Are you planning to watch Mohanlal’s Malaikottai Vaaliban in theatres? Read our full Malaikottai Vaaliban movie review before booking your tickets!
Animal Movie Review Rating: 3 Stars
Star Cast: Mohanlal, Sonalee Kulkarni, Andrea Ravera, Danish Sait, Hareesh Peradi, Manikandan R Achari, Katha Nandi, Rajeev Pillai
Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery
What’s Good: Mohanlal’s excellent performance & Stunning visuals by cinematographer Madhu Neelakandan
What’s Bad: The film’s vague story unfolds slowly with tedious scenes, lacking momentum. 2d half is less cohesive than the first half, which can leave the audience baffled.
Loo Break: Quite a few times!
Watch or Not?: Only and only if you can sit through 156 minutes of a film to watch how well the lead acts
Language: Malayalam
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 2 hours 36 minutes
User Rating: ★★★★☆
Story:
Malaikottai Vaaliban revolves around an uncontested warrior (played by Mohanlal) who is best known for his remarkable strength and skills. Vaaliban’s life takes a twist after he comes across a popular dancer named Rangapattinam Rangarani, and a negative force called Chamathakan creates an obstacle for him. How the warrior tackles the challenges thrown upon him forms the story of the Lijo Jose Pellissery’s film.
Malaikottai Vaaliban Movie Review: Script Analysis
The movie is inspired by Gulliver’s Travels and features Mohanlal as Malaikottai Vaaliban, an ageing fighter or warrior who wanders from village to village, taking part in fights and winning accolades. The film has no clear-cut storyline and the director is in no hurry to tell the tale that has intricate layers. The drama proceeds at a slow pace with stunning visuals by cinematographer Madhu Neelakandan breathing life into the scenes. The movie has strong elements of Indian folk culture and brings to mind Westerns and Japanese folk and samurai culture. The first half is far more cohesive than the second half, which can leave the audience baffled. The movie ends on a very uneven keel due to the jagged fantasy script that has issues right from the start.
Malaikottai Vaaliban Movie Review: Star Performance
Mohanlal is the backbone of the film. He impresses with his excellent physical prowess and fitness levels. Danish Sait, in a serious role, takes the cake with his performance. His character arc is the most interesting one in the period actioner.
Malaikottai Vaaliban Movie Review: Direction, Music
Director Lijo Jose Pellissery has attempted to make a grand film, which he has done artistically. The narrative is slow, and instead of rushing with the plotline, Lijo seems to have asked his cameraman Madhu Neelakandan to linger on some shots, giving us some truly artistic moments. The songs and music by Prashanth Pillai perfectly blend with the mood of the narrative. He pitches in with a slow, romantic number with songs like ‘Madabhara Mizhiyoram’ and ‘Punnara Kattile Poovanathil’. The acoustics in the film are equally grand.
Malaikottai Vaaliban Movie Review: The Last Word
Malaikottai Vaaliban is an intriguing film to say the least. While one appreciates the director for venturing into something new, one wishes this story had been better etched out and had a more engaging factor. The movie has its moments of brilliance, but it also has scenes that are quite tedious and lacking momentum. The movie ends on a very uneven keel due to the jagged fantasy script that has issues right from the start. However, Mohanlal’s excellent performance and the stunning visuals make it worth a watch.
3 Stars!
Malaikottai Vaaliban Trailer
Malaikottai Vaaliban releases on 25 January 2024.
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