Cargo

Reviews

Tejas Nair
Cargo, produced like a skit on a low budget, is a snoozefest that is not clear about its objective. It starts off with an aspiration to be a sci-fi drama about loneliness in the space where the protagonist (Vikrant Massey), a staff at an imaginary post-death transition services agency, has been spending decades and working solo in a breathing spacecraft named Pushkar-something without much contact with the outer world. Then it aims higher and brings in another character (Shweta Tripathi) and scrambles to turn itself into an emotional story about companionship and how ignorance is not always bliss. Without enough background to the story, the plot (where dead people are sent to this transition agency and then sent back home as a new person in optionally some other form) - which is quite zany, to be fair to writer-director Arati Kadav - does not explain things that are essential for its upkeep and interest and just fumbles every now and then until one of the three main characters utters a few words of philosophy and/or existentialism while sipping cola from a Styrofoam cup. I understand the restrictions low budget can put on the production but watching Cargo reminded me of those substandard comedy skits that they play on Indian national television during primetime with canned laughter in the form of a human being as its main character. Even the spacesuits look like they were made out of bed sheets. That skilled actors like Massey and Tripathi are not utilized well shows the additional lack of efforts put in the writing and the direction. Nothing gels in the avant-garde hopeful that this film turns out to be but falls extremely short of every single ingredient except for maybe the score. Watch the HBO drama Six Feet Under (2001) and space stuff Gravity (2013) again and forget that Cargo even existed and that Vikramaditya Motwane or Anurag Kashyap helped produce this technical drivel for laymen. TN. (Watched and reviewed at its world premiere at the 21st MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)
Movie Recommendation
- Once2007-03-23A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.More...
- Manto2018-05-24In Bombay's seedy-shiny film world, Manto and his stories are widely read and accepted. But as sectarian violence engulfs the nation, Manto makes the difficult choice of leaving his beloved Bombay. In Lahore, he finds himself bereft of friends and unable to find takers for his writings.More...
- Cargo2019-05-10A Bahamian Fisherman with a gambling addiction in Nassau takes a job smuggling Haitians to Florida in a desperate ploy to support his family.More...
- The Babysitter2017-10-13When Cole stays up past his bedtime, he discovers that his hot babysitter is part of a Satanic cult that will stop at nothing to keep him quiet.More...
- The Devil All the Time2020-09-11In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.More...
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire2001-06-02A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.More...
- The Hurt Locker2008-10-10During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.More...
- Enola Holmes2020-09-23While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord.More...
- Dune2021-09-15Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.More...
- Avatar2009-12-15In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.More...
- Dune: Part Two2024-02-27Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.More...
- Twisters2024-07-10As storm season intensifies, the paths of former storm chaser Kate Carter and reckless social-media superstar Tyler Owens collide when terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed. The pair and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.More...
- Barbie2023-06-18Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.More...
- Top Gun: Maverick2022-05-21After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell finds himself training a detachment of TOP GUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen.More...
- Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)2020-02-05Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.More...
- The Devil Wears Prada2006-06-29Andy moves to New York to work in the fashion industry. Her boss is extremely demanding, cruel and won't let her succeed if she doesn't fit into the high class elegant look of their magazine.More...
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish2022-12-07Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one life left. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.More...
- Avengers: Endgame2019-04-24After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.More...
- Spider-Man: No Way Home2021-12-15Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.More...
- The Northman2022-04-07Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who's on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.More...
Similar Movies
I Am Legend
2007-12-12Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone.Lonely Hearts
2006-04-30In the late 1940s, a murderous couple known as the 'The Lonely Hearts Killers' kills close to a dozen people. Two detectives try to nab the duo who find their targets via the personals in the paper.Notes on a Scandal
2006-12-25A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond platonic friendship.Stranger Than Fiction...
2006-09-09Harold Crick is a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life.Johny Mera Naam
1970-11-11When a gangster named Heeralal gets arrested, he befriends Johny, a petty thief, in prison. He seeks Jony's help in executing his mission of smuggling a few diamonds. Johny, however, is an undercover CID officer named Sohan.Kitaab
1977-12-31Director Sampooran Singh Gulzar’s insightful comic drama aims to capture the unique perspective of childhood.Greed
1924-12-04A lottery win of $5,000 forever changes the lives of a miner turned dentist and his wife.Perfume: The Story of...
