User reviews

The Movie Is Slowpaced But Entartaning And The Exfactor Of This Movie Is The Negative Character .. The Way He Act And His Screen Presence Is Just Mind Blowing .. Because Of Him The Character Of Minnal Murli Shines And We Loved Him. Because If Negative Was Not That Much Capebale To Act Fearsly Then The Heroic Character Must Fade Out But They Proved It .. This Is How The Superhero Movies Are To Be Made .. Last 55 Min Of The Is Just Awesome And Visual Spectacular.

Recently the superhero genre has blown up like anything, while Hollywood has not only embraced but also found great sucess in superhero genre Bollywood has been left behind a million paces. Whatever little efforts made are either underwhelming or downright cringefest.

In this landscape Minnal Murali is a breath of fresh air the script and production value especially VFX are really really well done. Best thing about this movie is that characters are really well done and not rushed just to fit unnecessary VFX fight scenes.

I think the romance obsessed Bollywood shrills can learn a thing or two from this movie and try to churn out some good Original content instead of usual sluge they deem entertainment.

Minnal Murali (2021) : Movie Review -

Hollywood is ruling the Superhero genre like no other cinema industry in the world cinema. Right from the 70s when they made Superman and later went realistic with the Batman Film during the late 80s. Marvel and DC both have sucked out everything possible in this genre from original adaptations to reboots to cinematic universe, even the biggest grossers recently belong to the same genre. Indian Cinema has remained far behind in that. We hardly have any memorable Superhero film except for that 90s nostalgia 'Shaktimaan' serial and Hrithik Roshan's Krrish- a child born to Hindi adaptation of Steven Speilberg's groundbreaking 'ET The Extra Terrestrial". It is sad to know that Indian Cinema is not just behind but it's not even trying to crack the formula of Superhero Genre. From now onwards, we won't be able to say that because Basil Joseph has just come up with something astonishing called 'Minnal Murali'. What's more surprising is that this film came from Malayalam Cinema which is a much smaller industry than Bollywood. Malayalam Cinema is simply unmatchable when it comes to content-driven cinema. Forget all time lists, just have a look at 2021. The Great Indian Kitchen, Drishyam 2, Operation Java, Aarkkariyam, Nayattu, Malik, Kuruthi, Home, Kurup and Kaanekkaane, Malayalam Cinema has ruled 2021 like no other cinema industry in India. I'm glad to announce that Minnal Murali has joined this elite club, just a week before year end.

Minnal Murali is Malayalam Cinema's foray into Superhero genre with not so high budget. It's a story about a young tailor Jaison (Tovino Thomas) who gets struck by lightning on a Christmas Eve and gains superpowers after the incident. On the same Eve, a heartbroken fella Venkidi goes through the same incident and gains the same powers. While Jaison uses those superpowers to transform himself into the superhero, Venkidi misuses the powers and the battlefield is set for a grand fight between good and bad. Despite the fictional idea of superpowers, Anirudhan and Matthew's script stays close to reality. It has those conflicts we have in almost every superhero film over the years but still it keeps you engaged with that human-connect. It is a comedy film alright but not much spoofy about the same. Inhad few laugh but not memorable ones.

Performances in the film uplift the quality of the product. Tovino Thomas is so much into the character that after an hour or so you start believing in him as a superhero. Guru Somasundaram presents the best heroic villain you've ever seen in Indian Superhero films. He isn't bad because he loves being an antagonist, he becomes bad because people made him so. That intelligent writing piece gives credibility and reliability to his character. Aju Varghese, Femina George, Harisree Ashokan, Mammukoya and Baiju Santosh add their support in this superbly balanced cast. Minnal Murali is 160 minutes long, which is little bit more than expected but as we know it is coming on Netflix, you don't really mind about the runtime. Surely, it could have been 15 minutes shorter, especially in the first half.

What people seek the most from Superhero movies is Visual Effects and Minnal Murali scores first class grades despite a moderate budget. Had this film got a budget like 'Bahubali' and '2 Point 0', the VFX team would have defeated all Indian films in Visual effects. The action scenes are so intriguing and have got so much intensity in it. The way Guru smiles arrogantly and Tovina looks helpless in front of him, its a great example of how perfect one cinematic frame can be during a big action sequence. Mind-blowing! Basil Joseph has made a visual spectacle with great cinematic sense. The saddest thing that happened to Indian cinema in 2021 is that Minnal Murali was not released on the big screen. This one is a big-screen phenomena. Having said that, it's not gonna make much difference for true cinema lovers who really understand the cinematic aspects of filmmaking. You know Visual grandeur isn't everything, there is a lot more beyond that and you will get to learn that while watching this impeccable superhero drama by Basil. Undoubtedly, the Best Indian Superhero Film so far, and one had to work really hard to surpass it. It's really appalling to know that Malayalam Cinema has made such a fabulous movie without the help of the biggest production banners of India. Truly an Astonishing Achievement for Mollywood but more than that, it's a new beginning for Indian Cinema in the Superhero Genre. Please give a grand welcome to the new Indian superhero, he deserves it more than those typical commercial potboilers.

