Minnal Murali

This is an epic superhero movie that deftly mixes the familiars of the form with true originality. Minnal Murali is an Indian, Malayalam language movie about an unwitting and unlikely superhero who must face off against an unwitting and unlikely supervillain. It's a fun blend of DC/Marvel meets Bollywood, with moments of comedy and song to go with the epic scenes of fighting and literal cliffhanging. It's no easy trick to keep a movie entertaining for over two and a half hours, but Minnal Murali keeps it moving with a central story rooted in superhero tradition, and side stories that come across as unique to this region and culture. Also, unlike so much superhero fare these days, there's a relative lightheartedness to it instead of the usual increasingly ponderous explorations of the gray areas between good and evil.

There are some dark moments in this movie, but there's a lack of cynicism that's refreshing. Jaison, the lead character, is a goofy misfit with a head full of dreams who finds a sense of purpose in life by using his powers for good. It takes some time for him to get to that point, but the journey is made more enjoyable with all the different side stories that bring the village to life instead of distract, overwhelm, or confuse the main story. The large budget is evident, but as is shown time and time again, without a good story, the big budget means nothing, and Minnal Murali never gets lost in the trickery of special effects for their own sake; everything and everyone in the movie serves the larger purpose of telling the story. That's what ultimately makes this one of the more enjoyable superhero origin stories to come along in some time.