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Reviews
The Goat Life (2024)
Prithviraj's career-best performance
Despite the strong production values (barring VFX), Aadujeevitham seldom connects with the viewer meaningfully enough to justify its almost 3 hour runtime. However, it manages to not bore the viewer for most of thr runtime, thanks to the stellar performance by the cast and the beautiful cinematography.
The first half is very good at showcasing the panic and struggle Najeeb must have felt when being kidnapped. There are flashbacks to his past, which help to contrast against the desert landscape which is shown throughout the majority of the film. However, these flashbacks do become distracting at times.
The acting and cinematography are the highlights of the film, which keeps the second half of this movie from becoming monotonous. Prithviraj is definitely the highlight of this movie, and his transformation is especially shocking for a Malayali viewer, as he looks almost unrecognisable compared to previous films featuring him.
While Blessy's direction was good, it was not on par with the first movie of his that I saw (Thanmathra). Aadujeevitham movie only manages to deliver on the emotion necessary to complement the story rarely, with most of the movie not having enough of it.
The pacing is slow, which reflects the frustration that the real life Najeeb musy have felt after being trapped for 3 years in the desert. However, this could have been achieved by showcasing more of the abuse the Najeeb would have encountered while being enslaved.
The music by A. R. Rahman was a letdown. The songs were not up to the standard he was previously known for and the generic score does not complement what is on the screen, making the movie feel a little disjointed.
The ending does feel quite abrupt.
7/10 (72%)
Rorschach (2022)
Malayalam film with international sensibilities
Rorschach (2022):
This film breaks all conventions previously seen in Malayalam cinema and results in a type of film never seen before in this industry. Hollywood-level production quality, a balanced screenplay with nuanced characters, a unique score and stellar performances by the cast leaves quite an impact on the viewer, regardless of whether or not they enjoy this film.
The direction is fantastic and is effective at conveying the variety of emotions that has been written. Nissam Basheer never falls into the trap of using any cliches to project how the emotions of several characters are displayed, and combined with the screenplay, this movie effectively captures the psyche of Luke Antony (Mammootty) and masterfully paints him as an antihero.
The editing is almost perfect, as it balances delivering on the depth of this storyline without feeling overbearingly long for the most part. However, the second half starts to lag in places.
The camera work is done effectively; for instance shaky shots are only used sparingly, which helps the intensity of scenes that require it.
The music has Western influence, which helps it to stand out and increase the fresh feeling this film invokes.
The production values are fantastic; this movie never feels constrained by its budget, a problem limiting several Malayalam films.
Overall, Rorschach is an entertaining yet grounded film that has a blunt approach to its characters. This results in all the characters featured in this film feeling grey-shaded. Despite some supernatural elements, the film doesn't lose its plausibility but ends up immersing the viewer more in the way the plot progresses.
Final rating: 9/10 (85%)
Jawan (2023)
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Jawan (2023):
This film is a mashup of Atlee's previous films blended with fantastic cinematography and production values, culminating in an average film that works as a one-time watch.
The first half, for those who have seen Atlee's previous films, has no emotional weight due to being a mashup of films such as Mersal. This applies to the direction, character writing, story and editing. Virtually all the content in this half is a waste of time for these viewers For a viewer who has not watched those films, the first half can be entertaining despite coming across as melodramatic.
The second half is a major improvement, since the writing here is largely original. The second half also flows better as this half has more action sequences.
The actor's performances were largely solid, especially those of Shah Rukh Khan's and Vijay Sethupathi's. However, some of Nayanthara's dialogue delivery is a little stilted.
The cinematography is fantastic, with many shots that could be easily used as panels in a comic book. The colour grading amplifies the effect of this.
The action sequences are easily the highlight for this movie. They end up being very creative and are a joy to watch. It appropriately fit for a film that is intended as a celebration of Shah Rukh Khan.
The VFX was great for an Indian film and good for international standards, as expected from Red Chillies VFX (VFX studio).
Overall, despite a lot of the factors of the film excelling, the writing of the film lets it down, not disastrously, but enough so Jawan only has value as a one-time watch.
Overall rating: 6/10 (55%)
Leo (2023)
Vijay's career best perfomance in Lokesh's messiest film
DISCLAIMER: I had watched a 15+ version of the film, which I acknowledge has cut about 3 minutes of footage. I have taken this into consideration in my review for Leo.
The film progresses at a brisk pace, not feeling overbearingly long which is a common problem with films that are around 3 hours or more. There are no sections in which the film lags. The 1st half has no major issues to comment about, and while the film takes some time to get going, it sustains the pace it finally achieves. However, the writing is rough in the 2nd half with a few doubts raised about some of the film's scenarios. This makes the film feel disjointed in retrospect.
