1744 White Alto (2022) Poster

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3/10
Overkill for the sake of aesthetic buffoonery
samxxxul23 November 2022
This is the kind of film which makes when you think that the director just wants to overkill and make a film for the sake of aesthetic buffoonery and pop culture references. It is funny to see the 9 plus star ratings and there is no way these scores are genuine. Dam sure, this title really shows how the ratings game is played by the PR teams and studio. Please don't fall for the high rating regardless of the director previous outings. Unfortunately, this is so bad than Thinkalazcha Nishchayam and remains a decent attempt, a little messy and dotted with acting. Another film that was average is Nivin Pauly's "Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham"and "1744 White Alto" is even worse in terms of comedy, the gags are not organic and it frequently adds to the film's feel of being forced.

It would be better if the director paid more attention to the characters, acting, pacing, mainly the dialogues and not to the amount of being a Dan Kwan, Gen Sekiguchi, Jeremy Saulnier, Guy Ritchie, Xavier Dolan, Quentin Dupieux, Martin McDonagh, Zach Braff, Sam Raimi, Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, Coenessque Wannabe. Even the mediocre cast isn't enough to rescue the floundering except the lead. The film is meticulosky crafted staging-wise but it's nearly as pretentious and an overkill as the palattes looks like it done just to be a ripoff like a trash on treadmills.

To summarize, the film manages to subvert the malayalam cinema conventions with more flaws of its own. Its attempts to position the absurdity, social commentary as a kind of existential feels like a misfire. The tone of the film oscillates too indecisively between black comedy and drama, unfortunately it does go beyond buffoonery, despite a very few scenes.
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9/10
Not your regular black comedy!
helenshan-674157 December 2022
I watched this film after the reviews were out and honestly, that did me good. When the internet is flooded with praise and hype, when you do actually watch the movie, it becomes a tad unchallenging.

But with 1744 White Alto, the mixed reviews kept my expectations at bay and I watched the movie hoping to enjoy some visuals and some laughs like I did with the trailer and the teaser.

But I've got to say, the movie did take me by surprise with its direction. Not getting into the plot because the other reviews have already shed light on the same!

-> The shot at this genre is definitely worth mentioning. The genre jump is for sure what I enjoyed the most since it takes a different turn for the viewer after having consumed a set of genres that have already been experimented and hashed out. Black comedy is one genre that has hardly been on the Indian radar and if you are someone who has been yearning to see it as much as I did, then this is a start.

-> The song Watta and the groovy music video is other reasons that led me to watch the movie and I've got to say, it added an extraordinary element to the movie in general. The other song numbers were also as special as this but had to mention my top fav!!

-> The cast - Sharafudeen, Vincy, Rajesh Madhavan, Arun Kurian & Sminu Sijo - work hand in hand in weaving this black comedy, especially considering the humour aspect of it which each of them and the others, pulled off effortlessly.

To summarise, this was an amalgamation of sorts with everything except the expected! And if you are someone who is triggered by that, then this might not be for you.

Can't wait for the OTT release so that I can deep dive into this again.
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8/10
Quirky, experimental, fun.
Fran-Luiz7 December 2022
1744 WA brings out an out-of-the-box, fresh perspective on crime comedy and political satire; and the stunning setting makes it a unique visual treat. Music & film score by Mujeeb Majeed is thoroughly enjoyable and brilliantly complements the tone of the film.

Overall, a simple plot that's made interesting through execution. The comedy could have been more organic, nevertheless, props to the team for venturing into a fairly obscure genre in the industry through such a fun, suspenseful entertainer.

The quirky, experimental elements the narrative carries through out the film definitely makes it worth a watch.
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9/10
Beautifully concepted
geraldinepreethi7 December 2022
Loved the entire aesthetic. This is definitely one director to look out for. The decent first half followed by a good 2nd half & climax Overall another experimental movie from Malayalam. The movie was funny and yet engaging to quite a point. All the performances are excellent, no doubt thanks to a fun screenplay -with lots of nice little details sprinkled throughout- the movie. I am still waiting for an ott release. This was a good experience and not everyone must like it. It sure is a movie to be viewed from another perspective. It's good to see indian movies take a turn in terms of movies. #noteveryonescupoftea.
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9/10
Visual treat 😍
nenaabraham7 December 2022
Kudos to the makers of the film for their courage to do something different. Really enjoyed watching it. Everybody's performance was incredible!

Expecting Malayalam film industry to give more like this.

Loved the BGM it was top notch !! Music director Mujeeb Majeed did an amazing work (WATTA is my favourite

Seeeraj Raveendran did an amazing job !! It was a different visual experience in Malayalam cinema for me.

Ps: do not watch this expecting Thinkalazhcha nishchayam. This is an entirely different genre.

Definitely my cup of tea and I'm satisfied.

Thank you so much for this visual treat.
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