February 2021 – Movies of the Soul

What is the movie about? :: Georgekutty (Mohanlal) and Rani (Meena), along with their daughters Anju (Ansiba Hassan) and Anu (Esther Anil) have become richer after those earlier incidents, as the former has now bought some land, and started a film theatre by the name Rani. Their neighbour Saritha (Anjali Nair) is a victim of domestic violence, and her husband is one of the notorious drunkards of the area, Sabu (Sumesh Chandran) – there are some fights happening in the area due to the same. The people in the town don’t really like them anymore, with the exception of Sulaiman (Kozhikode Narayanan Nair). The local people who are not happy with Georgekutty becoming rich, come up with gossips regarding the earlier incident leading to the death of the boy, and police continues to investigate the Varun missing case as it was something which proved to be humiliating for the entire police department. Georgekutty has the dream of making a movie, which he wishes to be perfect, and has left a certain amount of money for the same.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: Jose George (Ajith Koothattukulam) returns home after finishing his time in the prison, and he had seen something during the night when the boy was murdered. Philip Mathew (Ganesh Kumar) is in charge of the police station along with Antony Joseph (Antony Perumbavoor), and the investigation seems to be gaining some ground. Thomas Bastin IPS (Murali Gopy) is in charge of the case, and he won’t stop pursuing Georgekutty without anybody realizing the same. Advocate Janardhanan (Joy Mathew) and Advocate Renuka (Santhi Mayadevi) are fighting the case with the latter appearing for Georgekutty to dismiss the appeals for taking the case again. Geetha Prabhakar (Asha Sarath) and Prabhakar (Siddique) are having their ways for finding the means to get through Georgekutty. But Georgekutty remains strong, even as there are many twisted ways being followed here, yet it remains to be seen about how long he can stand.

The defence of Drishyam 2 :: In Malayalam movie industry, sequels haven’t been of that much strength, especially with superstars in the lead, as the chance to relegate into a mass movie is always there, and this film does threaten to do so, but never really does that, as it goes back to the original movie’s feeling. Just like this predecessor, this movie also starts with the usual family moments, even with the presence of certain danger always lurking the corner. There is the mention of the same, but the procedure is usual until we get into the last one hour or so, as things begin to provide a feeling of real danger for the protagonist and his family, and the same is at the extreme in the last forty five minutes or so. One has to appreciate the fact that the movie also has a twist in store in the end reminding the viewers of the first film, but still manages to maintain its novelty with multiple elements in store here. The new additions to the cast are highly effective, without doubt.

Positives and negatives of the movie :: The fact that it has released in Amazon Prime surely has its own advantages and disadvantages too, but I have been rarely the person who enjoyed watching superstar films in the local theatres because there has always been too much of noise – for such films I would have preferred multiplexes, and so this release wouldn’t bother me much. I would have still liked this movie to get into action earlier, as the real tension begins rather too late – for the first film, it was okay as the beginner of a franchise, but it is not acceptable in a second entry in a franchise. The pressure that the first film maintained in the audience is lesser too, as things get over rather too quickly. Final few minutes should have surely been extended at the cost of cutting a little bit of those family moments in the beginning, as well as those moments involving talks from the local people. A long thriller needs to work on its lesser elements better.

The performers of the soul :: Mohanlal continues to be the lifeline of the franchise which can have even more movies in the group. The character has undergone some changes from the first movie, but in essence, there is not much of a change, and we understand the same further as the movie nears the finishing point. The veteran actor, the legend as we know him, has no problem with this particular role which seems to work better than any other roles he has done in the last two decades. The next person to stand tall in his performance is Murali Gopy, the police officer who doesn’t make any compromise while trying to bring justice to his co-worker who was forced to retire from the police force. He plays a mastermind here, who seems to be waiting for that one opportunity to make his move, as the case which had a negative impact on his department needs to be brought back to the spotlight and solved, with the best finish being the long presence of the protagonist, his wife and their elder daughter in prison.

