Empuraan X reviews: Netizens divided; Lucifer better than Empuraan or vice versa?

The much-awaited sequel to actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Mohanlal-led Lucifer, Empuraan, is finally in theatres. Given the success of the original, the makers had upped the budget and scale of the sequel, making it, according to unverified reports, the most expensive Malayalam film so far. The question that remained, though, was if the visual grandeur would be the only upgrade or if the story-telling too would get a boost in the right direction.

Well, the verdict is in and going by the comments on social media, it is safe to say that fans and neutral audiences have been left a tad underwhelmed by the storytelling, while the visual landscape is being described as phenomenal. Empuraan, according to a majority, has a bunch of positives going for it. However, the negatives slightly outweigh them, with many opining that Lucifer is the better of the two.

The first half of the 3-hour-long Empuraan had the better moments, felt most, adding that the second was rather flat. The problem with Empuraan, they cited was that while the makers left no stone unturned to ensure high-scale visuals, what was left on the backburner is a cohesive plot. There was a lot of praise for the background score, cinematography and, of course, the performances, with Mohanlal solid as always. The overwhelming reaction, right now, is that the film’s an average effort from the team, with some even questioning the need for a third part.

Irrespective of the word-of-mouth publicity of Empuraan, which is not the most favourable, the film team is currently laughing their way to the bank, what with it registering phenomenal pre-release bookings across the world. The film will have a good run at the box office over the next three days to, boosted also by the fact that Vikram’s Veera Dheera Sooran failed to release today and that Salman Khan’s Sikandar drops only on Sunday in time for Eid.