IT'S hard not to compare Studio Kembara's latest work to its hugely successful previous film, 'Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan'.
Made with a budget of RM8 million, 'Mat Kilau' collected a record-breaking RM97 million in 2022.
Fans had been waiting with bated breath for the sequel but will 'Pendekar Awang: Darah Indera Gajah', now screening in cinemas, be as successful or even surpass its predecessor (since it cost the producers, Abdul Rahman Mat Dali and Shaharuddin Mat Dali, RM15 million to make)?
It was reported that within 12 hours of its opening (on Jan 11), it has clocked in a tidy sum of RM500,000, so it's off to a great start.
As a spinoff (and as its title suggests), the film follows the story of Awang (played by Fattah Amin), instead of Mat Kilau.
Apart from Fattah, others reprising their roles from Mat Kilau are Wan Hanafi Su, Namron and Geoff Andre Feyaerts.
Joining them this time are actors who play newly added roles, including Nadhir Nasar, Amerul Affendi, Nur Fazura, Amir Ahnaf, Dian P Ramlee, Heliza Helmi, Hazwani Helmi, Tissa Biani and Hasnul Rahmat.
Amerul, whose role Tobah only appears in a few scenes, made an impression with his performance.
This film follows the story of Tok Gajah (Wan Hanafi), who must travel to Terengganu to garner support from the sultan and Malay warriors there to fight the British in Pahang.
Upon discovering this mission, the British send a troop led by the loathsome Captain Syers (Feyaerts), to stop Tok Gajah and his men from reaching their destination.
Meanwhile, Awang is on a mission to rescue Namron's Haji Sulong (who is captured by the British) first, before he joins Tok Gajah to ensure that the latter reaches Terengganu safely.
The plot and storyline for this film were simple, which makes it easy to follow.
What stands out this time was the commitment shown by its cast, especially Nadhir (who plays Tahir), Amir (Andak), Amerul, and Feyaerts.
As for Fattah, his Awang, unfortunately, doesn't shine as much this time around as compared with when he was in 'Mat Kilau'.
There were times when you could feel that his acting didn't quite deliver the emotions needed for his role as the film's protagonist.
However, this is only when compared with the previous film.
As an actor, Fattah has come a long way from his TV drama days, when his acting was criticised by many for being a little stiff.
However, whenever Nadhir's Tahir shared the same scene with Awang, both were potent together.
Perhaps the young actor, who is a rising star himself, had the right chemistry and gave off good vibes with his co-stars.
The film's two directors — Shaharuddin and Saiful Reza Shukor — were given different tasks to deal with.
The action scenes, directed by Saiful, were well-planned and deftly executed, without any of the shaky camera movements that would have put off some viewers.
The scenes where the female warriors were fighting were quite fascinating as well.
Fazura, Heliza, and Hazwani did a good job in showcasing their newly acquired skills such as horse-riding and archery.
While netizens may argue about the authenticity of their costumes and even the way the dialogue was delivered, I believe that this was the prerogative of the filmmakers to utilise creative licence to tell a compelling story.
In a nutshell, while the film may fall short of some people's expectations (by using the success of 'Mat Kilau' as a yardstick), 'Pendekar Awang' is still a fairly entertaining film that the entire family can enjoy watching together.
NOW SHOWING
PENDEKAR AWANG: DARAH INDERA GAJAH
Directed by Saiful Reza Shukor, Shaharudin Mat Dali
Starring Fattah Amin, Nur Fazura, Namron, Nadhir Nasar, Amir Ahnaf, Wan Hanafi Su, Tissa Biani, Amerul Affendi
Duration 113 mins
Classification 13