MOVIE REVIEWS

Angel John Review

"I'm John, Angel John.." once he introduced himself to a friend so. Later it was proved from his integrity that he is indeed an angel. This angel in the movie is a high tech one, having mobile and laptop with him. After the mind-blowing performance in 'Bhramaram', Mohalal appears as John in "Angel John", directed by S L Puram Jayasurya.
'Angel John' is a youth oriented movie which is an eye opener for those who get tardy to realize their parents worth. Maradona is a B.com student with all the naughtiness of a youngster. Due to his undisciplined life, he jumps into trouble with his friends and family and is on the verge of committing suicide. He is saved by a stranger called Angel John, who instills a positive attitude towards life and help Maradona overcome all problems. The movie marks the Malayalam debut of upcoming Tamil sensation Shanthnoo Bhagyaraj (Sakkarakatti fame), son of Tamil actor-director K. Bhagyaraj and Poornima who plays the role of Maradona. He is supported by Vijaya Raghavan, Lalu Alex, Jagathy, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Mamta Mohandas, Sona Nair, Ambika and others.
Manaf has penned the story and the script. After his excellent camerawork in Bhramaram, Ajay Vincent again handles the camera for Angel John. The music is scored by Ouseppachan to the lyrics of Subash and Saseendra Varma. K. K Narayanan produces the film, under the banner of Creative Team Productions. The movie will be distributed by Max Lab.
These days it is not uncommon that the only emotion you are left with while watching a movie is despair. And judging from the just released Angel John, the feeling continues. S L Puram Jayasurya's second directorial Malayalam venture stars Mohanlal (in an extended cameo) and Santhanu (son of Tamil actor Bhagyaraj and Poornima), who is making his entry into Malayalam cinema.
First things first, Mohanlal does make an effort to pump life into this turgid affair, which is inspired by the Hollywood film Bruce Almighty. He plays the title role complete with flashy costumes and shiny hairdo. A tale of fantasy, the story is about the young man Maradona (shantanu) and while all look forward to the world of opportunities, he climbs on the top of a light house and decides to end his life. Just as he is about to take the plunge, in comes John (Mohanlal). He happens to be the guardian angel for Maradona and after a round of talks, they come to a pact. John grants Maradona a wish a day and he would fulfill it. From then on, Maradona starts exploring a new plethora of life and this also leads to a romantic track between him and Sophie (nitya). Also, the tee shirts that Maradona wears from scene to scene depicts where the story is heading. Well, what happens from there forms the essence.
The director has come up with an unconventional storyline but then he was not able to convince with his narrative while the presentation seemed okay. Dialogues were alright, script was average, the screenplay was adequate. Background score was regular and nothing much to hum about the songs. Cinematography was neat and shows quality. Editing could have been better, costumes were jazzy, art department was alright. Mohanlal has come up with a smart look and did his bit well but his character lacked depth, Santhanu did justice to his bit, Nitya looked sensuous but nothing more, Jagathy' comedy failed to impress, Salim Kumar was standard, BijuKuttan was brief, the others did their bit mechanically.
There are several attempts to establish a tagline for the film as well. 'Oru Rasam' (just for the fun of it), chants Maradona every now and then, until Angel takes it up later. It's another matter altogether that neither does it leave any impact nor does it serve a purpose. It's merely there, for the sake of being there. At all the appropriate and inappropriate moments. There are several deliberately interconnected characters in the first half, who try to rake up some laughter with flat jokes that have had their day long, long back. Their compulsion to hang on together, despite having no reason to do so, makes their efforts an exasperating one. Even after the Angel has flown in from heaven, things do not start looking up much, except for a very brief while.
The climax is a howler on several accounts. For one, the film manages to work up none of the emotional depth as is required of the plot. Instead it slips down into a swamp of clichés and sentimentality, from which it never crawls out. Secondly, in its frantic attempts to convincingly put an end to it all, it moves all of a sudden into unfamiliar territory and starts mumbling yet another sub plot incoherently. Stretched beyond permissible limits, the final moments of the film go on, forever. Mohanlal tries to be an angel-next-door, and by design maintains that playful air around. Dressed in flashy shirts, swanky sun glasses, suits and even leather, there aren't many scenes when we feel an angelic presence though, with all the dents in the script. Except perhaps in the very last scene when he flings out those huge white wings from behind, for a moment. Santhanu is strictly what the film demands him to be, and is adequate for most of the part. Jagathy Sreekumar and Bijukuttan are no match for the duo of Mohanlal and Santhanu in the humour department, though there's no need for Mohanlal's dialogues where he takes pot-shots at his competitors.
The film comes in with a lot of promise but then the sloppy writing and weak comedy play the culprits. While the first half takes off on a colorful note, in no time, the momentum comes down and by interval, things look a bit skeptical. The second half was just unuseful and the climax was a bit complicated. The approach was not that effective. The Director has to try best next time for a bang movie. !!
Verdict: Watch at your own risk !