L2: Empuraan- Movie Review

Empuraan, written by Murali Gopi and directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, is the second installment in the "Lucifer" trilogy. It opens with a flashback to Zayed Masood’s childhood, but then transitions into scenes that depict intense violence against women, children, the elderly, and men—essentially, against humanity. This violence is reminiscent of the events in Gujarat in 2002, and it sets the stage for the rest of the story. The movie is, in essence, a testosterone overload. We see an abundance of violence, action, action set pieces, and slow-motion sequences, all crammed into a nearly three-hour runtime.

While "Lucifer" focused on emotion and explored the characters' psyches and motivations, "Empuraan" prioritizes action. For instance, Tovino’s character, Jathin Ramdas, who was a surprise in "Lucifer," is also a surprise here, but in a different way. We are left wondering why he is the way he is. We don't get an answer. Is it because "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," as one of the quotes shown during the end cards suggests? The movie also employs a lot of symbolism with the letter "L" until it becomes exhausting and a non-linear narrative that is meaningless and only adds to the complexity. There's a lot happening on screen, often in slow motion. I didn't mind the slow-motion and pauses in Lucifer, but here, they feel deliberately inserted.

It seems like the filmmakers are trying too hard to align "Empuraan" with "Lucifer." Stephen Nedumbally is portrayed as a savior, tasked with saving the world and his family. He’s constantly in action mode. Indrajith Sukumaran, who reprises his role as Govardhan, essentially does the same thing he did in "Lucifer," with the addition of a Louis Vuitton shawl. The movie's locations are visually stunning, especially on the IMAX screen, highlighting its grandeur. The film attempts to convey that global events influence local situations, but this message was more effective in "Lucifer." While the story and intentions are good, the screenplay could have been improved. Rearranging some scenes, such as placing the iinitial scenes before the interval, and the interval scene at the beginning, could have maintained a better sense of surprise and pacing. Deepak Dev’s music, particularly the background score that accompanies Mohanlal’s appearances, creates impactful "fan moments." Manju Warrier’s character arc, transitioning from subtle person to a leader, is a highlight. However, overall, the movie feels overloaded with violence and action, lacking emotional depth. 

The U/A certificate rating is questionable, given the presence of young children in the audience, who were exposed to uncomfortable violence scenes.

Ultimately, "Empuraan" feels like a testosterone overload. The third installment might be better or make this one seem better. But as a standalone movie, this one falls short due to its lack of emotion. 

Any movie that fails to resonate emotionally is a failure. Everything else is secondary.