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Minnal Murali Movie Review: Tovino Thomas-Basil Joseph Impress With This Entertaining Superhero Flick!
Minnal Murali, the Tovino Thomas-starring superhero film has had its grand premiere on Netflix. The movie, which is helmed by Basil Joseph revolves around a young man from a Kerala village, who gets superpowers on a Christmas night. Minnal Murali, which features Guru Somasundaram as the lead antagonist, is bankrolled by Sophia Paul under the banner Weekend Blockbusters.
Did the Tovino Thomas-Basil Joseph project live up to expectations? Read Minnal Murali movie review here to know...
*No Spoilers Ahead*
What's Yay:
The character arc of the antagonist
Performances (especially Guru Somasundaram)
Excellent making
Technical Aspects
What's Nay:
Duration
Story
Jaison (Tovino Thomas) is a young man from Kurukkanmoola village. He works as a tailor in his father's shop but aspires to migrate to the US. Shibu (Guru Somasundaram), on the other hand, is a Tamil-native man who works in a tea shop and longs for his lost love. Both Jaison and Shibu are hit by a bolt of lightning on Christmas night, which leads to both of them developing superpowers. Minnal Murali depicts how the duo's lives change after they get the superpowers.
Minnal
Murali
First
Review
Is
Out:
Tovino
Thomas-Basil
Joseph's
Superhero
Film
Is
A
Winner!
Script & Diretion
Director Basil Joseph and writers duo Arun Anirudhan-Justin Mathew have successfully created a home-grown superhero film that is thoroughly entertaining. Minnal Murali depicts two origin stories - that of a superhero and supervillain while keeping the local flavour intact. The biggest plus point of this superhero film is that it successfully takes back the audiences to the worlds which comic books introduced to us in our childhoods.
Basil Joseph once again shows his brilliance in storytelling and world-building with the movie. There are several moments in the film that will perfectly cater to the sensibilities of Malayali audiences (for instance, the placements of old Malayalam songs that match the situations). But still, the movie is narrated in a cinematic language that appeals to audiences universally. Even though Minnal Murali unfolds in a predictable manner right from the beginning, it never really affects the experience.
The writers and director deserve special applause for the brilliantly written and developed antagonist, who emerges as a character that will stay in the minds of audiences for a long time. The leading man Jaison aka Minnal Murali too gets a character arc, where his growth as an individual is explored in an effective manner. In short, this Basil Joseph directorial is an enjoyable cinematic experience that is based on a simple plotline. Well, can't wait for the next installment of the Minnal Murali franchise.
Performances
Tovino Thomas, who plays Jaison aka Minnal Murali brings the much-needed innocence to the character. But at the same time, he pulls off the superhero part with much ease. The actor once again proves his expertise in handling situational humour and scores with his balanced performance.
However, it is the antagonist Guru Somasundaram who steals the show with his brilliant performance as Shibu. The actor displays the various mental states of his character convincingly, and even prompts the viewers to empathize with him at parts. Guru's performance in Minnal Murali is one of the finest we have seen in Malayalam cinema in recent times.
The rest of the star cast, including Master Vasisht Umesh, Harisree Ashokan, Femina George, Aju Varghese, Baiju Santhosh, P Balachandran, Mammukkoya, Shelly Kishore, Rajesh Madhavan, and others are perfect in their respective roles.
Technical Aspects
Sameer Thahir's exceptional cinematography makes Minnal Murali a stunning cinematic experience. Vlad Rimburg, the Hollywood stunt choreographer makes his Malayalam debut with effectively conceived action sequences. Livingston Mathew's editing could've been better, as the movie's duration is excessive.
Sushin Shyam has done a great job with the fantastic background score, that keeps the local flavour of Minnal Murali intact and perfectly goes hand-in-hand with the narrative. The songs composed by Sushin and Shaan Rahman are enjoyable. The production design and VFX teams deserve great applause for presenting the fantasy element with a realistic approach (the movie mainly relies on practical effects).
Verdict
Minnal Murali is a well-made superhero flick that has the local flavour intact. The excellent making, technical aspects, and performances by the antagonist Guru Somasundaram and leading man Tovino Thomas make this Basil Joseph directorial a thoroughly entertaining watch.
