Watching this movie with the greatest expectations of not being disappointed is usually the priority of watching any Malaysian movie. Similar can be said to other Malaysian movies like Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam and Seri Dewi Malam. But the outcome of Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) is extremely good, if not beyond the expectations that is for a Malaysian Film.
M. Nasir has finally set the record straight, and the bar for playing Hang Tuah. I can no longer see anyone else play the coveted role of a Malay hero than he can. His portrayal of the righteous hero is played so well that most people that have watched him almost believed that he is Hang Tuah.
Tiara Jaquelina played the role of Gusti Putri quite well. Her portrayal of a Majapahit Hindu royalty although not really as good as Nasir's portrayal of Hang Tuah is still notable. Some critics would call her a stick on screen but is that what royalties do? Look at the portrayal Queen Elizabeth I, or Lady Jane Seymour of England. They are as much as a stick as Gusti Putri was. Nothing more can be said about her.
Christine Hakim was in my own personal view played the most prominent character in the life of Gusti Putri although her appearance in the movie was only for the first 15 minutes of the movie. She made Gustri Putri sound more Malaysian than Indonesian which in turn strengthens her character. Unfortunately her character was ended early which was most unfortunate.
Skipping the other characters and side-winding to the aspects of direction of the movie I find that it is very well orchestrated by Teong Hin Saw. He made PGL so beautiful directed that you could not believe it is made by a Malaysian. He was, no, is the perfect choice for the helm of PGL.
For the bad part of the movie. Effects for PGL is almost overwhelming that you can see that most of the effects can be seen as, well, fake. Except for the fight scene (SPOILER WARNING!!!) of Gusti Adipati & Hang Tuah, all other effects for the movie is, OK.
What is most striking about the movie is the usage of variable camera angles that is almost not used or very badly used in other Malaysian movies. The usage of the classic Malay language and Java scripts is a great plus since it it drives the movie-goers to listen carefully to the spoken word. It is simply awe inspiring.
Overall, PGL is worthy of an international release. This could be the landmark and a beginning for more and better Malaysian movies IF and ONLY IF the Malaysian directors and producers are willing to experiment, research and spend lots of money like our Hollywood counterparts do.
M. Nasir has finally set the record straight, and the bar for playing Hang Tuah. I can no longer see anyone else play the coveted role of a Malay hero than he can. His portrayal of the righteous hero is played so well that most people that have watched him almost believed that he is Hang Tuah.
Tiara Jaquelina played the role of Gusti Putri quite well. Her portrayal of a Majapahit Hindu royalty although not really as good as Nasir's portrayal of Hang Tuah is still notable. Some critics would call her a stick on screen but is that what royalties do? Look at the portrayal Queen Elizabeth I, or Lady Jane Seymour of England. They are as much as a stick as Gusti Putri was. Nothing more can be said about her.
Christine Hakim was in my own personal view played the most prominent character in the life of Gusti Putri although her appearance in the movie was only for the first 15 minutes of the movie. She made Gustri Putri sound more Malaysian than Indonesian which in turn strengthens her character. Unfortunately her character was ended early which was most unfortunate.
Skipping the other characters and side-winding to the aspects of direction of the movie I find that it is very well orchestrated by Teong Hin Saw. He made PGL so beautiful directed that you could not believe it is made by a Malaysian. He was, no, is the perfect choice for the helm of PGL.
For the bad part of the movie. Effects for PGL is almost overwhelming that you can see that most of the effects can be seen as, well, fake. Except for the fight scene (SPOILER WARNING!!!) of Gusti Adipati & Hang Tuah, all other effects for the movie is, OK.
What is most striking about the movie is the usage of variable camera angles that is almost not used or very badly used in other Malaysian movies. The usage of the classic Malay language and Java scripts is a great plus since it it drives the movie-goers to listen carefully to the spoken word. It is simply awe inspiring.
Overall, PGL is worthy of an international release. This could be the landmark and a beginning for more and better Malaysian movies IF and ONLY IF the Malaysian directors and producers are willing to experiment, research and spend lots of money like our Hollywood counterparts do.