Further performers of the soul :: It is still to be said that Kalabhavan Shajohn is being missed – in another adaptation, it would be Kalabhavan Mani who is to be missed, because we know that there will be adaptations in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, and maybe even in Sinhalese once again. The rest of the characters also do bring some of the red herrings for the audience here and there. Ajith Koothattukulam, the new addition, the surprise character does a fine job along with Sumesh Chandran, while the two children who have changed, played by Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil are good once again. Meena does almost the same thing as she did in the first movie, and it is to be noted that she, Asha Sharath and Siddique haven’t undergone any changes as far as their characters are concerned. In the franchise, if there is one great righteous character, it is the one played by Siddique. Among all of these characters, Anjali Nair has some of those striking moments too. Santhi Mayadevi, a real life advocate playing a lawyer is also noted for some solid moments.

How it finishes :: Drishyam was once the highest grossing movie of all-time as far as Malayalam film industry is concerned, and it had held that spot valiantly until Pulimurugan and later Lucifer qualified well enough to overtake that status. The one movie which was supposed to be break those box-office records was this one, but we see the release in OTT platform of Amazon Prime getting the release against the wishes of most of the fans and theatre owners. Considering this sequel, it is certainly not that great as the first one, but it is surely better than the two other high grossers of Mohanlal which had overtaken the movie’s predecessor. There was always going to be something about a sequel like this, and that feeling is reflected in the responses to this movie so far. Drishyam 2 is an entertainer of quality, exactly the opposite of what that never ending Annayum Rasoolum-estic borefest which was the first Malayalam movie to be released on Amazon Prime, Sufiyum Sujatayum. Cheers to a sequel done really well, as we await sequels for the other thrillers, Forensic and Anjaam Pathira.

Release date: 19th February 2020
Running time: 153 minutes
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Esther Anil, Ansiba Hassan, Asha Sarath, Siddique, Murali Gopy, Sai Kumar, Ganesh Kumar, Anjali Nair, Antony Perumbavoor, Kozhikode Narayanan Nair, Sumesh Chandran, Santhi Mayadevi, Ajith Koothattukulam, Dinesh Prabhakar, Joy Mathew, Rajesh Paravoor, Krishna, Murali Kannur, Boban Samuel, Pauly Valsan, Krishna Prabha, Adam Ayub, Shobha Mohan, Aneesh G Menon, Jayashankar, Mela Reghu

<— Click here to go to the previous movie review and before that.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: I remember watching this particular movie’s first part some time ago.

Vampire Bat: It has been quite some time since that one released.

Vampire Owl: Yet, sharks have been things of interest.

Vampire Bat: They have been present since the Jaws franchise.

Vampire Owl: Jaws was the source of such early shark stuff.

Vampire Bat: Well, the sources were so limited then.

Vampire Owl: Things began to change with the vampire shark.

Vampire Bat: We don’t accept vampire sharks here.

Vampire Owl: But there is one living near the corner.

Vampire Bat: It is actually the vampire dolphin in disguise.

[Gets a chocolate cake and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: Dr. Emma Collins (Tania Raymonde) works for the protection of Great White Sharks whose population has declined steadily in the last few years, as she stays on an artificial island near South Africa. There are lots of sharks around, whom Emma takes care of, herself. She is supported by Eugene Shaw (Emerson Brooks), Spinnaker (Alex Bhat) and Miya (Reina Aoi). Nandi (Ayumile Qongqo) and Bahari (Siya Mayola) makes the final couple who live there are part of the floating village, ready to go under the ocean soon enough. Nandi wishes to leave the island before it is completely submerged in water, but Bahari’s attachment to home keeps them there, and they also provide help for Emma and her team, while going through the usual fishing jobs. It is then that Dr. Richard Lowell (Nathaniel Buzolic) tries to find the offsprings of the bull shark from the earlier movie, Bella – these sharks have been threatening humans for some time now, and his team tries to put an end to the terror.

