In case there's anything to take away from 'Mikhael' as a movie, all of it pertains to the first half. The minor redeeming factors would include Nivin Pauly getting to be his casual, relaxed self (in the flashback portions as Dr. Michael), a pretty intriguing neurotic angle displayed by Siddique's antagonist character, and the adorable Navani Devanand (who plays Mike's sister Jennifer). With 'Mikhael', Haneef Adeni reinstates that he is little beyond bland scripting, excessive application of slow motion, Biblical references, and mindless violence.
A number of inconsequential characters are portrayed by well-known actors. This list includes Suraj Venjaramoodu, J D Chakravarthy (this man was born for playing such meaningless, expressionless roles), Jayaprakash, Sudev Nair, Ashokan, Kalabhavan Shajon, Kishore, and more. It would be difficult to find a reason beyond a prompt paycheck that really urged any of these actors to want to take up a role in 'Mikhael'. Same goes for the women (except for Navani) - Reba Monica, Manjima, and KPAC Lalitha. No impact whatsoever! The second half, as I mentioned in the headliner, is just a barrage of incoherent fight sequences. None of it makes sense, because it's in a way, trying to undo the first half - a jolly Nivin Pauly is apparently a bad-ass doctor with prior training in martial arts; the two cop characters (played by Suraj and Chakravarthy) are mere watchdogs to Mike's doings; George Peter (Siddique) who we thought was shaping up to be a powerful antagonist, is killed off only to introduce his brawny brother Marco played by Unni Mukundan. Everything, I mean, everything is plain awful.
To say that there was a solid story to be told is an insult in itself. It's just a rehash of Adeni's earlier flicks - Nivin playing a character that Mammootty would have happily taken up (again) if written for an older man. The mass-hero antics are very much there, and Nivin struggles big time to pull it off comfortably. He looks like he's put on a little too much, and it never helps when the antagonist has an obvious advantage in terms of executing the fights better and also boasts an athletic build.
The ridiculousness that's inherent in Adeni films is retained in 'Mikhael' too. For instance, pay heed to any of Unni Mukundan's lines, and of course, how can I forget the glorious shower scene that was supposed to make viewers jittery but ended up making them laugh. For an action movie, the fight choreography (which has been credited to a number of veterans) looks astonishingly mediocre. The location choices for the fisticuffs too aren't exactly innovative either. The 'sanatorium' (the hideout of Jayaprakash's character) looked like it was made to drive people insane than a place where the mentally-ill would be taken to for treatment.
Mikhael is best forgotten from Nivin Pauly's filmography. I mean, viewers can forgive him for wanting to stay a little mainstream and action-oriented after Kayamkulam Kochunni. I'm confident that he'll strike back soon with 'Moothon' and the film with Rajeev Ravi. As for Adeni, he'll continue to bore us with more routine revenge flicks (please prove me wrong, man!). We're done with avenging daughter ('The Great Father'), brother ('Abrahaminte Santhathikal'), and sister ('Mikhael') already. Who's next? Brother-in-law (a.k.a 'Aliyan')? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I happen to hear something along those lines!
