Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 1:55
Cast: Zul Ariffin, Farid Kamil, Nabila Huda, Faizal Hussein, Hasnul Rahmat, Farah Ahmad, Michael Chen, Dato’ M. Nasir, Atu Zero, Dynaz Mokhtar, Faye Kusairi
Director: Seth Larney
Screenplay: Yasmin Yaacob, Choong Chi Ren based on the novel Tombiruo: Penunggu Rimba
by Ramlee Awang Murshid
TOMBIRUO: PENUNGGU RIMBA is one of those movies where the story sounds much better being verbalized than the film itself. I was just narrating the story to a friend and I clearly remember thinking to myself, "Eh, the story is actually quite legit what...but why did it feel lackluster?" To be fair, it's not a bad film at all, but it's not a very good one either. I think it could be the fault of the script.
Set in current times, Tombiruo/Ejim (Zul Ariffin) is a troubled young man with a dark past who was raised in the jungles of Sabah, Malaysia. He is burdened with powers which he finds hard to control. His face is also deformed at birth. That's why our hero wears a mask the whole time.
I find his origins story (established at the beginning) the most engaging. But the moment he goes on a journey to avenge the death of his foster father, the movie somewhat gets derailed. It's actually a straight forward plot but somehow it feels more complicated than it should. Nevertheless, the biggest standout for me was how beautiful the movie looks. The fight sequences are engaging too, employing recent camera tricks to capture the energy of the mano o mano scenes.
The ensemble cast is made up of veteran actors and relatively newcomers. All of them did a serviceable job with special shout-out to Faizal Hussein as the father figure to our hero. Although his screen time is limited, he exudes presence everytime he is on screen.
If only the filmmakers were bold enough to risk on some scenes, it would have moved the movie up a few levels on the emotional/shock scale. But they played it safe. Nevertheless, Tombiruo is another step forward for the local movie scene.
RATING: 6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment