Rating: 7/10
A technically brilliant sequel that fails to match up to the original or to the hype
Director: Prithviraj Sukumaran
Cast: Mohanlal, Prithviraj, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas, Abhimanyu Singh, Indrajith Sukumaran, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Baiju Santhosh, Saikumar, Nandhu, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Jerome Flynn, Eriq Ebouaney, Saniya Iyappan
Genre: Action/ Drama
At last the wait is over. Political-action thriller L2: Empuraan, probably one of the most hyped and the most-awaited Malayalam movie in recent years, is out in theatres.
A sequel to 2019’s Lucifer, Empuraan has some large shoes to fill. Does it live up to the hype? What new twist does the story of Stephen Nedumpally a.k.a Khureshi Ab’ram take? Who is the mystery character teased in the promotional pictures?
L2: Empuraan attempts to answer these questions with varying degrees of success.
The movie is the third directorial of Prithviraj Sukumaran, who himself plays the role of Zayed Masood. Despite doing double duty, and his apparent- rookie status as a director, he has done a fantastic job driving this stylistic action-drama flick. Each and every scene is precise and calculated. You never get the feeling that Prithviraj was unsure of himself as a director at any point. The scenes are well choreographed, well thought-out and a visual treat to behold.
From the cinematography to the VFX and even the credits, everything is beautiful.
I cannot compliment Prithviraj enough for his directorial skills, but the movie, scripted by Murali Gopy, falters with its storylines.
Empuraan seems to have two distinct halves. The first half stands heads and shoulders above the rest, especially the first 20-30 minutes are some of the best. But taken as a whole, the movie falls victim to a problem seen in a lot of blockbusters: too many storylines and too many villains.
The script attempts to do too many things at the same time.
You’d think that a three-hour run-time would be enough to flesh out all the plot-points well, but the story still feels crowded and muddy.
2019’s Lucifer about a political crisis in Kerala was relatable. Empuraan takes a similar storyline and attempts to make it more national and even international. Well, some would say, that is the natural progression, but it felt unrelatable.
When it comes to acting chops, the script doesn’t really give anyone the opportunity to stand out. The main characters portrayed by Mohanlal and Prithviraj appear stone-faced and serious throughout, which is what’s probably needed in the movie, but it does get boring as time goes on.
The one exception is the character portrayed by Manju Warrier. She stands out in her role, bringing the right amount of vulnerability and strength, when the story calls for it.
But despite all this, Empuraan is Mohanlal’s show. Even with the failings in the script, you can’t help but smile each and every-time he comes on screen. The man’s sheer aura and screen presence make it a fun experience. Plus, it’s always fun to watch Mohanlal as a bad*ss on screen.
And of course, Malayalis’ favourite producer once again make a cameo (if you know, you know).
Verdict: Overrall, Empuraan is a fun movie, if you don’t go in with a lot of expectations
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