RATING - 7/10*

This is how we should've made desi superhero long time back instead of bullsh#t like krishhhhh AND RAONE, flying jata, Bollywood was just obsessed with Hollywood and create generic copies of superheroes questioning Indian audiences intelligence. We watch english movies , specially action one. So please , I urge Bollywood to learn a lesson from this movie and see how its done.

Here starts the real super hero saga of Malayalam or perhaps Indian film industry... Proud of and much love to crew and cast.. A pure desi blend it is, brave and bold attempt Basil bro, hats off...

Super movie great acting super making and awesome debut of superhero of malayalam film industry. In a regional films one of the best superhero movie in recent time.must watch and well tried basil joseph.must watch you never get disappointed.

Everything is grate , story acting direction and CGF , we can't ask more from our Malayalam industry . Even in many hindi super hero movies they failed in CG but here you cannot point out anything .

Minnal Murali movie is an honest attempt at superhero genre. It has good story, nice visual effects and action sequences. A decent setup is laid for hero and villain to gain their powers. Actors performances are good, especially movie villain takes special attention & he is genuinely threatening at times. But, hero characterization lacks in creating interest over the film and his motivations & romance plot (???) are pointless. All things considered, the movie screenplay is awfully slow in it's story narration. They could have easily trimmed down 30-40 mins & it doesn't change any experience in watching of the movie.

9.8 out of 10. Nice Vfx,bgm,acting,making,comedy mass entertainer. Never miss to watch this glorious Movie. Powerhouse, so is Guru Somasundaram.

What's Bad: The self indulgence of the writers at one point goes too ahead and they forget to stop, making a sequence look stretched.

Loo Break: The pace with which the Malayalam cinema is progressing, they aren't taking breaks for sure, you shouldn't too!

Watch or Not?: Please! Witness the strength Indian storytellers have and what we should exactly be investing our time and money in. This is the future, not the regress.

A wonderful malayalam super hero movie in kerela proud to a super hero movie in malayalam i am gonna rellay honest with you guys this movie is actually wonderful and great job being a minnal murali the diractor of basil joseph A tailor gains special powers after being struck by lightning, but must take down an unexpected foe if he is to become the superhero his hometown needs its the plot of the movie Tovino Thomas one of Malayalam cinema's brightest young actor plays Jaison with a giant heart and good cheer Guru Somasundaram is impressive as the town's social outcast the best Cinematography of Sameer Thahir and the wonderful music and bgm of Shaan Rahman, Sushin Shyam a wonderful super hero movie My rating 7/10.

You'll feel a sense of wicked delight originating from the cinematic social milieu that Basil Joseph is so known to masterfully create as you sit down in your living room and watch Baiju and Rajesh Madhavan in their policemen characters waiting in a "thattukada" for a man to give him an earful, perhaps a handful. The man is a poovalan who's supposed to come down to a bus stop to meet his girlfriend. That deed may or may not happen but that is not the point of this fantastic sequence that introduces almost everyone in the film that needs an introduction.

It is therefore this world-building that I want to point out that makes Minnal Murali (Lightning Murali, Mister Murali) a fresh wave into the Malayalam cinema. With equal weightage given to the primary and secondary characters (especially the central duo) and a weaving plot that experiences starting trouble but soon takes off, Minnal Murali maintains a steady pace with a mix of dry humour, heavy drama, and scattered social commentary. None of these take centrestage though as the story evolves into a bona fide superhero template that still doesn't feel trite. The background score and surprisingly well-done VFX were the highlights for me as I sat down being enthralled by the sheer magic in the way the story is written.

Minnal Murali has heralded the superhereo genre with the punch that it demanded and I for one am riding the happy wave. More than anything, this is clever cinema, one that makes you marvel at all the tiny and larger bits of writing that make up this jubilant confluence. Something that you can use to forego the cliched shadow that hangs over the plot sore. You can't miss how the story evolves at a meandering pace, narrating the origin of the evil and the good equally well. Something that I don't see usually in this genre. Watch it, you'll like it.

(Reviewed post embargo on 22 Dec. Watched during its world premiere at the MAMI Year Round Programme.)

