A slow-burn romantic thriller with some jaw-dropping plot twists
Slow-burn films can sometimes be engaging as the audience is given a lot more time with the characters that they are viewing on screen. However, the feeling is not the same when it comes to watching a murder mystery that takes its time, marinating the plot only for it to pick up pace somewhere in the middle.
Merry Christmas is one of those slow-burn murder mysteries that takes its time establishing its characters to build up some very intense and thrilling plot twists. The film is ace filmmaker Sriram Raghavan’s newest venture after his 2018 superhit – Andhadhun. Merry Christmas is itself an adaptation of the 1962 French thriller/noir film Paris Pick-Up (Le Monte-charge).
The film Le Monte-charge was based on Frédéric Dard’s French novel of the same name. Merry Christmas follows the story of two strangers who meet on Christmas Eve. The two strangers, Albert and Maria, spend the evening together, getting to know one another, and falling in love while learning that they both have some skeletons in their closet.
Merry Christmas is a 135-minute thriller that is set in Bombay (now Mumbai) during the 1980s where two strangers meet by chance. The plot is interesting and engaging to an extent. However, the first half of the film is slow, to a fault. You are left wondering what Maria is up to and what Albert will do next.
The introduction of some twists in the first half itself would have made the film a more engaging watch. The first half of the story gives you some time to understand the two main characters and their struggles. However, it may seem too slow-paced for some viewers who may be looking for quick answers to their questions.
The film’s cinematography is its ultimate superpower because the camerawork makes you doubt every character in the frame. The insane plot twist that comes at the beginning of the second act of the film leaves room for more speculation, making this an engaging murder mystery. Some plot twists in the film leave you confused but Merry Christmas is not a linear murder mystery.
The film is more a tale of romance than a linear murder mystery and Vijay Sethupathi makes the idea of falling in love with a stranger appealing.
Sethupathi plays Albert, a witty, funny and simple man who has anger issues and can go to any extent for his lover. One cannot call Merry Christmas one of Vijay’s best performances but he is the only character that stands out in this potboiler.
This film is Katrina Kaif’s best performance to date as we see her taking centre stage as an actress other than being an eye-candy, as seen in most of her other works to date. This movie has some great characters that only appear in the second half as the first half of the film only centres around Vijay and Katrina’s characters.
Merry Christmas has some great songs as part of its OST but ‘Raat Akeli’ takes over you. The romance track is produced by Pritam and is sung by Arijit Singh and Antara Mitra.
The film also features a lot of music from the 80’s that serves as an interesting background score for Merry Christmas. The transition between scenes is made interesting because of the songs played in the background.
Merry Christmas is a slow-burn romantic thriller that tells the tale of two strangers falling in the middle of a murder mystery.
Read More: Merry Christmas Ending Explained
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Verdict - 8.5/10
8.5/10