Ranjith Shankar's 'Pretham 2', on being looked at from a structural point of view, is not very different from 'Pretham' (2016). That is to say, the sequel follows a narrative pattern similar to what we saw in John Don Bosco's uncanny adventures with Denny, Shibu and Priyalal in 'Pretham' (2016). We see in 'Pretham 2', a group of young people who are witty, and jealous of Mentalist Bosco's ability to do what he does. We also see the recurring tale of a troubled soul who fell prey to cyber violence, its thirst for answers and vengeance, etcetera. The elaborate final showdown of the two movies are identical, yet contextually different.
'Pretham 2' isn't as cliched as its trailer. It is not at all the typical ghost story which unfolds in the old 'mana'. In fact, it cannot be called as a horror flick since it doesn't make the average viewer horrified, although the tagline says "double the fun, double the fear". Talking about the 'fun' aspect, there isn't much, that is, if you are not into jokes made through movie references. Mangalassery Neelakantan seems okay at the beginning, but becomes more or less out of place as the plot thickens. The other characters seem alright, although they were just placed to magnify the glory of the Mentalist. Jayasurya, as always, did justice to his character, and Sarita Jayasurya's costumes have given him more of a carnivalesque bliss.
In comparison to the sequel, 'Pretham' (2016) had a more believable plot. But the technical aspects seem better in 'Pretham 2' especially the shots and certain (nearly) Dutch angles which were too good. The background tracks were of some class, but seem misplaced on many occasions.
Overall, the sequel is a one time watch even for a conventional family audience, since there is very less 'adult comedy' when compared to 'Pretham' (2016). The bottom line is, 'Pretham 2' is a decent film which has equal parts of awesomeness and mediocrities.
