October 2022 – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: So, we get to watch another one on OTT.

Vampire Bat: Well, OTT can take much more.

Vampire Owl: Some of the best of Prithviraj has come on OTT.

Vampire Bat: I don’t see why these platforms shouldn’t have the best.

Vampire Owl: There are not many movies which we have been waiting for this year.

Vampire Bat: That hasn’t stopped us from watching more.

Vampire Owl: Yet, that hasn’t been enough.

Vampire Bat: I believe that the best of the movies have already released.

Vampire Owl: So the creativity is no longer strong as it used to be?

Vampire Bat: Human creativity has been corrupted terribly.

[Gets a paneer pizza and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: Ram Kumar Nair (Vijay Babu), a business tycoon has decided to host a meeting with an old friend whom he would be meeting after a very long time, surprising his wife, Mythili Ram Kumar (Isha Talwar) who has never seen him as someone who values friends, family and relatives above money. Even the servant at their resort is suprised by this particular decision. It turns out that this was also going to be a business deal. Later, it is seen that Abdulla Marakkar (Prithviraj Sukumaran), an eccentric man meets his old friend, Parameshwaran Potty (Saiju Kurup) who is also accompanied by his beautiful and commanding wife Prabha Nair (Hannah Reji Koshy). Prabha is skeptical and develops an instant disliking to Abdulla as she realizes that there is a troubled history running between Potty’s two friends, and it could be too personal to talk about even among friends. It turns out that Potty and Prabha are going to meet Ram in the upcoming meeting which is supposed to solve all their monetary problems which mounts to many crores. Their only other friend is Kalyan Menon (Indrajith Sukumaran) who is the DIG of police.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ram shows the couple the resort which depends on historical exhibits to attract the foreigners. Soon, it turns out that Ram is only interested in Prabha with whom he has been chatting on Instagram for a long time. It is his sexually motivated interest in Prabha which seems to have brought her and Potty an invitation for a business meeting, and not the old friendship from school which was lost a long time ago. Due to his his infatuation with Prabha, Ram makes fun of Potty and decides to rename the couple’s brand with Prabha as the CEO, also contributing with three crores for the purpose. In comparison to Prabha, Ram considers his wife Mythilli more as a business partner whom he married for the purpose of growing his company. The richer and smarter Mythilli considers Ram as a womanizer who doesn’t hesitate to spend his money for women whenever there is a chance. Aware of her image of voluptuousness that has interested Ram, Prabha doesn’t reject his sexual advances, much to the dismay of Potty, who feels that soon, his wife will be living with the billionaire.

And what is to follow as events get more complicated? :: They are also expecting Kalyan Menon, who is also a partner of Ram in his business deals, but he is delayed by a far-right political organization conducting a programme, which could lead to riots in the city. They are also not able to get Kalyan on the mobile phone, as he remains busy – while awaiting him, they find another person on the door who decides to come in. It is Abdulla Marakkar who has come in, with the reminder of the terrible past of cheating which has been forced upon him and his family, as revenge seems to be closer to him than ever. He would make this a circus of horror with doors locked, and a working antique double-barreled gun in his hands. He would find the special exhibits of the resort including what is claimed to be that bat used by Kapil Dev in 1983 World Cup, spectacles used by Mahatma Gandhi, wine possessed by Saddam Hussein and many more to be interesting, but not that much as the terrible past which was handed over to him by the family of Ram. Considering the situation of Prabha, on which side would Potty stand, and when will Kalyan come to make his own contribution?

