faisal_al
As kids back home in Malaysia, we were told of legendary warriors, magical princesses, powerful kings, mysterious places, epic battles, and curses which made us shiver in the night. And no other tale combines these elements more effectively than the story of the legendary Princess of Mount Ledang and the Malaccan empire. So, with a deep story already written, throw in a solid cast, with an explosive budget... what could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a bit, actually. But before we get into that, let's get into what's good about the movie. For one, the expensive production is really evident from the movie - the props, the picture quality, the setting, the sounds. On the surface, Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) is a real visual treat, and is a nice portrayal on how the Malaccan empire back in those times. The story is told rather well, and it is interesting to see the mythology in full graphic detail, with some pretty good storytelling across the board.A bloated production, however, doesn't quite make this movie what it could - and should - have been. The movie opens up with M. Nasir as Admiral Hang Tuah, the legendary Malaccan warrior, bringing a couple of bandits to justice. This was an excellent opener. The story then begins with the royal expedition between two great empires. For the first 30 minutes, i was hooked and impressed - the fight scenes, backdrops, beautifully handled shots, and interesting dialogue; at that point, i was convinced that this could possibly be a great movie. However, the momentum just breaks off completely, and as the story drags to the two-and-a-half hour mark, my interest slowly wanes off into boredom.So, what's wrong with it? How could they mess up such brilliant opening sequences? It's mainly the storytelling. The opening sequences laid out set piece after set piece, leading viewers to believe that this could lead to a powerful climax.. but.. the climax is just unsatisfying and ultimately somewhat predictable. True, some of us know the story already, but really, we were looking for the execution to have that extra ZEST. The buildup is long and draggy, and the final scenes are unexciting and lifeless.My biggest gripe with the movie,is the actual love story itself. Yes, we all know that PGL is basically a love story. So why don't we feel the intensity of this love? The writing and direction hardly makes us care for the couple, and we never truly feel the deep emotion and sacrifice which they go through. It's just running around, and trading well-written poetry. Furthermore, the portrayal of the empires seem a bit weak and not as powerful as we were led to believe. All that said, there are some notable performances throughout the movie. M Nasir excels superbly as Hang Tuah, and plays his part out superbly. The sultan of Malacca, as well as the Queen, is played exceptionably well, too. Tiara Jacquelina was okay, but she was hampered by mediocre dialogue. The only problem I have with these characters isn't the acting, but rather the overall script - most of them weren't really portrayed with enough depth to make us care for them. Overall, I am quite disappointed with the movie. Given the production budget, list of superb actors, and great background plot, this would have been a surefire hit. Instead it misses the mark, having a dragged-out, unsatisfying story, relying on the fat production to work out its magic. Still, like I mentioned, I have faith that if someone could pick up where this movie left off, and improve these crucial areas, this could be a great movie (and in fact, I was told the theatrical play is much better, which is a good sign). As a movie, however, PGL isn't all that good. I would still recommend the movie for everyone, just to learn on the myth itself, but don't expect the legendary love epic that will blow you away.
kebylynn
I thought this movie was a good effort to move the Malaysian movie industry forward. Yes, it was abit slow paced, but at least it wasn't one of those stereotypical movies you had in the mid 90's. What I'm irritated about is the fact that you keep mentioning the fact that the bad movies are made by MALAY people and the movies are dominated by MALAY people. Whats your problem against the Malays? You're supposed to comment about the movie, no one cares about your involvement in the film,the fact that you're one of the musicians (big huge freakin deal) plus you're being a pure racist because you keep bringing up the point that despite the fact that the movie is made by a Chinese, its still slow moving. Are you trying to imply that it should have been better because it was made by a Chinese and if it was directed by a Malay , it would have sucked?! The oh-so rotten Malay movie scene? You mean MALAYSIAN movie scene don't you? Because other than Malay movies being made in Malaysia, we sure don't hear about Chinese people making movies in Malaysia, or do you? Why do you point out at the Malays so much? If you're going to post a comment about a movie, keep it real. No one wants to read your stupid racist comments or your minor involvement in the movie. Get over the race issue already and GROW up!
hybreed
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.
