A brand-new, vivid, and little cheesy video is available on Netflix today, and it’s causing a lot of attention on social media, as it’s been dubbed a new release for Barbie fans to go ‘totally bananas’ about.
It checks many of the same requirements, since it is likewise a comedy picture with musical components, a vivid vintage style look, and a slew of fun dance sequences.
There’s also a female filmmaker at the helm, with Zoya Akhtar directing, similar to Barbie’s director and co-writer Greta Gerwig.
The film, like Barbie, is based on characters from a long-loved property, this time the fictional American bubblegum rock band The Archies, who appeared in Archie Comics books and allied media.
And if you think you’ve never heard of them, think again: their biggest success was 1969’s Sugar Sugar, which went to number one in the UK, US, and a number of other nations.
They appeared as animated alter-egos on Archie’s Saturday morning cartoon show.
The band is based in terrain known to Netflix – where else than Riverdale? – and comprises famous characters Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie.
Set in 1960s India, Archie and the gang must manage romance, friendship, and Riverdale’s destiny as developers threaten to demolish a treasured park.
It’s safe to say it’s a significant divergence from the Netflix popular programme!
‘Watching #TheArchiesOnNetflix after watching Animal feels like having strawberry shortcake after gorging on raw meat!’ commented Asim Burney on X (formerly known as Twitter).
‘I absolutely loved the world Zoya created. Top notch production design, the nostalgia of the meticulously crafted clothes, the amazing song and dance numbers…,’ he praised, before adding: ‘If the Barbie crowds finds this movie they might go absolutely nuts about it. (Could it cross over because it’s on Netflix?)
‘The choreography of Va Va Voom and Dishoom is something to behold, I wish we could all see it in theatres!’
Others were praising the new movie, with @Cinehub tweeting: ‘It is a mesmerising musical journey that weaves poetry into narrative. Transcends the screen, evoking a nostalgic trip through the pages of a cherished childhood novel!’
‘What a lovely film #TheArchies is,’ added @AdiSRKian.
‘The atmosphere around the film with the wonderful performances was an absolute delight to watch. Agastya and Khushi were amazing but my God Suhana Khan, I just can’t believe how incredible you were.’
Entertainment industry tracker Ramesh Bala was also impressed by Agastya Nanda’s ‘amazing debut’ in The Archies, while fan @FahimAziz07 called it ‘very engaging so far’ as he tweeted along.
‘I’m SO EXCITED for #TheArchies, can’t wait to watch,’ chimed in @SilverGloria13.
While Rotten Tomatoes does not yet have critic reviews for The Archies, IMDb’s weighted rating is a dismal 2.9/10 at the time of writing.
The New York Times called it an ‘inessential Bollywood-tinged fantasia’ with ‘two and a half hours of soda shops, chaste dates, candy-colored petticoats, and athletic musical numbers’ in its review, but asks ‘Why not?’
India Today, meanwhile, gave the film three stars but praised the cast as ‘spectacular and a vision to behold on screen’.
The Archies is an Indian-English and Hindi-language film starring Agastya Nanda, Mihir Ahuja, Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, and Vedang Raina, with Khan – the daughter of Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan – making her cinematic debut.
Nanda, Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, and Kapoor, Boney Kapoor’s daughter, add to the star power, prompting some ‘nepo baby’ jokes.
The Archies is available to stream on Netflix now.
Source My Celebrity Life.
