After witnessing the shocking murder of his best friend by a masked assassin with terrifying superpowers, Yuda stumbles upon a secret prophecy long concealed by powerful people. After unlocking dormant abilities of his own, Yuda discovers that he—an ordinary college kid with no belief in the old legends—may very well be the key to winning the upcoming battle against an ancient evil.
When a magical heirloom is up for grabs, two powerful mythological clans, the Pandawa, and the evil Kurawa, bring their ancient battle to present-day Indonesia. This heirloom is a MacGuffin device initially popularized by Alfred Hitchcock. The MacGuffin has been a primarily valuable trope to drive a plot forward, i.e., a briefcase with a vital item everyone in the film is after. So that’s the function of the heirloom. The highlight of any Indonesian action film is seeing Silat perform. Silat is an indigenous martial art based on powerful strikes and various lethal weapons. The most notable depictions of the technique would undoubtedly be “The Raid 1 and 2.” I wish “Legend of Gatotkaca” had more compelling moments.
The first act is simple enough: Yuda is a young man living with his mother whose memory has been altered by one of the Kurawas that attacked her years ago. After losing the heirloom, Yuda and some young companions investigate its disappearance. Before they know it, they are thrust into the battle between the two clans. After being attacked in an alley, Yuda is hit with an axe and saved by a mysterious archer. This Archer is more than reminiscent of Hawkeye from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Yuda is unhappy when his mother’s soul is extracted for an ancient entity. There is a lot more background, which takes too long to explain. At over two hours, the story gets quite bloated.
The best casting is Yuda’s dad, played by Cecep Arif Rahman, who appeared in “The Raid 2,” “John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum,” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” His character is deaf and communicates with Yuda through sign language. In “The Raid 2,” Cecep plays a homeless mercenary who cuts through dozens of people with his machete and impressive use of Silat.
Director Hanung Bramantyo keeps the action engaging by using drones for aerial shots and low-flying long takes. The cinematography looks pretty good, but there are too many cuts during fight scenes. The winning formula for shooting great fight scenes is to frame it at a wide angle so you can see all the action and who is doing what. If you look at classic Hong Kong martial arts films, there are very few cuts. Or if they choose to cut, you can always sense what is happening with the fights constantly feeling continuous. The sets and lighting are excellent in “Gatotkaca,” but its CGI leaves much to be desired. Keep your eyes peeled on Indonesian cinema for more action, but I would not thoroughly recommend “Legend of Gatotkaca.”
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