The defence of Theerppu :: The movie does have some interesting references running through it, and the expectations that rises in the beginning gives enough hope to keep the audience interested in watching the rest of the movie. The visuals are really good, and world which it creates for a resort of antiques works like a dream. The location works in favour of the mood of the movie. The serving of the basic idea of revenge also stands apart from the usual movies which would have a quick or brutal resolution to the fire of vengeance that would run deep. The cast works perfectly in favour of the movie, as Prithviraj Sukumaran makes an attack like in Kuruthi, and despite the late entry, Indrajith Sukumaran makes an impact. Vijay Babu seems to suit the role really well, while Saiju Kurup once again makes a slow, but effective work. Isha Talwar goes through a smooth journey as the main lady character. Hannah Reji Koshy of Darwinte Parinamam and Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu has a role to remember here, and among the newer actresses, she definitely requires more roles. Siddique’s role in the flashback remains a thing of interest as usual, with the veteran actor showing the same strength.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s final statement seems to be problematic as it seems to be further away from the reality that we have known through these times. The weak cannot defeat the powerful in the ways shown in the movie, that is for sure, as the rich and the influential would always find a way. There are many paths which it could have taken to come up with a better idea with its premise. It could have worked as a more serious drama or thriller without seemingly moving through an ordinary path full of pot-holes which needed some better directions. It does seem lost at times, and confused with where it is actually going. The flashback scenes, despite looking fine, often struggles to provide the desired effect, and some of the characters from the past do not stay, despite seemingly having the power in the beginning stages. The present does not take the effect of that treachery of the past with that much strength because the connection is not that well-made, and the less required deviations are rather easily seen as we look.

How it finishes :: Theerppu is a movie which could have surely been something more with the long line of strong cast and the visual style which it had developed with the premise. The trailer had provided the effect of watching something in an international level, but that losses some power beyond the visuals. Clearer ideas and a focused journey would have made this a more interesting work in the end, especially because there are too many layers at work as far as this film is concerned. We have had many interesting stories of revenge in the past, and even the very successful serial killer movies in Malayalam like Anjaam Pathiraa have pointed to the acts of vengeance. Yet, this is the movie in which revenge gets divergent and ends in a different manner than what is commonly expected. It makes sure that entertainment will be provided with such divergence. You can always watch Theerppu for that kind of a chance which does not hesitate in moving away from the regular.

Release date: 30th September 2022 (Hotstar); 25th August 2022 (Theatre)
Running time: 147 minutes
Directed by: Rathish Ambat
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Isha Talwar, Indrajith Sukumaran, Vijay Babu, Hannah Reji Koshy, Saiju Kurup, Siddique, Sreelakshmi, Srikant Murali, Mammukoya, Suzanne Bernert, Lukman Avaran, Shaju Sreedhar, Alancier Ley Lopez, Aswin Kumar, Poojappura Radhakrishnan, Shameem Rein, Vinod Vaswani

<<< Click here to go to the previous film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous Malayalam film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous Malayalam film review on same OTT.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: Well, this one is quite a place.

Vampire Bat: They are talking about quiet places only.

Vampire Owl: Well, our castle is quiet enough, especially during day time.

Vampire Bat: There is too much of murmuring in there.

Vampire Owl: You are talking about the intellectual voice transfer.

Vampire Bat: How can you give it such fancy names?

Vampire Owl: It is the name which the vampire elders preferred.

Vampire Bat: The vampire elders are too old to call anything by any name.

Vampire Owl: It is also another Dr Frankenstein approved thing.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein can’t even approve himself as a doctor.

[Gets a vancho cake and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt), Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) and their children, along with other spectators, witness the arrival of a strange object resembling an asteroid landing on Earth, while attending a little league game. Even though it lands some distance away from them, it scares them due to the size and sound being involved there. People in the town seems to be already in a state of panic. The police seems to be heading there, but already, some strange extraterrestrial creatures are attacking people. As the aliens cause chaos everywhere, the vehicles on the street are out of control, and people look for shelter. It turns out that the creatures are extremely hostile, tearing people into pieces using their extreme speed and strength, while being protected by what seems to be armoured skin. But the creatures are blind, and yet with hypersensitive hearing, would attack anything that makes even the slightest noise. The police seems to be ineffective against them, as their skin can stand the gunshots with ease.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: An year later, the alien creatures have brutally murdered most of the Earth’s population. With her husband dead while trying to protect her, Evelyn tries to survive with her kids, while their Regan Abbott (Millicent Simmonds)m their dumb and deaf daughter discovers a high-frequency audio feedback which can make the aliens vulnerable, and the same could be transmitted from her implant through a microphone. Her son, Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) also hopes to make something out of it, while also searching for a new home. On the way, the group accidentally triggers a sound alarm, alerting the creatures. At the same time, Marcus also steps into a bear trap and screams, thus alerting the creature again. They manage to one creature using the audio device and gun, while escaping from the other. They are taken to a soundproof hideout by one of their old friends, Emmett (Cillian Murphy) who lives in an abandoned steel foundry.

