Neelavelicham

To watch the new version of the movie I was taken aback by how the editing quality was not as good as the original version. The music is mermerizing and the frames are aesthetically supreme the sound effect are not really to make some one scare with that. On the performance tovino did well rest were forgettable partly due to lack of character development the protagonist monologue addressing the ghost which he only half believe in is heart warming . The master story teller of Kerala was portrayed with lots of love and care. Other actors like Roshan and Shine also did justice with their character.

We have been putting up with white saree clad ghosts who are always sad, singing and out to get their revenge in soulless movies for decades. Neelavelicham brings back the original white saree clad ghost. There is a back story which explains why she is what she is.

The protagonist's monologues addressing the ghost which he only half believes in is heart warming. Tovino brings to life the essence of Basheer. He is depressed from a recent break up, broke financially and still manages to crack jokes to himself. The master storyteller of Kerala was portrayed with lots of love and care.

Rima's Bhargavi is hated by most of the male characters in the movie. It beautifully paints the picture of a patriarchal society where a rebel young woman walked with her head held high. Her character arch and backstory were beautifully told.

Other actors like Roshan and Shine also did justice to their roles. The roles were portrayed a bit theatrically paying homage to the original. The recreation of songs was also well done. It has subtle differences from the original but the essence of the songs and the emotions are preserved. There are a few jump scares. Tovino's expressions when his character experiences the supernatural is the best thing with this movie. All blood drains from his face though he believes the ghost to be not malevolent is the best portrayal of human kind reacting to the concept of unknown.

In short, beautiful movie worth watching. Subtitles on Amazon Prime are decent, so non Keralites can enjoy it too.

Neelavelicham, the highly anticipated film of 2023, unfortunately fails to deliver on its promises, leaving viewers feeling disappointed and unfulfilled. Despite the anticipation surrounding this release, it quickly becomes evident that the film falls far short of expectations.

One of the biggest issues with Neelavelicham is its muddled and poorly executed storyline. The narrative lacks coherence and fails to engage the audience from the beginning. The plot meanders aimlessly, leaving viewers confused and struggling to connect with the characters and their motivations. The lack of a clear direction or compelling story arc makes it difficult to invest emotionally in the film.

Moreover, the character development in Neelavelicham is severely lacking. The main characters feel shallow and poorly fleshed out, lacking the depth and complexity that would have made them relatable or interesting. Their actions and decisions often seem arbitrary, making it challenging to empathize or care about their journey. The performances, although earnest, are hindered by a weak script that fails to give the actors much to work with.

Another major flaw of Neelavelicham lies in its technical execution. The editing is choppy and disjointed, making the viewing experience jarring and confusing at times. The overall production values appear low, with inconsistent sound design and unremarkable visual effects, detracting further from any potential enjoyment.

In addition to these shortcomings, the pacing of the film is sluggish and uneven. The story drags on, and key moments lack the necessary tension or excitement to hold the audience's interest. The film's length feels unnecessarily stretched, adding to the overall tedium and frustration.

In conclusion, Neelavelicham falls disappointingly short of its potential. With a muddled storyline, underdeveloped characters, technical flaws, uneven pacing, and lackluster thematic execution, this film fails to engage and resonate with its audience. Regrettably, it does not live up to the expectations it generated, ultimately leaving viewers feeling let down and dissatisfied.

For some one like me who is not from south doesn't understand the language but have certain level of expectations from malayalam movie this movie does not reach to that level. I watched it with sub titles so it was not difficult to understand the movie. What i liked most about this movie is the location as far as the village near the scene i dont know if that was real or a movie set but it looked beautiful, its definitely not a horror movie but few scenes are little scary, the back ground score is good, the biggest fault is the script very poor, the climax action scene seems unnecessarily dragged and it look foolish to see the leading character trying to save the villian who murdered two people and was also planning to kill him.

I admire Aashiq Abu for making this aesthetic treat.

It is a risky step, to remake an old time classic and adapt a known story to the present-day audience.

The music is mesmerizing and the frames are aesthetically supreme.

There are problems with the casting, especially the lead actress, they could have cast an actress with more talent and versatility perhaps.

The dialogues could have been adapted better for the present times, some of Basheer's cheesy lines could have been modified to give it a relatable feeling for the present-day viewers.

But, I cannot take anything away from the tremendous effort of the director in recreating the time-period and experimenting with a movie that looks beyond just commercial success.