Plot: Plot was good but I had to remember the plot forever -it got better in the end-because it was slow and most of the movie used up too much time with slow motion shots of Prithviraj. If you use a technique over excessively which does not help the story, it starts getting boring. Story lacked comedy, and most of the characters almost sounded the same. This can happen if the writer while writing did not make much effort to separate the characters. Direction: Average, too many drone shots and characters were buried in too many slow motion shots. Colour temperature was correctly used to reflect a crime suspense but it was overused to the extent that warm colours were mostly indoor shots. That was a clear distraction. Most of the background music came right out of stock music available online. It is OK for short movies but bad for fairly budgeted movie. Conclusion: Plot was good but dialogue and direction were poorly executed. Disclaimer: This is just my opinion!
10 Reviews
Thriller?? Maybe. Stylish? Yes. Story? Innovative But..
Vibijithnair7 January 2018
~mild spoilers~
I was skeptical eventhough trailer looked promosing and after watching the film I've only one line to say "technically outstanding but glibly written screenplay marred its potential." Film had all the quality to being branded as an international film however leisurely done pacing and lacking solid substance(yet innovative) shackled its repeated viewing. Coming to the story film dealt with sensitive topics and paganism. Story has many loose end which fail to connect the dots by the end, some characters were not etched out properly. Climax is pretty predictable. Cinematography in this film is on a different level which is exactly why it looks like a non-indian film along with the colour shading they opt for visually stunning scotland which is apt for dark thrillers.
Acting: Prithviraj is in his comfort zone because this genre is his forte. He perfectly played his character. Bhavana after a long time got something to perform and she did it brilliantly. Other actors like Narain ,Lena, Kpac Lalitha, Misthi & Rahul madhav done their part well. I've to appreciate the casting director for finding capable foreign actors, all the foreigners played their role with absolute brilliance. Thumps up! Songs were decent and Bgm at places remind me of deathnote series. Film should have been trimmed atleast by 20 minutes. Had good concept and great potential if used wisely. Rating: 6.3/10
Acting: Prithviraj is in his comfort zone because this genre is his forte. He perfectly played his character. Bhavana after a long time got something to perform and she did it brilliantly. Other actors like Narain ,Lena, Kpac Lalitha, Misthi & Rahul madhav done their part well. I've to appreciate the casting director for finding capable foreign actors, all the foreigners played their role with absolute brilliance. Thumps up! Songs were decent and Bgm at places remind me of deathnote series. Film should have been trimmed atleast by 20 minutes. Had good concept and great potential if used wisely. Rating: 6.3/10
The making is appreciable, the script lacklustre (especially in the second half)! [+49%]
arungeorge1315 September 2017
Prithviraj's eye for serious, moody thrillers is clearly evident in his recent filmography ("Adam Joan", "Tiyaan", "Ezra", "Oozham"). Heck, the man hasn't made us laugh since "Paavada" or "Amar Akbar Anthony". He seems to enjoy putting on the grieving face though. "Adam Joan" is in fact, peaking Prithvi-in-anguish.
Writer/director Jinu Abraham has decided to narrate the better part of his tale amidst the gorgeous locales of Scotland, with a cinematographer capable of providing the kind of support he needs. The first half establishes the lead characters of Adam Joan (Prithvi), his wife Emy (Mishti), his brother Alan (Rahul Madhav) and wife Shweta (Bhavana), and friend Cyriac (Narain). Adam's wife dies at childbirth (and it wasn't exactly his opinion to have a child so early into his marriage) and while returning to Kerala, he leaves the newborn in the hands of his brother and wife who haven't had a child in 5 years. Six years later, another tragic incident (that involves the cold-blooded murder of his mom and kidnap of his little daughter, by Satan worshippers) brings Adam back to Scotland (with a vengeance), where he unearths some dark secrets.
A major portion of the first half moves along foreseeable lines (of a typical Christian Malayali romance) but where Jinu is able to initially intrigue is during the "investigation" bits. The making is by all means, exceptional for Malayalam movie standards. Almost everything boasts of grandeur in the film. The director seems to have complete knowledge of the luscious beauty the country of Scotland holds, but occasionally, one tends to feel that his choice of wide-angled, panoramic shots were slightly overdone. Almost every third shot involved a solo moving vehicle on a deserted road captured using a drone. Every frame is supposed to look like a travel-themed wallpaper which lends a wee bit of plasticity to the film. The interval block leaves us mildly fascinated in the hope of a horde of neatly packaged twists to follow.
