A note on the Fawlty Rating System (FRS)
*Initially thought about in 1934, it came to fruition only in the late 2000s.
*It is the only movie rating system in the universe to be based on a Buddhist scroll that was actually written by an Irish traveller who had been an assistant director in the movie “Birth of a nation”, the scroll was curiously titled “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari to make a Baahubali”
*The rating system is now named after the Irish Traveller, a small portion of the proceeds from this review will go to a bhel puri vendor in an undisclosed street corner for secret reasons.
*All numbers and words are arbitrary, mostly imaginary. They do not mean anything
A note on the Fawlty Rating System Ends
Let’s just get this straight, this is not an A for Attempt, E for Effort kind of review.
+89: The watch.
So this is a concept, the watch makes you go forward and backward in time, we like it; honestly we love it, there are immense possibilities that one can do with time travel, like say unite lost lovers, prevent wars or do something like Netru Indru Nalai. (which had a full blown time machine).
We like good concepts, so what do you do when you can control the uncontrollable viz. time?
The watch is also well designed, in fact that would be the next rating
+22: Attention to detail
Right so everything from the watch, the lab of Sethuraman which looks like one imagined by an author of steam-punk novels.
-231.455: Mismatch
I really get it that the writers and the director have re-imagined 1990 Tamil Nadu, which has an English castle, harry potter train and maple trees and Mad Max type bike racer henchmen, but the 2016 of Tamil Nadu is just like how it is now? Dei, i mean, dei!!!What happened to the Harry potter train?
-18: Suriya
Like OK, we realise we will mostly be killed by fans after this, but FRS committee has always held the view that there are limited characters that this actor can pull off, we know that we could be wrong entirely but consider us for one moment.
Suriya plays three characters
- Mani: ok this is the ‘normal’ guy we are supposed to identify with, he is exactly the same as ‘Ayan’ Suriya or the non Bodhidharmar ‘7am’ Suriya, in fact..never mind…what we are saying is…ok…not working…see there is a difference the way Kamal played PP Raja from ‘Savaal’, Raja from ‘AS’ and PKS from ‘PKS’ all three speak the same dialect but….ok..not going to go further on this point. Just saying Suriya plays the same guy, hence limiting.
- Sethuraman: this is the old Suriya from Varanam Aayiram who didn’t die but borrowed Stephen Hawking’s wheel chair.
- Athreya: coming to the much talked about character, who himself proclaims that he is a hard core villain, so that ends there.
That’s it not saying anything more about characters and all.
-20: Naming
Ok so, this Inventor Sethuraman has a brother named Athreya??
Like mean they seem to have been born in a royal type family(they have castle in the woods) which consults extensive naming books before naming twins like for example (Arpan-Darpan), this Sethuraman-Athreya naming convention, we dunno not working that’s all.
Another character named Mani, to drive in the ‘Time’ theme of the movie.
-58: Saravana Stores on my mind
Product placement!!! And whenever Suriya smiles it looks exactly like the one where he invites all our family members to visit the store.
-25: Ladies
This is in line with existing traditions only, mothers will be sacrificing and will only be worried about getting their sons married.
Girls will believe whatever hero says, especially in the time of google-android-shizz at your fingertips, like if the hero tells that there is disease you are suffering from, girl will believe, no questions asked; yeah yeah it is very cute and all.
And they fall in love.
-5: Poovum, Pottum (flowers and bindi)
Again concept, girl becomes divine with this and all heroes will force this on all heroines so that they become divine. Later they will rise to heaven.
+78: Malinga made fun of.
-300.9: Watch-mechanic as a lucrative career option
Like sir, what’s the time?
Man takes mobile phone and tells us the time, see NO WATCH. So in these no-watch times, the protagonist runs what seems to be a really successful enterprise here and he also rides a Royal Enfield Cafe Rider, also more points would be deducted for not even mentioning that it was bought on loan(was it?).
Think about the EMI, guys.
-100: Every time hero mentions one phrase, full theatre resorted to collective sighs, the air released during these sighs caused more suffocation and a near death experience
-40.9: Generic songs, generic bgm disappointing when visually the movie has so much to show, the music does little to heighten the experience.
Even more so on the supporting actors, they have little or no space to play.
+120.003: But wait! It ain’t that kind of movie!
No it isn’t, we are nitpickers.
24 is bang on track when it keeps to its time travel concept. The interval and the initial portions are absolutely well done, which kept us guessing on what could be the next move, similar scenes were observed in the second half as well; but then the deviations were too in the face to ignore,for example the whole love and family track.
Like if you think an entire family going on ‘moun vrat’ for a single day is cute, then you can erase all the minus ratings that we have put out.
Also if you are irritated, think that this is not film criticism, we suggest you to scroll up to read a short note on FRS.
Thank you.
The Lowly Laureate 