NOOB FILM REVIEW - XXRAY 3 by Aziz M. Osman - A MESSAGE FOR ALL

XXRAY 3 by Aziz M. Osman - A MESSAGE FOR ALL

(spoiler free)

SYNOPSIS

A group of young UFO hunters detected an anomaly near Melaka. From there they found themselves merged in a middle of a crisis. A threatening global disaster can only be avoided by obtaining a powerful item, the Probe, which is in the possession of a huge tech conglomerate. With the fate of the country and world at the brink of destruction, they have to search for a piece of the puzzle from the past in order to survive.

REVIEW

Sounds like a synopsis of a Hollywood sci-fi action movie right? No. Its Malaysian and its Aziz M. Osman. His gut on venturing into the genre from the first XXRAY movie back in 1992 is very well embedded in this third installment. He connects us with the real-life nationwide blackout back in 1996 and uses it as a solid base for the plot.

*I can’t remember the plot of the first and the second XXRAY to confirm link

THE SCALE

I cannot recall any local film that has covered so much ground in one movie. You have local boys and girls in a kampung who look up to the skies, got themselves into an international quest for the Probe in Jordan, and got in a quest on saving the world from a cataclysmic disaster. In the same breath, the movie links flawlessly and beautifully with the characteristics of local politics and the most important of it all - the Malay folklore and religion. And also a multi-dimensional portal is in the mix! (Alam Bunian, perhaps?)

The Probe symbolizes power and two sides fighting for it, one for the good of the world and another one for the inner desire to control all. The scene of Ryan and Lanna (with headcover) leaning back looking up to the starry night sky almost asking the Moslems to look back up to the skies like those early scholars who named stars after them, instead of being lost in daily petty rhetorics. In one scene, Ryan asked a famous figure from the past why Malaya and Melaka still lose - the answer is - you got to watch the movie to know.

The end of the movie opens up a huge door for sequels (wait for the end credit) OR prequel for this great universe that Aziz M. Osman has created. This is a brilliant start to unwrap the unexplored local lore, tales and characters of old and adapt them into film, like how Hassan Abd Muthalib always hint. Yesterday I was writing about HANA and GUANG and how we need those kind of movies to uplift the morale of the nation and be proud of it. And mark our spot on landmark of global film scene with our own identity.

Aziz M. Osman has a message for all, tudung girls driving MYVI, big bosses sons, security officers, kaki pancing, makcik jual keropok lekor, men in black, religionists, stereotypists and FINAS.

CGI is the least of the problem.

My rating - 4 out of 5