Producer- Arjun Mohan
Director- Parthan Mohan
Cast- Jagadeesh, Vishnu Nandan, Devika Nambiar, Vinod Menon, Soumya Sadanandan, Rosin Jolly etc.
Music- Ashwin Johnson
Review By Unni R Nair ( Kerala9.com )
Well, what should I say about this movie? I usually don’t like watching horror flicks. This because most of them miss the bus and end up giving me a headache that would last for the rest of the day; moreover most horror flicks don’t excite me or entertain me and hence I prefer not to watch them. But this anyhow doesn’t mean I haven’t ever liked horror flicks; I have liked watching some well-made horror movies, though I usually don’t like this genre…
So, as I was saying, I just don’t know what to say about ‘One’. Is it really a horror flick? What exactly did the makers intend to do with the film? What were all these people doing in the hall, sitting their laughing at scenes that were perhaps intended to send a chill down your spine and talking all along? And, why was I sitting there, yawning at times and looking at my watch, wanting the film to come to a screeching halt somehow? (A reviewer can’t be a chooser; he has to suffer it all!).
The opening sequence and the rather casual kind of dialogue delivery seemed to impress me. I began to develop the notion that this may be a different kind of horror movie, sans the clichés and that I may come out of it happy and satisfied. But then the shots of the spooky bungalow and the swing and the disconnected telephone ringing aloud- all these and many other ingredients in the film seemed to prove me false.
So what’s ‘One’ all about? Five youngsters, all techies, sit at a coffee shop and plan a weekend trip. They finally decide to spend their weekend at a desolate but reportedly ‘beautiful’ location, a bungalow situated away from the city. They persuade their boss (Jagadeesh) to accompany them and together they set off to their weekend destination. Then on, it’s all usual stuff- a swing that refuses to move, doors slamming shut and refusing to open up, strange sounds et al. And, it all ends with five of them getting killed in an eerie fashion and one going missing, mysteriously missing.
As the film ends, we are told that it is based on a true incident that happened in Scotland. So what? Does that justify the making of this movie? The answer is a loud and emphatic ‘No’. In total, ‘One’ is far from impressive and can also be called a waste of time, money and energy. But maybe the film gifts us a talented director, hopefully!!
Performance
Nothing much to say about the performance aspect in the movie. It’s just so so…
Technical aspects
Cinematography is OK, but it’s wasted in a movie that makes no impression whatsoever. Moreover there is not much of computer graphics, something that you’d expect in a horror flick…
Music
Background score, which is minimal, is good. The songs don’t make an impression.
Script
Script, by the producer Arjun Mohan, is a mess. We just can’t make out what the writer was trying to convey through the film.
Direction
I should say the director is in control of things. Maybe he’d deliver better when supported by a better script, in his future ventures. Let’s hope so…
Verdict- Unimpressive, totally off the track…
Rating: 1.5/5