Mat Kilau is a disappointment

Luckily I didn't go to cinema to watch Mat Kilau. Or else I would have suffered severe migraine from all the excessive shaky cam shown on a big screen.

The movie was a huge hit when it came out in June. The box office success as well as all the racial controversies that it created, naturally I found myself pretty hyped to see it. Actually I don't really mind if the movie is ultra Malay-nationalistic or what-not. All I want is a kick-ass martial action flick. To this point, I would say that Mat Kilau is pretty disappointing. The fight choreography is good. The actors' postures and fighting moves are on-point. But why the hell they have to add so much shaky cam in. It is just frustrating to see that so much good stuff goes down the drain. I thought that shaky cam is so 10 years ago and everyone hates shaky cam is already a common knowledge. It is just sad to see such a wasted potential.

Another thing that Mat Kilau is missing in order to become the perfect action movie is the lacking of different "flavours" in its action scenes. There is no shortage of actions in Mat Kilau. But after an hour in, I found myself a bit bored. The main reason is that all the action scenes just feel too similar. When the action scenes become abundant, it is necessary to add "flavours" to them, to keep the visual stimulating and the audience engaged. What do I mean by "flavours" is a combination of many things, such as the setting, whether it is an open field or a claustrophobic tunnel; the types of weapons used that would change the fighting style, whether it is hand-to-hand fight or a fight with a long-ranged bamboo; the time of day the fight happens, etc.. Take one of the golden benchmark of action films - Mad Max Fury Road. Although the entire movie is basically a long action-packed chase set in the desert, we the audience could clearly identify that there is the starting chase started from the Citadel and ends with the sandstorm, the canyon chase with the flying motorcycles, the night chase through the muddy field, etc.. With Mat Kilau, I remember there is the fight at the jetty, the fight at night to save Wahid, and the big fight at the end. There are variations but they are slight variations. All of them just feel that they could blend together. When you watch it you would know exactly what I mean.

Overall, I think Mat Kilau is just a "meh".