Movie Mush: Ambuli 3D

Ever gone to one of those movies just because your friends force you to and you expect it to be boring and dull, whereas it turns out to be surprisingly good? That is what happened to me with Ambuli. Neither the title or the trailer were impressive. It seemed like one of those bad low budget movies from the outset, so I was never been in the mood to watch it in a theater. But my friends insisted and I did. And I' quite thankful now that they insisted. Ambuli definitely is worth a watch in the theaters.

"Avatar" started this new wave of 3D flicks. Two years after its release, Kollywood comes up with its first Steroscopic 3D flick - Ambuli. What is heartening is that the makers have concentrated not just on the 3D effects to be delivered - as usually is the case with most of the 3D movies - but the story and screenplay have been quite well etched and executed. The result is a movie where 3D does exactly what it has to: enhance the quality of movie watching experience without overtaking the need for a plausible storyline. In that regard, Ambuli scores well.


The story is set in the late 1970s in a rural town with Tamil Nadu with more superstitions than people, and the most important of them being the presence of an animal born to a woman 25 years ago which comes out at night and kills people who wander along a forest route connecting the town with a nearby college. Sounds like a joke right? That is what our lead actor and his best friend think and they set out to break the myth; to bring proof to everyone that "Ambuli" doesn't exist. But some myths turn out to be true.


The first ten minutes offer exhilarating 3D fun. The first half that follows is engaging because the 3D here isn't the only good thing: it has a decent story and a logical screenplay as well for three fourths of the movie, quite a rarity in tamil movies, nowadays!


Apt casting is one of the biggest pluses of the movie: almost everyone match their roles and play their part well. The fact that debutants have been cast in the leading roles actually help the cause of the movie - it brings a much needed freshness also to the script. Fortunately, the songs don't bore you and are used such that the story moves forward with the songs.


For a "creature" movie, the plot is quite logical, and it is obvious that the directors have done quite a lot of research to explain how "Ambuli" was born.


However, as the movie veers towards the climax, the plot loses all logic and the confrontation of "Ambuli" with Parthiban is more funny than scary. R.Parthiban's behavior is confusing, at many instances. His role has been wasted. But for these minor plot holes, the movie is definitely entertaining and worth watching.

A deserving 3/5.