So, what happens with the events here? :: But it is not that easy as it seems. There is something more about these sharks than what meets the eye, as these weaker sharks take on the apex predators Great White Sharks, and kills them with ease – most of the other aquatic creatures keep away from these, and there is trouble in the waters for sure, and it is no natural. With the sharks seemingly more intelligent than ever, it might be the humans in the trouble. The mercenaries led by Lucas (Bren Foster) would take control and have what he is sent there for, in one way or the other. The story goes back to the first movie, when the sharks were being experimented, and made to develop better brains, in order to cure diseases in humans, especially those related to brain. Now, the question remains about what the sharks can do, and the mercenaries might end up doing. Either way, survival won’t be that easy this time for anyone.

The defence of Deep Blue Sea 3 :: We always need our daily dose of terrifying creatures, whether it is about sharks, crocodiles or alligators – they mostly work the best, when they are in water. Ocean always has had more possibilities of horror from the early periods of classical antiquity itself. The sea monsters have only managed to get better. There are some nice shocking moments around here too, as there are quick attacks by sharks, along with some nice blood and gore everywhere to be found, as we know what the shark attack can do from the previous movies. The setting is also really good, and it helps the cause, as the terror here is something which can work out better in this place in the middle of the ocean, with nowhere to go, as the sharks are good enough to come and attack with all the intelligence they have received from the genetic engineering programmes.

The claws of flaw :: It seems that there can be no sequel that can match the original Deep Blue Sea, which became the new Jaws in no time. But this one does give a try, especially with the leading female lead coming up with such an interesting performance – a better quality in graphics would have helped the scenes of her fighting the sharks more. The sharks should have looked at least close to how well the world around them looked. The tale could have also followed a different pattern than what was expected too. There could have been better planning here, and the scope could have left for a sequel too. The predictability factor should have been decreased with better attention. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie never seemed to have got going as it would have otherwise, as there is always chance for a little more of shark attacks in this part of the world where such attacks are not something people have experienced.

Performers of the soul :: Tania Raymonde leads the team here, and she does that with a smart and realistic performance. She looks perfect in this role, and even though one can have some doubts in the beginning, she is so solid that one wouldn’t doubt her as the character that she plays, a strong female lead who keeps the whole movie on her shoulders is quite rare when we look around. There is the connection with the sharks, and she can also give a fight on the land, as it is seen in the final moments of the movie. Emerson Brooks supports her well, and that includes the performance as well as in the form of the character. Reina Aoi makes the cute character who tries to survive even as she is not made for the same, and even though that feels like a stock character, she does well – the same can be said about Alex Bhat playing the typical nerdy character once again trying to survive. Bren Foster makes a pretty good villain while Nathaniel Buzolic is limited despite the good start.

How it finishes :: Deep Blue Sea always has your attention, even when they are not working as good as they are supposed to be. This movie might not be your favourite shark movie, but it might be one among your interesting titles, even with its troubles. During the time of COVID-19, a shark might still be the least of your worries. After all, you don’t really get them on the Indian shores. Still, the climate is changing, and you can be sure that this is not the final word on the same. Until then, we can hope that the Corona Virus pandemic is going to really disappear at some point. After all, we need to go back to our usual ways – there is no hope in being hopeless forever. One virus, and we are all down without a clear path ahead – this certainly shouldn’t be forever. Going deeper into the year 2021, maybe, we will know it better. Until then, we can still hope.

Release date: 28th July 2020
Running time: 99 minutes
Directed by: John Pogue
Starring: Tania Raymonde, Nathaniel Buzolic, Emerson Brooks, Bren Foster, Alex Bhat, Reina Aoi, Siya Mayola, Ayumile Qongqo, Brashaad Mayweather, Ernest St Clair, DeVille Vannik