In 2006, the city of Astinapura was shaken up by an unknown object that fell from the sky, which brought with it a deadly epidemic. Yuda was just a boy at that time, when mysterious masked attackers invaded his family’s home, and demanded that his mother Arimbi (Sigi Wimala) hand over a powerful heirloom. When she refused, the masked man tried to use his powers to make her comply. While Yuda managed to escape unharmed, his mother started suffering from amnesia after the confrontation, and has never been the same since. Over the next 15 years, the area has been plagued by outbreaks, disturbing crimes, and suspicious deaths carried out by that mysterious masked killer.
Yuda (Rizky Nazar) is now in his 20s, and was forced to drop out of college and take on whatever jobs he could find in order to support himself and his mother. After being fired as a reporter, he takes a job as a photographer for his best friend Erlangga’s (Jerome Kurnia) graduation ceremony. But the ceremony soon takes a deadly turn, interrupted by the same figure Yuda encountered as a child. As Yuda investigates what happened, he befriends Erlangga’s classmate Agni (Yasmin Napper), and discovers that the murders and this masked figure are part of a much larger battle that has been going on for millions of years, between two factions of people with special genes that give them God-like powers. The Pandavas are good and honest people, while the traits of the Kauravas are generally taking, destroying and absorbing. The Pandavas and Kauravas have been embroiled in a civil war, known as Bharatayuddha, for a thousand years. The Kauravas have been hunting down people with the Pandava gene in order to free their imprisoned leader Lord Aswatama (Fedi Nuril), and bring about the end of the world. However, legend has foretold of a powerful Pandava called Gatotkaca who is the only one who stop Aswatama and the Kaurava. Yuda has teamed up with a small ragtag team of rebels with the special gene in hopes of finding a way to prevent in fact be Gatotkaca…if he can learn to harness his powers.
Legend of Gatotkaca has a very interesting but extremely dense premise. While the Indonesian people may be familiar with the Mahabharata, the Javanese story of the Kurukshetra War, and the Pandavas and Kauravas, it was all new to me and a lot to try to take in in a single 2-hour movie. However, when I simplified it to a battle between two factions of gods, and a ragtag team of mutants—led by the chosen one—trying to stop them, then it made it a lot more enjoyable. The characters are a lot of fun, especially our group of heroes. While the story itself is about death, destruction and the end of the world, the film tempers all of this with humor. Even though our ragtag heroes are out to save the world, they also manage to have a little fun at the same time. There’s also a lot of humor with Yuda, his mother and their annoyed neighbors. The film spends a lot of time on Yuda and the other characters investigating the murders and uncovering this larger legend, so it’s not all non-stop action sequences like some of the other Indonesian films I’ve received from Well Go. However, there are still several exciting fight sequences throughout the film, whether it’s with our heroes being chased down in the streets, humans fighting off attacks from the god-like beings, or battles between super-powers. The film builds to an exciting conclusion, but one that ultimately sets things up for a second chapter.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release provides both the original Indonesian soundtrack as well as an English dub option. Most of the text in the movie is written in both languages. The English subtitles are generally well-written, and the English Dub is well-acted with a somewhat natural cadence—both options provide a satisfying viewing experience. There was only one odd thing that stood out, where in one scene a date of 2021 is shown on the screen, but the English audio mentions the date as 2002. Both the original and English audio tracks provide an exciting and immersive experience, which is noticeable right from the start as the sounds of thunder fill the room on the dark and stormy night the attackers make their way to young Yuda’s home. This continues throughout the film, whether it’s an action-packed fight in an alley, or a chase through the streets, or a battle between god-like powers, all of that action comes to life. The video quality is excellent, with a crisp, clean and detailed image, even in the darker scenes.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release is barebones, with no bonus material—just the film’s trailer and three previews for other Well Go releases. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and doesn’t include a digital copy. Our review copy also included an embossed slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:09:47)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: Indonesian DTS-HDMA 5.1, Indonesian Stereo, English DTS-HDMA 5.1, English Stereo
- Subtitles: English
Extras:
- Trailer (1:38)
- Previews
- The Grandmaster of Kung Fu (1:17)
- Project Wolf Hunting (2:17)
- Preman: Silent Fury (2:30)
Final Thoughts:
Legend of Gatotkaca has a dense mythology at its core, which can be a bit daunting at first, but in general, the story is a fun and exciting tale of an age old fight between two god-like races, and a small rag-tag group of powered beings led by a chosen one, who set out to stop the end of the world. The movie has a nice blend of drama, action and humor. Well Go’s release looks and sounds great, and offers both the original audio and English dub options. While the disc is barebones in regards to special features, I think this is a film that will get better with repeat viewings, once the mythology becomes more clear. Certainly worth a look.
Legend of Gatotkaca
$12.00 (as of November 24, 2024 06:16 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Legend of Gatotkaca
$20.92 $11.99 (as of November 24, 2024 06:16 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
