Sean Thum 🇲🇾

[Film 🍿 Review - Ramayana: Rise of a Legend] Three hours, past midnight, and not once did I feel sleepy or want to leave my seat. That says quite a lot. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, this first instalment brings the Hindu epic Ramayana to the big screen, with Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman and Yash as Ravana. Many of us have heard these names and know something of the story. But go in with an open mind. Even if you know nothing about Ramayana, this is a good introduction. I was hooked from the start. Like The Odyssey or Dune, knowing the story doesn’t take away the pleasure of seeing how it unfolds on screen. Visually stunning, and honey to my ears. A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer together! The music, the songs, the sound. My Apple Watch kept reminding me how loud it was at different points. Quite an experience! I watched it in IMAX 3D, my first in a long while. I thought I might get a headache, but no. The action, the scale, the depth of the scenes worked so well. From the battle between the Devas and Asuras to Ram and Lakshman fighting demons, and Sita getting her moments in the action too, I kept finding myself going, wow. For a film this long, it never felt slow. There was always something happening, something carrying the story forward. And the performances held it together. Kapoor, Pallavi and Dubey gave me reasons to care beyond the spectacle. A few moments were quietly emotional, even tear-jerking. Little things, without pushing too hard. I’ve seen comments about the CGI being overdone. But this is mythology. Of course visual effects have a place here, and for me, the treatment worked. It reminded me of China’s Creation of the Gods films, even the scale of a game like Black Myth: Wukong. It also made me wish we could see more Asian mythological stories told with this ambition, especially from Southeast Asia. We have so many of our own. I’d love to see our filmmakers take on more of these stories. What a film to watch ahead of Deepavali. Even if IMAX 3D isn’t your thing, watch it on the big screen. The visuals and music deserve it. I’d happily watch this two or three times. One of my best films of the year.