Director – Hanung Bramantyo (Love is Trap, The Robbers)
Starring – Rizky Nazar (Till Death Do Us Part, Cult), Yasmin Napper (Friendship is Like a Cocoon, Imperfect), and Omar Daniel (Qorin, Ritual)
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 2.5/5
I get asked to review a lot of movies and some of them don’t always fall under the horror umbrella. In fact, I would say that a quarter of the films sent my way for review are not horror at all but still appeal to genre fans. Hell, I don’t really care if they are a full fledged horror title or something that just appeals to me. If I’m interested in a movie I will check it out and review it regardless if it draws attention from the trolls.
A few weeks back Well Go USA sent over the Indonesian super hero film Legend of Gatotkaca. The trailer looked a lot of fun so I added it to my review line up. After reviewing the surprisingly impressive It’ll Be Okay I decided it was time to finally check this one out.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a college student who witnesses the death of his best friend by a powerful assassin on live television. While investigating his murder he uncovers that his part of a line of superpowered people that must protect the world from another group of powered individuals that has waged war on them for centuries. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one really looking forward to a story rich martial arts film with superheroes. However, the film is a drama with some fight scenes that are heavy with visual effects but it’s nothing like I thought it would be. In fact, it took me almost three days to make it all the way through.
The acting in this one reminded me of a mix between a soap opera and a broadway play. They over react most of the time and they blindly stare off most of the time afraid to make eye contact. I try not to be too negative on the cast in a movie sent for review but this one was a rough watch for the most part. The story for this one really interested me but the way it was done really took away the impact of it all. The movie hits a slow patch around the 30 minute mark and doesn’t fully recover until the last leg of the film. We get horrible character interactions during this time and a strong story arch that is not explored to it’s fullest potential. The movie really did waste such a strong story.
Finally, the film has some great visuals and some solid fight scenes. It’s not a gruesome film but the visual effects we get only makes the film look better than it actually is. I love how they were used and implemented in the film. Overall, Legend of Gatotkaca was nothing like I was expecting and it was a difficult one to finish. From doing a little looking online it looks like my opinion is similar to others that have seen it. I like what Well Go is doing but this is one release that wasn’t for me. Skip it.
