Director: Joko Anwar
Notable Cast: Abimana Aryasatya, Tara Basro, Bront Palarae,
Ario Bayu, Lukman Sardi, Fariz Fadjar, Aqi Singgih
Not to make any mass assumptions, but I would venture to
guess that a large swath of our readers here are like me, relatively unfamiliar
with Indonesian comic book heroes like Gundala. This is not to say that there are
not those who are very familiar with multi-decade spanning ‘Son of Lighting’ hero
who can speak on length to the history, context, and commentary of the famous
superhero, but it’s not me. My introduction to this hero is through this latest
film incarnation, Gundala, and it’s essentially through the famous
Indonesian director Joko Anwar that brought it to my attention. As a fair
warning, I just wanted to make it clear that my knowledge of the character, his
stories and his history is very basic and I will solely try to review this
latest film on its own merits.
Although Gundala is not the first film version of the
character, from my understanding there is one that was released in the early 80s,
having a major director like Anwar and a major star like Abimana Aryasatya
attached to this latest rendition only bodes well for the film. Some strong
marketing, including a solid US trailer for the film, essentially puts the hero
and this film firmly on the international stage. In an age where the superhero
film rules all, it’s quite a fantastic idea to introduce an entire generation
(internationally) to the character.
It’s this angle, the idea of introducing this hero to an
international audience, that makes Gundala such a fascinating watch, if
not inherently flawed. It’s an origin story, but it’s one where origin needs to
be spelled like O.R.I.G.I.N. The film spends nearly a quarter of its run time
with the hero, Sancaka, going through the harshness of his childhood and our
hero really doesn’t fully “become” Gundala until the final third – and even then,
he never dons his full costume until the post-credits scene. There is also a
sense that the producers and filmmakers are so sure in the film’s success that
they, problematically, start injecting all kinds of material that is meant to
be setting up sequels. Secondary characters, plots, and obvious Easter eggs (again,
I assume they are Easter eggs – but the manner that the film portrays them
certainly feels that way) litter the film and only garner momentum into the
third act where the film is still adding in material. Ambitious? Fun? Great for
established fans? Certainly. It also makes for a messy, muddled, and often
confusing narrative that is jamming too much material into its already robust 120-minute
runtime.
All in all, Gundala is a mixed effort. There is a lot
of heart placed into the material and having some true creative powerhouses
like Anwar and the cast in the film adds a lot of gravitas to it. The major
issue that arises is that its attempts at bringing the hero into the modern cinematic
age of superheroes prove to be an ambitious endeavor that the film simply
cannot swallow. There’s too much plot, too many characters, and a lot of
seemingly inconsequential subplots that come and go with the wind. The third act
in particular, with some of the most outlandish left turns and additional material
to add to the entire film, undercuts some of the impact of the whole. Gundala
is a fun martial arts laden, lightning wielding superhero film for the modern
age, but its own ambitious nature undercuts so much of the fun and strength of
its characters, actors, action, and visuals. Still, for someone that wasn’t familiar
with the character or his story, Gundala is a strong place to start.
Now that the origin is out of the way, here’s to hoping the
sequel can trim the fat and get deliver a great superhero action film in its
purest form.
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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