Urduja - Movie Review

The movie tells the story of the chieftain's daughter, Urduja.

In the village of Tawilisi, independent and headstrong Urduja suddenly finds herself betrothed to the arrogant Simakwel. It is her aged father's wish that she marry Simakwel, whom she openly dislikes. One day, she meets the Chinese pirate Lim Hang, who saves her from a Batyaw assassin. Sparks fly and the two immediately fall in love.

Despite the old chieftain's dislike of foreigners, Lim Hang, together with his stoic Japanese friend, Daisuke, and their rodent companion, Kukut, gain the gratitude and trust of the village by helping end the conflict with the tree-dwelling Batyaws.

Desperate to secure the throne and Urduja, Simakwel turns to Wang, a Chinese general who has been trying to capture Lim Hang. Wang threatened to invade the village of Tawilisi if Lim Hang was not surrendered. In an act of selflessness, Lim Hand gives himself up to save Urduja and her village. However, Wang goes back on his word and attacks the village anyway.

With the help of Kukut and Daisuke, Lim Hang escapes and returns to Urduja's village. With the aid of skilled Batyaw warriors, Lim Hang, Daisuke, Urduja, and the village of Tawilisi triumph against Wang and his army. Urduja and Lim Hang marry and live happily ever after.



**********

Finally! It's good to see that the Philippines is stepping up when it comes to animated films. The last full-length animated film we produced was "Adarna." That was, what, over 10 years ago? It's no secret that foreign companies like Disney outsource many animation work here in the Philippines. At least now we're making our own.

Here are my thoughts:
Animation quality could use a lot of improvement but I wouldn't call it bad. It's just that it follows the style of Disney very closely. When the trailer was shown, I could swear it was a combination of Pocahontas and Mulan. Watching the movie, I was able to pinpoint similarities to Tarzan (swinging through vines), Pocahontas (the wind, the waterfalls, the trees, the way Urduja looks, and many more), and Mulan (swords, the Chinese). It's okay to take elements from other works, but this looks like they copied entire scenes and just switched characters.

I have no complaints about the cast. As far as voice acting goes, I think it was acceptable. However, I don't think it was a good idea to have Cesar Montano sing duets. It wasn't bad. I'd say he can sing. But if you put his singing alongside a pro like Regine... well... let's just say it didn't turn out to be as climactic as it should have.

The music was alright. Not exactly unforgettable, but at least it was appropriate.

The story was very predictable. I don't think that's a bad thing. I love a good happy ending.

I've read the story of Urduja as a child. Many versions of it, in fact. The story here does not, in any way, reflect the old legends or the historical account. Maybe there was another version I wasn't familiar with?

Characterization could use some work. I honestly didn't get a feel of who the characters really were. Who was Daisuke and how did he end up with Lim Hang? Why did Lim Hang become a pirate? How did Urduja's mother die? Why does Simakwel want the throne so badly? Why did Mayumi have so much boyfriends? Why did Wang want Lim Hang so bady? Who was the Chinese trader who helped Wang?

What on Earth was a Chinese pirate (who looked like he belonged with the Huns in Mulan) doing with a Japanese Samurai? Maybe a brief background of how that came to be could have been presentd. Honestly, I was under the impression that some of the creators were Anime fans who thought putting a sword-wielding Samurai (Rurouni Kenshin style!) would be cool.

Despite all the bad things I said, I found that I still have something good to say about this film: The fact that this film is out there, being promoted by big names and big companies, is a big step. We're not quite there yet but we're on the way. My Mom used to tell me that artists start by copying, then, eventually gain their own style and become unique. Despite the fact that the film looks like a bad Disney imitation, I have no doubts that eventually, Filipinos will develop their own style; a style that is unique, inspiring, and world-class.

I look forward to more Filipino animated features. Good job!