BOTTOM LINE
Visually Rich, Painfully Boring
RATING
2.25/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 593
What Is the Film About?
The Kerala state politics are in for a shock when Jathin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) announces a new party joining hands with a hardline right-wing political party ASA. Everyone pins hope in Stephen Nedumpally, aka Lucifer, to save God’s Own Country. The movie’s basic plot is what Stephen does to save the state.
Performances
Mohan Lal is a legendary actor who needs no introduction. But, even such legends, when working so frequently, get movies that offer nothing new. Empuraan is that kind of flick for the star. It is a forgettable affair as far as performance is concerned.
There is, frankly, nothing to talk about here in the acting space. Mohan Lal just walks in slow-motion stylishly, and the job is done; that’s it. He has as many as seven intros in the movie. Apart from them, there are a couple of action scenes. If it’s any consolation the star has dubbed in Telugu and that’s about the only positive aspect.
Analysis
Prithviraj Sukumaran directs Empuraan, the second chapter in the Lucifer series. It is an action drama cum political thriller set in Kerala.
The second instalment, however, begins in a different place and time. The year is 2002 and it’s Gujarat. The most violent and brutal riots are going on where we are introduced to Zayed Ali Khan. Whom the youngster will turn out to be should be an easy guess.
The narrative moves to the current times and we are in Kerala. The location is Nedumpally, a birthplace of sorts for the ruling PKR Party. The events depicted here set the base for the proceedings that happen later.
The tale then moves to somewhere in West Africa. Here, Interpol is doing an operation, and it involves agents and double-crossing. Amidst all these, we have the hero introduction finally (after almost an hour).
And then the location changes to a different place and then another one while also introducing the hero twice again in the process.
The whole thing leads to an interval that is, again, not entirely surprising. If one is cued it is easy to guess. The problem is if one is engaged or not. In any case, one looks forward to the proceedings next as it’s not clear what’s happening anyway.
The happenings finally move to Kerala as the centre, and it’s here that we eventually get the movie’s best back-to-back moments. Priya’s speech in Nedumpally, followed by the attack and the expected saving from the saviour, is the best stretch of the movie.
Unfortunately, the sequence mentioned above remains the best thing about the movie as the tale leads to an utterly predictable end. We know that’s how it’s going to be right at the start itself. There is no change or twist and we reach the expected climax and breathe a huge relief as the whole thing has come to an end.
Empuraan suffers on multiple counts, but the first and foremost is an utterly predictable narrative. The second is poor characterizations, and finally, for a nearly three hours duration; hardly anything feels engaging, or, in other words, very little is memorable.
The narrative oscillates between setting up a third part and introducing hero multiple times in the process. The story related to the actual movie is small, as the whole thing is filled with set-up for what’s to come next.
Overall, Empuraan is stylishly shot and executed, but there is no soul. It’s a perfect case of style over substance. Try it only if you like the stars and also might be interested in the upcoming third part if it happens. But be prepared to be bored from start to end.
Performances by Others Actors
Empuraan is filled with actors most of whom reprise their roles from the first part. However, none get proper character development and even the decent one like Manju Warrior feels like a work in progress. Tovino Thomas is alright, but the way his character ends makes one feel he has been done dirty.
The director cum actor Prithviraj gets to do some action towards the end. He is okay. Abhimanyu Singh, the new addition to the cast, is his usual self. Indrajit Sukumaran as Govardhan is pivotal to the proceedings but again gets nothing to take home as an actor. Game Of Thrones fame Jerome Flynn is wasted, in the end. The rest of the cast is adequate for the small bits and pieces moments they get.
Music and Other Departments?
Deepak Dev provides the music and background score. There is only one song in the movie which hardly registers. The background score, too, feels largely loud and ineffective, barring a few blocks. Technically, the movie is good, with a big-screen appeal for sure. The cinematography is nice, capturing the wide, deserted landscape well. The editing should have been tighter.
The writing is lost in translation. There is no impact in Telugu dubbing. It feels as if everyone is just reading the lines with zero emotional weight (when necessary) in them. The intensity with subtlety that might have been present in the original comes across as flat and lifeless in dub.
Highlights?
Slick Presentation (Holding Big Screen Appeal)
Huge Cast
Post Interval Hero Introduction
Drawbacks?
Weak Story
Half-baked Characterizations
Entire Interpol Track
Length
Zero Emotional Connection
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No. But, if big efforts alone are enough, you may give it a chance.
L2: Employment Movie Review by M9
