Review of ‘The Archies’: New Netflix Movie on Classic Comic

Introduction

If you grew up reading the adventures of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and the rest of the gang in Riverdale, you might be curious about the new Netflix movie ‘The Archies‘. The movie is based on the classic comic series that started in 1941 and has spawned various spin-offs, TV shows, and even a musical. But Is it a faithful adaptation or a modern reinterpretation? And most importantly, is it any good? In this article, I’ll give you my honest review of ‘The Archies’, covering everything you need to know about the movie, how it adapts the comic characters, what works and what doesn’t, who are the target audience, and the verdict: is it worth watching or not?

What You Need to Know About the Movie

On 7th Dec 2023, Netflix released the movie ‘The Archies‘, a musical comedy-drama that follows the adventures of Archie Andrews and his friends who have a musical band. This movie is set in the 60s with a nostalgic adaptation of an Anglo-Indian vibe that pays homage to the original American comics. The plot is based on modernization and corporate greed over public interest and environmental impact, which is “something worth fighting for”. Also, it shows how a business mindset can impact personal relationships. The storyline is very predictable from the beginning even if you haven’t read the actual comic story. Let’s see who all are behind this movie

• The movie is directed by Zoya Akhtar, who is known for her realistic and engaging films like ‘Luck By Chance’, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, ‘Gully Boy’, etc.
• This movie is hyped as a launchpad for 3 star kids, Agastya Nanda grandson of Amitabh Bachchan, Suhana Khan daughter of Shahrukh Khan, and Khushi Kapoor daughter of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor.
• Other members of the Archies gang are played by Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi Saigal, and Yuvraj Menda.
• You’ll find many famous actors from Bollywood, and TV Actors like Vinay Pathak, Tara Sharma, Koel Purie, Alyy Khan, Luke Kenny, Delnaaz Irani, etc.
• The Music is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, The Islanders, Aditi Saigal, and Ankur Tewari.
• Background Score by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Jim Satya.
• The cinematography by Nikos Andritsakis brings the touch of Hollywood.

How it adapts the classic comic characters

One of the main attractions of the movie is how it portrays the beloved comic characters in a modern context. The movie does a good job of capturing the essence of each character, while also adding some twists and updates.

Archie

Agastya Nanda plays the role of Archie, who is the lovable goofball who is torn between Betty and Veronica. Agastya looked very mature and confident, despite his debut main role. I must say his dance moves are really cool and very well rehearsed, unlike his grandfather (Amitabh Bachchan) and uncle (Abhishek Bachchan). I feel there is slight room for improvement in acting skills, like dialogue throwing, body language, and facial expressions.

Betty

Khushi Kapoor plays the role of Betty, who is the sweet and smart girl next door. Khushi looks like an Indian version of young Anna Hathaway from some angles. In her debut role, acting and dancing wise she did a great job. She portrayed the ups and downs of the character with a balancing factor very well.

Veronica (Ronnie)

Suhana Khan plays the role of Veronica, who is a rich and glamorous heiress, with a big heart. Suhana looks very similar to the actual comic character in terms of her face, style, and hair. In her debut role, I should say that her acting and dancing skills were nice, especially her roller skating skill is highly noticeable. Dialogue throwing could be a little better especially in Hindi dialogues, though it didn’t sound that bad as the character was Anglo-Indian.

Reggie

Vedang Raina plays the role of Reggie, who is the arrogant and competitive rival of Archie. Vedang portrayed the character with sweetness at the core and it shows that friendship comes first then competition. I believe a group of friends in the ’60s were not as competitive as we do today. Also, he played well in the emotional scenes.

Jughead

Mihir Ahuja plays the role of Jughead, who is a sarcastic, cynical loner, and a food lover. Mihir played Archie’s best friend role very well, with a proper comic sense that brought laughter. As a foodie, I can relate to his love of food.

Ethel

Aditi Saigal plays the role of Ethel, who is a tall and strong independent girl. Aditi has portrayed the character well and got a good amount of screen time with important scenes. She is multi-talented and contributed as a singer, musician, and lyricist as well.

Doiley

Yuvraj Menda plays the role of Doiley, who is the nerdy smart teenager, who always comes up with out-of-the-box solutions to any problem. Though it is a small supporting role but has a significant importance to the storyline and Yuvraj played it well according to the character. Not sure about any original reference to this character being homosexual and was not required to be in the movie. I’m not against the LGBTQ+ community, but it would be better to keep any comic character authentic.

