When walking into a cinema these days, it is difficult not to feel a little cynical about the Malaysian-made movie you are about to watch. How can it not? Almost everything out of our country’s film portfolio is either a mystical horror movie, a slapstick romantic comedy or a macho gang fight involving too many car chases.
But there is a tiny glimmer of hope. “Almost everything”, we said. On occasion we get one or two that may not quite be shining gems, but are worthy of genuine praise.
Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa tells the tale of a brilliant, foolhardy sailor, apparently a direct descendant of Alexander the Great himself. Freed from the gallows in Goa, India, Merong is tasked to accompany a Roman prince to a mutual meeting point where the latter is to marry a Chinese princess in a bid to bring the two empires together. This meeting point is Langkasuka, a place that people say is Kedah today. Along the way, Merong discovers his past and this helps shape him into a better man.
What makes this movie watchable is that it really is Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, a story about a man named Merong Mahawangsa. This movie has none of the grandeur of Puteri Gunung Ledang, and at a production cost of RM8 million, only half its budget. There are no long-winded side plots, a big plus in any movie. Never did you get distracted for long by the warring mystics or the transnational marriage plan. Decent acting and choreography abound.
There were, of course, bad CGI and inadequate editing. For once these points were not big detractors from an epic movie about a great man. You still walk away feeling like you got your money’s worth. KRU Studios, you produced a pretty good movie this time around.
Now. Cicak Man 3, anyone? (We’re kidding, folks)
(By Alia Ali)
No comments:
Post a Comment