Although we get a few sly references to voodoo-practicing families in Kerala (all the while focusing on the bigger picture in Scotland) post-interval, these aren't fully explored into. While Jinu has definitely done his bit of research in studying the gloomy aesthetics of Satan-worship (the sets, the foreign actors, the dialogues - none of them disappoint!), he could have made the proceedings look a lot racier. The investigative style of Adam and Cyriac even follows a template (repetitive scenes at the dungeon- like chamber with different individuals). We just needed to see more of a psychological struggle for Adam than just his bodily scars to feel invested in his quest. The twists expected in a thriller are heavily lacking and the supposed big-reveal is made pretty early on.
Mark Strange is a good choice for the main antagonist (a high-priest in the cult of Satan) - the body language, dialogue delivery and even the stunts - on point. If only had the writer/director put more emphasis on tightening the script and chopped out a few portions, then 'Adam Joan' would have broken sensational ground as a revenge- thriller. Performance-wise, Prithvi is in his zone as we already know by now. Narain does well playing Adam's right-hand man (his on-screen bromistry with Prithvi is well-known in Malayalam cinema) while the rest pitch in whatever is required of them in the script.
Songs compositions by Deepak Dev and background score by Gopi Sunder are in tune with the mood of the film, although a tad too loud at times (and likely to turn off the older crowd). Cinematography by Jithu Damodar deserves a special mention as there are plenty of scenes shot in filters and low-light but still manages to dazzle overall. The stunt sequence at the end is slightly prolonged and doesn't evoke the kind of teeth-clenching reaction it was supposed to. The hackneyed application of slow-motion does nothing but add to the run-time.
Verdict: For lovers of slow, dark thrillers only!
Writer/director Jinu Abraham has decided to narrate the better part of his tale amidst the gorgeous locales of Scotland, with a cinematographer capable of providing the kind of support he needs. The first half establishes the lead characters of Adam Joan (Prithvi), his wife Emy (Mishti), his brother Alan (Rahul Madhav) and wife Shweta (Bhavana), and friend Cyriac (Narain). Adam's wife dies at childbirth (and it wasn't exactly his opinion to have a child so early into his marriage) and while returning to Kerala, he leaves the newborn in the hands of his brother and wife who haven't had a child in 5 years. Six years later, another tragic incident (that involves the cold-blooded murder of his mom and kidnap of his little daughter, by Satan worshippers) brings Adam back to Scotland (with a vengeance), where he unearths some dark secrets.
A major portion of the first half moves along foreseeable lines (of a typical Christian Malayali romance) but where Jinu is able to initially intrigue is during the "investigation" bits. The making is by all means, exceptional for Malayalam movie standards. Almost everything boasts of grandeur in the film. The director seems to have complete knowledge of the luscious beauty the country of Scotland holds, but occasionally, one tends to feel that his choice of wide-angled, panoramic shots were slightly overdone. Almost every third shot involved a solo moving vehicle on a deserted road captured using a drone. Every frame is supposed to look like a travel-themed wallpaper which lends a wee bit of plasticity to the film. The interval block leaves us mildly fascinated in the hope of a horde of neatly packaged twists to follow.
Although we get a few sly references to voodoo-practicing families in Kerala (all the while focusing on the bigger picture in Scotland) post-interval, these aren't fully explored into. While Jinu has definitely done his bit of research in studying the gloomy aesthetics of Satan-worship (the sets, the foreign actors, the dialogues - none of them disappoint!), he could have made the proceedings look a lot racier. The investigative style of Adam and Cyriac even follows a template (repetitive scenes at the dungeon- like chamber with different individuals). We just needed to see more of a psychological struggle for Adam than just his bodily scars to feel invested in his quest. The twists expected in a thriller are heavily lacking and the supposed big-reveal is made pretty early on.
Mark Strange is a good choice for the main antagonist (a high-priest in the cult of Satan) - the body language, dialogue delivery and even the stunts - on point. If only had the writer/director put more emphasis on tightening the script and chopped out a few portions, then 'Adam Joan' would have broken sensational ground as a revenge- thriller. Performance-wise, Prithvi is in his zone as we already know by now. Narain does well playing Adam's right-hand man (his on-screen bromistry with Prithvi is well-known in Malayalam cinema) while the rest pitch in whatever is required of them in the script.
