Jallikattu movie: Early reviews for the film mostly positive

Jallikattu is a Malayalam film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. The film made its international release today on October 4, 2019. It was also featured at the 44^th Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Hence the audience's expectations for the film are high. Did it deliver on what the critics and audiences expected of it?

Jallikattu movie: a basic premise

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The premise of Jallikattu is that a buffalo that was to be slaughtered has escaped. The free animal then proceeds to go on a rampage across the tribal village. How the villagers deal with the beast and the drama that results from the whole ordeal is the main crux of the film. The movie is named after the South Indian tradition of bullfighting that is also called Jallikattu.

What do early reviews for the movie have to say?

Jallikattu has been showered with positive reviews and praise by professional critics as well as fans online. As of October 4, 2019, the movie has an 89% score on the popular movie rating website Rotten Tomatoes after reviews from nine critics. It also has an 8.5 out of 10 score on IMDb. The movie has been praised for its visuals, acting and the drama as well as the village politics that it portrays. Also read: Toronto Film Fest pays tribute to Meryl Streep, Joaquin Phoenix

One reviewer called it a slow burner but an amazing portrayal of civilization’s breakdown that occurs after the escape of the buffalo and the multiple failures to capture it. The cinematographer Gireesh Gangadharan was also praised in the review for the artistic shots and imagery that he instilled into the film. Another review called it a monster movie where the monster is not the four-legged hooved animal but is instead the two-legged villagers who slowly lose all sense of decorum and turn to primal savagery. One review called it a movie worthy of international release, as even though it is set in a rural Indian village, the film still sends a message across that can be understood by anyone who watches it irrespective of their nationality or culture.

Initial reviews for Jallikattu seem to be overwhelmingly positive. Even online reviews from fans and viewers have been mostly positive. The movie has been lauded for brilliantly portraying a drama through the guise of a simple disaster thriller. The visuals for the film seem to be one of the favourite aspects of fans as seen on social media.

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