Minnal Murali – A Superhero From the Mollywood Cinematic Universe!!

Minnal Murali is a 2021 Malayalam movie directed by Basil Joseph released on 24th December on Netflix. The Hype this movie got was bloody real!!. It feels like a career-best project from Basil Joseph and the entire team. Even though the film is a Superhero Centred one, anyone can emotionally connect many scenes. The movie features Tovino Thomas, Guru Somasundaram, Femina George, Harisree Ashokan, Baiju, Aju Varghese. Tovino and Guru’s acting proved to be absolutely exceptional. The VFX and background scores were also appreciable. Without any doubt, we could certainly say that it is yet another blockbuster from the Tovino – Basil combo after Godha.

Tovino as Minnal Murali

Minnal Murali talks about 2 lads in a 90’s village (Kurukkanmoola) struck by a lightning at the same time, one turning into a hero while the other turns into an antihero and the movie forwards with their life adventures. Still the story emotionally supports the anti-hero character. As this movie comes under the superhero genre, it feels a little predictable. But the direction and making are truly amazing so that we don’t feel much lag. As Tovino said Even if the superhero element was removed from the film still it feels like a flawless movie.

Minnal Murali

The cinematography by Sameer thahir was exemplary. Several characters in the movie have got almost nothing to do which is a negative. The songs too didn’t make quite an impact. Even though it’s not a throughout-Humour film like Kunjiramayanam or Godha, the humour sequences were too good. Apart from a few editing errors, we feel the film is quite perfect. The effort the entire team has given to this movie deserves standing applause. According to us, the film is a must-watch family Superhero entertainer from Basil Joseph. Anyone watching this movie would definitely miss the theatre experience for sure.

IMDb – 9.4/10

The Indian Express – 3.5/5

Our Rating – 4/5

Watch Minnal Murali on Netflix

Marakkar Review – an Overhyped bummer/A Decent Success ?

Marakkar – The Lion of Arabian Sea is a 2021 Malayalam movie directed by Priyadarshan released on 2nd December. After the first day, the film has got mixed reviews all over Kerala. The film has got a mega cast Mohanlal, Arjun Sarja, Hareesh Peradi, Prabhu, Sidiqque, Manju Warrier, Pranav Mohanlal, Jay J Jakkrit. Marakkar is a historical film with about 40% historical facts and 60% fantasy. According to the director, the film is an emotional drama but the script itself failed to connect the emotions with the audience. The film speaks about the Mighty marakkar family and their freedom fights against the Portuguese.

Mohanlal as Marakkar

Marakkar is a completely historical slow-paced film. Kunjali Marakkar is an icon in the history of Indian independence. The movie has got a duration of 3 hrs. Most Ship and war scenes were of top-notch quality but some lacked even basic quality. Even some scene-to-scene transitions were also not up to the mark. There were some Mis castings too but Arjun sarja, Hareesh Peradi, Jay have just stolen the show with their incomparable acting skills. Pranav Mohanlal also improved a lot from his older films. . The film’s first half feels more engaging than the slow second half. The songs too didn’t quite make the impact on the film.

Marakkar

The major negative reviews of the film include bad quality of script and dialogues, substandard BGMs, poor editing in some scenes etc. which we also feel like a drawback of the film. The costume department has to be given appreciation for their fabulous work in the Pathan-style Clothing of the earlier 1400s. The Visual Effects (VFX) used in the movie was also upstanding. According to me the film is indeed a pure Priyadarshan Masterpiece but had some issues here and there. Overall the film is a one time watchable decent historical family drama. Anybody who watches the film can see that the degrading the movie has got is of no value. The film should be experienced in the theatre itself.

IMDb – 6.4/10

Times Of India – 2.5/5

Our rating – 3/5