Songs compositions by Deepak Dev and background score by Gopi Sunder are in tune with the mood of the film, although a tad too loud at times (and likely to turn off the older crowd). Cinematography by Jithu Damodar deserves a special mention as there are plenty of scenes shot in filters and low-light but still manages to dazzle overall. The stunt sequence at the end is slightly prolonged and doesn't evoke the kind of teeth-clenching reaction it was supposed to. The hackneyed application of slow-motion does nothing but add to the run-time.
Verdict: For lovers of slow, dark thrillers only!
Movie which had good potential. under achieved
iamdk36917 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An attempt to create movies which normal Malayali audience have not seen. The color and cine of was good even though by the end of the movie shadows could have had utilized more for a grimmer effect. The Harley and Mustang in the movie , not much but I just liked it there. A good spent on the climax scene and into its sets would have given the movie a better rating. Acting went wrong in Knife scene with the priest 2. When Prithviraj tightens the chain around the high priest's neck. Bhavana didn't fit much into the role.
Absolutely brilliant!
ajith-v-m15 November 2017
Please ignore the negative reviews here and watch this movie! I watched it last night I must admit the story, acting, screenplay, cinematography, camera-work, background music etc.., just everything is brilliant in this movie. I cannot praise Prithviraj enough for his performance but it would be injustice if I don't praise everybody else as everyone was absolutely brilliant in this movie.
The only people you would find here who share negative reviews are the peanuts brains who cannot see anything beyond the backwaters of Kerala. The Director and entire crew must be appreciated for pulling off a movie abroad with such high standards that it has just raised the bar now in the Malayalam film industry.
If you like a movie that will really touch you, with great thriller moments and fantastic direction, then you cannot miss this.
Again, to the Director and entire crew, please make more movies as this and KUDOS to everyone for such great performances. I must be blind and deaf to rate this anything below 10!
The only people you would find here who share negative reviews are the peanuts brains who cannot see anything beyond the backwaters of Kerala. The Director and entire crew must be appreciated for pulling off a movie abroad with such high standards that it has just raised the bar now in the Malayalam film industry.
If you like a movie that will really touch you, with great thriller moments and fantastic direction, then you cannot miss this.
Again, to the Director and entire crew, please make more movies as this and KUDOS to everyone for such great performances. I must be blind and deaf to rate this anything below 10!
Terribly bad.
heirofra30 October 2021
Terrible, the script is laughable, extremely bad cinematography. Wide shots to show off the locations and the exotic cars does keep one away far from the story and well that makes sense because the story has got nothing in it. Waiting 2h 40mins for the movie to end amounted to torture.
excellent movie ,attractive cinematography,
nh-3108816 April 2018
When I have first watched the teaser, I was very excited about the film.
There are some scenes which could have been avoided to save time, but every movie has some of those..but it's Very beautiful movie, I really enjoyed it with my family.It has fantastic background score and emotions helps in maintaining the pace of the movie.
Do watch it!
Do watch it!
Disappointed
sanjeevravi17 September 2017
Hard to believe Renji Panicker and PrthiRaj accepted this script to produce a movie. I cannot understand the good reviews of this movie. Watching this movie is a complete mental torture. Even though Prithiraj did good as usual, the script is a complete nonsense. I would highly recommend not to go for this movie unless you want to punish yourself mentally. Extremely upsetting except first 30 minutes. Once the movie is finished, you will feel a major relief.In a place like Scotland , why they did not inform police to rescue the girl?Showing illogical extreme violence in big screen is called " Hollywood style " ? I am really surprised that somebody is there to spend so much money to produce a movie in a foreign country with an extreme idiotic script.
Absolute nonsense
sabucmjoseph7 September 2019
Differently good !!
winak9 March 2024
Different kind of genre for the malyalam cinema, kind of creepy and disturbing with cult devil worshipping and all. The Scottish settings provided the quaint background required for this type of movie. The movie I felt was 30 minutes too long at 2 hrs 40 minutes. I feel what needed to be said could have been done in short without the unnecessary drag, the ending though was apt and touching. Prithviraj refreshingly did not engage in his usual overacting and played a subdued character. Bhavana and the rest of the cast provided the supporting role required of them. I wouldn't call this a family entertainer due to it's dark content; but for the niche audience, looking for a change from the usual movies.
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