In Minnal Murali, Basil Joseph does what he does best: universe-building. This is indeed India's first superhero film in the truest sense of it. While it does borrow concepts from its western counterparts, Basil and his writers (Arun Anirudhan & Justin Mathew) spend a decent amount of time in building up the protagonist, the antagonist, and their shared universe. In fact, I'd even go ahead and proclaim that Minnal Murali features one of the most well-fleshed out antagonists for any film, let alone a superhero film, in Malayalam. Guru Somasundaram delivers a stunning feat as Shibu, the consistently wronged outsider with a deranged side. Comparatively, Tovino plays a straightforward simpleton named Jaison which he does to perfection, but it's obvious that all the texture is attributed to Shibu. Jaison (who eventually becomes the titular superhero) also gets the typical superhero treatment as opposed to Shibu.

For a film with a moderate budget, the special effects and stunt choreography are both first-rate. Basil utilizes them rather carefully, toying with their presence only when absolutely necessary in the first couple of hours before going fairly bonkers in the final act. Even when the film fully embraces its superhero tropes, the writing sticks to its grounded roots. It doesn't have over-the-top ambitions; even the supposed savior is interested majorly in the plight of his own village and not the whole world, for instance. Basil also picks his supporting cast well: the characters played by Baiju, Mamukoya, P Balachandran, Aju Varghese, Harisree Ashokan, and Rajesh Madhavan are all reasonably well-etched and acted. Special shout-outs go to Bruce Lee Biji (Femina George) and the kid who plays Jaison's nephew.

DOP Sameer Thahir's frames lend Minnal Murali a comic-book-like flavour, while Sushin Shyam's background score is rousing. Shaan Rahman's tracks are a mixed bag, some of which work well because of their appropriate placement. The climactic showdown is when Basil gleefully winks at Marvel/DC entries, but did we really need a child vocally referring to Minnal Murali as a superhero, a Superman comic book lying on the ground, and that shot of him atop a collapsing structure to drive the point home? Nevertheless, I'm glad Basil chose a rather light-hearted tone for the film - it's an entertaining watch for viewers of all ages!

Tovino Thomas and Basil Joseph create a storm with a slick, homegrown superhero. Thoroughly enjoyed the movie. This is the best indian super hero movie i have seen yet. Highly recommended. I really wanted this to become a franchise. It has all materials to do so.

Usually, Malayalam films exaggerate more than a life content to the protagonist whereas in Minnal⚡Murali the antagonist who's scored the most. Splendid performance from Guru Somasundaram. Hats of to Basil and team Minnal ⚡⚡⚡

The first part of this superhero fiction is marvelous. Making, artwork, VFX and other works were great. The story was also portrayed well. One of the best movie from Basil joseph. Great effort and teamwork. Guru somasundharam performed well than tovino thomas. Missed the theatre experience. Waiting for the second part if there is one.

Beyond expectations.. Raise the level of malayalm movie.. Hats off basil joseph.. Tovino... Screen play.. Story excellent execution.. I think the director made a world class movie in a minimum budget.. Great.. It would have been if this movie release in theaters.. Any way great work team..

Tovino fits very well in to the ordinary chap turned in to superhero. Movie is very well stays in the Indian village and it's life , unlike previous Indian superhero movies like Krish and RaOne. (Except for the cliche superhero costume ) Best part of the movie is the villains char, emotional track and the amazing acting by guru somasundaram. Makers can be proud of the technical side such as action and VFX , done so well without feeling it's VFX.

Minnal murali will return.

Great attempt from basil n team, I must say a great theatre miss because of the way of direction, action sequence, vfx from mollywood point of view.

Casting - hero, villain n rest all was superb.

2nd half was little drag. Unnecessary bgm and song,which pull movie to a little down. Overall a watchable movie.

This is what I call living up to the expectation. A must watch movie with a proper origin story and characters which are presented well by the director. They have given so much importance to comedy which make the whole story so much better. The performance by the cast is phenomenal. Especially Tovino Thomas, guru somasundaram and biju. Congrats to the whole cast and crew.

A close to realistic superhero movie that can be made. The story is built up in such a way that is a bit believable compared to most of the marvel superhero movies. The screenplay lags a bit especially in the second half and the climax sequences were below average. The thing I liked about the movie is the way the movie tells how the hero and the villain get their super powers and how they use them for their benefits.

Verdict : A decent low budget superhero movie which is more realistic and likable than most of the marvel movies.

For a first time supermovie it was good . At least now we have a superhero of our own. The movie was good and we can expect a sequel if all goes well .

I was motivated to watch this 'Superhero flick' after reading a highly favorable review in a leading Indian newspaper calling this 'The best superhero movie of the year could teach Marvel how to solve its villain problem'.

