In Minnal Murali, Basil Joseph does what he does best: universe-building. This is indeed India's first superhero film in the truest sense of it. While it does borrow concepts from its western counterparts, Basil and his writers (Arun Anirudhan & Justin Mathew) spend a decent amount of time in building up the protagonist, the antagonist, and their shared universe. In fact, I'd even go ahead and proclaim that Minnal Murali features one of the most well-fleshed out antagonists for any film, let alone a superhero film, in Malayalam. Guru Somasundaram delivers a stunning feat as Shibu, the consistently wronged outsider with a deranged side. Comparatively, Tovino plays a straightforward simpleton named Jaison which he does to perfection, but it's obvious that all the texture is attributed to Shibu. Jaison (who eventually becomes the titular superhero) also gets the typical superhero treatment as opposed to Shibu.
For a film with a moderate budget, the special effects and stunt choreography are both first-rate. Basil utilizes them rather carefully, toying with their presence only when absolutely necessary in the first couple of hours before going fairly bonkers in the final act. Even when the film fully embraces its superhero tropes, the writing sticks to its grounded roots. It doesn't have over-the-top ambitions; even the supposed savior is interested majorly in the plight of his own village and not the whole world, for instance. Basil also picks his supporting cast well: the characters played by Baiju, Mamukoya, P Balachandran, Aju Varghese, Harisree Ashokan, and Rajesh Madhavan are all reasonably well-etched and acted. Special shout-outs go to Bruce Lee Biji (Femina George) and the kid who plays Jaison's nephew.
DOP Sameer Thahir's frames lend Minnal Murali a comic-book-like flavour, while Sushin Shyam's background score is rousing. Shaan Rahman's tracks are a mixed bag, some of which work well because of their appropriate placement. The climactic showdown is when Basil gleefully winks at Marvel/DC entries, but did we really need a child vocally referring to Minnal Murali as a superhero, a Superman comic book lying on the ground, and that shot of him atop a collapsing structure to drive the point home? Nevertheless, I'm glad Basil chose a rather light-hearted tone for the film - it's an entertaining watch for viewers of all ages!
For a film with a moderate budget, the special effects and stunt choreography are both first-rate. Basil utilizes them rather carefully, toying with their presence only when absolutely necessary in the first couple of hours before going fairly bonkers in the final act. Even when the film fully embraces its superhero tropes, the writing sticks to its grounded roots. It doesn't have over-the-top ambitions; even the supposed savior is interested majorly in the plight of his own village and not the whole world, for instance. Basil also picks his supporting cast well: the characters played by Baiju, Mamukoya, P Balachandran, Aju Varghese, Harisree Ashokan, and Rajesh Madhavan are all reasonably well-etched and acted. Special shout-outs go to Bruce Lee Biji (Femina George) and the kid who plays Jaison's nephew.
DOP Sameer Thahir's frames lend Minnal Murali a comic-book-like flavour, while Sushin Shyam's background score is rousing. Shaan Rahman's tracks are a mixed bag, some of which work well because of their appropriate placement. The climactic showdown is when Basil gleefully winks at Marvel/DC entries, but did we really need a child vocally referring to Minnal Murali as a superhero, a Superman comic book lying on the ground, and that shot of him atop a collapsing structure to drive the point home? Nevertheless, I'm glad Basil chose a rather light-hearted tone for the film - it's an entertaining watch for viewers of all ages!