2006-09-13Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of 18th century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. However, his work takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.Flatliners
1990-08-10Five medical students want to find out if there is life after death. They plan to stop one of their hearts for a few seconds, thus simulating death, and then bring the person back to life.White Lily
2016-10-07Two women, Tokiko, a ceramic artist, and her apprentice, Haruka, are in a relationship. The couple is not an intrinsic lesbian, but they fell for each other by chance.Beneath the Planet of...
1970-04-23The sole survivor of an interplanetary rescue mission lands on the planet of the apes, and uncovers a horrible secret beneath the surface.Re-Animator
1985-10-18Conducting clandestine experiments within the morgue at Miskatonic University, scientist Herbert West reveals to a fellow graduate student his groundbreaking work concerning the re-animation of fresh corpses.Shoppen
2007-05-02An almost bombproof method of staying single is called "speed dating". 18 people participate in such an event. Nine men and nine women are sitting opposite each other in order to sell optimally under the pressure of time and to find a partner. They are looking for a date - and have nothing else in common. They talk about allergies, cappuccino, consumer behavior, buses and designer clothes: the list of serious embarrassments is long. Yet none of the lonely hearts has given up the hope of romance.The Piano Teacher
2001-09-05Erika Kohut, a sexually repressed piano teacher living with her domineering mother, meets a young man who starts romantically pursuing her.Maati Maangey Khoon
1984-01-01As far as he can remember Harinarain Singh alias Hariya has no knowledge of his birth, parents nor of a family home. During a skirmish with some of Thakur Balram Singh's hoodlums, he lies unconscious at the entrance of a temple with the Poojary in attendance, and an elderly unhinged woman praying to God for his sake. When he wakes, the Poojary tells him that the woman, known as "Pagli" (madwoman) is his very own mother, his father was a farmer, Ram Singh, who died of shock when his land was taken away by Balram and his men. Shortly thereafter Pagli passes away, and Hariya swears to take back his land from Balram. A wily Balram transfer this land in his nephew, Balraj's name, who is known to be a close friend of Hariya's with hopes of creating a misunderstanding between the two friends. When Balraj returns home he accepts this land from his uncle and decides to oppose Hariya with all his might, especially when he finds out that the love of his life, Sharda, is living with Hariya.Salaakhen
1998-04-24When an honest school teacher testifies in a rape case against a prominent businessman's son, he is psychologically tortured and forced to commit suicide. His young son then takes the law into his own hands in order to avenge his father.Aap To Aise Na The
1980-12-05Orphaned at a very young age, Varsha Oberoi, lives a wealthy lifestyle with her paternal uncle, Jain Oberoi, in Bombay, and has traveled world-wide. She is in love with Vijay, a middle-classed young man, who runs a small furniture store, badly in debt, and lives with his widowed mom, a younger brother, Deepu, and sister, Nanhi, who are very friendly with Varsha. Then Vijay is reunited with his childhood friend, Vikram Chawla, who is welcomed with open arms by the entire family. It is then Vijay's life turns around, he starts getting a lot of orders, gets out of debt, is able to buy a jeep to replace his motorbike, and moves to a comfortable bungalow.Jhalki
2019-09-27A lyrical story of lost childhood, against the powerful backdrop of child slavery and human trafficking. It is a heart-rending but inspiring story of a nine-year old street-smart girl, Jhalki, in search of her seven-year old brother, Babu, who is suddenly thrown into an inhuman world of child labor with no respite from a terminally gloomy, dark and depressing workplace. Armed with an intimate folk tale of a tireless sparrow, her own ingenious efforts and her charming presence of mind, Jhalki manages her search and eventually free her brother, along with thousands of other enslaved children caught in this insidious practice, affecting over 200 million children worldwide.Bill & Ted's Bogus Jo...
1991-07-19Amiable slackers Bill and Ted are once again roped into a fantastical adventure when De Nomolos, a villain from the future, sends evil robot duplicates of the two lads to terminate and replace them. The robot doubles actually succeed in killing Bill and Ted, but the two are determined to escape the afterlife, challenging the Grim Reaper to a series of games in order to return to the land of the living.Last Days
2005-06-12The life and struggles of a notorious rock musician seeping into a pit of loneliness whose everyday life involves friends and family seeking financial aid and favors, inspired by rock music legend Kurt Cobain and his final hours.