The story is about a tailor who is never seen stitching throughout the film except for the one scene where he blatantly copies Tobey Maguire stitching his Spidey-suite. Yes, this film is all about following that template - of Spiderman. Of course, the villain's track follows the template of Nolan's Joker from Dark Knight (and a little bit of the villain played by Vivek Oberoi in one of the Krish movies). What makes it look different - well, it is set in a village in Kerala and the players are all caricature small-town folks. A lightning bolt strikes the two and they gain superpowers.

The writers did not even attempt to give any depth to the characters, since this is being marketed as a ground-breaking first super hero film from the Malayalam Industry. Okay, let us leave the cardboard cutouts, but what about the hero and villain, their love interests? Well, as seen in almost all mass South Indian films, the villain doesn't get the love of his life and (for a chance) neither does the hero - that is the first act of the film - in intercuts their tragic love failures are revealed, and more importantly, the filmmakers make it a point to portray women as the unfaithful sex which can leave a man at any moment for a richer guy. Yes, that is exactly how it looked.

Talk about teaching Marvel a lesson. What on earth was the villain doing in this film? What was his motivation - a love failure? Fine, what was the aimless hero's motivation? A loosely stitched (since the hero is a tailor) prologue in which the hero's father (whom the hero forgets conveniently because of a retrograde amnesia which the writers don't even care to address because the audience is taken for granted) speaks of values and doing the right thing and taking responsibilities, etc. The very words that play as voice overlap in the climax when the hero (who is now dressed like the amazing Spiderman) is down.

Shamir Thahir's visual frames are beautiful. Individually, the shots look great, but there is an overall inconsistency in the cinematography when seen in the whole. It doesn't maintain the look and feel throughout - sometimes it gives a Gotham-like feel, and then suddenly it gives a Subramaniyapuram-like feel, before going back to 'Kumbalangi Nights' mode.

The viewing experience is constantly interrupted by unnecessary songs occasionally in the first half. One of the most important ingredients of a good superhero film is amazing background score. Minnal Murali's BG score lacks punch especially towards the end (nothing beats Bahubali - The Conclusion). The other important element of a good superhero film is great special effects. Well, the vfx is decent given the limited budget, but there are places where you can tell that element in 3D could have made use of some shadows and highlights. Let's come to action - there is no punch in the punches. The fight scenes are rare, but those that are there are extended for no reason. Were they trying to build drama and create sympathy for the hero? Like that fight scene in the bus, we all know that it is going to end with the bus hanging from the cliff, but then hanging the girl from the broken windshield of the hanging bus was too much. That's what happens when you try to repurpose a train scene from Spiderman with a cheaper one in the bus.

When it comes to performance, then the baddie 'Guru Somasundaram' does a decent job along with P Balachandran as uncle Ben, I mean the superhero's guardian. Baiju and Aju Varghese's characters are under-developed. As for Tovino, no... he lacked the most important thing needed in a superhero - CHARISMA. He desperately tries to do a simpleton version of Tobey Maguire in lungi.

Minnal Murali is at best a strictly average rip-off of Spiderman with a villain has no villainy. Don't think I am being mean to the makers. I understand the labour that goes into making any film, but this is lazy writing and filmmaking. Yes, it will impress someone who has never seen a superhero film. But the regular superhero filmgoer has everything before - the nerdy hero, the father-figure, the father's heroics, the villain's magnetic abilities (even the villain played by Vivek Oberoi ripped it in Krish few years back), the hero's ability to save utensils from hitting the floor (it was a canteen in Spiderman, here it is a cooperative hospital), the stitching of a costume that looks exactly like a Marvel costume (including the colour scheme), the bus attack (like the train attack in Spiderman) you have all that here. The list goes on.

The worst part is the duration of this cliched superhero movie set in a small countryside - 2 freaking hours and 37 minutes, and for what - half baked characters and a villain who doesn't scare the hell out of the viewer?

SAD part is how the so-called critics are praising this baselessly, sending the non-Malayalee audience into a nightmare that lacks authenticity. Let's call a spade a spade - Minnal Murali is a below average film that has nothing original to offer. Whoever reviewed this movie for that newspaper needs to be honest with the audience. The producers could have trimmed its length, might have been better.

Avoid if you have watched Spiderman. Avoid it if you like Tovino Thomas. AVOID IF YOU READ SOMEWHERE THAT THIS IS THE BEST SUPERHERO MOVIE MADE IN INDIA.

Minnal Murali is the Malayalam version of what was Krish to Hindi. I sign off.

This was beyond my expectations. But Basil managed to direct the movie so profoundly with every details being thoroughly gone through. Acting shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. But the way it has been directed, I would say I can see a lot of potential in the Malayalam Film Industry. With such a low budget, this movie is going to change the face of Cinema from Malayalam Film Industry. Hats off guys, couldnt be more proud.

I'm only disappointed by the fact that the movie wasn't released in theatres. Would've been a delight to watch this on the big screen.