elements that made the first film so much fun. It appears that the filmmaker Rajamouli attempts to make up for some slow parts in his story by really pouring on the larger than life pageant scenes at the court which consists of lots of soldiers marching and standing around in impressive formations. 

 

This film is split into two parts, a prequel and a sequel as it were.  In the prequel we see the rightful ruler of the kingdom of Mahishmati, Amarendra Baahubali deal with court intrigue and betrayal as his cousin schemes to take the throne away from him and marry his wife.  This plot line goes on for most of the running time of the film and ends with Amarendra Baahubali's defeat.  From there the last 45 minutes of this film is a sort of sequel as Baahubali's son sets out to avenge his father and become the rightful heir to Mahishmati.

 

I suppose it was probably asking a lot for this film to be as exciting as the first one.  That's the way it usually goes with sequels it's hard to capture the excitement and thrill of the initial story.  Still this is an entertaining film

The running time is 171 minutes, the film was written by S. S. Rajamouli.

2015 - BAAHUBAI: THE BEGINNING, amazing epic Indian film.

 If you enjoy large scale action epics than Baahubali: The Beginning is the film for you.  This Indian epic was one of that country's highest grossing films and extremely popular films

The film was directed by S. S. Rajamouli a specialist in this epic film stuff.  Baahubali: The Beginning is set in ancient India and features the actor Prabhas in a dual role as a father and son who fight corruption in their kingdom over several generations.

It wouldn't be an Indian film without the inclusion of several musical numbers which actually seem to add to the narrative for a change instead of just stopping the story cold.  This film is long and flips back in forth in time to tell it's story. 

 

Particularly amazing are the action and large scale battle scenes throughout this film.  Obviously computer imagery played a big role in bringing these scenes to life.  For some reason Indian filmmakers seem to do a better job integrating this enhanced imagery with their actors, something Western filmmakers always seem to be struggling with.  Let's face it a lot of the CGI in western films always ends up looking very cartoonish.

This is an impressive action epic with an epic running time.  Baahubali: The Beginning is the first part of a two part story.  you can sit back and enjoy the  fabulous action scenes and the stunning imagery throughout the film.

The screenplay was by S. S. Rajamouli, the running time is 158 minutes.