And what more is to follow in a world infested by ruthless alien creatures? :: Emmett had turned cynical and with no hope at all about future after all members of her family died, leaving him to survive for no reason. He feels that the humans who are left are not worth saving at all, even if there is something left. He also asks them leave the very next day, but after hearing the song, “Beyond the Sea” which according to Emmett has been playing continuously for four months, Regan feels that it is a signal which is telling them where to look, and it is on an island. She wants to go to that tower and use her high-frequency signal there, using it as a special weapon against the alien creatures. But it won’t be that easy, as the path in that direction is infested by many creatures, and Regan’s idea of going alone wouldn’t get the support of anyone. Yet, she would leave, and Emmett, with some love left for his old friends, will have to find her. Now, the question remains if her journey is really worth it. What awaits her near the tower? Is it going to work?

The defence of A Quiet Place Part II :: Just like the predecessor, this movie also depends on the same strength of sound effects which the predecessor displayed a few years ago. The alien creatures are also as good as they used to be, maintained the strength yet again. We also have more hope than there used to be. Emily Blunt continues what she was doing in the first film quite well, and she does have the warrior strength which she had displayed in the movies like Edge of Tomorrow and The Huntsman: Winter’s War. There is no loss of determination in her character here too. It is up to Millicent Simmonds and Cillian Murphy to become that characters who further to save the world though, and they are very much effective in doing the same, despite the early doubts put in there. Noah Jupe also joins well with newly found courage and wisdom in the character. Djimon Hounsou plays the man of another lands with authority. John Krasinski appears in the flashback moments, as the director also gets the acting in here again. Scoot McNairy as the leader of bandits could have had more screen space too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie still doesn’t bother to come up with any science fiction explanations about the origins of the creatures – people might have expected that, but they do get a flashback about their arrival with objects from space, which proves that they are indeed from another planet, moon or some interstellar object beyond our understanding. The movie is also in short of dialogues to keep the aliens away, but there is surely more than what we had in the first movie. The strength of the family and the importance of not giving up, also comes into the picture here. There is the idea that there is always hope for humanity, even though one does wonder if the aliens bringing extinction to humanity would have been the right thing to do, considering what mankind has done to their own people as well as the environment around them. Well, we don’t really know what the aliens were up to, as the focus is not on those scientific elements yet again, but we can be sure that there could be a sequel explaining all of these. One more sequel showing the ultimate battle of humanity against the creatures, and we can be done with it.

How it finishes :: The movie nicely continues the world which was left by the first part – the expansion that this world receives is almost as good as the first. Things continue to be kept simple as it used to be, in a post-apocalyptic world infested by ruthless alien creatures. The possibility of terror is always there, and we keep remembering about 10 Cloverfield Lane which dealt with similar creatures, but with not much of the visuals. The idea of the divergent horror movie is maintained here, as it was seen in Malignant, The Witch, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Don’t Breathe, It Follows and Lights Out. A Quiet Place Part II continues a world of divergence which in this case has the aliens bringing all the horror and very less science fiction. These are the movies which keep the horror alive in different patterns, and with noises at the very centre of everything. Even though it is currently on Amazon Prime Video, this is one movie which could have feel better on the big screen, as there is so much of silence and the sudden sound effects that make the big impact – moments which one needs to live through rather than just get hold of.

Release date: 28th May 2021
Running time: 97 minutes
Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, John Krasinski