Frankly one of the reasons I was attracted to this movie is because it has Lisa Surihani in it. Shoot me, I love Lisa Surihani's acting so much, especially after watching "Adamaya" on TV. She may not be so talented but that girl has got potential. I don't even flipping care about Farid Kamil or Que Haidar because I know they can pull off their roles well - and they did.
Anyway, back to my unprofessional review. Let's recap on the background of the movie. This is actually an adaptation of a novel of the same title written yonks ago by sensational Malaysian author Ahadiat Akashah. And this movie is just the first part of the book.
Now you know how adaptations are like. You either pull it off really well (the Lord of the Rings) or you can completely blow it (*cough*TheLastAirbender*coughcough*), or you can sit in the middle - it's neither good nor bad. Because I haven't read the novel yet, I cannot judge just how good the adaptation is.
The characters are quite memorable, especially Kasyah (Farid Kamil). Malaysian girls, face it. How many Kasyahs are there out in the world anyway (okay, try not to put 'Farid Kami' Kasyah into the picture)? Bad boy turned good because he's in love with a nice girl. Has his dreams and virtues. Becomes the sweetest guy you ever did meet. Faces a heart-wrenching heartbreak when his beloved finally leaves him through death. What then? There's plenty going for Kasyah yet, so hold your horses. Ayu is portrayed by Lisa Surihani in quite a realistic way even though she's your typical female character - the character who's all sweetness and light (Yes! This is why Lisa is awesome!). And as for Azmi (Que Haidar) - well, dang, that guy is your typical villain with a very obsessive desire. And coming to think of it, we do have our share of people who are like that.
One interesting element of the movie is the cinematography. To me the sheer camera techniques utilized in the movie was what made it interesting to watch. And they are applied so well in scenes, giving more impact on the scenes themselves.
The emotions conveyed in Lagenda Budak Setan, however, aren't really consistent. You can go to really drrrrramatic to a bit awkward the next. Let's take Kasyah's realization of Amelia being Ayu for example. That one was REALLY awkward, especially on Kasyah's part. And as for Ayu - well, she went from "I'm not good enough for you" to "Screw it, let's get married" in a matter of seconds. I personally feel that that was one of the worst scenes in the whole film. But take my word when I say that there are quite a number of scenes where the emotions are perfectly conveyed. Like when Azmi (Que Haidar) beat up Ayu and burned all her pictures of Kasyah right in front of her. You can just feel it.
Kasyah's relationship with Kate (Fazura) wasn't really portrayed well, but I guess that would be saved for the sequel, so I'll leave it at that. And the movie does feel a bit too rushed, especially towards the end. And sometimes the dialouge can come as very akward and too...well..."skema" in nature. I can only think that some of those lines have been directly gleaned from the book itself.
But I can safely say that it was a satisfactory film to boot - not extraordinary but decent enough to make you feel at least touched by the characters and story. In any case, because of this film, now I feel like hitting the bookstores and go searching for the original novel. Ahadiat Akashah, here I come!
P.S. Look out for the music.
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