The character writing of the main character is good, resulting in a grey-shaded antihero, masterfully portrayed by Vijay. Despite the rest of the cast also giving good performances, the character writing undermines their performances resulting in them feeling quite flat. However, Trisha Krishnan (Sathya) and Mathew Thomas (Siddharth) have good chemistry with Vijay and convincingly connect as a family.
The VFX was sub-standard for a film of this budget. The animals are rendered nicely despite having rough animation, and the cars are really poorly rendered and animated, taking me out of the immersion for a couple of sequences. However, the action sequences involving any CGI are not heavily impacted, thanks to Anbariv's (the stunt co-ordinators) masterful work for this film. These sequences manage to elevate the film effectively.
The editing was choppy, although this may be attributed to watching the 15+ cut version of the film.
The music by Anirudh manages to deliver effectively, and combined with the action sequences culminate to showcase Leo at its best. However, it is still inferior to his work on Master (2021), also a Lokesh Kanagaraj film, due to a couple of songs in this soundtrack falling flat.
The direction is strong and confident, so while the film feels messy in the 2nd half, the direction definitely makes up for it.
Overall rating: 8/10 (76%)
Jailer (2023)
The best theatre experience I've ever had
Jailer (2023):
Rajini is back and has been reinvented once again.
The 1st half never has a dull moment and manages to show vulnerabilities to Muthuvel Pandian's (Rajinikanth) character yet shows glimpses of the ruthless jailer as exemplified by the grotesque violence of the film.
However, the 2nd half is not as slickly edited as the 1st with some scenes that overstay their welcome, which hinders the pacing somewhat. However, it is elevated by the cameos of Jackie Shroff and Mohanlal, with Mohanlal especially having a magnetic aura and charisma that rivals that of Rajini.
The climax finally shows a return of the '90s Rajini which fans have been yearning for.
The songs and BGM by Anirudh are of high standard as expected, but is not his best work. The cinematography is of incredibly high standard and manages to show off the high budget that this film has.
Overall, Jailer has lived up to and gone beyond its expectations as a comeback for both Nelson and Rajini. It has reinvented the definition of a Rajini film, bringing back his charm that was present in the '90s combined with realistic boundaries of modern day films, culminating in an incredibly fun theatre experience that seamlessly blends action and comedy, as a result of Nelson's tight direction. I highly recommend watching this film in theatres as that helps to alleviate some of the problems that have been mentioned.
Final Rating: 8/10 (83%)
2018 (2023)
Overrated yet well-made
2018 (2023):
In spite of the fanfare this sleeper hit has been receiving, I personally believe that 2018 is overrated despite feeling very high budget in terms of the cinematography and practical effects.
The first segment before the title card is played on screen promises a film that is incredibly expansive in scope and story, but the rest of the first half indulges in a few of the characters' daily lives. The issue with this half is that it is drawn out, sending you into boredom, which the effect is amplified after watching the stellar beginning.
The second half picks up as we not only see the devastating effects of the floods, but also simple yet effective character development for a handful of characters. However, this comes at the expense of other characters being underdeveloped or even almost completely forgotten.
The practical effects and cinematography were nothing short of incredible and they work together in harmony to really amplify the emotions in the latter half.
Overall, 2018 is an emotional thriller that effectively utilises and develops a handful of the characters present, at the expense of the utilisation of other characters. The film rises in emotion and really hones into its thriller aspects in the second half, yet it was too little substance too late into the film. The film would have been of higher standard with a shorter first half, and a smaller number of characters, to ensure that they are all developed effectively and receive adequate screen time.
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022)
A stellar Mammootty in an outstretched film
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022):
Despite the short run time of 1 and 3/4 hours, this movie drags due to unnecessarily lengthy shots and attempting to be a typical, "award-deserving" arthouse film.
Mammootty convincingly portrays two completely different characters masterfully, making you loathe and empathize with him effectively.
The direction is solid, making sure for the film to not follow a specific genre which helps to keep the film vaguely engaging, despite the lack of substance at times.
The visuals are great, with the colour grading taking advantage of the shots and helping them to realize their full potential.
Overall, the story deserved a film that should run for under an hour to fully appreciate it.
Master (2021)
A unique Vijay film
Master (2021):
1st half - 8/10
I enjoyed it a lot, it set the story up really nice.
However, it was too long and the first song was unnecessary, despite enjoying it a lot.
2nd half - 6.5/10
Same issues with the pacing but the songs are actually necessary to the story. Some scenes were a tad idiotic. However, the villain was a genuine threat. The ending was unique but I'm personally unsure and feel a little bit unsatisfied with it. Overall, I had a lot of fun with the 2nd half.
Overall, Master had some good acting and storytelling, but it was losing steam towards the end due to the lengthy runtime. Also, would have liked it more if Vijay's character was written in a more grounded way, since it would have increased the struggle of the main character and overall increased the emotional quotient.
Rating - 7.25/10 (73%)