Hiram Lodge

Alyy Khan plays the role of Veronica’s Father Hiram Lodge, who is the Chief of Lodge Industries. Alyy played the negative character here without any violence whatsoever and it was spot-on based on the overall sweetness of the movie.

H. Dawson

Vinay Pathak plays the role of H. Dawson, who is a greedy person with a powerful position doing politics in partnership with corporations, portraying the reality of the modern age. Even though it is a negative role, I’m always been a fan of Vinay Pathak, who is a spontaneous comic actor with a feel-good lovable factor.

What works and what doesn’t

Like any other movie, this movie has some strengths and some weaknesses because we don’t live in a perfect world. Let’s start with a positive side first. Pointing out all the factors that I liked.

Strengths

• Music is something I should talk about first, every aspect of it like lyrics, songs, background score everything is very soothing to my ears. I loved all the 16 soundtracks which are composed by great musicians and singers. I’m always been a fan of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, for their original music which matches the movie scenes perfectly. If you listen to these soundtracks a few times, you’ll love them for sure.
• Dance moves and choreography were equally good like music and brought the periodic charm of the 60s.
• Cinematography is the next thing that touched me. Start to Finish, I felt like I was watching a Hollywood Movie. Camera movements, Camera angles, the filter used to make it look like a periodic movie, everything was top-notch Hollywood style.
• The next thing that I must praise is the movie set along with the costumes. The dress, makeup, house interiors, fonts used as shop signboards, diners, every detail was very specific to a period and it was a visual treat. I lived in the USA for several years and can relate such periodic elements as seen in many local TV shows, Documentaries, Museums, etc.
• The movie has several messages for the audience. “Change is inevitable” but there is “something worth fighting for” like Sustainability over Development, Public Interest over Corporate Greed, Personal Relationship over Business Mindset, and Friendship and Love over Competition.

Weaknesses

However, the movie also has some weaknesses, let’s check them out

• The plot of the movie is somehow mixed up with different cultures. The actual Comics is American, but to make it Indian, the storyline had to take the help of the Anglo-Indians. So the final product is a cultural mix of Indian, British, and American.
• The storyline is somewhat very common and predictable. It was kind of summarized within the first 10 minutes of watching. Also, it failed to create any suspense or twists in the storyline.
• Everyone acted nicely to make the movie overall enjoyable. But all the lead characters are played by debut actors, so somehow the acting was a bit flat in my opinion. I never felt like any new star is born like Hrithik Roshan’s debut role in ‘Kaho Naa Pyar Hain’. Also, most of the punchlines brought smiles rather than laughter to the comedy scenes.

Who is the target audience for ‘The Archies’

Now you know a lot about this movie and you must be thinking whether this movie is for me or not. Let’s talk about the target audience and other tips

1. If you’re a fan of ‘The Archies’ classic comics, then you will enjoy seeing your favorite characters come to life on screen.
2. Also, If you love Musical Drama Movies, like the Hollywood movies ‘High School Musical’, ‘A Star Is Born’, and ‘Pitch Perfect’, etc. then definitely it is for you.
3. If you like periodic movies, where the storyline portrays a specific period in a particular place, then you’ll love the visual treats.
4. Teenagers may like this movie as it shows all the shades of love and friendships. But modern teenagers are much more advanced and faster than the 60s, so I’m not sure what will be their reaction.
5. Elder and middle-aged people can also feel nostalgic for this movie if they like periodic Musical Drama Movies.
6. Overall this movie is family-friendly, and not having any scenes to make you uncomfortable.

The Verdict: Is the Movie Worth Watching or Not?

Now time to rate this movie and I’ll give 7 out of 10. Watched this movie with my family and they agreed with this rating as well.

‘The Archies’ is a fun entertaining movie that will appeal to fans of the comics and musicals. However, it is not a masterpiece or a must-watch movie that will blow your mind or change your life. It is a light-hearted and enjoyable periodic movie that you can watch with your friends or family on a lazy weekend on Netflix. If you are looking for something more serious or profound, you might want to skip this one.

Poster and Backdrop Photo Source:

Question for you

Which Archies character do you think got the best modern makeover in the Netflix adaptation?

Please feel free to share your answer in the comment box below.

Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope you found it informative and useful. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic. Please leave a comment below and share your feedback, suggestions, questions, or anything else you want to say. I appreciate your support and engagement.

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